TedTravel

Readers of my blog know that I think visiting other countries and immersing oneself in their culture is truly a wonderful thing and something I love dearly. However, taking the time to see your own environment is equally important. Whether it's having your adult children bring pumpkins over to your house to carve (and maintain a family tradition), taking the time to visit a small local festival, or exploring your own state and appreciating the beauty of Autumn, taking advantage of local opportunities is important too. I hope these photos give you a sense of Minnesota this time of year. We are blessed to have four wonderful seasons. OK, I admit that winter loses its appeal after four, five, or six months of snow and cold, but it makes us appreciate the wonders of spring, summer, ... read more

April 9, 2010 Note: You can click on any photo to enlarge it, and then use the numbers at the top to scroll from photo to photo. Be sure to see the photos below the comments on this page and then click on the "page 2" link to see the "extra photos" I've uploaded. : Last Thursday was the weekend and we had arranged for our group to go to Kuwait City, Kuwait for the day, which is about an hour’s drive from where we are in Khafji, Saudi Arabia. Things did not start off well. The driver picked us up at 12:30 pm. There were nine of us including the driver and 8 very narrow seats. The driver, who spoke no English, did not seem surprised or bothered by this. The solution was for one ... read more

April 2, 2010 Today was the second day of the weekend and the rest of the group arrives tomorrow. I didn’t have any plans, so I mostly spent the day at the beach, which is only a couple of hundred feet from where I am staying. And what a beach it was! I’m right on the Persian Gulf, or as they refer to it here in Saudi Arabia, the Arabian Gulf. It was 90 degrees, cloudless, with a gentle breeze blowing off the Gulf. As you can see, I was the only one in sight on the beach. It’s hard to believe that no one else was around and I had it all to myself. I also walked to the grocery store, which is about 20 minutes away. I was inside when the lights started to ... read more

March 31, 2010 I'm back in Khafji, Saudi Arabia for trip #6 to The Kingdom. Khafji is located just south of the Kuwait border in the very northeast tip of Saudi Arabia. I'll be here until 14 April and I left Minneapolis last week. My mission is to prepare for a series of four assessment centers that start next Sunday (Easter Day). Obviously Easter isn't a big deal here in The Kingdom, which explains the start date. However, I'm brought along two packages of marshmallow peeps to distribute to my colleagues. One package is yellow birdies and the other has neon pink rabbits. The setup for the center has gone very well, but I discovered what happens when you plug in a computer component designed for 110 volts into a socket that has 220 voltage. It ... read more

Yesterday, our client sponsor invited us to visit the "Spring Camp" which is an area located about 10 miles from Khafji. It is an area in the middle of the desert that features company-owned tents that can be used for the employees. These tents come with electricity, carpeting, and people to serve food. Apparently, this sort of thing is very popular with Saudis (and Kuwaitis) this time of year before it gets too hot. It’s a lot like going to the cabin by the lake in Minnesota, except that they use tents and the lake is a desert and their aren’t any mosquitoes. We didn’t really know what to expect when we arrived at about 3:30 in the afternoon. We met with our hosts and they gave us a quick tour around. The camp is ... read more