Written February 9, 2010; Published February 12, 2010 I’ve been in Saudi Arabia for 8 days now. We still don’t have Internet access at the villa. This is strange because there is a network/internet port on almost every wall. The client starting asking for Internet connections for our accommodation about a month ago. They have called the IT department daily since I got here. But still nothing. Every day we are told “tomorrow” inshallah (God willing). Apparently it is not God’s will that we have Internet access. This means we can’t keep up with our work email, personal email, sending reports from the assessment center and most importantly my blog! Things move very slowly in Saudi. I came here a week before the assessment center started to get ready and it’s a good thing I did. ... read more

I'm leavin' on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. Oh babe, I hate to go... But my bags are packed so I'm ready to go... Yes, tomorrow is my last day in the kingdom and I'm not sure if I will be returning now that they have a permanent replacement for what I've been doing. However, I've learned that everything is unpredictable (especially here), so you never know. On past trips I've taken photos of the great food we've been served at the Center. However, this trip has been food-less. So to make up for that, I'm attaching a few photos from lunch today. It's been a good trip. Thanks for taking the time to read these blogs, and especially for your comments. Safe travels. -- Ted... read more

Today eight of us headed two hours south of Dhahran to a town called Hofuf. It's about an hour south of Abqaiq, which is another Saudi Aramco facility. We rented two large Suburbans and two drivers for the day. It was an amazing experience and yet another "I'm not in Kansas" moment for me. Hofuf used to be the capital of the Eastern Province (the area along the Persian Gulf) until 1953. At that point it was moved up to Dammam, which is a city I’ve visited on previous trips. The area is more broadly known as Al Hasa (that’s the region) and it is an oasis. That’s why you will see lots of palm trees in the photos. These palms are the kind that produce dates (the kind you eat, not the match.com type). Of ... read more

Both of these photos were taken within the last 24 hours. One was taken in Minnesota and the other was taken on my way to work this morning in Saudi Arabia. Can you tell which photo goes to which place? OK, that might not have been the hardest quiz question. While it's been snowing and below freezing in Minnesota, it's been 100 degrees F. (38 C.) here in Dhahran. I think I left at the right time! This is looking like it's going to be quite a short trip. Since the plan is for me to leave a week from tomorrow, I will only have one weekend, which is this Thursday and Friday. A bunch of us are planning an excursion on Thursday with Hal, an Aramco person. Hal wants to take us to a camel ... read more

Well, I thought I had written my final blog entry for this trip. I’m using this loophole: the previous entry was last EVENING in Dhahran and this is the last DAY in Dhahran. Think of it as like being an extra on a DVD. (However, there will be no director’s cut of this blog.) The last day of the last assessment session is kind of boring because I usually use the afternoon to do the preparations for the next session. But of course on the last day, there isn’t a next session. Koen had some extra time too because one of his two participants was a no-show. I then got the idea that if we hurried, we could go to the Saudi Aramco Exhibit, which is this multi-million dollar building that is all about drilling and ... read more