Girls in School in Saudi Arabia

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.