Saudi Arabia, the Country that Changed Me (Part 5)

As promised, here is Part 5 of my Saudi Trip. I hope you are enjoying it :) I'm sorry this series has been so strung out, but it's something that I really wanted to share with everyone!

Sleeping in on Day 5 was a much needed rest from the busy schedule we had been following the rest of the other days. Because we had stopped at McDonalds for a late night dinner, we didn't get to bed until pretty late, so we slept in until 7am this time instead of 6.

That morning we got to go visit The American International School on an American military compound. It had 3 buildings for the 3 different schools (elementary, middle school, and high school). Going into each one, it felt just like I was back home going to my high school or brother's middle school.

We got to meet some of the students and teachers in their class room and they were doing exactly what a kid back in the U.S. would be doing too. They had arts and crafts for the little kids, the middle schoolers had a computer lab that they had to learn typing and media skills, and of course the seniors weren't do much of anything when we visited them (just like the classmates I left behind for a week).

Elementary School.

Classic American Lockers

The drama class put on a scene of their play for us.

After our tour we had a little reception with food and drinks where we met all the kids in the school that were in BSA (Boy Scouts of America). Among the boys they were almost all from different countries and represented 6 continents! That's a lot different than some of the American kids I know who have never gone past the Mississippi!

Once we had finished out tour we headed back to the hotel to rest while Dr. Qureshi and Mr. James (Our other scout leader) were going to go see the Prince who was the Secretary of The Ministry of Education. We were all kind of bummed we couldn't go, but at the last second they said we COULD!

Originally because of security reasons (al- Qaeda and the Saudi Government hate each other), they didn't want such a big group but I guess they realized that the only damage American Boy Scouts could do would be to start a fire, or accidentally cut themselves with a pocket knife.

After going through security and waiting in his reception room we met Prince Faisal bin Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Saud. (If you think thats a long name, look at Prince William's official title: "His Royal Highness Prince William Arthur Philip Louis, Duke of Cambridge, Earl of Strathearn, Baron Carrickfergus, Royal Knight Companion of the Most Noble Order of the Garter.")

The waiting room.

Anyways back to the Prince. After waiting for a few minutes the Prince was ready to see us and so we filed in, shook his hand, and took a seat. I had never really met anyone this important before so I was extremely nervous and uncomfortable in such a formal setting, shoot I even feel out of place at fancy restaurants (SO MANY UTENSILS)! 

The Prince with Dr. Qureshi and Mr. James.

All of us listening to the Prince.

The Prince's desk.

But once we sat down and the formal part of the meeting was passed, we had a nice conversations with the Prince about Saudi Arabia and the West. He talked about how both sides have so many misunderstandings with each other because of such different cultures and life styles. He talked about how even amongst the best people in America (like the KKK) and Saudi Arabia (al Qaeda) there are bad apples that make the rest of the good apples look bad. He concluded with a very profound insight that I truly believe is the solution to most of the problems in the world. In know that is a bold statement, but sometimes the simplest sincere changes in the hearts of the people are more influential than the complex foreign policies of any country. He said, "Between two people it is always easier to find differences that can make you enemies, but if you attempt to find similarities, you will find potential to being the best of friends." 


What a true statement by the Prince! It is always easier to not like someone or not want to talk to them because it takes less effort. But, if we do make that effort and actually try to get along by finding similarities, you can see the other as a person just like you are.


As you many of you have noticed for my blog entries about Saudi Arabia, I have said that this country has "changed me". Many of you may have thought that it was because of the great sites, good food, and fun times that I said this, which is a reasonable thought. But the true reason I say this country changed me is because my eyes were opened. I saw that there are good people everywhere who love their families, peace, and God just as I do. I saw that though at first look a person and a country can seem very different from yours, a deeper look shows they are almost identical. I realized that no matter where we are born, the skin color we wear, or the language we speak, we are all human. We share this world together and it is up to each of us to make it the world we want. It's too easy for the world to be full of hate and darkness, we need to make the effort to fill it with peace and unity. Saudi Arabia changed my heart to find the similarities between anyone I meet, and then celebrate and share our differences with one another. I know this sounds cheesy to some of you, but to every hard and complex question, the answers are always simple; love, charity, and hope. 


I hope my jumbled thoughts made some sense, but now I'll go back to my story.


Once we left the Ministry of Education building we went to one of the Saudi Scout's video game store. It wasn't a video game store where you actually buy games and take them home to play, it was a store where you go to play the video games on their huge screens that people normally wouldn't have at home. It was a really neat idea, and we had a great time playing some video games while also checking our email and of course, checking our Facebook accounts. ;)



After the video game hangout store, we went to a Saudi Aerospace Museum with all sorts of planes, helicopters, and anything that could fly.

Graham and I loved playing in the helicopter... maybe a little too much :)

At the museum they had huge portraits of every Saudi King they've had, so if you've been confused with all the Kings I've been mentioning in all my posts before...here is the order!

King Abdullah (6th King) Current

King Fahd (5th King)

King Khalid (4th King)

King Faisal (3rd King)

King Saud (2nd King)

King Abdulaziz (1st King and Founder of Saudi Arabia)

There ya have it folks! Next post I'm going to quiz you on the order, so study up!

Soon darkness was upon us as we ventured to our next stop, but little did we know that the night has just barely begun! We went to the Al-Hilal Sports Club, which is the equivalent of touring the Laker's or Yankee's Clubhouse. Al-Hilal is THE team in Saudi Arabia. But I use the term "team" loosely because really it's an organization with multiple teams that compete in multiple sports. 

LOTS of trophies everywhere!

We toured many of their fields, gyms, and sports complexes that were very extravagant! I thought they were the nicest fields I will have ever seen, but maybe I'll be able to go to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?

Nice fields.

We played a friendly match of volleyball against their team, but of course we lost even when they were going easy. 

The volleyball team.

Us losing...

But what surprised me most about the tour was that some of the teams even lived in the complex! 

One of the beds in the dormitory of the complex.

After our tour we went our for a late dinner again to a local restaurant that was so delicious! They had this food that was chicken, mayo, lettuce, and fries all wrapped up inside pita bread like a burrito. Whenever I think about it it instantly makes me hungry! But after the delicious food we went to the mall nearby looking for souvenirs, but mostly we just got stuff at the Saudi Scout Store.


The Saudis were very kind and patient as we went through the mall looking for souvenirs but we weren't really looking for nice modern stuff, we wanted the awesome old antiques. The Saudis didn't really understand because to them the old stuff was junk, just like we would think most old American antiques are junk, but to us the old stuff was the best stuff!


And that was that, the end of another action packed busy day! My next blog post about Saudi Arabia will be my last, but it'll be a long one! I hope you've enjoyed it so far!