The Souk and Refreshing Genuineness

Today is our last full day in Jeddha before we leave for the capital, Riyadh, tomorrow. Therefore, I will make this brief so I can enjoy and explore in my final moments here. We went to a souk today. This is an outdoor market. In many countries, especially those with a warmer climate, there are often outdoor markets that sell all sorts of things. The souk was huge but we only got to see a small part. All of the streets are without cars and there are little alleyways with stores. It is a bit like a maze without straight lines. The Jeddah Souk is the oldest part of the city and it was wonderful to meander around amongst the 400-500 year old buildings while seeing all the stuff for sale. Lots of stalls sold clothing of one kind or another. This raged from the traditional clothing for men and women to t-shirts, jackets and shoes. There were also many shops selling gold. Other shops sold spices, tapestries, rugs and prayer rugs. Exploring markets is one of my favorite things to do when in a foreign city. We had a police man accompany us as we explored around so we did not have the most authentic experience,nevertheless it was incredible.

At lunch I spoke with probably the most genuine person yet, named Rula. She had a great sense of peace about her. She got her masters from Simmons College in Boston and has just opened up one of those places that people can go into to make ceramics and paint them. We have these in the states. She was curious about our impressions. Although we did not ask her any tough or inciting questions she seemed honest and helpful.

Jeddah is a gorgeous city and I will be sad to leave. Maybe I will be able to return someday but it is highly doubtful.

I have been collecting the email addresses of many people and hope upon my return we can start emailing questions to the Saudis.

Response to Ben

I made the exact same analogy the other night regarding if a Saudi was on a tour of the U.S. sponsored by a big corporation. Yes, only Muslims can go to Mecca. I am not positive but I think a major reason is that the do not want it to become like disneyland where tourists from all over the world are coming without ay concept of Islam and not respecting their practices. I think this would certainly occur and I am not sure if I blame them, despite a strong desire to go.

Rose Colored Glasses?

We have spent 2 full days in Jeddah and have gone to the all girls college, Effat College, visited the most beautifully designed hospital, toured an opulent, elegant and intricately detailed mansion, seen a disabled children’s school, visited the Saudi Gazette’s headquarters and eaten amazing meal after amazing meal with people I never could have imagined speaking with.

First some quotes and maybe a little explanation:

One high school boy, Mohammed “I could not live without Aramco” – stated in regards to dating girls. At a visit to a private school where boys and girls are separated a teacher asked how teenagers date or meet women. No students or adults were willing to answer the question. However, Mohammed did tell a fellow teacher that Aramco sets things up and that Facebook is popular. Furthermore, those living on the compound of Aramco get to experience a more open society.

“They say women don’t have any opportunity, but I have an opportunity hear.” This female college student was responding to the popular western perception that women do not have opportunities in Saudi Arabia. The students at Effat College were very adamant in stressing that they have rights and are not oppressed as the western media often reports.

“We are not terrorists. We are not deprived women. We are not deprived men. We need to teach to unite everyone for a better world.” Another woman from Effat College.

“Women have a voice and we are doing something about it” Student from Effat College

“It is not a clash of cultures, but getting the best from both.” Female from Effat College talking about how Saudi Arabia does not have to become like the West and can still modernize. Contrary to pundits who say that we are presently going through a clash of civilizations between the Western Christian world and the Muslim African and Asian world. This woman had lived in the U.S. for 13 years.

“We do and we do not have freedom.” Editor in Chief of the Saudi Gazette commenting on freedom of the press in Saudi Arabia, citing threats from McDonald’s to pull their advertising if the newspaper ran a critical story of the chain’s environmental record. The Editor in chief also said that the government said to tread carefully in reference to the recent events in Pakistan out of fear of inciting the Saudi Arabia’s Pakistani community.

“We will not cover certain things with Islam.” The editor in chief explained that this is largely self censorship and self regulatory.
It was also explained that when a TV and/or video camera crew go out to film they are supposed to have someone from the Ministry of Information and Culture accompanies them to make sure no one harasses them and also to report back on what they did.
The Saudi Arabia government partnered with MIT, rejecting Google’s offer, to restrict internet access to sights the government did not want Saudis to access
At an art gallery a women explained that before any artists exhibited their work the Ministry of Information and Culture must approve it. There is no nudity allowed which would mean showings of many of the Renaissance and Classical works would be prohibited. Why would the government do this?
“You will find magazines with pages ripped out.” An employee at the newspaper explained that certain things would be ripped out as deemed necessary.

I must get some sleep but let explain a few things. There is certainly a great rapid change taking place in Saudi Arabia. Women are getting more rights. The media is discussing more issues.

From my experiences the Saudis feel that they are misunderstood by Americans. The women we have interacted with are eager to assert themselves. More individuals have openly expressed the countries problems. Overall the people have been amazingly kind and generous. The hospitality is unbelievable.


However, ever the skeptic, are we being duped? It feels like we are solely associating with the filthy rich and powerful. What about the majority of Saudis? What about the poor? What about the 25% of Saudis who immigrated to this country?

Could it be that we are drowning in oil. Aramco is putting us up in 5 star hotels and feeding us in the finest restaurants. Oil money, kindness and a desire to break down barriers.

Regardless of any motivations I am coming to better understand, I think, at least some of the ideas of Saudi Arabia. Above all I hope from my experience I will be able to show that people are people, most countries have the same social problems, and overall that we all want to live peacefully. But as I always come back to, if we all want peace then why have we as humans, been killing one another with furious anger.

The Government and the People

Here are 2 photos from the disabled children's school. The other 2 photos show the police car that drives in front of our bus everywhere we go. Take a close look at the ensignia and explain what you see, describe what is in it and what it resembles and what it might mean.

Where to begin

Contrary to all the hype, women are on the rise. We spent our first day in Jeddah speaking with many women who are in college, pursuing advanced degrees and working in the field of education. Although these women appear to be among the elite, the certainly represent changes for women. As Shelby stated concerning women and the right to drive, it is the freedom to choose. First off, in Jeddah many women apparently drive and one university is starting a driving school for women.

I asked many questions about the abayas, these are the clothing that women wear. Here are some comments and responses

• Not all abayas are the same - women design them and they have a variety of styles



• Many, if not most (in the areas we have been), do not cover their face



• They are a tradition and I almost equate it to a certain style, they come with different designs similar to how western cloths come in different designs. Think about all the people walking around Spaulding, everyone practically wears the same clothes, What is the difference? Explain your thoughts.



• One young women thought that the abayas empowered girls to focus on the inner self rather than being overly concerned with their outward beauty - Although I am not a women, I believe western girls and women and overly obsessed with physical appearance and that western society places great emphasis on how women physically look. The abaya however, forces people to listen to what a women is rather than simply judging on physical appearance. This is not to say Arabs do not judge, I think everyone judges.

I must get ready for my day but I will try to write more later and address some of the questions and comments. Thank you Shelby for your thoughtful ideas.

Beautiful Jeddah

Because I have finally been permitted to roam around my time usually spent on the computer is less. Our first full day was incredible as we spoke with many women that completely dispel the myth of Saudi women. I must sleep but will write more - much more - later. I have now spoken with many other people besides Tariq and have found that few of these other people share his views or his machismo. I hope all is well and that the Humvee with the machine gunner keeps my place safe

Good Night

In Reponse to Your Posts

Thank you Michael and Shelby for starting to respond. Do any of you think there is a danger in how I am describing Tariq? Am I falling into the trap of judging and stereotyping? What about some of my other comments regarding Aramco and the compounds (actually about 11,000 people can live on the one that I was staying at)? Again, am I making broad, unfounded generalizations? Is it possible not to do such things? Why would people stereotype out of fear?

Also refer to some of the other posts regarding stereotypes and what Michael Eaton and Ben said about one of the Saudi student's comments to my question. Who foments some of the stereotypes? If we are all basically people and that is that then why cannot we reach agreements without blowing up babies and killing thousands and thousands of people?

This relates exactly what you are doing in class.

P.S. I have escaped the compound and am really living large with a water view -Jeddah is cosmopolitan and the gateway city to Mecca

See if you can find any info on the women was raped and the punishments.

Ben - it is sharia law which is based on the Koran but different groups interpret it differently

How do different groups interpret the Koran and Sharia Law

Arabian Nights

Last night they really put on a show for us with incredibly delicious food, including lamb chops, beef kabobs and some decadent, buttery bread budding. We had camel rides and great traditional Saudi tunes. I will address the interesting compound school, student comments, and the thoughtful and creative Special Needs school we visited once I have time in Jeddah. (I wish I was allowed to go to Mecca)

Signed, Sealed and Delivered

Photo after photo with sun glares off the glass. Sometimes I get my own image in the photo as it bounces off the bus window. I think the bus windows are a little tinted so that I can get away with taking some photos, not to mention I am in a moving vehicle. It was not until about 4:40 this afternoon, when we all hustled out of the bus to partake in our 1st shopping opportunity, that I realized that we had gone nearly 4 days of being in Saudi Arabia without standing in a regular Saudi city street. 4 days in a country and no environments not controlled by Aramco. It was a breath of fresh air, despite the exhaust and construction.

Really so much to talk about between last night through today, but I need to sound off and only have an hour until we head to the airport en route to Jeddah.

In my travels by myself and my study tours, this being my fourth, I have never been in such a controlled environment. I have already expressed my thought about the compounds and the perfect little glass surface that seems to exist. However, one gets the sense that with the drop of a little pebble it all shatters. I think Ben was right on bringing up the Stepford Wives, there must be a bunch brewing under the perfect little platitudes and wondrous multicultural society. Maybe I am just a pessimist.

In all honesty I am incredibly surprised that Aramco would place Tariq in charge of our group. He often epitomizes the stereotypical machismo Arab man who believes in Jewish conspiracies, that women are incapable, and that there are more Sunnis than Shias in Iraq. I would have thought Aramco would have the sense to at a minimum have a guide that would not so easily offend most of the teachers on the trip. I would have thought that the guide, despite having these thoughts, would have the foresight to portend a certain image. The image he puts forth is only slightly different from the image many American media outlets propagate.

We spent four days in Dharan, we will spend four days in Jeddah and 2 in Riyadh (the capital). Yes, we only spend 2 days in the capital of the country. This is rather exceptional that we spend the least amount of time in the nation's capital. I suppose this is another part of the package. Riyadh is considered the most conservative city of the country. Of course they would not want us to get a bad impression because we run into the Committee of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. They are the moral police.

Is this a good idea for Aramco? Are they trying to fool me? Are they just trying to keep me safe? What impressions might it leave the teachers with?

P.S. I am loving every minute of this. It is amazing to be a part of.

Omar and Sultan

Photos, and honestly Aramco is an Amazing Entity, and few links

These are just a few photos of some of the female students, me with some administrators and the group with whom I am travelling

Tomorrow night we head to the other coast on the Red Sea. I may not have time to post anything tomorrow. Jeddah should be very different for a variety of reasons. It is close to Mecca and supposedly a liberal city, I am not sure by which standards, but certainly by Saudi standards. Furthermore, I will no longer by enclosed in a compound.

In response to comment made earlier. Aramco certainly does take all sorts of efforts to care for its employees and attract the best and the brightest from around the world. The compound is incredible in its diversity of ethnicities and the amazing facilities available. They provide so much for those who work for the company. I would be interesting in knowing how other Saudis (not employed by Aramco) view the company. I have also attached a couple links to some other teachers that are blogging. They provide some info that I am certainly neglecting. I am using this similar to a journal and if you would like to comment on my blog about some of the other blogs then please go for it. Enjoy returning to school and enjoy Gandhi.

http://www.geola883saudi.blogspot.com/

http://lasensei.blogspot.com/

What do you need for a quality life and happiness?

Today has been an incredible day. We went to a few different schools and were able to talk with and share our thoughts with students. The first school we went to was a private school that had exceptional facilities and incredibly bright students. The school name is Dhahran Ahliyyah Schools. Omar (on the left) and Sultan (on the right) are in the center photo. They were my guides around the school. They both spoke fluent English and were in the 9th grade. Sultan said that students could not move on to the 9th grade if they did not speak English. The girls were in a separate part of the building. The boys and girls never interact or see each other during school.
In the classroom I sat in on a global issues class and the teacher (who was from Texas but moved to Saudi Arabia because of his religion) proposed the question. "What do you need for a quality life and happiness?" Here are the student responses:

education, good place to live, stop the war, public facilities, food, television, transportation, social life, clothes, video games, good grades, friends, personal transportation, high income, getting married, getting sleep, protection, strong economy, no poverty for oneself, family, positively affecting the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, health care.

What do you need for a quality life and happiness? Although people in different cultures and different parts of the world may act differently, look different, speak different, etc., how different are we? At the core are we all basically the same? Would a group of 15 year olds in Barre, Vermont agree with many of things above or come up with the same list? If so, then why is there so much conflict? Why is the tension so high between Arabs and Westerners?

The school has nearly 1200 students and is k-12. The students were exceptionally helpful, polite and thoughtful. All of the students who guided us around, about 30 students in grades 9 or 12, planned to attend college outside of the United States. Basketball and soccer are the most popular sports.

Today we also went to the College Preparatory Center. This is a one year program for students after they graduate high school to prepare them to attend universities in the U.S., U.K., or Canada. At the boys school about 10,000 students apply and about 350 students get in. All tuition, books, room and food are paid for plus students get $700 spending money per month. Most of the students have studied and/or lived outside of Saudi Arabia at some point in their lives. And all the students seem to focus on some kind of engineering, science, math or business to apply to the oil industry. The boys must sign a contract that they will not marry while overseas and if they do they must get permission from the King to bring their wife back to Saudi Arabia.
The girls campus is only in its second year. There are about 90 girls in the school and about 800 apply. Many of the girls are studying science, engineering and human resources. This is a huge change for Saudi society.
I have Omar and Sultan's email addresses and plan on emailing them with your questions so if you want to contact me I would be happy to ask them. At the end of my time with them I gave them a photo book of Vermont and they were rather excited. Sultan said he was not going to give it to the library because it would just get torn up. I hope all is well with everyone and keep asking questions.

Some Responses to Ben, Zach and Trevor

Contrary to what we may think, all of the people I have spoken have said that they think the American people are nice but that they do not like Bush or the American government. Tariq said that he saw a difference between the American government and the people of America. I asked a student today what he thought about America and he replied, "I think the American people are kind. But, I hate Bush because he hates Muslims." I also broached the subject with a group of nearly 30 students and some administrators.
I asked, "What are your perceptions and thoughts on Americans and the American government?"
One of the administrators responded suggestively, "Should we just focus on the American people?"
I said, "No, we can also talk about the government."
One student responded by explaining that he thought American people are nice and he has American friends and that they see him as an individual and that we are all people. That is a comment I have heard several times. We are all people. Not one person had anything to say about the government.

I am not sure if individuals can make negative comments about the King. I think what I find disturbing in that regard is that even if it was not technically illegal, there is such an enormous amount of pressure to agree. Similar to the women having to be covered. It may not necessarily be a law but a women wouldn't go out without one.

And no, they did not show snakes on the plane.

Keep the questions and response coming. Thank you Ben, Zach and Trevor, you do not know how excited and happy I was to see your posts. Sorry about the delay. To expedite the process I would suggest posting AND emailing me the post at mstuart42@hotmail.com .

Thank You, Thank You Thank You

I just got all your posts and will respond to them later. I am so happy to see that people are posting for some reasons it took awhile for me to get them.

Quit Judging

Let me be careful. I believe that people can and should do whatever they want to do. I am no one to judge others, that is for certain. All that I perceive and consequently write on hear is going through the filter of my eyes, ears, tiny little brain and into the written word. So of course my bias is involved. I have had limited informal time with any Saudi. With all interactions I have the people to be wonderfully kind and welcoming. They are not, I repeat are NOT, approaching me with bombs tied around them and ready to blow. In terms of the compound, well I just find it sterile, artificial and a bit robotic. As a fellow teacher commented, the Aramco wives seem to have a glazed over look in their eyes and creepy smile from ear to ear. But if this is what they like that fine with me. Be happy and be cool.

Now on to the one Saudi with whom I have gotten to ask a variety of questions. Tariq. Again, he has been kind, warm and helpful and I am thankful that he is willing to share his thoughts with me. Here are a few of his comments today.

1. When we were at a small museum today he looked at a world map and said that Mecca is the center of the world. I believe he was referring to when all the present day land forms were together as one millions of years ago.


2. He said that when the first man landed on the moon he heard prayers for Allah and has consequently converted to Islam


3. When discussing women and work, a fellow teacher said that in the U.S. some men stay at home and the wife goes out to work and Tariq's reply was that they are not men.

(there were a few mistakes that I corrected and I provided a link to an article concerning the women who was punished for being out without a relative)

Lets Talk About Oil

At the Saudi Aramco exhibit today I learned about various Arabian achievements and oil. I got to open up one of those barrels above and stick my head deep into thick, beautiful black gold (that means oil, wonderful oil). As you might be able to tell from the oil product tree to the right, there is petroleum in nearly 400,000 things! They can drill up to 2 miles to get this seemingly slippery necessity. We often here about how much oil costs per barrel. Right now it is at a record high around $99. Well those are the barrels they are talking about. Also, you can see above how much of the drilling is horizontal. The exhibit hall an abundance of hands on activities (like the head oil dip) and I am thinking about becoming an oil man.

The Invasion of the Aramcans

These photos show the green compound and a graph from a presentation, reflecting the growing Saudi government control of its landmass' oil

Today was rather uneventful. We learned more about Aramco and all its amazing attributes. One presenter explained how she had studied English literature in college and hand been inspired by her high school English teacher, hoping to teach one day herself. Her husband was a 3rd generation Aramco employee and encouraged her to work for the company. Now, she could not be happier about her decision to join Aramco.

On a tour around the compound Katherine, an American women who has lived on the compound for 16 years with her husband, explained that "We are not part of Saudi Arabia, we are our own little world, Aramco". And the people in this little world are "Aramcans". This is a little freaky.

I have asked Tareq questions regarding the Isreali Palestinian conflict. His sentiments are that the U.S. should be fair with the situation and not simply help the Isrealis at the expense of the Palestinians. It was a little foggy exactly what fair meant. Furthermore, Taeq felt that this is the main factor in why some people in the Middle East are angry with the United States (because of all the U.S. financial and military support for Isreal). He does not think that any U.S. president will change this policy any time soon because he feels the Jews have enough money and ability to influence America's leaders. Also the Jews have control of the media.

If I may, these are common stereotypes and, although Jewish lobbying groups certainly exist, so do other lobbying groups and special interest groups. I have yet to come across researched, scholarly work to suggest that Jews are actually controlling the U.S. as some theories suggest.

Boys, Fish and Talel

A few more images include a pleasant walking area along the sea, my name in Arabic (Michael), a couple little critters with their recently caught fish and the moon above the sea.

From Compound to Compound

This is an Aramco trip in an Aramco town, allah willing. After 7 hours of coma(esqe) sleeping we blasted off in our bus, no security in sight mind you, and left the fortified Dhahran Compound and made it safely to the Ras Tanura Compound. The one hour passage allowed us to get a quick glimpse of the surrounding area. Lots of sand, new construction and some oil or water pipes.

First the compounds. Aramco has guarded compounds for all of its employees to live. The housing is free as well as a plethora of other amenities within the compound. The Dhahran Compound, the which in presently staying, has over 50 nationalities. The compounds are for all Aramco employees, including Saudis. I am not sure of the different populations but the one we travelled to today had about 7000 inhabitants. The compounds are green and, from first impressions, appear to artificial Pleasantivilles where Aramco can do no wrong. As Talel, a recent college graduate and Aramco employee, proudly explained to me today "Aramco is like a government within a government" and that is why everyone wants to work there.

Our sole destination today was the Ras Tanura Compound where we (don't get mad administrators, parents, et. al.) relaxed in the Arabian Sea, a.k.a. Persian Gulf. The weekend in Saudi Arabia is Thursday and Friday, Friday being the day of prayer and attending the mosque, therefore we were not able to get our official start to the program until tomorrow. As you can tell from the photos aircraft carriers and oil tankers jockied for position on the water. It was certainly a small resort area and if Aramco employees wanted to come here for the weekend, well, that's a fringe benefit. I floated in the heavily salted sea and tossed the Frisbee. The water was warm and sand smooth. Off to the side you could see flames from oil refinery chimney. It was like driving down the New Jersey Turnpike, except not. Women completely covered in black abayas lounged on the beach and went swimming, in full abayas. They even bowled in the compound bowling alley in full abaya. I am not supposed to take photos of them but I will try to give you a sense.I have almost gotten used to it. Men were dresses in causal western dress, shorts and t-shirt, while others sprung out their throbes. The beautiful white linens they were, some with the head piece and others without. I truly cannot wait to get my own throbe.

I had the opportunity to speak with Tariq, our guide, and Talel today. Tariq has 5 children with another due in February, hopefully a male. He would like to have 12 children because he enjoys little children so much. He explained how people often have the wrong impression of Saudis. In regards to his previous comments on Saudi Arabia being a free country, I suppose anyone who loves their country thinks it is free. "Free" is a positive word, "oppression" is negative. Well Tariq qualified his statements today saying that "freedom should be limited." He sounds a little like all you guys in my classes, "We are free, but freedom should be limited". Because of my absolutist ways I have a tough time grasping those 2 seemingly contradictory statements. If any students are out there and are interested in responded, you do not know how thrilled I would be. I digress.



Who is Tarik? Well he is public relations employee for Aramco guiding a group of American teachers around in an effort for Americans to have a better understanding and appreciation for Saudi Arabia and of course Aramco. It is easy for me and for anyone else too judge based on our own form of thinking. As I am trying to constantly remind myself, avoid judgement and try to understand and think. Tarik is a kind, extroverted man who dearly seems to love his country as many of you love your own country.



Tarik On Women.

• Westerners say that there isn't equality here because women cannot drive. Well, women are actually treated like princesses. They have a driver take them around. What would you rather have?


• No women work at some oil refineries. Women may want equality but then you have to have equality on all fronts and some things require muscle. Women wouldn't be able to survive and wouldn't want to stay at some of the refineries.



• (Recently the Associated Press and other major western media outlets discussed a story where a Saudi women received lashings and a punishment after she was gang raped. She received a lashing because she was out accompanied by someone other than a relative or husband. Both she and the man she was with were both raped. The rapists also received punishments. The link is http://www.nytimes.com/2007/11/16/world/middleeast/16saudi.html?_r=1&oref=slogin) When Tariq was asked about this event he decided to tell a story about a friend who is a reporter. A hospital (I think) in Mecca recently had burnt and some people died. The reporter was told to write about it. Upon seeing a girl looking around in the ruble, the reporter fabricated a story about the girl searching for the watch of her dead sister. Although fake, this story could get a lot of attention and draw on people's emotions. The moral of the story is that the media makes things up. He said he has not heard about the story mentioned by a teacher but he did not seem to find it credible. He said that just a few people control the media in the West and they present a negative image of Saudis cause that is what sells.

Oh yeah, Tareq also loves his king, he really loves him and when he asked Talel he loved his king, he certainly agreed.

We Are A Free Country - You Will See

I arrived a few hours ago at the Aramco compound in Dahran, on the eastern coast of Saudi Arabia. The flights from Houston to Frankfurt was a little over 9 hours with horrible movies. Nevertheless, I was filled with excitement and slept for about 2 hours. The flight from Frankfurt to Bahrain was incredible. The skies were clear and you could see towering snow capped mountains in Turkey being framed by a sunset in the Mediterranean Sea.

Upon arrival things were moving smoothly until we had to cross from Bahrain into Saudi Arabia. That process took a long time as visas and other passports were checked. I will put up photos as soon as I can.

At the border crossing, a typical looking thing with cars lined up at toll like structures in the road, the women would jump out as the car was waiting and proceed to the women's only section. This was off to the side of the road. They seemed to hustle, covered in black, being sure to get back to their car in time (or maybe to escape the peering American eyes from the bus).

But our guide Tariq repeated more than once that Saudi Arabia is a free country and we will see. This was his response to concerned female teachers on what they should wear tomorrow.

I guess we will see.

I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving.