Saudi visit

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2009-05-19T17:42:00.000-07:00

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Home again, Dec. 3

2007-12-04T03:25:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Thanks again for keeping me company on this most incredible and life-changing trip. I appreciated all your emails and blog comments. I could not have done this without you!!!

After 40 hours and 6 airports -- Riyadh, Damman, Bahrain, Frankfurt, Dulles (Washington, DC) and Burlington -- Michael and I are home. We each met each other's spouses -- Jacqueline is Michael's wife and Hank, as you all know, is my husband.

We had high winds in Washington (which were not a breezy as the 50 mph winds in Burlington); so, there was a long line of planes taking off from one takeoff and landing strip there. I fell asleep as we were in line and slept through takeoff and the beverage service. Television first for that, as my mother- and father-in-law would say.

I will fill in details of my trip in the next several weeks. If any of you have further questions, please keep adding them to the blog. Also, if you'd like me to do a presentation, I'm available as well. Let's keep the conversation going.

Peace,

Mrs. Hayes (Sharon)

Dec. 2 -- the world's longest day and goodbye for now!

2007-12-01T13:36:00.000-08:00

Sunday, Dec. 2 -- RIYADH -- We have to have our checked baggage packed and outside our door at 7.30 a.m. for pickup. At 8:15 we are going to the ash-Shurah Council, which is like our Congress. After that, we have lunch and fly to Damman. Then we take a bus to Bahrain, where we fly as a group to Frankfurt -- this will be our last stop as a group. As I told my new friend Jeannine tonight, I cannot believe we've only known each other for 3 weeks. It feels like forever.

So, I am signing off. Thanks for blogging with me. Your questions and comments have kept me from getting home sick. We'll continue this discussion in Vermont.

See you soon,

Mrs. Hayes

Saturday, Dec. 1 -- Riyadh

2007-11-30T20:54:00.000-08:00

Today we will visit al-Yamama College and King Abdul Aziz Historical Center. I will write more later.

Mrs. Hayes

Friday, Nov. 30 -- The beach and flying to Riyadh

2007-11-30T20:40:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Thanks again for all your questions. And Anna, yes, I'm coming back to the states ... but as I sit in this very luxurious Four Seasons hotel room on the 30th floor, looking out over the city of Riyadh (4 million people live in the capital), and the prospect of unknown inches of snow Monday weighing heavily on my mind, I'm beginning to wonder.

Now remember Friday is the holy day and actually you all were asnooze in your beds while I lounged on the beach Friday morning after breakfast. I swam in the Red Sea. It was beautiful. I didn't get to go out on a boat as I had hope. A few snorkelers in the group checked out the corals. I'll try to get some photos from google up on the blog. My friend Michele said the colors were incredible: yellows, purples, pinks. My friend Kathy, who is a strong swimmer, said the undertow was pretty scary. I enjoyed swimming at the beach and collecting some amazing pieces of coral and beautiful shells.

We had more fruit juices, too. The Saudis have the most amazing fruit juices -- no sugar, pure fruit -- strawberry, mango, pineapple, orange, kiwi -- also they make fresh lemonade with mint. Ahhhh. It's very, very delicious.

We flew to Riyadh, where we are now. This 4 Seasons hotel is grand. Wait, Erika, till you see the pictures. It adjoins a mall -- four floors, the fourth exclusively for women. So, the veils come off. All the shops are here -- Saks Fifth Avenue, Athletes Foot, Macy's, Claire's. And nothing is inexpensive!!! I didn't spend all my money, however, I'll have bills and coins to show you.

Bedtime -- I'm not sure. I will email some of my Saudi friends and inquire. Children definitely stay up late during the weekend. Every swing in the playground was taken -- and there are probably 50 swings at this Jeddah playground. Girls don't wear the abaya until age 12. And no, it doesn't come off outdoors. There are gyms just for girls and women. Here the abaya can come off. One of the young women I lunched with plays basketball. Her boyfriend cannot watch her play.

More later,

Mrs. Hayes

Thursday continued

2007-11-29T13:33:00.000-08:00

Hi Folsom students,

Thank you so much for all your inquisitiveness -- your natural curiosity is a testament to your hunger for learning -- even though you say you'd much rather be here than in school. Travel, actually, like the field trip you are taking on Wednesday, is an excellent way to learn. However, you need to be open-minded and committed to asking lots of questions so you can begin to find out how things really work.

I'm not going to answer all your questions because it's 12:40 and I need to be up at 6 a.m., dress, shower, finish packing and have my checked luggage ready at the front desk at 7 a.m. Then I'll grab a cup of coffee and sit for a bit with friends before heading to the Red Sea for the day.

Remember, Thursday and Friday is the weekend here. Friday is the holy day for Muslims, just as Saturday is the sabbath for Jews, and Sunday is the holy day for Christians. So, children were out playing at 11 p.m. when we left the resort tonight. People come out after dark here -- why?

This hotel -- the Intercontinental Jeddah (see if you can google it) is very ostentatious. This room is one of the nicest hotel rooms I've ever had the pleasure to live in. I've taken lots of photos to share with you, Erika. The funny thing is the bathroom plays musac in the morning -- "I Can't Smile Without You" by Barry Manilow and "Put on a Happy Face"!

Yes, I did get to eat camel meat. Little balls of meat that looked like hamburger. It was spicy but dry. Not my favorite. I'm sorry I'm not able to answer more questions now. Keep them coming. I promise I will share all the information I learned about coral construction and more.

Have a great day. I hope to post from Riyadh, the capital of Saudi, but it is very conservative there and again I'm not sure I'll have the internet. If not, I'll see you soon.

Mrs. Hayes

Day 7, Thursday, Nov. 29: Historical Jeddah and the market

2007-11-29T06:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Today we visited historical Jeddah, where we saw a 600 year old mosque and a 300 year old home, which we visited. Homes at that time were made of coral. Our guide will send me his PowerPoint, which is very popular in Saudi as it is in the states as a presentation tool. I will share it with you. The halls were very wide and the steps wide and not too steep so that camels and horses could climb the stair with furniture strapped to their backs. Fascinating!

Wood was imported from India, or when ships would crash in the port, people would dismantle the pieces and use them in building homes as well.

We visited the marketplace today. I learned that I can drive a very hard bargain. So, for example, one salesman was selling prayer beads for $2 riyal a piece. I said, "$1 Riyal." He said, "No, no, 2 riyal." I said, What if I buy 5? He sold me 6 for 10 riyal. It's fun! Most of what I bought today however was not made in Saudi. Only an incense burner. Clothes are made in China, India and Pakistan, as are most other goods.

I did learn, however, more about call to prayer. A little after noon the market shut down. All the merchants draped blankets over their booths or pulled the doors shut. However, people didn't leave the market in droves to prayer. It is personal choice. First, call to prayer is for men, the 20-year-old Saudi woman who went to lunch with us today explained. She studies economics at the Saudi International School. She wants very much to study in the United States, but her father will not let her go. Most of her friends are studying in Missouri. She lives with her 16-year-old brother in an apartment in a compound. She has a driver who takes her to school and shopping. They are from Riyadh. She much prefers Jeddah to Riyadh, because it is very conservative in Riyadh. She told us that life started changing for the better about 10 years ago. She is learning French and practices her English by watching American TV.

I'm hoping that we will have more down time in Riyadh and I'll be able to post some more photos for you and to flush out my posts with more information. We are off to a resort on the Red Sea tonight for dinner. We ate lunch at a very swanky place -- again right on the Red Sea -- for lunch. I had the most amazing lentil soup as an appetizer.

I don't know whether I will have time to post this evening when we return to the hotel. Tomorrow we return to the Red Sea for a boat trip and other activities and then we fly out to Riyadh. Once again, I won't know whether I'll have internet access in this new city. Riyadh is by far the most conservative place we will be visiting. So, if you don't hear from me, it means I have no access. We will be leaving Saudi Arabia on Monday, Dec. 3. I'll see you shortly!!!

Mrs. Hayes

Day 6: Nov. 28, 2007 -- Saudi Gazette and best speaker yet

2007-11-28T12:39:00.000-08:00

Hello Everyone,

If I wait 13 short minutes, I can say "Good morning." We continue to keep late hours here in Jeddah. Today, too, was an amazing day:
* We visited the Disabled Children's Association. I have much to report, Mrs. Lefebvre and Mrs. Wickens.
* We visited the Saudi Gazette
* Had lunch on the Red Sea at the Al-Segalah Restaurant.
* We visited the Safeya Binzagr Art Gallery -- much to report, Ms. Hart.
* Dinner at the Nuit d'Or restaurant hosted by Amr Khashoggi. Joined by members of the Women's Chamber of Commerce.

First, I will answer some of your questions. Yes, Saudis definitely have stereotypes of Americans as we have stereotypes of people who practice Islam and people who live in Saudi Arabia. These stereotypes come from what they see on American TV. Almost every house we pass has a satellite dish. With the satellite dish, Saudis are watching American TV and movies. There are no movie houses, however, and no live theatre. I spoke to a woman at dinner tonight. She told me she has never seen a play. However, one of our hostess's husband spoke of his frustration with his own children spending too much time on Playstation, XBox and Nintendo Wi.

Parents, in fact, are hesitant to send their children to the United States because of violence. They equate the U.S. with violence. The internet became available in this country in 1998. One of my first realizations was that I can watch a You-Tube video (a funny ditty on copyright that one of my fellow St. Michael's College students shared) here in Saudi, but I cannot watch it at Folsom. Our understanding is that the government might have some way to block the Internet and even some satellite transmissions. But because we don't have access to people's homes; we are not sure to what extent this is done.

I have heard the call to prayer several times. I expected that all would stop and everyone would be praying except we Americans. I haven't seen this. I have heard the call several times -- once in a hospital we were touring. I did see men bowing on the floor of the mosque. However, our tour didn't stop, the work around us seemed to continue, and I didn't see a rush of people into the mosque. I also heard a call to prayer when I was at a beautiful home the other night. Again, the tour continued; so, I'm a little unclear on exactly what call the prayer entails. The singing of the verses is a single man's voice in Arabic over a loud speaker. It's beautiful. I assume he is singing verses from the Quran, but I am not sure. I must read more about this.

The boys in Dhahran didn't have a uniform. Interesting. I saw a colleague's photos tonight. Dan had photos of boys in soccer shirts, regular polo shirts, T-shirts, and more; I'll ask him to email me that photo and I'll put it up on the website.

The girls did get to choose their white shirt; however, no girl could wear a halter top to school in Saudi. Not allowed. We are getting conflicting information about the wearing of the abaya. A drama professor who joined us for lunch today told us that a woman who went out without an abaya would be arrested. It's not clear exactly what the consequence of that arrest would be.

On the Aramco compound, 11,5oo people live -- some single employees live in very small single homes. The families have modest 3-bedroom homes. You must be an Aramco employee to live on the compound.

No, I didn't swim in the Persian Gulf, nor did I wear a swimming suit. It was our first day there and I knew we were going to be at the beach all day. I was very concerned about getting a sunburn, because I am so pale. Also, I didn't know what to expect and I didn't want to break any rules on my first day in Saudi. Some women in our group did wear swimming suits and did swim. I rolled up my pants and waded in the water.

The Saudi children typically learn Arabic and English. I some schools they learn French as well.

My scariest experience was at the border. As you know we flew into Bahrain and then took a bus over the causeway and bridge to Saudi. We had to get off the bus at the border and have our passports stamped. Then, we boarded again. When you cross into Montreal from Vermont, once you are approved at the checkpoint you are done. Not in Saudi: We had to go to another checkpoint. We sat for a very, very long time at this checkpoint as officials went over our passports. Finally, all of our passports were returned. Again, I thought we were cleared. Not so. We had to unboard the bus. Stand in the dark for 5 minutes -- before we could get on the bus again. Finally, that time we were cleared and headed to Dhahran to the Aramco compound.

I close with two anecotes:
* We visited the Saudi Gazette today. Saudi papers do not command the types of circulation numbers of the American press. For example, the Burlington Free Press circulation is about 60,000 (Paul is this still correct?). The Saudi Gazette's circulation is 17,000 -- which is a 30 percent increase over last year. Burlington is a small Vermont city; Jeddah is a huge city. Please look up the population for me. But, the circulation is growing. The degree of censorship is unclear. We spoke to several staff members who indicated that self-censorship is really occurring more than government censorship. For example, the editor told us that he knows that young boys and girls are dating, but he wouldn't report that story because then the government would probably intervene to stop that dating. There are no college newspapers. None. There are no journalism programs for women and few journalism programs for men.

* I had dinner tonight at another beautiful restaurant. More hummus! Lots of kabobs! Everything delicious! I'll fill you in on the speaker tomorrow, but will say now that this businessman was the most sincere and forthright speaker we have met yet. He told us that Saudi might be heading for an youthquake and needed to educate and train these youths for the workforce so they didn't fall into drugs, or crime, or terrorism.
At dinner we were joined by members of the women's Chamber of Commerce. One woman joined us and her cousin was to join us as well. Here, this cousin had never, never spoke to foreigners before. She hid in the bathroom during dinner because she was so terrified. She only came out because she thought dinner was over. (I found this out after I had left the restaurant. I hope that we made a positive first impression of Americans.) She is a banker, like my husband. We spoke about banking and what she did at the bank. I asked her whether debt was a problem in her country as it is in ours. She has goals she needs to meet each year as a customer service representative just as my mother did at the bank she worked at in Pennsylvania before she retired. I explained that my mother often felt conflicted about lending people mon

Day 5, Tuesday, Nov. 27: Jeddah -- women's colleges, hospital and too much food!!!

2007-11-27T20:34:00.000-08:00

This was the most incredible day. I will try to answer some of your questions as I write. Here is the strangest thing about this country: We eat more than we sleep. Last night the main course of dinner at a beautiful French restaurant (Madame Bishop, Ahhhhhhh) which soared high above Jeddah and rotated to give us a continuous view of the city. The food was incredible -- seafood, hummus, amazing hors d'oeuvres. Here the Muslim custom is to serve food to your guests in huge abundance ... so we had eaten the most amazing Lebanese meal at lunch -- I think it was 3 p.m. -- and now it's 8 and we are eating again ... for 4 hours. The night before I had 5 hours of sleep. More eating than sleeping.

The first stop was Effat College, where we heard speaker and then had a panel discussion, including women representing myriad schools as well as a reporter from the Arab World and the managing editor of a Jeddah magazine. The most fascinating young woman in the audience was a student from Effat who is studying sexual assault in her country. I connect with both this student and the two female journalists as well as the dean of the school and an American who studied at Yale and now teaches at Effat. So, I have emails of all these women and was strongly urged to stay in contact with them. So, any questions we don't get answered while I'm in Saudi, we can ask of these women and get some answers after my trip.

At lunch we were joined with more academics from the city. My colleague Rick Joseph from Detroit will fill us in on more of his conversation with one of these academics. I was sitting at the end of the table -- two people down from Rick and couldn't hear (as you know, I'm always asking you to speak up!). She, however, was very open and honest. For example, several of the women in the audience during the panel discussion remarked how they don't want to drive because then they will be burdened with running errands, when now they can send their driver. This academic at lunch said that those statements were the public comments -- that all those women want independence but need to be careful what is articulated aloud in public. Also, this women are very cognizant of the events in Iran and the civil war there. They are cautious about their women's rights movement -- and this is what this is -- because they want to move forward. If they move too fast, then they fear the conservatives in their own country will follow Iran's lead and send them back.

Education is key to this process. With education women can read and interpret the Quran and see, for example, that nowhere in the Quran does the prophet Mohammad write that women cannot drive. Why?

I will write more about this.

The food?
* Wonderful fresh fruit juices: strawberry, kiwi, orange, guava.
* Lots of lamb and chicken skewers tandoori
* Farfelle chicken
* hummus
More food than you can even imagine. More than Thanksgiving Dinner.

Paul, there are no student newspapers in Saudi Arabia. In fact, the managing editor studied journalism in Los Angeles. There are no journalism programs for women in Saudi. They learn on the job. I did make contact with the dean, who told me there is a newsletter and a journalism club. I will contact her and let you know more.

The most exciting part of the day was meeting a young nursing student at dinner. We spoke extensively. She met a young man through one of her fellow students at school who is Canadian. She plans to marry this July and move to Calgary with her husband, who is an electrical engineer. As you can imagine, the divorce rate is high in this country. We've heard figures all over the spectrum. All marriages are arranged. Many don't take into account the couples' various interests or personalities.

She is completely passionate about nursing. I'll tell you more later. Need to grab a cup of coffee and then we're off and running for Day 6.

Keep those questions coming. Jeddah the most interesting place. Have Mrs. Pidgeon google photos of men and women on haij. We've seen several men walking through the hotel in their traditional garb. This probably is the most strange thing for me. But, I'm respectful and trying to learn without putting my Western values on this country.

Mrs. Hayes

Day 4

2007-11-27T20:30:00.000-08:00

Today we visited the Dhahran Middle School (a Saudi Aramco school), the Shumua Al Amal School for Special education, Heritage Village in Dammam (Traveling Man), Mrs. Munira Al-Ashgar's Home and Museum, and flew to Jeddah.

I'll write more on this later.

Day three: Meeting students and more

2007-11-25T05:44:00.000-08:00

Thanks, Karin, Hank and Denise for your questions and comments. Karin, interestingly ... folks here just say they are Muslim, or they practice Islam. I've heard people refer to themselves only as Muslims or Saudis or Aramcans (people who work for Aramco call themselves Aramcans). It's reminded me a bit of the scene from "The Firm" when a Aramco vice president spoke today about working for the company. I haven't heard anyone refer to himself/herself as a Sunni or a Shiite. My understanding from my reading is that the Sunnis are represent a majority in Saudi. Here's an interesting article about how Shiites in Saudi (which is just short for Saudi Arabia) http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/comment-taheri052303.asp. Interestingly, Saudis refer to their country as Saudi, the Kingdom or Arabia. This article makes it sounds like Shiites are persecuted in this country and that many don't even consider Shiites to be practicing Islam. My hunch is that all the folks I've met are Sunnis, but I will ask our guide, Tariq, and get back to you. Good question.

Denise, It sounds like we are spending 4 days in Dhahran and then 3 in Jeddah and 3 in Riyadh. We were given an itinerary for the entire trip in Houston, but received a revised itinerary upon our arrival in Dhahran.

Today was the best day yet -- we visited Dhahran Ahliyua School, a private K-12 school. The men visited the boys' side of the school; we women visited the girls' side of the school. The best part was having a student, Mawada, give me a tour. She is an 11th grade and has been at the school since middle school. Danielle's student, Lujain, had been at the school since kindergarten. Both loved school and were excited to show the facility to us. Lujain is interested in science; Mawada is interested in travel. She has not yet decided where she might go for college.

Because the girls only see other girls or women, they don't wear the abaya. The abayas, however, do hang in their lockers. 7/8 students, the class we visited was 12th grade. They were discussing global energy.

After they finished class, we were able to ask the girls questions. They said they don't mind wearing the abayas because it's comfortable and they can wear whatever they want underneath. One girl said she wears PJs under hers. The girls' eyes lit up when they spoke of designing their own abayas. Most have 3 abayas.

They wear uniforms to school: long gray skirts that cover their feet, silver sneakers, white tops (of their chosing). Most of them had colorful sweatshirts on. They like to watch TV -- their favorite shows are "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives" -- and have Facebook (which is how the boys said they meet girls). The boys told the male teachers in our group that Aramco, the oil company of Saudi, provides special events and areas where boys and girls can mingle. I'm not sure this happens in other parts of Saudi.

This school was very well funded. Each classroom had a Smartboard. The room we visited had more than 25 computers. Apparently, the school has 500 computers in all; the libraries have 90,000 books. I do not know how much it costs to go to this school. Interestingly, the students do not study World History or European History -- instead they study Saudi, Arab and Islam history.

The girls learn to play basketball and soccer and do aerobics. Mawada told me she often plays tennis with a friend during recess. The girls get 3 recesses -- one to play outside, one to eat and one to pray. Religion is very important to this school. The girls study the Quran, which is the holy book for Islam.

Hank, also a good question. It seems on the face that the Eastern Province, where Dharhan is located, might be more progressive. I do continue to see English books -- and these girls and read and speak English extremely well. However, literature is not emphasized as much as spelling and grammer and some of the other subjects. World history, as I wrote above, isn't taught. There is no discussion of comparative religion, for instance. I did not see an English class in this school.

However, we did go to a girls preparatory school later in the day and did see an English teacher analysizing a Maya Angelou poem with the girls. These are high school graduates who are taking 18 months of courses in preparation for college. These girls are heading to the United States, Canada and the U.K. for school. They were impressive. In fact, after their classes let out, they ran down the hall to speak with us again. One girl, Aisha, plans to go to Boston. She is passionate about showing Saudi men that Saudi young women can do it all. She's excited to drive. She's excited to be independent. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton would have been proud of this young woman; she is going places. She wept when her father said she couldn't study in the states and convinced him to change his mind.

Encourage middle school students to blog with me!!!

Thanks for staying in touch!

Day two: Aramco museum, supercomputer and more

2007-11-24T08:15:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone,

Julie, Quinn and Evan, thanks for your questions. Yes, Quinn ... I did write a lot because we are just having action-packed days. First let me answer your questions:

* I did collect seashells and I'll show them to you when I return.
* I also collected sand from the beach along the Persian Gulf.
* On Thanksgiving Day we flew from Houston to Germany and then from Germany to Bahrain, where we landed and then took a bus to Saudi. On the plane we were served a mini Thanksgiving -- with chicken instead of turkey, sweet potato, stuffing and green beans. On Friday, the Saudis put out an amazing spread -- turkey, mash potatoes, gravy and all the fixings. I think someone took photos ... so I hope at some point to be able to upload photos to my blog.
* I'd say it's around 80 degrees -- I haven't seen a thermometer. But I'll tune into the TV tomorrow and let you know. It's not humid. It's a very dry heat, not unlike Arizona. The night we were on the beach at the gulf reminded me of our nights at the Keys with my parents. It was lovely.
* Quinn, the boys here play soccer, basketball, and run track. The girls bowl. Boys can swim, as well as little girls. As far as I can tell, girls and women don't get much public exercise besides bowling and walking. Women can work out inside the gym on the Aramco compound (Saudi and other nationalities) but they cannot work out in the same gym as men. So, a gym offers every other night for women and the off nights for men.

M.K., thanks for your comments. We have much to discuss when I come home.
Long day today -- jet lag is really hitting me. We saw the Aramco museum; Aramco's supercomputer -- 7,000 PCs (both IBM and HP) linked together to make one huge fast supercomputer; and Heritage Museum. Finally, we took a bus tour of the Aramco compound -- now where 50 percent Saudis live and 50 percent other nationalities, all of whom work for Aramco. More on all of this, tomorrow. I went to the bank and the commissary.

I'm looking forward to hearing from students.

Mrs. Hayes

First day in Saudi

2007-11-23T11:52:00.001-08:00

Hi Everyone,

The first day on the Peninsula was full of surprises, including Christmas trees and Christmas decorations in the Bahrain airport and in the Saudi Aramco compound store in Dhahran. All secular, though -- Santas and snowmen, no Nativity, baby Jesus, or angels. It took us 4 hours to get through customs and into our beds. At one point, we thought we were clear, and Saudi officials had us all get off the bus. Five minutes and we were back on. I didn't see any dogs; so,

I'm not sure exactly what that unboarding was all about.

Incidentally, Folsom students, Bahrain is linked to Saudi Arabia with a causeway very like the one that links South Hero to Milton. Apparently it was built just a few years ago. However, the water (aka, the Persian Gulf ... or as it is referred to here as the Arabian Gulf) gets quite a bit higher so the causeway leads into a bridge -- higher than the one over Lake Champlain.

Finally, I arrived in my room. I tried and tried to connect my computer with its ethernet cord to the port provided here in my room. Frustrated, I fell in bed at 2:30 a.m. -- only to have the alarm ring at 7:30 a.m. Despite the little sleep, I was refreshed and after a cheerful breakfast in the Steineke dining hall in Dhahran, where we are staying, I was ready for my first real day here. We spent it at the beach! (You all are on Thanksgiving vacation; so, you cannot give me a hard time!!!) Saudi Aramco owns the compound where we are staying, and also has a compound about 1.5 hour bus ride from Dhahran's Steineke Hall in a refinery town called Ras Tanura. It is beautiful. I have never felt sand so soft between my toes. The water is several beautiful shades of blue. I cannot wait to show you my photos; unfortunately, as I said, I cannot link my computer through the ethernet, and the front desk will not allow me to download my photos onto this computer and then delete them. I hope to be able to do that before I leave Saudi. Stay tuned.

Imagine for a moment walking around a beautiful beach and resort and not making eye contact with others. What would that feel like for you? I'm interested in hearing your answers.

Here are some surprises for me:
* Couples holding hands. (a man walking in a thobe and the red and white headdress and women in abayas -- maybe Mrs. Pidgeon and Mrs. Bashaw can do a Google images search for you).
* Pizza Hut, McDonald's, Dominos, Frosted Flakes, cows milk in cardboard containers on the shelf (not refrigerated ... refrigerate after opening).
* Boys running up to several people in our group to show them the 14 inch long fish they caught and were taking home to eat.
* How beautiful my name is in Arabic. (I'll show you the photo at some point.)
* The library had an electronic security system similar to that at St. Michael's and UVM's libraries. (This I realized as I reread my blog. Why am I surprised by this? Students?)

We spent the day on a beautiful (I cannot emphasize the word enough) resort next to the Persian Gulf. Aramco owns this Ras Tanura resort. It's gated, which means it's a private beach for Aramco folks only. Several modest homes with breath-taking views sit right on the beach. No bugs. Lots of sun. A light wind. The softest sand I've ever felt between my toes. I spent a lot of time here today. It was a real education. I just sat or walked and observed. This is some of what I saw.
* Fathers playing with children in the water. Mothers standing in abayas on the beach watching.
* Girls in pink go-go boots and abayas.
* Some girls and women veiled; many not.
* Boys playing soccer. Girls sitting in groups; all of them in abayas.
* Girls in abayas pretending to take pictures of each other, but really taking pictures of us.

Our guide, Tariq, has 5 children and one on the way. He said, Folsom girls, that women are like princesses in his country. They have expensive clothes and toys and have people drive them wherever they would like. I'll show you Falla, the Arab Barbie when I get home. I've had several very interesting conversations with him. Even though he said, he would prefer to have another boy, he tenderly described his youngest, a daughter of 7, taking care of him, hugging and cuddling with him when he's tired after a long day, whereas of his sons, he said, "They say, 'Hi,'
" he joked in a short, abrupt monotone. Tariq is a bit of a joker.

Another Saudi with whom I've conversed is a librarian. Another American librarian and I visited the library at the compound. It's a little bigger than our library at Folsom. The Saudi librarian was probably about 23 years old. Very friendly. She was completely veiled. Well spoken and clearly excited that Meb and I are librarians visiting from the states. She gave us a quick tour of the children's area. I was surprised to see Crispin (remember that book, DCFers?) on the shelves along with several titles by Lloyd Alexander and other fabulous writers. All of these were in English. Then, there was a shelf filled with nonfiction books in Arabic. Guess what? This librarian uses the Dewey Decimal system, too!!!

In the room is a small table, not unlike the one in our picture book area. Two young teenagers are sitting at the table reading and talking when we come in. After looking at the books, my fellow librarian took out her camera and was going to take a picture of the room (not of the girls). However, shortly after she pulled out her camera, one of the girls rushed to leave the room. The other quickly stood with the flat of her back up against the back wall. What to you make of that? I'm curious to hear your thoughts.

I haven't had an opportunity to hear first hand how woman and girls feel about this dress code. I'll ask my fellow travelers if they have and report back.

I did, however, hear two different stories about how boys and girls and men and women meet in this country. Tariq reported that boys/men will look at girls/women and if a girl or woman smiles, than that is an indication that she is interested. He explained that a man could shake a piece of paper in front of him and a woman return the gesture -- if interested. He also said that boys and girls send each other their cell phone numbers via Bluetooth.

However, a young man who is studying to be an engineer -- he is the one who wrote my name in Arabic on the beach -- indicated that was nonsense as we conversed at the table of 35 after dinner. He said that his family decides and then he and the girl get to talk on the phone for a period of time and then see each other with the two families gathered. He said all marriages are arranged by the family in Saudi. I will continue to ask this delicate question of those with whom I feel comfortable and report back. Incidentally, when I asked Tariq if he married for love, or whether his marriage was arranged, he said he married for love. When I asked how he met his wife, he changed the subject. I didn't press further.

Middle School students, when we asked Tariq, who is sending his son to China for college, whether he would send his children to the U.S. to study, he said no. And the reason is that he believes that Saudis are mistreated in the states. I will report tomorrow the conversation about 9/11, because Tariq's back was toward me as he was speaking, and I couldn't hear what he was saying.

The food is delicious here -- and there is lots and lots of it. I'll try to remember to take photos. At Steineke Hall, we eat in a dining hall. One can get a hot breakfast, or fresh fruit, freshly squeezed fruit juices, croissant, muffin, you name it! For lunch we had little finger sandwiches with tunafish and olives -- very good -- and, again, fresh fruit. I drink lots and lots and lots of water. I was glad to have my hat and sunscreen. I haven't seen any pets -- but I did see dog food in the compound store ... so the doggies must be somewhere.

I've seen lots of mosques -- I'll try to get several pictures tomorrow from the bus. Mosques are where Muslims worship. What is the religion of Saudi Arabia? I hope you can answer that now. Each mosque is topped with a crescent and a star. Some are ornate; some are not. Almost all of Saudi construction is concrete.

Ryan, to answer your question about security: We didn't fly on a Saudi plane or into a Saudi airport (yet). I think we might be flying from one side of the country to the other; so I will report back later. The Bahrain airport was guarded with soldiers with submachines. I saw several standing outside the airport when we were loading the bus.

I hope you all enjoy your Thanksgiving vacation. Please blog often. Incidentally, once you are back in school on Monday, it would be fun to blog with you in real time. I believe we are 10 hours ahead of your time. Check my math and let me know. It's 6.30 a.m. now in Dhahran -- so I think it's 8 p.m. there. I think I'll be home at 10.30 p.m. tonight; so, I can blog at 12:30 p.m. with you or thereafter.

I'd love to see how quickly you and I can get information back and forth over the Internet.
Mrs. Hayes (Sharon)
p.s. Thanks Hank, Michele and Annie for your comments!!! (Annie, I love the vitamin C packs. I'm drinking mainly bottled water ... but when I run out and have to resort to tap water ... the orange flavor really helps enhance the flavor. Thank you!!! Keep those comments coming, ya'll.

More from Houston

2007-11-20T20:05:00.000-08:00

Hi Silva,

Thanks for your question. Today we had a full itinerary. We met in the lobby of the hotel --the Intercontinental Houston, which is in a very affluent section of Houston -- and traveled by bus to Aramco's headquarters. Security at the Aramco site is intense. The guard at the gate held a huge mirror under the bus. We had to put all our things through a metal detector -- like the ones at the airport -- and we had to walk through a metal detector ourselves.

Several former participants shared information with us today, including Aban Rustomji -- a school library media specialist who suggested to some terrific resources I should buy for our library and school. We also met several Aramco folks who shared information not only about Aramco -- which is the oil company of Saudi -- but also the country itself. We received our tentative itinerary -- our days are going to be packed with sightseeing and lectures. I cannot wait!!! Most days go from 7 a.m. (or earlier) and go until 10:30 p.m. The Saudis, we're told, are very generous hosts. I actually went out with a friend whom I met today and bought a big bag to pack inside my suitcase to carry some of the gifts home. One former participant said she brought home last year 100 pounds of coffee table books about Saudi.

One woman shared some history of Saudi and her experiences in living in Dhahran, where her husband worked for 25 years. Another participant shared all sorts of wonderful lesson plans focusing on the trip. I have some terrific ideas to share with Mrs. Bashaw and Mrs. Pidgeon. The woman I went to dinner with tonight teaches in Arizona. One of the projects she does each year with her students is an educational international fashion show. She has collected at least 48 different outfits from various countries around the world. Her students modeled them and she shares information about each outfit or piece of clothing.

We also had a lesson on Arabic. I then went to Barnes and Noble and bought an Arabic CD and book. I hope to learn some Arabic on the long flight.

I have so much to learn, Silva, but I'll share two important phrases with you.
as-asalaamu alaykum means peace be upon you.

The response is wa alaykum as-salaam.

Happy, Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

Mrs. Hayes

p.s. I funny moment: So, I'm walking through the Galleria, which is a huge, multi-building, multi-floor mall in Houston. Everywhere are Christmas decorations --a huge tree soars to the ceiling, the bottom of the tree strategically placed near the indoor skating rink. Wreaths and reindeer are all over the place. And two very excited salespeople approach me with the white paper cups that Chef Bob uses for peanuts and raisins, using a tiny silver spoon to stir this white powdery substance. I should have taken a photo -- they were trying to sell me ... snow. The one young woman said, "But ... ma'am ... snow in Houston -- you have to buy some." I laughed and said, "I don't think so ... I'm from Vermont ... but thanks anyway."

You cannot see them clearly in the photo -- but the lenses of the sunglasses I'm wearing are each in the shape of Texas.

Posting from Houston

2007-11-20T05:05:00.000-08:00

Hello Mrs. Pidgeon's class,

Great questions! I'm so excited ... I did sleep un peu -- but not a lot. Mrs. Pidgeon, I'll let you know later today what Arabic I learn. I had a layover in Chicago so I broke out the Rosetta Stone CD that Mrs. Bishop lent me; but the words were not expressions -- greetings, which I'm assuming we'll learn today, but words for girl, boy, dog and cat.

Clarise, I will try to find out how couples find their mates in Saudi. And, girls, I hear the food is amazing. One participant last year gained 18 pounds on the trip. The water is very safe to drink. This is not a third world nation, but a very rich and powerful one. I spoke to a friend's brother who actually worked on the desalination process for Saudi about 20 years ago. I'm wondering how different the Saudi he saw then is from the one I'll see later this week.

I know you are all very interested in the rules for dress. I will be a careful observer and report back what I see.

Ryan, I'll let you know about plane travel and apparently, yes, I will see camels. (Someone in our group ask the possibility of eating them. Camels were used for food primarily before people domesticated them.) I will also let you all know what folks have for pets.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you,

Mrs. Hayes

Great questions

2007-11-13T15:36:00.000-08:00

Thank you for your terrific questions.

No, Macie, Chance will be staying at home along with my husband and Mike.
I'm told the temperature will be about 80 degrees in Saudi in November.
I doubt I'll be meeting the King; however, he is building a new university about 50 miles from Jiddah, where I will be visiting. He is hoping that this new university will be the MIT, a very famous technology college in Massachusetts, of Saudi Arabia. So, maybe I will. I will let you know.
I will be in Saudi for 10 days. I will leave Vermont on Monday and fly to Houston for two days of training. Then, I fly to Saudi. I fly home on Dec. 3.
Keegan, Good questions. In Saudi the people speak Arabic. Mrs. Bishop has lent me some language software and I'm learning some phrases.
Troy and Keith, our trip is being funded by Aramco, which is the oil company of Saudi Arabia. I believe that Aramco and the Institute of International Education is going to do their best to keep us safe. Osama bin Laden was originally from Saudi; however, he has been banished from his country.
I don't know what games are played in Saudi. I will let you know what I find out.

Trip preparations

2007-11-08T23:46:00.000-08:00

Hello Folsom students,

I'm looking forward to hearing your questions. Mrs. Pidgeon and Mrs. Bashaw will have information on signing on to this blog. Please remember to "sign" your entries with only your first name. Because you will all be using the Folsom.Student logon, I want to know who is posting. Thank you.

Packing light is essential for this trip. As a woman, I am expected to dress very conservatively. The men on the trip do not have the same rules. I will bring skirts that cover my ankles and long-sleeve shirts that cover my wrists. I will receive an abaya, a black robe which I will wear over my clothes, when I arrive in Houston. I will have to wear a hijab, a veil over my hair, in some parts of the country.

Interestingly, we will not know our itinerary until we (24 other Library Media Specialists and Social Studies teachers from across the United States and I) arrive in Saudi. I know we will travel to the capital and two other cities.

I am forbidden to bring any type of religious pamphlet or even wear religious jewelry. I may not bring a Bible. Alcohol is also strictly forbidden in Saudi Arabia. My physician related a anecdote to me about an acquaintance of his who spent a year in jail and received public lashings for breaking this law while living in Saudi.

I also will be bringing a laptop computer. My understanding is that most of Saudi is not wireless, but does have Internet access through the ethernet cords that we use at Folsom to connect to the network. Both Mrs. Pidgeon and Mrs. Bashaw plan to have you blog with me when I'm in Saudi. Please do not hesitate to ask any questions you might have. This is a one-in-a-lifetime experience for all of us to explore Saudi culture.

Looking forward to blogging with you,

Mrs. Hayes

Soliciting questions

2007-08-09T14:40:00.000-07:00

Hey Folsom students,

Hope you all are enjoying your summer. Before you know it, we will be back in school.

So, I have an assignment for you: You need to come up with some questions you'd like me to ask of students, teachers and other folks I meet this fall when I travel to Saudi Arabia. Yes, I am traveling to Saudi Arabia. I applied for a grant from an organization called the Institute for International Education and will be heading to Houston, Texas, on Nov. 19, before flying on to Saudi Arabia.

This will be an opportunity for all of us to learn about Saudi culture, religion, education, industry and more. So, ask away! I look forward to your questions.

See you soon,

Mrs. Hayes