Continuing my life journey and how I was led, Part 7 deals with our experiences in Soudi Arabia. It is another part of an upcoming book or website section entitled Divinely Led.
Part 7: Teaching in Saudi Arabia
Our Teaching Jobs
When I arrived, Alex was about two months into his teaching job and somewhat struggling. The prescribed method of student-centered learning was not really suitable for the situation because these students, used to being served, were not self-motivated to study and learn. He wasn’t the only one among the teachers that was frustrated. They all tried to do what the boss, John, wanted but with mixed results at best. One teacher had become so overwhelmed by the situation that he just left the country without notifying anyone – a pretty drastic action.
Al Yamamah was a private university, and as a result, somewhat more liberal than other schools. It was quite new, located outside the city, and still being added to as far as construction. The male school was finished, but the female wing was still very small. Before coming over, the thought arose regarding me getting a position there as well, but it didn’t eventuate – which probably worked out for the best.
One of the teachers, Joan, left and got a position at Prince Sultan University (PSU) in Riyadh. She had previously taught in Prague, Czech Republic, and really enjoyed it. This common experience drew us together. Joan mentioned that PSU had another vacant position for just the upcoming semester that I could apply for. So I went for the interview and got the one-semester job. Even though I wanted and was promised a part-time job, in the end, it turned out to be fulltime. The logistics didn’t really allow for a part-time situation.
The requirement for men and women not mixing in the school building meant that repairmen couldn’t come in till after the teaching hours when all the female teachers were gone. That caused frustrating situations like not being able to get the copying machine serviced as needed and women having to struggle with fixing things that with a man who knew what he was doing could have been quickly solved.
The students themselves were a challenge. Despite their devotion to Islam and five daily prayers, lying and cheating were rampant. Some of the students were princesses and considered all teachers and everyone to be their servants. So respect was often a problem, as was motivation. One of my colleagues had a PhD in motivation, and even she struggled. So the teaching was challenging overall.
Fellow teachers were mostly expats, having come from the UK, US, South Africa, India and elsewhere. Some had lived in Saudi Arabia for quite some time. One or two were married to Saudi men. We all lived in the DQ and were picked up by a school bus in the morning and dropped off in the afternoon.
What was lifesaving was having five days of sick leave for the semester. Whenever things got overwhelming, I just took a day off to restore equilibrium. While I struggled, I had hopes to do better the next semester, knowing the ropes and having learned from my experiences. But it was not meant to be. On the day of the final assembly for the semester I was called to the boss’s office and told that my contract would not be renewed. The same was the case with my colleagues Joan, whose innovative and successful teaching ideas were not appreciated, and Paula, whose husband’s Libyan nationality prevented him from getting a visa to join his wife.
At first, the sudden, unexpected end to my teaching job hit me hard. But before long, I saw it as a blessing. It certainly took some stress and frustration out of my life. Interestingly, what started happening was that I began to receive opportunities for private teaching. These involved one-on-one tutoring children or teenagers in people’s homes. The family driver would pick me up and take me to their home, I would work with the children, and then be taken back to the DQ. I got to see some lovely homes and found these tutoring situations enjoyable and hassle free.
Another opportunity that presented itself was being able to attend a Bible Study at one of the expats’ home. I also had time to do writing and watch spiritual programs on our satellite TV. Our living costs were quite small and covered by my earnings, which meant all of Alex’s salary went into savings. So all in all, having lost my job at Prince Sultan University again turned out for the best. The experience was valuable, but I didn’t miss it when it came to an end.
Alex’s job continued, but his boss had changed. The new boss was gentler, much less demanding and much more easygoing. However, with the previous supervisor and his demands to toe the line without questioning, many frustrations had built up among the teachers. These all came out for the new supervisor to deal with, which would have been quite overwhelming. As a result, he only lasted one semester.
That semester, at the end of May, Alex’s father passed away back in Australia. We couldn’t go to the funeral, but his brothers understood that. Through circumstances, perhaps providentially, he was assigned fewer classes to teach. This was very merciful because it gave him time to grieve and reflect.
Alex loved Saudi Arabia because men were treated with respect and privileges and no woman was seen scantily dressed. For me, I felt treated like a dog or worse. The discrimination against women was everywhere in public. Thankfully, in the DQ, things were normal, but if we had been living anywhere else, it would have been much more challenging.
On the positive side, the Middle Eastern food was good, the accommodation was nice, the DQ was an attractive place to live as far as the environment and we had a favorite restaurant where the manager was positively predisposed to us and generous, as was his wife, whom I am still in an occasional contact with. And there were some special experiences that will be shared in the following chapters.
For other information on divine leading, see Spirit Helpers and Guides
Here is a short reflection on being divinely led.