A Parallel Universe of Belief

The experience of coming as a Christian guest to this Muslim country has been almost like being transported to a parallel universe of belief. Although the differences are many, the similarities are uncanny. Within each faith lie two distinct perspectives, each orbiting around a different center - either a book or a man. Each center is a source of authority and is determined to be infallible. For Christians, the infallible center is either the Bible and/or the Pope and for the Muslims, it seems to be either the Koran and/or the Imam. What side a person takes on these issues has a lot to do with how they handle the rest of life, because each choice comes with a very distinct identity. Protestant or Catholic, Sunni or Shi’a, the dividing line for each comes down to who or what is infallible and authoritative.


For the Muslims, this was an early split. Lines were drawn in the sand soon after Ali, Muhammad's son-in-law, was assassinated in 661 AD. This sparked a revolt by a group that later called themselves “Shi’a," which is short for “Shi atu Ali,” meaning "partisans of Ali.” Since Muhammad had no sons that made it to adulthood, the Shiites felt that his cousin Ali, who was married to his daughter Fatima, was his only rightful successor. According to the Shiites, this status granted Ali and his successors, not only political and religious authority, but also immunity from error and sin. In 880 AD the 12th imam disappeared, and much like the Christian anticipation of the second coming of Jesus, Shiites believe he will eventually return and bring justice to the earth.


The habit of unquestioned trust in religious leadership continues to this day among the Shi’a, as they believe that hidden levels of meaning of the Koran are only available to the imam and those he chose to reveal them to.

The Sunni represent roughly 85% of the Muslim world and have more of a "Protestant" view of religious authority. The Sunni get their name from the accumulation of words and actions of the Prophet Muhammad called the "Sunnah," now found primarily in the "Hadith" which supplements the Koran and is also treated as God's word. Immunity from error is attributed to the Koran and Hadith, and great effort is placed on finding the true meaning of their words. Without the guide of an infallible imam, Sunni theology has branched out into multiple "schools of thought," - just as early Protestantism did after the Martin Luther convinced many to question the ultimate authority of the pope. Sunni theology can now be broken down into four main schools that are almost region specific and have found a prominent place in government and civil law. Saudi Arabia is a prime example of this, as the court system is guided primarily by a branch of Shari'ah (Islamic law) known as "Hanbali." Like most prominent Protestant denominations do with the bible, "Hanbali" places utmost importance on the original intent of the Koran and Hadith and differs with other schools only in variation of emphasis on literal meaning or general guiding principle.

It seems that within each tradition lies a common thread - a rift between belief and practice. Every follower knows what he ought to do, but no one is completely faithful to do it. These differences vary as do the distances of planets from the sun, but most participants of any faith will readily admit the dichotomy. Perpetual guilt pervades the Middle East as well as America. It has been very intriguing to hear both a Muslim and a Christian say almost the same exact thing to me: "I am a believer, but I'm a bad one. Maybe one day I'll get my act together."

Most of us wander aimlessly in unfulfilled self-expectation, and the irony is our loneliness despite this commonality. Masks of spirituality isolate us from each other in either religion and skew our view of reality as we think we are alone in our struggle to be good. As a result the least religious among us can sometimes be the most honest.

Only In America

Only in America can you find these things:

1. ATM fees
2. Cell phone companies that will both charge the sender and receiver for every phone call
3. Dates written with the month first instead of the day
4. Temperatures in Fahrenheit instead of Celsius
5. Measurements in feet and miles instead of meters and kilometers
6. Weight in pounds instead of kilograms
7. Coffee makers in hotel rooms
8. Monolingual people

Feel free to add some.

Prayer in Saudi Arabia

The discipline of the faithful, here in Saudi Arabia, is incredible. Every morning they get up at first light and go to a mosque to pray. At this time of the year it happens around 3:15 am. (The earliest morning prayer is actually around June 13 at 3:10am.) Five prayers are required every day and happen at very specific times based on the position of the sun and stars. The first is at first light; the second at shortest shadow; the third when the shortest shadow has doubled in length; the fourth when the sun sets; and the fifth when the first star appears.

Accomplishing the prayer starts with a ritualistic washing of face, neck, feet, hands and arms all the way up to the elbow. Special floor level wash basins are often found in public bathrooms to accommodate this sort of washing but if they can't be found, it isn't uncommon to see men with their feet up in the sink, and water all over the bathroom when done. After the washing the worshiper goes into the mosque barefoot and makes either two or four prostrations (depending on the time of day) in the direction of Mecca usually on a rug. While prostrating in a very specific way, verses of the Qura'an are quoted by the individual or a chosen leader of a group. All this takes about 5 to 10 minutes.



The company I work for provides pocket sized prayer calendars so we can keep track of them. It's good to know when a prayer is imminent because everything shuts down during prayer time. All stores close their doors and if you are in a store you will not be able to purchase anything or conduct business until the prayer is done. You also might not be able to get out of the store. This prayer time can last 30 to 45 minutes, so the prayer schedule is quite handy allowing you to plan your day around them. If you plan it right you can order a meal and have it served just before prayer and then enjoy it during prayer since you won't be able to do much else. All Muslims are expected to participate in these prayers and all Saudis are expected to be Muslims. Special exceptions are granted travelers and the invalid, but even travelers are to make their prayers up later if they skipped some during travel.


Prayer is one of the "five pillars" of Islam and is a fundamental part of a Muslim's daily existence. It provides structure, solidarity, identity and a strong bond between fellow Muslims. No other religious practice that I'm aware of is done so frequently. It's like going to church 35 times a week!

I've Been Interviewed

So, I just got interviewed today by a blogger friend of mine Malaine Wolfe. You can check it out at http://writinginthelandoftornadoes.blogspot.com/2009/05/interview-with-pilot-and-saudi-arabian.html

Shortcomings of Capitalism

Interspersed among highly paid westerners on our compound is an army of South-Asian laborers clad in different colored overalls, each color representing their department. Grounds keepers are in green, street cleaners in yellow, maintenance in brown, waste management in orange, etc. The difference in income between them and those they serve is staggering, as many of them earn just over $100 a month. Since most of them are also supporting families in their native countries they find creative ways to supplement their income.

One way is to jump at every garage sale that comes up on the compound (presumably to resell purchases at higher prices). As my wife will testify, being a savvy bargain shopper herself, each of these garage sales start with a frenzy as workers clamor to take advantage of the best deals. It seems that what we find as a weekend hobby, is to them a struggle for survival.

Another method of survival is "freelance" labor. One of the perks here is quick service when things break down. We've had our washer worked on, lawn installed, roof repaired, front gate replaced, water heater repaired, etc. - all for free, courtesy of the company. Other services, such as gardening, house cleaning, chauffeuring, painting, etc. can be arranged at modest rates by calling the appropriate department who will then send out one of these contract laborers to do the work. This is all very organized and efficient, but the workers themselves do everything they can to circumnavigate the system to get paid directly. This is done in a variety of ways. Most of the time it's just outright solicitation, and a very hurt and dejected look when it is politely refused. Otherwise, if they have been sent out to do some work on the house, they will finish their assigned work and ask if there is anything else they can do. If we say "no" they will insist on giving their own personal contact information, should we change our minds. It seems obvious that they anticipate more generous compensation directly from us than what they normally get from the company they work for. Once we had a guy come to our house with a measuring wheel, insisting that he needed to measure the land around our house in preparation for planting our promised lawn. After I led him and his associate through the house to grant them access to the back yard, I watched them through the kitchen window as I did the dishes, and was perplexed to see them just stand there doing nothing. I came back out to ask if they needed anything or had any questions. The man with the measuring wheel said "no", but then sheepishly suggested that I really needed a gardener as my back patio was covered in leaves and looking rather messy. I thanked him for his offer but said that we prefered our privacy and would like to do it ourselves. After giving me a very disappointed look, he left our house without doing any of the measuring he had originally said he came to do.

Although capitalism inspires initiative, it also inspires greed. It works well for those few people that have received good education, opportunity and a bit of wealth to start off with, but the rest of the world seems to suffer in its wake. The resources of the world are horribly distributed these days as those that have, start to hoard, and those that don't have, hardly stand a fighting chance. Don't get me wrong, I'm not advocating government enforced wealth distribution. I'm just suggesting we take a moment to step away from our perceived "problems" and take a look at the world as a whole. Uneven distribution of wealth kills people. Daily.

The Business of Happiness

Abdulah S. Jum‘ah, made an interesting statement when he resigned after 13 years at the helm of the largest oil company in the world. In his farewell speech at the end of 2008, he said: “When I am asked what business I’m in, I don’t tell them I’m in the oil industry. I tell him or her that I am in the business of making people happy.” He explained that from the school bus giving children access to education, to the distribution of food, and power and heat to needy parts of the world, the oil business essentially made people happy. This statement swelled many of his loyal supporters with pride and has been echoed repeatedly, like ripples in a pond, at almost every company banquet, board meeting and seminar since the day it was mentioned.


If oil does in fact make people happy, it comes at incredible cost. Drillers need more than a pair of gloves and a lunchbox. Geologists have to find them places to drill. Pilots (like me) have to get them there and back. Doctors and nurses need to keep them alive, and dentists need to plug the holes in their teeth. Then there are the cooks, barbers, mailmen, security guards, travel agents, accountants, firemen, bus drivers, plumbers, lawyers, mechanics and teachers for all their kids. To keep up morale, these employees will need some sort of recreation, but this now requires libraries, tennis courts, weight rooms, bowling alleys, coffee shops, swimming pools, golf courses and hobby farms - with adequate staffing for each. Since the desert isn't always pretty to look at, grass and trees are imported from far off places, as is water, and grounds keepers to keep them trim. Air conditioning is a must most of the year, so repair men stand guard 24 hours a day. Pretty soon, departments are created to handle complaints, process passports, coordinate shipping, and board pets. It doesn't take long, and each driller has a crowd standing behind him like a Verizon subscriber and all he has accomplished is extract raw oil out of the ground. Now it needs to be processed and transported ... and if it can get past the coast of Somalia ... the world will be a bit happier.

To Be or Not To Be An Aristocrat

The dirty little secret that expats around the world choose not to highlight when they return to their native home, is that... well... most of them have a little help around the house. This would be rare to see in middle class America, or perhaps any other "westernized" country, as it smacks of slavery, and reminds us of times when we were less than honest about living out our ideals that "all men are created equal". But a little tour of some of the less "westernized" countries of the world, would reveal, I would be willing to bet, nine out of ten Westerners still taking advantage of cheap labor to make life a bit easier. These helpers could be nannies, maids, "house-boys" (a term I always cringe at, since these are usually grown men), gardeners, drivers, etc. To be fair, life is often much harder in many remote parts of the world, and expats often come with a high level of expertise and are contributing some valuable services to needy communities. To spend most of their time with the daily chores of life would take away from that considerably. As well, having a helper, is employment for someone that might have otherwise not had a job. No matter how justifiable these arrangements are, they have somewhat of a status defining effect, and one can easily start ascribing differing amounts of value to people depending on their particular role.

I did not anticipate the struggle I would have with this decision before I came out here. At the moment we have no help around the house, but have turned away at least ten potential gardeners and a few house maids. We welcome your opinion...

Finding Our Way Together

We have been in Saudi Arabia for a month now, as a family, and are far from a comfortable routine. I've been busy with work and endless other appointments for permits, licenses, I.D.'s, etc. that only I can do as I'm the only legal driver here in our family (women are not allowed to drive). Nikki, on the other hand, has been a bit stir crazy, unable to do much or go anywhere as Maddy comes home every day from school for lunch, and there really isn't time to get anywhere and back on the bus to go shopping etc., during the 2-3 hours Maddy is at school. So, often we join each other at opposite emotional levels - me wanting some peace and quiet, and Nikki longing for an exciting trip somewhere.

Speaking of exciting trips, the driving here is incredible! Since our new location doesn't come with a crew car service, I've been driving myself to work. My rental car shows about 4000 kilometers in the "trip meter" now in the last 4 weeks, while I've been waiting to get the proper documentation to drive our newly purchased '91 Honda Accord. During that time I've had to learn a completely different way of driving. Now, half of my attention is in the mirror, as I struggle to stay alive. Typically I'm on a highway with about 2 or 3 lanes and it seems like no one goes the speed limit. They are either 20-40 kph slower or 50-100 kph faster. So if you are cruising along in the middle lane at the speed limit (120 kph - or about 75 mph) you will invariably come across a slow service truck or guy on his cell phone going 80 kph. You will slip into the outside lane to get around him, and maybe two or three others he's following. Before you can get back into the middle lane, you will suddenly realize someone has come out of nowhere, and is tailgating so close that their windshield fills up most of your back window. Either that or you are being passed on the left shoulder by someone going literally twice as fast as you, and your car rocks from side to side as they whiz by within inches of your side mirror. This is an every day occurrence.

Exit lanes are also used very ...efficiently. Just the other day I took the exit off of one highway and had stopped at the end to yield to traffic on the next road I was going to take. I decided I wouldn't cut anyone off so I politely wait for a comfortable space to merge into. While I was waiting I suddenly realized cars were coming around me on both sides perfectly content to turn my one-lane exit into a three lane mass merging free-for-all. I was a sitting duck. I decided to let go of all courtesy and force my way into the crowd, as I really had no alternative. It's a different world out here. I usually can't wait to get to work so I can strap myself in an airplane, get it in the air, and finally relax.

Routines are starting to develop, however. Nikki has been going to Maddy's school to help out for a few hours a day. She's also been able to do some circuit training and yoga, and even has some Arabic lessons lined up. Thursdays (equivalent to Saturday's in the U.S.) usually are family days when we can go to the swimming pool, or library, and then come home, take a quick snooze in the hammock out back before we settle down to a rigorous game of monopoly. Fridays we go to a small Christian church on the compound, and maybe hit up a delicious brunch at the diner. I think I'm going to try to rejoin my water polo group on Friday afternoons, but I'll have to see how everyone else is feeling about that. Gone are my regular workouts and uninterrupted reading, but the sacrifice is well worth it. Peace and quite are not worth loneliness and separation in my book. It's much better this way.

Let's Get This Thing Started

So here it finally is. My own blog. I've spent most of the last 14 months in Saudi Arabia, and the experience has been so entrancing that I've found myself irresistibly drawn to journaling. Since I was separated from my wife and kid most of the time (geographically), I sent some of these journal entries home as email attachments, so that they could get a bit of a taste of what life was like for me out here. My wife decided to send them around to friends and family, many of whom seemed to enjoy it. (The rest have wisely kept quiet.) Now that we have sent close to 40 entries out via email, it seems long past due that I step into the blog community and do it properly. So here goes...

I make no promises about frequency of updates or specific themes or content. Let's just see where it takes us. I'll start off with my last journal entry ...which never got sent to anyone ...due to distractions. If I can figure it out, I'll try to put some of the older entries in the archive section. Feel free to comment honestly. Polite platitudes will not be tolerated. Give it to me straight up.

Twilight of Separation

I’m in Amsterdam right now, on the way back home. This isn’t a regularly scheduled leave, I just asked for a few weeks to finalize my worker’s visa for Saudi Arabia, which is the last link in the chain of events that should lead to actual employment, and most importantly, the end of my 13 month separation from my family. All this last year I’ve been an independent contractor working under a visitor’s visa, with no benefits or paid leaves, and no legal means to have my family in Saudi with me. That all should change in a few weeks. I’m greatly looking forward to it. As much as it was nice to be able to have a lot of time to myself without much in the way of obligations, it never felt like a very healthy way to be a father and husband. It also got harder and harder for Maddy to let go of me when it was time to go back at the end of my three week leaves. I don’t know if I could have handled much more of that. I look forward to quickly working back into a much more active role in parenting Maddy and relating with both her and Nikki (a new and improved spelling). It was nice to be able to talk to them and see them every day via the Internet, but there was still a relational deficit that can only be remedied by physical presence, I believe.

This brief interlude away from the normal, has provided me some unique opportunities that I will always cherish. Besides having the time to learn a bit of guitar, and Arabic, I have been able to develop some friendships with some very special people. Some, I’ve gravitated to more than others, but I don’t think I would have had opportunity to spend half as much time with these guys had I also been living with my family. What has also been a unique and growing experience has been the attempt to let go of the desire to have to categorize and define my life experiences. In an attempt to be more honest with myself, I have allowed a much greater amount of questions to remain unanswered. I don’t know if this has been a healthy move or not, but I have at least seen an apparent relational advantage. A guy with less answers, is more prone to listen to others. This has a remarkably positive affect relationally … and if I have learned anything this year, this would have to be it. Both Socrates and Solomon said that the person who thinks himself wise, is not. My certainty of so many important things remains illusive, but what I have become convinced of is that relationships are just about the only thing worth living for, and no relationship works without love expressed through a listening ear.

Another confirmation of the power of honesty has come to me through literature. I had an epiphany the other day as I realized, a bit more clearly, why I have loved Steinbach so much over the years, as well as Pearl S Buck, and Khaled Hosseini. This was made clear while I was reading a different author that just didn’t feel like it was of the same caliber. I realized, as I was reading, that great literature is often great because of its honesty. The book I was reading was a biography, and it was reminiscent of many biographies I used to read when I was much younger, as well as many funerals I’ve attended. The main character was overly praised and seemed larger than life, and therefore unreal. This might be necessary for biographies and/or funerals, as it would be very disrespectful to a main character’s family to paint too real of a portrait. The beauty of good fiction, I’ve now decided, is that it provides a platform for less restrained honesty. When the “hero” does wrong, and experiences guilt or shame etc., the effect on the reader is powerful. It puts writing on a whole new level, as far as I’m concerned...