A German girl in a Saudi wedding

Why do Western expatriates now prefer living in compounds to staying in Saudi neighborhoods?

TWO years ago, my wife (Aljawharah) was looking at some of her old pictures when she was just about 11 years old. My youngest son (Abdulmohsen) was looking over her shoulder and was surprised to see his mother (my wife) pictured next to her father’s house in Al-ahsa (Hofuf) with some blonde Western young girls playing around. My wife told him that those were West German girls from next door. There were many West German families who were my father in law’s neighbors at that time. During the sixties and early seventies, there were many German families who lived in the neighborhoods and subdivisions of Al-ahsa. One of the neighborhoods was called (Althulaythyah) which is now near King Faisal University. Now, my youngest son was confused and said, these days, we only see Western young girls and boys in the shopping malls. And asked, why do Western expatriates live in high walled compounds and not part of the society like the old days?

Then, my wife gave my youngest son her side of the story. The story of her German friend (Klinka) and her sister (Krista) and many others and the wedding ceremonies in Al-ahsa they both attended when they were 11 years old.

Up to the 1970s, the only Western compounds belonged to Aramco and some other smaller compounds for very few Western companies. But, the majority of the Western expatriates lived in the same areas where Saudis were living. During the 1960s and 1970s there was a huge irrigation projects in Al-ahsa and the project was given to a German company called (Philipp Holzmann). At the same time there was a contract from the Ministry of Education to have German engineers to teach at the Al-ahsa Vocational Institute. And the Saudi students in this institute learned a lot from the experienced Germans and these students became the toppers in the Kingdom. Their work ethics was German at its best. And for the first time in the Kingdom, students were able to make things at the lab and be able to sell it in the local market. The vocational institute students are only sixth grade students and were in the institute for three years and three more years in Riyadh. They were treated as adults by their German teachers. The Saudi Department for Vocational Education sent many of these students to the US for more education in 1974. These Saudi students became ahead of their time. The German instructors were working long hours and the very young Saudi students became adapted to the German work ethic. In 1976 there were other young graduates who were sent to a little German town called (Lunen) for on-job training. So, Al-ahsa, was full of German families and with them came many Volkswagen Beetles. The German families lived in Hofouf and Mubaraz side by side with Saudi families. And it wasn’t only German families who were living and mixing with the Saudi families. At that time I was in 7th grade and I was Abdulateef Al-mulhim attending a school which was built by Aramco. And we had English teachers from New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland and England. They were all living in our neighborhoods. And, people here still remember Alkhobar Western expatriates. It is very common for a Saudi to have a neighbor from America, England, Germany or India. King Khaled Street was the shopping mall for Western expatriates.

Now, let us go back to the story of the German girl. The relation got stronger between all the Saudi and German girls in (Althulaythyah). And with the relations between the Saudi and German girls, the families too became close friends. And the relations became very close and the German families would leave the young girls with Saudi families for long periods of time when they have to go for business or social trips to Akhobar or Riyadh. And the families on both sides showed each other their way of living. People still remember Hans Karl Schuerlen who worked for Polenski Co. and his teenage daughter’s (Karen) visits to every family in Al-ahsa. Some of the Germans participated in building the road from Al-ahsa to Qatar. At that time in Saudi Arabia, wedding ceremonies were held in the neighborhood’s largest houses. The homes were taken for a day and it was done without any charges. So, the Saudi families would invite the German women and girls to the weddings. And as years passed some of the German young girls behaved as more Saudis than Germans.

What is more beautiful in the old days was not seeing young German girls at the Saudi weddings only. But, it was the way the Western expatriates lived in Saudi Arabia. Seeing German and American ladies shopping in the traditional markets in Al-ahsa was a common scene. We saw German ladies at the local barbershop in Alsubie building in Al-ahsa while they waited to have their kids get a haircut. And they simply were feeling like being at home. Also, I remember when the German workers participated in sports events. The German engineers working for Phillip Hollzmann played a friendly football match with my favorite football team (Hajer) from Al-ahsa. We won by a big margin. And in the match, the German ladies and their young kids were present. So, those German ladies probably were the first Western ladies to be in a Saudi sport event.

Now, my question is… why in 1968, in Saudi Arabia I saw a German young girl being part of our society and attending wedding ceremonies and playing with their Saudi friends in the streets. And in the year 2012, with the modern day technologies and state of the arts communications, the Western expatriates are so isolated in their compounds. Is it a Saudi society fault or is it the Western expatriates’ faults? The answer it is everyone’s fault. These days it is common to read ads in Saudi papers reading… houses in a beautiful compound for rent... Western expatriates tenants only.

Up to the 1970s, the only Western compounds belonged to Aramco and some other smaller compounds for very few Western companies. But, the majority of the Western expatriates lived in the same areas where Saudis were living.