Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

After a month of waiting I've finally arrived in Saudi Arabia. The whole plane ride over I kept thinking "is this really happening? am I really going to Saudi Arabia for a year?" and all sorts of other questions, doutbts, ect. I have to say, so far so good. I have been assigned the capital Riyadh as my teaching destination. When we first arrived at our compound (our rooms by the way, are very nice and big) it seemed as though we were on the outskirts of the city. But the next day when we ventured in I discovered there was much more around us than I originally thought. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I knew from my brief travels in Cairo Egypt and Amman Jordan that the Middle East is much more advanced than many in the U.S. know, and Riyadh is no exception. I believe there is much about this place that would surprise many Americans which I'm sure I will write all about at some later date. Some of the buildings here are quite modern and impressive. One in particular, the Kingdom Tower is quite nice and it is also the tallest building in Saudi Arabia.

The people here are very nice. In public many of the men wear Thaubes (white robes) with Kefias on their heads. The women wear black Abias (I don't know if I'm spelling the clothing names right) and are completely covered although I have seen a few women who do not cover their heads. Contrary to what many believe at home, not all people here hate Americans. If they do they have a funny way of showing it, like going out of their way to have a conversation with us, paying for our meals, or taking their own personal time to drive us to a museum when we are completely lost. I still have a million questions about the people here and their customs. Their entire way of life and thinking I'm sure is very different, although some things, like their love for their families and friends is the same like it is in all cultures. Anyway, I'll end this here. I look forwarrd to getting started with my new job (I start teaching in a few days!) And I'll try to keep everyone posted and enlighten everyone on my life here in Riyadh.