Every morning my routine is usually the same. I wake up, read for about 30 minutes, then I get my bowl (gotta get my cereal), and then I go and check my messages and turn on the news. You can imagine I was very surprised when the first thing I saw was "Osama Bin Laden is Dead" and then I immediately see a message from the parents about how worried they are for me now. I woke up Chris and said "Osama Bin Laden is dead" and he said "No he isn't" and I said "yeah man, its on the news!" Ever since I got here I always wondered if I would turn on the news one day and see some huge news like this. I will admit I felt a little more nervous that day. Chris thought I should mention that morning was May 2nd, but you in America heard it on the 1st. (also, for your entertainment, this blog is presenting to you my pictures of sand dunes, or in Arabic - Nafood).
I wasn't sure what to expect that day. I thought maybe my students would ask a ton of questions, or my feelings about what happened. I didn't get a single word about it. I did however get the feeling that they were all thinking about it and were hoping I would say something. I knew one student wanted me to talk. He said "Are you good today teacher?" and I said "Yes" and then he said "why are you good?" I told him I was just good. But he kept trying to get me to say why. But I never mentioned anything about Bin Laden's death, and the truth is I wasn't really overjoyed by the death (at least not to the point I would go party in the streets)....just relieved really. For class that day I kept thinking about that saying "the elephant in the room". There was an elephant in the room but nobody would talk about it.
Chris's students were more vocal about the subject. They said they were very happy he was gone. Although some said they felt both good and bad about it. Others of his students don't believe he is really dead. The conspiracy theories sure spread quick. I talked to one student online a few days later. He said he didn't know what to think about it because he doesn't like politics. I told him about the fears of my family and he said that I am safe here and that most people are glad he is gone though there are a few who liked him.
I do want to say to my readers - try not to be worried. Things seem as normal here as they ever have been. Bin Laden was born in this country but they took his citizenship away a long time ago. Bin Laden hated the royal family of this country and was an enemy to Saudi Arabia. In 2003 they orchestrated a lot of attacks in Saudi which made the government crack down really hard on terrorism. Within a year they had captured many people. I think these attacks helped many to see just how bad it all really was.
The interesting thing is that the Bin Laden family is very well respected here. Bin Laden's father started a construction company in this country which made the family extremely wealthy. Their company has been responsible for the building of many fine and beautiful projects and they still continue their work today.
I have to say I feel pretty ingorant about how much I didn't know and how much I still don't know about the events of 9/11, about this country, and about the people of the Middle East. I have learned a lot living here but I want to learn more. In this past week I just kept thinking, "I can't believe I am here right now." I never would have thought 10 years ago that I would be living in this country (especially during the events of this week). If somebody had told me I would have said they were crazy.
Like I said, things have continued on as normal. We went to a birthday dinner for some of the other teachers this week which was nice. Some of the students brought huge cakes to school for the birthdays which was really nice as well. My students are well. I was sad to learn that one of my student's jobs is taking him to a different city, so he has to leave the program. He was one of my funniest students too! Chris, Jared, and I went to a Mexican restaurant the other day which was an interesting experience. It was the first time I heard music in a restaurant here in the capital. It was my most interesting "Mexican" experience to be sure.
I was also very happy to learn this week that two of my students from last semester received scholarships to study in New Zealand, and one of my other students got a scholarship to study in Oklahoma. I am extremely excited for them. I don't think any of them have ever left Saudi Arabia before. If they have they have probably never left the Middle East so I feel like this will be one of the greatest experiences of their lives up to this point. Some of my other students are trying to apply to other schools in the US and if they get accepted, I think they government will help them with a scholarship as well. One student is applying to Boise State University. So that makes me very happy.
After looking at these sand dunes isn't it crazy to think that people live here? Saudi Arabia is really an interesting place. It is a miraculous country in a way. Because of the oil it turned one of they most barren lifeless places on Earth into one of the richest and fastest growing economies on Earth. I don't think I will ever live in a place as different as this. There is such a clash of the ancient ways of life and the modern ways of life. This country has changed so much in one century it is hard to predict which it will be like even 20 years from now.
That is all.
I wasn't sure what to expect that day. I thought maybe my students would ask a ton of questions, or my feelings about what happened. I didn't get a single word about it. I did however get the feeling that they were all thinking about it and were hoping I would say something. I knew one student wanted me to talk. He said "Are you good today teacher?" and I said "Yes" and then he said "why are you good?" I told him I was just good. But he kept trying to get me to say why. But I never mentioned anything about Bin Laden's death, and the truth is I wasn't really overjoyed by the death (at least not to the point I would go party in the streets)....just relieved really. For class that day I kept thinking about that saying "the elephant in the room". There was an elephant in the room but nobody would talk about it.
Chris's students were more vocal about the subject. They said they were very happy he was gone. Although some said they felt both good and bad about it. Others of his students don't believe he is really dead. The conspiracy theories sure spread quick. I talked to one student online a few days later. He said he didn't know what to think about it because he doesn't like politics. I told him about the fears of my family and he said that I am safe here and that most people are glad he is gone though there are a few who liked him.
I do want to say to my readers - try not to be worried. Things seem as normal here as they ever have been. Bin Laden was born in this country but they took his citizenship away a long time ago. Bin Laden hated the royal family of this country and was an enemy to Saudi Arabia. In 2003 they orchestrated a lot of attacks in Saudi which made the government crack down really hard on terrorism. Within a year they had captured many people. I think these attacks helped many to see just how bad it all really was.
The interesting thing is that the Bin Laden family is very well respected here. Bin Laden's father started a construction company in this country which made the family extremely wealthy. Their company has been responsible for the building of many fine and beautiful projects and they still continue their work today.
I have to say I feel pretty ingorant about how much I didn't know and how much I still don't know about the events of 9/11, about this country, and about the people of the Middle East. I have learned a lot living here but I want to learn more. In this past week I just kept thinking, "I can't believe I am here right now." I never would have thought 10 years ago that I would be living in this country (especially during the events of this week). If somebody had told me I would have said they were crazy.
Like I said, things have continued on as normal. We went to a birthday dinner for some of the other teachers this week which was nice. Some of the students brought huge cakes to school for the birthdays which was really nice as well. My students are well. I was sad to learn that one of my student's jobs is taking him to a different city, so he has to leave the program. He was one of my funniest students too! Chris, Jared, and I went to a Mexican restaurant the other day which was an interesting experience. It was the first time I heard music in a restaurant here in the capital. It was my most interesting "Mexican" experience to be sure.
I was also very happy to learn this week that two of my students from last semester received scholarships to study in New Zealand, and one of my other students got a scholarship to study in Oklahoma. I am extremely excited for them. I don't think any of them have ever left Saudi Arabia before. If they have they have probably never left the Middle East so I feel like this will be one of the greatest experiences of their lives up to this point. Some of my other students are trying to apply to other schools in the US and if they get accepted, I think they government will help them with a scholarship as well. One student is applying to Boise State University. So that makes me very happy.
After looking at these sand dunes isn't it crazy to think that people live here? Saudi Arabia is really an interesting place. It is a miraculous country in a way. Because of the oil it turned one of they most barren lifeless places on Earth into one of the richest and fastest growing economies on Earth. I don't think I will ever live in a place as different as this. There is such a clash of the ancient ways of life and the modern ways of life. This country has changed so much in one century it is hard to predict which it will be like even 20 years from now.
That is all.
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