Valley PR Blog

Veeds of Arabia weighs in on his year away from Phoenix

By Linda VandeVrede on August 12th, 2010 In People, Professional Development

Veeds of Arabia, aka Jim Veihdeffer, is back in Phoenix for a few weeks.  Valley PR Blog interviewed him last fall right before he left for a teaching position in Saudi Arabia.   Here is his update on life in the Saudi desert:

1.     How many more weeks will you be in Phoenix, and then when do you return to the Middle East?

I will be here in Arizona till Sept. 14. I timed my return to Riyadh to bypass Ramadan which is somewhat fun and interesting, one time, for non-Muslims but otherwise rather aggravating for Westerners. However, I am still open to being rescued by a great communications or teaching opportunity in Arizona!

2.       What was your biggest fear or concern before going there last fall?

Frankly, my biggest concerns were the dual issues of getting the necessary paperwork for the visa completed in time and settling my affairs in Phoenix, including renting my house and having a place to store my truck. It is generally agreed that the visa process is outlandish, outrageous and nail-bitingly stressful. If one does one’s due diligence about life in the magic kingdom there shouldn’t be too many cultural surprises, particularly if you’re coming from a similar climate such as southern Arizona. I did wonder how I would fare without women, adult beverages or movie theatres.

3.       What turned out to be the nicest surprise?

The graciousness and hospitality of the Saudis and the subcontinent work force (Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Indians) as well as Filipinos and Egyptians and their friendliness to Americans. However, by “hospitality” I mean public behavior since there is effectively no “home hospitality” — that is, a Westerner is not likely to be invited to a Saudi home. There was one notable exception where I was befriended by a delightful, educated and cosmopolitan Saudi, Abdullah Al Guarani, who not only invited me into his home but allowed me to participate in his daughter’s wedding in Jeddah (from the men’s side of the wall, of course) and took me camping up in the desert up by the Iraq border with his friends.

I also was pleasantly surprised by how safe I felt in any neighborhood at any time of day or night The only people with guns are the military and police and there are no drive-by shootings, gang fights, serial killers going on rampages, road rage (well…very little), muggings, schoolyard fights and very little of what I’d call street thievery or panhandling.

4.       What credentials did you have that made you a good candidate for this position?

I have a master’s degree in English and have taught English and writing to post-secondary students. Also, I am open to learning about other cultures and had no particular ties to the States such as a wife, kids or someone who needed caregiving.

5.       Were there any particular foods you missed while you were there?

Bacon, wine, hot dogs, wine, sausage, bacon and wine. You’d be amazed how bad a hot dog can be when all traces of haram pork products are removed. On the other hand, one learns to like beef bacon…and the minced camel ain’t too bad.

6.       What places or stores did you visit when you first came back to Phoenix this summer, and why?

Trader Joe’s, Target, Fresh & Easy, Wal Mart and a few purveyors of adult beverages. It’s not the stores themselves that are the issue since Riyadh has most of the major chains, including Safeway. It’s more about the hours of business: stores close four times a day for prayer and are simply not open at other times that you’d naturally expect, such as noon to 4pm on the Saudi equivalent of a Saturday afternoon. Every shopping expedition, from a quick milk run to the neighborhood bakalla (convenience store) to a trip to Ikea or Best Buy is governed by the daily-changing store hours. Show up at a McDonalds (spelled, oddly enough, macdonalds in Arabic with the extra “a”) one minute after prayer call and you’re simply out of luck.

7.    What did you find to be the perception of Americans by the other foreigners teaching there, and by the Saudi Arabians?

Americans seem to be well-liked and everyone is curious about the diversity of living conditions, weather, shopping and geography. Generally speaking, Obama seems to be liked and I get the sense that they’re glad Bush is gone. Most of the teachers I know are Americans but many would be hard-pressed to say where they’re from since most have lived and taught in every nook and cranny of the world and usually have two or three languages they can use. Consequently one can listen to Americans in the corridors speaking Spanish, French, Tagalog, Chinese, Arabic and German. Ironically, I find the Americans to be the most suspicious and paranoid of the nationalities, most likely to believe any rumor or urban legend and most likely to simply mutter “Poland” when asked where they come from. Many are afraid (without any justification) to stand in a doorway for more than 10 minutes, to take photographs, to take the same walking route to school or to wear perfectly legal long shorts out on the street.

8.       What made you feel the loneliest? 

Inability to simply get together with women and men on a casual basis for dinner, a movie, a BBQ or just to hang out by the pool or play some tennis. Sitting in an outdoor café at night with some male friends you look out on the busy street and it feels like a Twilight Zone episode where all of a particular demographic group — in this case, women — have been surreptitiously removed from the society and you literally see nothing but men in every direction.

9.       What gave you the most satisfaction?

Being able to put together a few coherent sentences in Arabic and having the occasional Saudi say “You have a very good accent” was very satisfying. Piecing together a string of heretofore mysterious Arabic scribblings and have an Aha moment where you say “Oh…I can read that word!” is exciting.

I’d also say that getting applause from students after a great class or having students come by my office or stay after class to tell me how much they appreciate my efforts is priceless. It’s a bit startling though to read a student exam and see “I love you Mr. V” scribbled at the bottom until you realize that Arabic doesn’t make a distinction between “like” and “love.”

10.   What advice/information links, would you give to PR professionals who think they might like to teach abroad?   

For teaching English, a master’s degree in an English-related field and at least some classroom teaching experience is the basic requirement. You just can’t get around that, whether you’re male or female. A website called “Dave’s ESL Café” is the bible of the ESL teaching business and should be the first place to consult. Obviously the wildly popular Veeds of Arabia website (now viewed in 60 countries and with a massive following of 18 persons) would also be a good reference source.

Although Saudis could certainly use teaching professionals in PR, advertising, communications and related fields, I don’t see a lot of demand for Westerners in those areas. Maybe it’s because the concepts of customer service, public relations and goodwill-building are almost absent from Saudi business. I say that with the little bit of cynicism that I allow myself to have but I think it’s a supportable assertion.

11.    How long do you plan to be back there this time? 

I’m signed up for another 1-year assignment (though I could still be lured to stay in Arizona).

___________________

I begged Jim to bring me back a burka, just so I could see one up close. He still has yet to fulfill that request, and has corrected me to say it is technically called an abaya, not a burka, in Saudi Arabia.  The abaya is the robe that covers her from the neck down, and the hijab and niqab cover her head and face.  You can read more at his blog about preparations for and living in Saudi Arabia here.

All photos courtesy of Jim Veihdeffer

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