Blogs from Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, Middle East

One of the fun things about this work assignment is that I work with consultants from all over the world. This leads to a lot of cultural discussions. Apparently there is a tradition in Sweden of making something called (in English) Pancake Cake. Bjorn has given lessons to Pat and Wolf for making this dessert. What the Swedes call pancakes, Americans (and the French) would call crepes. They are very thin pancakes. So to make pancake cake, you make 10 large crepes (thin pancakes), spread jam on them and layer them with strawberries, blueberries, or whatever fruit you have on hand. Then you cover the whole thing with whipped cream and let it set up in the refrigerator. And voila; you have pancake cake. So if you ever wanted to know what psychologists do when they ... read more

I'm back in Saudi Arabia for trip #4 to Saudi Arabia and Aramco. However, this time I'm only scheduled to be here for about two weeks (including travel) and my plane ticket is scheduled to leave Saudi on October 21 (to arrive back home on October 22). The reason I'm scheduled for a shorter amount of time is that my primary mission this time is to train a couple of new internal employees to do the administration at the assessment center. However, based upon my previous experiences here, one never knows for sure; I could be here at late as November 4. A few people who knew I was coming here again asked me if I intended to blog again. However, I don't want to be repetitive and my perspective is certainly different than when I ... read more

I would like to thank you all for taking this journey with me, especially those of you who have slogged your way through three trips worth of blog entries. It’s been a fun journey and I’ve enjoyed sharing it with you. As in any trip, no matter how interesting and fun it is, I’m looking forward to going home. When the exotic becomes routine and the new experiences grow old, it’s time to go home. I miss my family, friends, and co-workers. I miss falling asleep watching TV, I miss reading the Sunday paper, and I miss all of the routine things that you look forward to leaving behind when you are packing your suitcase at the beginning of a trip. I have lots of great memories and experiences and I’ve met lots of great people ... read more

It’s Wednesday after work and if you are in Saudi, that means it’s Miller time. Oh wait. Not quite. But it IS the weekend and that’s something to rejoice in any country or culture. Today it’s was 107 degrees. No, it’s NOT a dry heat. It’s actually humid because we are about a half hour from the Gulf. Tomorrow it’s supposed to be about 114 degrees and I will be ON the Gulf at a place called Qatif. According to Wikipedia, “Qatif is a historic, coastal oasis region located on the western shore of the Persian Gulf in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. This region includes the town of Qatif as well many smaller towns and villages. The historic oasis area shows its first archeological evidence of settlement beginning about 3500 BC.” So this place ... read more

Well, it’s my final night here. I’ve just packed up most of my stuff and I’ll need to take it over to the SAC Center tomorrow morning. As soon as we’re done, Don and I will jump into a cab and head over the causeway (a long crowded bridge) to Bahrain, which is an island country off the coast of Saudi Arabia. It from there (at 10 pm) that I’ll fly to Amsterdam and then switch planes for Minneapolis. And so it ends. Two nights ago, Don and I headed to Khobar. He had bought a Persian-style carpet and runner, but his wife wanted something larger. When Don originally bought it, he requested some sort of box. The guy disappeared and came back with a brand new suitcase and a separate lock. Now that’s thinking outside ... read more