Bush in the Middle East

Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 1:00 PM
Subject: Bush in the Middle East

Bush in the Middle East reminded me of a friend of our when we lived in our townhouse complex from 1968 to 1988. Her name was Kaye DiTrappani, an English gal who met an Italian guy while both in service in Italy after WW11 & married.

They then worked for a major oil company in Saudi Arabia after the war for over 10 yrs. Here are some of her stories.

1. When she attended meetings with other executives of the oil co. & the Saudi princes at their castles, she was treated like a second class citizen (had to wear the shawl & serve the drinks---something like the soldiers in the Clinton White House). Mike she said, I can still hear her, in her English accent "these people are An i mals."

2. They cannot be trusted. She & her husband had the oil companies put their salaries in a bank in Italy & they lived on per diem. When they had too much in the apartment, she would take a trip to her mother-in-law in Italy & the bank. She had to stuff the $$ in her bra & shoes to get by customs, & came back 2 inches shorter & several bra sizes less. The reason they did not use the Saudi bank was because fellow workers in their community who trusted the banks & went on holiday could not get back in the country & lost all their money.

3. They hate westerners. One Sunday she & her husband drove to the Dead Sea or Red Sea for sun & swim day. As they lay on the beach several new convertibles drove near them. One Arab drove his vehicle into the water, stood up & shouted at them to get out of his lake. They left, no questions asked & the other car followed. On the way home, they passed an accident with some European Gringos & a Saudi with the Saudi police. They went right home.

4. They made their $$$, had enough of living in a confined area, & decided to leave. She left first & it took several months for him to get clearance.

5. They took the $$$, came to Az., & established the Mundas (Italian for world wide) Travel Agency, a successful venture.

There are many more tales of our family & Kaye, enough. Just trying to make a point....Can We Trust the Saudi Arabian?