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Show Family unsure about return to Saudi Arabia camp is peaceful. The rules of the Moslem world are very strict, but if one obeys them, he is accepted and treated well. For example, there is no pornography, alcohol or drugs in the country. Television programs forbid scenes where one person touches another. All material that is sent to the Thorsteds is censored betore it arrives. If a magazine is to be delivered to them, all ads for alcohol are torn from the magazine. Pictures of women with arms and other body parts showing uncovered un-covered flesh are drawn over with black magic marker. The video of the "Little Mermaid,' a gift to the Thorsted children mailed in the ------ " S'SS-r- . i V . .. ;- ' :- - I y . :,. f i , i f -y U : ' '"' - i :-' '---4 S i ' By DONETA GATHRRUM KAYSVILLEIt was only three weeks ago that Craig and Kathleen Thorsted and their children, Tyler, age 14; Kaisa, age 8; and Anaka, age 22 months were preparing to leave their home at the Saudi Ar am co camp to return to the United States for a six-week repatriation visit, a yearly requirement require-ment for all foreigners who live or work in Saudi Arabia. The Thorsted family were not worried about their safety in Saudi Arabia. This Middle East country had been home to Craig since the fall of 1986 when he was stationed at the Dhahren USMTM (United States Military Mission) Air Base. When Craig completed his military service, he went job hunting hun-ting in Saudi Arabia. He found an excellent position with the Aramco Oil Company working as a computer com-puter specialist and a systems analyst. His family joined him at the Aramco camp, a walled city of 20,000 including about 5,000 Americans, in March 1987. This six-week vacation, paid for by Saudi Aramco, would be spent doing many things. Craig, a scout master in Aramco, would take Tyler and the other 20 scouts in his troop to Camp Philmont in New Mexico. This has been a summer tradition. Each year a different boy scout camp has been selected for the Aramco scouts to attend. It just happened that the 1990 camp was in New Mexico, close to home. While Craig and Tyler were in New Mexico, Kathleen, Kaisa and Anaka would stay in Kaysville. Kathleen is the daughter of Kurt and Roselyn Slade. She grew up in Kaysville. While Craig was backpacking in a remote area of New Mexico with his scouts, Iraq attacked Kuwait. The Thorsteds' plans to return to their Saudi Arabian home may have to change. Kathleen learned of the attack and the U.S. troop deployment to the Middle East through the media reports. Craig found out about it when concerned parents of the boy scouts in his troop telephoned Camp Philmont Phil-mont from Saudi Arabia, requesting that Craig be informed of what was happening "back home" and giving giv-ing him permission to send the scouts to the homes of relatives in other parts of the world the United States, Canada, Britain, etc. It is doubtful that any of the boys, perhaps with the exception of one Arabian scout, will return to Saudi Arabia. Kathleen said life in the Aramco A visit to the camel market was a fun family outing for the Thorsteds. Pictured with a camel trader is Tyler, Kathleen, Kaisa and Craig Thorsted. After spending three years in Saudi Arabia, the Thorsteds consider it home. They enjoy the atmosphere at-mosphere of the close-knit Aramaco camp that includes people from many countries, all living and working together. U.S., was changed to show the little mermaid wearing a turtle neck shirt. Western women are not required to veil their faces. They are told to wear dresses that cover knees and elbows and that are loose fitting. Life in the Aramco camp is pleasant. The children attend an excellent school that is taught by American teachers using an American curriculum. There are children from all over the world in the classes. When the American children are old enough to attend high school, they leave Saudi Arabia. All high schools in the country are Moslem. Boys attend one school and girls attend at-tend another. Besides being a scout master, Craig is also a member of the Arabian Ara-bian Peninsula LDS Stake High Council. There are LDS wards in many Middle Eastern countries including in-cluding Kuwait and Jordan. In the Aramco ward, there are about 250 LDS members representing people from all over the world. No religious printed material can be imported into the country. People Peo-ple are forbidden to wear religious symbols like a cross or a religious medallion. Kathleen is a girl scout leader. The members of her troop come from Pakistan, Liberia, Palestine, Canada, the United States and many other countries. For recreation, the family enjoys visiting the beaches on the Persian Gulf and scuba diving in the Red Sea. Wind surfing and sail boating are also very popular. Because of the desert characteristics of the country, playing play-ing in the sand dunes and riding dune buggies is appealing. Just recently, re-cently, the Thorsteds traveled about 100 miles to the Kuwait border to watch an Arabian horse race. ' We have almost become vegetarians since living in Saudi Arabia," Kathleen said. Nearly all the food is imported. The market is filled with wonderful fresh fruits and vegetables from Lebanon and Turkey. Fresh milk is very expensive. expen-sive. Meat is of a poor quality unless you like goat and lamb. Pork is strictly prohibited. Fish is a mainstay. "We have always felt safe in Saudi Arabia,' Kathleen said. She is alarmed by the telephone conversations conver-sations she has received recently from friends still in Aramco. "The government is processing about 300 passports a day. The . airlines are booking additional flights, but it is difficult to get out of the country," Kathleen said One of her friends told her to make sure that everyone that inquires about the situation understands that the American consulate is not helping the American citizens in Saudi Arabia. Since the Iraq invasion of Kuwait, an LDS sacrament meeting in Aramco consists of passing the sacrament and then discussing survival sur-vival and making plans for getting people and possessions out of the area if the need arises. Most people have back packs ready in case they have to leave quickly. Many sleep in their clothes. School is closed. The American teachers are preparing to leave the camp. Some people are packing their cars with all they can take and driving driv-ing as far away from the troubled area as they can. The Thorsteds' future is uncertain. uncer-tain. 11 Craig might go back, ' ' Kathleen said. "We will have to wait and see what happens in the next three weeks that we have to spend in the U.S. It is very doubtful that the children and I will go back now. This concerns me. Aramco is my home. "When you live in a situation like the one in Aramco, your neighbors become just like family members. There are many precious things photos, journals, souvenirs of places you have visited, even our clothing and household goods-that I might never see again. I hope we don't have to give everything up. Right now, we just don't know." -i ' ' - " .... y "-. & 4 -A , - i A- - - - f V ' r ' 1 1 ' ' ' ' ' t ' r- ' ' Kaisa Thorsted peacefully builds sand castles on a Persian Gulf beach. Sailing and wind surfing in the gulf are favorite leisure lei-sure time activities. |