Tag Archives: Middle East

Senators Call to End Driving Ban for Saudi Women

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As someone who has spent a decent amount of time in Saudi Arabia and has met many people that this would affect, I’m totally behind it. That being said, I’m not sure we will see anything like this happen within the next decade.

The argument for women not having the right to drive stem from theories like:

  • If they start driving, they’ll start cheating on their husbands
  • After they cheat on their husbands, they will get divorces
  • Driving is too hard for women’s mental capacities to handle
  • Women don’t need to drive

Saudi Arabia is a beautiful, mostly really friendly and misunderstood country. But as with most countries, minority rights always seem to fall to the back burner.

Check out the article from Autoblog:

14 female U.S. senators call on Saudi Arabia to lift female driving ban.

According to Bloomberg, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has been gently pushing the Saudi government to lift the ban, and has now been joined by a group of fourteen female American senators in supporting Saudi Women for Driving and their cause. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-California) is leading the charge from her position on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, calling for women’s rights to be honored in a U.S. ally that has proven nothing if not resistant to change.

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Bahrain and the Day of Rage

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I’m back in America. Had an awesome time in Saudi Arabia and despite all the turmoil that is going on in the region right now, I felt safe the entire time and can’t wait to go back.

I went to Saudi Arabia to celebrate my dad’s 50th birthday which was the same day as the Bahraini revolution. As a gift to my parents I did not join my friend James in his trip over the causeway to Bahrain for the “Day of Wrath” “Day of Rage” “Revolution” etc etc. Part of me was devastated that I was passing up such an incredible opportunity but the other part of me wanted to do the right and safe thing.  In the end I’m still not sure whether or not I made the right decision but I have a feeling I did…

If you have ever been to Bahrain, you know it’s this really fun, friendly country. Amazing shopping, fabulous restaurants, they serve alcohol, are BIG into family stuff with water parks and all that jazz. As a person of comparative privilege (which is probably everyone reading this), you probably would have no idea there was an issue there.

One of my last photos from Bahrain was from the upscale Monsoon restaurant. This is the Bahrain I know.

Something like half of the people living in Bahrain are ex-Pats. The disparity between classes is so extreme that you almost don’t even see it. It’s like at night time, you don’t notice the black of the sky but instead the white of the moon and stars. Continue reading →

Goodbye Saudi Arabia

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We went to the dunes on Patrick’s (my brother) last day in Saudi Arabia. It was pretty awesome. Camels came up to use right as we were leaving and the sky was awesome.

I’m about to make my own voyage back to America, in just an hour or so. From Saudi Arabia to Bahrain (wish me luck…) from Bahrain to Frankfurt Germany, from Frankfurt to San Francisco.

Catch you guys later! A lot to catch you up on, tons of photos and adventures to share!

Meet Frank, the Camel

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I didn’t name him. Ryan did. But I like it. Frank, the camel from outside Hofuf.  Had a great time today playing with the camels and exploring a Saudi Arabian oasis. He was one of the hundreds of camels taken care of by Sudanese nomads who bring them here for market where they will be sold. Some for dairy, some for racing, some for show, some for transportation and some for… well let’s not think about that.

Hunting for Shark Teeth

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This photo comes from our trip to Udhailiyah where we, successfully, hunted for prehistoric shark teeth. Yes, we went searching for shark teeth in the Saudi Arabian desert because… where else would you search for such things?

Having a blast in Saudi Arabia, many many MANY more photos to post and stories to tell. Plus, I gotta get photos of my shark teeth! Nothing like digging in the middle of the desert to find shark teeth!