Article In the Nashua Telegraph written by Steve Bodnar sbodnar@nashuatelegraph.com

Hi everyone! A just thought I would post a recent article that really did a wonderful job capturing many of the cultural experiences I had while traveling to Saudi Arabia. The writer of the article below is Steve Bodnar and he did an excellent job researching the topic of my trip before going to print. I was very pleased to read that he had contacted both Josh Beatty from the IIE in Washington DC who helped to coordinate and lead this trip to Saudi, but also to contact Monirah Al-Qahatini, the coordinator for Aramco's public relations, to get additional viewpoints of why this trip was so valuable. Enjoy the reading and be sure to check out the Telegraphs site to see the article there as well.

Shukran
Debbie Hinrichs
http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070506/STYLE/70505009

Amherst teacher travels to Saudi Arabia
By STEVE BODNAR, Telegraph Staff sbodnar@nashuatelegraph.com
Published: Sunday, May. 6, 2007

Only a very small number of American teachers have traveled to Saudi Arabia. An even smaller percentage of those educators have been allowed to step foot in a Saudi public school.

Debbie Hinrichs is the first American educator from New Hampshire to do both.Hinrichs, a seventh-grade world cultures teacher from Amherst, was given the rare opportunity to view Saudi public schools in early April as part of a 10-day professional development program called “Educators to Saudi Arabia.”

Hinrichs said she found out about the program through a link on the social studies curriculum page of the New Hampshire Educators Online Web site (www.nheon.org).

She said she decided to apply because she realized visiting Saudi Arabia would be the perfect way to help expand her knowledge and bring that information to her students with more expertise.

“I’ve traveled to France, England, Ireland, Barbados, even to the Canary Islands, but this trip was so different from any other trip I’ve taken,” Hinrichs said amid a variety of Saudi books, clothing and toys she brought from overseas to her classroom at Amherst Middle School. “It’s really once in a lifetime.”

Hinrichs said the trip provided her with a more intimate look at a culture that can often appear quite different from the United States.

But through her experience as an American citizen in Saudi Arabia, Hinrichs said she hopes she will be able to dispel preconceived notions about the Middle Eastern country and deliver a more objective teaching approach when discussing Saudi Arabia to her students.

Traveling with a tour group of 23 other social studies teachers and library media specialists from across the U.S., Hinrichs visited the cities of Dhahran, Jeddah and Riyadh, to explore aspects of Saudi education, history, culture, industry and global relations. The program’s overall intent was to help build stronger relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Aramco Services Co., a wholly owned affiliate of the Saudi Arabian oil company Saudi Aramco, sponsored the program. The Institute of International Education partnered with Aramco to help find qualified teachers to represent the United States on the trip. The educators that visited Saudi Arabia in April were the fifth group to travel there since May 2005.


Joshua Beatty, the assistant director of professional exchanges for IIE who also went on the trip, said the “Educators to Saudi Arabia” is the only program in the United States that offers teachers the opportunity to travel to Saudi Arabia.

“We have been working very hard for educators to experience Saudi Arabia firsthand – not through a lens – but with their own eyes,” Beatty said.

Bridging the gap

Hinrichs said despite going into the program with an open mind, there were still a number of instances on the trip when she would fall back to a Western way of thinking.

“I kept running into my own ethnocentric cultural viewpoints when I was there,” she said.

However, Hinrichs cited the open dialogue with Saudis throughout the trip as a critical way in establishing a better understanding of a Saudi perspective on life.

One aspect of Saudi culture that Hinrichs has continually been asked about regards the mode of dress for Saudi women, which often includes an abaya and hajab, a head covering and dress that together cover the entire body.

“I think I was a very typical westerner, feeling that women were restricted by wearing these garments in a hot climate,” Hinrichs said.

Hinrichs said while she was in Saudi Arabia, she was able to break free from the Western notions about dress, when she observed a mother hold her infant.

“It dawned on me that since birth this child looks up and sees his mom’s eyes,” said Hinrichs with a smile regarding the enlightening moment. “The child could recognize what their mother thinks, as Westerns can with a smile, grin or wink.”

Hinrichs said despite immediately noticeable variations from typical American dress, she was eventually able to see how dynamic and “liberal-minded” many of the women who decide to wear the traditional Saudi garments were.

“The clothing doesn’t speak to who they are,” Hinrichs said. “It’s an interesting part of who they are, but it’s not all of it.”

Hinrichs emphasized that there is no law designed to make women wear the garments, but that many do wear the clothes out of tradition.

Monirah Al-Qahtani, the coordinator of international public relations for Aramco who also met with Hinrichs and other U.S. teachers, said she realizes that there can often be preconceived notions about a culture, thus building a relationship of understanding is vital for two nations to work together.

“As a result of this experience, I am well aware of how people arrive in a new place with concerns and trepidation,” Al-Qahtani wrote in an e-mail to The Telegraph. “I always try to do my best to make them feel at home and secure.”

Al-Qahtani also wrote that Saudi Aramco believes that “open dialogue, transparent communications and meeting face-to-face whenever possible is the only way that people of the world get to truly know one another.”

Hinrichs said her experience will help to bring that understanding to her students.Most of her experience has already been detailed in a blog that was updated almost every day during her trip.

“The blog was an immediate way to give back to the community and to have people follow my trip in small doses,” said Hinrichs of her blog at www.amstosaudiarabia.blogspot.com.

As for now, Hinrichs said she will have to correspond with those she met through e-mails and hope that future relationships grow stronger between the United States and Saudi Arabia.

“I’d love to go back in five to 10 years to see if the changes I saw brewing could take hold,” Hinrichs said.

Steve Bodnar can be reached at 594-6481 or sbodnar@nashuatelegraph.com.

Wednesday, April 11th, 2007

During our stay in Jeddah at the Fal Resort, our male teachers were asked to join the traditional dancing which only the males participate in. It was very entertaining to watch!

On our very last day in Riyadh, we were taken for our second visit to the desert where we were finally able to ride camels. It was rather interesting to see a flatbed truck arrive with two camels and two ATV's in the bed of the truck!

Here I am in a full face veil and hijab. While I did not have to wear this during my travels, many women in Saudi Arabia opt to be fully covered like this when they are in public.

Monday, April 9th, 2007

Hi Ryan and Mrs. Maynard, Mrs. Robinson, Mrs. Emmond and everyone on that team! Thanks for all of your incredible questions. I will try and answer each question for you so here goes..........

Hi mom its Ryan. So those questions I was telling you about I have right now so here they are.

Are there any animals in Saudi that you wouldn't see in N.H. If so what?This I will have to ask around about. I will tell you that the only dogs I have seen were out in the desert and they were wild. People here have cats for pets and I often seeing them walking and cuddling with one, and I also see many stray cats on the streets. People also have birds as pets.

{How does it feel to be in a hot climate?}I love the warm weather so it feels great except for the fact that I am wearing black abaya which absorbs the heat! I try to drink water all day long to stay hydrated and there are lots of delicious fresh fruit drinks to quench your thirst. The weather here is actually mild for the region with temperatures around 70-90 degrees but there is always a nice breeze which gets quite strong later in the day. In June - October it will get very hot here with temperatures well over 100 degrees. Luckily everything here is air conditioned.

{Do the women talk a lot?}Many do, but many are quite shy. Their culture has raised them to be quite shy and to not interact with people outside their friends and family. Saudi women can be reserved around men they don't know as it is not proper for them to speak with other men that are not family. The woman we are meeting however, are less traditional and more westernized. They are eager to talk to both men and women and they are incredibly well educated. Most of them have traveled around the world and have attended colleges in the United States.

How do you get around? We travel by a large "Coach" style bus which is very comfortable to be in. That is good as we spend a great deal of time in it going from place to place. There are no train stations in each city and no public buses so that means everyone (male) has to have a car. Since women cannot drive here, every family has to employ a driver for the women and children in their family and it is also common to have a house servant.

What food do you eat? Whats the geography like
How is the economy there? Are there a lot of homeless people?}The economy here is getting stronger, but the employment level is high ( around 13%). This is because, many Saudi's view certain jobs as "beneath them". For example, up to this point in this society, service type jobs, working in restaurants, hotels, and other industries like that have been done by foreigners from India, Bangladesh etc. Now, as the economy grows and more young people are needing employment, they are having to consider these jobs and they are slowly having to accept that these jobs can help them to make a living.

Does the geography really vary? The coastal regions are relatively flat in some sections and mountainous in other regions. The interior of the country and the regions to the south, like the Empty Quarter (Rub a Kali Desert) are vast areas of desert. There are some sections that are oasis, fertile areas of palm trees feed by underground natural water supplies.

What are the cultures /customs of people? That is a big question and one I will answer briefly now, and one I'll expand on when I see all of you in 7th grade. Family is the most important tradition in their society. They have great pride in the clan or tribe they come from and family live near each other. Family helps to select marriage partners for their men and women. Respect for anyone older than yourself is most important. Education is looked at as a very important gift and the children here are very studious.

What would happen if the women refused to wear the Abaya? Most of the pressure to wear the abaya comes from the girls family and tradition. There are no laws requiring a girl to cover, but societal pressure exists so most conform.

What are the foods and drinks like?}Drinks are incredible... lots of colorful fruit juices which look amazing to drink before you even taste one. Kiwi, orange, mango, coconut, and apple juices are very popular. Teas like green tea, and coffees ( with cardamon flavor- very bitter) are also very popular. Lots of water is also consumed. Foods really range and I but sea foods like lobster and shrimp, fish, lamb, curry flavoring, hummus, pita breads, fruits, rices are just some that I tasted. I will do an entry on my blog at a later date to tell the specific names of traditional foods.

{Does the food taste good? What is it made out of? YES... most of it was awesome!

Do baby girls where abayas? Do you have to where the abaya to bed?}I saw little girls as young as 6 or 7 wearing an abaya with no head covering and I also saw in the stores abayas that were very tiny for 3-4 year olds.

(This ones from me){Are the camels as big as the ones at the museum down in Boston that we saw.} The camels were a range of sizes, the older they got the bigger they got and yes, they ended up at least as big as the one's we saw in the Boston museum.

{How is it wearing an abaya}Sometimes it gets hot, and I really get tired of fixing the hijab head covering which falls off and blows off when it gets windy. I watch the Saudi women, and they are constantly fixing their hijab covering as it slips off their heads too! In some ways, it is like wearing a uniform, because you don't have to worry about what you are wearing, but remember, that women, once they arrive in an all female environment, or at home, can take off the abaya and were regular clothing. Trust me, the Saudi's are VERY into fashion and the beautiful stores that are everywhere have the very latest of clothing that most girls in the US would die to wear.

{Have you seen any interesting foods there? The most interesting food I saw was balls that looked like meatballs but they were made of camel liver. I admit to tasting one and it was a bit game-y tasting. One bite was enough for me!

Where do you stay? Aramco Services provided our accommodations for the 3 cities so we stayed for 3 nights at the Aramco compound in upscale dormitories, 3 nights at the Jeddah Hilton, a seaside hotel, and the Al Faisaliah Hotel, a stunning 4-5 star hotel in the capital city of Riyadh.

What's the difference between their schools and ours?}Boys and girls never attend the same school in this country which reflects the traditions of the culture in this society. The class sizes were also quite different, as most classes we visited had 40 or more children squeezed into a classroom the size of Mrs. Robinson's! Amazingly, the students were saw were all on task and working hard to pay attention to the lesson.

{Has the way you looked at America changed since you have been there? One thing I will take back from this trip, it that Americans need to be careful not to impose their Western ideas on other cultures. Just because someone dresses differently, does not mean that they need to change to be more like us. I admire how committed this culture is to preserving who they are, but also hope that they allow change to happen if the people of the society desire change.

Do you have to where abaya to bed. No! Like I said, the abaya is like a coat, that you wear when you are in public. As soon as a female enters their home, the abaya gets hung up at the door, just like you hang up your coat when you get home.

Do the kids play the same sports as we do?}Football (soccer) is very popular here, but they play on dirt fields and we see them everywhere. Kids also rollerblade, swim, fish, play basketball, ATV , jet ski... I have not heard of lacrosse or American football here.

{Is it really hot there especially w/ that burka on? Yes... it gets hot in the middle of the day and black is a tough color to wear in the heat, because it really absorbs the suns rays.

What do the police look like?} The police here wear an olive green uniform with a black beret.

{How is the weather there and what is there hottest temp?}We have had great weather with temperatures between 70-90 degrees. In another month, this region of the world will be unbearably hot with daily temperatures well over 100 degrees F. We have actually had moments of slight rain, ( 2 minutes of a passing light shower) which is very unusual in this area. That little rain really helps desert plant life to turn green.

{Is it hard to adjust to their different culture there?}There are definitely some things that are easier to adjust to than others. The currency, Saudi Riyals is the equivalent of $1.00 = 3.75 SR, so if you see something that is 120SR you just divide by 4 (rounding) to get an approximate cost in US dollars ($30.00). The language barrier could be difficult but we have been escorted so that has been pretty easy too. The restrictions on women regarding how we can come and go has been more difficult to adjust to and having to look a certain way (abaya) is also something that I feel I would get tired of as an American woman who has been allowed to chose how I dress my whole life.

{What is the most exciting part of you visit? Would you go back there?} I would come back here in a minute because I think anytime you have a chance to learn about another culture, you should jump at the opportunity. For me, the most exciting visits were to the special education school and the public school for girls. I love seeing children and have missed my own children and my students at AMS.

{Why do the women have to wear black clothing,can you were any other color?}The Islamic or government laws do not require black abayas, but Muslim tradition does encourage it. Abaya fashion is becoming quite popular and younger women are moving away from the all black abaya to more festive abayas like the ones you see me wearing in my blog pictures.

{What type of food do they have there and what is your favorite and least favorite?}My favorite was the stuffed lobster and my least favorite was the camel.

{Do you need to follow the Muslim religion?}The only religion allowed in this country is Islam. People traveling into this country are not allowed to bring symbols or books regarding any other faith.

Thanks for your great questions! I am going to post them all on my web site tonight! I hope to have an open house to showcase everything I have learned after I return. Thanks again and Shukran.

Sunday, April 8th, 2007 Happy Easter to all who celebrate the holiday

Greetings everyone. How strange to travel in a country that does not recognize Christian holidays. Several bags of jelly beans from the states floated around our bus today in honor of the holiday.Today, our travels took us to the Shura Council, the appointed representatives that help govern the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. These 120 elite members of the Saudi society were personally selected by the King Abdul Aziz for their proven abilities in both academic and societal success. Each member on the committee serves a four year term. They must be a registered Saudi at birth, over 30 years of age and renowned for expertise in many fields.

This is the outside of the building where the Shura Council Committee members meet. Just like in Washington DC, this facility has high security to protect the important members of their committee.

Out discussions with members of the Committees which report to those on the Shura council took place in a round table format.
Our meetings began by entering the room where General Meeting Panels are held. This round table format, had our names on name plates and we were each asked to introduce ourselves to selected members of the education delegation for Saudi Arabia.

This is the great hall where formal legislative sessions take place in Saudi Arabia.

Following this question and answer format, we were given a guided tour of Shura Council Auditorium before being seated in a balcony to observe on ongoing Shura Council Session in progress. The agenda items we listened to (with headphones to translate into English) were as follows:

1. transportation, communication and information technology Committee's perspective on views regarding advertising on public rental cars and other vehicles.
2. Discussing draft regulations on civilian rehabilitation centers for the disabled.
3. Discussed draft of the traffic bill.
4. Discussion about fines collected from inheritances and repayment obligations
5. Protocol on combating manufacturing and trafficking of firearms/ illegal activities.

Here we were able to observe a session of the Shura Committee as they presented various issues that were on the agenda for the day.
Watching the procedures was just like being in the United States and watching political discussions take place in the house and senate. Very similar protocol and formalities were used to order the meeting.

Our morning session ended with our IIE guide, Josh, being interviewed by a Saudi TV station about the groups impressions of Saudi Arabia and the Shura Council. Now we have returned to the hotel for a luncheon hosted by one of the teachers we met at the public school yesterday and then we go on to the King Abd Al-Aziz Historical Center for a 3 hour tour of its facilities.

This is the view of the inside courtyard at the Riyadh Heritage Center that is next to the National Museum. We attended a presentation which encourages international dialogue and sat in an open air courtyard prior to dinner.
Our evening program takes us to a dinner held in the honor of Al Faisal Ibn Abd Ar-Rhaman Al- Mu'ammar, Advisor at the Royal Court. I am sure that you are seeing that many of our hosts have very long names, and that is their formal name which tells which family and which clan system they are a part of. Family history is very important to the Saudi people.

Here I am with a new teacher friend, Martha, who teaches at an all girls private school in California. These lovely gold chairs surrounded the perimeter of the outdoor courtyard in the Heritage Center.

Well everyone, my journey is almost over. Tomorrow, we leave for a 4 hour visit to the desert region of Riyadh and then it is four flights and 30 hours before I reach Manchester, NH. I don't want you to think that this blog has come to an end. It really is only the beginning. I have so much more information to share and hope to continue to update the blog with more information for months to come. While I am in no way an expert on Saudi Arabia, I now have many unique experiences that I wish to share with anyone who will listen. I encourage you to continue to post your questions and to keep your eyes out for press coverage about this trip and about events that deal with relations between Saudi Arabia and the United States.

Thank you all for traveling with me thus far. I hope you are willing to help me take the next step, which is to foster international relationships between our country and Saudi Arabia. I have made many contacts that are willing to help build bridges between both students and adults and I intend to make that my on going mission.

Once again, Shukran (Thank you!) In Shallah (God Willing), our countries will remain at peace and one day, the tensions between our two countries will be much less.

Debbie Hinrichs

Saturday, April 7th, 2007

Hello everyone back home. Today was a momentous day in American and Saudi history as we were the first American teachers to ever visit Saudi Arabia's public schools. Previous teachers have been invited to private schools, or schools on the Aramco Compound, this was an incredible first for us and we felt very honored.

To respect Saudi culture, our team of teachers was divided into a men's and women's group. Each group traveled by different buses to a public school location in Riyahd. We were fortunate to visit a school led by Principal Foziah M. Aldobasi. we were welcomed into the schools library and served pastry and coffee by students and faculty. The principal gave us a welcome speech and then a teacher who was educated in the states for her pre-college education gave us an overview of the programs offered and answered our questions.

A public school for girls in the capital city of Riyahd.

This school was a high school for girls only, ages 14- 18. About 422 girls attend this school with 35 teachers. The class ratio is 1 teacher for every 35 to 40 students. The students attend school from 7 am to 12:30pm, five days a week and then go home for lunch and the remainder of the day. The girls wear a uniform in this school which is a long kelly green skirt with a green and white stripped tailored shirt. Inside the schools, the girls are not required to wear the abaya and hijab.

My favorite part of the presentation was when eight or so girls, who attend the school directed a question and answer session with us. They asked us about how co-ed education works in our school and whether there were problems with that. We responded that our country had worked so hard to eliminate segregation of race for so long, that any system that suggests segregation for the United States, makes us question if the services delivered will be equal. We did say that often having mixed classes can cause some students to be shy or more outspoken and that it was up to the teacher to monitor that equal participation in the classroom occurs.

When asked about what they each wanted to be when they grow up, they responded with a variety of answers which included, brain surgeon, skin doctor, scientist and generally famous!

A big question asked by many students was what American students think of them and their country after September 11th. Many were afraid that "we"/ Americans might hate them for the horrible acts of the extremists.

They wanted our students to know that their religion does not preach hatred and that they would welcome you as friends in their lives. We hope to set up continued relationships with these students so we can continue to ask questions to each other and to learn from one another.

What I was most impressed with was the level of fluent English that was spoken by these young women. Each one was able to express themselves with ease using vocabulary that you would find with our own high schoolers in the United States. They were bright, articulate and wanting to have bright futures.

Our trip to the school ended with a tour of the facility which was in the shape of a square with an open courtyard in the center. The school was 2 floors and all the rooms opened onto the courtyard. Girls here receive instruction in religion (Islam), Arabic, English, Math, Science, Social Studies, Home Economics/ (Life Skills), and Art. At this time physical education does not exist in public education for girls, but the Ministry of Education for the Kingdom is starting to create programs in this area. As we toured, the students asked us questions and waved to us. I think they were laughing to see all of these Americans dressed in hijab and abayas indoors!

While the school and the teachers and students were fabulous, I can't help but want a bit more for all of them. The class sizes were incredibly large and overcrowded schools are a problem they are dealing with as the population of young people continues to increase. The school library, while very neat, lacked the numbers of books that a library should possess. Later in the day today, we will be visiting the capital's public library and I can see what literature is possible to be in the women's libraries. The Kingdom Tower- The views of the city are amazing and the arch way at the top has very sloped floors so it was a weird sensation to walk across that connection floor at 99 stories high.

We are off to visit the Kingdom's Tower, which is 99 stories high and should have a magnificent view of the city. After that, we are having a very formal dinner in the Al Faisaliah Hotel up in the Globe Restaurant. You can see the globe in the picture I have taken. I will be sure to take pictures so that you can see the view.

The Al Faisaliah Hotel in Riyahd is where we are staying for our last three nights of travel here in the Kingdom. Tonight we had dinner in the Globe Restaurant which you can see in this picture. The restaurant is located on the 32nd floor and has magnificent views 360 degrees of the city.

Friday, April 6th, 2007

This is one example of the modern art that is everywhere in Jeddah. There is great book called Jeddah City of Art, which I will purchase, that shows all of this incredibly creative and fun to look at sculpture throughout the city.

As salamu alaikum! You know when you are getting to the end of the trip because the time is really starting to fly by for me. We have just left Jeddah today and have flown into the capital city of Riyhad. We will be spending 2 1/2 days here before beginning our long journey back to the United States.

This is the view from my hotel room in Jeddah on the last night before we flew into Riyahd. Spectacular!

Today was a great day because it was a day of fun at the Fal Resort followed by packing and a 1 hour flight to Riyahd. We were picked up at 7am from our hotel and went back to the same resort we had the night time banquet and ceremonial dancing.

Traditional henna tatoos were part of our Thursday night entertainment at the traditional festival at the Fal Resort. I got one on my right arm and leg.

Today, we did not have any meetings or sites to tour scheduled. Instead, we were allowed to select from a variety of activities. I started out my day by walking around this walled beach community for about a half hour and it sure did feel great to get some exercise. Then a few of us took jet skis out on the Red Sea and that was a blast. We were able to follow the coast line in both directions and see the view of Saudi Arabia from the water. We stopped and swam in the water which was a beautiful aquamarine color, very salty and very warm.

After our jet ski ride, I swam in the pool and just talked with my new friends and before we knew it, eleven thirty had arrived and it was time to get ready for lunch and the ride back to our hotel to pack. Before I left, I did collect a vial of sand from the Red Sea to go along with the sand I collected while visiting the desert.



A fun way to spend the day after many days of traveling, touring and eating!


Our flight to Riyahd was much more calm this time, and only one of us had to switch seats. We were greeted at the airport, as we were in every airport with valets to take our luggage and a large bus to bring us to the next location. The hotel we are staying at is the Al Faisaliah Hotel and if you haven't seen the pictures of this spectacular hotel, you need to! I have the Hotel as one of the links to the right of this site. I cannot tell you how peculiar it is to have VIP service when you are not used to traveling this way. My butler, Louie, came to show me my room and showed me this great piece of equipment next to my bed which is like a mini computer pad. I can use it to raise and lower the heat, open and close the curtains and turn on and off lights all over the room. Pretty cool!

While I hope to tell many of you personally about this trip, I want to be sure to encourage everyone to take the time in your life to get out an experience other cultures in the world. There is truly nothing like it and I think it changes who you are and how you think. You begin to see and appreciate the similarities and differences of the cultures in our world.


Many of you had questions that I may not have answered to here is another Q & A session:

Have I seen a sandstorms?
We thought we were experiencing a mild one in Dhahran but as it cleared we came into an area of construction which had stirred up the dust in that region.


What happens if you don't wear the proper attire as a woman?
Well, that is something that our Saudi hosts do not want us to experience, so they tell us what we need to wear for each event or place we go to. Most times (except the beach resort), we have been asked to wear our abayas, but we did not have to wear our hajab head coverings on our head. You may have noticed in some of my pictures I have worn it like a scarf around my neck. In most instances that is fine, but in some parts of Riyahd, we are expected to have the scarf on. The consequence for not following their traditions is more in the form of harassment. The Mutawa (religious police) can come to you and request that you put on your veil, or individuals may take it upon themselves to tell you how to dress. We have had women in our group be asked where their chaperon is if they are just walking around the hotel by themselves.

This is a picture of two women sitting outside of a medical facility in Dharhan. This is the the hajab head covering with the additional veil which covers your face, except for your eyes. Some women even wear and even more covered version which has a sheer covering that even covers your eyes. We have not had to wear either of these types of head coverings.

Is veiling a choice? For Muslim women, the head covering is really a must right now, and some chose to wear the full face veil as well as the hajab head covering. I can tell you that wearing one is hot. Yesterday when we shopped in the suqs (markets) we were all wearing them, and by midday, I was VERY ready to get out of mine. We also wore them on the plane today and the plane was very stuffy and at one point I really wanted to just take mine off, but I did not.

I hope you enjoy looking at all the pictures I have posted today. There is so much to share about this adventure and I hope you continue to check in for my final 2 to 3 postings before I return. Tomorrow we visit a government school and tour the Diplomatic Quarter. Goodnight!

Thursday, April 5th, 2007

I know my camel adventure happened a few days ago, but I have so many great pictures of them that I want to share. So...keep a look out for more camel shots!

Ahlan wa-sahlan! (Welcome).

I can't tell you how excited I was to see 24 new postings to my site last night. I really makes it fun to read your comments and it helps me to know what to write about in my blogs. Today was another incredible day. Before I go into detail on the day, let me start by saying it is important to know that the company of Aramco has gone to great expense to help coordinate a program that would expose this group of American educators to many areas of Saudi Culture. We have been given access to many well educated, liberal thinkers in all areas of the community and have toured many of the regions of this country. We are seeing and learning many things. Some of the things we are seeing are incredible and other areas need major improvements. Many of you asked about women's rights and the answer is, there is still a great deal of work to be done in this area. Freedom is a modified term in this country, but one that grows each day. What I am learning is that every society has areas of strength and weakness. This trip is helping us, as teachers to build bridges between nations that often have very different political views. When I return I am sure I will be speaking to many of you to share my observations and to answer questions that you might have.

Today, our day began with a visit to Old Jeddah and the building were the first King of Saudi Arabia had his palace hundreds of years ago. We walked through this building and climbed 6 stories to the top of the building. There we heard the Muslim call to prayer, which is broadcast across the country five times a day on loud speakers, which signals all Muslims to come to the mosques to pray. We were able to observe the traditional Muslim prayer ritual, and ended this visit with coffee (yes, more coffee) while sitting on oriental rugs at the top of this museum rooftop.

Then, the fun began! We went to the suqs (local outdoor shopping markets) to purchase items for our classrooms, friends and family. Because we were given only two hours to shop, we divided up our list of items we needed and groups would go and bulk shop for the items to negotiate a better price. Myself and one other woman, Mary, were in charge of the abaya and veil shopping. Others shopped for spices, Aladdin lamps, prayer beads, prayer rugs and incense. We had a great time selecting abayas for those who needed them. We did a great job negotiating and turned my hotel room into Filene's basement later on, and distributed all of our purchases to each other later in the evening.

Our evening was spent at a resort in Jeddah called the Fal Resort. The upper class Saudi families belong to resorts like this one, walled communities, with pools, swimming, jet skis, snorkeling, scuba diving, bowling, health clubs and a restaurant. We arrived just in time to see the sunset over the Red Sea and then took a tour of the resort. I bowled with a group of people until we were escorted down to the beach. As we walked, a group of native African singers with drums, performed behind us and led us to a large sitting area which was created on the beach front for us. It was wild to see 20 couches and 10 oriental rugs set out along the beach like an outdoor living room.

We sat and enjoyed colorful and delicious fruit cocktails (non-alcoholic), eating dates and yes, more coffee. As we sat, the singers began to perform native dances and invited the men in our group to dance. In this country, traditional families only allow the men to dance, so the women watched and talked. We ate dinner by the pool area and returned to the outdoor living area for more dancing, coffee and conversation. Women were invited to get henna tattoos, which I of course did. I have two long tattoos on my right arm and leg and they are very cool to look at. I hope they don't wear off too much before I return to the states.

Well, it is late once again, nearly one am and we are getting picked up at 7:15 to return to the resort for a half day of fun and sun before we get on a plane to Riyhad. I must say that I will miss Jeddah very much.

PS. I heard that we got 10 inches of snow and had a snow day back home. That seems crazy for so late into April. I hope that it is all melted away by the time I return. KEEP POSTING!

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

This is a picture of Dr. Faia Adel Alkahadra, the Director of Educational Training who works for the Ministry of Education in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. We met over lunch and were able to ask all kinds of questions about the public schools in Saudi Arabia.

These children were just a few that I met while touring through the Help Center, a school for children with special needs. They were having a wonderful time giving me "high fives" and loved to see their pictures on my camera.

Masa el khair ( Good evening)

Masa el noor (your reply)

Today we spent the day so far visiting the Oun Help Center in Jeddah, which is a beautiful school facility for children with special needs. We were given a tour and had a wonderful time playing with the children and seeing their facility. This school was only built in the last 10 years and the government of Saudi Arabia is working hard to improve the services provided for all students, but they know they have a long way to go.

We also visited an art museum in Jeddah which was very helpful in showing us the history and culture of the region. I took many pictures which show the rituals of a Saudi man and woman during their marriage ceremony. Did you know that most marriages here are still arranged marriages and many do not meet their spouse until the day of the wedding!

Next, we went ot lunch at Byblos, a Lebanese style restaurant with incredibly delicious food. I cannot tell you how many courses there were, but suffice it to say, there was plenty of food for all.

We ended our day by having a tour and discussion forum with the Saudi Gazette Newspaper, meeting with the editors and writers to discuss the issues that face the Arab nations and the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States. We had some amazing exchanges and asked very frank questions to one another. We discussed issues like freedom, democracy, tradition,religion and family values just to name a few.

Our final destination was an 8:30pm reception and dinner hosted by a gentleman who was like the Gandhi of Saudi Arabia. He was the most impressive speaker and he talked of building bridges between nations and how every culture must reach out to learn about one another. He talked about how the weapons and technology development have brought this earth to a place where we can no longer afford to go to war with each other, as we each possess weapons that could destroy everything we know and love. It was an outstanding discussion and one I hope to continue in the classroom when I return.

Many of you have been asking wonderful questions, so let me see if I can answer some more of them here:

My bedroom is beautiful here in this hotel. The Jeddah Hilton is 12 stories and I am on the 8th floor overlooking the city. I have a king sized bed with the softest sheets I have ever slept on. It has a little sitting area, which I have not used yet, because I am either out touring or sitting at this desk typing. It does have a little balcony with a chair and table and I have been eating breakfast there.

Camel questions: Yes they drool. Thankfully, the one I was kissing did not. The younger camels did not seem to be so drooly. They make quite a sound when they stuck their tongue out. I never saw them spit!

Airplane questions: With all that shuffling around, I got bumped from my seat, because a woman and her two daughters couldn't sit with a strange man. The seat they moved me to was the seat of a Saudi man, and he was moved to another location. This seat switching is very common place and must happen during every flight within Saudi Arabia. I will let you know because I still have two more in country flights to take as we move from city to city. The flight did take off on time so they must budget this last minute seating shuffle into their loading procedures.

For fun, children here go to the beach and fish, ride ATV's on the beach and on the street, play soccer in dirt covered fields, play at playgrounds, play basketball... They also go to the mall, have cell phones and hang with friends. One thing they don't have is movie theaters, but everyone we talked to said that doesn't matter, because they all have large rooms in their home with big tvs and they by all the same movies we do from Amazon.com so they don't mind.

The only language I hear is Arabic and it is a difficult language to follow. I only know some of the most basic phrases and that is it. I think it would take years to become fluent in the language.

The weather here is really quite pleasant, with 70-80 degree temperatures so far. Keep in mind, that most of our days are spent indoors and driving from place to place. I have not had to be out in the sun in my abaya so sunburn or being too hot has not been an issue for me.

I have talked to many men and women about the marriage traditions of Saudi Arabia and family tradition is what is most important. Most marriages are arranged and women are typically married before 30 years of age. I can tell you more of what I know on this topic when I return. I have met women here who are divorced, and those who are in arranged marriages.

The restrictions for women definitely exist, but I have come to a new understanding that many of these restrictions are traditions that many Saudi's wish to continue. While the abaya is expected, it is not the law. Wearing a head covering (hajab) is also expected but the partial or full face veil is a choice. Some women are more traditional and want to have full coverage and others chose the option of just the scarf. I can't wait to tell you more about this because the Saudi people feel that Americans get focus too much on what the Saudi's are wearing and not on who they are as a people. Spending time here has opened my eyes to the traditions of this region.

We will not be seeing the most sacred sites of the land, Mecca and Medina, because only Muslims are allowed in these regions. We have visited mosques and been able to observe Muslims praying throughout the land.

That's all for now. I have to rest up. Tomorrow we visit the old city of Jeddah and shop in the local suqs (markets). Salaam.