Jeddah Chamber of Commerce

Dr. Basmah Mosleh Omair spoke with us about how women in business were represented by the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce. There are elected women serving on the chamber. She in particular is interested in representing women's rights in the business world of Saudi Arabia. With so much change in the rights of Saudi women, her group tries to ensure that things progress fairly, but not necessarily too fast.

A Visit to the Saudi Gazette

Our group got to tour The Saudi Gazette newspaper. We got to see where reporters can gather information from around the world. We also got to meet some female reporters. On the left side of the photo is Diana M. Al-Jassem, who writes daily. She has a blogspot at www.diana-press.blogspot.com. On my other side is Farah Mustaf. Both ladies were very enthusiastic about their job with the paper. We later got to have a roundtable discussion with the editor, photographer, and several reporters. A short blurb was printed about us in the December 18, 2008 issue. You can check the archives at www.saudigazette.com.sa

Wow, the Luxury...

Having moved from camel riding and milk drinking hasn't been too much of a hardship. It's always nice to have slippers and a robe waiting for you to come back to. A little bit of room service didn't hurt much either. I also tried caviar for the first time at dinner tonight. They actually had a red carpet for us to walk on! (That one was too hard to take a picture of and walk in an abaya at the same time).

A Visit to Oun Help Center

Today we got the pleasure of visiting Oun Help Center, a privately funded school for special needs children. It was founded in 1993, by the late Sh. Ahmed Juffali, and his spouse, Mrs. Suad Husseini-Juffali. These people did not have special needs children of their own, but saw neighbor children have to go by their house to receive services outside of the area. This is an amazing, state-of-the-art school. The students receive training in many areas: subjects, living skills, and the arts. The artwork and variance of choices is remarkable. The little girl on the left in the picture was talking with me and showing what she was having for snack. The little boy was saying, "What's up!" as he made his hand gestures. Some of the student artwork is showcased at the school. The last is a sign for our abaya wearing safety on the escalator at the Red Sea Mall.

Culinary Creations

These creations not only looked good, but tasted absolutely wonderful. Thank you Ahmad Masaud for the delight for the eyes and the taste buds.

In Jeddah

We visited the first women's college in Saudi Arabia today. It was a dream of Queen Effat's and based on her quote, "The uneducated woman is the weakest link of a society." There are some amazing and progressive changes going on in modern Saudi Arabia! Another little known fact: WOMEN GET EQUAL PAY FOR EQUAL JOBS. What a concept... We then had lunch at Byblos restaurant, which was another extravagant affair. I met and talked to so many interesting people. I will be updating you on some of these asap. As you can "sea" we ate dinner on the Red Sea. The girl in the photo is someone I also have more to tell you about. She will be coming to America soon for college studies. By the way, a girl can get Diet Coke or Diet Pepsi in any country, even if it's written in Arabic.

Day 3

We started out our morning by driving to Al-Hasa. This city is famous for its dates. We have been served so many varieties of this delicious treat. Al-Hasa is also known for its crafts. We watched as this man made a vase from the raw materials you see in the picture. In the top half, the clay is very wet. It is then mixed and transferred to a more sturdier substance. He then uses hunks of this to make his creations. Each artist has his own engravings or styles to mark the finished product as theirs. We drove along the biggest oil reservoir as we made our way to Garah Mountain. This is a natural form of rocks and caves. Many people visit here, especially in the summer when temperatures can reach approximately 126 degrees Farenheit. The temperature inside the cave stays consistently cool. We went to tour the Castle of Ibahim, but unfortunaley it was closed for maintenance. We then quickly packed and flew off to Jeddah. The picture of Terri and I shows the abayas that we will now be required to wear out in public now that we have left the compound. Notice mine has red sequins! I guess I am just lucky...

Sandy Saudi Sand Slide

It didn't go as fast as I thought it would, but it was still an experience to remember.

Got milk?

There is nothing more refreshing or healthy than fresh milk squeezed into a bowl in the middle of an Arabian desert.

Don't laugh too hard, it is NOT like riding a horse!

Day 2 in the Kingdom

Accompanied by Khalid Al-Amoudi, we visited the Kind Abdulazia Center for Knowledge and Culture Department. This amazing building will be opening in 2011. It will be a shining jewel for the Saudi's to showcase artifacts, history, modernization, technology, theater, and a library. After this visit, we went to the Training and Career Development Center. This is a program for high school students to apply. With over 10,000 applicants, only 350 are selected. Upon high school graduation, they enter a 10 month program with Aramco. With help from teachers and others, they will apply to their college of choice outside of the Kingdom. Upon receiving a college diploma, they will come back and work for Aramco in their area of specialization. Rayah, leaning towards me in the picture, is applying to Boston College and Penn State. She says she looks most forward to coming to America so she can bungee jump! She was great company at lunch, and has many things in common with teens in the States. THEN IT HAPPENED...The policeman in the picture with me is one of our two personal escorts while here in Dhahran. You might notice the camel, and yes to all you who voted against it, I RODE A CAMEL!!! I also got to drink fresh camel's milk, sled down a sand hill, and receive dates, coffee, and sweets in a Beduion tent.

Day One in Saudi

On our first day in Saudi Arabia we visited the Aramco Headquarters and the Exhibit Museum. We started off watching a 3D movie (yes, check out our glasses!!!). We learned that Aramco is the largest oil company in the world and we learned about how this "black gold" becomes the stuff we put in our cars. On our way to our luncheon feast we saw this car that was in need of a bath. (Someone wrote wash me in Arabic). After our sumptuous meal we visited a special museum that is in the lady's house, and we saw really old items from around the Middle East.

Getting There (Finally)

The airplane in the picture was luxurious and took us from Houston, TX to Frankfurt, Germany. From Frankfurt we traveled to Kuwait and finally to Damman, Saudi Arabia. The entire trip including airport waiting time took approximately 24 hours. On the airplane there were little TV screens at each seat, and you could watch any movie or TV show that you wanted. The food was OK. How about my first international stop - you can see how happy I am in the Frankfurt airport! In the street scene you can see what the area around my hotel looks like - a lot of palm trees. The street sign is at the corner of Steineke Hall, which is the dormitory where I am at.

A Day of Learning a New Language

The top picture shows the Arabic lesson we did today. Can you tell what it says? Below that is the map of where we will be traveling. After that are some examples of the abaya and throbes that we will be wearing on our trip. Ellen, who is waving to you, is my roommate here in Texas. By the way, can you guess which bed is mine? Today at lunch was an extraordinary experience. We were served on golden charger plates, and someone even placed our napkins in our laps for us. Talk about the service!

Flew out this morning

Starting at the bottom is a picture of my airplane that I flew from Knoxville to Houston in. I was then met by my limo driver Cathy. The sign shown was what she was holding up to meet me. She said I was sitting in the same seat that Nick Lachey (used to be married to Jessica Simpson) was sitting in a couple of weeks ago when she picked him up. We were greeted at the door with a cupcake. The buildings are the view out of my hotel window.

It's almost time to leave

I have spent a very hectic day trying to make sure everything is in order before I leave.  It's amazing how many little details there are to make everyday life run "smoothly".  It was nice having Jake with me throughout to just spend some time with.  I am going to miss everyone so much while I am away.  Currently my bedroom looks like an explosion as I am packing and taking things out, and packing again, and rearranging... I am so nervous I don't know if I'll be able to sleep tonight.

A day with friends

In the midst of the final arrangements I am making to leave, I was lucky enough to spend today with my friends from the Upper Cumberland Writing Project.  Jennifer even presented me with a new journal to write in about my trip.  I am also grateful for the support from many of my professors:  Dr. Akenson, George, Shannon, Carl, and Ina.  Carl has been generous with the technology, and with it I hope to make some extraordinary pictures to post!

Getting closer

Today was my last day in the classroom until after Winter Break.  I am already missing everyone and I haven't even left yet! :(   Mrs. Trish is helping me remember all kinds of details so everything will run smoothly in my absence.  I am really proud of my 4th graders, and I want to hear from you a lot.  

Getting ready...

I can't believe how fast these last few days are going by!  I am trying to decide what exactly will end up in my suitcase.  It is suggested that we take only 3-4 days worth of clothing.  Most of you know how this will break my heart, because I do love my clothes.  Oh well, evidently it won't matter too much, because most of the time we will be wearing an abaya.