One of my favorite things about the Middle Eastern culture is their tremendous hospitality toward guests. I believe that I speak for my colleagues as well when I say that there was never a time when I felt unwelcomed in Riyadh, Dubai, or Abu Dhabi. In this culture relationships are of extreme importance and often developed over a good meal. It is my pleasure to share with you our tableside experiences.
FTR President and CEO, Nizar Katbi, along with distinguished host, Saleh treated the entire FTR family to a meal at Matam Sit El Sham (The Lady of Damascus). This luxurious restaurant has great food! It was equally great to be able to converse with the FTR staff in a more relaxed environment. Richard, an FTR employee, talked about how he had worked on every continent besides Antarctica and Australia, and further expressed that after he was bit by the ”travel bug” the urge to continue became simply irresistible. It is through these conversations that I realized how truly global this industry can be.
Our host Khaled took us to a small restaurant in Riyadh named Alkariya el Najdeeya (The Village of Najdy). This meal defined the phrase “dinning experience”. After the main course served within the restaurant we moved to the outdoor courtyard and enjoyed tea and dessert under the stars. Khaled kept us all laughing with his lighthearted comments as we lounged around on pillows enjoying each other’s company.
One of the best conversations I had on the trip did not occur with industry professionals but with my peers from the King Saud University (KSU). From the time we first met this great group of Civil Engineering students we had been planning to meet up again. This opportunity came toward the end of our time in Riyadh with the help of the KSU staff. The staff took the entire group of us to a Chinese restaurant in downtown Riyadh. Through talking with the students I realized that there were so many more similarities between us than differences. Our time with them was truly eye opening and I hope we had as much impact on them as they had on us.
On the last few days of our trip Ron, of FTR, served as both host and tour guide as we were treated to a wonderful meal in the world’s largest mall. The Dubai Mall is a 440,000ft^2 shopping center that contains ever shop anyone could ever imagine. Dinning there was a real experience and a great treat for the group. There we enjoyed a great Syrian meal that turned out to just be a preview for what was to come. Our last meal in Abu Dhabi was at the restaurant Lebanese Flower. The food was only surpassed by the congenial staff. Our waiter’s response to our praise of his wonderful service was simply “we are all people”. This served as a four word wrap up to our entire Middle Eastern experience.
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