English Teacher in rural Saudi Arabia
January to June 2015
Background
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 debt 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 experience in Saudi. 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.
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| Al Quwayiyah town square ..... mild 38 degrees Celsius in the late afternoon |
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).
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| View of Al Quwayiyah from a nearby hill |
About Al Quwayiyah
Al-Quway’iyah or Al Gwei'iyyah is a small town in Riyadh Province, Saudi Arabia. It is located 175 kilometers by road southwest of Riyadh. As of the 2004 census, it had a population of 18,275 people (Wikipedia).
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Fresh produce Souq entrance
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Living in Al Quwayiyah
Our home
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| The road that passes the main compound on the left |
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| Recreational area - Main compound |
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| Ansu - First day of work |
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| Main compound - Single female 'chalets' |
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| Ansu and I had a chalet here until we could move into our villa |
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| Single female 'chalets' - Fake lawn |
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| Ansu at work - in our chalet |
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| Our mini kitchen |
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| Our Bedroom |
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| Studying in the common area of the main house |
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| Married couples compound where we had our villa, on the right |
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| Our villa & garden....with real grass |
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| Swimming pool area |
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| Inside our villa - Ansu hard at work |
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| Ansu playing housewife |
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| Desert area across from our compound where I often went for solitary walks |
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| Desert plant |
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| Solitary tree |
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| Desert sunset |
The town
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| Central downtown Al Quwayiyah |
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| Street scenery - downtown Al Quwayiyah |
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| Ansu on her way to the blue 'Drive-Thru' ATM |
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| 'Drive-Thru' ATM......only in Saudi |
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| Fresh produce Souq |
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| Fresh produce Souq - Fruit and veg shop we frequented |
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| Dates vendor - Fresh produce Souq |
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| Syrian restaurant - Al Quwayiyah |
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| Main Road - Al Quwayiyah |
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| Main Road - Al Quwayiyah |
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| Road - Al Quwayiyah |
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| Road - Al Quwayiyah |
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| Al Quwayiyah town |
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| Colorful truck - Fuel station, Al Quwayiyah |
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| Saeed enjoying his curry dish - Truck stop restaurant, Al Quwayiyah |
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| Chicken & rice dish - Truck stop restaurant, Al Quwayiyah |
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| Truck stop restaurant, Al Quwayiyah |
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| Truck stop restaurant, Al Quwayiyah |
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| Our waiter |
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| Yemeni restaurant we frequented for their whole rotisserie BBQ chicken |
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| Rotisserie BBQ chicken |
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| Ansu on a bench outside the plastic shop - Al Quwayiyah |
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| Main souq in central Al Quwayiyah |
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| Street scenery - main souq in central Al Quwayiyah |
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| Materials for sale at the main souq in central Al Quwayiyah |
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| Main souq in central Al Quwayiyah |
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| Main souq in central Al Quwayiyah |
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| Main souq in central Al Quwayiyah |
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Yemeni perfume shop
Main souq in central Al Quwayiyah |
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| Street food - Main souq in central Al Quwayiyah |
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| Sunset sky - main souq in central Al Quwayiyah |
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| Farmer's truck - Our neighborhood, Al Quwayiyah |
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| Villa wall - Our neighborhood, Al Quwayiyah |
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| Laborer's room - Our neighborhood, Al Quwayiyah |
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| Restaurant Salim and I ate at once - Al Quwayiyah |
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| Our meal |
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Ansu on Al Quwayiyah hill - Highway to Riyadh in the background
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| View of Al Quwayiyah from a nearby hill |
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| Ansu on a hill - View of Al Quwayiyah |
To view our social interaction with locals, click here!
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