The interview with Ahmed explored how Saudi students feel about studying in the US. The biggest challenge identified was cultural differences, as American culture is more open about discussing topics that may be taboo in Saudi Arabia. Over time, Ahmed learned to develop cultural competence which helped him better integrate and enjoy the high-quality education available in the US. The interview provided insight into Saudi students' experiences transitioning to American culture and the importance of an open mindset when living in a new environment.

1. Running Head: SAUDI STUDENTS IN THE USA
1
SAUDI STUDENTS IN THE USA
2
Saudi students in the USA
1. Background section
Is it ok to say that public opinion is one of the significant issues
when it comes to the citizens of a given country? This has gone
even further for the students in another state to live in fear of
not having the freedom to suggest what they would want to
speak. It is one of the significant issues that Saudi students in
the united states face (Griffin, Small, Clanagan, 2018). I,
therefore, developed further interest in observing what these
students were going through during their stay in the united
states.
My main aim for researching these students is to try to find out
more about the cases that have been emerging out of the public
threat from the government of Saudi. The community being
studied will be Saudi students in the united states. It comprises
of the students who have secured scholarships to study in the

2. united states of America (Griffin, Small, Clanagan, 2018). My
role in this community was conducting my research, then leave
the city. Therefore, I was just among the non-participant
observer.
2. Methodology
1. Note-taking
2. questionnaire
3. Observation
Note-taking
It is a technique of data collection where I decided to interview
a set of Saudi students. In the process, I was able to note take
some specific important information from the students, together
with their suggestions about the whole issue. The interview
process was on a personal level; hence the students decided to
open up their hearts without hiding anything. Therefore, it was
one of the helpful techniques where I was in a position of
collecting optimum feelings of the victims towards the main list
of the research.
Observation
It is a data collection technique where I was forced to observe
the whole community of Saudi students in the united states of
America. Basically, one of the ways I applied was my
observation techniques was through interacting with them on
one in the study institutions, where they lived, and also through
social media. Through this technique, I was able to notice the
reaction of the students, especially when this topic was brought
up.
Questionnaire
This is where I decided to give out a sheet of the question
paper. This question contained a set of questions which
revolved around the topic list. From the answers we obtained,
we were able to understand what the students have been going
through the whole process.
Findings from the data collection technique.
It is and was very depressing, having to realize that
currently, freedom of speech is still an issue in some countries,

3. especially in this new period. We were able to notice a level of
hatred that these students had towards the given topic of our
research. These students always expect to make new friends
through socializing and to know how they think differently
when an issue arises. However, all this turns out to become a
nightmare since the students will shift all the energy, he or she
had to power of maintaining silence to avoid uncertainty to
happen.
These students, what they say, is that they are in a position
of speaking more about their country. If they do so, then their
life is at stake. Meaning there are some sets of penalties if
someone decides to leak any information about their country to
the stranger. It so unfortunate to them in such a way they cannot
indulge in any of the class discussion about their country. Some
of us might have questions on how the government is in a
position of realizing whether one has leaked something or not.
It is possible since there are some sets of spies within the
students themselves who take the information to the government
in case one opens up.
3. Literature review.
In this section, we further took a step in investigating more
from the previous researchers who have been researching these
issues. Some of the researchers are very bitter over the given
topic about the whole point (Ammann, 2005).
These scholars and the researchers went further in investigating
the issue of that face the Saudi students in the united states.
What they found out has a similarity from the field research I
carried out. These scholars suggested that the Saudi government
denied knowing all these issues that revolved around their
students from the country. Adam Cole, who was a researcher in
human rights in the Middle East section of the United States,
gave out a transparent scenario of what the students of Saudi
passed through (Ammann, 2005).
He said that he was contacted by johns Hopkin professor, who
was more upset about the activities done by their Saudi embassy
towards its citizen, who was a student in the respective country.

4. The student received a couple of massages that were life-
threatening. These massages come from the embassy of
Saudi(Ammann, 2005). The student was directed to take charge
of the whole process of anti-student events around the
university. Failure to do so, the student would face a thorough
consequence from the Saudi government. This was possible
because the Saudi government had already delegated to keep
track of the whole event.
One of the unknown students gave out information on how the
Saudi embassy has organized its spies wherever the students are
engaged. He says that the Saudi embassy has the set of either
two or one spies who is responsible for giving out every
information about any event organized by them. Hence this why
they have no power to demonstrate their suggestions and feeling
towards the negatives of their country (Mason, 2017).
The whole issue is not new to the Saudi embassy since the
entire affair was known by the former FBI agent Frank
Montoya. He suggested that some of the cases were forwarded
about a similar issue while he was still an agent. What was more
frustrating being that the agency was not concerned by then
with the problem, and also, they did not believe the whole issue
was just a trend(Mason, 2017)? Frank Montoya also suggested
that he has been talking to the current FBI agents who have said
that the whole issue has been expanding, especially during the
reign of Prince Mohammed. When more investigation was
carried out, the FBI team suggested that they have no comment
on the alleged Saudi spies.
The human rights organizations, together with other critics,
suggest that the current prince has the power to silence
everyone to maintain his decency. It was very evident in
September 2017 when the Saudi kingdom arrested more than
twenty people. They claimed that they have been exposing the
intelligence activity of a given country with the benefit of
helping the outside party(Mason, 2017). Two months later, the
other three hundred people were arrested for the claims in
partaking in corruption practices.

5. 4. Conclusions
Every government ought to fully understand that the
power comes from the subject and not them. It very important
for everyone to know that the government has to set some sets
of rules for the citizens, and they have to understand that they,
too, have the power when they come together. Energy can
become helpful but sometimes can also become a threat,
especially to the subject to that power (Mason, 2017). Power
can make the subject slaves for the rest of their lives.
Hence any authority needs to come up with the best
governing style, which will become conversant to the citizens of
the country. For example, if the governing system of the Saudi
government is conversant, then it means that its citizens will
live freely, not subjected to the existing threats (Mason, 2017).
Some sets of measures have to be taken by the human rights
body to ensure the rights of the students of Saudi countries are
protected from the unjust full action. Also, they have to ensure
that the students have the freedom of speech wherever they are
which will help in releasing them to the jail of life they have
been subjected in
Reference
Mason, J. (2017). Freedom of speech
Griffin, E., Clanagan, J., Small, L., CodeBlack Entertainment.,
L.S. Productions., & Vivendi Visual Entertainment (Firm).
(2008). Freedom of speech. Sherman Oaks, Calif.: Codeblack
Entertainment

6. Ammann, D., Ammann, D., Ammann, D., Ammann, D.,
Ammann, D., & Ensemble fürNeueMusikZürich. (2005). The
freedom of speech
Groen, L., &Stronks, M. (2010). Entangled rights of freedom:
Freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and the non-
discrimination principle in the Dutch Wilders case. The Hague,
Netherlands: Eleven International Publishing
Running Head: SAUDI STUDENTS IN THE U.S
SAUDI STUDENTS IN THE U.S
Survey Report
Saudi Students in the U.S
Background

7. The survey mainly looks to answer the question: the degree of
safety that one feels while living away from their country.
whereby the focus community in this case is the Saudi Arabia
student community living in the United States. The main issue
that is the focus of the paper is to prove that actually living
away from you home country is stressful and one will not feel
safe as compared to be living. This is normal, for everyone as
they tend to start living in a new environment which actually
has a very different culture than what one is sued to in their
home country. So, this being obvious the exact item that needs
to be identified is what is the Degree of safety one feels.
The population includes all the people that are living in the
United States and were previously lying in Saudi Arabia. Half
of these correspondents are students and the other half did not
specify their vocation. Form the population of six
correspondents only one was female the other were males.
The actual role I take among the group is non-participatory
observer. It would be easy of the studying the community from
an observation point of view.
Methods
There were typical methods that were used to collect the data
for the survey, since the correspondents were from different
geographical locations it meant that the methods that could be
used would be limited.
Observation: This technique of data collection was instrumental
as it really helped to look at or observe the community of Saudi
Students in the U.S. that were near me. The observation was
feasible when I was able to interact with the population, mainly
in studying institutions before things changed, but lately it was
mostly through social media due to the circumstance. Through
this one is able to identify their feedback especially if the topic
at hand is brought up.
Questionnaire: This was designed to be taken through online
platforms, that helped in designing a set of questions to the
correspondents. The questions obviously were carefully

8. designed to revolve around the topic/ therefore form the
answers of each respondent gave out a point of view that was
able to understand their attitude towards this issue at hand. This
method was the most instrumental because it helped in reaching
different geographical locations which made the data collected
more inclusive and not bias of only one area.
Results
The results were not at all surprising. The results were collected
in a scale and all the correspondents were asked to mark the
degree, which showed how safe they felt while living in the
United States. The scale ranged from one to five, 1= very safe,
2= safe, 3= neither safe/unsafe, 4 = unsafe, 5= very unsafe.
Two of the respondents said that they felt safe, three of the
respondents felt neither safe/unsafe and one of the respondents
claimed they felt very unsafe.
Looking at the results it is conclusive to say that the degree of
being safe maybe represented by unsafe. This particular
supports the hypothesis, that claimed that living in a new
environment of in anew environment in this case will definitely
make one feel unsafe especially if there are different aspects
such as cultural differences. When particularly looking at Saudi
Arabia and the United States.
Conclusion
The survey results showed that the correspondents felt that they
were unsafe and looking back at the research question, “what is
the degree of safety that you feel while living away form your
country?” The results being divided into three degrees, safe,
neither safe/unsafe and very unsafe it creates a vivid picture
that shows the attitude of Saudi Arabia community living in the
U.S. at the current moment. But all this can be synthesized into
the single degree of feeling unsafe. This helps to create the
perfect response for this survey and support the hypothesis, that
actually claims that living in a foreign country somewhat feel
like you are not safe. In addition to these there are derivable

9. that need to be focus on, such as work or school environment,
the cultural differences and if one has family or familiar people
like friends in the U.S. these factors actually makes the research
to have different answers (Alsahafi & Shin, 2019). The only
biases of the research are the number of participants, definitely
only six people would not provide the substantive results that
would represent the Saudi Arabia community in the U.S.
References
Abdel Razek, A. N. A. (2012). An exploration of the case of
Saudi students' engagement, success and self-efficacy at a Mid-
Western American university (Doctoral dissertation, University
of Akron).
Alsahafi, N., & Shin, S. C. (2019). Factors affecting the
academic and cultural adjustment of Saudi international
students in Australian universities. Journal of International
Students, 2017 Vol. 7 (1), 7(1), 53-72.

10. Appendices
Figure 1
Degree of Safety while Residing in the United States
Very Safe 1
Safe 2
Safe/Unsafe 3
Unsafe 4
Very Unsafe 5
Correspondents
II
III
I
Male to Female Ratio

11. Age of the Respondents
Age 23 27 28 30 35 1 1 1 2 1
Gender Male Female 5 1
Running head: INTERVIEW RESULTS ANALYSIS REPORT
1
INTERVIEW RESULTS ANALYSIS REPORT 4
Interview Results Analysis Report
Abstract
The interview held on Monday, 17th February 2020 at Ahmed’s
apartment in Boca Raton, Florida aimed at creating an

12. understanding of how Saudi students felt about studying in
America. Specifically, the study aimed at identifying what
challenges if any the Saudi students in America encountered and
how they solved those problems if they ever did. The study
revealed that the greatest challenge the Saudi students was the
difference in culture in the United States as compared to their
homes. In America, they found that people were more open
minded about concepts and life and openly addressed such
areas. The interview concluded by revealing that time created
the opportunity for Saudi students to learn and acquire cultural
competency which further facilitated the opportunity for Saudi
students to enjoy the benefit of the high-quality education
provided in the United States.
Interview Results Analysis Report
Background
The study focused on investigating whether or not the Saudi
Student’s living in the United States enjoyed the freedom to
discuss issues that concerned their native country. Also, study
aimed at identifying the challenges that Saudi students in the
United States experience. In America, public opinion is
considered an important cultural tool that identifies the key
issues facing society and further provides suggestion on what
can be done to improve the situation or solve the problem
entirely. This study, therefore, sought to investigate how the
American culture impacted the Saudi students. The interview
was conducted to collect relevant data on what Saudi students
perceived of the American culture and what impact studying in
America had on their lives and mindset. All interview questions
were aimed at identifying how different things were in Saudi as
compared to in the United States but focusing only on the
educational sector.
Methods
To ensure that the interviewee was as comfortable as possible
the interview was held at the interviewee’s residence in Boca
Raton, Florida. The interview was held on the Monday, 17th

13. February 2020. The two methods employed in collecting data
during the interview were the use of a voice recorder as well as
note taking. For note taking, some of the important techniques
applied were such as using short phrases to capture data as
opposed to writing complete sentences. The phrases captured
were often direct quotes such as words he used to describe his
experience. The relevance of this technique was to ensure that
the report prepared after the interview would reflect either an
exact representation or something close to the exact
representation of what the interviewee had in mind when
providing the responses. The recording would help capture
points and clues missed during the initial interview. At his
apartment, the interviewee was calm and composed and the
environment was net and quiet making it conducive for the
interview.
Results and Discussion
Provided that the interview was recorded, and notes are taken,
the session was followed by another session where the
researcher transcribed the interview for further analysis. The
interview transcription is attached below. See Appendix ii. The
interview revealed that at first Saudi students found the culture
in the United States different (Alsahafi and Shin, 2019). It was
difficult to understand whether the Saudi students found the
American culture different in a good way or a bad way. Ahmed
the interviewee however explained that with time, studying and
residing in the United States got easier. However, he stated that
the key was to develop cultural competence and have an open
mind towards the difference in the various cultures that exist in
the world.
Conclusion
First, from the interview, it was evident that Saudi student’s
indeed have a difficult time adapting in the United States. The
cultural difference could at first offset the Saudi students
(Abdel Razek, 2012). However, Ahmed the interviewee
explained that with time, the students begin to become more
open minded as they learn and understand the culture in the

14. United States. Also, Ahmed explained that he as a Saudi student
and an accurate representative of the Saudi students enjoyed
studying in the United States because the opportunities of
learning and quality of education in the United Sates was far
higher than what was offered back home in Saudi. The central
and unifying theme was, therefore, that Saudi student’s while
they faced challenges settling in and accepting the culture in the
United States, the more culturally competent they became the
easier it became for them to enjoy life as American Students.
However, Ahmed also explained that even after four years of
studying in the United States, he continued to proudly identify
himself in his country Saudi and with his culture and people.
The information provided helped my topic by answering the
research questions. The answers Ahmed were meaningful
because they clarified some of the assumptions held against
Saudi students studying in the United States (Abdel Razek,
2012). The interview was void of any obvious researcher or
participant bias and appeared to be honest open and accurate.
Appendices
Appendix i. References
Abdel Razek, A. N. A. (2012). An exploration of the case of
Saudi students' engagement, success and self-efficacy at a Mid-
Western American university (Doctoral dissertation, University
of Akron).
Alsahafi, N., & Shin, S. C. (2019). Factors affecting the
academic and cultural adjustment of Saudi international
students in Australian universities. Journal of International
Students, 2017 Vol. 7 (1), 7(1), 53-72.
Appendix ii. Transcript of the Interview
Abdul: “Hello Ahmed, how are you?”
Ahmed: “I am good, how are you?”
Abdul: “I am good, thank you.”
Abdul: “I am making a research about the Saudi student’s life in
the U.S and I have a couple questions that I want to ask you if

15. that’s okay with you?”
Ahmed: “Yeah sure!”
Abdul: “Okay, what do you think about living in the U.S as an
international student? How do you feel about that?”
Ahmed: “The U.S. presents a great opportunity for people eager
for learning and accomplishment.
Throughout my studies at different institutions in the U.S., I
have learned a lot in my field as well as in other disciplines. I
saw that in myself and in other classmates who came from other
countries around the world. We used to take classes together,
accumulate our knowledge and experience, and perfect our
scores. It is amazing to see what they have accomplished after
they graduate and to notice the level of professionalism I
achieved along the way, also.”
Abdul: “I see, and have you faced any problem(s) with adapting
in the U.S? If yes, what is/are it/they?”
Ahmed: “After being used to a specific lifestyle back in my
home country, I faced some obstacles trying to adapt to life in
the U.S. It did not take me much time to grasp the flow of
everyday life here in the U.S. One of first challenges I faced, is
dealing with public transportation. At the time, I had no
previous knowledge or experience, and it cost me time to ask
friends about it. After that, it became an everyday process that
requires no thinking. ”
Abdul: “Okay, and what do you think about the American
culture?”
Ahmed: “I admire the open-mindedness of people, which is
inherently in American culture. People are adherent to their
culture, and also open to exploring other traditions and
cultures.”
Abdul: “What are the differences between the education in
Saudi Arabia and the U.S?”
Ahmed: “Although education in Saudi Arabia is not as advanced
as education here in the U.S., graduating Bachelor students in
the fields of Science and Engineering in Saudi Arabia are
comparable if not competent to the graduates of matching fields

16. in the U.S. Officials in Saudi Arabia are trying to raise the level
of the outcomes of Saudi universities to match the requirements
of the labour market.”
Abdul: “Could you describe a situation in which you felt it’s
necessary to be an ambassador for your country?”
Ahmed: “Being an international student in the US has taught me
a lot through many situations and occasions. One of the lessons
that I learned, is to set a good example of my culture and the
country I come from. Whenever I take a new class, I introduce
myself to my classmates with my name at first. However,
sometimes they get curious about the origin of my name, since
it is not so much common. I have made many friends from the
US as well as other countries around the world. I always focus
on conveying a good image about my country, culture and our
tradition. I remember helpful conversations that yielded a
deeper understanding of our tradition. That all is added to the
help in reviewing and revising course material and preparing for
exams. It leaves a good impression about myself and the culture
I represent.”
Abdul: “What are the differences between the education in
Saudi Arabia and the U.S?”
Ahmed: “”
Abdul: “Has your experience here in the U.S helped you gain an
ability to communicate effectively within and among diverse
cultural groups? If so, could you cite specific examples?”
Ahmed: “Having friends and classmates representing different
cultures from many backgrounds is an eye-opening experience.
It stimulates critical thinking and facilitates progress of
conversion. During my English language program, I participated
in extracurricular activities that involved initiating and
continuing conversations with classmates as well as others.
Talking with others whom I have barely met in a foreign
language gets me out of my comfort zone, however it also
forces my brain to be sharp and spontaneous.”

17. https://www.surveylegend.com/s/24kg