My colleague, Heather, and I were supposed to go to a wedding in Hyderabad, India that week in January 2022. However, COVID was still very much on the national consciousness and rumors were flying that if we went to India, we were not going to be able to return to Saudi.
Back in Amman, we decided it was a good opportunity to visit the occupied West Bank and Israel. We organised a tour with a driver and guide. The tour included a taxi from Amman to the Allenby Bridge crossing, first built under Ottoman rule with subsequent rebuilds in 1918, 1927 and 1946 due to earthquakes and terrorism.
The Aramco Retiree Golf Group held its ninth event at Horseshoe Bay (HSB) Resort on Lake LBJ in Marble Falls near Austin, Texas. Golf activities included three rounds of golf at HSB Resort Ram Rock, Slick Rock and Apple Rock golf courses.
From the Jordanian border post at Al-Omari, it took about 2 hours to reach Amman. We had treated ourselves by booking rooms at the newly built Ambassador Hotel, which overlooked the eastern part of the old city, with a breath-taking panoramic view, and more importantly a bar!
In May 1978 three of us drove back to the United Kingdom. Many people have driven to Europe from Saudi Arabia or vice versa and the reasons vary - from picking up a new car in Europe, taking a holiday, starting or finishing a contract, or simply a great adventure.
Thought a picture of my folks might help jog some of the older memories out there. Mom and Dad are Helen and Barney McKeegan who spent about 10 years in Dhahran. My dad arrived in the field in 1944. My mom and I along with my two sisters arrived in 1947. My sisters are Maureen and Sharon. Maureen was one of the founders of the original BRATS group.
My wife and I were missing our dear friends, the Bustins, whom we met in Abqaiq in 2010 and with whom we had traveled in Syria, Lebanon, South Africa, Tennessee, and California. One year after they moved permanently to Portugal, we planned a two-week visit with them in September 2023.
Saudi Arabia’s capital city is the ideal location for World Expo 2030 because of its growing international stature, strong economy and new infrastructure, according to several government and private sector officials who spoke at a seminar in Paris on Monday night.
A few weeks ago, I found myself browsing the Aramco Brats Facebook page, where I stumbled upon a truly exquisite Aramco Brats Cutting Board.
Saudi Arabia has approved the use of the Gregorian calendar for all official dealings, except those related to the provisions of Islamic Shariah where the calculation of periods will continue to be based on the Hijri calendar.
The Royal Geographical Society was founded in 1830. Its home for over 100 years has been the prestigious Lowther Lodge, situated in Kensington not far from South Kensington Tube Station in London. From its inception, the society’s purpose has been the “advancement of geographical science”...
I recently came across this photo in one of my albums and thought it might cause a few smiles and perhaps jog a few memories. We were certainly ahead of our time (about 47 years!), as a ladies' football team was something of an oddity in 1976. We were a diverse, multinational mix, with two Americans...
After 3 years, 60 Aramcons came together for the 7th Toronto Aramco Reunion on September 30, 2023 at Woodbine Beach Park, Toronto. The azure skies, the blue waters, the sandy beach, the trees showing traces of fall colors and the green grass by the shelter that was rented for the event made for a perfect day.
Many of you may be familiar with the Aramco Savings Plan, which is a key retirement benefit offered through Aramco. But did you know that the plan offers after-tax contributions? And did you know it’s possible to convert those after-tax contributions to Roth?
In this piece Mark Lowey recounts the unique journey of a traditional Bedouin camel saddle that found its way from the Saudi desert to Watsonville, California. During lunch hour on a warm winter day on January 13, 1979, I took a walk to look around an abandoned Bedouin encampment near my worksite at Fazran.
This past Wednesday, September 27th, I turned 27 years old. To celebrate, some friends took me out for dinner, and my desired spot was a beautiful Lebanese restaurant called Villa Yara in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
I believe these wool blankets were Aramco-issued in the 50s to bachelors and maybe families. At least my father had two of them when we arrived about a year after his employment in the ChemLab in Dhahran in 1955-56, and I recall seeing them in other homes around camp.
Bobby Riley shared these action shots of Kevin Durham, Kevin Riley and Sean Allen catching air while having fun in Abqaiq in the Late '70s.
To my mind, of all the wonderful textiles to be found in souqs across the Arab world, Cashmere and Pashmina are the most luxurious and wearable. Women wear them as shawls for warmth, men wear them as head coverings or around their shoulders over their jackets.
American expats have a unique appreciation for the challenges faced while living abroad. While making a home in a foreign country offers the chance of adventure and opportunity, it comes at the price of additional obstacles and increased complexity in many aspects of their lives. To further complicate matters...