Aramco brats
Encyclopedia
Aramco brats is a nickname applied to the children of (mainly expatriate
) employees of Saudi Aramco
oil company, some of whom may have been born in Saudi Arabia
and others who came with their parents later in childhood.
The name applies equally to children who lived and attended school in any of the four main Saudi Aramco expatriate compounds: Dhahran
, Ras Tanura
, Abqaiq
, and Udhailiyah, all but one located in the Eastern Province of the kingdom. In nationality, they may be United States
citizens, Canadians
, Europe
ans (of various nationalities), Arab
(of various nationalities including Saudi), India
ns, Pakistan
is and a smattering of other mainly Asia
n nationalities. Saudi Aramco being over 75 years old, Aramco "brats" may range in age from their 70's to their teens.
Typical of other third culture children — military brat
s, Missionary Kids
, diplomatic brats — Aramco brats have developed a separate bi-cultural identity as a result of growing up abroad and an unusual sense of cohesion and loyalty evidenced by the existence of a "Bratchat" email listserv on which many Aramco brats keep in touch with each other, and, especially, biennial reunions ("Brat Reunions"), normally held in a various locations throughout the United States (although attendees may come from other nations). The number of Saudi Aramco "brats" who are Saudi nationals has increased steadily since the company became totally owned by the Saudi government in the late 1970s, however, and it remains to be seen whether these children will continue to view themselves primarily as "Aramco brats" with connections to other non-Saudi "brats" or as "Saudis" pure and simple.
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
) employees of Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco
Saudi Aramco , officially the Saudi Arabian Oil Company, is the national oil company of Saudi Arabia.Saudi Aramco is the world's largest and most valuable privately-held company, with estimates of its value in 2011 to be $7 trillion USD.Saudi Aramco has both the largest proven crude oil reserves,...
oil company, some of whom may have been born in Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
and others who came with their parents later in childhood.
The name applies equally to children who lived and attended school in any of the four main Saudi Aramco expatriate compounds: Dhahran
Dhahran
Dhahran is a city located in Saudi Arabia's Eastern Province, and is a major administrative center for the Saudi oil industry. Large oil reserves were first identified in the Dhahran area in 1931, and in 1935 Standard Oil of California drilled the first commercially viable oil well...
, Ras Tanura
Ras Tanura
Ras Tanura is a city in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia located on a peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf...
, Abqaiq
Abqaiq
Abqaiq, or in Arabic Bqaiq , is a Saudi Aramco camp in the interior of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia, located in the desert 60 km southwest of the Dhahran-Dammam-Khobar metropolitan area. The camp was built in the 1940s by ARAMCO...
, and Udhailiyah, all but one located in the Eastern Province of the kingdom. In nationality, they may be United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizens, Canadians
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
ans (of various nationalities), Arab
Arab
Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...
(of various nationalities including Saudi), India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
ns, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
is and a smattering of other mainly Asia
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
n nationalities. Saudi Aramco being over 75 years old, Aramco "brats" may range in age from their 70's to their teens.
Typical of other third culture children — military brat
Military brat
A military brat describes people who spend their childhood or adolescence while a parent serve full-time in the armed forces, and can also refer to the unique subculture and lifestyle of American military brats, the term refers to both current and former children of such families.Lifestyle: The...
s, Missionary Kids
Missionary Kids
Missionary Kids are the children of missionary parents, and thus most were born and/or raised abroad...
, diplomatic brats — Aramco brats have developed a separate bi-cultural identity as a result of growing up abroad and an unusual sense of cohesion and loyalty evidenced by the existence of a "Bratchat" email listserv on which many Aramco brats keep in touch with each other, and, especially, biennial reunions ("Brat Reunions"), normally held in a various locations throughout the United States (although attendees may come from other nations). The number of Saudi Aramco "brats" who are Saudi nationals has increased steadily since the company became totally owned by the Saudi government in the late 1970s, however, and it remains to be seen whether these children will continue to view themselves primarily as "Aramco brats" with connections to other non-Saudi "brats" or as "Saudis" pure and simple.