I was out driving with my family, passing many herds of camels belonging to the local Bedouins. We were hours from any city, simply fascinated at the Saudi Arabia landscape. As we drove, a cute, baby camel seized my attention and I told my parents to pull over. As I edged towards the camel, a Bedouin started walking from his tent towards me. As I greeted him in halting Arabic, I understood from his fluent Arabic back that he was being kind towards my family, inviting us into his home. We sat in a circle on the rug and enjoyed each other’s company, learning from one another.
An Expat, or an Expatriate, is defined as someone who does not live in their own country. At only six-years-old, my family got up and moved all the way from Houston to Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. Being so young, I didn’t realize what this experience would entail, however it turned out to be one of the greatest experiences in my life that I would not change for the entire world.
I lived inside a gated American oil compound, which was created as a replica of a Californian community. All of the employees that lived inside the compound, including both of my parents, were employees of Saudi Aramco, the largest oil company in the world. Inside the compound, people had access to a school, hospital, restaurants, grocery stores, work buildings, and even more. Everything that people needed was inside the 58-kilometer camp, creating a basic, but easy life. Women were even allowed to drive inside the camp before it was legalized for the entire country.
Growing up in this compound came with its many perks, the main one being the exposure to so many cultures. With a population of roughly 12,000 people there were about 100 different cultures represented. This led me to understand the deep importance of appreciating other cultures and how truly rich it is to be introduced to so many different things at such a young age. Additionally, it was instilled in me so early on that the most important form of learning was through keeping an open mind and broadening my own knowledge of the world and its people. People’s backgrounds and the way that they are brought up, deeply influences their values, beliefs, and traditions. For this reason, it is important to live life with an open mind and an open heart, while being socially and politically aware.
Arabian culture places high importance on cultivating social unity. Although at the time I moved there in 2012, the country was closed off to tourists, the people were very eager to share their special country with the world. They were open and receptive of others, and many aspects of the culture conveyed the significance of sociality. The common activity between friends was to sit and eat, which lasted for hours as people conversed with one another. Not only was social eating highly valued, things would also be open until much later. Malls would open at 10 am and close at midnight. These long hours would give people more time to spend with one another and bond outside of their homes. This allowed me and my friends to spend many long days together and deeply connect with one another.
Saudi Arabia carries rich traditions and practices — I was lucky enough to have the opportunity to absorb all these differences, appreciate them, and practice them in my day-to-day life. As a person of Hispanic background, this was completely different to anything that I had previously experienced, but nonetheless, just as amazing. Through eight years being raised and living there, I truly grew compassionate toward the society the Saudis have created.