In America before I left to teach in Saudi Arabia, friends and family wondered if it’s safe, if I’m scared. I usually told them I was more concerned about teaching false beginner, Saudi students. I figured the scariest part of the adventure would be the day to day job.
Now that I’m here, though, my perspective has changed. Now that I’m here and have taught these students for a couple weeks, teaching them isn’t so scary. They speak English better than I thought they would, and discipline issues are always an issue in classes this big. So I’ve kind of gotten over that.
The rest of the area, structured around oil and Islam but also heavily influenced by the large expat population, isn’t scary at all. No bomb threats. No anti-American sentiment. No pickpockets.
I’m not saying these aren’t here. Maybe they are. It’s just that now that I’m here, I don’t worry about them, just like people in America don’t worry about tornadoes or earthquakes in their day to day lives.
