Explaining The Saudi Mindset...

It has been a while since my last post. But things have gotten much busier as I near the end of my stay in Saudi Arabia. 
My plane leaves in 9 days to bring me back to good old Europe, and I am looking forward to resuming life in a normal world. 

My time here has been wisely spent though. In addition to learning how to become the greatest Scientist since Darwin, I have spent almost every Weekend outside of the KAUST University, seeing and learing about the land and people of Saudi Arabia. 

In order to give you an idea about the Saudi mindset I will share some of my recently formed opinions:
The people here function completely differently than anywhere else in the western world. As a general rule, Saudi's have never heard of efficiency, and it is way too hot to work hard in this country. Couple this with immense oil fortunes, and what you have is a country where people don't have to work very hard and are still considerably rich. Another major difference is the size of families. In the west, your family is mainly your direct relatives, followed by your extended family. Here, your family is everyone that has your last name, and you probably know everyone who has your last name. Family names indicate status and wealth, and marriage is only allowed between certain families. Your last name is also an indicator of what type of job you will have. For example, Saudi Aramco, the largest company in the country, is run by one family that has members of the family as managers in most every department. With the transition from small kingdoms and tribes to a unified country only 70 years ago, it is perhaps a little easier to understand why the family takes precedence over every other social obligation. It even goes so far that each family has a head (old guy in charge), who is responsible for taking care of all the members of the family in times of trouble or confusion, for resolving disputes, arranging marriages, managing family property, and advancing the family's status.

Furthermore, I have completely adapted my driving style to keep up with the Saudi road insanity and to avoid from being run over. You are probably thinking yeah righttt, it cannot be that different... But you would be wrong. Driving here is like going to England and driving on the right side of the road; anything could happen. As I have no interest in boring you with lots of words, here are some videos of the Saudi Driving: 

So in summary: I have learned new driving skills and have gained a lot of new understanding about the Saudi Culture. I have also become well acquainted with a microbiology laboratory and look forward to returning to  the European Union.

Soon I will post an article about my most magnificent adventure yet: The Trip to the White and Black Volcanoes of Saudi Arabia. Expect to see it in a couple of days!