A Wonderful Life of Travel

http://www.aramcoexpats.com

23 August 2011 | 7 comments | Annuitants | by Judy MacDonnell

I was working for the Australian Air Force as a physiotherapist in 1991, when one day I was called into the office.
“We’re sorry,” I was informed, “but we’ve had to go on a budget, and the first cut-backs are to be with contractors. We have to dock your hourly rate and take away your travel allowance!”

Ras Tanura Residential Compound and Beach

This bombshell coincided with the completion of a house that I’d built, and of course my finances were stretched to the limits. It was then that the idea of working in Saudi Arabia struck. At the grand age of thirty-five I’d worked and traveled in Australia, the USA and in England, and it was time for another change! It would be six months from my application until I arrived in the “Magic Kingdom.”
My years in Saudi were the most fascinating six and a half years of my life, and I loved (almost) every minute of it. I was to be the Physical Therapist for a new outpatient clinic in Ras Tanura, north of the main compound of Dhahran. The peaceful beauty of the sea side and the friendliness of the residents in this small compound made a huge impression on me. I considered myself very fortunate to have been placed in this position. Over time my unit expanded, and another therapist was allocated to RT. I enjoyed almost all of my experiences in Saudi Arabia. Outside of work, activities were also special – camping, sailing, rappelling, caving, and travelling to other parts of the country and the world, an easy reach from the shores of the Arabian Gulf. Aramco certainly made life interesting!

MacDonnell’s SV Siddiqi in Vanuatu

I left this amazing place with a head full of memories – and a husband, who loved adventure as much as I did. For several years post-Aramco we cruised the islands of Vanuatu in a twelve meter (thirty-nine foot) catamaran, exploring, helping the locals in any way we could, and assisting volunteer medical organizations in humanitarian work.
We decided to sell our boat after our last trip to Vanuatu in 2007. Fellow ex-Aramcons, Ruth and Marvin Stark, then asked if we’d be willing to help them sail their new purchase, a forty-seven foot catamaran, from Malaysia towards Turkey. We set sail with the Starks on New Year’s Day 2009, on the trip of a lifetime. With stops in India, Oman, Yemen, Eritrea, Sudan and Egypt, we gathered a host of new and delightful experiences. The trip was complete with dolphins, breaching whales, some apprehension in “Pirate Alley,” islands in the Red Sea, and stiff winds near Sri Lanka.

Judy and Bob MacDonnell at 2009 Aramco Reunion

One of the highlights of the trip in 2009, for us, was the Aramco Reunion in Dhahran in March 2009. Ruth and Marvin made some trips of their own while they waited in Aden, Yemen, while we took a local bus from Aden to Riyadh and another to Dammam. The thirty-plus hour trip was interesting in itself, and we got to see some parts of Yemen and western Saudi that we wouldn’t have seen otherwise. The reunion itself was like coming home. “Mother Aramco” did not disappoint, and we left with our hearts full. We would encourage everyone who is eligible to consider going to the next reunion in Dhahran.
Since 2009, we’ve taken to the highways and byways of Australia and North America in camping vehicles. As we travel, we’re enjoying our hobbies – Bob with his radios and ham contacts, and me with my writing. This year I’ve completed my book of Saudi memories, Houses of Sand, and a young adult novel, To Harvest a Storm. The latter is to help raise funds for the Children’s Tumor Foundation, to discover a cure for Neurofibromatosis – a disease which is not as rare as one might think, and which is very debilitating. The books are both now published in print, and as e-books.
We’re currently in the USA, visiting National Parks and old friends. Although there are troubles in many places, it is still a beautiful world!
For more information on my books and our travels, please visit Judy’s Patch.
Enjoy more photos of life in Saudi Arabia and beyond: Travels of Judy and Bob MacDonnell.