2022 Dhahran Teachers' Reunion

2022 Dhahran Teachers' Reunion

BY Aramco ExPats / /

At the end of August an unlikely bunch of 1980’s Aramco teachers, who taught in Dhahran, descended upon the MGM Park, Las Vegas, for a reunion that resembled old home week. Although some of us had not seen each other for nearly 40 years, we picked up right where we left off. Thank you, Aramco and Facebook.

Saudi Arabia to Ireland by Land Rover in 1997: Departure - Part II

Saudi Arabia to Ireland by Land Rover in 1997: Departure - Part II

BY Ian Conlin / /

We leave Ras Tanura with our neighbors and friends yelling ‘goodbye and ma’a salama’. We say farewell to great friends of many years and drive out through the gates for the last time. It is very sad departing a place we have come to really like over the years and a place that has been good to us and for us.

Ful Medames – The Saudi Breakfast of Champions

Ful Medames – The Saudi Breakfast of Champions

BY Brid Beeler / /

On tour in the desert, the early morning is one of my favorite times. The sun is slowly rising, the desert air is crisp and morning dew is visible on the desert flowers. Nothing is more welcoming than the aroma of ful medames cooking on the stove, awaiting hungry guests to emerge from their tents after a good night’s sleep.

Not the May Ball 3 Continues the Tradition of May Balls for Dhahran Rugby Union Football Club

Not the May Ball 3 Continues the Tradition of May Balls for Dhahran Rugby Union Football Club

BY Richard Thom / /

On Saturday 3rd September, three years in the planning and a year later than intended due to the Covid pandemic, 90 former members, friends and supporters of the then Dhahran Rugby Union Football Club (DRUFC) came from the four countries of the United Kingdom and four continents (Asia, America, Europe and Australia) to wine, dine, reminisce and be entertained at Not the May Ball 3, held at the Novotel London West hotel.

Saudi Arabia to Ireland by Land Rover in 1997: Preparation for the Journey - Part I

Saudi Arabia to Ireland by Land Rover in 1997: Preparation for the Journey - Part I

BY Ian Conlin / /

The journey begins on a bright sunny December morning, but then it is always bright and sunny in Saudi Arabia. Noinin and Ian Conlin are suddenly very nervous, unsure of what they are getting into and how it will all end. Maybe it would have been a lot simpler, easier, cheaper, and much safer...

Things Are Rarely the Way They Seem: Vignette from 'Life in the Camel Lane'

Things Are Rarely the Way They Seem: Vignette from 'Life in the Camel Lane'

BY Doreen Cumberford / /

In the multicultural soup we swam, situations would frequently come up where we had to fill in the blanks or make up a story to make sense of the circumstances. Often the story did not match reality. Here is an example of an incident that could happen anywhere in the world...

The Secret Life of Arabian Skullcaps

The Secret Life of Arabian Skullcaps

BY Brid Beeler / /

I have always loved hats. They are the pièce de résistance that puts an elegant finishing touch to an outfit. Let’s face it, certain special occasions, such as a day at the races or a big wedding, just require a good hat if one is to be truly stylish. My interest in all manner of head coverings is such that I even took a two-day class a decade ago with a hat designer!

Spoiled or Disillusioned or Both: Vignette from 'Life in the Camel Lane'

Spoiled or Disillusioned or Both: Vignette from 'Life in the Camel Lane'

BY Doreen Cumberford / /

As promised by the Saudi Aramco website, everything in the community was literally two minutes away. Yes, we had a substantial home, access to small parks within walking distance and the Commissary providing food for the average family. Our house even came with a gardener who adopted us on first sight.

Cruise Door Decorating - Practical and Fun!

Cruise Door Decorating - Practical and Fun!

BY Aramco ExPats / /

The countdown to setting sail on October 31 is on and here’s a tip to make our cruise experience more fun. Aboard the Celebrity Summit, it’s likely our cabin doors will all look alike. Trying to find the correct cabin can be a challenge requiring reading glasses and perhaps a note tucked in your pocket reminding you of the number.

HAFLA Reunion Blast!

HAFLA Reunion Blast!

BY Aramco ExPats / /

Please help the committee by encouraging your family and friends to join the Hafla Reunion Cruise. We are down to the wire and have five staterooms left. Call your best friends to join the party, and give them Roland's telephone number, (305) 248-4649. The more, the merrier! 

The Inner Experience of a Relocation

The Inner Experience of a Relocation

BY Anushka Bose / /

One logistical aspect of life that the Aramco ExPat and the ExPat community at large is more than familiar with, for better or for worse—well mostly worse—is all the strenuous processes that come with moving. Packing up everything you have and moving across the country...

2022 Aramco Hafla Cruise - August 3, 2022 Update

2022 Aramco Hafla Cruise - August 3, 2022 Update

BY Aramco ExPats / /

Our cruise date is approaching quickly, and we will have a HAFLA Reunion Blast! Please remember that your final payment is due on August 8th. Please call Roland at (305) 248-4649. The good news is that starting this week, you no longer have to have a Covid test within 48 hours of boarding. To board, you will need your Covid vaccination card.

The Arabian Jambiya - Art with a Cutting Edge

The Arabian Jambiya - Art with a Cutting Edge

BY Brid Beeler / /

I hate knives! In the cinema, whenever there is a scene with knives being flashed around, I get squeamish and must look away. I have no idea why I hate knives, but I find them truly scary. This makes it difficult to explain why I have a collection of jambiyas, the large, curved daggers of Arabia.

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

Grand Canyon Rafting Trip

BY Aramco ExPats / /

On June 15-21, 2022, a group of 28 Aramco retirees and friends embarked on a week-long whitewater rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. The trip was organized through Grand Canyon Whitewater out of Flagstaff, AZ, and it included 7 days and 6 nights on the beautiful Colorado River in northern Arizona.

Arab Chests from Bill and Mary Eddy

Arab Chests from Bill and Mary Eddy

BY Julia Garvin Costello / /

When my grandparents Mary Garvin and William A. (Bill) Eddy were living in Jidda, Saudi Arabia (1943-1947), they acquired several wooden chests decorated with brass sheeting and studs. Produced in India for hundreds of years, these containers were popular with Arab traders around the Indian Ocean and as far east as China.

Remembering the Joy of Comfort Foods

Remembering the Joy of Comfort Foods

BY Anushka Bose / /

While the visits back to Dhahran during my school breaks were temporary, the joy of comfort foods I enjoyed at the local spots in Dhahran was permanent — never could I forget the taste of my favorite Chicken Tikka Masala from Olive Garden-Tandoori House, and I still, to this day, seek that same taste whenever I order the dish at different restaurants.

Going the Course: Vignette from 'Tales from the Desert: An Arabian Memoir'

Going the Course: Vignette from 'Tales from the Desert: An Arabian Memoir'

BY Stuart Crocker / /

Golf was the love of many Americans and it was no surprise to find that in Dhahran as well as some of the other larger Aramco communities, this sport had been catered for in some rudimentary fashion since the early days. Over the decades, the standard of the courses had gradually improved and areas of hitherto barren sand had undergone a remarkable degree of landscaping…… they were however still sand.

More Decorative Hardhats

More Decorative Hardhats

BY Aramco ExPats / /

Back in 2017, we ran a series of articles featuring decorative hardhats that some Aramcons have been fortunate to count among their possessions. Recently, we received additional photographs from someone who obtained the hardhat in a storage auction purchase.

Diving the Red Sea: Vignette from 'Tales from the Desert: An Arabian Memoir'

Diving the Red Sea: Vignette from 'Tales from the Desert: An Arabian Memoir'

BY Stuart Crocker / /

One of the many benefits of working for Aramco in the diving sense at least, was that we could freely use company aircraft to fly across the country to the Red Sea coast at Yanbu which, similar to the town of Jubail on the Gulf coast, had been transformed from a quiet fishing village into an industrial city with a deepwater port.

My Arabian Tent

My Arabian Tent

BY Brid Beeler / /

I first became intrigued with tents when I discovered a friend in Riyadh had a traditional Saudi tent in one of the rooms in his house! Like many of our homes in Kingdom, the rooms in his house were on the large size. With all that space, you need to be innovative in how to decorate, and he had decided to turn one room off the entry way into a tent.