Today, we had our pre-departure orientation at the offices of Aramco Services here in Houston.  This was our opportunity to learn more about Saudi culture and what we could expect during our visit  I'd like to share some of the information we were given and some of the observations about Saudi culture with you.

What is Aramco?
Saudi Aramco is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia and the sponsor of this teacher program.  Originally a joint Saudi-American venture, it is now owned by the Saudi government, but still employs many Americans and other foreigners from around the world.  It is the largest oil company in the world and contains nearly 25% of the world's known oil reserves.  Aramco Services is the American division of Saudi Aramco based in Houston, Texas and provides support in employee recruitment and public outreach programs such as the program I am participating in.  Note for teachers: Aramco Services produces an excellent magazine with tremendous pictures of and articles on the Arab world called Aramco World.  It is free to subscribe.  Instructions on how to do so as well as the online version are available at

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/200601/

Check it out!  It is an excellent publication and teacher resource.

What is the Arab World and how is it different from the Middle East?
The Middle East is a interesting name for the area in which Europe, Asia, and Africa meet, but if you think about it, it can be a little vague.  After all, what is it in the middle of exactly?  However, the Arab World is fairly descriptive and clear.  It includes the countries of North Africa-such as Morocco, Western Sahara, Mauritania,Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt; and the countries of Southwest Asia-such as Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen...I think that mentions all of them.  The centrally unifying characteristic is language.  Arabic is spoken in all of these nations, although there are many different dialects.  Notice, I left out Israel, which is not considered an Arab country, although there are Palestinian Arabs living throughout the country and occupied territories.

How is Saudi Arabia unique within the Arab World?
Saudi Arabia is unique in that it is the birthplace of the dominant religion of the region-Islam.  The prophet, Muhammed, brought Islam to the people of the Arabian Peninsula and Mecca and Medina were established as holy cities of the faith.  Islam dominates public and private life in very significant ways in the country.  There are mosques (muslim places of worship) all over to ensure people a place of worship.  Citizenship requires that one be a follower of Islam.  If it is helpful, think in terms of Saudi Arabia being for Islam, what Vatican City is for the Roman Catholic Church.  It is the homeland and headquarters of the faith.  I will reflect more on this very special relationship between Islam and the nation later on, but I encourage you in your classes to locate and discuss the five pillars and history surrounding the birth of Islam in order to gain a greater sense of what this faith of over a billion believers is all about.

What are the important values of Arab culture?
A great deal of our orientation discussion today centered upon understanding Arab values and culture.  Here is a short list of things that are very important to the cultures of the Arab world and specifically, Saudi Arabia.

• Family is extremely important; family ties are very strong and it is a key support structure; every effort is made to make sure that one's behavior maintains or enhances family honor.
• Men and women socialize separately for the most part.  (This is especially true in Saudi Arabia and a has a basis in faith and ancient cultural traditions that developed before Islam.)
• Hospitality is extremely important.  Guest are to receive the very best of what a host has to offer.
• It is very important to develop strong relationships and avoid embarassing or rude confrontations.  (A shopkeeper may offer you tea and visit for an extending period of time before a transaction is ever conducted).

These are just a few and I will reflect about more as I observe them firsthand.

Finally, I wanted to share with you the Saudi Arabian flag and its meaning.


The Saudi flag strongly reflects the union between Islam and the nation.  The flag itself is green, which is a traditional Islamic color and reflects the desirability of the green vegatation present in a desert oasis.  The writing above the sword is the Islamic Shahada or declaration of faith in Arabic script.  It states, "There is no God, but God; Muhammed is the Prophet of God."  This is one of the fundamental pillars of belief and establishes Islam as a monotheistic faith.  Underneath the  Shahada is the sword, which represents the conquests of Ibn Saud as he unified and established Saudi Arabia as a modern nation.  Together, the declaration of faith, sword, and green background combine to demonstrate the integration of nationhood and faith that Saudi Arabia represents.

Tomorrow (Thursday, February 16), I will be departing for Saudi Arabia.  I will arrive in the evening on Friday, February 17 in Dammam.  For those of you that were wondering, Saudi Arabia is nine hours ahead of Central Standard Time.

Possible Activities
While you are waiting for me to reconnect with you, it might be useful to investigate and discuss the five pillars and history surrounding the birth of Islam.  Because Islam permeates Saudi culture so directly, it will be helpful to understand the major tenets and background of the faith.

I also encourage you to leave questions or make comments about items of interest so that I can make this program more useful for you in the classroom.

Shukran (Thank you) again for following along and masalemma (Goodbye) until you hear from me again in Saudi!



# - Kevin Witte - 2/16/06; 8:35:23 AM - Discuss (1 response)
Enclosure: KWitte-day1.m4a -

Well, I've arrived in Houston, TX, the site of our Pre-Departure Orientation.  For the most part, the program organizers are letting us get settled and the program participants (25 teachers from across the U.S.-Including me!) will be arriving throughout the day.  In the meantime, I thought I would try to take care of two things...

First of all, for those of you that took up the challenge of finding the answers to the two questions I posed on the Pre-Lesson Video--see if this matches what you came up with.

How did Abdul Aziz Ibn Saud founded the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia?
Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Faisal Al Saud, also known as Ibn Saud, is the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.  In 1902, he was responsible for retaking Riyadh from a rival tribe by waiting until nightfall and climbing the city walls.  His small force of supporters routed the very surprised city guards.  After taking Riyadh, Ibn Saud set about conquering the territories of other rival tribes.  In addition to force, Ibn Saud used diplomacy and the offering of marriages to secure partnerships and alliances.  This process took time and the official founding of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia took place on September 23, 1932, which is now celebrated as the Kingdom's day of independence.

For further discussion...Consider thinking about why it might have taken thirty years for Ibn Saud to unify the country?  What was it about Arabian society at the time that made this unification so difficult?


When was oil discovered in the Kingdom?
A survey to determine if oil could be found in the Kingdom was conducted in 1932 and an agreement was signed between the United States and Saudi Arabia in 1933 that granted Standard Oil of California (Socal) the rights to extract oil.  In 1935, Socal found a location with great potential and eventually found Dammam No. 7-a well that would eventually produce 1,500 barrels a day.  Extensive commercial production began in 1938.

For further discussion...How do you think the discovery of oil impacted the young nation?  How did it change the economy?  How might it have changed its relationships with and importance to other nations of the world?


I hope you find these answers and discussion questions useful and thought-provoking.  Switching gears, however, I encourage you, if you haven't already, to sign in by selecting the "Join Now" link on the right side of the page.  This will enable you to leave comments, questions, and feedback.  It also allows us to have some idea about how many possible classrooms and interested individuals are following my journey.  Thanks!
# - Kevin Witte - 2/16/06; 8:34:57 AM - Discuss (1 response)
Enclosure: -