Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Riyadh is the administrative capital of the country and it is considered one of the most conservative cities in the country. Think of it this way. Al Khobar may be considered Chicago, Jeddah as Vegas, and Riyadh, well maybe Lynchburg, VA.
While I never saw a Tawah (in charge of identifying public practices against Islamic norms), just the threat of their presence permeates the attitudes of the youth and as a result Riyadh, while a beautiful and, ahem, modern city is rather staid.
I arrived at the airport in the late afternoon to rather comely weather, low 70s with a breeze. Both the sun and moon still carried weight in the sky and later that night the Middle East was the sight of a major lunar eclipse.
All this travel numbs one to airport operations and security procedure but they can get your attention quickly here in KSA. After successfully clearing customs and security I was asked by a female colleague to help her lift her bag onto the x-ray machine belt. The security officials asked me to move away and when I tried to explain my actions they promptly asked me to step into another section where they made sure to go through every piece of luggage I had, even though I had already been cleared without problem or concern not 200 seconds earlier. I can respect a show of will every once in a while so I simply smiled and asked sir, for another. But, that was the last time in my entire stay that I experienced any inconvenience or unfriendly behavior, in fact, as I came to learn, this is a very hospitable country if you allow it to be.
In 2004, when Dr. Moshobab A. Alkahtani, Associate Professor and Director of Research at the Saudi Arabia Institute of Public Administration (IPA), graduated from VCU’s Center for Public Policy, there were eight students from Saudi Arabia on campus. Now, not even three years later, there are almost 200. I contacted Dr. Alkantani when I arrived in Riyadh to see if he would allow me to take he and his family to lunch or dinner to thank him for his contributions to VCU (he has advised many Saudi students on the benefits of a degree from VCU) and to catch up. He rang me back and explained that he had been recently occupied with the birth of his fifth child, just ten days prior. However, he offered to take me to lunch and work one night of the fair with me. I accepted his invitation and we went to lunch with one of his colleagues from the IPA and for two hours talked about the progress at VCU and the amazing growth of our student population from the GCC countries. On cue he produced an application for another IPA colleague who will come to VCU for one year of language training and a MPA.
The IPA is one of the government agencies where real reform has potential. In a country where change is slow to come, Moshobab’s group is working on training programs and policies that will bring can bring meaningful, positive change to the country. And the Kingdom seems serious about change and their investment in education is an indicator. The government realizes they must educate their largest segment of the population, those between 18-30. They are investing almost $30 USD in four new universities, while seven universities have been created in the past six years. Also, there are now as many women in school as men and this will force the government and the Saudi culture to make decisions about existing roles for women and the workplace. Moshobab’s IPA will have a large role in addressing the government’s involvement in these decisions and we are proud at VCU to contribute, to have our graduates play such an important role in the development of Saudi Arabia.
At Al Yamamah College, a place where one can earn a degree and be taught in English, we had two days of fairs from 9am – Noon and again at night from 5pm – 9pm. We did very well. The VCU brand has now permeated the Saudi psyche. We recruit in Al Khobar, Qatif, Jeddah, Dammam, and Riyadh. Our students are in several fields, from Engineering and Business, to Biostatistics and Advertising. Many students came up to me and told me about a friend they were interested in joining on campus or how their father or uncle graduated from VCU. There was such a genuine interest and friendliness that I forgot I was in Saudi Arabia.
The Sheraton Hotel and Towers in Riyadh offer’s one feature that no other hotel I have visited offers; a basketball court. Here a basketball court (and for that matter, a tennis court, which they have) doubles as a soccer pitch and for the two nights after the fairs I joined in playing with Saudi students and played for several hours. It was an unplanned raw example of hospitality and diplomacy. They accepted me with the only qualification needed some sort of football skill, which thankfully I have. I find that sports, in particular soccer and basketball are a wonderful bridge with international students, instantly spanning the cultural differences of our countries. Sometimes, on Tuesdays and Wednesdays I will be a pizza or two for several international students as we watch Champions League football matches. Everything else dissolves and they could be in their home countries as easily as Richmond. Suddenly the major disagreements are forgotten and replaced by discussions on the merits of an in-form Henry or the demise of FC Barcelona to Liverpool.
Riyadh, not a second home, but I it seems one is always welcome.