My Graced Journey: Teaching English in Saudi Arabia

Saturday 27 June 2015

Teaching English in Saudi Arabia

Working & living in rural Al Quwayiyah (2015)

Salim & Saeed (Both from UK) - Streams in the desert - Near Al Quwayiyah, KSA

Our financial situation in South Africa forced us to a certain extent to accept teaching positions in Saudi Arabia. We had to live on a single income in South Africa, and was barely making ends meet. We were in debts and wanted to get out of it. Previous colleagues of ours who worked with us in Oman told us of a new Educational project in Saudi Arabia, with which they got involved and told us that they were looking for more teachers. I was lecturing law in South Africa, but Pearson was paying so little that we could not even afford to rent an apartment on our own, and still lived with my parents in law. Saudi was a good opportunity to pay off all our debts and maybe even buy property when we return after the completion of the two year contract we signed. Our plan to stay for 2 years did not work out as we were faced with difficulties beyond our control. Our working and living arrangements in Al Quwayiyah was extremely challenging, and we lasted only 6 months. We taught ESL at vocational colleges in Al Quwayiyah. Education in Saudi is not co-ed, so I taught at the male college, and my wife at the female college on separate campuses about 2 km apart. We were not the only ones, the turn-over rate for teachers was 80%. To read more about our experience in Al Quwayiyah from a professional standpoint please click here.

To say that Saudi Arabia is an extreme culture to work and live in is probably the understatement of the year, especially as a Christian. We faced opposition not so much from the Saudi culture or people, but more so from our colleagues, with whom we had to live and work with 24/7. The culture of the company that employed us did not make things easier. At least we managed to pay off all our debts upon our return and have a honeymoon, we never really had, in Mauritius. I have worked in challenging places like Sudan and Somalia before, but this was by far my biggest challenge. There are however good experiences and memories that we can take away with us. To have worked in a rural dusty Bedouin town gave us a unique and privileged view of the Saudi way of life, culture and heart. We were overwhelmed by the love and acceptance from the Saudi people with their extremely hospitable and giving hearts. In that respect we walk away with fond memories.

The photo expose will tell the story of our time in Saudi in visible images. One cannot get a tourist visa for Saudi, so people who gain access are those who work in Saudi. There are many expats in Riyadh and other bigger cities, but very few get to set foot where we got to, so the photos reveal 'uncharted' territory.

Ansu on Al Quwayiyah hill - Highway to Riyadh in the background

About Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabia, officially known as the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is an Arab sovereign state in Western Asia constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula. With a land area of approximately 2,150,000 km2, Saudi Arabia is geographically the fifth-largest state in Asia and second-largest state in the Arab world after Algeria. Saudi Arabia is bordered by Jordan and Iraq to the north, Kuwait to the northeast, Qatar, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates to the east, Oman to the southeast and Yemen to the south. It is the only nation with both a Red Sea coast and a Persian Gulf coast. Most of its terrain consists of arid desert and mountains.

The area of modern-day Saudi Arabia formerly consisted of four distinct regions: Hejaz, Najd and parts of Eastern Arabia (Al-Ahsa) and Southern Arabia ('Asir). The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was founded in 1932 by Ibn Saud. He united the four regions into a single state through a series of conquests beginning in 1902 with the capture of Riyadh, the ancestral home of his family, the House of Saud. Saudi Arabia has since been an absolute monarchy, effectively a hereditary dictatorship governed along Islamic lines. The ultra-conservative Wahhabi religious movement within Sunni Islam has been called "the predominant feature of Saudi culture", with its global spread largely financed by the oil and gas trade (Wikipedia).

Souq - Al Quwayiyah

About Al Quwayiyah

Al-Quway’iyah or Al Gwei'iyyah is a small town in Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. It is located 175 kilometres by road southwest of Riyadh. As of the 2004 census it had a population of 18,275 people (Wikipedia).

Teaching at the Al Quwayiyah Vocational College

Campus

Al Quwayiyah male college campus

Al Quwayiyah male college campus - Basketball court

Al Quwayiyah male college campus - soccer field

Al Quwayiyah male college campus - Main entrance gate

Al Quwayiyah male college campus

Al Quwayiyah male college campus - Foundation year teaching block

Turki, one of my students

ESG hallway slogan

My desk in my classroom

Students

Mohamed

Class in session

With Satam and Jeashaan

Turki

Salim with students

Salim encouraging the team before a match

Class activity

Taking a break

Nasr - students brought tea, coffee and snacks every day....lots of sugar

Dates....regular snack

Choccies

Nasr handing Ali his coffee

Satam & Mohamed

Turki with his camel - He sent me the photo

Brothers - Yusuf and Satam

Socials with students

At the winter sunset college BBQ

BBQ picnic - Saudi style

Mustaffa

Snack time

Group selfie

Selfie

Nasr

Saeed the IT guy taking pics

Having fun

Saudi treats until BBQ is ready

Bonfire

Enjoying the view

BBQ time

Bonfire & BBQ

BBQ

Dinner with students during a social held at college

Yusuf & Satam at a social

My students rented this 'holiday' house for an evening and invited Salim and I for the fun

Yusuf & Satam

Living in Al Quwayiyah

Our home

Road that passes the main compound on the left

Recreational area - Main compound

Ansu - First day of work

Main compound - Single female 'chalets'

Ansu and I had a chalet here until we could move into our villa

Single female 'chalets' - Fake lawn

Ansu at work - in our chalet

Our mini kitchen

Our Bedroom

Studying in the common area of the main house

Married couples compound where we had our villa, on the right

Our villa & garden....with real grass

Swimming pool area

Inside our villa - Ansu hard at work

Ansu playing housewife

Desert area across from our compound where I often went for solitary walks

Desert plant

Solitary tree

Desert sunset

The town

Al Quwayiyah town square ..... mild 38 degrees Celsius

Central downtown Al Quwayiyah

Street scenery - downtown Al Quwayiyah

Fresh produce Souq entrance

Ansu on her way to the blue 'Drive-Thru' ATM

'Drive-Thru' ATM......only in Saudi

Fresh produce Souq

Fresh produce Souq - Fruit and veg shop we frequented

Dates vendor - Fresh produce Souq

Syrian restaurant - Al Quwayiyah

Main Road - Al Quwayiyah

Road - Al Quwayiyah

Al Quwayiyah town

Colorful truck - Fuel station, Al Quwayiyah

Saeed enjoying his curry dish - Truck stop restaurant, Al Quwayiyah

Chicken & rice dish - Truck stop restaurant, Al Quwayiyah

Truck stop restaurant, Al Quwayiyah

Our waiter

Yemeni restaurant we frequented for their whole rotisserie BBQ chicken

Rotisserie BBQ chicken

Ansu on a bench outside the plastic shop - Al Quwayiyah

Main souq in central Al Quwayiyah

Street scenery - main souq in central Al Quwayiyah

Materials for sale at the main souq in central Al Quwayiyah

Main souq in central Al Quwayiyah

Yemeni perfume shop
Main souq in central Al Quwayiyah

Street food - Main souq in central Al Quwayiyah

Sunset sky - main souq in central Al Quwayiyah

Farmer's truck - Our neighborhood, Al Quwayiyah

Villa wall - Our neighborhood, Al Quwayiyah

Laborer's room - Our neighborhood, Al Quwayiyah

Restaurant Salim and I ate at once - Al Quwayiyah

Our meal

View of Al Quwayiyah from a nearby hill

Ansu on a hill - View of Al Quwayiyah

View of Riyadh highway

Engaging with the locals

A Community organization invited all the teachers on an authentic cultural trip and event. They took us to an old school to explain the heritage and history of Al Quwayiyah. In the late afternoon and evening, they showed us true Bedouin hospitality at a camp ground where we were treated with horse riding, Falconry, authentic BBQ dishes and activities around the camp fire. They then concluded the evening with a ceremony where they awarded us various gifts.

Ansu and our company bus at a site they showed us - Al Quwayiyah

An old school that has been restored

View of the Al Quwayiyah hill - taken from an old school that has been restored

With Salim and Saeed at the cultural event

falconry

Bedouin camp

Horse riding

Gift ceremony

'Streams of water in the desert'

Dam near Al Quwayiyah

Stream in the desert after a rain shower

Dam wall

Stream in the desert after a rain shower

Saudi's see this as an event - Picnic goers are everywhere

Picnic with Salim and Saeed

Stream in the desert after a rain shower

Enjoying the cool water

Late afternoon with Salim and Abdul-Aziz

While we were exploring our neighbourhood,
locals stopped and gave us snacks.
They then propped their baby into Ansu's arms
and took a photo shoot

Trips to Riyadh

About Riyadh

Riyadh is the capital and most populous city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau and home to more than six million people. The city is divided into 15 municipal districts, managed by Riyadh Municipality headed by the mayor of Riyadh, and the Riyadh Development Authority, chaired by the governor of Riyadh Province, Faisal bin Bandar Al Saud. It has been designated a global city (Wikipedia).

The road outside our villa compound that marks the start of our journey to Riyadh

Al Quwayiyah to Riyadh highway

On the ESG bus to Riyadh for a weekend away

Al Quwayiyah to Riyadh highway scenery

Al Quwayiyah to Riyadh highway

Al Quwayiyah to Riyadh highway - Near Riyadh

Al Quwayiyah to Riyadh highway - Rocky outcrop

Main road entering Riyadh from Al Quwayiyah

Riyadh

Staying at Seder Village Motel

Once a month we had a company sponsored weekend at the Seder Village Motel, which I refer to as a sanity break from the challenges in Al Quwayiyah. The stay included a buffet brunch every day.

Seder Village Motel is located in Seder Village, a western style compound in Riyadh. The village has three outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, basketball courts, and a gym. It also has a small shopping center that one can buy the basics and of course a lovely big dining hall for buffets and a ’la carte. The Motel consists of single rooms and 2 bedroom suites, each with a fully equipped kitchen and direct access to the motel's swimming pool that overlooks the lounge. The premises are secured by the National Guard and the Seder Village security team.