Mark Heiden's Educators to Saudi Arabia Trip Blog

A Great Trip

2008-12-22T17:45:00.000+03:00

The Educators to Saudi Arabia trip is a wonderful trip to experience. I highly recommend that every teacher consider applying for this chance to travel to a country that is normally closed off to Americans. I think I may have more questions now about Saudi Arabia, than I have answers. It is a country where often there are not exact answers, and even more often there are many complex factors at work. It is a country that is changing, perhaps being drug along kicking and screaming, into a world where we strive to give equal rights to all. How long this will take in Saudi Arabia, I am not sure. It certainly hasn't reached the rest of the world either, but most places in the world are well ahead of Saudi Arabia currently when it comes to human rights. One important detail that I learned was that the Israel/Palestine conflict is the number one world issue that Saudis are concerned about, and their view is an exact opposite of most American and European views. Until this issue is settled, true goodwill between the Middle East and the rest of the world will be hard to achieve.

To any newcomers to this blog: Please start reading at the bottom so you can go in chronological order. This blog was created to be daily communication with my students, family, colleagues, and friends, but now that my trip is over, it will remain up, unchanged, so that any interested parties can read it. Email me directly at mbheiden@gmail.com or mheiden@hse.k12.in.us with any questions or comments. Thank you.

A Trek Halfway Around the World

2008-12-22T17:24:00.001+03:00

It took about 20 hours of transit time, but I did make it back to Indianapolis at the time I was supposed to arrive. My connections were tight, but I made all of them. However, my bag did not. It would seem that United Airlines had a great deal of trouble getting bags from Chicago to Indianapolis. I took my bag through customs in Chicago, but then I didn't get it in Indy. Supposedly United will deliver it to me--we'll see. But, still, I made it home to the very cold weather. It is good to be back.

Bahrain

2008-12-21T23:59:00.001+03:00

What a wild place Bahrain is! It contrasts with Saudi Arabia in several ways, with the most evident being that many of the strict rules from Saudi Arabian society are relaxed. We did cross the bridge to Bahrain, with took longer than most of us thought it would. It was quite an experience because we went in a convoy of large SUVs with our police escort. Once in Bahrain we drove to a little smokey bar for dinner. We all felt it was very much different from our dining arrangements throughout the trip to this point. Still, we ate and had a good time, emerging smelling of smoke, before going to the airport and checking in to leave the Middle East for Frankfurt.

A Final Day of Saudi Arabia

2008-12-21T18:43:00.008+03:00

Today is the last day of our amazing trip here in Saudi Arabia. It will also be the longest day that I can imagine. We began today with a visit into the Saudi governance compound here in Riyadh. We visited the Ash-Shurah Council (the Saudi Consultative Council). This is a group of 150 men who advise and review laws that are proposed in Saudi Arabia. You can see below my place at the table, and also our hosts answering our questions.

After a question and answer session with three of these members focusing on education in Saudi Arabia, we toured two very important rooms. The first is where the King addresses his legislative body once per year.

I was also chosen to give a speech to the entire Saudi Nation, and you can see me speaking below.

(I’m just kidding about that—this is just a photo op!)
Then, we were ushered into a room where the King receives official guests. You can see James and I discussing important national and international issues below.

After this we visited the diplomatic quarter (compound—very heavily guarded!) and drove the streets looking at all of the embassies. We had lunch at an Italian restaurant, and then we visited the American Embassy compound. This embassy was very heavily guarded as well. We heard from some foreign service officers about American outreach in Saudi Arabia. I don’t have any pictures to post of this visit because cameras were strictly prohibited. Next we took a bus to the Riyadh airport to fly to Dammam, and then on back to the Saudi Aramco compound in Dhahran for about 45 minutes before we set out for Bahrain.

We are getting ready to head out from Dhahran to the country of Bahrain. Bahrain is a small country in the Persian Gulf that is connected to Saudi Arabia by a long bridge. We fly from Bahrain on Lufthansa flight 627 to Frankfurt, Germany. We take off at 2:30 AM (6:30 PM EST) to arrive in Germany at 6:50 AM (12:50 AM on Dec. 22nd). Then, I have a quick turn around to fly on United flight 945 into Chicago O’Hare leaving at 8:10 AM (2:10 AM EST), to arrive in Chicago at 10:35 AM CST. I should then fly to Indy on United 304 to arrive finally in Indianapolis at 3:16 PM. I hear there is a lot of bad weather all over the US, so we’ll see if I actually make it in anytime soon. We’ll see….

Last Night in Riyadh

2008-12-20T23:20:00.008+03:00

This morning began with room service for breakfast, and then a visit to Al-Yammam College. This is a private college for men and women on the outskirts of Riyadh. We started off with a meet and greet with college students, a welcome by the president, and then we saw a debate performance by the school’s debate team on the question of whether the West’s perception of the Middle East is the fault of the Middle East itself, or of outside forces like the media. After the debate we had meeting time with the students, and then lunch. The college was very nice, and the students were great (this was our first time to spend time with male students), but it was strange to see the segregation that happens between the males and females. They don't sit together in the auditorium, and their classes are separate. After lunch we had a quick break back at our hotel before we visited a museum and a souq for shopping. Finally, this evening we visited the historical center that traces Saudi Arabia’s history from the dawn of time until the present day. The day ended with a late dinner with Saudi Aramco engineers and public relations workers. I need to get a lot of sleep tonight because this is my last time to have a night in Saudi Arabia. Tomorrow is a full day, ending at 2 AM with my trek home beginning. In the photo below you can see downtown Riyadh, with the Kingdom Tower on the left, and the tower connected to our hotel behind it on the right.

And, even though Riyadh is a modern city, you can still see signs of the past, like camels in trucks!

Here is a close up of our hotel (the building on the left), and the Al-Faisaliyah Center looming behind it.

And, this evening I took a photo from the “globe” portion of the center looking over Riyadh. You can see the Kingdom Tower in the distance.

The Red Sea and Riyadh

2008-12-19T21:46:00.009+03:00

Today was a very early start, but I actually made it up in time for breakfast for the first time in a while. We departed the hotel for a drive along the Red Sea coast to a resort where there was a yacht ready to take us out for a pleasure boating morning. The weather here in Jeddah is amazing—about 75-85 degrees with sun everyday. The ride on the boat was great, with food and drinks being served. We were relegated to boating in a bay area, instead of the open Red Sea because of time constraints, but it was still beautiful. They had jet skis ready for us to use, and we boated to a swimming area for a nice swim in the sea. The weather and the very blue water made the morning great. You can see some scenes from our morning below. The first one is a view of us being ferried out to our boat.

Here is a view of the open Red Sea, just beyond our reach!

Also, here are a bunch of us swimming in the sea.

Here is a shot of us relaxing after a nice swim.

After our morning of boating we headed back to the hotel and did a quick checkout, load-up, and trip to the airport to fly from Jeddah to Riyadh. We had a nice flight to the Saudi capital, and then we took a bus to our amazing hotel. We are staying at the Al Faisaliah Hotel. This is one of the landmark buildings in Riyadh, and you can see it on their website here. And, the inside of the hotel didn’t disappoint. The room has to be the best one I have ever stayed in, with a deluxe feel to everything. The picture below of the bathroom doesn’t even do it justice.

The room is controlled by panels like this one around the room. This control screen opens and closes the curtains!

This will be a great two nights here. I ordered room service for dinner: a fancy hamburger with fruit juice and cheesecake with ice cream.

It is time to turn in for the evening. As I write this I know my class is having their final afternoon of school of 2008. I know they are having a good time, but I look forward to getting back to them in January.

And, finally, as some extra information, here is a view of the airport terminal in Jeddah where all the flights arrive for the Hajj. The Hajj is the yearly time when Muslims make the journey to Mecca and Medina. This terminal is HUGE to handle the massive amount of people that fly into Jeddah, and then take busses to the two mosques.

A Hijazi Folkloric Band

2008-12-18T23:46:00.003+03:00

We did leave the wonderful hotel in Jeddah to head to the Durah Beach Resort on the Red Sea. The drive took about an hour, and then we checked in and met in the lobby. A bunch of us guys bought thobes today in the souq, and we wore them to dinner tonight. It was strange wearing this garment, and I had a difficult time getting my headwear correct. Saudi men kept coming by and fixing it for me!

We were greeted outside our lobby by the a Hijazi folkloric band and dancers. They played music and danced us to our large room with carpets for dancing. For the next several hours we enjoyed Hijazi folkloric dancing, along with a fine dinner.

The Souq in Old Jeddah

2008-12-18T15:46:00.005+03:00

I stayed up really late last night talking over Skype to family and friends, and also finishing a book that I brought along to read: A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines. We headed out to the old city section of Jeddah today. It was great to get away from the cosmopolitan section that we have spent so much time enjoying. We toured a 150 year old house to see and learn of the history of architecture in Jeddah. Then we had a chance to shop at the souq market that is up and down the streets in this area. I bought a bunch of gifts here, and also I bought a thobe and headdress for myself (you might see a picture of me wearing it soon). Below you can see some scenes from the market.

Also, here is a picture of old Jeddah from the roof of the house we visited. Notice the minarets of a mosque in the background.

Just as we were getting ready to leave the souq, the call to prayer came out over the loudspeakers, projected from the minarets. The shops all closed up and everybody went to a mosque or a place to pray.

We had a short break before we had a talk from the Editor in Chief of Arab News, an English language newspaper. It was an interesting talk because we heard about his wide ranging views of the world and the media. We then had lunch with him, as well as other Saudis. I was fortunate to sit across from Mr. Almaeena, the Editor in Chief, and I had the chance to ask him a lot of questions about world affairs. Now that lunch is over, we are packing and relaxing before we head out to a resort on the Red Sea for this evening through tomorrow afternoon. I may not be able to update the blog again until we arrive in Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia, on Friday evening.

The Help Center, the Mall, and Great Dinner Conversation

2008-12-17T23:34:00.000+03:00

Today we began the day with a trip to the Help Center, a center for children with disabilities. This is a center that was begun by a wealthy Saudi family because they witnessed Saudis having to send their kids to special schools outside of the country. This cost for sending your child to this center depends on how much you make, and they said that they never have had to turn anyone away because of money. It is a state-of-the-art facility that would be the envy of any special school. A bunch of us brought books as gifts, and I was able to donate a copy of Unexpected Indiana to this school’s library. You can see a picture of the outside of the school below.

After this inspiring visit we went to the office of the Saudi Gazette. We toured the building and then met with staff members from the paper. We had a panel discussion about Saudi Arabian issues, and about press censorship. We learned that press censorship has gotten much better over the past 20 years, but that newspapers are still censored (on a scale of 1-10, an opinion I heard was that Saudi Arabia was a 7). I don’t know if that is entirely true because there are still very taboo subjects that you can’t write about in Saudi Arabia.

Then we had a very nice lunch on the Red Sea where we heard a speech about current Saudi-American relations. After our lunch we were taken to a new huge mall and we had an hour to shop. I didn’t buy much, but I did take some interesting pictures that I wish to describe below:
First, you can see Barbie vs. Fulla. Barbie Dolls are banned in Saudi Arabia because of the obvious issues with Barbie’s dress, shape, and other connotations. So, Saudi Arabia has their own doll, Fulla. You can see in the picture below a Barbie vs. Fulla display.

Now, you can see Fulla herself, with her indoor clothes on. She could never wear these clothes outside.

Now, here is Fulla in her abaya for outside business.

Another wild sight was these packages:

Did you guess what happened? The women on these packages were blacked out with a marker because they didn’t have on an abaya outside. Interesting….

Also, here is a display made for other parts of the world that have the face blurred. I am not sure exactly why they do this, but it was everywhere.

And, here is a view of the sunset and the “tallest water fountain in the world” from my window. Saudi Arabia does have immense beauty. especially if you have the money or special treatment (I have the latter) to experience it.

Dinner tonight was at the fabulous Hilton Hotel, and was preceded by a discussion with Dr. Suhair H. Al Qurashi, president of Dar Al-Hekma College. This scholar was really amazing. In fact she had just returned from the UN, traveling with the King of Saudi Arabia, presenting to people like Condoleezza Rice. After the discussion we had dinner, and at our table were two really outstanding young Saudi women. These were two who had really worked hard and were succeeding at business and education in Saudi Arabia. It was very interesting to talk with them, and to learn about their views of the current status of women’s rights. Kholoud Attar was one of the women, and she has started her own design magazine here in Jeddah called Design. The magazine is beautiful, and is a real groundbreaking idea here in Saudi Arabia. The other woman was also named Kholoud and she had studied gifted and talented education as an undergraduate student, so she and I also had a very good conversation about GT and its current status in the US and in Saudi Arabia. This was certainly my best evening of conversation with Saudis yet, and it was because of these outstanding guests at our dinner.

A Visit to Sami Anqawi’s House

2008-12-16T23:32:00.003+03:00

This evening we went to an amazingly beautiful house, designed and lived in by the famous Saudi architect Dr. Sami Anqawi. This house was beyond belief to see, with a courtyard in the middle with a pool, and beautiful rooms all around. He has entertained many guests, including former President Jimmy Carter, at this house. He recently designed a new Islamic Cultural Center in Boston. Though the picture below doesn’t really do it justice, you can see a view of the middle area of the house.

After dinner we went to hear a presentation on Saudi women, and how they are doing gaining some rights. It was a good presentation, but we continue to hear the same thing—many Saudi women are in college because the government pays for it and even gives them spending money to go. The problem is there are not jobs available to them when they graduate (except for perhaps some education jobs, some nursing/medical positions, and maybe being a secretary). Saudi women can’t even be a sales clerk because they can’t sell any item to men. Another example of this inequity is the seating system at restaurants in Saudi Arabia. At a restaurant here you have a men’s only section (usually called the "singles" or men’s section), and you have a family section that women can sit in (with their children and husband, if they are present). This “family” section is often hidden behind smoked glass so that no one can see inside. A photo below shows the signs directing the Saudis to their entrances.

And, just for fun, here is the lobby of my hotel in Jeddah. Pretty nice!

A Land of Contrasts

2008-12-16T17:03:00.003+03:00

Today began with me skipping breakfast for more sleep, and then a trip to a local women’s college named Effat College. This place is one of the few that serve women who wish to go to the university to learn to be professionals like architects or businesswomen. This is a new idea since Saudi women in the past could only work as teachers or nurses or secretaries. It was a good visit, but it was way too short because we didn’t have a chance to ask the students questions about their life as Saudi women. After that we went to the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce to hear from the director of the women’s department. She was an amazing woman, having been educated in the US for something like 20 years, and now is living in Saudi Arabia, and trying to really bring change for women wishing to join the workforce. She spoke of the gains made for women in the workforce, but also of the extreme difficulties they still face.

This is what I mean by a land of contrasts. For instance, Saudi women can’t drive, can’t walk alone (usually), can’t work (usually), can’t swim in the hotel swimming pool, and have to wear the abaya and head (and sometimes face) covering (though they insist they don't have to wear it, they all do wear it). At the same time, they are beginning to make some progress by beginning to get some women into professional positions, though it seems that this is usually because the woman came from a wealthy family and was educated somewhere else in the world. I don’t know quite what to think about Saudi Arabia right now. I suppose it is a land of contrasts, but it still made me mad when I went to swim in the beautiful hotel pool, and none of the women in our group were allowed to swim. Plus, walking near the tank that is guarding the entrance to the hotel compound is a bit unnerving as well!

At least we are still eating well. Below is a picture of our lunch today at a Lebanese restaurant, though I know we would have traded that long lunch for some more time with those Saudi young women to learn about their thoughts, triumphs, and struggles.

A trip to Al-Hasa, and then a flight to Jeddah

2008-12-15T23:51:00.001+03:00

Today was a day that didn’t really go to plan for most of the day. We drove out to a city called Al-Hasa that was about 2 hours outside of Dhahran. We were supposed to go to Garah Mountain, but we stopped off at a pottery village to see a man making and selling his pottery. This was a great experience, but it did take a while longer than we thought it would. In the first picture below you can see the man throwing a pot on a wheel. Then, you can see a date tree. The small little fruits hanging from the tree are the dates that Saudi Arabia is so famous for.

We then had to spend less time at the Garah Mountain because we were running behind for our lunch. But, we did get to see some amazing sights there.

After that we needed to get to lunch, but we wanted to see the Castle of Ibrahim. It turns out that this was a several hundred year old castle that has been restored, but it was closed for maintenance, so no luck there! We then had a quick but very nice lunch at the Intercontinental Hotel before heading back to Dhahran. I did get some good pictures of Saudi life, like the one below:

And, in this photo, notice the Saudi woman walking in the full abaya and face covering. This is something I am still not used to seeing.

By the way, if you were to want to use the restroom in Saudi Arabia, I hope you would know which one to enter!

We drove back to the hotel, at great speed with our police escort I think, and had to pack very quickly in order to be ready to fly to Jeddah this evening. We got to the airport and got through in time to board the 747 that we took to Jeddah. The flight was about two hours long. One interesting note is that they said a prayer for travelers over the plane speakers just before we took off! It was in Arabic, so I don't know what the words were. Once we landed in Jeddah we collected our bags and checked into the fabulous Intercontinental Hotel. The first surprise was that they had fruit juice awaiting our arrival in the lobby. Then, when we got to our rooms we had fruit and drinks awaiting us as a welcome. The rooms really are amazing, and they have a great view as you can see below:

Once I was settled, I called into my class for about 30 minutes to do a question and answer session. Then, since room service would be our dinner tonight, I ordered lamb chops and Saudi Champagne. This was quite a day, and now that we are in Jeddah, we will begin to see more of Saudi Arabia. In Dhahran were were mostly kept in the Saudi Aramco compound, so now being in another city will allow us to see some more of Saudi Arabia. And, just for fun, take a look at the poster below. In Indiana we dodge deer, in Saudi Arabia they dodge camels!

A Saudi Desert Afternoon

2008-12-14T23:55:00.011+03:00

This afternoon we were all excited because we got to go out into the desert to see a real camel farm. This is not a tourist destination, but instead this farmer is a friend of one of the Saudi Aramco employees. So, they got us out to the farm. We had to get out of the bus and take 4x4 vehicles into the farm because the cars and buses would get stuck in the sand. Several of us piled into the police 4x4 for a ride over the sand road to the farm.

We visited the camels in pens to begin with (The farmer was nice enough to collect a bunch of his roaming camels early for us to see them. Normally most of them roam around the desert eating before coming home at sundown for water and food.) You can see some of these animals in a pen below.

Then we posed with a fine camel for individual pictures.

We even visited some baby camels that were still nursing from their mothers.

We even watched a camel get milked (and some brave souls tried the fresh milk—I was not one of them—we have pasteurization for a reason!)
Next it was time for the desert trek. We wondered up some sand dunes away from the camels for some exploration.

About that time a huge caravan of camels came home to feed.

We even had camel rides, which were absolutely an amazing experience. The tough part is when the camel gets up, and when it sits down!

We got to experience a Saudi desert sunset,

And then we gathered in the owner’s tent for refreshments and stories. He very much wanted us to stay for dinner (and probably eat some camel!) but we needed to be on our way.

Next it was on to a traditional Saudi meal in a tent at a fine restaurant.

Finally, it was time to return home for some sleep. What a day visiting schools, and then playing in the desert!

Girls in School in Saudi Arabia

2008-12-14T12:32:00.000+03:00

Today began with another early morning, and breakfast in the nearby dining hall. Our trip to a building to hear of a new cultural center that is being built was delayed when the fire alarm went off in the building. So, we all stood around outside while the fire department cleared it, then we had our presentation about this new cultural center. After that we went to the Training and Career Development Center here on the Aramco campus. It was interesting because they have opportunities for women, as well as men. We focused our time on the women’s school to learn about how the students view their chances for successful employment. These were the top of the top when it comes to academics, and most were planning to come to the US to a university to study. They would then be committed to working for Saudi Aramco for 5 years (Saudi Aramco would pay for all education expenses). Now, one concern is how the girls will react to being sent to the USA or to Britain to study? The cultural norms are so different from Saudi Arabia. The truth is most of these girls have come from a privileged background, so they are already quite worldly, so they do fine. This is not really a charity program as much as a workforce development program to better the future of Aramco. However, it is good to see that women are now beginning to train for high-up jobs in Saudi Arabia. Here is a picture of a teacher and her students.

And, because I know you really enjoy seeing pictures like this one, take a look at my drink during one of the presentations.

A Dinner to Remember

2008-12-13T23:58:00.001+03:00

One thing about this trip that is immediately clear is that they want us to all gain 20 pounds (or I suppose that would be kilograms here!). We went to a seafood restaurant tonight on the Persian Gulf (Saudis call it the Arabian Gulf—Iran calls it the Persian Gulf, as do we). This was a very fine restaurant, and we were the guests of a host from the public relations department at Aramco for the evening. However, before I tell you about this meal, there is another story. On the way to the restaurant we stopped by a bank to exchange money from dollars to riyals. However evening prayers were happening so all Saudis were in a mosque, so we had to wait. When prayers were over we were led down an alley and into a side entrance into an empty bank. It turns out that there was a huge line outside waiting for the bank to reopen, but it was delayed because of the special treatment we received. I felt a little bad for all the people waiting outside until we were done.

Our police escort took us to the fine restaurant overlooking the Persian Gulf. We began with some Saudi Punch. In Saudi Arabia alcohol is illegal, so instead of wine or any other alcoholic beverage they have this punch that is quite famous. It varies, but it is fruit juice and some carbonated water and fruit. It is very good. You can see my drink below (it's jokingly called Saudi champagne):

Now this was a seafood restaurant. We started with a pre-appetizer of seafood as seen below.

Then we had a pasta salad for an appetizer (not shown), and then we had our main course of lobster tails, crab, and lots of other interesting sea creatures. It was quite a feast.

(P.S. Two people shared each of the two plates seen above.)
Dessert was also equally amazing.

And, we even celebrated a birthday today with more dessert in the form of a birthday cake! After the dinner we went to the balcony and had tea and coffee. Then, the abayas arrived for the women. They all tried them on as you can see below. . . it was quite the spectacle. They will need to wear them to the airport when we fly to Jeddah on Monday.

After a visit to the bookstore where I bought Harry Potter in Arabic, it was time to go home and go to bed. What a day! I leave you with a picture of me enjoying a fine Saudi Champagne.

Just some random pictures

2008-12-13T23:32:00.000+03:00

Here are a few shots you might enjoy. The first is of a TV reporter on the English language news channel.

Wash Me! (I don’t know if it really says this, but I have to assume it does!)

Stop!

A Fantastic First Day

2008-12-13T16:50:00.001+03:00

We were up early this morning at 7 AM to depart by 7:45 AM. I got myself out of bed after only about 3.5 hours of sleep, and ate breakfast in the room from the hospitality basket of fruit and juice. Then, our first stop was to the Saudi Aramco Exhibit, which is a museum of the history and science of finding and extracting oil. It was a very nice museum in which I learned things like oil is not just in big pools in the ground ready to be slurped up. It is in rocks, and using water to bring it up in one technique used to extract it. You can see the museum below:

We experienced more Saudi hospitality today throughout our stops this morning. We had drinks and snacks provided everywhere we went. You can see one treat that is very common here—dates. Dates are a classic Saudi food that requires very warm temperatures to grow. They also don’t spoil easily, so they were perfect to take with you on treks through the desert. They are quite sweet, and I am looking forward to tasting them throughout the trip.

After this we went to an amazing Saudi Aramco corporate building called the Exploration and Petroleum Center (or EXPEC). This was a super modern computing facility where geologists are directing drilling in realtime from their desks to sites all over Saudi Arabia. The technology was amazing, with huge three screen workstations, giant panel displays, and high technology everywhere you looked. This was also a secure area, so we couldn’t bring our cameras in, so no pictures here.
After that we left the Saudi Aramco compound area and headed for another part of Dhahran. I reported early that we were staying in Dammam, but I wasn’t correct. The airport is in Dammam, but Saudi Aramco is in Dhahran. So, we are in Dhahran for the next few days. One interesting thing is that we have an armed patrol with us whenever we leave the compound. They seem to be Saudi Aramco security guards, and they always give us an escort everywhere. To be honest, everything seems quite safe here, and everyone is extremely friendly, but I think the guards are a precaution that they feel is worth it. Security is quite tight here with many buildings being housed in compounds, behind walls and barbed wire.

The lunch we had was an amazing spread as you can see below. Believe it or not, that was only about half of the food!

My meal was also just as colorful, with several foods I had never tried before. Can anyone ID some of the foods on the plate?

After lunch we headed back over the compound to visit a wonderful woman at her and her husband’s house. She is Mrs. Al-Ashgar, and she has been collecting artifacts and antiques for years and years. She shared her home with us, and also her private museum of Saudi and Asian artifacts. You can see her welcoming us below, and also some of her amazing house.

You can also see us having more time for Arabian coffee and dates.

After this event we spent a short visit at the Heritage Gallery where we saw more artifacts about Saudi Aramco. Then, it was time to head back to our rooms for a brief break before dinner tonight.

I'm in Saudi Arabia!

2008-12-13T02:13:00.000+03:00

Friday was a day that never really was. We had a normal flight over to Frankfurt on Thursday, arriving on Friday morning, and then a several hour wait for the flight from Frankfurt to Kuwait, and then onto Saudi Arabia. The flight to Saudi Arabia went pretty quickly, especially since I talked with the woman seated beside me who was in the US Army and was heading back to Iraq. It was very interesting to hear an Army Officer’s perspective on how things are going there. She was just getting back from several weeks R&R in Europe. I’d say she’d earned it. We landed for a very short time in Kuwait, and this was all I got to see of this country:

But, then it was time for the 45 minute plane ride to land in Dammam. We landed fine, but then it took our group forever to get through customs and immigration. This is one of my first views of Saudi Arabia.

We were all fingerprinted and had our picture taken, which was fine and everyone was very polite. It just took so long! (By the way, the Saudi government isn't messing around when it comes to illegal drugs--this is the entry card for the country....look at the red print at the top.)

After well over 2 hours our group made it through customs and immigration and it was time to take the bus 45 minutes to the Saudi Aramco compound where we are staying here in Dammam. My room is nice, and I especially like the feature that all Saudi hotel rooms have: an indicator showing which way Mecca is so that Muslims can face the correct direction to pray. This particular one is mounted on the ceiling of my room.

I also have a prayer rug in my room for praying, but I don’t have a Koran, which makes me think they removed it since I am not Muslim. You can see a picture of the prayer rug laying with the rest of my gear below. You can also see the very nice hospitality that was waiting on us prepared in our refrigerators.

So, it is now after 2 AM on Saturday here, and I have to be up and going by at least 7 AM or so, so I had better call it an evening. Remember, I am eight hours ahead now of EST.

Leaving Houston

2008-12-11T16:20:00.000+03:00

We are almost ready to go to this afternoon. Here is a shot of the Boeing 747-400 we will be riding to Frankfurt.

Leaving for Saudi Arabia Today

2008-12-11T07:46:00.000+03:00

This morning we have breakfast, and then a presentation from a program alumnus about using our Saudi Arabian experience in our classrooms and school. Then it will be time to pack and get checked out of our hotel to head to the airport. We are flying out of George Bush Intercontinental Airport here in Houston on Lufthansa flight 441 at 4:30 PM (5:30 PM EST) to arrive in Frankfurt, Germany at 9:05 AM (3:05 AM EST) on Friday. (Students, how long is that flight?) We then board another plane at 12:50 PM (6:50 AM EST) to fly from Frankfurt, Germany to Dammam, Saudi Arabia on Lufthansa flight 628 to arrive at 9:45 PM (1:45 PM EST). We actually land in Kuwait City, Kuwait for a short time during the Frankfurt to Dammam flight. So, if all goes well I should be in transit from 5:30 PM EST on Thursday until 1:45 PM EST on Friday. Students: How much total travel time is that? Try out your elapsed time skills!

If you are interested, you can probably track my flights online using various flight trackers. One is at this site. Just select the airline (Lufthansa) and the flight number (either 441 or 628). I hope to post again when I reach Saudi Arabia.

Our Day at Orientation

2008-12-10T17:45:00.000+03:00

Today was a good day of learning about what we are about to experience over the next two weeks. We started out this morning with a brief lecture about the history of Saudi Aramco. Saudi Aramco was founded 75 years ago by Standard Oil (now Chevron). In the 1980s Saudi Arabia gradually purchased back chunks of the company, and now it is privately owned officially by the Saudi King. The name Aramco comes from “Arabian-American Oil Company” and was shorted to Aramco. Then, when Saudi Arabia fully owned it, it became Saudi Aramco. It produces and refines more oil than any other company in the world. Yet, often it is a company we have never heard of. 60 Minutes recently ran a very good story on this company that you can read about and view here.

Anyway, after learning about the company that is funding our amazing trip, and that is a MAJOR part of Saudi Arabia, we also learned a little about Saudi Arabian culture and society and well as a little Arabic.

We also began to learn about traditional Saudi dress, which you can see me posing beside in this picture. I won't have to wear the traditional men's wear called a thobe (the white robe) and ghutra (the headdress), however I am certainly going to buy one while I am there. The women will have to wear the abaya at most public locations in Saudi Arabia.

After a VERY nice lunch we heard from a few program alumni that told us what we could expect and how excited we should be about this amazing opportunity to see a country that is closed off to most Americans. Now I am back at the hotel for the evening to relax and get ready for our traveling day tomorrow. It is going to be a very long day tomorrow.

I'm in Houston

2008-12-09T20:43:00.000+03:00

My flight was fine to Houston today, and then I got a nice car service ride to the DoubleTree hotel where we are staying. It was great to get to meet the people that I will spend the next two weeks with, and I was even surprised to meet one person that teaches just south of Indianapolis! Tonight was just mostly about having dinner, learning some names, and then getting some sleep. Tomorrow we are heading over to Aramco (the Saudi National Oil Company, who is the sponsor of this trip) to learn about the trip, and to learn about Saudi Arabia. I will be sure to share what I am learning tomorrow evening.

At the Airport

2008-12-09T14:26:00.000+03:00

Well, I am all checked in and ready to leave from Indianapolis. I think my flight to Houston should be close to on time. The new Indianapolis International Airport is certainly great. You can see a picture of concourse A below.

I'm Leaving Today

2008-12-09T09:36:00.000+03:00

Well, today is the big day. I leave this afternoon to Houston for a day and a half of orientation and training. Then, on Thursday afternoon we fly out to Saudi Arabia. I think I am all packed and ready. I am teaching my class this morning and then I will leave at noon today. I will miss them, but they are in good hands with Mrs. Emmons. You can see a picture of part of my class below doing their math long division work--what fun! I do hope to post an update from Houston this evening.

Friday Evening

2008-12-05T15:48:00.000+03:00

Well, it is only four days now before I leave for my trip. I am hoping to pack this weekend, so stay tuned for the exciting details (just kidding). But, hopefully this blog will be more exciting when I actually start my trip!

Students: What are you up to this weekend?

I'm leaving in about a week

2008-11-29T22:24:00.000+03:00

It's hard to believe that I am leaving the country for Saudi Arabia in just over a week. I haven't packed a thing or really done very much preparation. I've traveled quite a bit, so I really don't need to buy many things. But still, I guess I should begin to think about packing. Right now I am thinking about getting sub plans ready, and everything done for my students and classroom so I can be gone for almost two weeks. This is going to be quite a hectic 10 days!

I'm going to Saudi Arabia!

2008-09-15T11:15:00.000+03:00

I just found out today that I am going to Saudi Arabia in December! I had applied for this trip back in June before I left for Germany. Then, I had to wait until late August to hear about my status for this trip, but I actually received a letter saying that I was on the wait list. Well, I guess enough teachers couldn't get approval from their school district to attend this trip during the school year because then I just got a call today saying that I could go. So, I am excited, and very busy now getting a new passport (mine would have expired within a year), filling out paperwork, and getting my full approval from my district for my leave. Saudi Arabia is a place that is normally almost impossible for an American to go to, so I am pleased to get this chance to see this country first hand.