A Personal Narrative on My Time Living in Abqaiq

Living away from America has been a really interesting and unforgettable, but at the same time it has had some very big impacts on my life. Most people just take it for granted that they live outside their native country. Since I have moved to Abgaiq, one year ago I have learned about different cultures, how to make friends with people all around the world, and feel the safety of living on an oil camp.

In Abgaig I had to learn how to accept the new culture into my daily life. Abqaiq was pretty Americanized, so there wasn't too much of a culture shock while living inside the camp. The camp, however, was so different from what I was used too, especially going shopping in the malls. I never had to wear an abaya when I went shopping at the malls in America. Also when I went to the mall here, I was surprised at the way men and women were separated. When I was standing in line at McDonalds I was shocked that men and women had to stand in separate lines. Even more shocking was that women were not even allowed to drive. Another great culture difference was hearing the mosque call people to prayer five times every day. I had never once heard that in America. When I first moved to Abqaiq I was expecting it to be in the middle of the desert. AlI I knew about Saudi Arabia was that it was in the desert, and Arabs lived there. At first I was scared. Some of the food is also different from food in America. I had never tasted shawarma until I moved here. The first time that I tasted shawarma I loved it! Living in Abqaiq has made it a lot easier for me to accept different cultures.

Abagaig is a highly international small community and I enjoyed making new friends from around the world. My class has people from nine different countries; the Philippines, India, Lebanon, Pakistan, Egypt, America, Argentina, Libya, and Malaysia. If I would have never moved to Abgaig I wouldn't have known people from all these different countries. It is interesting to hear all the different perspectives of people around the world on different subjects. It is awesome that our class knows each other and doesn't pay attention to the different countries they are from but just loves each other for who we are. I would have never learned so much about Islam if I hadn't moved to Abqaig. Almost half of my class is Muslim, and I thought it was very interesting to learn more about that religion. Before I moved to Abqaiq I didn't really even know that Islam existed. I was exposed also to the Arabic language while living here. Many of my friends are multilingual and can speak more than one language. I think that is so cool because I only know one language (English) and just a few Arabic words It was so cool that I could make friends with people from all around the world.

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Abgaig is a very protected environment. It is safer than many towns in my home state of Michigan. I have so much more freedom while living in Abqaig. I could go out later at night without my parents being worried. It just feels safe when I am walking down the streets. There are usually no cars speeding around, and honking and being annoying, and almost hitting me if I am crossing the street. While living in Abgaig I feel more independent and am glad I am having this experience of living here. I also feel safe in the Abqaiq because there is so much security. There are four checkpoints that we have to be passed in order to enter Abqaiq compound. It would be hard for any terrorist to safely pass the checkpoints. Abqaiq is just a very peaceful compound and I really have enjoyed my time living here.

Living far from home, even for a short period of time, can be really hard at the beginning. I just have to remember that all changes are difficult, but they are necessary to go through to build our character. I have loved living in Abqaiq this year, and I will always remember it as one of the best years of my life. During my time living in Abqaiq, I have learned about different cultures, enjoyed making friends from all around the world, and loved the safety I felt while living in Abqaiq.

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