Chronology: My Working Career in Saudi Arabia by Barie Fez-Barringten

The Chronology of my Career in
Saudi Arabia




By Barie Fez-Barringten
www.bariefez-barringten.com


PERIOD ......CONTRACT .............PLACE ...............................AGE ............ PLACE

1979 ............ARAMCO ................. RAHIMA FAMILY CAMP. 42 .............. EASTERN PRV
1979 ...........ARAMCO .................. BIN JUMA BLDG/10 FL... 42 .............. AL KHOBAR
1980 ..........ARAMCO .................. SEAVIEW TOWNHOUSE 43 .............. AL KHOBAR
1981 .......... SUHAIMI/UPM ...... AlHamra HOTEL ............... 44 ...............DAMMAM
1981 .......... SUHAIMI/UPM .......SUHAIMI VILLA ............. 44 ...............DAMMAM
1982 ......... INT ASSOC ............... SATEEN STREET/ ........... 45 ...............RIYADH
1982 ......... RUBRECTS .................................................................................. KITSBUHEL
1983 ......... EL SEIF/FE BASIL TAGASOUSSI/EURO ......... 46 .............. RIYADH
1983 ......... LEBENBERG WEG ..................................................................... KITSBUHEL
1984 ........ ARIEB ..................... ARIEB VILLAS ..................... 47 .............. RIYADH
1985 ........ ALFOADIA ............ NATIONAL GYP/BATHA ... 48 .............. RIYADH


USA:

PERIOD ....CONTRACT ........PLACE ......................................AGE ..............PLACE

1988-1991.CFADT* ..............1011 LA PALOMA BLVD ....... 51 .................NTH FT MYERS
1989 ..........FRIZZELL
1990 ...........COLLINS & DUPONT
...................*CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP AT DEL TURA

SAUDI Arabia:
PERIOD ...CONTRACT .......................PLACE ......................AGE .....................PLACE
1991 .........KING FAISEL UNIV/ICI BIN JUMA BLDG .....54 .......................AL KHOBAR
1996 .........CDE/ICI ...................................................................59
1997 .........ARAMCO/ICI ..........................................................60
1998 ........ALMUHAIDIB/ICI ..................................................61
1999 NOV 11.RETURN TO THE USA ....................................62
2000 Jan 11 Lee County Government.....................................62 Fort Myers,Fl.


ARAMCO: 1981-1983:
I learned a lesson that was to last the duration of my doing business in Saudi was that no matter how many plans, meetings and agreements were made, management was by “crisis” or as is said in the USA by “triage”. People rarely follow plans; in construction, in Texas, I learned that detailed schedules were made but every one did every thing possible to beat and complete before the scheduled completion date, the sooner, the greater the profit. Triage is a process for sorting injured people into groups based on their need for or likely benefit from immediate medical treatment. Triage is used in hospital emergency rooms, on battlefields, and at disaster sites when limited medical resources must be allocated. A system used to allocate a scarce commodity, such as food, only to those capable of deriving the greatest benefit from it.

A process in which things are ranked in terms of importance or priority: " For millions of Americans, each week became a stressful triage between work and home that left them feeling guilty, exhausted and angry” In Saudi it leaves you frustrated, depressed and disoriented. Most need frequent repatriations to stabilize and reorient. Another way of expressing the style is management by “fiat” which is an arbitrary order or decree. This usually starts form the top down, and, everybody knows the source, so most live in a limbo waiting for the next fiat and “triaging” out their days.

I had to take a two-week long defensive driver's class which totally disoriented me from the expert skills I already possess. I had to repeat this course in Lee county twenty years later when I was caught speeding on Tamiami Trail five miles from our home. The course led me to believe that I had to fear and be defensive so I was constantly keeping my mind in high anxiety instead of using the good God-given and good training given to me by my Dad. Finally Christina and Jim Young told me to forget every thing I learned and drive normal. From that day on I enjoyed driving in Saudi.

Al-Suhaimi: 1983: Aziz and
UPM: part-time: Summer Semester only. Aziz gave me one of the greatest gifts: transferable igama. Later he was to become a faithful member and speaker at AIG/ME.

International Associates: 1983-1984: We were able to meet executives at the Hospital Corporation of America; and, it was here I learned to support the company from the bottom up. Meaning that the executive is the support for the operations and not the military fashion where the command is from the top down .the two ideologies were interestingly applied to formulate El-Seif’s business plan,


El-Seif: 1984-1985; Arieb: 1985; F.E. Basil: November1985 to February 1986;

AlFoadia: June 11, 1986-1988

In the USA Frizzell: 1989; Cape Coral Steel: 1990: Collins and DuPont: Taylor Company & David Shilling

King Faisel University: 1991-1996: Full time
I recall the many very amusing and often intellectual conversations we would have over morning coffee and lunch with Seager C., Okon U., John T., Bangladeshi, and Pakistani.
And, my friendship with such Saudis as Jamel A. who wrote a book based on his thesis at MIT called “Responsibility and the traditional Muslim built environment. He also formed al-Umran society of which I was one of his first members:
Introduction to Crisis in the Built Environment: The Case of the Muslim City

• Forms of Submission in the Traditional Environment
• Changes in the Traditional Forms of Submission
• Synthesis of Forms of Submission
• Growth and Transformation of Towns
• Freedom and Control
• Elements of the Traditional Built Environment
• Size of Party vs. Size of Property
• Consequences of the Shift of Responsibility
• 
  

The weekly faculty meetings included presentations of Saudi Ph.D. candidates on educational leave to the USA or England including their requests for leaves and the reason for the delays to complete and return to the kingdom. While we diligently sought written documentation and verifications somehow everyone overlooked the lapse in replies and continuance of stays granted to several individuals. When and if these candidates returned they were appointed as full-time and tenured faculty. In any case several non-Saudi faculties, including my self did not have our contracts renewed but we did receive a very nice plaque at a well attended dinner ceremony. There was great fellowship amongst the faculty and toward the students.

CDE-1997: Some of my projects included:

• Sultan Bin Abdulaziz al-Saud Charity foundation Science and Technology Center on the Corniche in Al-Khobar for HOK/Tampa, Florida as Sr. Project Manager
• SAJAPHCO
• Saudi American Dhahran Academy
• Lucent Technology Engineering of all the transmission towers in the Eastern Province:
• ARAMCO renews CDE’s GESC contract

ARAMCO/RSAL: 1997-1998 Full Time
In August, just before the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City, Frank Floyd sent me a job offer, which I declined to accept. I had already worked one year as a Project manager in ARAMCO hired and deputized by RSAL the following article came an s surprise to Christina and me. Inside ARAMCO and with most of the employees I had a good time including relations with most of our corporate clients, except one.

There were several groups of units headed by superintendents and one headed by a man who asked me to edit a thesis of his for his Ph.D. which I did and returned it to him while he was on the phone talking to some one in his office. So rather than disturb him I decided to leave it on his desk and signaled him accordingly and tossed it on his desk and left.
The effort on my part was completely voluntary and not part of my work and a friendly request and a friendly response. He complained to the department manager that I had tossed it on his desk and that I had shown disrespect. The manager called me in to his office and with the superintendent sitting next to me and the manager behind his desk proceed to not only tell me how wrong I was but screamed at me at the top of his voice and said some very disrespectful things and about me and my work. He also made it very clear that I was on notice and a person of very low esteem for my behavior. I of course apologized and never uttered any thing about this event again. Months later when my contract came up for renewal, my contract and several other westerners were not renewed.
After I found another position and was settled I contacted the manager for some technical thing I needed and he invited me for lunch.

Al-Muhaidib: 1998-1999 Full Time as their Business Development Manager which took me to the Philippines, South Africa, Houston, San Francisco, Sante Clara, and Washington DC. The threee brothers were Suleiman in Riyadh, Essam and Emad.
Tawfiq Al-Reshaid was the one who introduced me to the company and was the GM of its Construction business. All were personable and candid and really motivated me by their good will to do all I could to help them further the success of their already gigantic business.







Tawfiq and Barie in Washington,D.C.

Being as how I was about 40 when starting work in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia (August 11,1981 I was exactly 43. 75) and about 60 (just turning 62) when completing my last day and returning to the United Sates of America; Saudi Arabia occupied about a third of my life to that point.
It was also a place in which I had no apriori interest, I’d much rather been in Europe, China, or Japan. Certainly not anywhere in the mid-east, Africa, nor, India. Indeed it was the money, and more, the ability to continue my professional career in less than in a bankrupt economic climate.
For all its worth, my chosen profession, without a second income, could not be sustained as a private practice and, since the 1978 the construction/real estate industry was in its worst downturn in over a decade. We could not make ends meet as faculty of Texas A&M and the offers from Saudi Arabia finally were convincing enough to get our undivided attention.
I had, for the moment lost either flesh or spiritual urge “to be” or “not be”. I could think of below this to a being on “hand- to –mouth” and mundane nature. It was not unfamiliar territory, because I had scrimped and saved to get through Pratt; and, then, Yale. There were bankruptcies and failures all around me; and the world economy seemed on the brink of an implosion. No, Saudi Arabia was not my choice, I had resisted it for several years, but it seemed that God was presenting this place as his sanctuary to deliver us from economic disaster. Our debt had mounted and was near the threshold of impossibility; soon our debt payments would be greater than our income, let alone paying for daily needs.

Years later when itinerating to various churches, zealous young potential missionaries would come up to me either wishing to return with us or them selves go to KSA. They wanted my advice and suggestions. I could only be truthful and answer them in the context of my personal experience. Much like my experience as a design professional I couldn't boast or give them a great and fantastic testimony of a “call” to go to this specific venue and profession.

It was God bringing us to a place for healing and repair. A place in the wilderness, away from our “world” to where He alone could do HIS work. We certainly knew this to be the truth. It was a mission for our own person, (as to Ezekiel, Job, and Abraham), not to or for the place or people we were headed.
Was this the truth to tell some enthusiastic potential job seaker?
It is only in retrospect that we can now partially explain our experiences in Saudi Arabai.

Resident Alien:
For twenty years in KSA we were there, but visiting; not connected: We learned to live accordingly. They’re with roots and rights elsewhere.

Non-resident alien in KSA with and Igama; having physical presence in KSA and for many years passing the IRS non-physical presence test for Non-resident tax status.
All visitors to Saudi Arabia must hold a valid passport. Citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates do not require visas for entry into Saudi Arabia.
All other citizens require a valid visa. There are two types of visa - Entry and Transit. Exit visas are also required. For business an entry visa is mandatory since Transit visas are only valid for 3 days. All prospective visitors must obtain a No Objection Certificate or letter of invitation in the first instance, issued through a local sponsor.

The genaeral immigration protocols are as follows: Visa applications should be made to Saudi embassies abroad. Visitors’ passports should be valid for at least three months and must be accompanied by photographs, sponsor’s NOC or letter of invitation and a supporting letter from the visitors’ employer. Multiple re-entry visas are not usually granted.
I had just been baptized in the Holy Spirit in a little storefront church called “The Living Word” in Bryan, Texas. This period was filled with the stress of living and working in a war zone and separated from the continental U.S. without our passport. Upon arrival our passports were always kept by our employer or sponsor in exchange for an Igama or letter saying that the Igama was applied for and in process. The work and the living conditions were made needlessly challenging and we experienced what most other expats do, which is an initial period of adjustment (shock and awe). Below you will find a great deal of specific detail about the contracts jobs and works provided by God. When you look at my CV/resume you will find a wide variety of business, professional, technical and administrative positions marketing, designing, building, recruiting, managing, supervising, writing, and teaching. You will see an equally impressive list of Christian Mission work involving church planting, evangelizing, teaching, founding a school, and missioning to India, Philippines, South Africa, and Leipzig; including, in this period founding and pasturing a church in our home town of North Fort Myers, Florida. God also called me to be the Assemblies of God contact pastor to the US air force in Dhahran.

When we divide this 20-year period in two we see that the first half was being spent between the Eastern and Central Province while the second solely residing in the Eastern Province (we made many visits to Riyadh before 1993).

It too was distinguished by the first where we had a second home in Kitzbuhel, Austria while the second making trips to Christina’s home town of Leipzig, Germany to foster the vision God had given her to evangelize I the name of an organization she founded called: ”LEMA”; Leipzig Evangelical Ministerial Alliance. Because of the times we live in and because my experience was so diverse, long and complex I dare not try to out guess the issues you may find important that I did not address. I was sure during this period as I am now that God is sovereign and fully capable. Our job is to Love, obey and follow Him and let Him prevail. The stories you will read below are only the highlights; for practically every day was eventful, special and contained some supernatural act of God. Most dramatically, carrying out our ministries with impunity; starting professional organizations; continuous employment and contracts; getting paid; and assisting the needy.

God showed us His Holy Spirit's authority by revealing opportunities to fulfill His Great Commission; Professorship at the University at Texas A&M and King Faisel University; US Embassy and Consulate; Architect founding AIA Chapter and Provider of continuing education and Plans examiner in Lee County. He gave me His Authority over Satan and the evil that would try to prevent His work. He gave the enemy eyes to perceive His authority vested in me. He gave a diverse and strife- full diverse range of nationals to perceive His authority in me to teach, guide and lead business, projects and marriages.

SAUDI PROJACS: NOVEMBER 1, 1997: I was hired by Luay Khouri to judge and advise his clients on several projects as part of jury. We would work as a team reviewing the designs of noteworthy architects and engineers. Wew'd saty at very posh hotels and I earned a goodly amount of money for this work . On one assignment to Jeddah I was in the steam room and talking to a young Saudi. He asked me so many questions including my work history in the kingdom. I told him as much as I could remember including my short time with the University of Petroleum minerals; he suddenly blurted “Professor Barie Fez-Barringten”, explaining that he was one of students. That was fourteen years ago, I was rather surprised but pleased that he remembered. He was now in charge of construction and design projects for the city of Jeddah. I later was to meet many of my students who had become either mayors, directors of municipalities and public works. Others for banks, manufacturers, commissions and within ARAMCO. Many of them have children and now grandchildren. I would meet them from time to time in the office as I pursued my work in the kingdom. Of course they were always very kind and helpful.

Chronology of early events
When, who, what and why (what was I thinking?)
Did we accomplish any thing by being in Saudi? Did we make a difference? What was God’s purpose? What was the wordly purpose?
What remains? Friends; faith; ministry; memories of events, places, and feelings. God used it to edify and build us and build others. To show us that all things are possible in Christ, despite our flesh, and, to rely upon, believe and follow him. Most stories about people’s lives tell about where they got with out telling how they got there and what they thought of the process.

1979: It all really started when Saud Schwaff (business associate of the former Robert Herring: CEO of Houston Oil introduced me to Rashid Al-Rashid with whom I had two employment interviews (and members of his family) in Beverly Hills and New Orleans.
1979: various offers for single status positions for Vulcan gravel company which I did not accept
1979: Northrup interview in California.
1979: interview with dean Mokrin in Houston for faculty position at UPM
1981: Dean Raymond of Texas A&M University introduced me to the president of King Faisel University who instructed Hospital Corporation of America (HCA) to make me an offer and we attended orientation and contract signing in Houston. Our interview was with a member of the Saudi Royal Family who was then acting as Provost of KFU.
1981: James Young offered us married status employment by ARAMCO to live in Seaview and work in Dhahran as grade code 13. The contract he offered and comparison to the King Faisel University offer seemed much more reliable. It was an American company and certainty of payment and return to USA if trouble was assured.
The contract with King Faisel was late in coming and we just told them that we accepted the ARAMCO offer instead.
However I kept the signed contract and right after the Gulf War in 1991 sent it to the dean with my regards.
Aug 3, 1981: orientation week in Houston
Aug 11, 1981: Christina, cats and suitcases depart first class Pan Am air to arrive in Dhahran 2:00am in sultry heat, met by a crowd of people including James Young and his sign with our name on it. After various and very brief formalities were whisked onto buses to head for our accommodations passing GOSPS a blazing, bussed to Rahima after internal security forces search. Arrive in camp and find our way to our apartment in a one-story barrack type building.
During the next three months we had house parties, learn to shop in Dammam, Al-Khobar, and Rahima. Close relations ships develop with families who came on the same plane and lived in Khobar, Dhahran and Rahima, most notably Ed, Mina and their son, Ted.
We swam in the gulf from the club house/beach in Ras Tanura and I bussed to work on three buses from Rahima to Dhahran. Highway was not yet built so all this travel was on poorly paved to dirt road. I bought a car (ten year old delta 88 Oldsmobile) during this time.

Mid November 1981: we were relocated to the tenth floor apartment of the bin Jumah building: here we met a new set of couples and friends in the building (which at the time was all ARAMCON’s) and in the neighborhood, some Saudi trainees and families and some Lebanese/ Europeans. First thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Eve in Saudi Christina and I in our apartment. We stood on the balcony and prayed for all of Saudi to be blessed. We also realized that besides God, were quit alone in our faith.
We were certainly alone on that balcony and our building was practically empty. All of the people we knew had children and family and scheduled them selves to return to them for the holidays, we did not. So there we were alone with our cats.

Below us the city of Al-Khobar and in the horizon Dhahran with the blinking lights of the newly constructed UPM stadium.
Our doorman’s name was Mustafa, a Muslim Indian who bought a green scooter and cleaned our apartment once a week.

Visits to desert historic places, many invites to dinner parties at ARAMCON’s homes, invite Saudi trainees to our apartment; Hamdan, Faisel, Bedouin, Tony (from Lebanon); buy breads, zata from local bakery; cats on shoulder to esplanade and roof top of bin Jumah (Jumah) building; many trip to Ras Tanura on weekends and sleep in Plaissance home.
Many turkey dinners in our apartment with our many friends, including Vincent and Rosa Rossi. Weekends we would visit and sleep in the home of Ed and Mina Plaissance in Ras Tanura. We would enjoy the warm gulf and the cool swimming pool.
Work filled with strife and misunderstandings between our unit and division. Evidently, too many people hired with not enough workload and rapidly falling price of oil. For example, Lee, my supervisor, had a nervous breakdown because the proponent for whom we prepared an Engineers Workbook would not attend presentation meetings. By March 1983 division, department and our unit phased out. During this time Christina made trips to Kitzbuhel and I told me that if I were to leave they would terminate me. I finally visited her after fifteen months without a vacation. On that vacation, I arrived exhausted and slept for days having visions of the cross. I made pen and ink sketches of these visions. All of these are with Missy, our friend in Sanibel. One, she tells us, hangs in the home of the Priest of a Catholic Church in Sanibel. My Superintendent and Supervisor put me on probation and I visited her while we were paying house guest of the Ruprecht's. Finally when I returned to KSA they terminated hundreds of us at one time. There we got to know Kitzbuhel and some people; namely, Ruth, Maria, and Lotti,

Three months prior we were moved from the bin Jumah building to Seaview townhouses; remarkably, the very one shown to us by Jim Young in his slides of Saudi he showed us in College Station. March 1983 ARAMCO terminated my contract but I was offered two positions, which encouraged us not to leave Saudi. Christina and I celebrated the conclusion of this very miserable time with ARAMCO by stopping over in Paris for a week headed for Washington dc to get our re-entry visa for re-employment with Al-Suhaimi. Christina could not return with me so as I returned to Saudi and our personal effects while she headed for Kitzbuhel to settle in our condo/apartment by Schloss Lebenberg. I assisted her in her search for this place and before leaving we had found one. I also suggested she find a lawyer to help her with all the arrangements. This advice later proved to be a disaster as the lawyer she selected turned out to be a dishonest opportunist, not a surrogate to help and assist Christina.

Making Kitzbuhel our point of repatriation was wonderful. It was an easy six-hour flight followed by a very pleasant six-hour train ride. At first Christina would meet me, but we soon learned that the late schedules made this awkward. This first Eastern Province period employed and housed by ARAMCO and Suhaimi had its own set of events and circumstances. In a country where who you knew made all the difference, we knew nobody! And those we knew knew less than we did. Our circle of friends and acquaintances were made from the people living in our building. However, by the time we left the Eastern Province we did know so many of the people in ARAMCO, many more by face than by name, and, many of my Saudi trainees and Arabs, Indians, Philippinos we met in restaurants, shops and on the road. Christina got to know a young Lebanese couple living in a villa in the neighborhood. A friend of theirs' managed the RCA tape shop in Khobar. I eventually bought my blank tapes from him. Several very interesting Saudi’s visited us with wonderful gifts. They were extraordinary gentlemen. One of the advantages of our location was its accessibility and access to down town Khobar. Many families form Ras Tanura and Jubail could visit us and shop in Khobar. We could also easily reach the shops and make friends with many of the shopkeepers who were anxious for our business and conversation.

January 1983 ARAMCO Housing terminated their contract with bin Jumah and moved us to Seaview apartments to the very unit Jim young had occupied, and, the one he showed us in the photographs in College Station. After finally cleaning the place from palmetto bugs we stayed there until ARAMCO terminated me along with hundreds of other due to the economic downturn. After briefly contacting some of my contractors one offered me immediate employment and the University of Petroleum and minerals promised a contract the following academic year. The one that offered immediate employment was the manager of Al-Suhaimi and a former student of mine from Pratt institute. He was from Thailand and he managed to keep our personal effects in storage near his home while Christina and I went to the USA to transfer sponsorship and get a new reentry visa via Paris going and Kitzbuhel Austria coming. She had to stay in Kitzbuhel until I could get her approval to be in my Igama. It was during that time we found Lebenberg and she moved in my absence. We had ARAMCO ship all our household effects and our pacer from the USA store to Kitzbuhel.

This was a most interesting few months first living for three months in the Al-Hamra hotel in Dammam with my two cats and eating in the hotel in my room over the month of Ramadan. Then going nightly with Al-Suhaimi’s Syrian translator to many eating-places and his Saudi/Syrian friends. Additionally, Al-Suhaimi asked me to assist him negotiate joint venture agreements with a Korean company, and for several months we saw each other for dinners etc. Winding up in various Korean only hotels in Dammam. There are restaurants that were open then that catered to the wealthy Saudi and his foreign visitor, such as the oasis, with running water falls, ponds and lavish greenery. Additionally, I was Al-Suhaimi liaison to Saudi fisheries whose office building and headquarter compound we designed. I also got to know how the eastern province government works and the degree that authorized engineers and all architects to be qualified to practice. I was invited by king Faisel University to speak and conduct a seminar on this important topic at the newly constructed auditorium of UPM. Finally, Christina returned to Saudi and we occupied our Suhaimi villa in Dammam. It was extraordinary. The company built me cabinets from a design I made on a napkin. I met a man who was the maintenance chief of the post office who helped me break in the house and he and I kept our friendship. We met in the lobby of the Meridian Hotel where I’d go for evening coffee.
The Lebanese war had reached its crisis and one of our neighbor’s wife who was a journalist just had returned and spent her days and evenings with us to tell us of all she saw and felt. A year earlier in the bin Jumah building we had other neighbors who would go to Lebanon to bring aid to their family and return with their tragic tales. At that time Tony Haddad befriended would come practically to visit us every Friday bringing us Lebanese breakfast goodies and during the week we would feed him. If he were to return to Lebanon he would be immediately drafted and probably killed. There were so many, that it was all we could do was to feed and befriend them. They needed a family and we gave them Jesus’ love.

Aziz requested I help him do a number of things; build his library; assist with employment personal problems, especially Garth Compton; liaise and manage Saudi Fisheries; write company typical specifications; make a company brochure, and negotiate a joint venture working agreement with DAE woo, a Korean contractor. This exercise took me to know various Korean restaurants and compounds in the Eastern Province especially one near the present railway station and on Dhahran Road (now converted to a Chinese restaurant where we had special discount membership) His Company manager, a former Master’s student of mine, introduced me to Aziz from Pratt. He was so kind to rescue me from my sudden termination at ARAMCO where SUMA had been one the companies I supervised. It fit so well because I had the offer from UPM and Aziz only needed me to help him for a maximum of six months; the time it would take for the fall semester at UPM to begin. As it turned out my Thai student suddenly got mad a t me for the work I did on the SUMA Company brochure. Aziz but not before he insisted Aziz prematurely release me soon fired him. Aziz wrote and then withdrew his letter. Aziz also gave me a very precious gift, “a transferable Igama”. This allowed me to work at any company in KSA with out the company who needed me to have to apply and wait for a new Igama for me. And, the Igama was for married status. As it turned out the University suddenly had a hiring freeze, being affected by the same economic downturn, which precipitated ARAMCO terminating me, along with hundreds of others.

Many ARAMCONS entered and won a “class-action-suit” against ARAMCO for hiring them away form jobs and continuous employment in the USA on the promise of continuous secure employment. Our termination was for the economic downturn, not cause. At ARAMCO I had a miserable time and had been tested by Shoukri N. by probation of severe work and no leave, but had passed with flying colors. Supernaturally, while Christina was out of the country, I would go to the Marriott Hotel lobby to have coffee and just be in a nice place and relax. It was there I met a single man who was the chief engineer of the Dammam Post office (originally designed and built by a French Company), seconded by IDEA center in Jeddah. He and I got very friendly and he visited me in my house and then had dinner with Chris and me many evenings. Hearing of the news of UPM he immediately contacted David at IDEA center, and within a very short time offered me a position. We had to pass a formal interview in Jeddah and then agree to the terms of the offer. Aziz was overly generous, I remember using SUMA’s phones from the office to make calls and write letters and then the final call to Shahid Sohail at CRS to arrange for ours Harvard frame beds and Sealy mattress. The assignment was for Riyadh to be the Deputy Director of Operations to a consortium to build 21 housing projects throughout KSA for the Ministry of Interior to house Internal Security Forces.

University of Petroleum and Minerals
Upon leaving ARAMCO, Dr.Zamil Mokrin, Dean offered me a full time faculty position as Associate Professor in the Department of Architecture. I had several other really good offers, including one from Azmi Abdul Hadi at CDE. Later when I contacted him in 1996 he well remembered his offer and me; He kept his promise and the offer. Continuing, Dr. Mokrin arranged for me to meet the chairman and faculty, in the interim he requested I teach in the summer so I could get to know my way around and be ready in the fall. I taught with an Indian/Canadian national, Dr.Mehat, building construction for one summer while I was working for Al-Suhaimi. The drive from Dammam to the UPM campus took me through the desert and area where major land moving and preparation was under way. The roads and skies were always filled with sand. Many yellow earth moving vehicles with Asian men on top, heads wrapped with red and white checked cloth to protect their lungs.

I got paid about $6,000 and the students and I got along wonderfully. I was given a very nice office into which I moved many of my books and manuals from Gulf Oil. Dr. Mokrin arranged for me o be shown our permanent housing and to meet my future neighbors.
Our term project was to prepare a set of working drawings of one of the faculty houses. My house, Later this exercise was so useful because it was the same building type used by CRS on the MOI Internal Security Housing Project. It was also interesting for me because one of my (Syrian) student’s uncles at Texas A&M was one of the General contractors.
Mehat asked I take full responsibility for the lecture portion of the course and arrange for weekly field visits to various Eastern Province contractors. This was very easy since I knew all of them personally from my work at ARAMCO.

International Associates
I managed a team of about forty professional engineers and designers in the construction phase of the project (reduced to eleven cities due to budget). IA was split in two; one the field managed by Tony Apostoletes and the other office managed by Jim Burns. Tony was Greek and Jim Scottish and they always fought, disagreed and called each other names; namely Tony claimed Jim being English was an Imperialist and dictator. Thanks God, they were downstairs refereed by our President, Ben Cunningham who spent his time on his computer. Both Jim and Ben were long time CRS employees. I was Jim’s Deputy, seconded by CRS, the managing consortium member as IDEA centers representative in Riyadh. It was a four-story building. Captain Saad and the client’s staff had the ground floor, Ben, Tony and Jim and the admin staff were on the second, Public relations and media was on the forth, while our team of engineers and construction managers on the third. The construction management team was mostly British and we had our own feuds. They managed schedules and costing the English method by a precise Bill of materials and Performance schedule while Americans by a Schedule of Values and Critical Path Network. Every Thursday (Saudi’s Saturday) morning we would have a (DT) decision tracking meeting where the Ben would challenge us all about our tardy responses to inquiries made from our eleven job sites. Daily I had meeting with my staff about their complaints about working conditions, salary, and workloads.

One morning a young Saudi lieutenant in the Saudi army hit one the way to work my car in the rear. He was put in Jail until he paid to fix my car. He coerced me to release him to later find out that the car was not properly fixed and he had no intention of really fixing it. Even the Ministry’s government affairs officer could not help me. In the pursuit of the work I visited our sites in Jeddah and was coerced to go to the most risqué dancing parties. I also visited Al-Khobar. I had to advise our client that the furniture it had approved was made out of paper and well below the quality we would recommend and well above price they should have paid. I made videos of the visits and met with our on site teams and contractors. I got to know the problems of the labor forces, equipment and working in the desert.

I had little contact with the IDEA center office except when they decided not to renew my contract and withhold my entire final dues and Igama unless I surrendered my dues. I finally did and left with my Igama and current salary only. Mike Murray called me as I was arranging for my job search and departure apologizing for the bad behavior of the company and whispering that I should not worry because he has been offered a really nice job which required someone to assist him. He asked for my permission to give my name and resume. The position and salary was a promotion in status, salary and benefits. I said yes. I worked with Ben Cunningham; Jim Burns; Declan McGinnis; Tony Apostoletes and Panos Varoutes (he called me years later from Greece when I was at CDE asking if I had a job for him. He was a Greek electrical engineer who called me from Greece in response to the add CDE placed inan international trade journal. When he heard the salary and qualifications we were demanding he politely withdrew his request for employment. But I have very nice memories of him and the 30 plus other engineers that I was assigned to manage and coordinate.

El-Seif
The company was owned and operated by three brothers, Khalid, Sami and Mohammed. Khalid managed the overall group of companies and especially the Construction Company while Mohammed the medical equipment division, Mohammed was the youngest, Khalid the oldest and Sami, the Architect was in the middle. During our tenure Khalid was building the family compound and designing the new headquarter office building. They inherited the business from their father who had recently died. Mike and I reported to work in the Batha office of El-Seif to Khamis (Thursday) who assigned us to work for one of the three bothers, Mohammed in another location in Riyadh. He was difficult to understand and perform well. I was tasked to write job descriptions and procedures for the company and its operations while mike the companies accounting. We lasted at all this for about 3 months when thanks to God our work was accepted and we were returned to Batha and Khalid to fulfill our original mission to write the Group’s business plans. We were assigned to share one room and we arranged the desks to face each other. Mike smoked his pipe and between writing and getting our work typed Mike told me about his life, love affairs, and especially his horrible experiences with his former employer who was the same person who kept my money when leaving and the same person who ten years later would be my guest speaker at several AIG/me meetings. He was the also the same person who arranged an interview with another /American named David in Detroit in 1980. At that time he was looking for a computer literate CAD manager. Ziad and Mike had been classmates in the same fraternity in the University in Detroit. Mike had worked in Detroit for the Power Company and a well-known A&E firm.

We had received an offer that Mike could not refuse and he came to Saudi. The reason Mike left is that Mike had difficult relations and I never did tell Mike or our employer later about the initial interview in Detroit. Since mike and I lived in the same building, we some time drove home together and our time was very nice. Mohammed’s office was solely for the construction of the largest hospital in Arab world being built across the street by Hyundai. I was later to see Khalid at the wedding of Prince Sultan (the Saudi ambassador to the US and former Astronaut). Prince Faisel Al-Sudairy had invited Bob, Tom and I to attend with him. Finally, Khalid decided to continue further to train Mike on the computer to develop the groups accounting system, but not to renew my contract. The work was originally designed for one year. Khalid was a gentleman and gave me three months notice just before Christina and I was going on our holiday to Kitzbuhel. Before leaving we had arranged for Christina to give her One-Woman Art Show at the Intercon hotel so the matter of our villa her presence of mind was very important. Upon returning from Kitz I immediately was able to find a new sponsor who agreed to buy the El-Seif Villa lease and the furniture. Farouq Arabi, Khalid’s uncle made all the arrangements.
Additionally, they were very happy to take my houseboy, whom by that time we had relinquished because of his attempted very bad behavior.
FE Basil where I worked as an on site construction Project Engineer from November 1985 to February 1986. January 28, 1986 when the Challenger space ship blew up Christina and I was at a US embassy officer’s home space ship party in Riyadh. The head of FE Basil, Ed Robinson offered me the position at a meeting of the ABG in the Intercon Hotel, building a Sports Complex on the outskirts of Riyadh in the desert, supervised by a Jordanian Engineer, account manager from Austria with a Czech wife, Da Lim was Korean contractor and Kim was my secretary
My office was on site in building where I had my own private office, battery operated phone and several specialty engineers sitting in a big room. One of the engineers was a Lebanese Druze looking like a short version of my father and his family. I had to climb on the site and building every day. I had excellent relations with the Presidency of Youth Welfare and their Project Engineer, Mohammed Mutlag Al-Yahya. When I left he furnished me with his family’s truck and driver to bring my personal effects to Arieb Villa and Mercelot. The work ended in about three months when it was discovered that Mr. Robinson mishandled company and project funds. All of us were tainted and could not be rehired by the Presidency; but Yahya tried and refereed me to several clients.

Arieb: I initially met Bob and Tom at American businessmen Group (ABGR) meetings. The economy was in one of its slumps and Arieb was in bankruptcy. Tom interviewed me and assured me that because I had my Igama I could greatly help work with Bob to form several new profitable businesses to bring the company out of the doldrums. Finally, he got the Prince to agree and I was offered a letter, which allowed El-Seif to release my Igama to Arieb and not issue me an “exit-only visa”. Christina was already out of the kingdom, so I moved into the villa, arranged for the cats and our personal effects and joined her in Kitzbuhel. Bob, called me several time both assuring me that I had the job and that Arieb was arranging to bring me back ASAP. One time he called angry because I was delaying return. I was having trouble in Kitzbuhel finalizing the medical HIV/aids exam; it was all new at that time.

When I arrived Bob and Tom were just so nice. Bob and I worked so well together. He showed me how to use the new PC using doss and make the business plans we needed.
Several times a month we would go ABGR meetings and do other nice social things. We regularly brainstormed in the conference room and I put together a plan for an O&M (operations and Maintenance Company) and fire extinguisher company. I also worked with tom and a Philippino on the surplus equipment owned by Arieb and on building Wheat Silos under a grant from the government. In pursuit of these negotiations I met with officers of NCB and other banks who educated me on Arieb’s financial situation. One bank president, who I knew from our Christian fellowships, a Gideon, gave me the details of Arieb’s situation. This information gave me a lasting perspective one of Saudi’s problems facing their membership in the World Trade Organization. I have never given any of these details or spoke of them to anyone. Yet, articles appeared in the papers and others spoke openly about the problems of this and other companies. I always considered these maters which should be kept private.

Finally, after about nine months Prince Faisel advised Tom, Bob and I that a severe cut in expenses would necessitate terminating our contracts. Tom immediately returned to the USA, as he had already planned for several years while Bob used his contacts to get another marketing contract. Using various directories, I realized that all of the usual contacts I had were in financial trouble. I took a totally different approach and contacted a variety of Operations and Maintenance companies. I learned from that these were the up and coming growth companies. They may not be paying very well but the work would be steady and hopefully improve. I interviewed moving companies as well.

It was then that I me Mr. Jizawi, who invited me in the evening to his Batha office. He was so kind, so nice, so considerate and understanding. I just knew I was in the right place. He made me an offer and I accepted. I ended my employment with Arieb November 20, 1986, but Arieb allowed us to live with paying rent, etc. till we left the kingdom on New Years Eve of 1986/87. After packing, etc. we went to the home of Ibrahim and Armeda for a New Years celebration and Ibrahim’s driver took us with the Arieb Personal director to the airport with our nine cats in boxes. They had to make sure we left the kingdom and had to pay a heavy fee for the luggage (cats). This was the last Christina was to see her beatiful city of Riyadh. It was the end of an age for us both.

AlFoadia
It took six months for AlFoadia to arrange my reentry visa and I stated work on June11, 1987. It means that I had been without income since Nov. 20, 1986 for seven months. But, it was a wonderful time for Christina and me in Kitzbuhel. Mr.Jizawi introduced me to Mr.Kahn and confidentially cautioned me to be sensitive to his attitudes and concerns for his operational domain. He assigned me to assist him in marketing and reorganizing the company. Mr.Kahn on the other hand urged me to stick close to him for his help in performing my work and personal needs. The three of us made a great team and we were able to win many new clients, projects and build the size and quality of the company. Mr. Jizawi provides me with a private and nicely furnished small office near to him. I smoked a cigar and he gave a wooden hand carved ashtray. He assigned a secretary to help me. Mr. Kahn made sure my car ran well and was kept clean. He assigned a janitor to clean my apartment. My apartment was in the same building as the office. This was a bachelor status only contract, but Mr.Jizawi always welcomed bringing my wife. He had met her at his home before we left his wife prepared a feast in his home for us.
My work included marketing all the new embassies in the newly constructed Diplomatic Quarter. I was able to win the US, Japan, and others. Additionally, I won several schools and the ATT compound. Later, I assisted AlFoadia win the Dhahran Academy and US consulate in Al-Khobar. I advised on the renewal of contracts with Saudi American Bank, Egypt Bank, National Commerce Banks and others. I assisted in sub contracts with Food and Uniform providers.

I assisted Abu Nedal, the company’s construction works supervisor, with bids, analysis, descriptions and drawings. I helped organize survey teams for the measuring of Lockheed and other compounds for bids. I assisted in the analysis of cleaning equipment for purchase. I also assisted Mr. Jizawi in his correspondence for his back surgery and trip as well as selecting a school in England to send his son Foad. I learned so much from this experience and each of these men. Mr. Kahn could be very strict with new workers arriving from Bangladesh, India and Sri Lanka. . Mr. Jizawi emphasized the importance of maintaining “good relations”. He practiced what he preached. Mr. Kahn and I were always good friends and he a good Muslim. He enjoyed good restaurants and when we traveled to the Eastern Province or Jeddah we flew first class and ate at the best restaurants. Mr. Jizawi, often made parties at his home and his wife was a superb cook. He also invited us to eat at the Oberoi Hotel coffee shop great buffet. Mr. Kahn’s favorite was the Meridian. Mr. Jizawi gave me an expense account, which I could use to entertain clients, buy my medicines, get gas for my car, etc. Finally, after seeing Saudi’s economy improving and realizing that Christina and I could not indefinitely live apart; I began a job search and found many offers with substantial salaries, marriage status, etc. so I wrote a letter to Mr.Jizawi asking him to improve my contract. His answer was to terminate my contract. I had consulted Mr.Kahn before sending this letter and I am sure they discussed what was best. We parted the best of friends and continued to keep in touch until I returned to Saudi to work for King Faisel University. To this day I have a great affection for Mr. Jizawi!

The Manager of the King’s conference Palace in Riyadh
A very kind couple in Riyadh who managed the King’s Conference Palace in Riyadh befriended Christina and me. He was actually a lifetime employed of the Intercontinental Hotel chain and had been working in London before this current assignment. He had many servants in his very large villa and his wife and children were very kind to us. They would often invite us to there home for a lavish diner of many courses accompanied by many wines and liquors. The dishes served were always pork and other “haram” meats and ways normally forbidden in the kingdom. This was always allowed for diplomats so long as it was kept well away from tempting others. Even when Christina was not there or when his wife was not there he would invite me and we’d spend the evening talking about England, the USA and our life in Saudi Arabia. Our times were very formal and elegant. He was amongst several such friends and homes we came to know in the kingdom. We believed that God had great favor with these people and we included. Actually, Christina and were not ever great drinkers nor did we particularly long for pork but the gesture and offer was so gracious and good willed.

King Faisel University
From 1991 to 1996 I was Associate Professor of Architecture at King Faisel University in Dammam Days after the Gulf war ended, and, about three years since we departed Saudi Arabia I found an original letter offering me a position on the faculty of King Faisel University amongst papers in my file. I was cleaning and applying for work anywhere and everywhere. Work was scarce in Lee County and our ministry wasn’t paying bills. I sent well wishes to the current dean. Weeks letter I received a cordial reply and expression of interest. I did not consider it very seriously and simply wrote on the letter, “yes” and returned the letter. Again weeks past and I got call on the phone from Dean, Abdul Aziz al-Saati inviting me to an interview with him in Washington D.C. He could not reimburse me for airfare, etc. so after several suggestions, we settled on an interview at Universal Studios in Orlando. Christina and I drove to Orlando and met the dean his wife and son, Mohammed and he decided to invite me as a member of his faculty.

It was clear from our discussions that the matter of housing and transportation was not provided but they did give an allowance. After some consideration and prayer I contacted AY Kahn and Mr. Jizawi at al-Foadia and they agreed to help. In fact to informally engage me as consultant at large. I would live with Khalid’s (Mr. Jizawi’s step-son) in their Dammam office until they could find proper accommodations and transport.
After some of the usual passport, immigration, physical examinations and air transport arrangements I arrived in Saudi to be met by an Khalid who drove me to what would be my room sleeping with Khalid for about 3 months.

This five-year (1991-1996) period of our life immediately followed the three years blessing by God’s authority and His Great Commission with the founding Christian Fellowship at Del Tura, Leipzig Evangelical Ministerial Association and ordination by Gospel Crusade Ministerial Fellowship and some Architectural and Interior Design Contracts (Taylor Construction included) in Fort Myers.

Now, back to Saudi and five full years of teaching architecture, writing and publishing monographs on metaphors and architecture, founding and operating AIG/ME, a correspondence school and acting as contact Pastor to the US air force chaplains in Dhahran; and reestablishing FGBMFI and starting up services in US and British embassies in Riyadh. It was to be a very useful five years including teaching Saudi Arabs and working with professionals from a variety of countries and professions. The experiences in the classrooms, at meetings, and socially were unique. Marked by a background of a student body whose last choice was architecture and who were being paid a salary plus room and board to attend school. The buildings were in very bad shape, having been temporarily built in the late seventies. Additionally, the hard working faculty was expatriates under one year renewable contracts (such as mine) while our Saudi counter parts were tenured full time. They observed, monitored and team-taught with us. There were many exceptions. Typically we would have daily informal staff meetings between the chairmen those teaching with him. Classes were based on written curriculums. We taught and lectured in English but many students did not fully understand English. Many students’ failed and special classes were created to expedite them.

I team-taught with practically all the faculty in different situations. Even lecture classes. Lecture classes were given by handing out notes and tests given by reviewing answers to possible questions before hand. Juries for design s were characterized by trying to be heard above the competing talk of students. Students were often not prepared and needed to be given solutions to their designs to bring them to the point of developing an idea. Still, students did respect faculty and faculty were addressed by students and “doctora”. I was asked to also teach interior design to female students. I did teach several classes for a couple of years behind one way mirrored glass. The female students could see me but I could only hear them. They were usually very kind and helpful. They did much better in both design and lecture classes than the males. They were much more motivated. They choose their field and were very interested in graduating to practice or teach. Several of these students found ways to meet my wife and then visit our home or meet at galleries. I developed special relationships with Abdulhamid Shalaby, Mohammed Awad, and Alpay Ozdural, and Okon Ustincock. They thought of me as special because of my years of professional experience designing and building as well as having lived in the kingdom for so many years before ever reaching KFU. Most of them were there for very short periods of one or two years, but there were exceptions. But each of them were scholars having their doctorates and learned academicians; for me it was a very special experience.

I was asked to give lectures to the entire school; to be on the New Campus design committee; and to give special courses in professional practice introducing the students to the many Saudi practitioners in the Eastern Province. I knew all of them from my position as contractor liaison at ARAMCO and from my work organizing and operating AIG/ME. During this time I wrote and published monographs and traveled to Paris to give a lecture about AIA activities in Saudi.
For the first two years I taught in a three story black mirror glass building and then in a pre-engineered metal complex of buildings. I had suggested they consider such temporary buildings because of the reasonable cost and the ease of design. The design was done by the company, which manufactured and installed the buildings. Zamil Steel; I knew this company very well for many years as they were one of the sponsors of my AIA group.

I always shared an office with another faculty member. For the first few years Okon, Seager and a few assorted others would meet in a coffee room prepared and maintained by Okon. He was our chairman and we got here early and spent a good time gossiping and sharing ideas. One such event took place over a period of several months when we noticed a guard urinating in the garden between our building and the new property. We fully realized neither he nor any one could see us seeing them. And usually there wasn’t any there. The next door facility was owned by a Saudi Prince who leased it to the Saudi Navy for use as school. I knew this complex from the early eighties when my friend Ed Plaissance and I would visit. However, now I had met a Christina who was part. Since he did not have a car Howard and I would drive him home. One evening he shared with us the difficulties he was having with an Arab in his building. He was concerned. He kept me informed as things deteriorated. But, I did not know exactly where he lived in this compound.

One morning as Okon and our group were having our coffee we noticed the guard coming and going and then some man coming to the out side of the door on the third floor and taking papers and putting them in a barrel and burring them (of course, not knowing that he could be seen and believing he was in full and complete privacy) Well I was the first one to re-open the subject of our jesting about the guard to develop it further into a possible mystery of someone who could be doing some thing and what deep dark mystery it all was. We laughed and the others further hypothesized many other stories and analogies to literary characters, etc. Well, that night I went to a social gathering and found out that our friend had been summarily expatriated that day, so as to avoid arrest. I later presumed that it was he on the floor above and the papers he was burning was his music. His dispute with the Arab was not about his work but some thing to do with the class hours and what he was teaching at the school. Somehow they just did not get along. Just months later his employer discovered his social life and he got a severe warning. He ceased and desisted from all social activities.

Typically we had two types of classes; Studio and lecture. Studio classes lasted for four hours and reoccurred several times a week while lectures were once or twice per week for one hour. Tema teach involved several teachers and we each would have some special thing to teach about and would lecture and visit students at their tables. I learned so much from listening to my colleagues. Most of them never practiced but had spent their entire careers teaching. They were very smart and knew a lot. I particularly enjoyed co teaching with my former student, Zahid. He was so talented in teaching students to accurately draw perspectives and show shade being cast by light at a specific angle and from a specific point source.

Students:
My experience with Arab and Saudi students includes some Arab students I had at Texas A&M, trainees at ARAMCO, UPM students, and KFU students. KFU students were unique. They were usually from merchant families who could not afford to send them out side; they all did very badly in high school; they all selected medicine, engineering but were assigned Architecture because they did not qualify for any thing else.
They were salaried to attend; all tuition, housing, books and materials were paid by the government; few of them intended to enter into any profession; most became police, military or government workers, some became mayors, heads of government public works departments, post office, etc. I had young Mitawas as students. Many were very polite; most were undisciplined; many could not speak English; they were very affectionate toward each other; it is customary in Saudi Arabia for men to hold hands and embrace while walking and chatting; men kiss each others cheek when saying hello; they prayed with each other daily, they shared dormitories with each other and knew each other very well. They did well on memory exams if prompted before the exam; they required a lot of manuel help with design projects. Female students, which were very few, were much harder working, well motivated as they did select interior design and interior architecture for their major. I taught them by lecturing to them behind a bank screen partition, which had a one way mirror. They could see me, but I could not see them. They were courteous, funny and kind. Some visited us outside of class at art galleries, parties and at our apartment. One female’s student’s mother authored a book and insisted upon our entry on the subject of what we thought Paradise was. She was a member of the female faculty and widow.

I taught the male students in the studio at their drafting tables; I lectured them in my classroom; I took them on field trips to measure and survey as well as to offices and work sites. Many of them volunteered to jump-start AIG/ME. Several of the students from Bahrain confided in me about the trouble in their kingdom due to the high amount of unemployment. However, most of the students visiting me to discuss any thing usually actually wanted a higher grade. Many of my students from all schools are now employees, businessmen, government officials and mayors. One of our KFU students turned out to be the mayor of Al-Khobar. He hired several of my students to work in his project and planning department. Of course, I have been able to request them to help me with getting information, maps, etc.

UPM students were different and being more urban and open. Many of them choose the field of architecture. I have very nice memories of being invited to a party in which they performed and played music. There were students attending from other Arab sheikdoms and kingdoms.
KFU Colleagues Alpay Ozdural and I taught and served on many Design Juries. He also invited me to share his villa while mine was being finalized. He drove me to and from school. We also occasionally met on the Corniche. I have many photographs of him and me teaching Design.

Abdulaziz J. al-Saati accompanied by his wife and son interviewed us at Universal Studios in Orlando. He visited our home and vice versa. He studied in the USA and himself was a member of the AIA. It was he, who, after a visit hoisted by the British Architectural Association that encouraged me to start Saudi chapter of the AIA.

Alper Unlu: He, his wife, Christina and I were good friends. We shared an office in the Glass building. He once told me how lucky I was to love the built environment from childhood. And he encouraged me to tell others about this very fact.






Besim Hakim: Iraqi American who invited me to speak at the monthly speakers meeting. He also asked Christina to translate a German document on the Old City of Iraq from German to English language. Monica did this and I have copy of the translation. I drove His wife and daughter to the airport for his final departure from Saudi Arabia.
Evangelos Apostoletes: A Greek/American senior faculty member and full professor.
Ghazi S. al-Otaibi: Always a good friend who brought to bear his own family in an attempt to get my Igama transferred referred me to meet with Jean Luc Forget in Paris.
Mohamed H. Awad: Planner who helped me research and write Saudi Metaphor monogram. He had a great sense of humor and taught me many things about Islam and policies of doctorate thesis.
Liaquat Ibrahim Khan: An American Pakistani who I assisted settles in our neighborhood with his sisters. Chided me with such questions as “how’s Life”?
Mohammad Abdulaziz Fahmy: Egyptian architect with whom I taught and who knew Abdulhamid Shalaby: Abdulhamid’s first wife. He was one of the senior members of the faculty and led many new programs in the school. Most notably, Interior design program and recruitment of Egyptian faculty, including, Moshera.
Mohammad al-Mansour: Iraqi/Saudi was dean for a time; we often taught and juried design projects.
Rafiqul Hossein: Pakistani national who queried me on Americanisms such as colloquia expressions such as “okay dokey” and whose comments on contexts important contributions to our profession.
Sameer Zahr al-Lyally: Reviewed my monogram and edited parts having to do with Islam. He and I shared many conversations on Arabian culture and Ideas.
Seager Carbajal:
Zahid T. Ahmad: Pakistani; was one of my students at Pratt.

By 1995 the behavior of the students and a small minority of the Saudi faculty strained relations between western non-Muslim and Saudi faculty. Abdul Hamid’s untimely illness and subsequent death removed my last buffer and soon I was receiving warnings and unpleasant remarks. I still proceeded to vigorously pursue my teaching works photographing my class and Saudi co faculty. I even helped map the new president’s villa location and on the day I received the letter to not renew my contract was about to follow up oh delivering his tickets to the French schools concert. Zahid Ahmed received his notice on the same day and he called me and we discussed what too do. I assured him there was so much work to do that he would have no problem finding suitable alternative employment. This was so true but he could not get his Igama transferred and finally left. The rule called for waiting a year, then reapplying and returning. We kept in touch and I counseled him on what to do. Several Universities were considering me but they too were having problem with westerners and soon all the governmental positions as well closed their doors. It would have been the perfect time to leave but God was not ready for us to leave yet.

It was at this time that I did get sores on my entire body. Sores he doctors could not analyze nor find a cure. I prayed and sought God’s healing and to show me what was the cause and cure. Because I was in this precarious limbo I did not want to call too much attention to my illness nor its therapy. So I simply treated it my self with the advice of local pharmacies. I read the bible daily on the Corniche. Peter came twice a week to give me massages. It was spreading and I could envision it going to my face and neck, etc. but it did not. One day I awoke to some thing crawling on me. I caught it. I looked under the bed and it was swarming with tiny bugs. God had shown me the cause. I killed and packaged some of the bugs to have in case they needed to be tested. I took my plastic bag of bugs to the pharmacy and the pharmacist knew exactly what bug it was and with what to treat me and my bed. So Murty, my houseboy, would have his chores ahead of him for many weeks to come. He has to scour the beds and all sofas etc. with flea and tick powder, etc. I had always instructed him to clean regularly under all the furniture, etc. He now remembered these words and was very sorry that his negligence contributed to my suffering. But, Murty was already a member of our family and loved by God. He worked with the Holy Spirit to repair what had been done. It was a testing time for us all. Very quickly the sores disappeared and so did the last remains of any one bug or there descendants. However, I still have had the small pockets reoccur until the past year there has been no small re occurrence. God has healed it all.

Transition from KFU back to Private Sector and CDE
The most alarming event that occurred to me in Saudi Arabia was when I was getting an Igama to continue work in the kingdom with out returning to the USA to get a new visa. The problem was not getting a new sponsor or contract for service, but to get an exception to the law that prohibits someone contracted by the government to find other employment and continue working in the kingdom. CDE employed well and me immediately before my contract officially ended with the university. However, neither they nor I realized that this law existed or what it would take to overcome. For months while I was working Mohammed, the government relations official for CDE used al his contacts; then finally he let Azmi and I know that it was not possible and that he had rescind his offer and exit me out of the kingdom. Of course I could not let that happen, and God would not want this, so God and I had to do something and he had to show me what to do beyond my daily visits and talks to Mohammed. I contacted Rashid who in turn spoke to officials at the University to take me back and others in Prince Naif’s office to get an exception. I contacted the chief of protocol at the office of Prince Mohammed of the Eastern Province. Ghazi Otaibi went with me personally to his cousin in Khobar to whom issue passports while the mayor of Al-Khobar personally tried to contact who he knew to get this exception.
I spoke to Ibrahim Dooh and Ibrahim Zamil and Abdullah Dabbagh, but alas no one could help. I was at the end; I called finally the Diplomatic quarter government office in Riyadh that had considered me seriously for a contract position but the personal and Saudi manager could also not help. I kept trying to reach a minister who knew me well but finally got instead one the Sudanese clerks who had originally helped me to coordinate meetings when I visited.
I explained my situation, and he said he could help and get my Igama transferred. I had to get CDE’s Mohammed and Azmi to agree to extend the deadline and finally one late night at a very late hour after so many fax and phone calls to the Sudanese fellow Mr. Kahn’s Currier delivered to me the letter to my door. It cost but I now had another transferable Igama and could work for CDE or transfer to a new private sector contract. It cost us a great deal to keep the work going but I am sure God had His purposes in mind. Shortly after I continued to work in CDE my car’s engine needed to be replaced, but God provided and even after I had won a very large contract from Lucent for CDE Azmi informed me that he had to cut expenses and not renew my contract. He told me that I would get a much better offer. Azmi was correct.

RSAL contracted with me to carry out architectural design and project management work for ARAMCO at twice what Azmi was able to pay me. In this year I was able to recover my losses and save enough for Christina to carry out the building project to our home she planned. More importantly, it kept me in the kingdom long enough to be able to meet Jun, because Tawfiq took me to the Philippines after contracting with me to work for Al-Muhaidib in 1998.

Chronology by companies: the significance of the overlapping of the start and end dates all had to do with my ability to stay in the country and use my transferable Igama; I could not let an end date lapse or else I would have to leave the country and lose my Igama. The transferable Igama was particularly valuable so that companies which needed help could hire me and use me in a position without having to apply to the government so long as they could show that they had need of the job. In this way my income was continuous and the jobs I got were interesting and special. Not the technical jobs but management and consulting types. The CDE office was just a few blocks form the Bin Jumah bldg in the Al-Khodairi Building on Abdul Aziz Blvd. I worked on the fifth floor and my office faced the Bin Jumah Bldg. The NCB bank was just one block away and SCADO and Mr. Sadat just a few further blocks. That is why I took this job because I did not want to leave the Eastern Province and ICI students. I was given charge of the office. I was the architect of record for the Dhahran Academy, Saudi Japanese Pharmaceutical and Dhahran US consulate. I was able to win a big Lucent wireless telephone antenna siteing project and named as HOK project manager for a museum on the Corniche. Azmi and his wife even accepted our invitation to celebrate our wedding anniversary at a private dinning room at the Dhahran International hotel. Azmi and other business were experiencing a slowdown so while I was disappointed I was not surprised that Azmi was not able to renew my contract. RSAL was able to start me out immediately so I simply reported to the ARAMCO Dhahran Office Building on the Dammam Khobar highway. I was assigned to work under a Sudanese American national.
I was further assigned to share a cubical with an architect, David Raines. In our unit were people I knew before such as Joe Sanchez, David Hatch, Myron Zembrowski, and Garth Compton, etc. The building was palatial with a five-story atrium and big cafeteria, which served subsidized lunch and breakfast. We had to work Thursday as well, and I was able to find a place to snooze in private. My projects included 2 warehouse renovations, office building and hospital renovation. I got to learn how to really work a computer with the patient and friendly David Raines. It turns out that although he was about ten years younger that we were born on the same day.

Many things happened in this place. We had monthly project meetings and it turned out that two of the projects Greek American managers did not like architects or American architects. There was a big drop in oil prices and many of the western staff was told their contracts would not be renewed. Garth was able to get reassigned helping with ARAMCO drawing files, David left the kingdom and so did many others. Just before finalizing my plans, I recalled the very nice man, Tawfiq Al-Reshaid, introduced to me by Elias Attara (now deceased). So I called him and invited him for dinner at the Al-Ghosaibi hotel. He accepted and during dinner we both got the idea that I might be able to do for Al-Muhaidib, what I had done for CDE. So on the night before RSAL was scheduled to issue my exit-only visa Essam Al-Muhaidib, Tawfiq and I negotiated a contract and wrote the letter to RSAL transferring sponsorship. The following day I reported to Al-Muhaidib and after setting up my office next to Tawfiq‘s I began work. The first thing was to set up my computer and plan for our recruitment trip to the Philippines. This is where God brought Jun and I together. I called Felix who suggested I contact Jun and Jun invited me to socialise. When returning me to my hotel in Makati he only talked about coming to Saudi. I so reported Jun's need and interest to work in Saudi to which Tawfiq said yes. In fact, Tawfiq rescinded his offer to Jun but soon Jun called me from Khobar announcing he had gotten some job in Manila and reported to work in Khobar. In addition, Tawfiq and I traveled to South Africa in search of highly trained communications engineers, reasoning that we should be prepared for a possible offer by Lucent if they get the award of a major contract with the ministry of information in Saudi. We visited Johannesburg and Cape Town.

It was a nurse friend of Mary, David Raine's girlfriend that told me her company was recruiting in South Africa. Additionally, the Al-Muhaidibs' were courting favor with the King through a member of there banking staff and City Corp. I was tasked with liaising with him. He suggested we attend a conference he organized at Georgetown University. So the family tasked me and their two brothers- in to attend for a week where we stayed at the Willard Hotel. The food and the events were lavish and splendid. However, I could hardly eat anything because I was just recovering form the worst stomach virus I ever had in my life. I did manage to meet the Lucent, ATT, and Bell lab executives, and rub shoulders with the representatives of top Saudi companies.

Because we were interested in telecommunications, the US consulate invited Tawfiq and me to attend a week trip to Atlanta’s convention center, San Francisco and San Jose. In Atlanta we stayed at the Buck head Ritz Carlton and met with a prominent Lucent executive. All of our meetings were very well organized and we got the information and resources we needed. We even received an offer from Deutsche Telecom to be there Saudi partner if we could get an operator’s license. The office was in the former home of the Al-Muhaidib family. Our offices were upstairs. Various tea boys served us and Uni was our receptionist/secretary, there were estimators and managers on the ground floor who provided us with the technical assistance we required for purchasing, estimating and arranging for our travel and visas. I was visited by various people such as Roger Reyla and a member of the Al- Muhaidib family having a house in Austin and doing business in Basra. He was able to explain to me the black market shipping being conducted from Dubai to Iraq and the need to develop cooperative trade in preparation for the hopeful change of regime in Iraq. Unfortunately Lucent did not get their contracts and the Ministry of Communications decided to carry out the work in different ways. Emad visited me to explain all of these but Christina and I had already decided to return to the USA. God had provided someone to continue our good work, Christina’ health and ability to live in Saudi had diminished so it was finally our time to depart. I gave my Igama to Emad and after traditional embraces with all the members of the family we sold all our furnishings, shipped many of our personal effects and spent the final night in the International hotel with a rented new Ford Sedan. Emad told me that if the family does any further construction work they would contact me. Winston, Murty and many others brought gifts and we had our final days in Saudi. Aziz AL- Suhaimi: he empowered me by giving me a transferable Igama and the way he generously gave me hotel, housing and allowed me to keep my things with them when I left to get my work visa.

ZAMIL MOKRIN: Zamil and I were never friends but respectful colleagues. He interviewed me in Houston and then again in Dhahran. He was a pioneer in setting up the school in Dhahran and was please to have the likes of me on his faculty. Unfortunately, I did not have a Ph.D. and he could not offer me the position of chairman nor permanent faculty.
Finally I taught for him for one summer and the offer he gave had to be rescinded because of hiring freeze in the kingdom.

BENJAMIN CUNNINGHAM: Ben was a long time CRS employee who prided himself on being a vigorous manager. We socialized as families and he was provocative at our weekly staff meetings when we’d review the “DT” (decision tracking) status reports mostly pointing to the long amounts of time my group of 35 engineers needed to answer requests for information (RFP), etc.

JAMES BURNS: Born in Aberdeen and married to an American lady, Jim was a delight. He had a great Scottish accent t and a true passion for people, He and his Greek counterpart, Director of Construction operations, Tony Apostoletes, were constantly bickering. As Jim’s deputy it was my job to manage the engineers and report to Jim daily. I too received the wrath of Tony, who regarded all Brits as Imperialists and Americans as easy prey and victims of British belligerence. He wasn’t far off the mark.

ZIAD AHMED ZAIDAN: What an interesting character. Our paths were intertwined even before I reached Saudi and in so many interesting ways. While in the USA his British manager invited me to Detroit for as interviewed because of the computer technology of the job I did not receive an invitation for employment. Later while in Saudi, I met a man who managed the cooling plant for the Dammam Post Office. When my contract ended for Al-Suhaimi, he suggested I contact David in Jeddah. David was ZAZ (Idea Center’s) contract administrator. He eventually offered me the position as deputy Operations manager for Idea Center to International Associates. Neither David, nor Ziad ever made the connection. I went with Christina to Jeddah for the final interview and met with the same man I had met in Detroit and he did not remember me. I spoke to Zaidan on the phone and he never mentioned the past interviews. After working for one year the relationship between the members of the consortium grew strained and Idea Center's part was not to be continued. Michael J. Murray, Ziad’s former classmate at collage, and now company comptroller was the one who called me with the announcement that my contract would not be renewed and that he wanted to take me with him to the next company he already found. We both then went to work for El-Seif and for the entire year Mike told me detailed stories about his relationship with his former employer. Mike and I left El-Seif and Mike returned to USA and eight years later I founded the AIA group in Dhahran. Our group invited speakers to present their work and ideas at our monthly general membership meetings. We invited, amongst others, Ziad. Neither Ziad nor I ever made mentioned of any of this past and we invited him several times. He was always a gentleman and an interesting speaker. Just prior to my receiving an offer from Al-Muhaidib Ziad even made me an offer to pilot a new office in Jeddah.

KHALID El-Seif: Khalid was the senior of the three brothers, Khalid, Sami and Mohammed who eventually married a member of the Royal Family who contracted with MJM and me to formulate a business plan for his group. His business includes banking, construction, etc. even though, he assigned me to work under others on various assignments; he was always personal and candid about his expectations and results of our efforts. As many paradoxes in KSA one of the rolls I filled for Khalid later was assumed by my Indian brother, Nirmal. Also, later, members of Khalid invited me to provide services to manage the construction of a tower in Riyadh. After the interview and seeing the situation I declined the offer.

ROBERT VINTON: Bob was one of the best friends I ever had. Unfortunately after returning from being held hostage in Iraq, he died of a heart attack at his home in Santa Fe. From the very beginning Bob was like my brother. He had been working in KSA for a few years longer than I had and in senior management and marketing roles. He had won a joint venture agreement for Prince Faisel Sudairi to be the Lear-Seagler of Saudi Arabia. (I knew several managers working in this company from our underground Christian group: Joseph the president and his contract administrator) Bob, not only made sure the terms and conditions of my contract were in order, but when I was in Kitzbuhel called me several times to assure me he and the Prince were doing every thing possible to expedite my soon return. Because of Arieb’s financial condition the Prince himself was having trouble to expedite visas. I already had the Igama. Bob, himself was living in Habitat towers I the center of Riyadh. When his wife came he relocated to the most expensive compound in Olaya. He and his wife invited me often to dinner, etc. It was the same compound that a Japanese couple I was decipeling lived with their little daughter. We had weekly Japanese bible studies here. Bob and I worked together for six months designing various business plans for Arieb. He also, made sure I was his deputy at all American Businessmen’s functions, including invitations to the US Ambassador’s (Walter Cutler) home for special briefing and meetings with visiting dignitaries such a governors, Richard Murphy, senators, such a George McGovern, etc.
Tom, Bob and I left Arieb, and Bob got himself now salary position with Lear-Seagler to expand Prince’s sales of planes and parts for Mercedes vehicles to Iraq just before the Gulf war broke out. I watched on television from our home in Del Tura as my friend Bob was interviewed by CNN from Baghdad. Months later I got a call from my Lebanese Christian brother who was the one who was last employing Bob to make the trip that the night before Bob had a heart attack and died. Immediately called his wife and to this day I still miss my dear friend Bob.

AHMED F JIZAWI: To this day I call him Mr. Jizawi. After Arieb’s financial trouble, which was widely known and announced in the kingdom, Mr. Jizawi invited me to be a director in his company; a position, which today I believe, in his mind, I still hold. For him, it was not a job title, contract, but becoming a member of his family. He still sends me holiday cards, and, before leaving Saudi, he came and visited our apartment to formally bid farewell to my wife and I. I learned for all of these people something, but from Mr. Jizawi I learned the importance of human relations in business dealings. And, to respect and dignify any one we deal; to work as a team and always be truthful and trust each other, no matter what, and, Mr. Jizawi could be trusted and he trusted me. I also know the way in which he hires people, they’re living conditions, and there salaries as well as his competition and the way he wins contracts and the severity under which his bids and profit margins are controlled. Although, matters having to do with our ministry we always kept private. But anything to do with our dealings with clients, customers, and employees were open. His director of Operations Yousef Kahn. Yousef and he started the business 20 years before I was brought in. And, Mr. Jizawi always balances the two of us and Mr. Kahn did the same. We attended so many lavish dinners prepared by Mrs. Jizawi. Mr. Jizawi was born in Palestine and made citizen of Saudi Arabia by one of the world’s wealthiest man for whom Mr. Jizawi ran his National Gypsum Company and managed his finical affairs. The son of this wealthy man was a Yale graduate and we had our Yale Club meetings in the equestrian club in Riyadh.
Although Mr. Jizawi gave me full and complete expense account for all my medical, pharmacy, entertainment, lodging, and janitorial and transportation, he would never consent to relocate me out of the apartment he provided for me in the National Gypsum building in the Batha. I finally had to resign so that I could be together with Christina.

TAWFIQ Al-Reshaid:
An Iraqi born and educated Saudi, with 3 children and one wife. He studied engineering in Iraq and had visited the USA with them several years before we met. Elias Attara who worked for him as an engineer for a very short time before being dismissed introduced him to me. Just before leaving Saudi I contacted Tawfiq to have diner with me at the al Ghosaibi hotel. After taking some time and my telling him what I’d done to bring business to CDE he said he’d like for me to try to do the same thing in his company. I’ll never forget the way he then offered to pay the bill and did by credit card at the front desk of the hotel. Within a very few days the chairman of the board, Suleiman. Al-Muhaidib agreed and the next evening I was sitting before them to negotiate my salary and conditions. We beat the clock and I was able to transfer my Igama and begin work the nest day. To make a long story short, within a month Tawfiq and I were in the Philippines, and several months later, South Africa and then finally Atlanta, San Francisco. We always got along very well, he being my junior by about 1o years. He smoked and always was a gentleman. The topics of discussion ranged from politics, to personalities and people, to human behavior.
We were constantly trying to assess our options and possible opportunities. We flew first class until the company announced a policy to the contrary.

SULAIMAN, ESSAM, and EMAD Al-Muhaidib: These there brothers were the heirs of the father’s business. They were always very kind and candid to me; to the extent, that when I resigned, I gave personally handed over my Igama to Emad who kindly explained that when things open up again he will be calling me back. To either Saudi or to Basra. I was able to visit the newly completed villa of Essam in the eastern province on the Corniche. I would be invited there for Eid and other festive occasions. Emad and Suleiman would meet privately with me to ask my help with some negotiations; including with Kevin to go to a special conference in Washington DC with there brother in laws. I made this trip and attended this conference with out Tawfiq, which took place at the Government Center of Georgetown University.
I remember our secretary “Unlu” a hard working secretary from Bangladesh and our Pakistani deputy General Manager.,Al-Muhaidib, batha, Crisis in the Built Environment, dammam, igama, rahima, riyadh, Saud Schwaff, Saudi American Dhahran Academy, saudi arabia, Scienc