Visit to Saudi Arabia Unveils Many Surprises
- Pipeline
- Saudi Aramco News
- Other Media
Author: Sarah Evans
Released 19 March 2006
Cascade High Teacher Finds a Culture that Defies Her Expectation
Cascade High School teacher Lisa Iverson has studied Saudi Arabia and Islam extensively, attending two institutes about Islam to familiarize herself with the religion.
Statesman Journal; March 15, 2006
So she thought she knew what to expect when she visited Saudi Arabia for two weeks in February as part of a teacher-education program. But she was wrong.
She thought she would see widespread censorship of books, magazines and television, but that wasn't the case.
"All of the Saudis have a satellite dish," she said. "Their favorite show is 'Lost.'"
She also expected to find few women working, which traditionally has been the case in the kingdom. Instead, she met women in a variety of professions, including those creating crafts in cooperatives and working as scientists.
"Even the readings I had done to prepare for this trip were out of date because Saudi Arabia is changing so rapidly," Iverson said.
Iverson, who teaches global studies at Cascade High in Turner, went to Saudi Arabia through a program sponsored by Saudi Aramco oil company. The program allows U.S. teachers to visit the kingdom to gain a better understanding of Saudi communities.
Iverson returned with a suitcase full of mementos -- including a prayer rug with an embedded compass so that Muslims can make sure they are facing Mecca while praying, and the black abaya robe and hijab head covering that she wore almost daily during the trip.
But she also came back with a fresh understanding of a culture that she said Americans often misunderstand.
"What I learned is how complex Saudi Arabia actually is," she said. "They really feel that they have to approach issues in their own way -- internally -- and not be told how to do things from the West."
Iverson said the teachers were treated like royalty by Aramco. They stayed in fancy hotels, ate well and had police escorts to keep them safe as they traveled the country. They started the trip in Dammam, the location of Aramco's headquarters. The other places they visited included Riyadh, the capital, and Jeddah, on the Red Sea.
Iverson spent a lot of her time talking with people she met, particularly women, to get their views about Saudi life and Islam.
She found that the students she met were as curious about Americans as she was about them. The girls -- who wore abayas in public but often were clad in American-style fashions underneath -- were horrified to hear that American children left home at 18.
"In their culture, you don't leave the home until marriage," Iverson said. "They kept asking me, 'Don't you love your children?'"
Whenever she asked women how they felt about laws requiring them to be covered in public, Iverson heard a variety of answers. Some said they felt it was part of their culture and that they would not consider uncovering. Others said they wouldn't wear the robes if it wasn't required.
Overall, Iverson discovered just how rapidly Saudi culture was changing.
"Saudi Arabia is an incredibly interesting, complex country," Iverson said. "Like all amazing experiences, it taught me how much more I have to learn."
Iverson's task now that she has returned to Oregon is to share her knowledge with her students and the community. She already has been telling stories to her students.
Chris Jones, 17, a Cascade junior who is a teaching assistant in one of Iverson's classes, said he was impressed by her trip.
"Her going to Saudi Arabia and bringing back some of the clothing and foods, it inspired the students to visit the country ourselves," he said.
Tera Spradling, a sophomore, agreed.
"After listening to her talk, I just felt like I went there," said Spradling, 16. "She broke down a lot of stereotypes about it. It was neat to hear about it, because it's such a taboo place."