Tour of Dhahrain: Saudi Aramco

Today we took a tour of Dhahrain, the home of Saudi Aramco. The Saudi Aramco Exhibit was amazing. I really enjoy the Science Museum of Minnesota, but this exhibit was 10 times more amazing. The focus of the exhibit was based on Saudi Aramco and it's affect on Saudi Arabia. We were given a PowerPoint presentation on Saudi Aramco by two very intelligent and well-spoken women. These women shared their hopes for Saudi Arabia and the future of women. It seems as though things are changing for women, but it will take time due to the focus of religion in the country. Saudi Amarco is a huge factor in the success of Saudi Arabia and a powerhouse in the world. They set the industry standards for oil production. They have the most cutting edge technology and are very proud of their thorough on-the-job training. The facilities we visited and services we recieved today reflect their attention to detail. Saudi Aramco has transformed Saudi Arabia by developing the petroleum industry. Many of the officials have shared the fact that Saudi Arabia is nothing like it was when they grew up as kids. It used to be a much smaller population with no huge cities. Now it is going through some tremendous growth which is evident by the housing developments and businesses being built.

Click on the picture below for the complete album.

Tour of Dhahran Community

Some facts I took away from today:
1. Dhahrain is in the Eastern Province. The Easter Province is the largest among the Kingdom's 13 regions.
2. The Population is about 3.4 million.
3. Has international borders with Yemen, Oman, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, and Iraq.
4. The majority of Saudi Arabia's petroleum reserves, representing about 25% of the world's, and the headquarters of Saudi Aramco are in the Eastern Province.
5. History of Aramco:
1933-1973: Saudi is an American Company (100%)
1973: Saudi Government purchased 25% of Aramco
1974: Saudi Government owns 60%
1980: Saudi Government 100%
6. Saudi Arabia is beginning to shif interests to China and India. These are or will be the next huge markets.
7. Saudi Arabia is not opening up its borders to many outsiders due to the reputation of being rich. They are afraid of the problems this would bring to the country.
8. Saudi Arabia does not seem to be planning beyond petroleum. They are confident that there is plenty for many years to come. Maybe this is correct, but they do seem somewhat arrogant.

Question:
How many petroleum products are there? What are some examples of petroleum products?

Again, thanks for all of your comments.

Until next time.

Day Two in Saudi Arabia : Land of Beauty and Intrigue

Last night was a late one. I finally fell asleep around 5:30 a.m. and woke up around 10:30 a.m. I missed breakfast, but I needed the sleep more than the food. Most educational trips are very busy with little time to rest and gather yourself. When arriving at a far-off destination it takes time to adjust to the jetlag and the time difference. Today turned out to be a very unique situation because of one very distinct cultural difference--religion. Saudi Arabia runs on the Islamic (Hijrah) calendar following the dates of the Prophet Muhammed's emigration from Mecca to Medina in the western portion of Sauid Arabia. This is different from the calendar we follow in the United States. In the United States the typical work week is from Monday thru Friday. In Saudi Arabia the typical work week is Saturday thru Wednesday. Thursday is equivalent to our Saturday, while Friday is similar to our Sunday. This calendar may be changing in the future so they match with more countries around the world. They may change the calendar so that the typical work week is from Sunday to Thursday. Friday will probably not ever change, but Thursay would be shifted to Saturday. This is important because it will give them one more day to do business with the rest of the world. It is hard to do business if everyone else is not working and the banks are closed. I am not sure of the timeline for this change, but I do believe talks have begun. Considering today was equivalent to our Sunday, many businesses were closed and we were limited in our options. We ended up leaving for another Armco compound named Ras Tanura. It is interesting going to these compounds because it is a mix of different people, but I am sure it is not completely reflective of the true Saudi Arabia. I suppose I will find out as the trip goes on and we travel to different cities. Ras Tanura was very beautiful considering it was on the Persian Gulf, also known as the Arabian Gulf to Arab countries. We able to enjoy the beautiful weather, beach, and water. This was great, but it was the cultural differences that continued to stick out. This is my first real day in which I was able to observe the Saudi culture and these are just my thoughts. Hopefully, as the trip goes on, I will be able to gain a deeper understanding. I am sure I will find that their culture is not perfect, but I am sure if we were to examine our own culture we would find many imperfections. Here is what I observed today.

Click on the picture below to see the entire album.

Saudi_Arabia_Day_2

1. Saudi Arabia is governed by the Islamic religion. They do not separate religion from government, but instead they use it to run the country. Unlike the United States, the Islamic religion dominates the country. This has huge implications for the countries laws and people's roles in the society.

2. Saudi women have expectations that are much different from U.S. women due to religion. I am not saying this is wrong, but it is completly opposite of most people in the U.S. I am trying to understand it, but it is very difficult. As we walked around the beach we were able to get our first glimpse of the women wearing there Abaya, Hijab, and Burqa. Each women covers themselves to a different degree, but many seemed to cover their entire face except for their eyes. It is my understanding that we are not to look or take pictures of them without permission. It seems it is especially taboo for men to talk to women. In fact, I would never go up to a women and start a conversation. If I were a women it would be okay, but I would still need to get permission to take a picture. I have been told that the women cover up to save themselves for their husband. They do not like to get there pictures taken because they feel it is important to be modest. I feel very disconnected from the women in this society because I feel I may break the "rules." Women cannot drive in Saudi Arabia so they have drivers. I am not sure if they all have drivers, but I am sure that the well-to-do families do. Again, it will be my job to try to give more definative answers, but I am not sure I will completely undertand it ever because I have grown up with such different expectations.

3. Many men wear their igal, gutra, and thobe, but I do not think the expectation is as high. Men seem to have more say in what is done, but I am not completly sure. I am curious to know if women really run the show in the household or if they are submissive. Our tour guide has told us that "women are treated like princesses. They get a rider and men worship the ground they walk on. Whenever they want a new dress for a wedding they get it and it is very expensive." This may be true of the well-to-do families, but I cannot see this working as much with the poor. Again, hopefuly time will fill in the gaps and I am able to report them to you. I am trying not to make judgements, but rather report what I see throughout the trip.

4. I carefully took the pictures of the women. I tried to keep my distance to make sure I respected them and did not get into trouble. It is very difficult to see them cover up their face, but it is not threatening in any way. It is very mysterious and intriguing which makes it even more difficult not to look at them. I will not get used to this custom in the short time we are staying here. Please do not gain a sense of fear from seeing them dressed in such a way.

5. Saudi people are convinced that the United States hates them. Saudi people seem to understand that there are many nice people in the United States, but the government has completely isolated the Saudi people according to there looks. Before I left, I would say that many people gave the impression that Saudi Arabia is very dangerous. I have not seen this side of Saudi. Person to person they have been very accomodating.

I am curious about your thoughts. Do you think the U.S. government treats Saudis unfairly? Are there any stories in the news that may show unfair treatment? Does fear justify our actions?

Please share your comments and links.

Until next time.

I am in the Kingdom...

We have finally arrived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was a long day of travel, but everything went well. It is currently 1:55 a.m. and I am inside the Saudi Aramco compound in Dharan. As planned, we flew from Houston to Germany, and then onto Bahrain. Then we bussed over the King Faud Causeway into the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. There were many checkpoints to pass through, but everyone was very polite. As we rode on the bus and entered the compound we listened to some Arabic music. It was a nice way to start our journey in the Kingdom.

Click on photo below for full album.

Journey_to_Saudi

Comments?
Causeway: A raised roadway, as across water or marshland.
1. Have any of you every crossed a causeway similar to the King Faud Causeway? Where? When? Why?
2. Share a url address leading to a description, photo, and/or map of the causeway you crossed in your comments so we can compare it to the King Faud Causeway.

Side note:
During my flight from Houston to Germany, I was able sit by a man from India that was flying home to visit his family. He was a mechanical engineer that graduated from Texas A&M. He currently works for a company that does business mainly with the oil companies (including Saudi Aramco). He has lived in the United States for six years and he really enjoys Houston. He and his wife are trying to decide if they should stay in Houston or return to India before they have a child. He was very nice and we were able to have some very interesting discussions pertaining to the United States and India. In fact, when the plane landed, a lady sitting in front of us said she would have loved to take my geography class considering she heard the entire discussion. Remember, when you are traveling to a destination make sure you enjoy the journey. I never thought I would have had the opportunity to learn about India on my way to Saudi Arabia. India is a fascinating place to study due to its history, culture, and population. I cannot wait to study India later this year.

Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you all had a wonderful time with your family and friends. Enjoy your weekend.

Until next time.

Perceptions of Saudi Arabia

What are your perceptions of Saudi Arabia?

What questions would you like me to ask regarding Saudi Arabia?

I would love to have you comment on these questions. Whenever you comment it emails it to me and then I can publish or reject your comment. If it is legit and well written I will be happy to post it for everyone to see. I really enjoy receiving your comments and look forward to hearing more from you in the near future.

شكرا ليشارك في رحلتي.

Tentative Itinerary

I finally received a tentative itinerary regarding my trip.

Wednesday and Thursday, November 21-22
Flying:
Houston to Germany
Germany to Bahrain

Friday, November 23
Bahrain King Fahd Int'l Airport (KFIA), Dammam

Saturday-Monday, November 24-26
Dhahran

Monday-Friday, November 26-30
Jeddah

Friday-Monday, November 30-December 3
Riyadh

Monday, December 3
Minneapolis

Tuesday, December 4
Rockford

Notice I also created a Google Calendar on the right that you can view or subscribe to if you have a google account. If you don't have a google account this may be a good time to consider it. They have a number of tools with multiple purposes. I began using it last June and it has become a big part of my life. I recommend the following:
iGoogle (customize your page)
Google Calendar (create, share, subscribe to number of calendars)
Google Documents (collaborative format that updates in real time)
Blogger (the blog site I am using to create this blog)
Photos "Picasa" (online album site I am using to share pictures online)
Reader (Pulls content from selected RSS sites)

These may seem foreign to you, but if you play around with them they can become excellent learning and organizational tools.

مساء الخير

Saudi Arabia Orientation

بحاجة الى مترجم اللغة؟

اليوم اتيحت لنا مقدمة الى المملكه العربية السعودية في خدمات شركة ارامكو. كانت لدينا العديد من المتحدثين مختلفة يتبادلون التجارب والخبرات في الثقافة السعودية. بعد عشاء راءعه والوقت لاجراء محادثات مع عدد اكبر من الخبراء على المملكه العربية السعودية تمكنا من ممارسة اعمالنا بالعربيه. كنت أظن انكم قد تتمتع عند النظر الى bbcarabic. ومن الجميل جدا ان اللغة المكتوبة انني اعتبر ان الفن. انا سوف نرى ما اذا كان يمكنني ان podcast او شريط فيديو وبعض العربية للكم. انا بحاجة الى الممارسه أثناء ركوب الطائرة ، ولكن اعتقد انني استطيع تعليم لكم بضعة بعبارات بسيطة.

حتى في المرة القادمة.

Aramco Services Company

Click on the picture below to see the full album.

Aramco Services Company 11/20/07 10:55 PM

Need a language translator? The future is now and we need to start utilizing the tools that are available to us. Think about the possibilities of communicating with people from around the world right now. Enjoy my blog above by taking advantage of Google Translator--Arabic to English. This is awesome considering you can translate entire websites at a click of a few buttons.

مساء الخير

Meeting the other participants

Many of you have been asking me how many people applied for the trip and how they selected teachers. Today I found out that 200 people applied for this experience. A board of Middle East experts, educators, and trip alumni read through each of the applicants and gave them points according to a set rating system. They then all met in Washington D.C. to compare ratings and debate in an effort to narrow it down to the top 25. I am proud to have been selected and have had an opportunity to meet the other participants. I am sharing my room with another teacher that teaches at Governor Morehead School for the Blind in Raleigh, North Carolina. He is the Social Studies teacher for high school students that are visually impaired and/or blind. The fun part of traveling is the people that you meet during the journey. He shared a story of a blind student that was taking a geography class with him during his years as a university student. They were required to take a geography test that required them to locate and identify all of the countries of the world on a map. The blind student used a braille map to locate and identify all of the countries. He scored 100% on his assessment. I can only imagine the amount of concentration that it took to accomplish this feat. In geography class we often talk about improving our mental maps of the world, but it is more than just memorizing maps. It is more about challenging our perceptions of the world so we can form an accurate mental map. This is a daunting task considering the influence of media on our perceptions. This is one of the reasons that I love Web 2.0 technology. We are gaining the ability to make our own connections to form our thoughts about a place or person. We can begin to go right to the source rather than relying on the media. I think this is a very exciting time for everyone, so get connected and challenge your perceptions of the world.

Intercontinental Hotel in Houston

I was finally able to check into our hotel room. We are staying at the Intercontinental Hotel. The hotel is rated at 5 stars and many delegates have stayed here from around the world. It is a very nice hotel, but I am only rating it at 3 stars. My rating is based on the fact that you are charged separately for Internet service per each computer. Don't get me wrong, everything is very nice here, but I am convinced that the appearance of a building does not compete with access to Web 2.0. McDonalds in Buffalo has free high-speed Internet, need I say more? The Internet should not be considered an amenity, but rather it needs to be viewed as a necessity. If we are going to stay competitive as a country and educate ALL of our students we will need to make sure we develop more and cheaper access to high-speed Internet. The sooner we are able to accomplish this task we will be able to bridge the gaps between varied learners while connecting with the world. What are your thoughts on this issue? Do you have high-speed Internet? Is cost a factor? Availability? Feel free to comment.

Until next time.
حتى في المرة القادمة .

Trip to Houston

I am at George Washington Intercontinental Airport. I have collected my luggage and found my ride to the hotel. I will now have to wait until some of the other participants arrive so we can meet and make our way to the hotel. Tune into my podcast to learn more about how I used my iPod during the flight. If you don't have iTunes consider downloading it on your PC or Mac and start to explore the possibilities. If you already have an iPod consider searching iTunes for the variety of content that may be of educational interest to you rather than only for entertainment purposes. Enjoy your journey and my brief podcast.

Flight of the iPod

I just arrived at the Lindbergh Terminal

I am here at the Lindbergh Terminal and waiting to board my plane at Gate E5. I had to pay a small fee to gain wireless Internet access, but it was well worth it already. I researched some statistics regarding the airport and tested my Skype with one of Mr. Madson's sixth grade Digital Literacy classes. Since I recently started using Skype I have noticed the power it could have in the classroom. It is fairly easy for many of us to email or call people considering we can forgo many of the nonverbal requirements in personal and public situations. With Skype the distance is eliminated, but it is still important that we use all of the important social skills we have been taught. Imagine using this tool to invite a guest speaker from Saudi Arabia "into" the classroom. Students would be able to take turns asking questions that would help them dig deeper to understand Saudi culture. It reminds me of the interviewing techniques that take place on television news casts. The difference being that the students would actually be in control of the interview. The video conference could be videotaped and then delivered to the community via the Internet or public access television. Now that is authentic learning.

Thanks for tuning in, I have a plane to board.