ALT AND HDG DEV IN FOREIGN OP.

Narrative

AFTER HAVING MAINT DONE; WE HAD A DELAYED DEP FROM BASEL; SWITZERLAND; TO JEDDAH; SAUDI ARABIA. WE WERE GIVEN A SID FROM BASEL CLRNC. ON DEP; THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT WX ENRTE. MY COPLT; VERY JUNIOR; WAS HAVING A DIFFICULT TIME WITH THE RADIOS. THE DEP CTLR ASKED US OUR CLRNC. WE HAD A DIFFERENT CLRNC THAN HE WAS EXPECTING AND HE ASSIGNED A HDG. WITHIN 2 MINS; WE WERE HDG INTO A TSTM WITH SEVERE TURB. WE REQUESTED A TURN TO THE R. HE ALSO ASKED US OUR REQUESTED LEVEL. A SERIES OF RADIO CALLS ENSUED BTWN MY COPLT AND THE CTLR ON THE ALT. WE HAD BEEN CLRED TO FL240; BUT I HEARD FL410 FROM THE BASIL 3 TIMES. AT THE SAME TIME; WE WERE UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALT BECAUSE OF A SEVERE TOSSING ABOUT BY THE WIND. I BUSTED THROUGH FL240 AND PICKED UP A HDG OF 120 DEGS TRYING TO AVOID A BUILDUP. IT WAS THEN I REALIZED A TCASII PICTURE OF NEARBY TFC AND THE CTLR ASKING ME MY ALT. I IMMEDIATELY STOPPED CLBING AS BEST I COULD; STILL IN TURB. WE HAD CLOSED TO WITHIN 2 1/2 MI AND WITHIN 500 FT I BELIEVE. THIS IS MY FIRST REAL TIME OF BEING COMPLETELY SATURATED WITH A COMBINATION OF WX; INEXPERIENCED COPLT; LANGUAGE PROBS; AND THE LOT; AND I FOUND IT ILLUMINATING. WE CLRED THE TFC AND PROCEEDED TO FL410 ON THAT HDG.