Eid Festival In Brisbane

Yesterday, I participated with Kalven Grove Saudi residents (Brisbane) for Eid festival as Arabic calligrapher, my colleague and I wrote visitors names on backside of nice pictures. These pictures from Makkah, Maddina, Madaen Salah, Jeddah, Riyadh. Meeting many people from India, Pakistan, Afganistan, Iran, Turkish and Lybia in addition many Australian who amazed me. Some of them interested in Saudi and Arabic. Other want to discover this culture or entertain themselves. I met an engineer who studied physics as a first-degree then worked in many Arab countries like Egypt, Oman and Kwiut, but Saudi Arabia wasn't one of them. He also speaks Arabic. I told him a joke about Nigerian friend who studied Arabic in Cairo-Egypt then he studied with me in King Saud University. He said: "One day I went to take a taxi in Cairo, but the taxi driver couldn't understand my because I spoke standard Arabic with someone who can understand my accent, then the taxi driver asked his mate to came. When his mate came he said in Egyption slang: look at man what he is saying unfortunately he doesn't speak Arabic!!.

One the other side, I met Pakistani girl who was born in Saudi Arabia and lived there until 18 year old, but she doesn't speak Arabic!

Also, I met many Asians, I remember when I had Arabic calligraphy's course in 2004 in my Uni (KSU) many of Chinese and Japanese write butter than us. I think that because writing these language needs a smooth a hand.

Someone asked me If we work in Saudi because Saudi have oil? I said: "why shouldn't we work"? Australia have coal and Uranium. What is different? The oil benefits companies and government. He said maybe because there are many workers from Asian countries. I agreed, however, Saudi citizens struggle as a consequence of cheep worker. Companies prefer to pay less wages. I'd tried to get a job for seven months when I graduated. To be honest, I've been asked this question many times.