Teach Me

Teach Me

BY Tim Barger / /

In retrospect, I’d have to say that Aramco’s school system was superb. The company was fully committed to education even though it was very costly. I admit that I didn’t always pay attention to my teachers, but a few of them made a big difference in my life.

Arabian Return Chapter XXXVI: Trips to Riyadh and Bahrain Island

Arabian Return Chapter XXXVI: Trips to Riyadh and Bahrain Island

BY Colleen Wilson / /

We had already made plans to fly to Riyadh on the AEA tour Thursday, February 2nd, 1978, so we caught a bus at the Dining Hall at 5:00 A.M. that morning to the Dhahran Airport local terminal. We flew on a Saudia Air flight to what was the old, original Riyadh Airport.

Arabian Return Chapter XXXV: Settling into Familiar Routines

Arabian Return Chapter XXXV: Settling into Familiar Routines

BY Colleen Wilson / /

New Year's Eve had been different, and so was New Year's Day. Since the lack of daytime TV prevents the usual ritual of watching parades and bowl football games for hours on end in Saudi Arabia, it was necessary to find alternate entertainment.

Arabian Return Chapter XXXIII: Work - The Biggest Change of All

Arabian Return Chapter XXXIII: Work - The Biggest Change of All

BY Colleen Wilson / /

I didn't realize it then, but that was to be my last week of freedom for a while. Jeanine King was still in the hospital so she requested I help out at Community Maintenance until she could return. Her boss, Art Spitzer, called to make the offer on Saturday, October 22nd, and when I asked when he would need me he said, "yesterday".

Arabian Return Chapter XXXII: New Construction Everywhere

Arabian Return Chapter XXXII: New Construction Everywhere

BY Colleen Wilson / /

Construction of new camp facilities was progressing at a rapid pace, too. Work was underway to widen and pave the road to the new townhouses, now 25th St, and the north perimeter road. As new housing areas and the additional 9 holes of the Golf Course were being completed, the camp was expanding to the west toward the highway to Dhahran.

Arabian Return Chapter XXXI: And the Beat Goes On

Arabian Return Chapter XXXI: And the Beat Goes On

BY Colleen Wilson / /

For a while after that our life was rather anti-climatic, but we went on with our normal routines as much as possible. Since it was Thursday and the weekend, we had breakfast in the Dining Hall, then drove to Mubarraz to call Keith.

Arabian Return Chapter XXX: Top Name Performer in Abqaiq

Arabian Return Chapter XXX: Top Name Performer in Abqaiq

BY Colleen Wilson / /

The next day, Monday, it was back to normal. Estella and I went to breakfast in the Dining Hall and met a new wife, Jerry Hook, then went to the pool and stayed all morning. That Wednesday evening, Oran and I went to the Kaul’s before going with them to a performance by "Archie Bell and The LaDrells".

Arabian Return Chapter XXIX: Explosion at the Plants

Arabian Return Chapter XXIX: Explosion at the Plants

BY Colleen Wilson / /

The beach facilities at Qurrayah that were being constructed by the company for Abqaiq and Udhailiyah residents were not completed yet, but a site had been established north of the Seawater Plant. Our friend, Jack Hayes, who lived on the Construction Barge there, said he had been working on the site by bulldozing huge amounts of sand onto the beach itself and into the water.

Arabian Return Chapter XXVIII: Williams Move to Udhailiyah

Arabian Return Chapter XXVIII: Williams Move to Udhailiyah

BY Colleen Wilson / /

We ate breakfast with Sandy and Jack at the Dining Hall Friday morning, then went to the library for awhile before going home to pick up some film to take to the Kaul’s to see on their projector. Sandy and Jack had gone there as well, so we had coffee while watching the film.

Arabian Return Chapter XXVII: Beginning Changes for Our Group

Arabian Return Chapter XXVII: Beginning Changes for Our Group

BY Colleen Wilson / /

Oran started driving back to Mubarraz on his new job Monday morning, but, at least, this would be a short work week for him. Things were beginning to change for our group as a whole, both men and women. Sheila went to work at Community Maintenance, and Marge and Marvin Williams were going to move to Udhailiyah. 

Arabian Return Chapter XXVI: Oran's Trip to London

Arabian Return Chapter XXVI: Oran's Trip to London

BY Colleen Wilson / /

Oran found out on Wednesday that he was being sent to London for a week, starting February 13th, 1977, to recruit men for the Water Injection Operations in Udhailiyah. That was a pleasant surprise for him. I wasn't being sent on this trip with him, but really didn't want to go anyway, as it was still very cold there.

Tim Barger's New Collection of Stories: Christmas in Khobar

Tim Barger's New Collection of Stories: Christmas in Khobar

BY Aramco ExPats / /

Tim Barger’s new collection of stories, Christmas in Khobar, will be released soon. There are more tales of childhood adventures in the Dhahran of the fifties and sixties, as well as stories told to him and accounts of hapless situations he encountered in Riyadh and Jeddah as a 20 something adult.

Arabian Return Chapter XXV: After Second Vacation - A New Job

Arabian Return Chapter XXV: After Second Vacation - A New Job

BY Colleen Wilson / /

January isn't the best time of the year to travel through Europe, but we didn't have much choice, so we started our third return back to Saudi Arabia on Sunday, the 16th, 1977 from Dallas, Texas. By the time the plane arrived in New York, it was snowing so much we had to circle over the airport for an hour again before landing.

Arabian Return Chapter XXIV: Home for Christmas Again

Arabian Return Chapter XXIV: Home for Christmas Again

BY Colleen Wilson / /

I met the girls at the Dining Hall at 9 o'clock for our "breakfast club". Sheila had received her film of our rug laying party at the Steindorfs, so we went to her house to watch that. It was really funny with everyone acting crazy, dancing, etc., but we wouldn't have wanted that film to fall into the wrong hands. It would either have been misinterpreted, or everyone would want to join our group.

Arabian Return Chapter XXIII: Settling into a Holding Pattern

Arabian Return Chapter XXIII: Settling into a Holding Pattern

BY Colleen Wilson / /

Saturday, October 16th, 1976, Oran flew back to 'Udhailiyah for the start of another work week. Our lives were just settling back into a normal routine, and we were taking things one day at a time. Things came up at work every now and then that could have had an effect on what we did about staying, but so far Oran just remained calm, and didn't give an answer or reaction until he had thought about it for awhile.

Arabian Return Chapter XXII: New Lease on Life

Arabian Return Chapter XXII: New Lease on Life

BY Colleen Wilson / /

Oran was able to take his resignation retraction letter by his boss’s office before he caught the morning plane back to 'Udhailiyah on Wednesday, September 22nd, 1976. With a new lease on life, I had a spring to my step as I went to the Post Office to mail Vicky's birthday card...

Arabian Return Chapter XXI: The Pendulum Swings

Arabian Return Chapter XXI: The Pendulum Swings

BY Colleen Wilson / /

The day before had been invigorating and uplifting, so we went to our breakfast in the Dining Hall with the other regulars in a much better mood, but the rest of the day was just routine. Back at the apartment, we discussed the pros and cons of Oran's resignation and different possibilities.

Arabian Return Chapter XX: Night Visit with the Bedouin

Arabian Return Chapter XX: Night Visit with the Bedouin

BY Colleen Wilson / /

There would be another cocktail party, dinner, and performance by the "Creative Source Group" in 'Udhailiyah Tuesday night, so that afternoon I went in a taxi to the airstrip with Trish Miller and Sharon Green, waiting there 45 minutes for the late plane to arrive.