Erik Hebert: The Fight Continues
Aramcons are known for their big hearts, as are Aramco brats like Erik Hebert. Born in the Kingdom in 1979, Erik was raised in Dhahran by his parents, prominent annuitants Cindy and Byron Hebert.
Aramcons Challenge the Euphrates, Part V: The Serpent’s Mill
In the most recent installment of this series, a party of Aramcons was about to enter a stretch of the upper Euphrates River in eastern Turkey known as the Serpent’s Mill. We continue here with their story...
Linda Johnson: Volunteering with a Purpose
The mere mention of the name Casablanca instantly conjures up images in the minds of movie buffs the world over of the 1942 Oscar-winning film set in the Moroccan city during World War II and starring Humphrey Bogart...
Aramcons Challenge the Euphrates, Part IV: Into the Kemer Khan
When last we heard from Vicci Turner two installments ago regarding her memories of descending the Upper Euphrates with 10 fellow Aramcons in 1979, they were two days into their adventure and had just entered the stretch of river...
The Seven Wonders of Arabia, Part VI: Rijal Alma—A Wonder to Behold
Since late last year, Aramco ExPats has been publishing installments in a series we call the “Seven Wonders of Arabia.” Five destinations— Madâin Sâlih, the Turaif District in ad-Dir’iyah, historic Jeddah, the Rock Art...
My Khobar Addiction
Every Thursday morning I would be on the Aramco bus to Khobar like clockwork. Even the bus was an adventure because you would meet people from all over the world -- Azerbaijan, Lebanon, Malaysia-- and could strike up an immediate and fascinating conversation.
Unicorns Return to the Rub’ al-Khali
Here’s a bit of good news for young girls the world over who collect unicorn dolls and whose favorite T-shirts and sweatshirts and pajamas all feature colorful images of the mythical creature: Unicorns have reportedly been spotted in the deserts of Saudi Arabia. Really, but not really. Almost, though.
Aramcons Challenge the Euphrates – Part III: Blame Charlie and Richard
Responsibility for the Great Aramcon Assault on the Euphrates River of 1979 rests squarely on the shoulders of Charlie Franck, American ExPat teacher working in Abqaiq at the time for Saudi Aramco, and Richard Bangs...
The Problem with Target Date Funds
No professional Investment Adviser would invest his or her personal money in a target date fund, so why should you? Target date funds are an option to start investing but are too objective in a subjective world. What they do offer is simplicity and instant diversification, something investors just starting to save need access to.
Photo Trip to Dammam and Al-Khobar
With so many things to do at the just-completed reunion in Dhahran, it would have helped if I had been able to clone myself in order to take everything in. Trying to decide which options to choose was perhaps the most difficult task...
Clark Randall's Big Break
I’ll call him Clark Randall. At 18, he volunteered for the Army. In early 1945, he went through basic training and was sent to Ft. Ord in Monterey to be trained as a diesel mechanic. He barely finished his training before the war ended and he was mustered out.
The Seven Wonders of Arabia, Part V: Al-Hasa—The Grandest Oasis of All
In the minds of people the world over, the most romantic, most exotic element associated with the deserts of Arabia are its oases. Images of palm trees swaying in the sultry breeze...
Nearly 600 Attending 2019 KSA Expat Reunion
Over the next week, you may see many excited new faces on the streets throughout the Saudi Aramco residential communities. However, these folks are not newcomers; most have actually had a long connection to the company and the Kingdom.
The Burgundy Bonneville
After I graduated from college, I worked in film and TV for six years before I returned to Arabia in January of 1974 to start up the television department at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. I was one of the first 20 American employees, and the hospital was still being built when I arrived.
From an Eagle Scout in Dhahran to a Doctor in North Carolina: One Brat’s Journey
In the special world that is ExPat life in the Aramco camps of Saudi Arabia, institutions taken for granted by people living elsewhere than in the Kingdom such as Little League baseball, Toastmasters, and Boy Scouts...
Girl Scout Cookies Arrive in Arabia
In 1950, the Girl Scout Cookie sale came to Saudi Arabia for the first time. In the photograph below, fourteen-year old Mariner, Louise Snyder of Stamford, Connecticut, gives cartons of cookies to her father, L.M. Snyder, Vice-President of Arabian American Oil Company, to deliver to the Girl Scouts in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia, 9000 miles away.
Aramcons Challenge the Euphrates – Part II: On to Anatolia
At 9:00 a.m. on the morning of the 26th of April 1979, our undaunted troop of fresh-faced ExPat voyagers grabbed a Saudia flight in Dhahran and flew to Jeddah, where we encountered a planeload of pilgrims from Pakistan...
Mabrook! Embassies Welcome Princess to Ambassadors’ Club
The appointment of Princess Reema bint Bandar as Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US has been welcomed by foreign diplomatic missions in the Kingdom. Princess Reema made history last Saturday when she was appointed to the role, becoming the first Saudi woman to be named ambassador.
Beneath the Oasis
There is stupid, and then there is another category even dumber than stupid. At seventeen, I was pretty much the poster child for beyond stupid though it wasn’t entirely my fault.
The Seven Wonders of Arabia, Part IV: The Rock Art of the Ha'il Region
People unfamiliar with the geological and climate history of the Arabian Peninsula are often surprised to learn that lakes and streams and verdant flora once graced areas where today one finds only...