Sandi Arabs at UT

[Byron Black]

I worked with what was alleged to have been the very first group of Saudi
students ever sent abroad to study, at UT in 1960. I was a sophomore, living
in the Campus Guild (anybody remember that scene?) and got a part-time job
at the International House, run by a charmless Texas asshole named Joe Neal.

(Joe became renowned a few years later when, upon exiting a helicopter, he
reached up to grab a disappearing Stetson and got his hand whacked good by
the heli blade. Moral: don't wear Stetsons).

You can imagine the cultural confusion ensuing from being plucked out of the
Empty Quarter and set down in oh-so-tempting Austin.

These cats were culturally from nowhere, real Wahhabi rednecks. They had
sand in their shoes, but were provided no cultural indoctrination
whatsoever. Their government gave them $250. a month to spend and
practically total freedom. Cars, whiskey, women, car wrecks, women wrecks, a
Las Vegas jaunt (honest -- and organized by the International House -- Joe
had a deal going with the Saudis is how he snared the group).

I was quite fond of the lads, as they were mostly my age (19~20). Ahmad
Ahmad, Hamad Al-Hawas, a number of others, none of whom I've been able to
root up on the web.

As far as I know most of them went back to KSA after completing their
degrees in Petroleum Engineering or whatever. I stuck with the program until
I got in hot water for tickling somebody's pickle. And the word spread. So I
got the boot from Uncle Joe, with no nice recommendation either, ha.

Anyhow the experience was most intriguing; they were sweet and innocent guys
(no women then, of course -- unthinkable), in spite of rampant eye disease,
awful personal hygiene habits (toothpaste? What's that? How do you eat it?)
and an underlying arrogance among the better-connected ones.

I imagine most are either dead or halfway there by now, as 60 in that
society is like 90 in the West.

BBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBB

----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Eisenstadt" <michaele@ando.pair.com>
To: <austin-ghetto-list@pairlist.net>
Sent: Monday, April 28, 2003 12:11 AM
Subject: Chuck Wagon memories


> Friday going to downtown post office to check my box,
> a man stopped me saying "Michael?" I did not recognize
> him, he is Sati from Saudia Arabia and majored in math
> (and bad coffee in the Chuck Wagon) 40 years ago. He
> even remembered the subject(s) I was majoring in.
>
> His 3 kids call him Sati his last name, he doesnt use
> his first name (Abdullah Rahmen). he runs an import
> business from his house.
>
> we stood and batted the breeze for some minutes. i
> thought i should ask him what his take on current American
> attitudes towards Arab Americans was (and i did), he
> spoke of TV talk shows as a bad influence in this regard.
>
> i asked him if his life had turned out acceptably, he sort
> of gave the question a yiddishe shrug.
>
>