Annuitants Marshia and John Franklin Return to Saudi Arabia for their 25th Anniversary
- Community
- Annuitants & Former ExPats
Author: Marshia Franklin
Released 6 May 2006
Annuitants John and Marshia Franklin
Photograph Contributed by Marshia Franklin
The Aqua Arabian Gulf
Photograph Contributed by Marshia Franklin
For their 25th wedding anniversary, annuitants Marshia and John Franklin arranged to return to Saudi Arabia after retirement four years prior. With a little help from Aramco Services Company Houston, where Marshia works on occasion doing orientation, and a liaison from John's former Aramco department who helped obtain Visas once the couple arrived in Bahrain, Marshia and John were over the causeway within hours.
The couple had no shortage of offers when it came to accommodations in Ras Tanura. Dear friends Nuri and Verda Erel welcomed them in, as well they were offered the home of Jim and Asa Reed who were away on repat, and Housing also offered a guest house. The following is Marshia's account of their visit:
"After being retired for four years, it was a blast to see the double takes people took and the surprised looks on their faces when they saw us again. Even the Shrimp Man "Ali" about ran off the road when we passed him. It was fun visiting people at the bank and the commissary. Our Gardener, Ramish, who called us Mommy and Daddy all those years, just cried when he saw us. In Rahima, our favorite Jeweler, Abdullah, and his son, Ahmed, were so surprised because, as you know, when you retire from Saudi Aramco and leave KSA these people never expect to have the opportunity to see you again unless they travel to you. Everyone asked, "what are you doing here?" To which we smiled and responded, "we are on repat." Of course not everyone could understand why we would want to spend our 25th anniversary in KSA but then again they don't love Saudi and what it offers as much as we do.
The Shrimp Man, Ali
Photograph Contributed by Marshia Franklin
We miss everything about KSA. Everything is so beautiful in RT. The new updates and beautification of Ras Tanura and the aqua Arabian Gulf was just fabulous. The experience was so wonderful we recommend it to all that desire to return. Khobar was a lot of fun too with so many more wonderful places to shop. Desert Design is now a huge building (I guess the expats built that for him). We had a great time spending time with our friends and they gave us a 6-month multiple-exit re-entry Visa....so I may go back before it expires.
I had a very hard time leaving my Aramco world after 12 years, and because it was so fast and furious packing out and finalizing everything to retire, I truly did not properly say good-bye to KSA. You know, truly take it all in, the sites and smells that I took for granted for all those years. Before we knew it, after all the going away parties, we were packed and gone. So this visit really gave me the opportunity to do, see, smell, and love everything again and I can tell you, I am not grieving about leaving KSA anymore, I just have more new and wonderful pictures and memories to share."
Beautiful Ras Tanura
Photograph Contributed by Marshia Franklin