Rendevous: An evening of cultural exchange

As i mentioned in my previous post about Jeddah, it has become quite a trendy and a happening place over the decade.... Lots of activities, seminars, lectures etc take place but its still usually done on a low key. So in order to know about them you need to be linked to the right social network.

        I was able to attend two of such gatherings during the last weekend. One was a documentary screening and the other one was a talk i attended. Both will have their separate entries.

        Oook...let's talk about the Documentary screening. I got to know about it through different groups i had joined on f.book. I'll post all their links at the bottom of the post. The name of the documentary was called "Home: The Aramco Brats Story"... For people outside Saudia who don't know what Aramco might be, its an American company that has been helping Saudi Arabia with it Petroleum production since 1933.

            The screening was held in the Jeddah cultural exchange center who work hard in arranging special tours of Jeddah to make you understand more about the beautiful and unique culture of this place. You may visit them at http://www.jcec.com.sa/.

        The best part of the screening was that it was done on a roof top and the weather of Jeddah played its beautiful part in making the evening very pleasant. The movie as the name suggests was about group of ppl who had worked and grown up in Aramco and how living there has shaped up the rest of their lives.

         I was able to make lots of connection with the movie since i have lived in this country for almost lets say my whole life till now, but while watching it you do tend to wonder that group of ppl in the documentary, even though were mentioning the name of Saudi Arabia lots of time, they didn't get to see, meet and truly feel the taste of the country or the culture because of a) living in the compound and b) just the nature of this country. It wasn't only  my opinion but of many other ppl who were there. The movie does showcase what amazingggggggg benefit you can get by working and living in Aramco city but had lacked in giving you the taste of the country and how Saudi Arabia plays the part in their growing up.

    But then i guess Saudi Arabia is a country where even though you might be able to find ppl of all different backgrounds and nation but still they all tend to live in their own bubbles. Well at least thats what ppl i spoke to at the event talked about the most.

       So, if you have lived in Saudi Arabia, or in Aramco compounds or has some interest in knowing about it, it is a good watch.

You can order a copy from here http://bratstory.com/inv_order.html or maybe try to look it up on youtube.

          As for the event, we all were fed well after the documentary was finished by lovely snacks. I think a little discussion session after the movie would have been nicer.

        But nevertheless, it was a beautiful evening,  well organized and spent with very beautiful group of people. Organizations working behind this event was JCEC, Sussie ( from Sussie of arabia; a blog i have been following for a long time and was soo excited to see Sussie there!!! ), Jeddah heart, Nomad & Arabian Jewels. Links are listed below.... Defiantly check them out to stay updated on more happenings around Jeddah and what these organizations are upto :)

Stay tuned.....more good stuff on its way...:)

http://susiesbigadventure.blogspot.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Nomad-%D8%B1%D8%AD%D8%A7%D9%84/189283504453691
http://nomadarabia.com/
http://www.facebook.com/arabian.jewel
http://www.facebook.com/JeddahsHeart?ref=ts