Marhaba everyone! (Hello in arabic)
Today was an amazing start to our trip. We were brought to the Aramco Headquarters where we were given an intensive 8 hour orientation to prepare us for the trip to Saudi Arabia. We were given very basic Arabic instructions so that we can say all the courtesy phrases such as:
Good Morning... Sabah el khair
Good Evening... Masa el khair
Yes... Na'am
No... La
Please... Min Fadhlak
Thank you ... Shukran
We are also learning to count in Arabic. We have to do a head count everywhere we go to be sure that we have all 24 of us together, so we are learning to count up to 24 in Arabic. I am number 11!
We fly out tomorrow, Thursday, around 3pm and have a very long 24 hours of flying and traveling ahead of us. When we arrive in Saudi Arabia, it will be Friday at around 8pm. For the first few nights, we will be staying at a hotel on the Aramco Compound. The very first morning there, the women in our group will all be measured for our abayas (the black robes) but we will not need to wear them until we travel to the capital city of Riyadh.
Our hosts have told us so much information already about life in Saudi, that I cannot wait to begin this trip. We have been given video cd's to show in the classroom and power point presentations to use when we return. Aramco seems to have thought of everything and keeps improving their program each year.
My next entry will be from Amsterdam during our 6 hour layover. Salaam.
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21 comments:
Okay I have no idea if I am doing this right? I've never blogged before! As soon as I figure this out, my class will be on. I'm sure they all already know how to do it though. Do all of my students have to create a google account? Will you have pictures for them as you go? Any videos? It doesn't seem as if this has spell check, does it? What a good way to prove my point that people need to check their spelling-maybe even use a dictionary!
Dear Deb;
Well here I'm on my second try to write you. Hopefully this will go through.
Hope your plane trip went well.
What an exciting adventure you are on.
Things are fine here.
Take care and I'll be in touch soon.
Sue A.
Hi mrs.Hinrichs! I am super exicted for you! Oh! i have a question, does your plan have movies? What is the first thing you are going to do when you get to Saudi Arabia? Well I better go! Have a safe flight!!
- CT
Hi mrs.Hinrichs! I am super exicted for you! Oh! i have a question, does your plan have movies? What is the first thing you are going to do when you get to Saudi Arabia? Well I better go! Have a safe flight!!
- CT
Sabah el Khair Deb! This is Vicky, and am I ever glad you are learning to count in Arabic--I see an interdiscipinary activity in our future :) Good luck with that long flight--get rest and stretch out so you don't end up as short as I am (although then maybe I could borrow your abayas!). Blog to you soon! PS What is the word for 11, anyway?
Hi Debbie - love your blog. What a wonderful way to keep everyone informed of your travels. Have a great time in Saudi!
Tiina (neighbor)
(if you get a change, please send a postcard to Mrs Gould's class at Clark (PO Box 420) for their social studies work -- your future students!)
Mrs. Hinrichs,
I didn't get a chance to say good luck and have a ball. I am very excited for you, but I do not envy you the long plane ride...UGH!
Nor do I envy the jet lag! Anyway, I hope you have a great time in Saudi Arabia and I can't wait to hear all about it.
And thank you for your strength and courage during the week before your departure. You are very brave.
Take care and have fun!
Dotsie Bohan
Deb:
I got excited just reading what you had to say. Have a wonderful flight and I look forward to keeping up with your journey. Oh, if you are on a camel--get a picture!!
Hey Mrs.H it's Erin H again.
Hope you had fun with that orientation...(jk)
We have the test tomorrow, even though i studied im kinda nervous
im gonna try to read the blog every day
*emphasis on try!
Anyway just wanted to say that things are great hear and can't wait for you to come back!
Hi Mrs. H, it is Erin H's mom. We can't wait to read about your travels during the next few weeks. We hope you travel safely and look forward to learning from your adventures. Just want you to know that it is still chilly here in Amherst (very windy last night). Spring fever is here, let's see if it gets cured by any Springtime snowstorms! Have a great trip!
What is the time difference in Saudi Arabia?
-Matthew W.
I'm going to speak arabic to my friends just to bother them!
(jk)
-Matthew W.
I'm just testing to see if you select "other" instead of "anonymous" if your name will come up on top.
Hi, How is your trip going so far? Is it hard to communicate with the locals? How is the food? What have you been eating?
From,
Chris C.
Dear Mrs.Hinrichs Sounds like you are going to have a lot of fun in Saudi Arabia!Hope you enjoy it,and can't wait to see the pictures.Bring some warmth back for us:)
Jacklyn D.
Deb,
Although I do not envy you the hours on your many planes, I wish I was there with you. Everyone should experience traveling to a foreign country to gain a new persepective on life. It is too easy to fall into the routine of living. I am so glad that you get to use this blog to share your experience with the rest of us. Although we cannot travel with you in body, I hope that we can have our eyes and minds opened as you have this adventure. Enjoy and we miss you.
Love, Barbara
Hi mom! Your so lucky you are somewhere warm. It gets really nice here but that comes with wind. Now it will be nice for tomorrow and then get cooler and there is chance of snow here next week!So enjoy your warm weather and be thinking of us in the cold rapid changing weather small towns of Amherst and Mt.Vernon
~Kelsey H.
Hi Mrs. Hinrichs!
You are so lucky to have such an awesome experience like this! That would be very cool if you got to ride on a Camel!! I saw your daughter at the Mock trial competition. She did a great job!!
Have a safe flight...
Taylor S.
Hi Mrs. Hinrichs!
You are so lucky to have such an awesome experience like this! That would be very cool if you got to ride on a Camel!! I saw your Daughter at the Mock Trial competition, she did a great job!!
Have a safe flight...
Taylor S.
hey this is shelby belak. i though that that was so cool that you are learning the language and can count. dont worry all is well here kelsey's mock trial team won and she is doing great. i cant wait to keep hearing from you and learning more about the culture. everyone is missing you and hoping that everything is going great. hope to see you soon.
-shelby belak
Hey Mrs. H,
Wow. I thought that learning Spanish was an accomplishment. Now I feel really dumb when I see that people speak Arabic. It makes as much sense to me as Japanese (which by the way kind of scares me by how confusing it is). Is Arabic hard?
~ Jenna G
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