On 11/25, my study-tour group visited the College Preparatory Program at Saudi Aramco. The purpose of the program is to prepare select Saudi Arabian high school graduates for admission to universities and to help them succeed in their post-secondary schools. This is a very generous program because Saudi Aramco pays the students' tuition, and as long as the student graduates from university the student has a guaranteed position with Saudi Aramco!
The College Prep. Program lasts 9 to 10 months, and the students are expected to speak English at all times while in the program. The students are enrolled in the following classes: computer, science lab, library skills, time management, critical thinking and problem solving, and community service. There are approximately 300 students in the program; 75% are male, 25% are female. 23% of the students plan to enter a business program, while the remaining 77% are engineering program prospects.
18 December 2007
14 December 2007
Q & A
12/14: Man, I have been the world's biggest slacker! Lot's of you emailed me with questions and I know that answered some of them, but not all, so here it goes.
Does Saudi Arabia have sports,movie theaters,and do they go to the beaches and oceans?
Yes, Richard, Saudi Arabia has sports and they go to the beaches, but there are no movie theaters here. The major sport in Saudi Arabia is soccer! Our first day in KSA we went to Ras Tanura for rest and relaxation, and while we were there, some younger Saudi boys played soccer with a couple of the men in the study-tour group. Later in the day we walked along the beach and we could see several organized games of soccer being played. Also, people were flying kites and building sand structures on the beach. At the community building men, women and children were bowling. Later in the trip, I saw male college students playing ping pong, pool, and foosball. The Saudis also go to the beaches. Some women wore their abayas and hijabs while others wore conservative bathing suits. People rode on jet skis and boats, snorkeled, scuba dived, and fished.
Are there any American soldiers in KSA?
No, there are no American soldiers in KSA. We saw soldiers, security guards and police officers but no American soldiers. They are not based in KSA.
What is their perception of privacy?
Brian, I should have asked for clarification on this question, but I am going to answer it as best as I can. People are very generous and hospitable, but we are not shown the grittier aspects of Saudi culture or society, so we don't have a whole picture. Also, many people are reserved in their speech - it is difficult to find criticism against the government (the royal family). Privacy seems to be a prized quality here...for example, there are very few urinals in the men's restrooms; there tends to be more toilet stalls, and many of them are enclosed from floor to ceiling. I wonder if that is because they use hoses to clean their backsides? In Old Jeddah we were informed about the roshan - it is a cantilevered wooden bay window that is carved and allows sunlight and air to enter a house but maintain privacy. I hope this answers your question!
Ms. Zincone asked about the presence art programs in KSA and if art is taught at all grade levels.
Yes, there are art programs in the schools in KSA. Unfortunately, on most of my school tours I was not fortunate enough to visit an art room. At the Disabled Children's Center in Jeddah I was able to observe students making art. There were students there of all ages, and one of the students, Hansan, made a butterfly with sequins for me! I witnessed several students painting on canvas, and they had beautiful paintings. A student artwork display contained paintings, pottery, drawings, and a rug that one of the students had made. Based on what I saw, I believe that they have art instruction at all levels.
Does Saudi Arabia have sports,movie theaters,and do they go to the beaches and oceans?
Yes, Richard, Saudi Arabia has sports and they go to the beaches, but there are no movie theaters here. The major sport in Saudi Arabia is soccer! Our first day in KSA we went to Ras Tanura for rest and relaxation, and while we were there, some younger Saudi boys played soccer with a couple of the men in the study-tour group. Later in the day we walked along the beach and we could see several organized games of soccer being played. Also, people were flying kites and building sand structures on the beach. At the community building men, women and children were bowling. Later in the trip, I saw male college students playing ping pong, pool, and foosball. The Saudis also go to the beaches. Some women wore their abayas and hijabs while others wore conservative bathing suits. People rode on jet skis and boats, snorkeled, scuba dived, and fished.
Are there any American soldiers in KSA?
No, there are no American soldiers in KSA. We saw soldiers, security guards and police officers but no American soldiers. They are not based in KSA.
What is their perception of privacy?
Brian, I should have asked for clarification on this question, but I am going to answer it as best as I can. People are very generous and hospitable, but we are not shown the grittier aspects of Saudi culture or society, so we don't have a whole picture. Also, many people are reserved in their speech - it is difficult to find criticism against the government (the royal family). Privacy seems to be a prized quality here...for example, there are very few urinals in the men's restrooms; there tends to be more toilet stalls, and many of them are enclosed from floor to ceiling. I wonder if that is because they use hoses to clean their backsides? In Old Jeddah we were informed about the roshan - it is a cantilevered wooden bay window that is carved and allows sunlight and air to enter a house but maintain privacy. I hope this answers your question!
Ms. Zincone asked about the presence art programs in KSA and if art is taught at all grade levels.
Yes, there are art programs in the schools in KSA. Unfortunately, on most of my school tours I was not fortunate enough to visit an art room. At the Disabled Children's Center in Jeddah I was able to observe students making art. There were students there of all ages, and one of the students, Hansan, made a butterfly with sequins for me! I witnessed several students painting on canvas, and they had beautiful paintings. A student artwork display contained paintings, pottery, drawings, and a rug that one of the students had made. Based on what I saw, I believe that they have art instruction at all levels.
06 December 2007
Back to School...Time to Start Fillin' the Gaps
12/5, 5:45 PM EST: I returned to school today, and my students were excited to see me! I drove to school in jeans and button down shirt, but when I got into my classroom I pulled on my thobe, igal and gutra...the traditional Saudi garb was a big hit with students and teachers alike.
Now that I've been home for almost 48 hours, I need to start filling in the gaps of my trip. It was difficult to maintain the blog because we were constantly on the go, and I tried to upload pictures when I had the time after answering emails and Skypeing my students at school. I took over 2300 pictures, so I've been trying to narrow them down to the very best pictures for the blog and to show in a presentation.
The focus of our trip was to learn about the culture, education system, industry, and the history of KSA. I feel that my posts didn't follow any sort of order, but then again, that's okay. As a group we did so many different things in a day, it was hard to stick to one major topic. So let me start with education...
While we were in KSA, we visited several schools. The schools that we visited were private schools; we did not visit any public schools, and it would have been nice to have seen how a public school operates. We were informed that the private schools abide by the same regulations and curriculum requirements for the public schools. Many students begin learning a foreign language by the age of 7, and typically that language is English. It was interesting to sit in a classroom at the Dhahran Aliyyah school where the teacher and students conversed and wrote in English. English is a very important language for students because many of them want to attend American or European universities.
KSA has modernized in 75 years, and that's due to the discovery of oil. The country has modernized in several generations...often I heard the same story: my parents didn't have a high school education, and I graduated from college with a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and a doctorate degree. Can you imagine the drive and determination required to make that giant leap in educational levels in just one generation?
The events of 9/11 have detrimentally affected the relationship between the United States and the KSA in regards to education. I am not an expert on terrorism nor do I have great insights into the mind and thoughts of Osama Bin Laden, but it would seem that he or his executive officers carefully decided that 15 of the 19 terrorists were Saudi. If that is the case, then it would seem that that decision has had its desired effect. Today, Saudis and Americans are finding it difficult to obtain visas, whereas in the past it was relatively easy to get a visa. Many Saudi college students in the United States cannot return home due to the tightening of visa restrictions in America and the KSA. American business interests in KSA are failing and are being replaced by Chinese and Indian business enterprises.
I am encouraged that many foreigners, like Saudis, want to receive their college educations in the US. This speaks volumes in regards to post-secondary education system. Unfortunately, our public education system is not held in the same regard. The students that I met our trip know much more about the US and the world than American students do. I would even be so bold to guess that Saudi students know more about American history than many of our students!
I've not exhausted this topic so I am posting this for now and return to it later.
Now that I've been home for almost 48 hours, I need to start filling in the gaps of my trip. It was difficult to maintain the blog because we were constantly on the go, and I tried to upload pictures when I had the time after answering emails and Skypeing my students at school. I took over 2300 pictures, so I've been trying to narrow them down to the very best pictures for the blog and to show in a presentation.
The focus of our trip was to learn about the culture, education system, industry, and the history of KSA. I feel that my posts didn't follow any sort of order, but then again, that's okay. As a group we did so many different things in a day, it was hard to stick to one major topic. So let me start with education...
While we were in KSA, we visited several schools. The schools that we visited were private schools; we did not visit any public schools, and it would have been nice to have seen how a public school operates. We were informed that the private schools abide by the same regulations and curriculum requirements for the public schools. Many students begin learning a foreign language by the age of 7, and typically that language is English. It was interesting to sit in a classroom at the Dhahran Aliyyah school where the teacher and students conversed and wrote in English. English is a very important language for students because many of them want to attend American or European universities.
KSA has modernized in 75 years, and that's due to the discovery of oil. The country has modernized in several generations...often I heard the same story: my parents didn't have a high school education, and I graduated from college with a bachelor's degree, a master's degree, and a doctorate degree. Can you imagine the drive and determination required to make that giant leap in educational levels in just one generation?
The events of 9/11 have detrimentally affected the relationship between the United States and the KSA in regards to education. I am not an expert on terrorism nor do I have great insights into the mind and thoughts of Osama Bin Laden, but it would seem that he or his executive officers carefully decided that 15 of the 19 terrorists were Saudi. If that is the case, then it would seem that that decision has had its desired effect. Today, Saudis and Americans are finding it difficult to obtain visas, whereas in the past it was relatively easy to get a visa. Many Saudi college students in the United States cannot return home due to the tightening of visa restrictions in America and the KSA. American business interests in KSA are failing and are being replaced by Chinese and Indian business enterprises.
I am encouraged that many foreigners, like Saudis, want to receive their college educations in the US. This speaks volumes in regards to post-secondary education system. Unfortunately, our public education system is not held in the same regard. The students that I met our trip know much more about the US and the world than American students do. I would even be so bold to guess that Saudi students know more about American history than many of our students!
I've not exhausted this topic so I am posting this for now and return to it later.
05 December 2007
Home at last!
12/5, 5:40 AM EST: Home at last! Sorry everyone that I haven't been on Skype or on the blog recently. Once we left Dhahran and the Saudi Aramco Compound, it was difficult to post to the blog or photographs just because we were constantly on the go! One night in Jeddah I had worked on updating the blog for about 2 hours, but then my Internet time had expired, so it wiped out all my work when I tried to post it! My last day I had time for Internet access was Thursday!
We left Riyadh on Sunday afternoon after meeting with Prince Faisal ibn Turkey, which was an interesting experience. We had just had yet another big lunch, and then we went to meet the prince, and the room we sat in was extremely warm...we were all trying to stay awake! It was funny to watch my group members seated around a big conference table with smiles plastered on their faces and their eyes cranked open so they wouldn't fall asleep...I wish I could have taken a picture of them because they were just plain funny to watch.
We flew from Riyadh to Dammam, and there we parted ways with Hanadi...she was a wonderful guide and great conversationalist. We caught a bus from Dammam to Bahrain, again jumping through all the bureaucratic hoops to pass through the border of KSA and Bahrain. At the airport we told Tariq masalaama...yet another tough goodbye!
Upon arriving in Frankfurt, our group started to go its separate ways to catch flights back to the US. We all made friends, and it's not easy to tell people goodbye, knowing that you may never see them again. I almost didn't get to leave Frankfurt at my scheduled time because for whatever reason because Lufthansa did not have me in their system...they had an Angus Simmons, but no Daniel Simmons. By this point I was tired and just wanted to get home; I would have gladly changed my name to Angus just to have boarded the plane! Fortunately the lady at the Lufthansa desk was able to book me a seat, and off we went.
Landed at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. at 3:20 PM on Monday, and then had to get through Immigration and Customs. My flight was supposed to have left at 5:30 PM, but it was delayed until 7:38 PM because of high winds in Washington, D.C. I landed at RDU around 8:50 or so, and it was great to see my wife for the first time in two weeks!
Debating whether or not to go to work as I'm really tired, but I haven't adjusted to the time here yet. My body is thinking it's 2 in the afternoon, and I've been awake since 4 am EST.
We left Riyadh on Sunday afternoon after meeting with Prince Faisal ibn Turkey, which was an interesting experience. We had just had yet another big lunch, and then we went to meet the prince, and the room we sat in was extremely warm...we were all trying to stay awake! It was funny to watch my group members seated around a big conference table with smiles plastered on their faces and their eyes cranked open so they wouldn't fall asleep...I wish I could have taken a picture of them because they were just plain funny to watch.
We flew from Riyadh to Dammam, and there we parted ways with Hanadi...she was a wonderful guide and great conversationalist. We caught a bus from Dammam to Bahrain, again jumping through all the bureaucratic hoops to pass through the border of KSA and Bahrain. At the airport we told Tariq masalaama...yet another tough goodbye!
Upon arriving in Frankfurt, our group started to go its separate ways to catch flights back to the US. We all made friends, and it's not easy to tell people goodbye, knowing that you may never see them again. I almost didn't get to leave Frankfurt at my scheduled time because for whatever reason because Lufthansa did not have me in their system...they had an Angus Simmons, but no Daniel Simmons. By this point I was tired and just wanted to get home; I would have gladly changed my name to Angus just to have boarded the plane! Fortunately the lady at the Lufthansa desk was able to book me a seat, and off we went.
Landed at Dulles Airport in Washington, D.C. at 3:20 PM on Monday, and then had to get through Immigration and Customs. My flight was supposed to have left at 5:30 PM, but it was delayed until 7:38 PM because of high winds in Washington, D.C. I landed at RDU around 8:50 or so, and it was great to see my wife for the first time in two weeks!
Debating whether or not to go to work as I'm really tired, but I haven't adjusted to the time here yet. My body is thinking it's 2 in the afternoon, and I've been awake since 4 am EST.
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