Sober Saudi

Every culture has their own way of saying “I Don’t Know.”  Saudi Arabia is no exception to the rule. 

Some cultures are direct, while others are evasive.  Some people are humble, while others too proud.  Then there are those cultures that have clearly out-thought the rest of us, putting matters directly into the hands of God.  The Saudis will forever be known as the masters of this disguise. 

 In Saudi Arabia, there is one phrase that rids one of any fault or blame; and no it has nothing to do with the weather.  The phrase is “Insha’Allah” or “God Willing.” The word choice is so opportune, so appropriate, that not even I can curse the blasted saying without feeling a bit of remorse in this religious haven.

A few examples of how this might, and probably has been used within earshot over the past three weeks (in chronological order mind you):

 “The housing will be ready before school begins, Insha’Allah”

“The air-conditioning will be fixed immediately, Insha’Allah”

“The busted water pipes will be replaced tomorrow, Insha’Allah”

“The textbooks will arrive no later than next week, Insha’Allah”

…You get the idea.

The phrase reminds me of an excerpt from The Geography of Bliss when author Eric Weiner is in Bhutan and learns of a “closed road;” where in Bhutan a “closed road” could mean waiting anywhere from a few minutes, to a few days, to a few months.

Here at KAUST, where cheap labor is only exceeded in abundance in China, it’s often difficult to be patient with the concept of things not getting done in an orderly fashion  (there are people whose job is to open the door for us); but to be perfectly fair, no projects of this magnitude are even functional by day 1000 no matter where it is in the world.  Not to mention projects made to last a lifetime, like KAUST.  Insha’Allah.