Happy Hijjra – the Moslem new year. 1428 is gone and 1429 is just begun. There were
celebrations yesterday at school. People wrote the worst incidents of 1428 on sheets of
paper which were put through a shredder. Not a bad way to celebrate a new year.

The Moslem calendar is based on lunar cycles and the beginning of the year as well and
the year itself, are based on the date Allah (God) told the Prophet to move from Mecca to
Medinah, where he is buried in the grand mosque in Madinah.

So, today is the second day of 1429 and the 10th day of January. And something
miraculous happened. It rained. We haven’t had rain in over a year. For a brief while it
poured. The skies are still cloudy, but the streets and patios of the compound are drying
rapidly.

It is winter here. A joke for any of us from northern climes. But, the weather has been
beautiful – upper 70s. Breezy. Low humidity. Locals complain about the cold. It’s great.

School has started again. I swear these fall semesters are unending. Two more weeks of
classes, then two weeks of final exams. We started the 10th of September.

Incoming crop of freshmen are super. We have had lots of fun.

Here, security has been beefed up for a variety of reasons. Some Al Qaeda activity in
Jeddah – 28 guys were picked up over Hajj. They were going to bomb some of the holy
places around Mecca and Medinah. Another bust at a local compound has pulled the
strings tighter. More check points. More car searches. I am looking forward to going
home, I admit. Not that it is that dangerous, but I fantasize about jumping in my car,
driving to Wal-Mart, then stopping by a friends house on the way home.

I told one of my Saudi friends that the country is finally beginning to get to me. She said
– congratulations, you are now a Saudi. But I can go home, says I, because I am not
Saudi.

On the yippee front, I am now able to get Minnesota Public Radio on iTunes. I probably
could have gotten it years ago, I just didn’t understand that simple feature of the program.

Music club is dwindling. It always does because students find out that fingers get sore
and practice is a must.

I have been watching the beginnings of the primaries with great interest. I look forward to
voting in the election next fall.

I think Bush believes that "the surge" is working. Maybe. I just think there is a lull in the
sectarian violence. I wait for the day that moderate muslims decide that somebody
claiming to be muslim and wants to blow up holy places in Mecca is not on the side of
Islam. This time of year, the new year, the solidarity of Islam is part of the practice.
Because unity is so important, I think moderates are less likely to go against extremists,
even though they don’t agree with the extremist points of view.

Happy (both) new years to everyone.

Oh – general celebration that the King pardoned the young raped woman. Conservatives
have put the lean on our school so the next exhibition will be strictly segregated.

More later.

Jan. 24.
My Dad’s birthday. I miss him.

We have had quite a bit of rain. The skies have been very cloudy and the rain floods the
streets a bit. People don’t drive well in dry clear weather, the rain makes things worse.

Jan 25,
More rain. It’s getting down right tropical….

Cultural differences:
One of our colleagues is very ill. She is from the Western Hemisphere, and like most of
us want to be left alone when very ill. The tradition here is "sitters" where family and
friends take turn sitting with the person. In fact, anyone who cares can sit with the person.
So, our colleagues was inundated with caring Muslims. She, being western, felt obligated
to be hospitable to them. Talk, talk. This brought forth discussion the next day at school.
We appeared uncaring because we weren’t there and we saw them as inconsiderate.
Interesting, eh? So after further conversation, the "sitters" realized the difference in
perceptions as did we. But since the college was sick, all visitors have been turned away
as she got sicker and eventually ended up in a major cardiac unit here in town.

We also had to hold an exhibition using the old-old rules of Saudi. The turn out was
rather poor for those who qualified to attend. Whereas we still see constrictions "the new
way", this was a reminder of how things used to be and it irritated quite a few of the
students.

I willl turn in my notice of non-renewel next week. I am coming home end of June for at
least a year. We are so short handed that we will be teaching six courses a piece…
maybe more next semester plus we have the opportunity to take a course online through
Harvard’s grad school of education.

Going to be a very busy semester. I will have to cancel music club.

Look forward to cold weather. Snow.

S of a

Zack and I appreciate your support.

Thanks!

Bill

Faculty artist piano & composition recital features works by Beethoven, Chopin, and a premiere performance of Wegren’s Triumph for piano/synthesizer, electric guitar, bass guitar, drum set, two altos, and tenor.

Wegren composed TRIUMPH at the Visualization and Digital Imaging Lab using the Kurzweil synthesizer.

The actual marriage takes place when the father of the bride meets with the groom and
his father and a maazoom, a muslim cleric. The papers are signed. It is a done deal.
Within Islam, the couple could start sleeping together. By Saudi tradition, they are
married, but cannot cohabitate or have sex until the wedding feast. The feast can follow
the paper signing immediately or be put off for years. If the couple decide to not have the
feast, they have to get a legal divorce. Sometimes there is an engagement party, but that
celebrates the soon to be signing of the paper or something like that.

I admit I kept waiting for the culminating moment when the crowd burst into applause.
Nope. Not a local custom. No one stood at a certain time. A great time was had by all!!!!

Another topic:
Someone told me recently that drinking diet soda causes brain damage. Other than the
fact that it rotting my teeth and adding unwanted weight, I had not heard about brain
damage. The broader view, however, proves that my memory (what’s that?) is getting
worse and worse.

This semester I have 80 new students. Egad. Remembering names and faces is so hard. I
wonder if the two are related.

Ironically, the head of the nursing school sent out a paper on improving their memories. I
noticed the first suggestion is to tell yourself to remember it. This is the exact opposite of
my telling myself – oh, crumb, I have to remember all of this.

Wednesday nite I went another dinner theatre. It was hysterical. A British comedy called
"Natural Causes" about an assisted suicide to be performed by a guy from "Exodus".
The meal was very nice. I was going to say quite nice, but my British friends tell me that
"quite good" means not very good.

Anyway, the play was very funny – black humor about death and dying. Hoho

Last night was Thanksgiving. I ordered three turkeys and made 4 loaves of bread worth
of stuffing. I was lots of fun. The rec room on the compound has really taken a beating
though from earlier parties and the compound kids who have treated it harshly. No fridge
anymore and the stove was horrible. It boiled on every setting… At least the gravy was
hot. Not as many people came as last year. One group had a "by invitation only"
Thanksgiving by the pool. Kinda weird,

The meal and the company were terrific. One guy works for Mazolla here in the Middle
East. He brought some presents for people – t-shirt, oil and mayo. First Thanksgiving
I’ve ever attended where there were gifts. I love the cultural mixes here.

Today, my legs ache and I am relieved that soup makers have the carcasses, extra turkey
doled out with a supply for my lunches next week.

The compound chicken
So, I noticed a chicken (live) panting under a tree a few weeks ago. It was not afraid of
me when I walked by. I asked another resident about said chicken. He didn’t know about
it either, except that some of the guys had designs on it. Later, I found out that one of the
assistant managers purchased two chickens. When he butchered the one, he saw a tear go
down the cheek of the other one, so he doesn’t have the heart to butcher it. It is now
named Coo-Coo. It follows his wife as she works about the compound and scratches at
the door if he isn’t out at his normal time to go to work.

The square dancing group put on a demonstration at another compound’s Tday dinner
yesterday afternoon – another reason the day was so hectic. That went well too. I sure do
enjoy square dancing. We have a new group of students who are learning very quicklcy.
One couple is from Minnesota.

School is very busy. There are the regular classes as well as accreditation papers with an
upcoming visit by U.S. officials. This is for U.S. accreditation. That has made classes
longer, so the workload is heavier. I am tired most of the time, but faculty 15 years
younger than I am complain about it, so I guess I’m not doin’ too bad.

November 30
Egad, I’ve been trying to get back to this without much luck.

I recently noticed that all the pick up trucks in Jeddah are white. White with detailing,
white with logos, but white none-the-less. Since I started trying to confirm this discovery,
I have seen a silver pickup with detailing around the box. Then I saw anothing silver one
with the same detailing. It could be the same truck.

A U.S. Congressional delegation was in Jeddah on Wednesday. They visited our school. I
met a very astute woman from John Conyers (D-Michigan) office. I was very proud of
the accomplishments listed in the presentation made about our college. We are making a
difference and will continue to do so.

Our dean said we will open the first driving school for women in S.A. The guys need to
learn how to drive, trust me.

The press is controlled here, but Saudi is making the news worldwide, thus I can keep up
by watching CNN, BBC and MSN. The 200 lashes case is now being discussed in local
media – which means someone has allowed it.

Quite a few of my students are very embarrassed that this has happened. A few thought
she must have done something (adultery) to get this punishment. One report said that she
staged a protest or wrote an open letter demanding that women drive. This means she is
"uppity".

The retired judge who appeared on one of the discussions must be a mutawa – no
headband and a long beard. He talked about protecting the marriage bed for the husband.
Some, he missed, that the marriage bed had already been destroyed by a gang rape. It
takes the pleasure out of being close. And then add 200 lashes (no back) and that further
diminishes the desire to be close to anyone.

Her lawyer is right – this case could help institute the changes in the legal system the
King wants. He has just established a council to protect women’s rights. Within Islam,
women have equal rights with men. It is local cultural traditions which put women in a
submissive, objective position. I have said it is over protection, in many cases. I still
believe that. Anyone who has been overprotected knows how awful that feels.

Anyway, because of the international media attention, I do hope the woman does not
have to serve a sentence or get 200 lashes. Lashing is common here, though. I don’t kow
if they have probation.

On a lighter note, music club has started again. There was a mob scene last week. I feel
overwhelmed. A good feeling though – knowing that the students who play are finding
each other – they can keep the club going.

S of A

Well, folks, last night I attended a Saudi wedding. Wow. I had heard they were amazing. A student got married. She is really sweet and has had a heck of a life so far, so I wish her the best in her marriage.

I went with two colleagues who are Saudi. I felt a little awkward at first because I do not have the kind of clothing one wears to a Saudi wedding. As Basma said, wear what you would wear on a red carpet. In case you hadn’t noticed, I am not the red carpet type. So, I settled for a Maylasian bahti (batiked silk)… relied on the Saudi acceptance that foreigners try their best and away we went.

The affair was held at a wedding ballroom complex. The men with the groom were on one side. I assume they eat at dance.

The women were together, dancing to an Arabian women’s band playing all kinds of Arabian music. I have never seen so many elegant gowns. I learned two different Arabian dances. It was great.

Then the lights dimmed. The bride appeared through a curtain, then slowly walked to an area against the far wall in the center of the festitivities. She eventually arrived at the top floor of the platform, where she sat on a large white couch. This was videoed and photographed by a crew of female photographers. Everyone sat and watched this with interest. I asked if we were to stand up when the bride entered. No, says they.

After a time, The dancing started again. Her family came up to congratulate her. Then friends, then everyone else… I was part of the teachers crowd.

So, more dancing. Meanwhile, serving staff brought around trays of finger foods, Arabian coffee, cappuccino, tea, and juice drinks.

These affairs run into the night. We got there about 11:00. The bride appeared about a half hour later. Then an hour after that (I think), the lights dimmed again. The women, who had been dancing in their gowns, dawned abayas, or at least scarves to cover heads or bare parts.

Suddenly the curtains opened without much fanfare. The groom and his male relatives walked through the same curtains that the bride originally used. They approached the bride on the platform. Everyone greeted everyone (kiss, kiss), then the female relatives of the groom joined the stage after all the male courtage left. The bridge and groom sat on the couch as the female relatives danced. There was no other dancing when the groom was in the room.

After a time, they left the platform, toured an area of the ballroom that had been walled off, then left. Bless them.

The partitions were moved away revealed a feast set for royalty. No kidding. I have never seen so much beautiful food with remarkable presentation in my life. Three sushi bars, so much food of different types, I was stunned and hard pressed to choose something reasonable. By this time it was 1:30 – 2:00 in the morning. I have never eaten a large formal meal at that time, so I kept the selections small.

The deep fried prawns were exceptional. I thought about having more of them, but did not want to be a pig about it.

There were huge amounts of food left. Quite a few people left before the meal. I asked one of the ladies what they did with the left over food. They give it to charity.

I don’t think anyone had a piece of cake. It was magnificent, rising four deep tiers or so with a stiff frosting that extended from the sides of the tiers. It looked like it could fly away.

This was a real treat. Well worth the late night.

Another benefit for me personally, was being with the students from my first semester of teaching here. Most of the girls from my first 3D graphics class were there as friends of the bride. They insisted that I sit with them. The two women who took me to this event are former students who are now Tas at the school. It was a thrill to hear about their new adventures in Jeddah, working in the design community.

Talking was limited to time between songs. Egad, the music was loud.

So, a totally grand time was had by all.

The semester is well underway. We celebrated a club fair on Wednesday. I again am advising Music Club and to my great joy, there are more guitar players surfacing along with some keyboard players. Other members want to learn piano and perhaps violin. One girl wants to learn classical guitar. The only person I know who could teach that is my brother-in-law in Michiga. He is a) male and b) a touch far away.

Anyway, the night before a fellow in the compound (my bridge partner, as a matter of fact) gave me an Egyptian tabla (drum) in exchange for my teaching him guitar. I took the tabla to school yesterday as a part of the music club booth. A member from last year, who’s name and face I had forgotten (heavy sigh), attached herself to the drum and played magnificently. Another girl played myguitar and bystanders banged on tambourines and the bongo drum I picked up last year. They all played and sang Arabic songs for nearly two hours. Other people clapped along. I didn’t have to do anything except help sign people up for the club. I am thrilled. I have asked if another faculty member will be a co-advisor. I want someone to continue the tradition when I leave. With the girls all over this, it will survive into the future on its own momentum.

On another note – a flat one actually, I see the King is getting flack from folks in the UK. I read a report that the liberals are against him because of the torture of women here.
?
?
It is true that there are limitations and I wouldn’t be surprised if women are physically harmed here. But women are harmed everywhere. The leading cause of death in the U.S. among pregnant women is being murdered by husbands or boyfriends…. The second cause of death is cardiac…

Bride burnings in India.

The way women are treated in Afghanistan is horrendous and our fearless leader like the Taliban before 9/11 anyway.

You get my drift.

So, I think it is crummy that the guy is being put down when he and King Abdullah of Jordan are two fellows who are trying to make a difference here. Osama has price on the King’s head – did I tell you that already?

Anyway, the school continues to grow. We had a convocation this week. The dean listed out the college achievements in the past two years. It is impressive. The school is adding new tracts, including diplomacy so that future female amabassadors will come for us. There is a new law (prelaw) major and a couple of master’s programs on the horizon. Rather remarkable for a school that is nine years old. It is a great honor to be a part of this institution and the changes it has already brought to Saudi Arabia.

The King is trying to move Saudi into the 21 century with ties to the cultural past, but moving into an information age. One of the Princes wrote an article in the Arab News last spring calling for an end to gender segregation in the Kingdom. It is no longer needed, he pointed out, as women enter the work force and will be driving very soon.

So, that’s the latest from the desert.

Salam

S of a

Hey, the world is full of little victories. I have another computer which successfully
allows me to use Skype without me sounding like a verizon commercial. There are still
some bugs to work out … and I can now listen to Minnesota Public Radio. Yippee.

So, I just finished listening to the local station that plays Arabic music and now listening
to something wonderfully baroque…. Life is good.

I’ve been here 10 days, square danced twice, scrabbled nearly every day. First day back I
was clobbered 915 to 556 (super scrabble, more tiles and quadruple score squares).

Customs went rather well. At first they complained about something when looking at my
passport so I thought they questioned my citizenship. No red ink, I finally understood. I
had filled out the form in red ink – a no no. I was told later it is a throwback to
communism. Once I filled out the form in black, it went very smoothly. I did receive
some minor scrapes and bumps in the line around the baggage claim machine.

I had to rework my office and I admit the first days back at work have been filled with
hugs and coffee. The main cafeteria is closed. We have a Coffee Bean (like starbucks) on
campus. The ladies came in to get set up for the start of school, but they made the mistake
of leaving there door unlocked. A small herd of us walked in and the marketing teacher in
the herd convinced them to open since we were thirsty and starving. So, the first day
there were some kinds of coffee and the ladies who work there haven’t spoken English in
two months. The most challenging part of the first week at work was communicating
with the Coffee Bean staff. But one must understand when there is a will there is a
way… and when humans decide there is mutual trust it is even better. So, I paid for
breakfast (for 2 of us) with a 50 riyal bill; the lady had no change. So she wrote 16 on a
piece of paper. Later in the day I went down for another coffee and something, and paid
for it with a piece of paper with 16 written on it along with some more cash.

I look forward to seeing some students next week. We are registering freshmen next
week as well. I hope they will let us cap enrollment at 40 – no more than 50. We are still
short faculty – so any MA or MFA female is interested, let me know.

The world is an amazing place. When I came back to the US, the first new thing I saw
was Coke Plus. What’s that? Coke with vitamins and minterals. An oxymoron if you ask
me. Her a company is making a sorbet, either raspberry, lemon/lime or mango. Oooooo
are they good. The company name is Miranda (I think). I did find flavored water in the
US that was not carbonated and sugar free. I hope to find it here, too, so I will be
encouraged to quit diet Pepsi. Pepsi, by the way, is a much bigger brand here than Coke.

My dishwasher died while I was gone. They brought in another one from an empty villa.
The guys hooked it up and within minutes they were shutting it down and running for the
mop. So, #2 was hauled out. Good that I got used to handwashing dishes in the States. No
choice, as my dishwasher died just after I came to Saudi Arabia in 2005.

Oh – a new restaurant opened a couple weeks ago: UNO Chicago Grill. I guess it is
American chain, but it is very good. One of the desserts is beyond brilliant – a chocolate
/peanut butter filling on an oreo cookie crust with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, covered
with chocolate and peanut butter sauces… ooooooooooooooo.

They also have the first pizza "pie" I’ve had since I left Kansas City in 1968. It is more
like a pie shell filled with the topping and cheese. Yum.

Recognizing that I am back in the land of carbs and great food, I have walked the track
once (sort of), danced twice and gone swimming.

Swimming – there I admit I am spoiled. I have always like warm water – a bit of a wuss
when it comes to cold water. I don’t like the adjustment period. The pool water is hot. It
would kill yeast. I thrive in that kind of water….

Otherwise, the world is good. The Kings Abdullah continue to press for peace and
understanding in the Middle East.

Sept 7

Friday. School begins tomorrow. Most of the freshman still haven’t registered yet.. I
expect next week to be a bit zooey…

Did I ever tell you that potato chips are in the ethnic food aisle of the super market?

The stores are preparing for Ramadan – a month long celebration. No one eats or drinks
between sunrise and sunset. It marks the month that the Archangel Gabriel started
dictating the Koran to Mohamed. (The Prophet)

There is a special colorful cloth that merchants use to decorate the entrances of their
stores. May stores hold drawings for gifts. One store is raffling off a Mercedes. This is a
time of generosity also. As Eid (the end of fasting approaches) merchants pile bags of
rice on the corners of streets for the poor to take.

This time I did not have visa trouble getting in, nor did Ms. K, the one who usually has
visa trouble. But, for those getting work visas this year, a last minute form has faculty
stranded in Canada, Jorden and Godknows where else.

Again, good see everyone this summer.

S of a

Time.

Part of my decision to return home was based on the lack of civility of the department,
and when it looked like that wasn’t going to happen, it was better to just go home. Hallas,
as they say here. Be done. So, I resigned with the full intent of going home and teaching
at UMD. I was in the term faculty pool. Bibi Jeddah.

Part of me didn’t want to leave, but I was going to do so. Didn’t feel comfortable within
my own skin.

Time ticks on… tick tick.

The fall acting director resigned. She has been put in an awful situation anyway, and Dr.
Suhair (the Dean of the college) was in our faculty meeting announcing departmental
changes. As a part of that she talked about goals. And if one’s goals have been met, find
new goals.

On "find new goals", it hit. I have been going through a midlife crisis for months. I have
been so tired and felt so old, I related it to turning 60. One of my colleagues had said she
said she felt old, she is 44. Working in drama and conflict does that to you, she says. So,
when Suhair mentioned new goals, I realized I didn’t have any new goals and that, weird
as it may seem, I was heading home with the thought of sliding to the finish. That I would
die. Put out to pasture. Who knows.

Die?

Sure, someday, but my health, thank God, is great. After the meeting Dr. Suhair again,
outside the meeting room, asked me again if I would reconsider staying. In the meantime
I noticed I wasn’t scheduled for any classes this fall at UMD yet, so I could back out of
teaching next fall gracefully. I told her yes.

Two days later I passed out my withdrawl of resignation letter. Turned out that no one
processed the original resignation letter. Administration hoped I would change my mind.

So, the deed is done. I am here. Here for a while. I don’t know how long. I know this is
hard on my family in the states as my kids really looked forward to me being home. In
this case, the good job is a long way from the U.S. What can I say? And it is a job at a
groundbreaking institution in a Kingdom that is rapidly changing.

I have now established residency here for tax purposes, so I can be in the US longer than
before. I have my flight arrangements for June 17 – arriving in Mpls. I’m going to spend
time with Jen, then head north with Jake.. I will return here Aug 19th.

Since making this decision, time has flown. \We are in the second semester, now with a
week break. I have looked forward to this break for catching up on rest, completing
courses for the semester and beginning work on my new creative (based on MFA)
projects.

A local Sheikh has expressed interest in backing the development of many 3 sec to 15
minute animations, films, whatever, with the hope of reducing the level of violence in the
middle east. Since he owns a vast TV cable/satillite system in the middle east, he can run
these on his TV stations. My 60s change the world blood ran hot to anticipation.

Music Club continues. It has taken a new twist. New students are from America and the
regulars are from all over the Middle East. They are not read hip on practicing, so I’ve
taken to playing the music and they sing. (We all sing.) I have started picking up other
musical instruments – drums, bongos, tambourines, etc.

I went to Taif, a city near Mekka. It is mountainous. Met a herd of camels and a troup of
baboons. Photos attached.

See you all in June.

S of A

Hope you all had a great Christmas. I bought myself a 12-string guitar and a computer
Scrabble game. I do not have any plans for New Year’s Eve.

Once I told you there were no privately owned airplanes in Saudi… I was wrong. There
are no SMALL privately owned airplanes here, but there are a lot of privately owned
747s set up with dance floors, business center, wow.

It is Friday with Saddam heading to the gallows, perhaps as early as today. I know the
guy killed lots of people, but it has an eerie feel to it. No sitting on death row for 14 years
for him. And, sounds like it will spawn more violence. More violence.

January 1.

Saddam is gone. It is very sad that those who executed him chose to take the lower road
by heckling him as they got ready to kill him. Don’t think any of this will end until
people realize that more blood won’t solve anything.

Hey – on a brighter note, did I even tell you that the ads on TV here usually are not about
products? Nope. Programming announcements, previews of movies on other channels.
There are a few. Some are really excellent – on empowering women (a Care.org
commercial) and AID/HIV alerts. Mercedes Benz has a short one about their armored
cars.

Other ads suggest traveling to other countries: Armenia, Croatia, Malta,Egypt, India,
Hong Kong, Singapore and some African countries. Other advertisers want people to
invest in countries. Nigeria and Poland for instance. The Kuwait Fund boasts investment
in African countries which are helping pull Africa out of poverty.

January 2, 2007
Well, whoever allowed partisan Shiites to participate in the execution goofed. Apparently
the executioners danced around the body. Not good.

I was quite disturbed while watching a BBC end of the year/next year discussion group.
Two panelists were adamant that Saudi Arabia is a very negative influence in the region.
One accused it, again, of state sponsored terrorism and being the source of Al Qaeda.
The government here goes to great extremes to find Al Quaeda people and though there
maybe individuals who contribute to that cause, I’m sure, if caught, they are stopped. Bin
Laden wants to over throw the royal family and install a fundamentalist Islamic
government.. There may be conservatives here who want that, but no one I know. Jeddah
is a more liberal city. The King wants to modernize some of the policies here. Dar Al
Hekma could not exist under a fundamentalist regime.

I’ve only been here 16 months. That doesn’t make me a middle east expert… I know that.
But, Saudi Arabia is not the evil country some people try to make it and neither are the
Saudi people. Dunno. Lots of sabre rattling. Doesn’t help that the King did say they
would support Sunnis in Iraq. Since Saudi Arabia is an ally of the US, that is seen as a
viable threat. It is true the Saudi government does not want to have a Shiite country (with
the Sunnis having been eradicated) being on a Northern border. The Saudis fear that
country with the help of Iran would invade Saudi Arabia.

If the current government in Iraq wants to unify the country, the PM is going about it the
wrong way.

So, 2007 is here. Somehow we made it into another year. Oh – one of my students
created a newsletter (the actual assignment for Editorial and Book Design, they could
pick their own topics) on war – keeping score on all the conflicts around the world. The
tagline is: War Watchers.

Hugs
S of A