-
Disclaimer (Date Has No Significance)
Due to the nature of Saudi Arabia immigration policies, my grandfather was unable to take any purpose. It was also not his intended purpose when he traveled here. In his first visit, he was just settling in, adjusting to the new country, and pictures were not one of his main priorities. In his second visit, he wanted to take pictures, but they were restricted in some areas and he did not want to misunderstood then attacked. Instead, I found my own pictures from the internet. -
Background Information (Date Has No Significance)
My mom's father was an Indian male who was born in 1950 in India. Like me and my extended family, he spoke the ancient dialect of Telegu. People speaking this language can be found in the city of Hyderabad and it's outskirts, which is where my grandfather spent most of his time. Like the stereotype, he lived in the village, tending to agriculture. However, after getting married to my grandmother, he decided to travel to the city in search of a job. There were a few temporary job opening -
Background Information (Date Has No Significance)
Unfortunately, these jobs were just not sufficient to support a potential family. The fact that he had an engineering degree also made it hard for him to receive a job, since there was an abundance of engineers all throughout India. In order to get a permanent job in his industry, he had to travel all the way to Saudi Arabia. He came back after his father away and tried to establish a business, but that never worked out for him. It was among his circle of friends and they were inexperienced. -
OPEC Oil Embargo
The organization of petroleum exporting countries sets a trade embargo as an act of retaliation against the United States supplying Israeli troops. As a result, oil prices quadrupled. This was when the oil boom skyrocketed and people started to gain lots of power. They no longer cared about silly things like cars, which they could purchase in seconds. On the outside, the oil boom caused mass distress on the economy. They did this knowing that major nations were dependent on them. -
Saudi Aramco
Saudi Arabia took control of Aramco, an Arabian American oil company. It is one of the biggest oil production giants out there. The Saudi government renamed it to Saudi Aramco, thereby fully taking responsibility for the company. -
Period: to
Time in Riyadh
This was my grandfather's first time in Saudi Arabia. However, he soon had to depart due to his father passing away. He spent approximately eleven months in this area, and there was not much occurring at this time. Some minor conflicts took place but nothing so serious that it would affect his status in Saudi. -
Period: to
Reflection After Riyadh
The reason he returned was that his father had passed away. Obviously, he wanted to come back to Saudi Arabia. According to my grandfather, he started a company back in Hyderabad, a city in India. He started this partnership with 3 of his friends, however, after some time they disbanded the group and then he resorted back to going to Saudi for a steady source of income. At this point in time, he was not terrified of Saudi, he just wanted a job close to his family. Obviously, this did not work. -
Period: to
Time in Al Jubail
Located in close proximity to the Persian Gulf, the waterfront city of Al Jubail is known for its massive production industry. One of the main reasons my grandfather traveled here instead of everywhere else in Saudi Arabia was due to the colossal need for the working class. They were the ones who supplied the industries which such enormous manpower. At this time he spent his days as a supervisor at a local stone crusher factory. Stone crushers are created to decimate large rocks into rubble. -
Period: to
Persian Gulf War
The leader of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, forced the conquering of Kuwait for its massive oil deposit and waterfront territory. After regaining control of certain territories, the Arabs and the United States called for a cease-fire. -
Saudi Arabia Declares War
Saudi Arabia finally declares war against Iraq. They ask for the US to help them out in pushing Iraq forces back. -
Kuwait Warfare
In partnership and relation with the United States, Saudi Arabia launches various air attacks and sends army troops into Kuwait. Their goal is to give independence for Kuwait, or in other words, liberate them. There were many movies made on this horrifying event, one of them called Airlift. In conclusion, the war also causing emotional and economic panic. Toxic pollution filled the air and millions of barrels of oil were wasted into the sea. There were approximately 700 million dollars in costs. -
Stripped of Saudi Citizenship
After several terrorist attacks and horrible events, Saudi Arabia finally removes Bin Laden as a citizen. This is also because there was evidence showing he was recruiting al-Queda members. -
Period: to
Reflection After Al Jubail
Due to the effects of the Persian Gulf War, my grandfather did not have a pleasant experience in Saudi Arabia the second time he went. A Saudi naval base was located close to the place my grandfather was working, which created constant terror and anxiety. Also, bombings could be heard a few miles away close to the base. What if the army there had charged and invaded Al Jubail? Not that much manpower was left since they were fighting near Kuwait. After retirement, he wanted to return immediately. -
Period: to
Final Reflection (Date Has No Significance)
The motivation for his travel to Saudi Arabia was for a steady source of income to support his family. He thought the people in Saudi Arabia were generally friendly and were opposed to the kind of terrorist ideals we have today. Alike America, Saudi Arabia was the melting pot of Asia, and everyone wanted to trade there. It is not surprising to think of how many different religions were practiced in this area. However, religious practices are somewhat restricted by the Saudi crown prince. -
Period: to
Final Reflection (Date Has No Significance)
The middle east in general during this time period was a hub for different cultures such as Indian, Chinese, Japanese, Philippine, and Pakistani. Amongst the Saudi people, they were not thought of as problems and permitted minimal worship. My grandfather says that this place was a very elegant place to stay. It had all the valuables you could possibly think of and an extravagant lifestyle that could only be afforded in a vacation. However, for the middle and lower class it was not so good.
