The festivities continued throughout the night. Young camels and sheep were slaughtered for the evening meal. The men gathered on mats around large trays of Kapsa, rice mixed with spices. Hot camel or mutton, with the bones, was placed on top of the rice. Each man would eat by dipping his right hand into the rice and meat.
How many of you readers can recognize the sound of a safety relief valve popping? Aramco annuitant Dr. Mohammed Ifteqaruddin, Badge Number 140948, can. For thirty-three years, Mohammed dedicated himself to issues relating to safety relief valves at facilities throughout the Kingdom...
One of the biggest hurdles of a Third Culture Kid is maintaining the friendships they formed while living outside their passport country as an expatriate or as a military child, where they spent a significant portion of their lives residing in a foreign country.
About 30 kilometers out of town, the camels had gathered from all over Northern Arabia ready for the 15 kilometer race across the desert. Ann Rhea wanted to go to the starting point so I drove her and her car to that location.
In July 2016, Laurene Ann Opdyke, wife of former Saudi Aramco pilot Richard Opdyke, passed away. While living in the Kingdom from 1980 to 1985 and again from 1997 to 2000, Laurene served as a nurse, dedicating herself to helping others. In loving memory, Richard established the Laurene Ann Opdyke Nursing Scholarship.
I was asked to drive several Aramco women to Sakakah, capital of the al-Jowf area, for the Annual Camel Race. We drove in a vehicle owned by Ann Rhea. Ann was interested in observing local culture.
Before today, we here at AXP have never featured a story about peanut butter. Thanks to Aramco brat Desiree Adams, this is our chance to correct that omission.
Do you feel comfortable making financial decisions, or do you often find yourself asking questions such as “Am I saving enough and in the right place?” Join Reilly Financial Advisors for a complimentary two-day workshop at the Tandoori House, where we provide general financial education, aimed at helping you answer common questions like these.
“Diamante” is the Italian word for diamond. It also happens to be the last name of Giovanni Diamante, Badge Number 160876, a former senior trainer with Saudi Aramco who came to Ras Tanura in 1993 and worked for the company for the next four years as a teacher.
In October 2017, a group of Aramco Brats went on an amazing tour of Jordan and Palestine and to visit Daily Hugz, a nonprofit animal sanctuary founded by fellow Aramco Brat, Maad Abu-Ghazalah (DH 1977).
All too many years ago, when I was an impressionable freshman struggling to adjust to the demands of college academics, I was told a story about one of my professors noted for his unconventional exams. According to the tale I heard, one of his tests in a previous year consisted of a one-word question, “Why?”
If you’re an inveterate world traveler (and what Aramcon worth their salt isn’t?) that’s never visited the United Kingdom city of Bristol, this article may interest you. If you’re also (or instead) one of the growing number of people keeping a bucket list for such things...
Tim Barger died Feb. 15 at his home in Vista, California, leaving a legacy of projects to promote an awareness and understanding of the Middle East that grew out of his own deep roots in the Kingdom.
The recently-concluded Winter Olympic Games in Pyeongchang, South Korea continued a tradition with roots dating back to the eighth century BCE and perhaps two or three centuries further back than that, depending on whose historical arguments you choose to believe.
On March 13, 1944 a daughter was born to Pauline Maier Albrecht and Dietrich Albrecht. She was the youngest of eight children and the first to be born in a hospital. Her name was Dorothy. As a farmer’s daughter, Dorothy spent much of her childhood feeding chickens, milking cows, tending the garden and helping with other farming chores. More often than not, she was barefoot.
Even before arriving in Saudi Arabia as a 22-year-old engineer on my first assignment, I was captivated by the ancient oasis town of Hofuf. It is mentioned in the Bible, and I had read that the old market hadn’t changed much for millennia, so it was one of the places I looked forward to visiting in the Middle East.
Central to the greatness of Saudi Aramco are the talented and dedicated people upon whose shoulders the company has been built. Over the years, tens of thousands of Aramcons—Saudis and ExPats alike—have made manifold contributions to the company’s success.
“Those of us who have survived the Saudi Aramco experience without needing therapy all have fantastic tales to tell.” So, in good humor, wrote Everard (Eddy) Edoo, Badge Number 168957, in a recent email to Aramco ExPats.
We are especially pleased this week to feature a former member of the Aramco family living today in Mangaluru, India—Robinson Palanna, Badge Number 141806.
On January 28, 2018, the Association of Former Saudi Aramco Employees of Lahore, Pakistan gathered for their 127th party at one of the finest hotels in Lahore - Tabbaq. As this was their 4th party of the year, family including children were invited to attend.