What It’s Like To Teach and Live in Saudia Arabia

From Lorna Macdonald, B.A. ‘02, M.A. Education ‘10, Graduate Teacher Prep ‘11:

“First, you must forget all of the Hollywood hype and news propaganda about the foreign country of Saudi Arabia. This will allow you to experience the place and the people freshly, and without jumping in right away and calling an action or habit of Riyadh life either intentional or negative. All of those who thrive here have a saying “Oh that’s Riyadh” (That’s the norm). Yes there are still camels and men in traditional head wear- the difference is now the men are driving their SUV’s alongside the camels in the desert, and not riding them! Camels are valued here and despite appearing in a loosely corralled pen, dwarfed by the surrounding desert, some of these camels, I am told, would cost more than a garage of new luxury cars! There are also camel races, which much like the greyhound race or Ostridge races, are unmanned.

The Abaya and the Mall
“When I swish across the street in my abaya and tennis shoes, to the very large French grocery store, Carrefore, which is at a smaller mall ( about the size of 2 Northgate Malls), I buy things I buy at home: Dove hair shampoo, Colegate tooth paste, and if I had a mind to, Doritos or Lay’s potato chips (all packaged and with TV advertisements for the local market).  I also enjoy, thanks to the vast number of Expats who shop at Carrefore, the best quality of fruits and vegetables in the city. Unlike the small local shops I pay the same price that I would in the USA for them.

“Swish is a good name for the walk across the street BTW as the abaya comes all the way down across the tops of your feet and swishes as you walk collecting the tan-red fine sand as you go. At the beginning of the winter season it rained twice for about 10 minutes in prelude to the two days of rain that concluded the rainfall for the year. Rain here, when it happens, is like the local version of the snow day in Seattle, or a hurricane day in Florida. There is no drainage system and flooding is a natural event each year during the two days of rain. I went across the street to the mall, tiptoeing through four inches of collected water and when I came out I had to take a taxi across the street because in a matter of minutes the water was shin deep.

“Before moving on to the academic milieu, I would like to give you a mini snapshot of city life in Riyadh. There are 4 -5 lane highways stretching across the desert. There is a unique feature of the city streets and that is the 6 inch barrier median, that is 3-4 feet wide, stretched for sometimes a mile at a time without a break. The roads are a series of U-turns. It may seem odd that you cannot make a turn until you begin to realize that there are no traffic rules or driving exams to pass before you can drive. I am confident that thousands of lives are saved each year with this unique feature.

“Much similar to many other places in the developed world we have Starbucks, Applebee’s, Friday’s, and a local favorite, McDonalds. These are uniquely tailored for Riyadh.   At Applebee’s, in addition to what you might call the western section with regular booths, there is a local section which consists of curtained booths for the families. Visiting a local traditional-style restaurant often involves finding the side entrance for the women. The front entrance, which we now call the ‘Mentrance’, is for the men dining without their families. The mall can be covered at a later time and is a variation on the restaurant style.

“When I arrived mid-October I thought it was miles across to the mall (a 3 minute walk) because the temperature was 90 degrees and above. From November until now (February) Riyadh is windblown and ranges from 30 degrees F at night, to (now) 84 degrees F. It has been normally, by late afternoon, between 65 degrees and 70 these past months. The classic desert sandstorm is greatly inhibited by Riyadh’s vast city structure. You know there has been one at night because the fine sand will come through any small space at the windows or air conditioners and cover the dressers and night tables at night. Only one larger storm has happened and it literally dusted the cars in a blanket of the fine sand.

Academic Culture
“There are many Universities here in Riyadh. Education is a high priority and it serves a very practical purpose of keeping the young people off the streets. You cannot make any comparison to the University culture in Seattle and throughout the USA, to the University life here in Riyadh. This is one case in which you must hold back your construction of your opinion until you have a fuller view of the culture.

“Our campus is, of course, all female which I find I really enjoy.  Five minutes inside the door and sometimes about 15 steps for the girls, all the abaya’s that are mandatory throughout Riyadh for females outside their home, come off.  Unlike the Scottish traditions, beneath the abaya you find normal, if very nicely dressed and polished, girls in their late teens 18-19 years old.   Pictures, if they were allowed, would show a mini- cosmopolitan community of Middle Eastern family origins. Bedouin, classic Egyptian (some say Hollywood Egyptian), and many fair skinned origins; olive to very fair etc. All skirts are floor length and nearly all of the girls are in flat and comfortable shoes.

“The girls are group oriented and continually - what I have come to fondly think of them as – chatty-chirpy. Do not believe any of the media – these are no wallflowers! There is a range of the girls being quiet when it comes to English, to bold with girls that could hold their own in any situation that called for negotiation. This last point is the bain of the new English teacher! It is common, when they want something, for them to create a solid wall of girls around you. This is especially true when the grades come out after exams. They are usually in groups of three to five and seldom roam the halls in single numbers. It is very infrequent that you will find discord between the girls; they smile and laugh and chat nearly non-stop. This may be due in part to the culture of coffee.  Seattle has nothing on Riyadh in the way of coffee consumption!

“There is no way in a short space to describe the experience you will have at the University and in the classroom; you have to be here to understand the complex set of circumstance and factors that you will have to contend with (without ceasing) throughout the quarter. I still remember the sense of disbelief at the close of the semester, after the classes were finished and exams invigilated, of surprise and relief that I survived the experience. It is no overstatement to say that many times I felt I could walk out the door and arrive at the airport to board a plane and fly straight home. This is what made the relief so great at the end of the semester, and intermingled with this the joy of being glad that I did stay to teach again.

“What lingers strongly in my mind, when sorting through my impressions of last semester, is the awareness that there is no competition when it comes to a group of girls that can stretch out a task! One example would be the hour and 30 minutes for them to open their e-mail accounts and send me an e-mail. Sometimes it required that I move from computer to computer and type my e-mail address in myself! Most memorable is the texting tag team when the girls had a score to settle with a teacher! This would create a network of girls who could torment you with endless insipid requests to leave class or go to the restroom! Lesson or not this would usually take place repeating in 2 minute intervals until you thought you might just walk out and go to the restroom yourself!

“I now have level 4 girls, as we have begun a new semester with new groups of girls, and as far removed from my remedial girls as I could be, I informed my level 4’s today they would be working on their own for the first hour of class tomorrow on writing and finishing their book work. The range of self- direction here is from having to daily remind them to put their name and section on their paper before handing it in, to girls who, when watched, will complete the classwork about 65% more quickly!

“For those who departed I feel that perhaps it was the feeling that things would not get better, could not get better! I am joyful to report that some of the mammoth academic issues of last semester have in fact been adequately addressed and those that will follow will only have to take our word for it on the ‘legends’ surrounding semester one at the East Campus of KSU in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Though there is a steady flow of new faces, there are also groups of teachers who have banded together and are working hard each day to help shape the future of education in Riyadh Saudi Arabia – this includes English and Arabic teachers, English speaking and Arabic speaking administrative staff members. Our current reforms come from above and, I am told, are the gifts from the new Dean! In my estimation this is a man who deserves a Nobel Peace Award!”

Integrated Dance Classes for Children

Meghan Sissom, M.A. Education ‘11, has upcoming Integrated Dance sessions starting this Saturday May 5th and running every Saturday through June 9th from 1-2pm at the Creative Dance Center. This class is for children ages 5-8. Here is the link to her flyer with all the details:

integrateddanceclassflyer_2012-14

Fremont Solstice Celebration at Gas Works Park on June 16

From Wendy McQuire, B.A. ‘96, M. A. Whole Systems Design Student:

What do Creativity, Joy, Democracy and Love all have in common?

People Power! Let’s create and play at the Fremont Solstice Celebration at Gas Works on June 16!

We the People Power is a celebration of creativity, sustainable living, civic engagement and grassroots democracy, with hands-on fun for everyone! Building on the excitement of the 24th Annual Solstice
Parade*, we invite you to create and play, discover a personal passion, connect with others who share that passion, and get involved in making a positive difference in our community.

Are you passionate about Art? Sustainability? Grassroots Democracy? Health? Wellness? Caring for the Earth? Do you want to work with others to celebrate and share that passion with the larger community? Come to the Open House to learn more, meet co-collaborators, have fun and get involved!

WE THE PEOPLE POWER OPEN HOUSE

7-9 pm

Monday, April 30, 2012

OmCulture

2210 N. Pacific Street

Seattle, WA 98103

For more information, please visit the “We the People Power” Facebook page and/or contact peoplepowerseattle@gmail.com

We believe that “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” thrive in a culture of civic engagement,
so we invite you to play and create and discover your passion!

* We the People Power is part of the Solstice Celebration at Gas Works Park on Saturday, June 16, 2012 from 1pm – 7pm. The Fremont Solstice Parade and Celebration is hosted by the Fremont Arts Council. For more information about the Fremont Solstice Parade and Celebration, please visit: www.fremontartscouncil.org or on Facebook at “Fremont Arts Council.”

Alumna Looking For Books

Fellow Antioch Alumni, I’m working with low income individuals at the Theodora, a HUD property
and assisted living facility operated by the Volunteers of America. Even though we have a public library next door, we have a in house library that quite frankly is ancient. I’d like to re do the in house library to make it easier and user friendly for residents with disabilities who find it difficult to walk to the public library.

I’m looking for used paperback and hardback books in excellent condition in all genres i.e. fiction, non fiction, history, biographies,science fiction, special interest i.e. the whole gamut. Current or former New York Times bestsellers are ideal. Also, anything by John Grisham.

I appreciate you spreading the word if you can!

Sandra Mears, B.A. ‘91
Resident Services Coordinator
206-696-7898

Presentation at Sammamish Valley Sharecropper’s Garden

From Cynthia Swenson, M.A. Education ‘08, Current M.A. Environment & Community student:

Hi Eric. The link below is an event were I will be presenting The
Sharecroppers Garden in the Sammamish Valley.

http://www.ecy.wa.gov/puget_sound/stormthesound2012central.html

Alumnus Co-Teaching “Bringing Baby Home” Workshop

From Brien Wood, M.A. Psychology ‘05:

My wife and I lead a Gottman created workshop called, “Bringing Baby Home Workshop” and I would like to let fellow Antioch alumni know about it in case they have clients or friends looking for research based couples and parenting workshop. Here is the information:

“The greatest gift you can give your child is a strong relationship between the two of you.”
John Gottman, PhD

Certified Gottman Parent Educators Evonne Noble and Brien Wood are offering “Bringing Baby Home” workshops for parents of infants, expecting parents, and couples considering parenthood.

What is the Bringing Baby Home workshop?
In a relaxed and supportive environment we will help lay the foundation upon which you can build a solid relationship, feel confident of your parenting skills, and be prepared for your baby’s development. Developed by the renowned relationship and parenting researchers Dr. John Gottman and Julie Gottman, this workshop will help you build a nurturing home environment, develop positive conflict regulation skills, and become powerful team emotion coaches for your children.

You will learn how to:
- Stay connected with your partner even in difficult times
- Strengthen your friendship, intimacy, & conflict regulation skills
- Identify what baby is communicating and how to respond
- Deal with conflict successfully
- Involve both parents in the parenting
- For more information please visit: http://www.brienwood.com/site/BBH.

Two New City of Seattle Initiatives

From Alumni Director Eric Warn:

Here are two new initiatives sent to by the City of Seattle  that may be of interest to you.

Our City, Our Food, Our Future Listening Sessions
Access to healthy, affordable food is vital to our community. We’re working to increase access to healthy food for everyone in Seattle, not just those who can afford it. It’s one of the most important things we can do as a community to live longer, lead healthier lives, promote equity, and help our environment.

The City recently hired a new Food Policy Advisor, who is working in our Office of Sustainability and Environment to create an action agenda that further improves people’s ability to grow, eat, and sell local and healthy food in Seattle.

Listening Sessions will be held:

Tuesday March 13, 5:30-8:30 p.m. – Ravenna Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Avenue NE)
Friday March 16, 1:00-4:00 p.m. – City Hall – Bertha Knight Landes Room (600 4th Avenue)
Monday March 19, 5:30-8:30 p.m. – Southside Commons (3518 S Edmunds Street)
For more information, read: http://bit.ly/A1xFlU

Seattle Food Forest
Seattle’s vision of an urban food oasis is going forward. A seven-acre plot of land in the city’s Beacon Hill neighborhood will be planted with hundreds of different kinds of edibles: walnut and chestnut trees; blueberry and raspberry bushes; fruit trees, including apples and pears; exotics like pineapple, yuzu citrus, guava, persimmons, honeyberries, and lingonberries; herbs; and more. All will be available for public plucking to anyone who wanders into the city’s first food forest.

For more information, read: http://bit.ly/wGTB1B

Animal Behavior Consultant Continues To Help Others

Here’s an update about Wendy Dahl’s (M.A. Psychology, ‘07) work with Huck, a service dog who was placed with his veteran this weekend: http://dahlbehavior.blogspot.com/2012/02/hucks-new-job.html

“It’s amazing where an Antioch degree can take you,” she notes. Her email is wendy@dahlbehavior.com. Her website is www.dahlbehavior.com.

Alumna Co-Author of Book Titled “When Your Child Dies”

Abundancia Feast Community Dinner

From Cynthia Swenson, M.A. Education ‘08:

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