Conversation #5

As you probably can guess by now, Nasrallah and I began our fifth conversation in Union Grounds. As we have done a few times previously, we decided to walk around a bit and then relax in the basement lobby of Milton- Daniel. Before I even had the opportunity, Nas asked me what today’s subject was. For this meeting, I wanted to ask Nasrallah about the biggest differences he notices between Saudi Arabia and the United States, as well as any stereotypes that the Saudis have of Americans.

             The first thing that Nasrallah mentioned was the vast differences in schooling between America and Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, the boys and girls attend different schools and there is no mixing between the two genders in education. Nasrallah, however, insured me multiple times that he is completely fine with going to school with girls. Since the topic had been brought up, I asked Nasrallah more about the education system in Saudi Arabia. Something that I found very interesting is that Arabic is the primary language used throughout grade-school and high school, but in college all the professors teach in English. I guess they assume that the students ought to be fluent in the English language by the time they reach the college grade level. The second big difference that Nasrallah notices between the two countries is the way kids treat/respect their parents. Nasrallah told me that he has encountered the situation numerous times when a kid is yelling profusely at his or her parents and even cussing at them. According to Nas, this behavior would not be accepted in his country. Saudi Arabian children respect their parents much more than what he has experienced here in the United States. When Nasrallah was telling me this, I felt rather embarrassed. However, I completely understand why he thinks this way. I think all of us have seen how disrespectful others, or even ourselves, can be to parents and other adult figures. It is sad that Nas specifically notices that about America, but often times it is completely true.

             As far as stereotypes go, Nasrallah says that the majority of Saudis view Americans as smart individuals. This is why a lot of them want come to America to study and eventually live. According to Nasrallah however, Americans don’t think. I was rather confused by this and so I asked him to explain what he meant. Nasrallah responded that Americans seem to need a manual for everything we do. We always follow a procedure list and go step by step, rather than figuring things out on our own. He stated that “Americans are smart but still look to procedure and check list instead of using their own brains”. Nasrallah then provided an example that he has experience in his own life. As I mentioned in a previous post, Nas worked for an American company and often times he would be fixing a radio or something along those lines and know how to do it on his own, however the Americans would get mad at him for not following the procedure list. In Saudi Arabia, they do everything on their own and aren’t so set on a specific way to do it. I thought this was an extremely interesting point and something that I have failed to really notice while growing up.

             Through this conversation I was able to develop a better idea of the Saudi Arabian Culture and the differences between the two countries. Further, it is interesting to hear an outside perspective about the stereotypes of the country that I live in. Day to day life I don’t necessarily pick up on the things that Nasrallah pointed out, however it is easy to notice these specific stereotypes if you take a moment to just reflect. I have gained so much more insight even about the country I live in, which is something I never expected when I first met with Nasrallah.