11/20: The Stars and Stripes are big and bright, deep in the heart of Texas! Hey, ya'll, it's Your Friendly Neighborhood History Teacher (Y.F.N.H.T.), and I'm just updating the ol' bloggerooski.

Last night I met the other social studies teachers and library media specialists whom I am traveling with. There are 25 of us altogether, and everyone seems to be very nice and extremely motivated and enthusiastic about teaching and the trip! I currently have a roommate while we are in Houston, and he hails from Mean-E-So-Ta. Once we are overseas we will have our own rooms.

We were told last night that the Institute of International Education and Aramco Services Company received approximately 200 applications for this trip, so I am pleased to know that I was selected. Apparently, and I could be wrong, that the entire bill for the trip - including air travel, lodging, food, visa fees and other sundry items - totals in the neighborhood of $25,000! I'm glad I'm not footing the bill!

Today after waking up and getting dressed our group was bussed to Aramco Services Company for breakfast and briefing. I was very impressed with our speakers, as they were alumni of the program. They had lots of great tips and suggestions for us...speaking of which, if you have any questions that you would like asked while I am in Saudi Arabia, email me at southernyankee1978@gmail.com So, family, friends and students, send me your questions!

We had lunch at ASC in their executive lunch room, and one of the executives of the company sat at our table and spoke with us and answered our questions. For lunch we had a marinated chicken breast, garlic mashed potatoes, steamed veg-e-tables, and for dessert a super-rich chocolate cake that I couldn't finish.

After lunch we had an Arabic language lesson, so it was funny trying to make sounds that we don't have in English...one sound that is made is almost like trying to clear your throat!

So here's the Arabic language lesson for the day:

Marhaba: Hello
Sabah el khair: Good morning. This is a fun one because you pronounce it as Sabah elk hair (the "k" pronounced softly)
Assalam 'alaikoom: Greetings, peace be with you. 'alaikoom is pronounced wah-lake-um
Welcome: Ahlan wa-sahlan
Shukran: Thank you

Tomorrow we will have our last briefing and then we will leave for the George H.W. Bush International Airport at 11:30 am. Our flight leaves at 4:10 for Frankfurt, Germany, but because of the holiday crush we're going to be there early. We will arrive there at 9:50 am Thursday, then fly to Bahrain. From Bahrain we will take a 25 km causeway from the island country of Bahrain to Dhahran.

This trip is definitely going to be eye- and mind-opening. I hope that I will learn about the culture and to find the commonalities between Americans and Saudis. I want to find out for myself about the people, and I hope that I find that not everyone is evil, and for the most part, people are good at heart. I want to return from this trip forming my own opinions and hopefully it counteracts what we hear in the press. I hope that I can interview some students and find that they want to know about American students as much as my students want to know about them.

I won't be able to update tomorrow as we are flying, but I will try to get on Thursday night or early Friday.

Alright, I'm going now. I miss you, my lovely wife, family, friends, and students. Have a wonderful thanksgiving! Ma'assalama!