Aramco ExPats 2006: Year in Review
- Lifestyles
- Special Interest
Author: Aramco ExPats
Released 30 December 2006
Aramco ExPats 2006: Year in Review - Industry News, Community News and Photos Rank Highly
2006 was another banner year for Aramco ExPats. Here are some highlights from the online community of Aramco expatriates, annuitants, and Brats during the past year.
5,600 and Growing
Since its inception in 2002, Aramco ExPats website has grown its support to over 5,600 members, welcomes more than 2,500 global visitors to the site daily, and shares a daily average of 11,500 pages of information with people interested in knowing more about our online community of Aramco expatriates, annuitants, and Brats. Join our growing network of Aramco ExPats. It's free!
Aramco ExPats Puts More Industry News in the Pipeline
Our readers wanted more industry news, so that's what we gave them in 2006. We post news about Saudi Aramco and the petroleum industry to our Pipeline section almost daily and we've added an Industry News section to our weekly e-newsletter.
May We Direct You to the Aramco ExPats Directory
We launched the Aramco ExPats Directory in 2006 to promote business and website listings for resources and services useful to Aramco expatriates, annuitants, and Brats. You may list your business by category, your non-profit or charity organization, or your personal or community website.
More Women Share Their Stories of Life and Work in the Oil Patch
In 2006, we added two new series to our collection of historical accounts of life with Aramco. The first, Secretaries Wanted in Saudi Arabia - Parts 1-4, chronicles Betty Felice's time in Saudi Arabia trying to earn enough money to buy a car while serving as a secretary for Aramco between 1951 and 1954. The second is a light-hearted and humorous series of Special Interest articles reflecting on the earlier challenges of cooking in Aramco camps beginning with Starting from Scratch. As a compliment to this series, we expanded our Aramcon Recipes section and included many recipes from past cookbooks compiled and distributed by the women of Aramco.
Reconnecting and Reminiscing in Branson
We traveled to Branson, Missouri to bring you coverage of the 2006 Saudi Aramco Annuitants Reunion May 29 - June 1. This bi-annual reunion is a spectacular, first-class event. We highly recommend it to annuitants and give it four stars in the following categories: golf tournament, bridge tournament, tennis tournament, dining, dancing, socializing and accommodations. We'll bring you news of the next reunion scheduled for 2008.
Annuitants Keep It Coming
A significant source of material comes to us from Saudi Aramco Annuitants whose lives continue to be awe-inspiring in the wake of their time with Aramco. In 2006, we brought you a record number of stories from annuitants about annuitants of books being published, galleries opening, charities being chaired, marathons being run, lunch bunches being held, mini-reunions being hosted, and lives being celebrated. In the new and very tastefully done series, Bringing it All Home, featured columnist Nancy Ackerman tours the well-dressed homes of annuitants who have learned the art of displaying their treasures accumulated abroad.
Photo Galleries Boast 905 Photos
Our readers can't get enough of the photos we post on Aramco ExPats website. The Galleries section is our most viewed section and in 2006 we added an astounding 975 photos to the galleries. We take them any way we can get them, and many of you have been sharing your photos with us via e-mail and snail mail. This year, we even scanned a box of old slides sent to us in the mail! We also categorized the Photo of the Week section by season so photos are easier to view. Keep 'em coming.
We Know How to Throw a Party
In 2006, Aramco ExPats helped spread the word about upcoming events and celebrations by adding new services: downloadable registration forms, customized event invitations, and special announcement emails. View the Events section for upcoming events and reunions and e-mail us with your next event at info@aramcoexpats.com.
Aramco ExPats Supports Charities and Non-Profits
In 2006, Aramco ExPats Foundation, in support of the American Cancer Society, helped raise funds for the fight against cancer as part of the Chevron Houston Marathon and the Aramco Houston Half Marathon being held on January 14, 2007. We also assisted the Beta Sigma Phi international service and social sorority fundraiser by offering their Sights of Saudi Arabia throw blanket for sale in our Suq. We continue to support the efforts of PAWS to find loving homes for homeless pets and in 2006 began support of a new program finding pet escorts to homes abroad.
More Suq to Shop
In 2006, we added more of what you want to the Aramco ExPats Suq and expanded our book selection with five new titles including The Hejaz Railway, by James Nicolson; a new children's story, Dahman: The Mystery of the Champion Arabian Horse, written by Aramco Brats, Elizabeth and Sarah Spalding; and Natural Remedies of Arabia written by Aramcon Robert Lebling and Donna Pepperdine.
Forum Acts As Bridge
The Aramco ExPats Forum has become the place for people considering life and work with Saudi Aramco to ask questions and get answers about what to expect. In 2006, more visitors posted in the forum than ever before. Consider sharing your experiences with others in the forum.