When you hear the name of the country "Saudi Arabia", what thoughts come to your mind? Have you seen movies or news reports that have created a preconception or stereotype? Or have you had firsthand experience that would shape your opinion of their country?
If you had the opportunity to travel there, would you take advantage of that chance, or would your mind be instantly filled with fear because of thoughts like "oh...that's the country where most of the 9-11 bombers came from, and where so many bombings and other negative things have taken place. I can't go there...it isn't safe"?
A few months ago, I got an invitation to speak at a Toastmasters conference in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. As with any country to which I have the opportunity to travel, I sought out multiple sources of information, to best equip myself to make the decision. I really didn't know all that much about that country, but I've been to enough places to know that those stereotypes and preconceptions are inaccurate in many cases.
In doing my research, I looked at the travel advisories on the website for the United States Department of State. I searched news articles that had been written over the last six months. Much of the information that I got wasn't what I would classify as 'positive' news.
But I also availed myself of some extremely valuable information: I talked with people who had *actually* been there. (Novel concept, eh?) Several of my colleagues had traveled there in the past. David Brooks and Randy Harvey were there within the last 2 or 3 years, and they graciously shared their experiences with me. I also received input from colleagues who had been there much more recently. Darren LaCroix and Ed Tate were there about 3 or 4 weeks before my trip, and had even traveled to & spoken in the same city. After speaking with them, I knew that this was an opportunity I could NOT pass up.
I decided to accept the invitation to speak at this DIVISION conference. Yes, it was a division conference. That is a concept that is hard for Toastmasters members in North America to grasp. Imagine that your district encompassed several nations, and that your entire nation was divided into a small handful of divisions. In addition to that, the growth they are experiencing is phenominal, and the Saudi TMs approach their activities with a high level of professionalism and gusto. That was evidenced by the fact that their division conference was very efficiently & effectively run. I estimate that it was attended by roughly 300 people.
I am SO glad that I decided to go. Granted, the process of getting there was a beating. An eleven-hour flight from DFW to Frankfurt, Germany, followed by a 4 hour layover and an 6-hour flight from there to Bahrain. After that, a two-hour drive into Khobar. It made for an extremely long and physically gruelling day, as did the journey back home. But the effort and the frustration and the fatigue of traveling was worth it.
One thing to which I had to adjust was the people's names. My brain is geared to much simpler names (with many less syllables) than the typical Saudi names. Very few of my family and friends have names that are more than 4 or 5 syllables, which includes their last name. My name is "Jim Key", for crying out loud. The entire thing can be expressed in just two syllables!! The Saudis are accustomed to the longer names, so they would pronounce them so fast...it was hard for me to process the words and commit the names to memory. It is no fault of theirs, it's just what my brain is conditioned to process, and what I am accustomed to hearing. (The brevity of my name is probably something that makes them either think or chuckle...or both.) I'm sure that if I lived there for a longer period of time, that would get easier. So I made it a point to commit their faces to memory. If I could not remember all the names, I would definitely remember what they looked like, and their warm smiles.
I learned several things about the Saudis during my brief time there. For instance, they take many things very seriously. Take security, for instance. The process of getting into the country from Bahrain was slow and thorough. My accomodations were on the corporate campus of Saudi Aramco (a HUGE oil company), where armed guards manned their many entry gates. Additionally, to enter the grounds of the conference hotel, armed guards inspected the trunk and under the hood of our car. That high level of security is something that I am not accustomed to dealing with; these folks don't play around!
The way I see it, you can process something like that one of two ways. You can get uptight about it, and self-talk yourself into a frenzy about the fact that this level of security MUST mean that things are unsafe. Or, you can do as I chose to did. I looked at it in the same light as I view the increased security requirements at airports in the U.S. Are the extra security requirements a hassle? Absolutely. But knowing that those extra precautions are being taken gives me a greater sense of security. With that perspective, it was easier to be at peace with the whole thing.
The other thing that the Saudis take seriously is hospitality. From the beginning to the end of my journey, I always felt VERY well taken care of, both in term of my personal safety AND comfort. Many people contributed to that, but there were three people who were primarily responsible for me feeling that way. I'd like to share with you how they made my trip so enjoyable.
When I arrived in Bahrain, I was received by two gentlemen. Abdul-Raouf Mouhktar is the Governor of the Division (M). That is the division which brought me there to speak at their conference. As such, this man carried a tremendous amount responsibility during the conference. Yet, he took the time out to make a trip that was likely 5 hours total, in order to receive me upon arrival and make me feel welcomed, first-hand. He personally guided me through the process of gaining physical access into Saudi, which included presenting my passport and visa several times, and having my fingerprints scanned. (It took a long time and many attempts for the scanner to recognize the fingerprints on my left hand. I began to wonder if I even HAD fingerprints on those fingers.) That process would likely have been a little scary, especially since I don't speak Arabic, but Abdul-Raouf's guidance made it no big deal. Throughout the rest of the week, and despite the significant responsisbilities of the conference, he made sure to verify that I was being well cared for, on several occasions.
Adbulrazaq Alturki was the other gentleman who received me at the airport. I had originally met him back in 2004, when I spoke at the District 79 conference in Kuwait. Simply for the purpose of giving you a more complete image of him, I'll mention that he is blind. But don't think for a moment that means "disabled", because he is definitely not. In fact, that should serve to increase your appreciation of his accomplishments. He is a successful businessman, and I heard him affectionately referred to several times during the conference as the "Father of Toastmasters in Saudi Arabia". You don't get that sort of heart-felt recognition without giving generously of yourelf and earning it. His influence in the organization was very apparent. Upon my arrival, he kept asking me if I was hungry or needed to sleep...a sensitivity to my personal needs that I definitely appreciated. Throughout my time there, that remained much the same; he took great care to make certain that I was engaged, safe, and provided for completely. On my first full day there, he invited me to his office, and I was lavished with several gifts. I felt like royalty.
The person with whom I had the most interaction was a young Muslim guy that I will call "Joe" for the purposes of this note. (I do that just because I want to include some details that, while seemingly benign to most, could possibly cause him trouble.) If you've never met a Muslim named "Joe", then you should. Or you should at least meet this particular one.
Joe was my transportation, guide, assistant, and language/cultural translator (among other things). I knew that I liked Joe from the second I met him. He had apparently done his homework, and knew that I liked Mountain Dew. He was waiting for us at the hotel the evening when I arrived. As we drove up to the curb and I opened my car door, I heard "kuscht" (that's the sound of a can of Dew being opened) followed immediately by "Welcome to Saudi Arabia". That's right, less than 2 seconds after I first set foot on the ground in Saudi, Joe made sure I had a cold Mountain Dew in my hands. How's that for hospitality?!?! How can you NOT like a guy who does that?!?!
In fact, Joe had not simply acquired ONE can for me. He had purchased a case of Dew for me to keep in refridgerator of my room. When we were out-and-about, he made sure to get me one (in addition to the ones back in my room). I think the only way I could've consumed more Mountain Dew in that week would've been if he'd arranged an IV of the stuff that I could absorb while I slept. It was AWESOME!!
Joe also made sure I had access to reading material and music that fit my tastes. Some of it was...let's just say...'outside the normal range' of what is accepted/permitted in Saudi culture. It would have been difficult to procure, which tells me that Joe went to the trouble of doing that because he cared; he wanted me to make me feel welcomed and at home. Hey Joe, IT WORKED!!!
At the conference, Joe was my right-hand-man. He assisted me at my resource table; I never had to personally handle any of the transactions. That left me free to talk with the other conference attendees, answer questions, take pictures, etc. And anytime I needed anything, he was on it. I think if I had sneezed, he would have sprinted across the hotel to bring me a tissue; his attention to detail and his concern for my well-being was that significant. It did not escape my attention, and I greatly appreciated it. Thanks Joe; you rock, dude!
While I was there, I actually had the chance to speak at events in 3 different divisions. When I arrived, it was Tuesday evening. But I had the chance to get a good night's sleep, so I was in good shape to speak at an evening meeting on Wednesday in Division L. Unbeknownst to me before I arrived, Mark Brown - another WCPS colleague - had spoken at their conference a couple of weeks earlier. Had I known that, I would have also called for his input while I was deciding on making the trip.
Shahul Hameed, the Division L Governor, drove an hour or so to Khobar, then took me to Jabail. I got do a little bit of sightseeing, which included a trip down to their seafront. We also drove past some enormous de-salinization plants which convert sea water into fresh, drinkable water. The event that evening was a really good time. I watched and evaluated their speech contestant before delivering my presentation.
On Friday evening, I spoke at an event in Division F. This is the division in which Darren and Ed had spoken for their conference. Anil Madan, their Division Governor, put together a nice event in a great venue. My presentation was book-ended by two stand-up comedians. One spoke before me, then the other went on afterwards. My presentation went well and was well-received. They definitely took advantage of the question-and-answer session, which I highly enjoyed.
The main reason I was invited over, however, was for Thursday; the day of the Division M conference. It was a one-day event, in which they had four contests: table topics, evaluation, humorous speech, and international speech. Granted, it made for a long day of contests, but it was really interesting to experience. Frankly, it was very educational. I got to see what styles of speaking and evaluating they use, and compare them to what I've seen in other districts. I got to understand what types of things strike them as funny, and what inspires them. And by observing all of the contests, I picked up on a few things that I incorporated in my presentations that earned me a stronger connection with the audience, which made my presentations that much more effective.
If I'm correct, all of the clubs in the Division are corporate clubs withing Saudi Aramco, a large oil company. I could be mistaken, but I believe that the number of clubs that Aramco has is around 15, and growing. The leadership of that company has been very supportive of Toastmasters, which has been instrumental in the growth they've experienced in the number of clubs. They obviously 'get it'; they know that their endorsement, encouragement, and investment in the program will pay significant dividends.
How? For starters, their employees will have a greater level of enjoyment and morale from participating in the activities of a TM club. They'll also get the chance to network with more people in the company. But moreover, they will be more valuable employees, because they will be better equipped as leaders and they will grow as more effective communicators due to their involvement in TM. Both of those things have immediate positive benefits. The high level of proficiency in their speakers and leaders that I witnessed is evidence that those things are definitely happening. The Aramco leaders have demonstrated great wisdom. Or, as we say in Texas, they are "just downright smart". Kudos to them!
On Saturday, I had the chance to relax and unwind a little bit before heading back home. That came at a good time, because I was beginning to feel ill. I'd been feeling extremely run down the previous day. I'm not sure if it was a case of delayed jetlag, the onset of sickness, or just what. I hid it as best I could from everyone. Of course, Joe was with me so much that he could not help but know. One thing that helped was that we went down to another spot of ocean-front, and I took a brief nap underneath a palm tree. Another thing that helped was that Adbulrazaq insisted...and I mean INSISTED that we come to his home (not to his office, to his home) before heading back to the airport at Bahrain so that I could take a nap. For approximately 1.75 hours, I got a sound, deep sleep and recharged enough to make it through the day.
As a few final thoughts... Many years ago, I learned the hard way that one of the ways you can bless others is to allow them to be a blessing to you. (When I was young, stupid, and prideful, I refused to allow someone who wanted to do something good for me the enjoyment of simply buying me lunch. I deprived them of that opportunty to do something nice for me, and deeply hurt their feelings.) During my trip, I was given the opportunity to be a blessing by doing something substantial for someone else. (The details of that will remain private; that person knows who they are and the details to which I'm referring.) That opportunity was an additional blessing to me.
Lastly, shortly after I won the World Championships of Public Speaking back in 2003, I recall a conversation with the District Governor of my home district. In a moment of pride for not only what that accomplishment meant for me, but what it meant for everyone in our district, he told me "Jim, no district will ever treat you as well as your home distrct." He is a good man, he had the best of intentions in telling me that, and my home district has treated me well. But he had no way of knowing that Adbul-Raouf, Adzulrazaq, Joe, and the wonderful people of Saudi Arabia would set such a high standard.
If you get the chance to travel to Saudi Arabia, I recommend that you take advantage of that opportunity. Certainly, you should diligently investigate the specific area to which you will be traveling, and make sure that safety is not an issue; that you won't be at risk. My prediction, however, is that if you encounter warm and friendly as people like Abdul-Raouf, Adbulrazaq, Joe, and the others...you will have an extremely rewarding experience. You will have your own stories to share.
So...what do you think of "Saudi Arabia" now?
I lived there for three years and loved it. I worked as an international investment banker for a company that was half owned by two members of the Royal Family. I often represented the Saudi's at international events, like foreign trade missions, where I explained where the country was headed. As a woman, I was surprised at the level of acceptance I had and was always treated with the greatest respect. This is an amazing country that has come from a nomadic tribal society to a technologically advanced modern society in a few short years. When I first went there in the late 70's, I had no phone in my house, nor did I have garbage pickup (goats ate the garbage I threw over my compound wall). Today, Saudi Arabia stands totally transformed. There really is nothing like it in the history of our planet.
Posted by: Linda Nelson | May 20, 2009 at 11:56 AM