Teach children, see the world

That career path has worked well for Steven and Suzie Rampling who, after teaching in Japan for three years, have now imparted knowledge to eager young minds in Saudi Arabia for the past four years.
Steven, whose family is from Mitiaro, and Suzie, a Canadian from Kingston, Ontario – along with their 11-month-old son, Ariki – are spending the Northern Hemisphere school summer holidays visiting various family members around the world, including two weeks in the Cook Islands.
Steven teaches a Grade 6 class and Suzie is the media specialist at a school for the children of expatriates in the Eastern province city of Jubail. The couple was initially nervous at the thought of living in a Muslim country located in the political powder keg that is the Middle East.
“You hear all these nasty stories about Saudi Arabian terrorism,” said Steven. “Stonings. Beheadings. But once we actually lived there, it’s a lot more relaxed than what most people think.
“The military are pretty much just securing places for show, I think. Because you don’t feel the concerns that a lot of people from overseas do, or the way the media portrays it.”
The Ramplings, who are expecting their second child, have just signed up to work three more years in Jubail. This means they will spend at least seven years in a country Suzie was at one time adamant she did not want to live in.
“It was one of the countries I told (Steven) I wouldn’t go to,” she said of a conversation she and her husband had at an international school recruiting fair held in Canada. “I’ll go anywhere but Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Iraq and Nigeria. And, two days later, we’re signing contracts.”
Steven said it was the benefit-laden package that ultimately made Saudi Arabia a viable location.
“It’s tax-free, for starters,” he said. “They cover your accommodation, utilities, flights home once a year. They give you money for professional development. Suzie just finished her Master’s and they covered a lot of the cost for that.”
Adjusting to life in a foreign country always presents a unique set of challenges, starting with the simple act of getting from Point A to Point B.
“There are no traffic laws there, really,” said Suzie.
“(The drivers) are crazy,” Steven added. “There’s a two-lane highway that they’ve turned into four or five lanes. They’re driving 150 km/h, just zooming past you.”
Suzie doesn’t have to worry about a lack of road rules because, in a Muslim country like Saudi Arabia, women are not allowed to drive.
“When we first went there, you think, oh, this really sucks,” she said. “But our husbands will drive us places or there is an abundance of private drivers. We also have a staff driver, so it’s like Britney Spears, getting a driver to drive me around.”
While Saudi women are required to be covered from neck to ankles, Western women have a bit more freedom when it comes to a dress code. Suzie, however, actually prefers to don the robe-like abaya.
“There’s lot of different styles, so mine are tailor-made for me,” she said. “They’re cooler to wear. Normal clothes are quite hot so if you just wear the abaya, you can wear shorts and a T-shirt underneath.”
There are other adjustments to make when you live in a Muslim country. Starting with the fact that alcohol is banned. So is pork. There are no movie theatres. And public displays of affection are frowned upon, even between married couples.
And, while there is an abundance of malls and shopping opportunities, only men are allowed to work in the stores.
“Even in the lingerie shops, they’re all guys,” laughs Suzie. “There are no changing rooms – you can’t actually try on clothes. You have to take them home, try them on, and then drive back if something doesn’t fit.”
Despite temperatures that can at times reach 50C, and having to adjust to the separation of the genders, even when visiting Saudi friends in their homes, the Ramplings agree that, overall, they’re enjoyed their time in Saudi Arabia.
“It’s a good place to be able to concentrate on work and your family,” said Steven. “Outside of that, there’s not too much more to do.”

By John Ireland

Herald Issue 463 10 June
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