JEDDAH, 2 June 2005 — This unique metropolis on the Red Sea mesmerized a group of American teachers during a recent visit.
“Jeddah is one of the most beautiful cities I have seen in my life, because it has its own character, history and a personality equal to that of some much more famous ancient cities,” said Antoinette Whytoshek, a social studies teacher at St. Francis High School in Mountain View, California.
The tour of Jeddah afforded the visitors an up-close look at the culture of the Hijaz, Saudi Arabia’s western seacoast region.
They toured local markets, museums and art exhibits, schools and colleges, a home for the handicapped, and restaurants and food vendors. They were also feted with Saudi Arabian traditional poetry and music. But, as in each region of the Kingdom they visited, meeting Saudi people, especially women, provided the most memorable experiences.
Danyah Al-Tahlawi, a Saudi businesswoman and owner of private schools in Jeddah, told the educators about the continuous development of education standards and methods in Saudi schools.
When they departed from, the educators said they had acquired a new appreciation of Saudi culture, helping them to jettison false stereotypes about the Kingdom and its people.
“You have provided us with a treasure of information whose depth is unfathomable,” said Charles Mihle, a history teacher from the Houston area in Texas. “This will help us do our work as teachers of history and social studies.”
