Trip Reflections

Part One



Part Two

A Snapshot of the Jeddah Souq

Last night we visited old Jeddah and walked around the souq. The Al-Balad neighborhood was vibrant - filled with men and women busily shopping and many children playing (45% of the Saudi population is under 15 years old). Both among the vendors and buyers, we noticed many immigrants from all over the African continent. We learned that most came to Saudi Arabia for Hajj and then chose to stay. There were vendors selling carts of fresh fruit and vegetables (where does this produce come from?!?), and stalls of spices, textiles, clothing, incense, dried dates and nuts. We also saw a few specialized shops selling their own pipes for shisha, and some stalls selling steaming “pancakes” and tea.

This was a very different Saudi Arabia from the sleek, contemporary facilities we saw springing from the desert in Riyadh, the Eastern Province, and the planned “economic cities.” Physically, in old Jeddah, there is a striking contrast between ancient and modern. The historic buildings, with their beautiful latticed balconies, show the weight of centuries – there is no straight line in sight. At the same time, they are wrapped in a tangle of phone lines, air conditioning units, and even a loudspeaker or two to broadcast the call to prayer. Perhaps even more incongruous, in the bottom storey of many historic buildings, fluorescent lights showcase goods imported from India and China. One of the buildings even housed a gaming center featuring TVs broadcasting a soccer game and kids playing Playstation. This is all in the city that claims the Tomb of Eve!

Saudi Women...Yes We Can! Inshallah...

Our trip to Saudi Arabia has been a good opportunity to challenge misperceptions about this country and its people: particularly the subject of women and women’s rights. Among our group this has been a reoccurring subject of discussion and debate. Having had the opportunity to speak with many women here, I think Saudi women have approached this subject from an interesting perspective.

Obviously there are major and significant challenges ahead for Saudi women but many of them seem hopeful for the future and have focused their priorities on some key issues they hope to see changes in.

While women’s inability to drive is always brought up by foreigners, Saudi students we talked to made it clear—this was not a priority for women in the country. Rather the key issue was focused largely on having even greater access to education, gaining more employment opportunities, and equal pay.

The desire to get an education and have more access to employment in ALL sectors is critical for women here. Women have actively sought to further their education and even go into sectors such as medicine and banking that are very male dominated. A trip to the King Abdul Aziz University Hospital gave a good illustration of that: six out of the ten medical students we met were women and they were all in their residency programs about to enter their specializations. They were very vocal about their views, particularly as it pertained to their role in the country and were determined to forge a path for themselves within Saudi society.

I felt that this determination and ambition was echoed by all the women students at each university we went to. I think many of the women we spoke to recognize that change will not happen over night or all at once. Their focus on education and employment is their way of bringing about change little by little.

Throughout this trip, we may not have gained a holistic view of all Saudi women and the challenges they face, however this perspective was one that students we met with clearly wanted us to share with our peers.

My back hurts

I lost my bathing suit in Riyadh, and our friendly guide Ziad just showed up at my door with a bright green replacement that does a terribly inadequate job of concealing my thunder. The past few days have been quite gastronomically intense, replete with breakfast buffets, traditional Saudi dinners, and multiple servings of camel, ostrich and beef sausage.

I'm not a very flexible person (my sit and reach score in high school was a negative number), and everyone had a good laugh watching me try to sit cross-legged around the 6'' high traditional serving table (I failed). I managed to make it through the meal assuming a similar pose to Michael Jackson on the cover of the thriller album (http://aftm.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/michael_jackson-thriller-cover.jpg). Once I had all my limbs in their proper alignment, I found I really enjoyed the cozy intimacy of the arrangement and getting to know more about our hosts Ziad and Saad. However, the added poundage from all these dinners coupled with the unfamiliar seating positions have placed and unanticipated burden on my spine. Oh well, the food is awesome.

Tonight we kept the epicurean train rolling at a Brazilian steakhouse, followed by an evening smoking apple-flavored sheesha tobacco, which is healthy because apple is fruit and fruit has vitamins. Good night Jeddah, you're alright in my book.

Energy, up close and personal

The time we spent in Dammam and Jubail was fascinating, especially for those of us with an interest in energy. It is amazing what has risen up from the desert and essentially created the lifeblood of the petroleum industry. For those of you who might not be as familiar with this region the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia is home to some of the world's largest oil reserves as well as Saudi Aramco, SABIC, and numerous other foreign energy companies including Chevron, Exxon, Shell, and Total.


We were fortunate enough to see not only the energy industry, but some of the other fascinating features of the region. Although there are many foreigners employed by the various oil companies, there is a large push to employ Saudis in this field. Our trip to the King Fahd University for Petroleum and Minerals afforded us a small glimpse into the first class preparation Saudi men can receive in order to excel in the energy field.


On day two in the Eastern Province we were lucky enough to visit the Royal Commission, the entity that has built from the ground up (literally) Jubail Industrial City. This city is a planned city designed by the Kingdom to bring industry beyond petroleum to the region. The city is larger than the country of Bahrain and is home to steel, aluminum, plastic, and fertilizer plants. In addition, they have special residential areas with the finest amenities and both lower and higher education opportunities to draw people to the city. It is interesting to examine the construction of Saudi Industrial Cities compared to the planned Economic Cities. (More on this in Jeddah when we get to see King Abdullah Economic City first hand.)


Seeing this vast land of energy and industry was an experience unmatched; however the Royal Commission surprised us with a caravan into the desert to meet with some of Saudi Arabia’s most endearing creatures…CAMELS. What a treat!