Not long ago, when we mentioned to an annuitant who’d lived in the Kingdom for close to 30 years that AramcoExPats was planning a series of articles on “The Seven Wonders of Arabia,” she asked the inevitable question most Americans seem pre-programmed to ask in such situations...
In Part One we made camp at the top of Jebel Shamaal and then descended to the mountain’s base to plink bottles and rusty cans in the desert. On the way back up the hill to camp, a classic pellet gun war erupted with the usual disastrous results that your mother always warned you about.
With his recently-published set of colorful recollections, “3,001 Arabian Days: Growing up in an American oil camp in Saudi Arabia (1953-1962), A Memoir,” Aramco Brat and annuitant Rick Snedeker (Badge Number 199932) joins a distinguished list of Aramcons who have captured...
Hamud finished his pitch, and I was about to take the jeep for a spin when the call to evening prayer sounded and the din of the arena began to settle. I pulled out a thousand riyals deposit and said I’d return tomorrow with a friend to check out the mechanicals and close the deal
Two weeks ago, an Aramco ExPats feature on Petra noted that the ancient capital of the Nabataean Empire has been named one of the “new” Seven Wonders of the World. Other countries in the Middle East, not just Jordan with Petra, are awash with stunning historical attractions...
“Do they not look at the camels, how they are made?” [Al-Qur’an 88:17] The horse, the cow, and the camel are the three most important animals in the history of the world. Without any one of them, the story of humankind would have to be rewritten. Without the camel, the story of Islam...
Saudi Aramco Expatriate Schools received more than six-hundred responses to a survey sent to alumni earlier this year. Inspired by the feedback and nostalgic stories we have decided to reach out to you again!
There were a lot of pick-up trucks available, though the Japanese models were too compact for me, and I wanted a back seat. The vehicles most closely to what we now call a SUV were the Chevy Blazer and the Toyota Land Cruiser, but they were new and pricey.
Over the years, legions of ExPats living in the Kingdom and working for Aramco have taken advantage of their close proximity to the famous historical sites of the Middle East to explore their wonders in person. AramcoExPats publisher Vicci Turner was one of them. During her 25 years in Saudi...
In the mid-1970s if there had been an institution of higher learning such as Harvard, Oxford or the Sorbonne that hosted an advanced degree in Automotive Survival there is little doubt that doctorates would have required not only a learned thesis, but also a 90-day residency in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia – a hands-on tutorial in a turbulent driving environment that was part pinball machine, part bumper cars, and always a game of cat and mouse.
They came from far--Portugal, France, Cyprus, Manchester, Orkney, Ireland--and near--Wales, Bristol, Chippenham--to the 7th Ukaramcons reunion in Bristol, September 21-23, 2018. ‘They’ are retirees of many years ready to catch up with old friends, make new friends, reminisce...
Are you looking for a taste of home? Would you like to support an Aramco Brat-run charity helping animals and children in Palestine? Well, you’re in luck! It’s olive harvest season at Daily Hugz! Last year we quickly ran out of our amazing, delicious, green olive oil.
Until 1953 it was legal for Americans to drink alcohol within their compounds. HM King Abdul Aziz ibn Saud granted this privilege to the oilmen in appreciation of their heroic efforts to extinguish the runaway oil fire at Dammam #12 in the summer of 1939.
The creativity and inventiveness of the early civilizations of the Middle East continue to astonish us moderns. Faced with major obstacles to overcome, Sumerians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Arabs, et. al. time and again successfully devised solutions using available materials and know-how.
As co-hosts of the 31st Saudi Aramco Annuitants’ Reunion held last month in Texas, we extend our thanks to the 412 members of our Aramco family who attended the reunion. In particular, we would like to thank the following people who, as members of the Hafla Committee, coordinated various reunion activities:
There’s an old expression dating from the Middle Ages in England that refers to “sending coal to Newcastle” (or, alternately, “carrying coal to Newcastle”). It means to do something that is obviously needless or superfluous. For many hundreds of years, Newcastle-on-Tyne...
On a beautiful sunny Saturday, September 15th, the 5th Aramco reunion was held at the Woodbine Beach Park. Thirty-nine ex-Aramcons, and 8 guests met up for a fun-filled afternoon. Rafiq Syed and his wife were visiting here from Hyderabad, India, and attended the picnic along with their son, daughter-in-law and 3 grandkids.
Houston — The Aramco Services Company (ASC) board has officially inaugurated ASC’s new headquarters in North America. Located in downtown Houston, the building’s top six floors house ASC functions, including Procurement and Logistics, Public Affairs, Upstream, Technical Services, Finance, Law, and Industrial Relations.
There’s an old Gene Autry cowboy song I recall from my grade school days that my classmates and I used to sing and clap along to with unbridled glee. The few lyrics I remember went something like this: The stars at night Are big and bright, (clap, clap, clap, clap) Deep in the heart of Texas...
Milt and I are hunkered in the oleander bushes along the side yard of my house in Dhahran talking about how to blow up Soviet tanks in Budapest.