The Hero of My Family

Fatimah 

3 November 2015

The Hero of My Family

            My grandfather is my family’s hero. Without him, the whole family would be nothing but poor and uneducated. When my grandfather was twenty- four years old, in 1945, an American- Saudi Oil Company announced that they needed workers.  Although the Oil Company had no requirements about the employments like speaking English, only a small group of people applied. The reason was that working at an oil company might risk people’s lives since the workers either would extract the oil from the desert or work in the refineries. However, my grandfather found it a chance to change his life, and earned enough money to raise five kids. He applied and got accepted. Joining the American- Saudi Oil Company has had many positive impacts on my grandfather’s life and the whole family, too.

            One of the positive effects that happened for my grandfather after working in the oil company was an improved income. Before joining the company, my grandfather used to have two jobs, one as fisherman and another as a seller in a small grocery. Nevertheless, the money he earned from both jobs was not enough to feed  his family. However, his new salary was more than what he expected. It helped him to have one job instead of two, so he could spend more time with his family. Moreover, as the old tradition in our town, if the father did not have enough income, his older son had to work to help his father. However, since my grandfather had the chance to work with a good income, he did not need to ask any of his sons to work. He just wanted them to focus on their studies.

            Joining the oil company gave my grandfather the opportunity to visit many foreign countries, and this chance helped him to learn new things and change people’s negative views about visiting foreign counties. In fact, my grandfather was taught English during his work in the oil company, so he could communicate with American workers and could attend the company’s training that happened in many countries, such as in the U.S., U.K., and Japan. In addition, my grandfather was known as a wise man among his family because of the knowledge and experiences he had from vising these foreign places. Furthermore, eighty-two years ago, people in Saudi Arabia used to have negative views about anyone who went to foreign countries either to study, train or work. People were afraid that anyone who traveled abroad would never return because they might prefer life there. They also were afraid that the cultural differences could negatively impact travelers and make them see their own culture as an old and closed. Nevertheless, in my town, my grandfather and his co-works were an example of people who went to different countries and brought back with them the positive aspects of the other cultures like languages.

            Furthermore, realizing that education was important is one of the most important influences that happened to both my grandfather and his family. After my grandfather joined the oil company, my uncles and father realized that with education their lives would be more comfortable since most well paid jobs required educated workers. They also discovered that people highly respect educated people. Moreover, after vising many countries, my grandfather understood that women should have the right to study and be educated. Letting women attend schools was against the norm in the past. Only open-minded families would allow their daughters to study. People used to believe that women should stay at home and take care of their children. However, being trained in foreign countries made my grandfather believe that women need to be educated even if they are not going to work. He used to say educated women could help their children in their studies.

            My grandfather passed away six years ago, but he is still the family’s hero. I still remember and recount his stores, and I still feel his encouragement in everything I do. Working in the oil company had effected my grandfather and the family in three ways, which include improving the income, vising foreign countries and encouraging his kids to complete their studies. The whole family appreciates my grandfather’s chance to join the oil company, and he will be always a model in my and the family’s eyes.