(Our group of 24 educators from across the United States standing in front of Aramco Headquarters in Houston, Texas.)
(Mrs. Hinrichs and a few new friends she has made on her trip to Saudi Arabia.)
(A Picture of myself and a teacher from Houston who has traveled to Saudi Arabia twice as part of the Educators to Saudi Arabia program. We are standing in front of the many materials she collected for during her travels.)
Assalam' alaikoom! (This is the formal greeting which means " Greetings and peace be with you" The correct reply to this greeting would be "A laikoom assalam".
I have just arrived in Amsterdam after a long, long, long 9 hour flight. We now have a 6 hour layover and then continue on with a 6 hour flight into Damman, Saudi Arabia. I am thrilled to see so many postings and will try to answer many of your questions in this posting.
Presently, I am having difficulty uploading pictures to this blog, but I hope to work out the bugs in the next few days. In the meantime, writing to the blog is working out just fine so I will continue to post daily in the locations that have Internet connections.
Amanda, you asked about setting up accounts to use the blog; You don't need to set up individual google accounts to make a comment. Click on the anonymous button and then you can type your comment and include your name in the comments so that I know who it is from.
I hear that we will get to see camels at a local camel market, but I am not sure if we can ride one. If we can, you can be sure that I will. So far, the food that we have been given has been typical American cuisine, but far more food than I am used to eating. We have been told that we will need to learn to pace ourselves because the Saudi's enjoy entertaining over long meals and elaborate buffets.
The weather here in Amsterdam is very foggy and unfortunately, we don't have time to go exploring. There is the possibility on our return flight from Saudi that we could take a 2 hour tour of Amsterdam during our layover, so I may explore that option.
Our Aramco hosts have given us a rough itinerary which looks like this:
Friday, March 30- Monday April 2nd City of Dhahran
Here we will stay at the Aramco Compound which is like a military base. On this compound, we will be fitted for our abaya's (the long black robes) and we have typical western freedoms to do as we please. We will take day trips from the compound and stay in a hotel-like facility called Steineke Hall. This city is located near the Persian Gulf ( which Arabs refer to as the Arabian Gulf). We will get to see this large body of water and hopefully collect some sand.
*** Late flight to Jeddah
Late Monday night, April 2nd- Friday, April 6 City of Jeddah
In this city, we will stay at the Jeddah Hilton which is located right on the Red Sea. We will be spending 3+ days in this region and on Friday, we will spend the day at a westernized resort, as Friday is the holiest day of the week for the Islamic faith. At this resort, we can jet ski, snorkle and scuba dive. (I will not have to wear the burkini!)
****Late flight to Riyadh
Late Friday, April 6th- Monday, April 9th City of Riyadh
This is the capital city of Saudi Arabia and the last city on our tour. Here we will be required to wear the head covering piece (called a Hajib) along with our abayas as the religious police are quite strict in this region.
I wish I knew more about our itinerary within each city, but even our American Aramco guides have only a tentative schedule. We will be meeting with a variety of important individuals representing a variety of aspects in Saudi society. We will be escorted by two guards during our entire trip and are treated as important diplomatic guests. It really is quite an experience so far.
OK, for Mrs. Leknes (lover of all things math-like)- let's try some arabic counting!
1 wahid .........................................11 hidashar
2 itnayn......................................... 12 itnashar
3 ttalaata....................................... 13 talatashar
4 arbaa ..........................................14 arbaatashar
5 khmsa......................................... 15 khamastashar
6 sitta ............................................16 shtashar
7 sabaa........................................... 17 sabaatasha
8 tamanya..................................... 18 tamaantashar
9 tisaa ............................................19 tisaatashar
10 ashara...................................... 20 ashriin
We'll, I think it is time to end this entry for now. It is 2am your time right now and 9:30am Amsterdam time( a 7 hour time difference). When we travel to Saudi Arabia, there will be a 9 hour time difference; I will be 9 hours ahead of you.
I hope I have answered all of your questions.
Shukran (Thank you) all for traveling with me.
29 comments:
Hi Deb,
The pictures are coming through. It looks like fun. What happens if the religious police don't like what they see? I don't mean you but their citizens. Enjoy your pita bread! Miss you! The kids have been fine.
The other Deb
That's so awesome, especially the money thing.
~Isabella S.
Mrs. H,
Mrs. Alger is OK, But you are irreplaceable. Have fun!!!!!!!!!!!
-MD, PF, SB & MW
Deb,
This was my first visit to your blog. It's wonderful! You've done such a great job in reporting all of the details of your preparations as well as the happenings on your trip. I look forward to hearing more. Have safe travels and lots of fun.
Deanna
Hi Mrs.H! Hope your flight to Saudi was okay! Nothing new in Amherst! Do you have T.V. in Saudi? What type of T.V. shows do they have? American Idole? Well enjoy Saudi Arabia!
A laikoom assalam!!! Its Ashely T. it sounds like you are tried of being on a plane. I can't wait to hear of your adventures in your next blog. I bet you made Mrs. Leknes very happy with the math. Even though i don't watch American Idol you wanted to hear so.. the new method of voting is vote for the worst and Chris was voted off. I will hear from you soon! We all miss you!
Hi Mrs.Hinrichs
Looks like you are having a fun time in Amsterdam hope you have as much fun in Saudi Arabia.Bring back some warm weather for us! Have a great time
Jacklyn D.
Thanks For Letting Me Know How To Count In That Langauge!!!!!!!!!!!!!
-MW, SW, MD, JV, PF, AH, & BD
Hello Mrs. Hinrichs,
Right about now you are either in the air or laid over in Europe. I'm sure you are all excited and tired. We are pumped to read about your travels with you. I have you linked to schoolnotes.com and can't wait for more to come. I love the picture with you and the mannequins! Keep 'em coming! Have fun and stay safe. See you soon!
Mrs. H you Rock and have about of fun!
-MD
P.S,
(I signed all the letters from MD, PF, MW & SB ):-) !!!!!!
Hi Debbie! Well our fantastic kids won the Mock Trial competition today -- state champions! Kelsey was awesome, and Mark and I sat with your Dad all day (well, Mark did, as I bounced to and from the trials and the Globetrotters with Connor). Your dad's a great guy. Love reading your posts. Your dad is so proud of you and your journey. I will check it more often now that I've been here once. I've also fixed on the school website so it opens in its own window and not our tiny little announcements window. Oops!
Take good care,
Laurie H.
A laikoom assalam! Its AnLi. It must be fun to be in Saudi! Its finally gotten warmer here! Yay! What kinds of food are you eating? Do they have things like coke? Oh and do they have horses in Saudi? or just camels. Miss you!
AnLi
Wow, it sounds like you are having fun and learning a lot about a culture that is so different from ours. Are you treated differently because you are a woman? Do Arab men talk to you with the same interest and respect that they give to men? Are your opinions and ideas respected as they are in this country? Do you feel uncomfortable in Saudi because you are a woman?
You are doing a great job keeping us informed. I love the pictures.
Enjoy!
LF
Hi Deb,
Bill, Judy, Pop Pop and Brianna are here in Lowell reading your blogs and wishing you safe travels and lots of fun. We are looking forward to getting together when you return.
Hi Mrs Hinrichs!
this is my third time trying to write to you but it wont post my comments...lets hope it works this time! You are so lucky to have an opportunity like this!! That would be VERY cool if you got to ride a camel! I saw your daughter at the Mock trial competition.. she did a great job!!
Taylor S.
Assalam' alaikoom
Hows it going over there? It sounds awesome!! I can't wait to see pictures and here more about it.That plane ride was amazingly long I never would have been able to last. Nothing is new here just the same things.
-Sammy J
Hi Deb,
Wow!! What an amazing journey you're sharing with us. Thank you for the great pictures. Don't forget to add the "burkini picture" later. We all miss you here, but are so happy you're experiencing this once in a lifetime opportunity. I look forward to more updates. Take care.
Patty W.
Hi Mom. Its Ryan. So hows the coffie there. Hahaha. Have you seen any camels yet? I didnt know how to find how to post a comment but i figured it out. The fort is still standing.(luckily). Jessie has a new friend named Roxy.Dad isnt to happy about that though. Se you. Have fun in Saudi. E-mail Alot!!!. By.
Hi Deb
Laurie H. again. What influences of the US do you see there? Movie theaters with US movies? McDonalds? (Aren't they everywhere??) How about the cars? I know in Europe they have the same brands but different models. Do most people drive or walk, or something else? Love reading all your news. Keep us up to date!
Hey this is Sue again just showing a class how to blog.. don't mind me... keep having fun and watch out for those spitting camels.
-Miss Wilson
Hi Mrs. H!
That is soooo cool what you did on Thursay March 30th! What are dates and do they taste good? Is the food in Saudie Arbia good? I like the picture where you and that other person were shaking hands. Are the clothes typically like that in Saudie Arabia? The museum looks interesting! Your day is very long! I would hate to have a day as long as yours! I can barley wake up at 6:00 and go to bed at 9:30! Well i hope you keep having fun at Saudie Arabia!
Bye!
-Giselle Payan
Hi Mrs.Hinrichs,
This is Jim. I hope you are enjoying your time in Saudi Arabia. Is it hot there? Is the food good there? Are there any unique foods there that taste a little bit different? Are people the peoples customs different from our? I hope you have lots of fun!
Hi Mrs.H
Looks like you are having alot of fun there hope you enjoy the rest of you stay! The pictures you took are really cool! i like the one with the clothes.
Hava
I hope your trip to Saudi was alright and it sounds like you are having fun. What kinds of food do they have there? Do people there watch television? Have some more fun!
-Joe S.
I think it is waesoem to be able to count in arabic. It is cool that you are being treated like an important diplomatic guest.
Buddy Young
Asalam a lai kom Mrs. Hinrichs!
It looks, (and from previous comments)sounds like you're having a lot of fun! ' must be such an interesting experience over there.
Do they have McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts? What foods have you been "surviving" on? Any American Idol?
Hopefully I'll get the chance to comment again!
Tori F.
MD= Mike Demarco
PF= Peter Foley
SB= Sumner Bailey
MW= Matt Winter
It's so cool that you learned how to count in arabic. Do people around you ever say things in arabic so fast that you have no idea what they are saying?
~Julie H.
Hey. That looks like so much fun! I think that it is great that you are doing this, I just wish more of us could be there, too! Can't wait to here more about you're visit! Have fun!
- Megan B. -
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