First post:  Day 12 living in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia [KSA]

At 7:30 PM on August 12th, we departed from Minneapolis for Amsterdam.  We had a layover and departed for the KSA with a brief stop in Kuwait City.  We arrived at King Fahd International airport in Dammam at 11:45 pm KSA time on August 13th.  We are 8 hours ahead of MN, so in MN time, we traveled from 7:30 PM Friday until 3:45 PM Saturday, 20 hours and 15 minutes.

Day 1, Saturday night & Sunday August 14th:  We landed in Dammam and I noticed that many non-Muslim women were putting on their abayas before deplaning, so I did the same thing.  We didn’t know what to expect and were excited and nervous.  We walked to the end of the jet bridge and there stood a Saudi man wearing a crisp white thobe, a red & white checkered gutra and a black igal https://www.google.com.sa/search?hl=en&site=imghp&tbm=isch&source=hp&biw=1348&bih=614&q=thobe&oq=thobe&gs_l=img.3..0l10.511.1149.0.1645.5.5.0.0.0.0.176.503.0j3.3.0....0...1ac.1.64.img..2.3.502.0RqIbyoOHPw#imgrc=UjZnx-7j8_sp6M%3A  holding a sign, Mr. Jacob Jaskowiak, Ms. Amy Wyant.  As the rest of the passengers proceeded into the airport, we were escorted immediately through a door which led directly outside into the night, down a stairway to a white luxurious car.  Our driver opened the back door for us, put our bags in the trunk and drove us to the VIP entry point of the airport, which took about 1 minute.  It felt like a scene out of a "Bourne" movie.  

We entered the room and there were at least 5 or 6 men waiting for us.  I was first and invited to sit in a very comfortable queen Anne style chair where a security officer took my fingerprints electronically, a photo, collected my passport and our baggage claim tickets.  Then, we were escorted upstairs to the VIP waiting area.  As we walked down the marble lined hallway with gold accented light fixtures, we arrived in our waiting room which was furnished with the extravagant drapes, comfortable furniture and decorative rugs.  We were offered fresh fruit, muffins, crackers, small sandwiches, coffee and water.  Our principal and district assistant superintendent greeted us.  We also met several of our new teaching colleagues who had arrived on earlier flights:  Laoise from Ireland, Megan & Tim from Minnesota [beginning their second 2 year contract in KSA], Ann & Clay from Florida and Carolyn & Chris from Oregon.  We were given SR3,000 in cash, EACH.  $1.00=SR 3.75.  This was our “Settling-In” gift from our company, International School Group [ISG]. We were also given our Iqama Medical packet and informed that we must produce urine and bowel samples by 1PM when the van would pick us up and take us to the Al Manah hospital for our appointments.  [I thought, OMG, are you serious?]  Also, we learned that 6 other flights had arrived at the same time as ours and there were over 800 passengers working their way through customs, security and baggage claim.…..AND,  there we were, in the SAME airport, but VIP’ing it.  It was pretty sweet and the best welcome into a country I have ever experienced!  Our delegation was escorted to a van where our luggage was already loaded. Jake and I are very happy that all of our suitcases had arrived because some of our new friends were missing bags. However, their bags were delivered within days to the compund.  We departed for our new home, Sara Village, and arrived around 3 AM Saudi time.

Sara Village is a BAE compound.  BAE is the British Aerospace and Defense Company.  Almost everyone here is from the UK, mostly former military and now consulting and working with the Saudi Air Force.  We are very lucky to have been placed in their compound.  It consists of three levels of security.  Jake describes it as a military base with all the amenities of a high end resort inside.  There are two high perimeter walls, an under vehichle inspection bay, retractable road barricades, gates, security guards and survelliance cameras.  There is NOTHING built close to our compund. The wide open desert space is by design.  The cement barricades along the road is posted with signs stating “No stopping, No photographs, Keep driving.”  We must show our photo ID’s everday at 2 of the 3 checkpoints to get to our villa.  I feel very safe here.

We finally arrived at OUR villa around 3:45 AM.   At this point in the journey, we have traveled for 24 hours and 15 minutes.  We opened the van door and immediately felt the 102 degree heat and extreme night humidity.  [I thought to myself, Fu**. Fu**, Fu**, where are we living?!?!?!?!]  We were sweating and soaked by the time we finished climbing the flight of stairs with our 4 large suitcases and 2 carry-ons.  We opened the  front door to W18C and breathed a huge sigh of RELIEF!  The air-conditioning was on, the kitchen was stocked with fresh food.  The fridge was filled with a case of water bottles/Coke/Diet Coke/lunch meat/cheese/milk/eggs/butter.  The carpeting and furniture were new, our bed was made, our new Ikea dishes including pots, pans, silverware and utensils were in the cupboards.  New towels, bars of soap and tp were in boths bathroom. We’re we on overload in a great way.  Jake and I made a couple of sandwiches, unpacked, relaxed, showered and collasped into bed at 5:30 AM.

We were up by noon and picked up at 1 pm to make our way downtown to the hospital with six colleagues.  Yes, we all brought our “samples” in little brown bags.  This was a real bonding experience, to say the least.  We were met by Fasil, the government relations director for ISG, who escorted us to the 2^nd floor waiting areas. There was the “Male Only”, “Female Only” and “Families Only” waiting areas.  The Muslim women employees were ALL wearing black niqabs [Where you can only see the eyes.]  There were also many Phillipino medical staff.  What did we do?  The SAME EXACT procedures that Jake and I did at Riverwood with Lito!  4 viles of blood, urine & bowel samples, chest x-rays and a doctor consultation.  We were thinking, WTF—we already did this in the states!

We made it through that and went back to Sara Village.  That evening, we went dined at Harley’s Restaurant with our colleagues Sandy & Ashton, from South Africa.  Our meal included fresh curry chicken and rice.  Like the previous night, we collasped into bed at 9 PM trying to cope with jet lag.

Day 2, Monday, August 15th:  We visited our first Saudi grocery store:  Tamimi Market. http://www.tamimimarkets.com/  .  We were checked out by a woman, which is a fairly new development in Saudi that women can work.  All the workers wore a black burka with a black niqab. When we got “home”, we spent a few hours at the Lagoon Pool on our compound.  The pool is the biggest pool I have ever seen.  We LOVE it.

Day 3, Tuesday, August 16th:  We reported for our first day of work. Our transporation consists of the compund shuttle which picks us up at our villa every morning.  Then, we transfer to our school van with our driver.  His name is Sunil, he’s from India and a super cool guy.  He is a very safe driver on the very unsafe and chaotic roads of Saudi.  We arrived at school aroud 7 am.  It’s walled in.  There are 2 gates.  There are guard towers.  There are traffic spikes.  There are mirror checks for bombs.  Our FIRST day of school workshop began and the best word to describe it is:  overwhelming.  There was no orientation or guidance or handbook.  I work in the Middle School with 22 woman.  I am the only “Westener.”  My principal, Sylvia Marcos, is Phillipinno and full of life, positive energy and runs the show.  She also cooks for our staff.  I don’t need to bring lunch because there is food everyday in our Middle School lounge.  My colleagues are mostly from Egypt, India & the Phillipines with a Candian and few South Africaners sprinkled in……  And then there’s Olga, the Russian………..We’re also noticing that many of the people who work in Saudi, specifically at our school and on the compound, are from India. 

Day 4, Wednesday, August 17th:  I woke up and decided that today was going to be a better day, less overwhelming and it was time to just do what I know how to do and get it done.  We arrived at school and I immediately kicked it into gear by cleaning my clasroom, rearraning the furniture and throwing away stuff I knew I would not need.  I placed many posters and books and furniture in the hallway with a “Free” sign. The other teachers swooped in like vulchers and everything disappeared with 25 minutes. There’s no supply room here.  Nothing.  You’re on your own. Per our principal who has an extremely dry and underappreciated sense of humor, he stated “You have to beg, borrow or steal what you need, especially staplers, colored paper and tape”  …….which brings me back to Olga  She was friendly to me from the very first minute we met.  She’s also best buds with Heba, our Middle School secretary, who I quickly identified as the person who knows who, what, where, when and why.  My intuition told me that Olga could hook me up with supplies…….so…….Olga manages the science lab and is just beginning to learn English.  I needed tape,…….right now……. because I was working on my bulletin boards and classroom decorations.....I walked over to the science lab…”Hey Olga, can you hook me up with some tape?”……picture a tall, blond woman speaking with a Russian accent: “What does that mean ‘hook me up’?”  “Olga, it means to supply, to give, to borrow…I really need some tape, do you have some that I can use?”……….again, picture the Russian accent: “Who told you to come to me and ask for this?”  I put my hands up in the air, “No one Olga, seriously, just Amy asking Olga!”  She glances over to the lab entrance, pauses and then whispers “Follow me.”  She leads me to back of the lab where there are floor to ceiling drawers and cabinets.  She opened the third drawer and I said “Shut the front door, oh my god, are you serious Olga?”  The drawer is the mother load of tape.  shipping tape, scotch tape, masking tape and painter’s tape, all organized and in large quantities.  She said quietly in her Russian accent “You take this and put it under your arm.”  I take my Scotch tape, hide it underneath my arm, shake her hand and depart.........I think Olga is the lab manager by day……and I suspect that she is a spy by night.  I like Olga.

Day 5, Thursday August 18^th:  On this day we attended the ISG district wide convocation.  Every teacher from the seven ISG schools were in attendance. Highlights from our superintendent, Dr. Richards from the USA, include these quotes from him:  “We are building institutional excellence.  We want to be on the cutting edge of education across the world.  We belive in experiencial education.  Ask yourself, is what you’re doing in the classroom relevant?  Is it central to learning?”  He then led a 1.5 hour session on “Mindfulness.”  I experienced amazing school leadership and that felt wonderful.

Day 6, Friday, August 19^th:  This was our day off because the work week in the KSA is Sunday throughThursday.  The weekend consists of Friday & Saturday.  ON this day, I started feeling stressed, emotional, home sick and overwhelmed. I spent the afternoon rearranging the villa, trying to make it feel like home.  I needed to connect Mom, Megan, Mitchell, Jonah & Nate. I was sending all of them messages. I also readthe Aitkin Age on-line and learned about the bike trail, school board election and other news from home.  I didn’t feel like going to the pool and socializing or eating dinner with our new friends, Ann & Clay.  I stayed home and tried to pull myself together. Jake left for a bit and returned home with the most delicious fish & chips for me to try and cheer me up.

Day 7, Saturday, August 20th: MY EMOTIONAL BREAKDOWN DAY…..My morning started off with a Facebook phone call from Mitchell was is exactly what I needed!  Jake had arranged with our other friends, Carolyn & Chris, to visit the mall and shop at a store called “Hyper Panda.”  http://www.panda.com.sa/  It was the last thing I wanted to do as I was still feeling down.  But, we went and intellectually, I knew it was a good idea to go.  We arrived at the mall and I put on my black abaya.  It was 120 degrees outside.  Even as we were walking INSIDE the store, I started sweating.  Of course I was sweating, I was wearing a black robe over my clothing in a store which had a bit of air conditioning.    Jake and I split up and by the time we met up again, he said, “Oh geez, you have sweat all over your face.”  I said, “I’m going to start crying.” He talked me off the ledge and I held it together.  I decided to buy another abaya made out of lighter, thinner material.  We checked out and I had to find a bathroom to change because you can not take off your abaya in public.  I went into the women’s bathroom which also had a prayer room. I walked down a long dark tiled humid corridor which smelled like stale body oder.  I finally got to the stalls where I found a hole in the floor, a nozzle for spraying water and no toilet paper. Words can not even begin to explain the extreme emotion I felt at that particular moment in time.  Let’s just say that it was NOT joy.  I did not go to the bathroom like I needed to.  I did change into my thinner abaya and rejoined Jake on the mall bench where I proceeded to drink an entire quart of water.  We made our way back to the shuttle and eventually to our villa 1.5 hours later.  Jake was worried about me. IN all honesty, I was worried about me.  I laid down and took a nap. He went out for a walk in the hot, sunny humidity.  When I woke up, I wrote the following in my journal: “I’m sick of sweating every time I go outside, 10 seconds after I go outside.  I’m pissed that I can’t buy what I need when I want it.  I’m pissed because there’s no cold water coming out of any faucet here.  I’m sick of wearing an abaya every place I go outside the compound.  I miss home.  I miss Megan.  I feel confined.”  He walked in the door.  I showed him what I wrote and I started crying which lasted 20 minutes and then another 20 minutes.  Jake took care of me and after letting all the emotions out, I felt much, much better. 

That evening, we attended a dinner party at Nela and Sami’s home on the university campus.  http://www.kfupm.edu.sa/default.aspx  Nela is the high school vice-principal.  Sami is a professor at the university.  He is from Tunisia.  They have 2 children.  They are a lovely family and have an amazing home.  There were so many pieces of artwork, pillows, plants, tapestries, books and colors.  The formal table setting was classy.  There were several courses:  salad/bread, 4 quiches, chicken/lamb dishes with fresh veggies, and  3 dessert options served with homemade lime/lemon/mint cold tea, orange juice and sparkling mineral water.  Our Minnesota principal, John and his wife Cheryl were there as was our district curriculum director and Ann & Clay.  It was so comforting to be in a real home with a family.  It lifted my spirits.  Nela & Sami own farmland in Tunsia where they grow herbs and alfafa.  Learning about their home county has sparked an interest to travel there.

Day 8, August 21^st:  This was our last day of workshops before the students arrived.  On our particular route to school, the Saudi landscape is exactly like the set of latest Mad Max movie.  I KID YOU NOT.  Sand, trash, sand, dumped tires, more trash, sand, dumped toilets, concrete pieces, sand, more trash, dead trees, burned out cars, unfinished concrete homes and buildings and sand.  However, on the route home, the landscape is gorgeous, along the Arabian Gulf with beautiful turqoise water along a large sandy beach dotted with a variety of food trucks and camel rides. There are several restaurants that are inviting us to dine at when we get the time!  It’s really cool.  What should be 3 lanes for driving, the Saudis make into 5 or 6 lanes……where you’re supposed to drive north one way, you’ll see cars driving towards you, traffic laws are not enforced at all.  We see small herds of camels everyday, so instead of deer in the fields on our drive home, we see camels in the sand!

Days 9-12, August 22^nd-25^th:  School!  Students!  First week!  I teach 6^th grade, two classes on the block schedule.  My students are from:  Egypt, Engand, India, Korea, Lebonan, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Syria.  Some of their names are:  Rana, Mahmoud, Faris, Amnah, Sherihan, Hassan, Areeba, Amr, Ruby, Keith, Meesam, Ahmed, Hla, Moaaz, Robert, Mujeeb, Zainab and Erza.  Yesterday, we had a parent open house.  That was VERY interesting.  One father was hesitiant about shaking my hand when I extended mine.  He eventually did.  Later, my colleagues told me that he probably has never shaken hands with a women, let alone an America.  I had my first experience ever in my life visiting with a women dressed in a niqab.  Her eyes were beatiful and expressive. That’s all I could see of her.  I just wanted to take off the niqab and see her face.  Her daughter is in my classroom and through the conversation I learned that mothers are mothers no matter where you go in the world.  We want our children to be happy, healthy, successful, kind and safe.  We really connected and I believe she will become a helper on days when I need extra hands for a classroom activity.  One father was from England, he and his wife have lived here for 5 years, they have twins, so of course, we were instantly best friends.  He asked how I was adjusting to the Saudi culture.  I laughed and shared with him my moment of absolute emotional breakdown.  He started laughing and said that his wife had about 4 of those the first 3 months they lived here!  Another family, both parents are doctors from Egypt, came to the open house.  They wer so friendly and VERY happy that both Jake aka. “Mr. Jacob” and I chose to teach here.  We made a connection and I’m sensing an invitation to visit Egypt on the horizon.  That would be awesome!  I already dealt with one name calling/bullying issue with my morning class.  My student from Syria informed me that two of the other boys in class were teasing and taunting him by calling him “ISIS.”  He was so angry and offended.  I called a special class meeting on the carpet area in my classroom and had quite the sit down conversation with my students regarding name calling and bullying.  You coud have heard a pin drop.  It was an excellent teaching and learning moment. 

All in all, Jake and I surived our first week of school in the  KSA quite well.  We’re both feeling really, really good about it.  I’m thrilled to be back in the classroom---where I belong.  Hill City School District Friends----you know I want a job there when I return! J  We spent last night having homemade pizza with our colleagues Sandy & Ashton and Gary from South Africa and Chris & Carolyn from Oregon.  We enjoed great conversation and learned about South Africa, the mining industries of plantinum, copper, gold and diamonds.  We also discussed the desimation of the agricultural farms in Rhodesia, the current state of Zimbabwe and what it was like growing up white in South Africa. I feel myself growing, expanding and exhilerated by the wealth of life experience of our new friends and surroundings.   Yes, this is our life at the moment.  However, there’s no place like home and I miss the call of the loons on Waukenabo Lake.

Today, Friday, August 26, 2016:  We are chilling out and relaxing.  Jake is at the coffee shop working on school work and going on the treadmill at the Sports Complex.  I’ve spent the last 4 hours writing this blog.  Later, we’re going to out for dinner at a compound restaurant, Stubbie’s.  There are seven restaurants on our compound.   I have a happy heart.  By the way, if you know my Mom, please send her an email and check in on her.  wyants@frontiernet.net.  Thanks much.