Blogs from Saudi Arabia, Middle East - page 17

Last Night in Khobar I wanted to visit with Manir one last time, and besides, I owed him dinner. We met in Khobar, but first I needed to do a bit of last minute shopping. It was hysterical because everyone recognized me! First I went to the pharmacy to buy some more of my mystery item (I’ll attach a photo) and the pharmacist remembered me from the other night. Then back to the store where I had purchased my coffee pots and the guy recognized me before I was even side. Apparently my good-neighbor discount was still intact and I got the quantity discounts based upon my previous purchases. He then showed me everything that was new in the shop since I had been there last (am I their only customer?). Manir needed to pick up ... read more

The Days are Getting Normal For perhaps the first time, today just seemed routine and “normal.” Not boring, but normal. Partly this is because we’re coming off of a three day weekend, partly it’s because this is the fifth assessment center and I finally have my routine down, and partly it’s because I am habituating to the environment. It’s an interesting thing when that happens. I didn’t even take any photos today, and that’s a first. After work tonight, the Aramco people took us to a nice Italian restaurant in downtown Khobar. Mike was there with his son and wife. Tom (who used to work for PDI, but now works for Aramco) was there with his wife. Anthea (the ultra-Aussie) was there and of course the the seven of us PDI'ers. It felt like a large ... read more

Relaxing Weekend Today started with the signature breakfast dish of The Dining Hall - a waffle, fresh-squeezed orange juice and coffee. I then headed over to the consultants’ flats (Euro-speak for apartments) and did my final laundry. Some of you will be happy to know that I was able to manage on my own this time. In fact, I used the washer and dryer in each of the two flats - one for colored and one for whites. Is this TMI? Esbjorn satisfied my inner-tourist and we drove to Oil Well #7, which is the first well that struck oil in Saudi Arabia in 1938 (if I am remembering correctly). It’s right outside of the main gate. Actually there are three guard gates you have to go through to get in here. And within camp, you ... read more

The Start of the Three Day Weekend Let me start by saying that I’m still having trouble with the concept that we have a Saturday holiday. I think the concept of Saturday and Sunday being the weekend is so ingrained in our heads that it’s hard to conceive that it could be different somewhere else. There is so much that we take for granted as “normal” without realizing that it’s normal for us but not for others. Alternate states of normal is something very hard for most Americans and no doubt this is the source of many misunderstandings we have. I was able to talk a bit with Reem (the first woman at the SAC center since I’ve been here). She’s working out of Aramco’s Houston office. She works with Saudi college students who study abroad. ... read more

Dinner in Khobar Tonight I had dinner in Khobar with a friend I met who is from Bangladesh. He is a professor at the local university and has been in Saudi for about four months now. We ate at a Thai restaurant that was excellent. I was not brave enough to order from the spicy food part of the menu, but perhaps next time. The shrimp soup was really fantastic, but I’m not sure they deliver to Minneapolis. Bummer. It was fun to talk to Manir, whose English is better than mine. We discussed our jobs, families, and experiences in Khobar. His wife and family are still back in Bangladesh, but will hopefully be joining him soon. To me, being away from home and family for three weeks is a very long time indeed. However, there ... read more