JEDDAH, 22 January 2008 — It is true that adversity makes strange bedfellows. Certainly the principle that when facing challenging — even stressful — conditions a group of people of widely varying talents and beliefs tend to bond in a unique way and work together and set aside differences is a well established fact.

The military has known it for centuries; the principle was taken up, repackaged and marketed to big businesses as “Team Building” exercises.

The group Connecting Cultures uses it for more altruistic purposes; to bring young people together and exchange their thoughts and ideas. Launched in 2004 in London by Prince Turki Al-Faisal of Saudi Arabia, and founder Mark Evans, Connecting Cultures aims to promote intercultural dialogue among young people from the Western and Arab worlds.

Now a teacher at the British School Muscat, Evans felt that Connecting Cultures had proved to be an important building block toward creating understanding among young people from different backgrounds, especially in a world where cultures seem to be increasingly polarized. The imminent expedition into the Sharqiya Sands of Oman was aimed at helping to achieve the goals of the organization.

Mona Al-Ghamdi is just 19, slightly built and very focused. She gradually reveals herself to be a highly organized individual with a great sense of purpose and is one of the 18 participants chosen from 10 nations selected for the first of the Connecting Cultures expeditions organized exclusively for young women. She will join the team for a five-day challenge that involves both walking and riding camels in raw desert.

“By spending time in such places, young people can focus on intercultural issues in an environment where there are few distractions,” said Evans recently.

Al-Ghamdi will join the team, which has young women from Arab and European countries with ages ranging from 17 to mid 20s, on Feb. 7 in Muscat. Her employer Morris International Associates recommended her to Connecting Cultures, a London-based PR company. Other participants applied and all were interviewed before selection.

“I am very interested indeed in the idea behind Connecting Cultures,” she said, “Having lived in England for some years I am used to working with and interacting different cultures.”

While working in the UK, Al-Ghamdi was professionally involved in the promotion of Saudi culture through a series of festivals held throughout the country. “That has given me some experience in dealing with the press which I am sure we will have to do afterward,” she smiled.

She disarmingly admits to having absolutely no experience of the desert as one of a new generation of young Saudis.

“I live in Al-Baha,” she said, “So I don’t think I have had much opportunity to get familiar with it.”

She observed that while abroad she frequently came across the misconception that the Kingdom was all desert and was surprised at the limited knowledge of her home country.

“I am looking forward very much to experience of the desert but also meeting this dynamic group of people and communicating with them,” she said. “Mobile phones and other distractions have been banned and we are traveling very light.” The camping equipment and necessities will follow the team in a Landrover — but the participants are required to carry their personal gear as they trek up to six kilometers a day in soft sand. “The idea is to allow us to focus on just doing our thing,” she said. “I know it is going to be tough, but I am looking forward to that struggle.”

She admitted that she was not looking forward to the lack of amenities. Washing will be limited to the absolute minimum, for example but that, she thought, was all part of the challenge.

Al-Ghamdi has been training for fitness but realizes that with no experience on sand, she will find conditions very different indeed.

From the streets of Mayfair to the sands of Oman; different indeed but Al-Ghamdi is up for the challenge.