Family On the Go

Saying Goodbye

2011-06-30T03:00:00.003+03:00

By the time this blog entry posts, I will have flown away, looking back and reflecting at my two year stint in the Magic Kingdom. Saudi Arabia, despite all that is said about it, is a mystical place to live in, with the strict religious adherence to Islam while at the same time many of its youth wanting to jump head first into all that is offered by the West and pictured on TVs and the internet...

When my French friend Eugenie left last June, she made a list of the things she loved in Saudi and the things she wouldn't miss about the country. I really enjoyed her idea and I'm just going to be completely unoriginal and use the same headings:

What I loved about Saudi Arabia

- getting to know the country, still very closed to tourism and tourists
- discovering the Arabian Desert, its rocky floors and its red sand dunes
- becoming a member of the Hash, the walking club
- sleeping under the starriest sky in the quietest desert ever
- seeing camels up close in their natural environment, free roaming in the desert
- eating Middle Eastern Food at any given time, with the best Arabic bread possible
- meeting Saudis and finding out they are just like us!
- making friends with other expats and being able to talk, discuss, share common interests and talk about what we are missing from outside the Kingdom...
- finding out ways to make do without pork products and wine (although, that's not quite true, since there are ways around those lacunes)
- learning some words of Arabic and being able to greet people and receive a big smile in return
- roaming the souks and local markets, looking for rugs, scarves, Arabian knickknacks and having to haggle over everything
- listening to the many calls to prayer, giving a rhythm to life
- the access to the French grocery store Carrefour and its plethora of French products
- living on the compound in a spacious villa
- seeing behind the closed doors and high walls of Royal palaces
- taking the children to huge birthday parties where all a kid could dream of is available
- having Alex loose his first teeth biting into an apple here and hoping the tooth fairy would find him
- meeting like-minded people and knowing that, even if they were here in our lives only for two years, we have made friends for life...nothing better than sharing the same war trenches to never forget.
- going to the various embassies in the DQ and making acquaintances with familiar faces seen over and over again.
- shaking hands with ambassadors...I lost track after a while, but before moving here, I had only shook hand with one ambassador!
- visiting friends at Arizona compound and feeling like we were in the States, just for a few hours
- having Alex loose his first teeth biting into an apple here and hoping the tooth fairy would find him
- hearing Emma making huge progress in her fluency in French by blabbering with her little BFF...
- having the children understand that not all places in the world look like and behave like Louisiana or Belgium. Having them become more world-aware and willing to see new things.

Who I will miss

- our work friends who, for some, turned out to be great friends
- the compound friends and neighbors
- the Hash group
- friends of friends, met by chance, but such great people
- the friends I made and who I am very sad to say goodbye to. I've told them that I hope we will see each other again and I do really mean it, Josh, Kristy, Claude, Nenita, Jay, Cheryl, Vinciane, Pierre...hopefully, one day, somewhere, we will meet up and catch up, Insh'Allah!

What I won't miss about the Magic Kingdom

- the division between men and women, not being allowed to interact
- wearing the abaya in the summer and in hot weather. In the winter it acts like a coat and keeps you warm while it 110F/45C temperature it's just an unbearable black oven.
- always being on the lookout for the mutawas because I did not wear the headscarf, standing out in the crowd sometimes by a head over the women around
- not being allowed to drive and having to depend on my husband or a driver to take me anywhere
- the closing of everything during prayer and having to plan to go to the store, bank or restaurant so that you're not caught by prayer
- the feeling of entitlement and superiority some Saudi have..but I guess that happens all over
- the way Filipinos, Bangladeshi and Indian workers are treated
- the censored magazines, with black markers and white stickers
- the filtered news in local newspapers
- seeing a sea of black abaya at the mall, never hair and rarely faces
- navigating a city where traffic signals are suggestions to stop, where street names have 4 different spellings and when you get misguided, you can't read the traffic signs as they are in Arabic!
- having to purchase an exit-re-entry visa to LEAVE the country for vacation
- the bureaucracy and convoluted ways to get anything accomplished
- the stamps, needed on everything, from store receipts to copies of paper to ads to put around the compound
- the butterfly in the stomach I felt everytime I was going through immigration, hoping that all my papers were in order and that I would be let in/out! The final exit was a little stressful, but more will be written in a later post)

All in all, a great cultural experience that I won't regret having with my family.

Masalama Arabia!
Goodbye Saudi Arabia...

October 2009, right after our arrival in the Kingdom

Maybe we will meet again...Insh'Allah!

PS: We are moving to Malawi on August 1st and I will keep a blog of our new adventures in Africa. Make sure you come visit it www.familyonthegeaux.blogspot.com

Banking experience

2011-06-29T20:47:00.000+03:00

As the end of my work experience nears, it is time to tie up loose ends, one of them being the financial aspects, including the end of contract bonus and final months of salary. So, after receiving my last checks, I went to the school's bank to cash them, to the ladies' bank to be more precise.
Service is slow, the tellers are all smiling and professionally dressed and none are wearing the abaya, as this is a women only zone. I hand them my checks and they tell me that the bank does not have enough cash for me to cash them... It's ONE o'clock in the afternoon, I left work for just a little while and need to get back... I tell the ladies just that, that I don't have time to wait, that I can't go to another bank and that they need to cash my checks! After making a phone call, somehow the money magically appears and they can process my checks.
While I'm at the ladies branch, my husband is on the men's side, having the same conversation! But for him not all the money appears....
As I'm sitting waiting for the ladies to finish processing it all, sipping on my tea, I see all the tellers get moving really fast, grabbing their abaya and their scarf and covering up everything except their faces. I'm dumbfounded, can't figure out what is happening, even check my watch to see if there is supposed to be a prayer I forgot about (and there isn't)...
Then, a MAN walks into the ladies side!!! Eureka, that's why they were covering, to protect themselves from his prying eyes! So, the male teller sits in front of me, produces my husband's checks and processes them, again out of that magically appeared money that wasn't there when I started this whole thing! While he's doing all this, he doesn't say hi to any of hsi female coworkers,or to me and never even looks up from his keyboard while he's typing... It's actually the weirdest feeling, to not be acknowleged at all. I guess I'm used to customer service and being greeted with a hint of courtosy!
In a way it does sum up a lot of the interactions between the sexes in the Kingdom, they live fullfilling lives each on their side but don't interact and none is the wiser!

King Abdullah Road is open!

2011-06-23T07:37:00.002+03:00

After lenghty construction, the famed King Abdullah Road is finally open to traffic. I believe construction took 3 to 4 years to complete, as tunnels had to be jack-hammered out of the desert rock.

The result is fantastic: traffic flows beautifully, the street lights have that retro/futuristic bluish look, palm trees and grass have been planted and will be watered often to remain green.
So, you can now go from one end of town to the other rather quickly and avoid Aruba traffic, that runs parallel to King Abdullah.

I honestly didn't think we would see it open before we left, but THEY DID IT! It's open and beautiful. I really should go back and take some pictures...

Riyadh Road Project to Reduce Bottleneck!

Update: Mission Accomplished: we drove down and up King Abdullah Road and here are a few pictures of the finished project!

Inside the tunnels

A string of Lasts

2011-06-20T08:45:00.001+03:00

The clock is ticking and it seems that the days until departure will be full of “lasts”! Yesterday was the last time we could see some of our French friends... The kids played together, hugged each other and now, my daughter is very sad as she lost the BFF (best friend forever) she had made on the compound. We hope the girls will see each other again, sometimes in the future...

Last night, I also went on my last shopping trip to the Souk. My goal was to either sell or exchange a pair of gold earrings I had and never once worn. It was rather easy to achieve, as all the stores in the gold souk trade gold and buy it by the gram. So, after deciding what I wanted and talking price, I traded my earrings for a gorgeous Saudi diamond pendant mounted on 24 carat gold on a delicate gold chain. I can’t wait to wear it on special occasions.

Since this was my last trip to the Souk, I did go in several carpet stores, just like I do everytime, always talking myself out of buying. Yesterday I did buy a fabulous lambswool rug from Iran with some intricate patterns at a fraction of its regular price and well below what you would pay anywhere else in the world. My last little souvenir from Saudi Arabia!
As I was with two male friends, it was different than usual, since I usually either went to the Souk alone, with one of the kids or/and with my husband. Having one being Arabic speake was even better, as he could haggle for us! I was, however, more careful about covering my hair, as I did not want to draw unnecessary attention to us, no explanation needed here.

The boys wanted to go to Batha Souk in old downtown Riyadh, that used to be (and probably still is to some extent) the main commercial artery in town, where a lot of the expat labourers and household staff still shop. You have not been to Riyadh until you drive through Batha after 10 PM! It is thriving, people are all over shopping, carrying on business... It reminded me so much of Khan El Khalili, the big Souk in downtown Cairo , even with the set of pedestrain bridges used to cross the street as the Souk is on both sides of it and the traffic is scary busy, to say the least.

We went to a shoe store, on 4 stories, selling mostly Caterpillar, Hush-Puppies, Merrel and Sebago brands... All were new and all were at major discounts compared to what you would pay in a mall store, even on sale! I bought 3 band name pairs of shoes, full leather for SAR 200, or about US$ 42...can't beat that! Place your orders now!

So, three LASTS in one evening...and we still have 10 days to go! We are putting this quote from Jonathan Huie to great use... as we “Celebrate endings – for they precede new beginnings.”

Women driving, really!

2011-06-17T20:44:00.000+03:00

This is it! The day has come for women to drive in the Magic Kingdom...Now, it's not official or anything and is only a grassroot movement that some Saudi women started on social networking sites, but it is a huge step forward in the right direction. The news is all over the internet refering back to how this all started, when Manal Sharif, a woman in Jeddah, was arrested and jailed after filming herself driving and posting it on the web. From there, The "Women2Drive 17th June," Facebook page was started, encouraging all Saudi women to drive on this day. CNN article

We just came home from small grocery shopping and did not see any women driving. We did see several police cars at intersections and they were visually checking inside cars...I guess trying to catch women driving. It is time, in the 21st century, that women be allowed some more freedom of movement, able to travel alone and to drive themselves to work, to the store and not have to be dependent on the men of their family and hired drivers.

The great King Abdullah, the progressive Saudi monarch, is himself open to change and has been striving since his coronation in the mid 2000 to open the Kingdom to modern ideas, recently stated that "the day will come when women will be able to drive." Soon or not, that remains to be seen!

Peacocks on the Prowl

2011-06-15T09:00:00.000+03:00

In Riyadh two streets are especially known for their bumper to bumper traffic in the evenings and on the weekends: Taliah and Talatheen streets …not like there is no traffic anywhere else, but those two are really bad. If you had to compare them with other big cities, I would say easy comparisions can be made with the Champs Elysees in Paris and 5th Avenue in New York, both for the stores, restaurants and people watching.

All the en-vue restaurants somehow are located on those two streets, as well as the fancy bakeries, chocolate shops, flowers and luxury car dealerships… This makes for a guaranteed mix of people, and the young single Saudi boys know it. They cruise the streets up and down in their supped-up,tricked out vehicles, parading like peacocks, ruffling their feathers, in their case, revving their engines, until they are noticed by the ladies around.

I’ve even heard of, but never witnessed, the young men writing their phone numbers on pieces of paper and throwing them at passing cars occupied by ladies. What I have seen though is a carload of young men, with their windows all rolled down, shouting across traffic at the ladies seated in the car stopped next to them at a traffic light, follwing the car from light to light, hoping to catch their attention, their looks and the most treasured phone number or BlackBerry Messenger code. I’ve even seen muscle cars with a huge sticker listing that driver’s BBM code for all to see and hopefully for some to use…

So, here in the Kingdom, “love” may emerge from a speed dating meeting…on the roads or stuck in traffic….although, and don’t forget this, dating is not allowed here!

Over 10,000 hits

2011-06-13T21:04:00.001+03:00

It's funny how I never thought that I would care this much about a number, but just a few days ago, the blog had its 10,000 hits - and that's only counting since May 2010, as somehow blogger did not keep automatic records until then. In my mind, I had been secretly hoping the blog would reach 10,000 visitors before I was to leave....so, now, I can leave happy!
I'm now hoping it reaches 11,000 within the next 20 days...and at the rate it's going, it may be feasible. Just today, my husband showed the blog to his students as an example of a travel blog for an assignement...and we've had many more visitors today than usual... so, students, if you are reading this, let us know and pass the word.... And other readers, share the address around as well...11,111 would be a cool number to reach by July 4th!

A Taste of Home at El Chico's

2011-06-08T09:20:00.000+03:00

You know how it is, living abroad and craving some foods that you don’t have access to! Well, last night, one of those cravings was met! Up until 3 days ago Riyadh did not have a Tex-Mex restaurant worthy of the name! The lacune has been filled and you can now enjoy El Chico’s for lunch and dinner. It is located on Tahlia street, between Chili’s and the franchise store for the Riyadh soccer team.

My family met up with two other families, with a total of 7 adults and 8 children. We were seated around two big round tables, and received first class service, with a slew of waiters and lots of trainers present. To tell you the truth, the group was very Southern, with one family from Texas, one from Alabama and one from Louisiana. The El Chico trainers all hailed from the south as well, Texas and Alabama, so in a way, it was like a reunion of like minded people.

The menu is very extensive and offers exactely what you would expect from a Tex Mex place, with the exception of Alcoholic bevarages and pork dishes, of course! Even the chips and salsa were delicious and are directly imported from the US. The iced tea were served in large tall glasses with ice filled to the top and Sweet and Low and simple syrup on the side, never encountered experience in Riyadh. We almost felt back in Louisiana, enjoying dinner with the friends.

The children also had a grand time, while their parents were discussing the meal, the chips and the ice teas! The restaurant has built a children proof room, with 3 playstations, climbing toys, and games… Actually, we hardly saw them! Not even sure what they ate and drank among the orders of REAL corn dogs and mac and cheese!

Now, we are ready to face the days left in our contracts, bellies full of a taste of home!

Selling our vehicle

2011-06-01T12:03:00.000+03:00

Another page is turned...this morning, we sold the trusty vehicle that took us around Riyadh and the region for the past two years. After moving to Riyadh, we bought a 2 year old 2 wheel drive White GMC Envoy and that was a smart decision. We had no major problem with the car, unlike many of our colleagues who bought well used and abused cars and had to replace many parts/motors/tires...over the two years.
The only regret we had was not having a 4-wheel drive to go dune bashing in the desert... Thankfully several of our friends did and we got to dune bash in their cars! So, if you want to spend a lot of time offroading in the desert, get a 4-wheel drive. Otherwise, for city and highway driving, it's not necessary and 2-wheel drive will be more than enough.
Selling the car was a pretty seamless process. We advertized around at work and through our networt and expat.com, found a buyer over a month ago who was willing to wait to get the car until June and willing to pay a good price. My husband met up with the buyer at a car dealership, signed the papers there, paid a small fee (800 SAR split between buyer 600 SAR and seller 200 SAR) and walked out with a wad of cash for the sale of the car.
The only thing left to do is going to the Insurance Agency, cancel the insurance and get some money back from them...but that is another story as dealing with insurance places sometimes takes a few trips!

Normal Life

2011-05-23T20:59:00.000+03:00

As we are getting closer to our departure, our social life has been picking up! That’s probably going to be my biggest regret about leaving Riyadh… After almost two years here, we’ve made acquaintances and friends in various circles and now it seems that all those circles are intersecting!!! We’ve been so busy lately, with parties, get togethers, barbecues, movie nights, Masalama parties and this weekend our last party at the American Embassy with a whole bunch of friends.

Just last week I was talking with a Lebanese friend who’s lived all over the world and, after I was telling her my regret about leaving, she told me that it is the hardest part about moving on, but also that it’s hardest the first time! I guess we acquire special skills at making friends..

So, if you are reading this before moving to Riyadh, it is totally possible to have a very busy social life… Just make friends around your compound, join a hash group, attend social and cultural events at the embassies, and make friends at work… If you stay at home, take part in the coffee mornings and the social activities on your compound. Lots of expat women don’t work and are so busy while their kids are at school. There are lots of things happening….it’s just a matter of finding a way to find out about them!

Men's Fashion

2011-05-16T12:21:00.001+03:00

Everywhere you go in the Kingdom you will see Saudi men wearing the traditional Thawb and the head cover. I’ve always find them intriguing and like to observe the different ways of wearing the Shamag and the many cuts of the seemingly simple thawb. Here below is a very easy to understand description of the various components of the traditional Saudi dress for men, adapted from http://www.saudiembassy.or.jp/DiscoverSA/TC.htm

The Thawb is the full-length, loose garment with long sleeved made of cotton or a polyester mix. The color is usually white. However, in the winter, you can see some in darker colors such as brown, navy blue, black made out of wool for warmth.

The Taqiyah or Kufeya is a small white cotton hat worn directly over the hair. Wearing the taqiyah keeps the headscarf from slipping off the head.

The Ghutra is a square shaped cotton fabric, folded diagonally to form a triangular shape. When worn, the Gutrah is also folded from the front. Men wear their gutrah on the top of Kufeya. Some men wear theirs directly over the head. The typical color of Gutrah is white.

The Shumagh is similar to the Ghutra, except that it is embroidered with white and red threads. . It is folded into a triangular shape and placed on the top of the head. 　

On top of the Ghutra or Shumag, a doubled black rope-like cord called igal is worn in order to hold ghutra in place. Igal is generally made of tightly woven black goat-hair and sheep's wool.

For special occasions like wedding, the men wear a bisht over the thawba. It is usually made from cotton or camel/sheep wool and comes in many colors like black, brown, gray, and cream color. Bishts are trimmed with beautiful golden embroidery.

Every man is very particular when selecting their thawb. Tailors all over town stock shelves after shelves of the similar looking white fabric used for the making of the thawb. I cannot imagine having to select just ONE fabric as they all look and feel the same to me! Same goes for the selection of the shumagh. Stores sell them in nice boxes and although they all look the same, they are different in texture, thickness of the fabric, even designer as Yves Saint Laurent, Dior and like are producing designer shumagh!

Once the different pieces of their wardrobe selected, it is time to put it all together. And again, although it could look like a uniform, men have acquired their own style of folding their shumagh... just check out these three Saudi men, who were standing next o each other...all alike but all different!

Flying Saudia

2011-05-09T20:53:00.000+03:00

Over the years, I’ve flown many airlines, but until I was IN Saudi, I had never flown Saudi Airline or Saudia like the local call it! In all honesty, I hadn’t heard much about it, except that it didn’t serve alcohol on any of its flights, domestic or international… You know that Saudi is a DRY country and so is their airline.

I’ve now traveled on Saudia several times and have had good service, not outstanding, but not bad. Flights were on time for the most part, no luggage was lost and food service still takes place on all flights, which really doesn’t happen on many airlines anymore. In Riyadh, there is an entire terminal for Saudi domestic flights which makes it quite convenient and painless.

You can now even check in online and print your boarding pass from home, for all domestic flights. That service is not available for international flights though. The whole boarding pass at home simplifies your travel, and being a woman, expedites security very much. Last time I flew, it took me less than 5 minutes from when the taxi dropped me in front of the airport to the gate, as women have to go inside a curtained room to be “wanded” for security away from prying eyes…and since way less women travel than guys, it is a rather fast process!

There is also another aspect of Saudia I have enjoyed…the first class lounge! To tell you the truth I don’t travel first class, always stuck in economy. However, at the Jeddah airport, as a Western woman, if you walk in the first class lounge like you belong there, the attendants don’t even bother asking for your boarding pass and you can enjoy the amenities.. food, juices, yogurt, cappuccino machine, PCs with internet access, TVs, magazines…Yeah, the only thing missing, you guessed it, are the libations…Oh well, can’t ask for everything in this world! By the way, keep this a secret!

Mary Poppins to the Rescue

2011-04-25T17:39:00.002+03:00

Have you ever wanted to become the master at singing Supercallifragilisticexpialidocious and felt the need to call for Mary Poppins? Well, if you lived in Saudi Arabia, you very well may be able to find that special pearl. The majority of families with young (and not so young) children have a nanny, or several of them. We probably are among the minority here, living without a nanny or even a maid!

We see nannies daily, dropping and picking up students, shopping at the mall and the supermarket, at the doctor’s office, anywhere you may go as a family, nannies follow. I had been wondering how much those nannies are paid as they are living with their Saudi employer and are at their beck and call. Well, I finally mustered the courage and asked a Lebanese nanny…and I was shocked!

She broke it down for me into two categories of nannies: the Filipinos, who oftentimes have minimum qualifications beside a high school degree; the second group being the educated nannies heralding from Lebanon, Tunisia, Algeria and Western countries, who usually have college degrees and may be multilingual.

According to my source, a Filipino nanny can pull about 1250 SR a month (or about 333 USD). Her job has her on call 24/7 for duty, living in a Royal Palace, all meals included and sometimes even includes exotic travel with the children and the family. Now, Mary Poppins would probably not approve of many of their appointments and their salaries, but for many of these Filipino ladies, that salary is way more than they could make back home in the Philippines and enables them to send a huge portion of their wages to their families/children back home.

In the case of this particular Lebanese nanny, her salary is 2000 USD a month and she has the same working conditions as the Filipinos. Because of her previous experiences as a nanny and her qualifications, she was able to negotiate her salary up. Now the way she was describing her job includes being on call all the time, having to be the best hairdresser and fashion consultant for the little girl she takes care of. She also mentioned offering services as a shrink and a nurse. Most of what she earns she saves, although she recognizes that taking a shower and washing her hair feels like she’s stealing time from her employer. Several times she told me that this job in Saudi was better than no job in Lebanon and the current state of the economy did not look promising for a job in Lebanon.

Now, without a doubt, such discrepancies in salary do not make her popular among the other nannies. At the function I met her she sat alone, did not speak with any other nanny, except one from Algeria. According to her, the maids and nannies don’t like her and will try to make life difficult for her, by telling the child in her care bad things and criticism of her work. She also appears to degrade the Filipino nannies and consider them lower than herself. The money may be good for her, but it seems to me like living in a viper’s nest! Mary Poppins would probably not be able to pull herself out of this one with a song!

Camel Crossing

2011-04-12T13:28:00.000+03:00

Anytime you think of Saudi Arabia or the desert life here, you are bound to picture Bedouins, traveling with their camels across the vast expanses of the desert. Although times have changed and most of the Saudi population live in cities and towns, you still see camels roaming free, or apparently free, in the desert.

But the desert itself has changed and is now crisscrossed with paved roads. At first, I kept on wondering why the highways were fenced… Could it be to prevent cars from free driving into the desert? I didn’t take me long to figure out the real reasons for those fences…. Everywhere and each time we’ve been in the desert, we’ve seen camels. They appear friendly and don’t shy away from moving vehicles… So, the fencing keeps them safely away from the roads.

However, some roads do not have fencing on either side and, it came as no surprise to me when we saw the famous “Camel Crossing” signs, which really are not just for show. Only yesterday we had to come to a complete stop twice to let a group of camels stop. It is almost comical, to see the biggest male of the herd standing in the middle of the four lane highway and watching around as the mama camels and baby camels are crossing. It’s such a cool sight: the camels are right there, in front of us, trotting across the road, not a care in the world. They truly are the most beautiful beasts of the desert, so elegant in their walk and so proud in their demeanor!

Ushaiger Village

2011-04-11T19:04:00.000+03:00

A few months ago, on a flight back from Egypt, I picked up a magazine featuring Ushaiger, a traditional Saudi village having been restored to its former glory, as a way to preserve its heritage and displau relics and pieces from the village in their newly built museum. The photos were so appealing that I kept the article and just found it yesterday. So, since we are all off this week for Spring break, we decided to pack the car, bring our picnic and head to Ushaiger.

A little internet research was necessary though, as we really had no clue where this beautiful spot was. Here are the coordinates 25°20′33″N 45°11′0″E. From Riyadh, count on over 200 kms each way of easy highway. Take Mekkah Road, pass the first checkpoint, go down the escarpment and turn right at the first exit, direction Shaqra (Highway 505). Drive on that highway for a good long while. When you reach the second town, at the roundabout, turn right and continue for 35 kms. At the next roundabout, go straight for 18 kms and, at km 18, you will see the new town of Ushaiger. Turn right on that road, drive to the end of it and you will be able to spot the old traditional village.

So, according to Wikipedia, “ Ushaiger is one of the oldest towns in the Saudi region of Najd and was a major stopping point for pilgrims coming from Kuwait, Iraq and Iran to perform Hajj or Umrah. It was originally known as A’ekel but the name was eventually changed to Ushaiger. It was changed because the town is bordered by a small mountain north of the Village. The mountain is red in color, yet locals said it was blonde simply because red and blonde were used interchangeably in the old days. Ushaiger means the “Small Blonde”, which is a description of that particular mountain. Historical Ushaiger belongs to the Tamim tribe although other tribes lived there as well. It is also the home land to many families in the Arabian Peninsula. Such families are Al-Elsheikh (The family of Muhammad ibn Abd-al-Wahhab) and Al-Thani (Rulers of the State of Qatar) originated from Ushaiger.”

According to me, Ushaiger is what I thought Saudi Arabia would look like. Mud and straw houses, with narrow shaded alleyways, surrounded by defense walls and an oasis. What I was not expecting was the intricate irrigation and water collection systems, with a series of wells connected to each other and providing water for people, living and crops. In many ways, these desert folks knew how precious water was and had engineered a whole system to collect the water…if only today’s generations realized how wasteful their water usage is.

We were extremely welcomed in the village, being offered a private tour of the museum, the traditional cup of tea and Arabic coffee (that the boys drank seated in a cosy male only area, while the girls stood around and waited for the boys to be done). Our private guide, an elder whose grandfather used to have a farm in the village, took us around the restored alleys and houses, showed us many wells, his grandfather’s garden with a great irrigation system, still being harvested to this day. He took us to two of the schools in the village and two of the mosqs as well, one outdoors and one still in use.

After our tour of the village, we drove up the mountain and had a picnic in a secluded shaded area, overlooking the entire historical village, with its protecting walls, watchtowers and many palm trees.

Our guide was very proud of his village and we were very complimentary of its renovation. The feel we had was like walking inside a history book. The only missing elements were the people who used to live in the village…. It was so peaceful and quiet, beautiful and serene, historical and humbling. What a great way to spend the day, going back 400 years in history…

another blog by another expat on same village

Cars of all shapes, colors and sizes

2011-04-06T19:36:00.000+03:00

Saudi Arabia is probably one country with the most variety of cars: if you want it, you can buy it here! All makes and models, from American Ford, GMC and Chevy to European Peugot, Audi, Mercedes, BMW to Asian Toyota, Hundya... One thing I thought I wouldn't get used to are the Mazeratti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Aston Marton, Bentley, Jaguar and Rolls that are all over the place...and although they still hold some mystique, we see them so often that they are loosing some of their myth! Carpool time at school offers a pleasure for the eyes, with all the above brands well represented and just makes me want to get behind the wheel and take off!

But my favorites are the custom cars as they are one of the prefered ways to personalize your ride around here. Again, imagine the best and worst you've seen and we have it. I've seen bubble gum pink hummers, Orange Audi SUV with the racing stripe, bright purple limo, Hummer Stretch Limo...but to date, this is MY favorite... a GOLD BMW, parading around town... Only in Saudi

Quad in the Red Sand Dunes

2011-04-01T20:32:00.001+03:00

OMG! We finally rode Quad bikes in the Red Sand Dunes and it was sooooo much fun! This Thursday (our weekend, equivalent to Saturday) we left the compound early and rode in our friend Claude's brand new (to him) Nissan Patrol 4x4 to the desert, with the idea of renting quad bikes and enjoy the dunes.
On our way to the Red Sands, we stopped at a gaz station/convenience store/garage/mosque/tire reseller. It's always nice to see what there is to discover in those stores, as they are way more stocked than what you would expect to find in your typical Exxon/On the Run in the US. This one was pretty cool: we found all the camping gear, desert coats, head scarfs, camel bells and ropes, sheep lined sleeping bags, firewood, kettles, all kinds of dairy products, nuts.. for those in the Felicianas' think of a souped-up Saudi version of the F.S. Williams Store Saudi. We really did not need anything, but ended up purchasing 3 head scarfs (a pair for me to make pants out of and one for the desert), gum and candy for the road. The scarves did end up being used on the very same day! More about that later!

So, as we finally reached our destination, we got caught in an mild sandstorm...not too bad, but enough to prevent us from leaving the comfort of the car and getting exposed on the quad bikes. Instead, we decided to wait it out and go exploring in the dunes; with a 4x4 vehicle, it's always more fun! Once the wind calmed down, we went back and found several quad bikes rental places. Don't expect rental cabins, with all the gimmics. This is just us, pulling next to a few quads, a Saudi looking like what I would expect a bedouin to look like, tells us the price, in Arabic. We haggle a bit, he draws his final price in the sand and we say OK! Deal is done, money is exchanged, quads are started.

We all climb our vehicles and we are off. No waiver to sign, no ID cards, no insurance, no tutorial on how to use the machine, or how to brake. It's actualy quite scary, come to think of it, that the guy rents to us, doesn't really check that we can drive them, have my two kids take off without helmets.. I decide to take off my abaya in the car, before getting on the back. Not sure if it was allowed, but I did it... Couldn't have driven one of those with an abaya! Actually, not even sure if I was allowed to drive the quad...but the guy didn't say a thing when he saw me get on the bike and go!

We did, however, cover our hair and faces, as it was still windy and we had just purchased these beautiful scarves.. would have been a scame not to use them! And man, did we look cool...

The children thoroughly loved it. We could hardly keep up with them and even thought we'd lost one for a while. She wasn't too far, but nonetheless, it scared me. The dunes looked all the same and it would have been easy to loose our bearings if we hadn't had a huge mesa helping us direct ourselves. Both children were natural, taking to those bikes like they'd done it all their lives, when in truth it was their second time driving one, even if they've ridden with an adult a bunch of times in the Louisiana countryside!

The Quad driving in the sand dunes, up and down, over and under, was just amazing! I took many photos and even a little movie of what it actually felt like. While in the desert, everybody should have that experience of driving on the sand dunes. It's truly an unforgettable experience! What a rush! What beauty!

Festival de la Francophonie

2011-03-28T20:42:00.000+03:00

A l'occasion de la francophophonie, plusieurs ambassades ont organises des evenements culturels; ainsi nous sommmes alles a la residence de l'ambassadeur de Belgique pour la projection du film "Soeur Sourire" et a la residence de l'ambassadeur Suisse pour le film "petites vacances a Knokke Le Zoutte". C'est toujours agreable de participer a des evenements culturels, beaucoup plus calmes que certaines soirees dans Le quartier diplomatique, et tres relax. Hier soir, nous avons fait la rencontre d'un couple Suisse en voyage d'affaires de 3 jours a Riyad qui avait toutes les questions de nouveaux arrivants et beaucoup des prejudices et misconceptions de l'Arabie Saoudite. C'etait chouette de leur parler, je leur ai meme donne l'adresse du blog, pour qu'ils puissant lire un peu plus sur ce que c'est de vivre ici!
Un autre avantage de ces soirees sont les buffets. Nous avons eu droit a la traditionelle raclette du Valais Suisse. Je pense que la derniere fois que j'en ai mangee je devais avoir 12 ans, aux sports d'hiver a Leysin! Quel delice!
Comme quoi on ne s'ennuie pas au Royaume Magique! J'ai impatience d'aller au bazar de la francophonie Le weekend prochain!

What a sandstorm feels like...

2011-03-18T10:13:00.000+03:00

One of the dangers of living in the desert is the sandstorm since we are completely surrounded by sand hundreds of miles around. However, since we’ve been in Riyadh, we have not been in a sandstorm of epic proportion, when you SEE the wall of sand moving forward and engulfing everything. Check out this video of a major sandstorm that hit downtown Riyadh in early 2009 in which you will see the wall moving forward from total visibility to nothing is distinguishable…Worst sandstorm in Riyadh

We have been caught in sandstorms; one was at the bottom of a wadi, driving back from the desert. We heard the wind coming, saw the lightning all around and soon we could hardly see in front of us. We knew the pillars of the bridge were close so we were looking for them, but only saw them when we were about 5 meters from them. Good thing we were hardly moving!

When a sandstorm blows through, expect sand all over. If you are outside, which I don’t recommend, cover your mouth and nose as quickly as possible, as the sand will get everywhere and get inside! My husband and two friends were playing golf last year when one hit suddenly. The three guys kept on playing…not the smartest move! When they came back to the compound, they had a thin layer of sand caked on their faces and their hair was blond, as sand has attached itself all over! For the next couple of months after that golf outing, all three were coughing and had respitory infections…since they did not cover their mouths and noses! So, my ad-vice is not to stay outside if you can avoid it.

When you are inside the safety of your house, listen to the wind and the sand hitting the windows. Expect sand to seep in under the doors, around the windows and be prepared to dust your house! You will see all furniture covered with a thin layer of “dust”, more sand than anything else. This is true on a daily basis. I could dust everywhere daily as it seems there is always sand deposit on the furniture.

When I vacuum or mop the floors, sand is what is mostly picked up. The bottom of the bucket is always full of sand, no matter that I vacuum the floors before washing them! So, yeah, living here you can’t forget that you are in the desert and that sand is all around.

For more information, read this article on How to Survive a Sandstorm

Thunderstorm in the desert

2011-03-13T19:22:00.001+03:00

As my Facebook status today I posted “Thunderstorm in the Desert” and immediately was asked if I meant it figuratively? Yes, Isa, you get mentionned ;-)! Although the atmosphere has been tense in the Middle East and this past weekend in Saudi Arabia, I really meant we were having a thunderstorm, with thunder, rain, lightning and the whole shebang! The weather these past few days has been weird… Thursday night we had a full blown sandstorm, with sands seeping all over the house and making it difficult to breath, followed with about enough raindrops to totally wreck the layer of sand on your car. Friday (our Sunday) I took the kids to the pool and the sky was so overcast the sun could not peak through. Perfect temperature and no sun meant it was not too hot, but no sunbathing. Friday night we had a major hailstorm that must have lasted over 10-15 minutes and dropped hail about the size of small marbles. Yesterday Monday, back at work, it was so hot and humid we turned on the AC in all the buildings and finished the afternoon with dark skies. And today, we started with some grey sky and had intermittent showers throughout the day. This evening, it’s raining again, rather steadily, making the streets of the compound wet and flooding our poorly irrigated yards. Oh well, guess I’ll have to take my umbrella tomorrow… and YES, I am still in the middle of the Arabian desert!

Camel Souk visit

2011-03-05T16:31:00.000+03:00

This past Thursday we visited the Camel Souk, a huge market on the outskirts of Riyadh where merchants are offering camels of all shapes and sizes for sale. Obviously we were not in the market to purchase a new camel to add to our herd, but more to show the camel souk to my sister-in-law visiting us for a week. At first, the children were not too keen on going there, as they don't appreciate the pungent smell of camels, but they were good sports for their aunt and came along, not like they had much of a choice, as we were all going. Along for the ride came another family from the compound, with their three daughters, for whom it was the first time coming up close with camels. The children were fascinated by the camels, offering their hands to come closer to the enormous beasts.

The enclosures where the camels stand are higher than the dirt road. The only explanation I can gather would be after years and years, layers after layers of straw, sand and poos have accumulated, rising the bottom level and making the already pretty tall camels look even taller and more impressive. While my two chidlren were stand-offish, the three little girls were all into the camels: getting real close to them, touching them and giving them blades of grass growing around the enclosures.

As much as we were interested in the camels, the camel owners/workers were even more interested in us, as not many tourists come by the camel souk. All three women had covered their hair, in order to not attract even more attention with our flowing blondish locks and also by respect for the local customs. The workers there greeted us, in Arabic, as they didn’t seem to speak English. With gestures they made us understand it was OK to look at their camels or that we had to leave, as we were disturbing camel mothers and their offspring. One even offered to carry one of the children so she could get closer to the camels.

In moments like these, we get to see real Saudis, hardworking and living in less than humble adobes but they tolerated us, or at least didn’t chase us away. Some were curious as far as our nationalities were concerned… I could hear them say “Americana” but I was quick to say that we were from “Belgica”, which really was the truth as 8 out of 10 of us were Belgian passport holders. Funnily enough we used English to speak to each other, as my Dutch is a little rusty and my compound neighbors are Dutch speakers from the North of Belgium while I'm a French speaker from the South of the country.

So, our Camel souk visit was interesting. Each time I've seen a camel up close, I'm just fascinated by how beautiful they are. Machala, camels have the most amazing eyelashes! And they are so gracious when they move. They remind me of the Death Walkers from the Star Wars movies, as they always look like they're going to fall but they move steadily and sure-footed every time! Their coats come in a variety of colors: some are beige, brown, dark brown and even most surprisingly black. And their hair sometimes is curly or straighter, but I’ve yet to see a straight haired camel. We had the best time observing one chewing his food, with his jaw going left to right and back the other way. Imagine a cow chewing on grass, but with the mouth open. That camel had to have the coolest teeth I've seen in a camel...

Guest Blogger 2: Groceries and Mall

2011-03-01T15:09:00.000+03:00

Second Blog entry written by my sister in law, visiting us for a week...
Yesterday was my first full day in Saudi Arabia. Worth, Chris, and the kids all had to go to school, so I was in the villa on my own. As I indicated in my comments yesterday, I decided to take the van to the mall to get an abaya rather than try to wear one with a giant hole in the back. So, at 9 o'clock, I went to catch the van provided by the compound for the women during the day. (Remember, women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.) I was told it was for "villa residents only, so I couldn't ride. Chris happened to call at just that moment, and I wasn't back in the villa for 3 minutes when I got a call from the Compound inviting me to come ride the bus. Go Chris! At that poing, I was really hoping that I'd meet a nice lady on the bus who'd take me under her wing. Sure enough, I did! Chris's friend Sarika from Thailand was also in the van that morning and agreed to let me tag along with her.

The drive itself was a bit harrowing (the lines in the road are apprently just a suggestion) and I was quite queasy by the time we got to the mall. Fortunately, that subsided quickly, and we wandered around a bit doing some window shopping. It was truly amazing to see the number of shops that catered to women. There was shop after shop after shop after shop of fancy-dress establishments, with gowns fit for the Oscars! Yet no one would ever see them but their husbands or other women. What a shame! I was also surprised by the number of women in veils. I expected the abayas (black robes) and the hijabs (head scarves), but was not expecting to see women's faces veiled, with only their eyes showing. I even saw one woman in a full burqa!

The mall does have a smaller number of shops selling nothing but abayas, though not nearly as many as sold fancy dresses. I was able to get one that fit (see blog #1 about the problems with borrowed abayas), though it's not particularly attractive. Some are very elaborate with gems and embroidery; mine is of a nice fabric, but it simply has some braided ribbon around the sleeves. Oh, but those sleeves are about 18-24 inches around, which is much nicer than the tight sleeves of the borrowed abaya. They're so dang hot. I'm hot natured normally. Just a few degrees above my comfort zone and I'm sweating like a pig. Anyway, I nearly caused a diplomatic incident when the male clerk told me to try it on. I asked "here?" He said yes. So I started to take off the abaya I was wearing to try on the new one, when both clerks & Sarika yelled "NO!" I was supposed to try it on *over* the Abaya. Oops. I guess I'm just too damned American. When we went to a different mall today, I noticed that in the ladies' restroom, there are dressing rooms. Apparently, you have to buy the clothes, take them to a dressing room, try them on, and either take them home or return them to the store. It's a really good thing Sarika was with me when I was buying my abaya; she's so nice and helpful, and I'm glad she was there. She talked them down from 400 SR to 200SR, and they hemmed it to length in the 10 minutes we had to wait. Sarika's a natural at haggling!

The other big experience that morning was going to the grocery store. But the mundane term "grocery store" doesn't do this place justice. It's called Danube, and it's probably equivalent to a Central Market in Texas, or maybe a Whole Foods. Not organic, necessarily, but beautiful and well kept. The bread section was at least 50 yards long. The fruits and vegetables were arranged with an artistic flair. There was a whole section--bigger than the fruit & veg section back home--devoted *entirely* to dates. Yep. Dates. Shrink-wrapped; dried; paste; suitable-for-gift-giving-tinned. If it's associated with dates, you name it, they had it in that corner. Worth said they produce something like 500 or 600 different varieties of dates in K.S.A. alone.

When in foregin grocery stores, I always love to look at the chips aisle. The flavors are usually ... well, ... different? In Japan, for example, there's shrimp-flavored chips. In Australia, they make chicken-flavored chips. The tempting flavor here was "French Cheese" Lay's. Judging by the picture, it's apparently Swiss cheese. But oh my, I have a new favorite flavor!!! Naturally, I bought a bag of something so unusually named. I also bought a couple cans of ginger ale to settle my tummy, and a bottle of water. Unfortunately, I had not picked up a basket, and this is what led to my "freak out" experience that I mentioned yesterday.

I had my arms full of stuff and a young man kept pointing to a basket that no one was using. I wouldn't take it b/c it had some stuff in there, but he just emptied it for me and gave it to me. So I put my stuff in, smiled, and said "thank you." Oops. Apparently, you're not supposed to smile at men here. I'm just too damned American, I guess. Anyway, I went about my business, went around the corner of an aisle, and there he was again. I thought that was kinda funny, & he was smiling, so I smiled and said "hey." Oops. Apparently, you're not supposed to say "hey" to men here. I'm just too damned American, I guess. A few minutes later, I ran into him again. By this time, I was feeling awkward, and in my typical way of dealing with an awkard situation, I smiled real big and said hey again. Oops again. (See oops #1 and oops #2.) At this point he walked past me, quite closely to me, actually, which I deliberately ignored. Then he passed behind me again, said "very beautiful" and grabbed my butt! ! ! ! I was floored! Gobsmacked! Stunned! BUT NOT speechless. I whipped around and yelled "Stop it! NO! NO!" with a very stern face and a finger waggle. Turned out that the first pass was a brush-by, not a siple accident due to lack of concern about personal space. I guess I'm just too damned American.

I had to self medicate after that. With two -- count 'em -- TWO scoops of ice cream. Kiwi and Passion fruit. 10:30 a.m. is not too early for ice cream after you've been practically assaulted, is it?

Guest Blogger: Sister in Law Elaine

2011-03-01T10:22:00.000+03:00

My sister in law is spenidng a week in Riyadh, visiting us and the city. Here are her first impressions...
Well, friends, I'm spending my quarter break in Saudi Arabia to visit my brother and his family. Lots of folks have asked me if it's wise to travel to the Middle East right now. I can only say that this has been planned since October, and I just had to see my little ones!!!

I set out Friday noonish for Houston. Only a five-and-a-half hour drive, but a heck of a lot cheaper than the $750 extra it would've cost to fly from Monroe to Intergalactic (including luggage fees, yikes!). Got a free reward night at a hotel right by the airport. Their shuttle picked me up a little after 9:30 am, and by 10 a.m, I was waiting at the gate. I tell you, a morning flight to Dubai is definitely the way to go. It's only about half full, which makes security move much faster. I finally had to go through one of those full-body scanners. I really wanted to flip the bird as it took the picture, but I didn't want to risk getting into trouble. bleah.

So, a 14-hour flight to Dubai on Emirates airlines isn't that bad. There's a really good amount of legroom, an amazing individual entertainment system, and good food. The service is GREAT! I admired the little hand puppets they handed out to the kids and asked to buy one for Emma & Alex, and she just gave me one... for each of them! I wish all had gone as smoothly, though, as I had the worst seatmates ever! Couple in their 40s, I think from Africa. She snored like a revving sports car, and sang to herself (outloud) when the ride got bumpy. He never learned to use his inside voice, so whenever he turned to talk to his wife, I felt like he was yelling at me. And apparently, he didn't like the headphones, or couldn't figure out how to adjust them, so he hung them around his neck, and turned up the sound *really loud*! Then, they both sang along with the music, while he conducted! I asked them to turn it down, I got earplugs, I moved to the seat across the aisle, and I could still hear it!

That flight reiterated something for me, though: I'm not as young (or as thin) as I used to be. Traveling is getting harder on this old body. When I landed in Dubai, I had a 6 hour layover, so I'd hoped to go into the City. By the time I had finalized the arrangements for the bus tour, they told me, "Oh, well, the bus won't be here until 3:00. [it was at that poing about 1:45] You won't have time to take the tour and get back for your flight." Huh. So I decided to stay put. Camped out in one of the chaises they have, I actually slept more in the airport than I did on the plane!

It's probably a good thing I didn't go into Dubai at that point though. I was feeling a bit ... overwhelmed? I've been thinking about this and can't quite pin-point my emotion. Was it just exhaustion? homesickness? culture shock? I'm not really sure. I've had 2 honest-to-goodness bouts of homesickness in my life: Japan, 1986; Wales, 1992. Not fun. So I don't think this was really homesickness, not yet anyway. I guess culture shock is the closest. Feeling like I haven't a clue what's going on and fear to step outside my comfort zone. It was strange, to say the least, to hear the call to prayer while listening to Sheryl Crow on the loudspeakers at the same time. And then when Cher came on a couple minutes later... well, you can imagine that blew my mind.

And then coming to Riyadh, worrying about having to wear an abaya, worrying about making it through customs & immigration... Well, surprisingly enough, customs and immigration was actually *easier* than coming back home to the States. The hard part was getting the visa. I guess once you've been approved, they don't worry too much about you. (and just as an aside here... gotta wonder how people can afford to take these flights to Saudi, when 1/3 of the luggage on the carousel was cardboard boxes tied up with rope.) My brother met me with an Abaya (one of sister in law's). If any of you know her, you know she's tall, and thin, and beautiful. Imagine me trying to wrap that thing around my prodigous bosom. ha! They found one that fits me, borrowed from a friend who was pregnant when she wore it. You can imagine how that made me feel! It's official. I've GOTTA go on a diet. Anyway, the problem is, this one has a big hole in it from where she tried to iron it (it's made out of polyester).

So that means, today, while the paretns and the kids are at school, I've decided to take the compound's bus to the mall(they live in a lovely, very large villa in a western compound guarded by M-50 machine guns) to try to find an abaya to fit me. Talk about stepping outside your comfort zone! I'll be (essentially) by myself, in a country that doesn't particularly like independent single women, shopping for an abaya to cover up my "indecent" western clothes. I'm already chafing at the bit. ... or at the abaya as it were. God bless Chris, who gave me her cell phone for the day. Safety net!

I'm nervous, I'm not gonna lie. Theoretically, this shouldn't be any more difficult or scary than shopping in Japan or Sweden, or anywhere else I don't know the language. But it is. Much, much scarier. I'll let you know how it goes later.

Celebrating King Abdullah's return

2011-02-26T19:43:00.000+03:00

Today, in honor of King Abdullah’s return after three months of absence for medical reasons, we were given the day off. Actually, not just us, but all governmental employees and all schools were closed. And we soooo enjoyed this unexpected day off.

King Abdullah flew back in Wednesday afternoon. This morning, we went for a drive, to see the decorations and flags all over town, armed with my trusted camera. Already last Monday and Tuesday crews were decorating bridges and fences along the main highways around town. Official portraits of King Abdullah are all over town, on fences, over bridges and on buildings. The pictures really don’t do justice to what we saw… for some reason the luminosity was so bright that the photos are too light to my liking.

Businesses are showing their patriotism by displaying the king’s likeness as well as a message greeting his return. Some were of small size while others took the whole side of a multistory building. The building right above looks like the Arc the Triomphe in Paris is the Sabic building, a huge building you can see from far away. Its complete bay of windows were covered with pictures of the King, making him over 30 meters high!

All the messages were written in Arabic, whishing a happy welcome back to King Abdullah, I would guess. Not easy to know for sure when you can’t read Arabic.

Even McDonalds was all decorated and saluting the King

Flags were flying and with the wind today very beautifully, If I may add.

It does really give another meaning to the expression “Paint the town green”

Fundraiser

2011-02-23T17:42:00.000+03:00

Earlier this week, Alex who is in Grade 3, came home from school and announced loud and clear that his grade was organizing a fundraiser for the Association of the Blind, as a way to give back to the community and that he was going to bring either homemade pizza or crepes. He pondered the pros and cons of bringing crepes vs. pizza and decided to go with crepes. Since the fundraiser was for all students on the K-3 campus, he needed to bring a lot and set his number to 100.

Of course, you can imagine who ended up making the actual one hundred crepes. So, after school yesterday Alex helped make the batter and started a few crepes. Interest quickly disappeared and within 15 minutes he was back outside playing with all the children in the compound…and I was left in the kitchen with the two crepe pans for a good while.

Alex was quite excited about bringing his crepes to school and sell them to the other students. However proud he was, he did not realize that most of the other students would probably be bringing bakery-made products and krispy kreme doughnuts. He packed some sugar and made some cinnamon sugar to accompany the crepes and was ready to sell!

At lunch time I brought a bunch of older students from the main campus to let them purchase goodies. You should have seen the spread: beautiful micro and macro cupcakes, gourmet cookies, popsicles, and of course the crepes. I’m always amazed at the amount of food that is brought to school on such occasions. The children and their nannies deliver the goods in the morning before the start of school so as not to interrupt the classes throughout the day. By the time the fundraiser time comes, the anticipation has built up all morning and the children are both eager to sell their goodies and eat them.

You should have seen Alex, with his stack of crepes, proudly displayed and selling for only 4 SR/1$ delicious homemade crepes sprinkled with sugar or cinnamon sugar. He was successful and sold over half of his stack. Around him were all the other students selling their contributions to the fundraiser. Their customers were holding their Saudi money, pointing at what they wanted and happily trading their cash for their preferred sugary sweet. The fundraiser was very successful and at first count, appeared to have generated over 3500 SR or around $1000, all for a good cause!

It’s fascinating to see the amount of food that gets eaten during such a fundraiser, as if these children were not exposed to sweets…but I guess kids will be kids, no matter where they live! Candies, cookies, cakes and sugary treats will always be their favorites…

Unless the fundraiser is based around the sale of shwarmas or burgers and it’s a whole different story! Maybe another time….

Overnight in the Desert

2011-02-11T20:20:00.000+03:00

Yes!!! After 18 months in Saudi, we caved in and bought camping gear after hitting several camping stores (Olayan on Kurais road and Saco World at exit 5). We left with lighter wallets and a heavier truck, full of a tent, 4 cots, 4 sleeping bags, a Saudi desert carpet, 4 foldable chairs and even a collapsible toilet seat! This sudden purchase of camping gear was prompted by two things: a desire to overnight in the desert AND the fact that starting in August, we will be in Malawi and will be able to camp and do safari in the African Savannah.

It’s amazing all the stuff we could have bought. We did not buy everything we needed and will need to check out another camping store later this week.We are missing small rechargeable lights, a table, a small gas stove, better stakes for the tent, but we had plenty enough to have a good first experience and were fortunate to camp with six other families who were experienced campers and had all the equipment that they willingly shared.

We all met in the parking lot of a supermarket and, after discussing the route, we caravanned into the desert. It was quite a scenic drive, taking us down the plateau, by small escarpments and into never before seen corners of the Kingdom. Although we walk in the desert on a regular basis, it’s usually within one hour drive from Riyadh. This weekend, our destination was over 200 kms from town and really took us off the beaten paths and away from the crowds. The further away from Riyadh the less cars we crossed on the roads until we left the roads and went into the desert.

Our first stop was by an escarpment featuring a beautiful natural arch. This was the perfect spot to enjoy our picnic lunch and follow with a climb up all the way to the arch. In his haste to climb, Alex even forgot to change shoes and ended up climbing in his flip-flops!!! Not the smartest move of the day, but he pulled through and by the time I noticed the missing shoes, he was already on his way down. The view from up there was breathtaking of the surroundings up to 20 kms…

After that, we went to our camp site. All cars were 4x4, except for ours, which hadn’t posed a problem on rocky trails… Once we hit some sandy trails, it became obvious that a 4x4 vehicle would have been better suited. We used the Saudi trick and deflated our tires which enabled us to push on. Of course, one of the guys had an air pump, which we used on the way back to reinflate the tires before hitting the black top again.

In the desert, we encountered several herds of camels and their shepards in their trusty Toyota trucks. They all waved and wished us welcome to their desert. Later, after dark, we even had one who dropped by our campsite and extended an invitation to lunch, which we politely declined. This kind of hospitality is straight from the heart and is part of the Code of the Desert. Nowadays, it’s just an invitation, but years ago, desert Bedouins would take in traveling/stranded/lost desert roamers, feed them for a couple of days before wishing them a safe continuation. That was the only way to survive in this harsh desert!

We found the perfect place to camp, a sandy area, with small bushes all around between two escarpments that only called to be climbed. We set up the tents, beds and all camping gear before night fall. Each family had brought stuff to cook dinner, ranging from hot dog, burger, steak and chicken, as well as butternut squash and spicy lentil soups, spaghetti and even a pressure cooker lamb stew! I’m telling you, we were camping in style!

The best part for us parents was that we had 13 kids between the seven cars who all played super well together. They even helped dig a fire pit, find rocks to frame it and wood to feed the fire. They spent the evening running around the camp site, playing hide and seek, roasting marshmallows and just having plain old fun around the campfire!

The starlit sky was amazingly clear and beautiful and the setting of the camp was very peaceful. Not a sound, expect the ones we produced, could be heard. Move 500 meters from the site and you could truly enjoy the silence. The moon cast enough light to create shadows, outlining the desertscape with stunning shadows.

The sleeping quarters were very well appointed, with each of us on our own cot, in a sleeping bag and wrapped in big blankets for warmth, as desert nights at this time of year still can be chilly. We were awaken around 3:00 am by sudden gusts of winds that kept on until dawn, at which time we all were awake and ready to eat breakfast, ranging from croissant au chocolat, crepes, breakfast burritos and crepes.

Before leaving, a group of guys went up one of the tallest “peaks” of the area while a group of children went up another tall hill. They all did great and came back mostly unscathed. We folded the campsite and vacated it, leaving behind only footprints. Within 30 minutes of us hitting the blacktop road back to Riyadh, we were caught in a sandstorm which would have made it really difficult to get out of the desert. Good thing we did decide to head back when we did.

When can we go camping again? This was so much fun!

Grab it while you can

2011-02-08T09:29:00.001+03:00

Finding necessary staples is not a problem as Riyadh has many stores, including the French Carrefour, the Saudi Panda, the US Safeway, known here as Tamimi and the other French giant Euromarche. However, one thing we’ve learned to do is that when we find/discover a favorite product, we grab a few as there is never a sure chance that it will be available the next time you go to the store.

Best example for this is the laundry detergent: I’ve been using the Carrefour brand Savon de Marseilles liquid detergent soap because it’s natural and does not irritate sensitive skin. Sometimes the store has two bottles, and then they are out for weeks on end until my stock at home runs low… So when I spot them on the shelves, I grab a few in order to have some available in the laundry room! I'd love to know what the cashier thinks as he's scanning the four or more bottles on his checkout belt!

Now, what is your favorite product and how much do you currently have on your shelves?

Red Sands Dunes

2011-02-05T11:39:00.000+03:00

Yesterday we finally saw the Arabia desert like we thought it was before moving here. Funnily enough, most of the desert around Riyadh is rocky, made of lots of little pebbles and rocks of all sizes. We’ve found plenty of seashells fossils as well! One of the reasons I believe is that Riyadh sits on a plateau and was at the bottom of the oceans thousands of years ago.

So, yesterday, we went on our desert walk to a spot about 70 kilometers from Riyadh, well known from the local as well as the expat communities.

With the weather being nice, loads of families had decided to spend the day in the desert, bringing along the 4-wheelers, the kites, dune surf gear and 4-wheel drive vehicles.

The place was so peaceful and truly was magnificent. I bet you’d rather see the pictures instead of reading about it…so enjoy!

Lucky 7

2011-01-21T16:23:00.002+03:00

Today the blog hit 4700 visitors and it is my 70th post! Do you see the lucky number 7? Nothing much to say, just that since blogpsot started keeping track in May 2010, we've had 4700 hits to the blog. I think it's pretty cool. I only wish I knew how many people have read it since we started it in September 2009.
My request: if you read this message, please post a comment with your location and how you found the blog... Thanks!

Rain Day

2011-01-18T16:14:00.001+03:00

Well, today is one of those days when we would have been better off staying in bed all day! It has steadily rained all day long. We left for work this morning with light rain and thunder; and it kept on falling all morning. At 12:40, school administrators decided to close the school as many of Riyadh streets were already starting to flood and we had to send all our students back home with their drivers and nannies.

Access road to the main highway was also flooded

Within an hour, all students had left and we were let go as well. Traffic was indeed really bad on our five minute drive back to the compound and several streets were already high with water… I’m telling you, the desert cities are not build for rain. They shut down in bad weather! Let’s see what tomorrow brings…

These two pictures were taken on our drive back to the compound this afternoon...As you can see, one of the streets was already totally flooded with a car stranded in the middle of it!

Getting a haircut, finally!

2011-01-15T19:31:00.000+03:00

It’s funny how little things can make you happy! Well, this afternoon, I finally got a good haircut in Saudi Arabia. I asked one of Emma’s friends’ moms where she got her hair cut and she shared her place. I had been there, the Luthean Spa, a women only salon/spa/fitness club/hotel, full of luxury and pampering – and loved it. As you may know, my hair is hyper straight, fine and thin and any bad scissor cut will show badly. Plus, the fact that I don’t blow-dry limits the complexity of the cuts. Last spring, I did get a cut, rather more like a trim and did not like it a bit. The girl had come to a neighbor’s and offered her services at home (mani, pedi, cuts…) It took me almost a year to want to try again, and this time, I wanted to go to a real salon and feel the difference.

Today, the lady was from Lebanon and knew how to cut hair and, if I may say so myself, did a pretty good job on mine! So, next time you’re in town, looking for a nice relaxing salon that caters to all your needs, check Luthean Spa and Salon!

How to Drive in Saudi

2011-01-12T07:26:00.001+03:00

Over the past 18 months, I've had many occastions to be thankful NOT to be allowed to drive. I also know I never thought I would actually said that out loud...however, the way drivers apply their driving skills is quite different than in many other places in the world. Imagine all the bad drivers you've encountered in your country. Now, imagine that ALL countries send their bad drivers to Saudi and you pretty much have the average driver... Defensive driving is key, not getting hit at crossroads or when turning is a definite must.

I'm not the only one saying this...
Go check out this page How to Drive in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Brian, a US teacher who decided to go back to the States at the end of last year, sent us the link, as he knows our daily reality. The How to guide is not much different than in any other place...it's the application of those guidelines that is tricky

Don't drive over the speed limit. Although very common, it is being enforced; there are cops with speed cameras almost everywhere. Undercover cops are also very common on highways, usually a white lumina, crown victoria, or corolla with flashers hid behind the tinted glass, and sometimes they have police bumpers.- My note: Yes, this is true. In Riyadh, they've really cracked down on speeding and have installed permanent radars all over town. If you get flashed, don't expect a notice in the mail. Next time you visit the ATM, you will be asked if you want to pay your ticket, directly from your bank account... How do they know that information, you may ask...Well, all residents receive an Iqama, a resident card that you have to produce to open a bank account, get a drivers' licence, get insurance..so that number is in the central database and all accounts are linked!

Use turn signal/indicators in the direction you want to go when changing lanes, turning, and waiting at signals, etc. My note: You can dream on this one!!! People do not use their turn signals. When you see one, most probably it was left on three miles down the road and doesn't indicate anything. At a crossroad, it's always better to stay in the middle lane. Expect drivers on your right to turn left or drivers on your left to turn right and be ready to slow down to let them pass.

My favorite warning is the following...
Driving can be dangerous. If you cannot drive in another country or are not capable of driving normally, do not attempt to drive in the KSA.
My note: this must be the understatement of the week!

the GRAND chicken

2011-01-11T18:06:00.000+03:00

Although Saudi Arabia is in the Middle East, sometimes when you drive around, you forget about it, with all the familiar US made cars, SUVs and trucks, street signs hanging in the middle of the streets, AND there are fast food places all over town. You name it, we have it: Mc Donald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Domino, Little Cesar Pizza, Texas Chicken (or you may know it as Church’s Chicken), Hardees, KFC, Popeyes… We usually stay away from fast food, but once in a while, we go to BK or another. Recently we tried Mc Donald's newest chicken sandwich, the Grand Chicken. Not sure if it’s offered in the US, but check out the mouthwatering description from the box: “ a generous portion of crunchy coated juicy chicken, with three slices of tasty emmental cheese and lots of lettuce and tomato to make it even juicier. All of it dressed with special Mayo-Mustard sauce and served on a taosted sesame seed bun. Indulgence, anyone?” and you know what…for this one, the calories were worth it. I wouldn’t eat it every day but it tastes darn good. I may have another one in a few months, that is, if it stays on the menu!

Impressions of Egypt

2011-01-07T21:18:00.000+03:00

Within the last week, I had some time to mull over our adventures in Egypt, and all I can say is how great Ancient Egypt was and how unprepared and shocked I was for my observations of Modern Egypt. I guess I had not realized how poor and underprivileged some people were in the country. In Cairo, Luxor and Aswan, donkeys were being used as vehicle and were pulling wooden carts loaded with fresh vegetables, trash, sewer pipes…just as they were used 1000 years ago in rural areas.

We saw women and children begging for food and money in the souk, barefoot and hair tangled. In certain areas of town and in the countryside, some houses were still built of mud and roofed with palm leaves. We saw young tweens sweeping the streets and picking up garbage in the middle of the night in Aswan as well as teenage boys working as camel handlers around the pyramids, instead of attending school.

Streets in the tourist areas were paved…but as soon as you moved away from those highly frequented streets, we found ourselves walking on dirt roads…in the middle of cities. No curb, no sidewalk, no water evacuation systems, and just highly trampled mud. In Luxor, our hotel was situated right across from a mosque at the end of the tourist area and at the beginning of the traditional market street. One side of the cross street was paved; the continuation of the same street was dirt. In Cairo, we again took a side street from the Souk and found ourselves the only Westerners walking in areas where people appeared to be barely making enough to survive.

Although poverty is high in the country, it seems that not many are starving. The availability of fresh produce helps sustain the people who help each other in hard times, paying it forward on a regular basis. After all, Egypt is a very fertile land, producing huge amounts of fruits and vegetables that are consumed in and out of country. My favorite strawberries come from Egypt!

Street vendors are also selling very nutritious dishes at low cost. One that we tasted daily was the Kushary, a typical Egyptian dish, consisting of several kinds of small sized pasta over which are spread chickpeas, lentils, fried onions and tomato sauce. On the side you are also served lemon juice and a hotter version of the red sauce. Kushary comes in big filling portions and the most we paid for one was 5 Egyptian pounds, or about 75 cents, with the least being 3 pounds, or less than 50 cents. Kushary quickly became Emma’s favorite! You could also buy falafel all dressed up for about the same amount. Meat dishes such as kebabs were more expensive. After seeing the butcher shops, we didn’t buy any of those. Not being a meat lover myself, I get easily turned off by meat, but these butcher shops were more than I could stomach! An animal carcass hanging from a hook on the street, people pointing at the piece of meat they want and the butcher carving it on site. These shops have no refrigeration systems and I don’t even want to imagine how the meat looks in the desert heat of the summer! The carved bones are just thrown to the side and pile up as the day progressed, with flies and stray cats all over them.

What mostly shocked me was how dirty everything looked and actually was. Egypt, just like Saudi, is in a desert climate, except for the few miles on each side of the Nile. And just like Saudi, it doesn’t get much rain either. So, everything gets dusty and dirty quickly…and stays that way. There is very little efforts put toward cleaning up and picking up garbage. We saw mounds of garbage bags, pilled up under bridges in Cairo, on the side of the road and in holes, even just in piles in the city or overflowing the few dumpsters spread around town.

Cairo is the largest city of the African continent with its close to 20 million inhabitants, where garbage pick-up is organized by private companies, thus economically excluding those who cannot afford to pay. In Giza, in the streets leading to the pyramids, is where I saw the most shocking filth, with camels, horses and donkeys being kept on the streets, eating and relieving themselves right there, with people living and taking care of their business, selling produce and other merchandises, cooking meals and selling them right there. The stench was unbelievable, a mix of rotten garbage smell, animal refuse, and people Body Odor…and again this was in the winter. I cannot even imagine the smells in 45 Celsius/110 F temperatures!

Before leaving, we had received ample and repeated warnings about not drinking tap water nor eating green salad in Egypt, for fear of catching nasty bugs and having stomach issues for several days! Well, there are reasons for that. The public water system uses the Nile water that is somewhat cleaned before being distributed. Green salads in restaurant are washed with that same tap water. We wisely decided to abstain from salads for the duration of our stay and we purchased liters of Dasani and Aquafina water and none of us got sick!

Again, these are my observations during our stay in Egypt. We saw all this in part because we did not stay in 5 stars hotels but instead in cheap accommodations, which are thus located in cheaper/older parts of town. I wouldn’t think that a tourist, who stayed at the Intercontinental or Four Seasons type hotel, did a Nile Cruise for several days and used tour groups from beginning to end would have the same observations or have experienced Egypt like we did. However, I don’t regret being able to see that part of Egypt and being able to contribute to the local economy or helping a few people. The children have opportunities to travel but need to see that not all places are tourist haven and that local people struggle and live in what we perceive difficult conditions. It is part of developing that understanding of the world and becoming open-minded and caring.

Walk Like An Egyptian

2011-01-02T15:56:00.000+03:00

During the Winter break, we had the opportunity to travel to Egypt during ten days. Our impressions of Egypt are quite conflicting. We loved Ancient Egypt, but could not believe what we saw in Modern Egypt. For that reason, this blog entry will be divided into 2 parts: Ancient and Modern Egypt.

We started our Ancient Egypt Adventure with a visit to the world renowned Egyptian Museum in Cairo. That extensive collection was breathtakingly amazing, spread over 4500 years of history and giving us a first look at some of the marvels of the ancient world. Unfortunately, photographs were not allowed within the museum, but our memories will never forgot the upclose encounters with the eleven Royal Mummies, such as Ramses II, Amenhotep IV and the controversial queen Hatshepsut. Those were key in our trip, as we later visited Ramses II Abu Simble Temple and the queen Hatshepsut temple on the West Bank in Luxor as well as some Royal Tombs in the Valley of the King.

The life-changing moment for all of us was seeing King Tutankhamun’s treasures found intact in his tomb in 1922. His collection is extensive and mostly outshines everything else. It occupies most of the upstairs of the museum building and even exhibits the four guilded shrines that fitted inside each other and held King Tut’s gold sarcophagus. At the center of this collection was the young Pharaoh’s Golden Mask displayed in a glass box that we were able to see it within inches. My whole life I had seen it in pictures and learned about it in history classes, but seeing it so close was an unforgettable moment, forever seared in my memory.

The children were equally amazed at seeing the Golden Mask and the entire collection. They kept asking questions about how, why and how come that we attempted to answer as best as we could. They also were asked to wait until we could visit some of the other Ancient Egyptian sites and receive more explanations. Alex kept circling around the glass box containing King Tut’s mask and, looking at it from below, he noticed that the hieroglyphics had been carved from the back. Although mesmerized by them, Emma took an instant dislike to the Canopic Jars and to the idea of cutting your left side to remove your viscera and storing them into jars.

Seeing the Egyptian museum on the first day of our trip in Egypt was a great way to introduce Ancient Egypt to the family, to make connections and refer back to it during the rest of our jump back in Ancient time.

On Christmas Eve, we went to Saqqara, the site of the most ancient necropolis, strewn with tombs, temples and pyramids. Walking through a narrow and low corridor, bent in two, we entered the Step Pyramid of Zoser, the oldest stone monument, only 4600 years old. The walls of the tomb were beautifully engraved with hieroglyphics and scenes from everyday life, unlike the Giza Pyramids that are much less decorated.

We then did what every tourist passing through Egypt is sure to visit: the Giza plateau and its three main pyramids. Thankfully, we chose to see them on Camel back and approached them from the back, instead of the heavily trafficked front entrances packed with tourists. Emma and I were on the front camel while the boys rode the second camel and we slowly approached the pyramids, discovering them peak at us behind a dune.

The sights were breathtaking and the peacefulness of the site was unbelievable, just a few hundred meters from the hustle and bustle of the city, yet totally quiet and respectful to the dead who were buried on the Giza plateau thousands of years ago. Those three pyramids are gigantic and make humans look like ants. We stood on camel back up-close to one of them and even touched the limestone building block…and were barely at the top of the first rock. Imagine a whole bunch of them expertly assembled together and measuring over 140 meters high!

On our way back to the Camel Stables, we encountered the Sphinx, which, surprisingly to all of us, was not as imposing or round as we all expected. It stood toward the front of the site, keeping a watch on the pyramids and looking toward the city of Cairo. You’ve all seen photos of the Giza pyramids but did you realize that the city has grown all the way to their steps. Nowadays, they are standing at the very edge of the desert, although when they were built, they stood far from the royal city of Memphis, about 25 km away. We couldn’t help ask the questions about how they were built… and were told that only 3 months of the year were they able to work on the pyramids, when the Nile River was cresting and coming close to the site, to transport the limestone blocks from the quarries on the East Bank to the Plateau on the West bank.

After that wonderful camel ride, on Christmas eve, we took the overnight train to Aswan, a 14 hour trek to the very South of Egypt. On Christmas day, we toured the Philae Temples on Aglikia island in the lake between the two Aswan dams.

In the 1960s, the entire complex had to be moved from a now flooded island to its current location and present a richness of temples, built by the Pharaohs, then added on by the Romans and even being used by the early Christians who turned one of its halls into a chapel.

As everywhere in Egypt, several of its representations had been damaged by vandals and some walls even presented signs of graffiti by soldiers from foreign armies in the 18th and 19th centuries. Since the temples are on an island, we had to ride a little boat between the island and the mainland, which made it all worth it to the two children.

The next morning our wake-up call came at 2:45 am and we were ready for a bus pick up at 3:15 am. We formed a convoy to travel together to the magnificent Great Temple of Abu Simbel built by Pharaoh Ramses II. In our convoy, en route to the site, a tragic accident involving another tourist bus killed 8 American passengers. We didn’t learn about the accident until later when we saw the wrecked bus on the way back to Aswan and when we started receiving concerned emails and Facebook messages asking if we were ok.

Just like the Philae temples, both Abu Simbel Temples were relocated on their current site in the 1960s to save them from the rising waters of Lake Nasser, formed with the completion of the Aswan High Dam. Amazingly, you cannot tell that they were not built on site…

The front of the temple is made of four gigantic statues of Ramses II, flanking an opening into the temple, carved out of the mountainside. We felt like minuscule ants next to the statues and also inside the temple, a feeling that was repeated several times during the trip, as we stood next to statues or pillars. The Ancient Egyptians truly knew how to built grandiose monuments that stood the test of time, as they are still standing and sporting some of the original wall paintings from 3000 to 4000 years ago.

We worked our way back North and stopped in Luxor, the site of ancient Thebes where the Upper Egypt dynasties set up their permanent residences. At the height of its power, the city had almost one million inhabitants, more than twice its current population. In Luxor, history is all around, with temples situated in the middle of the city and the famed alley of the Sphinx in the middle of a busy intersection. The West Bank is the site of the Valley of the Kings and Queens where many pharaohs, nobles and regular old folks were buried

We made it the Temple of Karnak, a spectacular complex of sanctuaries, pylons and obelisks dedicated to the gods and the glory of the pharaohs and also the second most visited tourist attraction in Egypt, after the Pyramids. We were most impressed by the Hypostyle Hall, a hall area of 50,000 sq ft (5,000 m2) with 134 massive columns arranged in 16 rows. 122 of these columns are 10 meters tall, and the other 12 are 21 meters tall with a diameter of over three meters.

The vastness of the site was overwhelming and we hardly had enough time to see it all, one of the caveats of going with a tour and having to stick to a program. The kids took their time to walk like an Egyptian and jump in front of a variety of monuments, which became a must do at various sites we went through!

We also took a few humbling steps in the Valley of the Kings and visited the tombs of Ramses iV, Merenpath and Ramses I, which again did not allow ANY photographs inside the Valley and not just inside the tombs! The tombs were all dug in the limestone rock mountain and were built in similar ways: the usual tomb plan consists of a long inclined rock-cut corridor, descending through one or more halls, mirroring the descending path of the sun-god into the underworld, leading to the burial chamber. The first tomb we went in was Ramses IV and presented us with beautiful, intact and vividly colored hieroglyphics and carvings..it truly was amazing. As a lot of ancient sites, this tomb also contained Coptic symbols and graffiti as it was used as a Monastery in the 2nd century AD.

The second tomb was that of Merenpath, the 15th son of Ramses II: it was newly opened, as we still could smell the freshly cut planks used to build the pathway and fences for visitors. The burial chamber contained a limestone coffin and had a huge ceiling. The walls were not as nicely decorated as Ramses IV nor did it compare with the grand Abu Simbel temple of his father Ramses II.

The last tomb we saw was Ramses I and was extremely steep! The guide had given us an advance warning before letting us go in. It was hot inside, due to the narrowness of the corridor, the number of visitors and the effort to climb up all these steps on the way out! The colors used inside those tombs were so vivid you could easily forget they had been painted over 3000 years ago, using natural dyes: charcoal for black, chalk for white, a mix of charcoal and chalk for grey, egg yolk for yellow, crushed quartz for blue and green and the dum fruit, still found at the souk was used to produce red, at least according to our guide!

We did not make it inside King Tut’s tomb, for one because we did not buy a separate ticket for it nor did we want to fight the crowds to get in it. After having seen the treasures at the Egyptian museum, it would almost have been a letdown to see his minuscule tomb, built in a haste over 70 days, in sharp contrast with the 20-25 years average spent on the other pharaohs tombs! We preferred to keep our impression of his treasure intact!

Our next site was the Temple built by Queen Hatshepsut, who was a full fledge female pharaoh for 22 years. How she got there is quite controversial as she married her own brother then poisoned him to rule alone. She later was killed by her own nephew who took over power from her. Our guide that day explained that part of history using Emma as the queen, Alex as her brother and Worth as their father, turning history into an exciting soap opera!

This Pharaoh Hatshepsut's reign was long and prosperous. She was successful in warfare early in her reign and inaugurated a long peaceful era. She re-established trading relationships and brought great wealth to Egypt, which enabled large scale building projects. Most of this was erased from records after her death, and by defacing her temples and any cartouche that led to her recognition. Only her appearance as a very feminine pharaoh wearing fake beard and use of feminine when talking about her in texts led historians back on her trace. Her temple was built on three levels, presenting perfect symmetry and used another temple’s stones for its construction, making recycling and being green not such a modern concept after all! The kids loved climbing the steps and discovering the niches on each side, running around and barely letting us keep with them. We almost lost Alex a couple of time in that temple!

Our last cultural stop in Luxor was the Mummification museum, which explained the HOW and WHY of the mummies, as well as presented several examples of human and animal mummies (a ram, a goose, an alligator, a baboon, a cat, a baby alligator and a fish). The kids favorite part was the instruments used to cut and scrape the skulls and abdomens, again flashing back to the Royal Mummies we had seen in the Egyptian Museum.

So far, we had followed the tourist trails…on our return to Cairo, we purposefully attempted to find the less traveled trails and were lucky enough in finding Memo (Mahmoud), a cab driver/guide/history buff/ex-soccer player/ex-engineer/ex-boxer who took us to the Cairo not discussed in travel books. Call him at this number 010 149 3559 next time you’re in Cairo, we highly recommend him! So, Memo took us to the tombs of Muhammad Ali Pasha’s family, in the heart of the city of the dead. For a little history on Muhammad Ali’s story, follow this link Muhammad Ali Pasha .

We even got to climb on top of the tombs and see the city from up there, again, something that tourists never get to do…all it took was a banknote slipped in the hand of the gatekeeper and he let us go up on the roof!

From there, we went through busy market streets inside the city of the dead to the Sayeda Zinab Mosque, dedicated to and named after the granddaughter of the Prophet Mohammed. Sayeda Zeinab sought refuge in Egypt after the Ummayads slew her brother, Hussein. Her body is entombed inside the mosque. Many Egyptians—especially women—consider Sayeda Zeinab a saint, and visit the mosque seeking her baraka (blessing) in matters of fortune and health. This large mosque was renovated many times over the centuries and is distinguished by its tin dome. Its interior is intricately decorated and very colorful. We took several pictures that do not completely render it justice.

For once in Egypt, we were the only tourists there and it even felt like we were the first tourists there, as everyone was staring. Emma and Alex’s hair and faces were also touched by women who kept on smiling at us. But stepping off the beaten path was worth it as we saw hidden Cairo and got close to its people.

Overall, the History of Ancient Egypt is fascinating and having been able to see all its traces was a once-in-a lifetime opportunity. Taking the children with us to Ancient Egypt was also rewarding as they got to experience it first hand and will be able to draw on their travels later on when studying about Egypt! How many Middle School students can actually say they’ve seen the Golden Mask of King Tut, the mummy of Ramses II, the Pyramids, the Temples of Karnak and Abu Simbel or the inside of tombs in the Valley of the Kings.

The National Museum in Riyadh

2010-12-17T11:35:00.000+03:00

Once in a while, we try to focus on broadening our cultural learning of the Kingdom and yesterday, we finally made it to the National Museum. We had previously attempted to find the place…in vain, so when the compound organized a bus, it was our sure way of getting there and back. I expected to visit a museum but was awed more by the park setting around the museum than the museum itself. We found a huge complex of parks, trees, laws, water features and interactive water games for children.

Being a weekend, hundreds of people were there, many spending the afternoon around a blanket/rug and picnicking in the park. Kids had brought their trikes and bikes and were having a blast while their abaya clad mothers, nannies and older sisters were sitting, watching over their brood and sipping on their tea.

The National Museum of Riyadh’s goal is to showcase the country's educational and cultural development and giving an insight into the history of the Kingdom. The Exhibits are centered around themes- Man and Universe, The Arabian Kingdoms, The Pre-Islamic Era, Prophet Mohammad's Mission, Islam and the Arab Peninsula, The First and Second Saudi State, The Unification of the Kingdom, The Hajj and Two Holy Mosques. We spent about one hour in the museum and felt like we were the only ones there. While the park was busy with people and occupations, very few entered the museum and browsed its galleries. We were able to see all the displays, alone, just like a VIP visit. I personally marveled in front of the various samples of Arabic writing throughout the ages. Alex loved pushing all the buttons on interactive map displays and Worth liked the rocks and minerals displays founf in Saudi. Unfortunately, it never was indicated whether displays were original or reproduction nor were they dated. The signage was bilingual Arabic and English which helps tremendously with the visit, but movies presented were only in Arabic.

A lot of the historical exhibits were linked with the Koran, having timelines representing historical facts at the times of Prophet Mohammed, Jesus, Abraham and Moses. Islam and its spread are so intertwined with the story of the Arabian Peninsula that it sometimes is impossible to explain history without talking religion.

All in all, I recommend a visit of the National Museum but I also suggest that you come early, bring your picnic and enjoy the park. In the warmer month, kids could even probably wear swimsuit and thoroughly enjoy all the water games.

Date Night

2010-12-11T19:48:00.000+03:00

This past Thursday night the family went to the mall, which in itself is not that uncommon. It's always nice to just walk around the huge mall and finish up at the food court where all can make their own choice...and we do usually end up ordering from 4 outlets! So, all four of us have our food and are sitting, enjoying the meal in relative peace and quiet.

One thing I do miss is the people watching, as most women are covered. However, this weekend I did some great people watching and one lady caught my eye. She was sitting alone, at a big table. She slowly uncovered her face, taking her niquab (face cover) off and showing off her beautiful complexion and a perfect smile. Since she was alone, with no food in front of her, it was quite peculiar! Then, I looked at the table right next to hers, occupied by a man who was sitting so he was face to face with the woman and it hit me! She was showing her face to him! And he was rewarding her with the biggest smile. They started talking too... each sitting at a different table and separated by about 5 meters. After a few minutes of this, she put her niquab back on and left the table, to return to one occupied by her friends.

Is this an elicit Romeo and Juliet tale a la Saudi? Not quite sure, but what was certain is that the two were looking at and talking to each other in perfect anonymity...and we were witness to it ;-)

Tahra Tying Lesson

2010-12-07T18:37:00.000+03:00

Today, before the photography club started meeting, a couple of girls were playing with their scarf/tarha and one had masterfully tied hers to only show her eyes. I’ve been in the Kindgom 18 months and still hadn’t figured out how to tie it and have it stay there! Well, good thing since today, I learned it from a 9 year old! I am now officially able to cover my face when going out in public.

To cover or not to cover...

2010-12-02T11:10:00.000+03:00

Breaking news: Sheikh Ahmed al-Ghamdi, the Mecca head of the branch of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice (or in short the Saudi Religious Police) has criticized the kingdom’s ban on gender mixing, the fact that Saudi women who are made to wear the veil and the Saudi law banning women from driving. Not just one but three aspects dealing with women’s life and women’s rights in the Kingdom are being challenged. In the past few weeks, we’ve noticed a lot of talk about women working at cash registers in some stores. Of course, we are not seeing them in Riyadh yet, as this is mainly happening in liberal Jeddah, but even there the people are quite divided. Some are lauding it as progress for women across the kingdom, others are outraged at women working and checking out men’s groceries in stores.

Consider this: many women are graduating from university and find themselves unemployed because a law is not allowing them to mix with unrelated men on the workplace. Plus they cannot drive themselves to work and have to rely on drivers to take them anywhere, so it really isn’t easy being a Saudi woman trying to work here.

I’m not sure where all this will lead, but I just hope that women will be able to do as they please, to cover or not to cover if they decide to and maybe, one day, to get in their car and drive themselves wherever they want. All these changes will take time and I doubt I will still be in the Kingdom when they happen!

"No need" for women to cover... click this link for the article itself and to read comments to it!

VIP treatment

2010-11-26T20:23:00.000+03:00

This weekend, I flew to Jeddah on the Red Sea to lead a 2 day PYP workshop. The coordinator at the school had arranged VIP treatment for my arrival, which was a first for me both in and out of Saudi. I was curious about what this exactly meant!

Upon landing at the Jeddah International Airport, I had received clear instructions: do not board the bus taking passengers from the plane to the terminal. Instead I found a beautiful dark colored full leather interior VIP Audi A8 waiting for me at the bottom of the jet way stairs.

I was whisked away in the plush comfortable Audi and taken to the VIP terminal, all furnished with fluffy sofas, wooden coffee tables and beautiful Arabian artwork, a far cry from the uncomfortable gray plastic chairs usually used in airports. Once in the VIP terminal, I was greeted by two representatives from the school who delivered me to the hotel.

The return was as interesting. Last night, the school representative borrowed my Iquama (the Saudi resident card) and my flight information, and went to the airport to check in for me. Today, he picked me up from the hotel one hour before my flight and drove me to the VIP lounge. I sat down, relaxed and when it was time, was driven in the wonderful VIP Audi A8 and dropped at the bottom of the jet way stairs. I had seat 1C, in first class… Still can’t figure out how that happened, since I was booked on an economy seat, I guess I should thank the VIP treatment! After finding my seat, I was offered a few dates and Arabic coffee.

Unfortunately, after a 30 minutes wait, we were all asked to deplane due to an issue with one of the doors and return to the terminal. Since no Audi was waiting for me this time as this was unscheduled event, I ended up boarding the bus and was taken back to the terminal. Once there, I saw those horrible plastic chairs…not very tempting! So I followed some of my fellow first class passengers directly into the first class lounge. Might as well use the VIP treatment all the way! I had access to the buffet, comfortable chairs, cappuccino machines, juices and soft drinks, but unlike any other first class lounge in the world, no hard stuff was served! After an almost three-hour delay we all boarded another plane and finally were en route back to Riyadh, enjoying a great flight in first class. Is there any other way to travel than VIP? It’s going to be difficult to fly economy next time!

At the Border

2010-11-17T20:47:00.001+03:00

Last weekend, we had planned a mini-vacation in the marvelous Kingdom of Bahrain…so a short road trip to the border to be followed by an uncertain amount of time at the border. Before leaving the Kingdom, we all had to get the Exit-reentry visas for our passport. No paper, no leaving the Kingdom!

For those who are not too sure about its location, the Island of Bahrain is situated just a stone throw from the Eastern Coast of Saudi, right across from Dammam and the huge ARAMCO compound. It’s connected to the mainland via a 25 km long causeway with the border point in its middle.

Arriving to the border is usually painless. Its crossing on the other hand can be very lengthy or quick as a whistle, depending on the time of day you get there, mostly due to the fact that we are not going through just ONE border crossing, but more like SEVEN..yes, you’re reading this right…there are seven border checkpoints/stops/booths to go from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the much smaller Kingdom of Bahrain.

So, on a Wednesday evening, arm yourself with loads of patience, as the Saudi weekenders arrive in drove and all have to go through all seven points, just like all of you.

Number 1: Toll Booth – each vehicle pays a 20 SR (about 5 US$) toll to access the causeway and in exchange gets a receipt for that toll.

Number 2: Custom booth employee prints out a Custom paper and hands it to you.

Number 3: Saudi Immigration - You hand in your passport with the utmost important Exit-Reentry visa and get the Exit stamp from the Saudi Government on the paper visa stapled to your passport while your name is checked on their computer system.

Number 4: Hand your custom paper back to an officer, quick and easy!

Number 5: You’re about to enter Bahrain – so hand in your passport to the Bahraini immigration officer who skillfully applies yet another stamp to one of the empty (or near empty) passport sheets.

Number 6: Bahrain Customs – as a Saudi vehicle going into Bahrain, we are not stopped…Don’t have anything to hide! Story may be different for a Bahraini vehicle going back home.

Number 7: Bahrain Insurance, as it is necessary to purchase additional insurance in order to enter the island, even if you have already purchased additional insurance from your Saudi insurer…don’t bother, that insurance is useless. You will still have to get the Bahraini insurance, so hand out another 20 SR with a smile and the gate opens.

SMILE, take a deep breath, you are in Bahrain. Enjoy the weekend. On the cultural side, I can recommend the National Museum, the old Fort and a walk in the old town and tours of its restored houses. Some great little restaurants are nicely tucked in an area right behind the Gulf hotel. This time we stayed at the Novotel Al Dana Resort. I highly recommend it, quiet, picturesque and their breakfast buffet is just finger-licking good!

Eid-Al-Ahda

2010-11-11T21:00:00.000+03:00

Yearly, the Muslims only celebrate two religious holidays: at the end of Ramadan and on the 10th day of the last Islamic Month. Those days move each year since the Muslim calendar is based on the lunar months. Eid-Al-Ahda commemorates the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son, following an order from God, but instead Abraham sacrificed a ram. The Bible has the same retelling but Christians do not celebrate it. On this holy day of remembrance, the Muslims will celebrate by slaughtering a sheep, the halal way. That means the sheep will face toward Mecca and won’t be allowed to see the blade of the butcher’s knife. The meat is then divived in three equal parts, to be given to the family, to their relatives and friends and the last third to the poor. In Saudi Arabia, Eid also means that millions of pilgrims converge annually to Mecca to perform the Hajj, the pilgrimage to the Holy sites of Islam in Mecca and Medina. Trying to fly towards Jeddah on the Red Sea is virtually Mission Impossible as pilgrims are flocking in droves and all planes are fully booked… Over four millions will again perform Hajj this year, including some of our colleagues who are going on “family trips” to Mecca as the pilgrimage is a good experience to live together. They purchased an all-inclusive package, with flights, transfers, hotels, all meals and even a guide - a guarantee that all their needs will be met timely and in an organized fashion.
As a preventative measure, we went grocery shopping this morning…as last year, by the time the holiday was over, the stores were empty: no produce and dairy were available, since the stores had not been replenished during the entire holiday. We also withdrew cash from the ATM, as those will soon be emptied and won’t be refilled until Nov 20! The country basically shuts down on the last few days, as all Muslims are celebrating, families are gathering…

One measure that the Saudi government has taken is the passing of strict laws for sheep slaughtering, preventing people from doing it in their backyard or in the street, but instead having them use mobile slaughter houses. As for the four million pilgrims in Mecca, they are also slaughtering…but indirectly. The pilgrims pay for a sheep that is then slaughtered. They receive some meat while the rest in given to the poor, in the country and also shipped to other poorer Muslim countries. It is a highly organized enterprise that works like clockwork and gets better at it each year.

Only sad that we, Christians, are not allowed in Mecca, the holiest place of Islam…

Children's Paradise

2010-10-22T10:49:00.000+03:00

Last night, both children were invited and attended birthday parties. Both started and ended at about the same time and were rather close in proximity... So we spent our Thursday night driving around town, dropping kids at parties, having dinner at Café Blanc, a traditional Lebanese restaurant with a modern twist and picking up exhausted kids from parties. But, boy, was it worth it!

Emma has been invited to a Wave Pool party that could compete with any wave pool at an expensive water park! The location was in the Diplomatic Quarters, tucked away from the street and protected from eyes and noises by high walls. Her classmate’s parents had reserved the entire facility and expected between 200 and 300 children. Emma loved the full-size slides, the enormous waves and had the time of her life. When I dropped her, I met both parents who were very nice and welcoming. In typical Arabian hospitality, the mother invited me to stay, have coffee and eat a few sweets…so, in order not to be rude, I accepted and sat down, ate my sweet, a delicious chocolate covered with Almonds and nuts and drank a small Arabic coffee, but explained that I couldn’t stay as my son also had a birthday invitation and we still had to drop him. After inquiring about ending time, I left Emma in all the surrounding nannies’ hands and only came back five hours later to pick her up, exhausted, fed, happy and bearing more gifts than she came with! Those party favors would rival any “regular” birthday gift you could offer a “regular” child back in the States or in Europe! We’ve already decided to try and visit that wave pool again, as a family…

Alex had been invited to another Swimming party at a Palace…We had the map, with the location in red and it looked like it took an entire city block.. and boy, did we find it easily! It was THE biggest palace we’d seen before in a residential neighborhood. After showing the invitation to the gate guard (since they never expect Westerners to attend those Saudi royal kids’ party) Alex, his friend Toby and I were let in. Not sure where to go, we were about to knock on the front door…but a nanny came out of a “smaller “residence and gestured us to follow her, in a marbled floors, highly decorated maze of hallways all the way back to the children’s residence! Yes, you are reading this correctly, the children have their own house, decorated and equipped with children in mind: colorful, kids sizes furniture, TVs all over, 2 elevators, one disco, a play theater, indoor video games, indoor riding cars, popcorn and soft ice-cream machines…

But that was nothing compared to the outside playground… Alex calls it the “Fun Land” and it really truly was just that. A foot deep pool with a interactive water playground, bumper cars, carousel, Disneyworld “make you throw up” teacups, a train, 2 inflatable jumpies, one plastic ball pit, and a pool over 6 meter deep made for diving and swimming with two slides worthy of any water park. By the way, did I tell you that all this was there permanently…? The kids have their own play land and use it whenever they want!

I had the chance to talk with the birthday girl mother for a few minutes. She was super nice, wearing a beautiful bright yellow silk/satin gown, made up and coiffed to go out. Following protocol, I shook her hand only after she extended it; we chit-chatted a bit and talked about how much fun the children were having, how much they were enjoying the play areas and the disco. She was happy to hear this and said that this was for her children and their friends to enjoy and that my children were welcome back any time. It was just two moms talking about their kids… Just the two of us, the Belgian-American mother of two with Her Royal Highness, daughter of King Abdullah and granddaughter of King Abdul-Aziz, the founder of modern Saudi Arabia.

After all that fun, it was time to leave. Kids gathered their stuff and we were led back through the maze of hallways, stopping at the party favors table that again would put to shame any gifts you would think appropriate to give an 8 year old child!

All in all, a pretty exciting, fun-filled, "normal" Thursday night in the Magic Kingdom of Saudi Arabia!

10/10/10

2010-10-10T20:36:00.000+03:00

So, where are you today, on 10/10/10 and what did you do? Today was as uneventful as a regular workday can be… Do you remember where you where on 9/9/09? I was in the States with the children while Worth was on the way to Saudi! How about on 8/8/88? That day was a pretty cool one…I was just a kid, hiking in the French Tarn area, sleeping in tents and under the stars, kayaking by day and bivouacking at night…Great memories of that summer camp! On 9/9/99 I guess I was at work too…if it was a workday. Otherwise resting on the weekend. Nothing memorable that day!

Anyways, I just had to log something in for today, 10/10/10! And see you all on 11/11/11!!! Let’s make cool plans for that one!

A culinary victory

2010-10-08T10:35:00.001+03:00

For many expats, living in another country is a very culturally and culinary enriching experience, tasting new foods and discovering new places. However, one of the problems encountered living in a new place is not finding the usual ingredients used in recipes from "back home". Living in the States for 15 years, I know there are a few ingredients I couldn't find for my favorite Belgian recipes...and learned how to make do and use alternate options, or would bring back pearl sugar and others directly from Belgium.

Well, moving to Saudi has brought on the same issue. Just yesterday Alex, my son, wanted Southern Style Buttermilk biscuits for breakfast...so; I tried to make him some, knowing full well that I did not have buttermilk or shortening, two basic ingredients for the recipe! Well, the buttermilk biscuits were awful and hard to swallow, both as a food and as a culinary mess-up. But, as the great Charles Chaplin said "Failure is unimportant. It takes courage to make a fool of yourself." that failure was not important...and gave me courage to try again...this time after seeking better ingredients!

Last night, while at the grocery store Danube, I found what the Saudi call LABEN. I decided to give it a try as a replacement for the buttermilk. This morning, upon opening the bottle, my guess proved correct: ...not milk, not yogurt...not sure what is really is but it smelled like buttermilk and had a very similar consistency...

So, this cooking fool tried her hand again at buttermilk biscuits...and they turned great! Flaky consistency outside, moist and dense inside...just like they should be. Best proof of the success: the baking sheet is empty as my three buttermilk monsters ate them all!

Class Representative

2010-10-05T20:50:00.000+03:00

Today, Emma, my 9 year old daughter, scored her first political victory when she successfully ran for class representative for the Grade 4 girls. We spent about an hour last night making "Emma 4 class representative" flyers, all decorated with stickers... She also wrote her speech, talking about how she's made friends with all of them, how she's not afraid of speaking up her mind in front of older students, how she will strive to make her classroom community better for all, and she even finished it with a little catchphrase "A vote for me is a vote for you!" To be honest, she did get a little help from both her parents, but still, she's the one who wrote the speech and she presented it to her classmates this morning!
We are really proud of her, first for wanting to run and second for winning. Emma is still the "new kid on the block" and doesn't have any title attached to her name...as the majority of her classmates are real princesses with titles to match. She won "fair and square" with the girls voting for her. Now, is she the most popular girl in her class? Not sure, but the fact is that she was chosen a particular student who seems to be the bossiest of the class!
Sweet victory!

Desert Encounter

2010-09-24T15:24:00.000+03:00

Yesterday, on Saudi National day, we decided to go for a hike in the desert and convoyed with the Fantastic family. Trying to find a good place, we found ourselves on a gravel trail. It was pretty nice and we thought that we would be able to naviguate it without too much difficulty. Mr F however decided to leave his car behind at the beginning of the trail as he did not have high enough clearance.

So, here we are, all in the GMC Envoy, fresh out of the garage...actually almost first time out since we got it back. It is so much fun and the desert is beautiful, not sandy but rather hilly, rocky and gravely!

Those gravels did turn into a trap when the car started sliding, the wheels slipping out of control and eventually we got stuck in the gravel! Now, we are alone, just the two families, in the middle of the desert! None of our cellphones have reception, the "can you hear me now" guy should start working in the Kingdom. On the way there, not too far actually, we did see a bedouin camp, with a couple of tents and camels. So, in real case of emergency, we could always go ask them for help!

We do a quick water check: the camel pack is full, we also have 4 little bottles and another thermos full, so enough for a while. So, the guys dig around the wheel and decide to manouver to get the car out of its current predicament. The moms and the kids decide to explore around, climbing the nearby hills and looking around. Eventually, the car is freed from the gravel and decision is made to go back toward Riyadh, enough adventures for the day.

Guys get in the car and drive back to the Fantastic car which had been left not even a mile away while the kids and moms walk back. We spotted some of the desert gourds that pop up once in a while in the desert. Those are always popular with the kids who pick up the yellow ones and love to crush them! We believe they are not edible, as the animals do not seem to care for them, not even the camels.

Despite the turn of the events, we also were lucky to spot several herds: two of goats and one of camels, that one with their sheppard (I'm not sure how to call the guy working with camels, so sheppard he is today). The man seemed genuinely happy to see people. We greeted him in Arabic, asked him how he was doing. He offered us to taste some camel milk. Obviously, that meant to milk some of his camels as he was not carrying any with him....and my spirit of adventures had had enough for the day. We did thank him very nicely in Arabic and he waved and smilled very nicely. This bedouin would have given us milk if we had accepted, I am convinced of that!

We also found a discarded camel harness that I picked up and brought home. It did not smell too god, but it's really cool to have one. If you look at the camel picture you can see that some of them are wearing one.

A little further we saw a victim of the desert! A poor little goat seemingly had gotten stuck in wires and fell into a crevace. Surprisingly it was not covered with maggots and flies, which made us think that it had happened quite recently. I guess all that watching of CSI has educated me on the process of maggots growing on cadavers! It did not even smell bad, yet!

We also discovered another "fruit" we had not seen before: it looked like a giant lima bean, all soft and mushy. Alex was desperate to pick it but I told him that the animals of the desert were eating those and that it was better to leave it hanging in the tree, so it would be freshly picked whenever an animal would find it!

Despite the stress of getting "stuck" this desert walk that did not really happen was full of adventures and discoveries. I can't wait for the next one...but with no gravel or inside a 4x4 vehicle!

Saudi Mobility

2010-09-21T19:35:00.003+03:00

One of the more familiar aspects of living in Saudi Arabia is the necessity of owning a car. Public transportation is nonexistent, so it is necessary to own a car. Most Saudi families own multiple cars for their husband, wife(wives), and children. I would almost be willing to put money on the idea that there are almost as many cars in Riyadh as there are people in the city. So the roads are crowded and the driving here is unlike any driving that you would ever encounter in the worst driving cities in the United States. We no longer get excited to see cars running red lights as traffic flows, driving against traffic on 6 lane highways, and cars on fire scarcely get more than a nod of notice from us.

However, I can tell you that we do notice not having a car. For the last seven day we have been sans transportation. Our car would not crank up after we returned from the States. Chris , our neighbor/banker Sammi and the compound employees managed to get the car cranked up and when I returned it still worked. A week ago this past Sunday, I went to do some errands and came home. Our car had been making a high pitched humming noise that indicated an electrical issue since last April but we waited until we returned to attempt to have it fixed since it was not interfering with the operation of the car. Claude, a colleague and neighbor needed us to take him to a car shop because he had an issue with his car when lo and behold, our car wouldn’t crank again. I figured the car wouldn’t crank due to some reason associated with that noise. We couldn’t get the car started that evening so we tried again the next day and drove around. That Tuesday I dropped the car at the dealership to have it worked on. Mind you, the delay in bringing it to the shop had to do with the Muslim Eid holiday. That delay on the front end was being met with the holiday on Wednesday for Saudi national day. Had I not picked the car up today, we would have had another four days without a car. This would have been a problem because we need school supplies and provisions.

Our car got an oil change, changed the idle speed relay, a fan bearing replaced, had an A/C issue fixed, needed a new battery, had the cabin air filter cleaned and the rear door hinges replaced. Some of these things may have been covered by our cars extended warranty. When we got a car I was keen on buying a nearly new car since a warranty would fix any issues we had. This idea was validated by the fact that Claude, Josh and Rick all bought quite used cars and have lost a great deal of time and money on repairs. That’s not to say that they haven’t been good cars for them but I can confirm transmission and engine replacements as just some of the repairs.

We got quite lucky and the warranty covered most of the repairs. We lost the car for the week but all of the repairs I talked about cost less than 1,200 SR, roughly $346. Sure we paid a little more for the car, but it has really been quite worth it.

We have the car back, with the wheel and seat wrapped in plastic for protection! Alex had a grand time taking it all off!

Saudi National Day

2010-09-21T19:34:00.000+03:00

Tomorrow has been decreed a National Holiday by King Abdullah, the reigning monarch of Saudi Arabia and Custodian of the Holy Mosques. In his honor and to celebrate the anniversary of Saudi, I researched a bit about Saudi Arabia history and am giving you my take on the Modern History of the Kingdom.
Remember the breathtaking vistas from Lawrence of Arabia, vast expanses of desert, uninterrupted by anything beside the occasional camel? From that movie, you know that Saudi Arabia is a huge country occupying most of the Arabian peninsula. It currently has a population of about 22,000,000, including about five million foreigners. Earlier this year, we even became a part of the statistics when we filled in the Saudi Arabian Census form. Saudi Arabia is the birthplace of Islam, has Mecca and Medina, the two holiest cities of Islam, and sees millions of Muslim pilgrims flock to Mecca and Medina yearly for the Haj.

From an economic perspective, Saudi has the world's largest reserve of oil, right below its surface, making it cheap to be retrieved and processed. Worth actually just filled up our GMC Envoy for the whopping amount of $9.00 for 74 liters, or 19.5 gallons!

Saudi Arabia has maintained good relationships with the USA, as all the photographs of the various US presidents meeting the Kings of Saudi Arabia hanging within the US Embassy here in Riyadh bear witness. There is a long history of political and economical bonds between the two countries that was put to a test when it turned out that many of the hijackers of September 11th attacks had Saudi passports and that their leader, Osama Bin Laden, came from a very wealthy Saudi family involved in the construction business. He has been stripped from his citizenship and is persona non grata in the Kingdom, although it’s quite daunting to see the Construction sites at the Kind Saud university protected by huge fences all bearing the Bin Laden Enterprises Name.

Saudi Arabia is a monarchy governed under strict Islamic laws of the Wahhabi sect, which regulate public behavior, especially for women and foreigners. Women cannot drive cars and have numerous other restrictions imposed on them.

From a historical perspective, various cultures have lived in the peninsula for over 5,000 years. But, except for a few major cities and oases, the harsh climate prevented much settlement of the Peninsula. Nomadic tribes always lived in the north and center, while the southern tribes were mostly sedentary. Oases made a sedentary way of life possible and provided stops on caravan routes.

The nomadic way of life and tribal organization of the interior of north and central Arabia made it difficult to form large stable political organizations. Already around 1500, one tribe seemed to take over the land; The Saud family was established in Ad Diriyah, in the center of Najd, near the modern capital of Riyadh. The family’s rise to power was also linked to an acceptance of the Wahhabi, one group within Islam and extended their power over most the center of the Peninsula. They advanced all the way to Mecca and Medina but lost the area to other tribes. In 1824 Riyadh and the vast territory around became the Saud capital. However, rivalry within the family weakened the Sauds and, overpowered by another tribal ruler, the Saud family fled to Kuwait.

In 1902, Abdul Aziz ibn Saud fought back for his family’s hold of Riyadh. Over the next 20 years, his tribe advanced all over the peninsula, including Mecca in 1924 and Medina in 1925. In 1932 he renamed his Kingdom Saudi Arabia, the Arabia of the Sauds! He did fight opposition from the religious group of Wahhabists who had no tolerance for necessary twentieth century innovations, including all machines and telegraph as well as the presence of non-Muslims in Saudi Arabia, forbidden by tradition and ended up defeating them in 1929. However, ever since, the Kingdom has seen internal battles between the most extreme forces in Wahhabism and the more pragmatic strain with suspicion cast on all new inventions. For example, the radio was first opposed but was later accepted when the King showed how it could be used to broadcast the Qu’ran. Wahhabi rule does remain strict in Saudi Arabia. No foreigners can become citizens. Women cannot get drivers licenses and cannot perform legal and financial procedures on their own. Alcohol is forbidden in the kingdom. The internet was outlawed for a while and is still government censured.

Shortly after becoming a kingdom, oil was discovered and transformed the face of the desert nation. Oil revenues have contributed to the wealth and fortunes of the Saud family, but unlike some other Gulf countries, this wealth has not brought on social changes and economic development like in Dubai or Abu Dhabi, UAE.

When King Abdul Aziz died in 1953, his son Saud accessed the throne. Every since, all the kings have been sons of Kind Abdul Aziz, all half-brothers, born from his wives. In 1964, King Saud was forced to abdicate because of criticism of his outrageous spending! His half-brother Prince Faisal became King, naming his half-brother Khalid his successor.

King Faisal was a frugal and observant monarch, raised in the Wahhabi. He introduced innovations such as television, inciting the opposition of conservative elements in the kingdom. Faisal is credited with abolishing slavery in Saudi Arabia in 1962. He was also active in foreign affairs. In 1973, he initiated an oil embargo following the Yom Kippur war, causing a sharp increase (tripled and quadrupled) the price of oil… Those growing up in the 70s remember how poor we were!!! But Saudi Arabia, as the world's largest exporter of oil, benefited from newfound prosperity. However, Faisal was assassinated in 1975 by his nephew, and Khalid became king.

King Khalid continued the process of modernization and under his rule Saudi Arabia initiated several foreign policy initiatives through Crown Prince Fahd. This moving forward was not appreciated by all and in 1979 fundamentalist Sunni riots in the Grand Mosque in Mecca were initiated by those who felt the kingdom had become too liberal and that the royal family had become steeped in corruption, ostentation, and imitation of the West. The rioters shot and killed a guard in the Grand Mosque, a holy place, where bloodshed is punishable by crucifixion. Only a fatwa, religious decree, allowed bloodshed to dislodge them by force.

King Khalid died in 1982 and was succeeded by Fahd, who designated Abdullah as crown prince. Saudi Arabia cooperated with the United States in keeping oil prices low in the 80s in order to hurt Soviet energy trade and bring down the Soviet economy. During Desert Storm in 1991, the kingdom accepted large numbers of US troops, and was a base for US operations against Iraq that remained after the conflict was over, angering traditionalists.

The Saudi Regime was rocked in 2003 by al-Qaeda attacks in Riyadh in May and November. Riots demanding reform by both traditionalists and democratic reformers also took place. Some of these attacks were directed on expat compounds (ours was hit) and aimed at hurting the Saudi Government. The unrest was met with arrests and force, but also with promises of reform.

King Fahd died in July 2005. His half-brother, Crown Prince Abdullah became king. He had been acting as regent after King Fahad had a incapacitating stroke in January 1996 and took care of all day-to-day affairs. Abdullah is the fifth son (out of 37 sons) of King Abdulasis bin Abdulrahman Al Saud, , the founder of modern Saudi Arabia, to ascend to the throne.

As you see, Saudi Arabia, in its 78 years of existence, has been torn by opposition, seen riches, family conflicts, attacks on its visiting workers, the end of slavery, a rise to modernity and has many years ahead to look forward.

Grocery Shopping

2010-09-17T09:44:00.000+03:00

It's funny to confess this, but one of my guilty pleasures is grocery shopping at Carrefour on a Thursday morning,the first day of the weekend here! Riyadh has three Carrefour grocery stores run by the French chain, selling all the best France has to offer. All their upper level managers are imported from France as well as many of their customers! It's what I call "expat central" on that weekend morning.
It is the place to buy your cheeses, delicacies, prepared food, fruits, vegetables and fresh dairy products imported directly from France and arriving on the shelves on Thursday morning. Many of their products are also the Carrefour store brand that you came to rely on for their price and quality.
And, as I found out yesterday morning, their receipt is even printed in English, a big plus from the Arabic receipts from last year. I can review the prices after purchasing all my goods and wonder how my total bill is always around the same amount, with 5 or 10 or 15 grocery bags filling my grocery cart!

Batha Souk

2010-09-09T13:42:00.001+03:00

Today will/should be the last day of Ramadan, when at Iftar the Eid Mubarak will start, the most celebrated holiday of the Muslim year. Families and friends will get together, eat and be merry and the children will receive gift envelopes with money. So, as you can imagine, people all over Riyadh are antsy to finish Ramadan and their fast. Since this is a holiday, all services in the compound will be suspended for the next 5 days, so might as well get out while we can! This morning, Imy daughter Emma and I took the compound bus to go to the Souk. The driver was supposed to take us to the Dirah Souk, where you can find rugs, decorations, appliances, and abayas... Instead he dropped us at the Batha Souk, mostly a textile souk. Emma accompanied me as she needed a new abaya to start school, since it is school policy that all girls grade 4 through 12 wear an abaya to arrive on school campus, to cross the street for PE classes and to leave in the afternoon.

You may think that abaya shopping would be pretty quick, right....how many models of black abaya could exist...but you are so wrong! The souk was just opening up when we arrived, lights turned on and merchandises were being displayed. At first, we could not see many abaya shops. After wandering around and checking out those that were opened, they just seemed to multiply. Everywhere we looked you could see an abaya shop. Emma is pretty picky (already, for age 9) for any piece of clothes..so imagine her choosing a black abaya. We knew the length she needed and she wanted one with pink! Of course, all the ones displayed had blue, green, orange, red or yellow stiched decorations...so those did not fit the bill! Eventually, at the 10th shop (or more, as I quit counting) she saw one that she liked with interesting looking sleeves, some rhinestones details and a cool design in the back...We had a winner!!! To my surprise, her chosen abaya does not have any pink in it, but I did not say anything as to not have her change her mind! After some bartering, just a matter of principle since we are at the souk after all, I paid the man and Emma immediately put on her new abaya and removed the too short old one she was wearing, without showing an inch of skin! She's very quickly adapting to the "no show" rules of the Kingdom.

Two of my freshly arrived colleagues were accompaning us on this shopping trip. It was their first time in a Riyadh souk and they did not know what to look at, sensory overload. Since they are new, they are still looking for necessities and ended up buying shower gels, shampoos, lotion and hairdryer. Throw in some cashewnuts, almonds and even a new abaya for one of them and it was a successful trip! It was interesting to see it through their eyes. They were interested in everything and asking me if the quoted prices were reasonable. I felt like the oldtimer, which is kind of funny since I haven't been here a year!

Ramadan and Iftar

2010-09-05T21:00:00.000+03:00

Right now, Muslims around the world are living Ramadan, the ninth month of their lunar calendar. During this entire month, they fast and do not eat or drink from dawn until sunset. The act of fasting is to teach Muslims about patience, humility, and spirituality. They pray more than usual during Ramadan and ask forgiveness for past sins, pray for guidance and help in refraining from everyday evils, and try to purify themselves through self-restraint and good deeds. In a way, you could compare this to the period of lent that Catholics live every year between Ash Wednesday and Easter. However, unlike the Catholic lent, Ramadan is based on the lunar calendar and changes dates each year, moving backwards about eleven days each year depending on the moon. Because of that, we are not 100 % sure when the Ramadan will finish, as it depends on the sighting of a full moon, which may not happen if the sky is covered that night.. Prayer, which usually numbers five daily for about 5 minutes each time, are longer and in the last ten days of Ramadan, are very important. In the evening, two hours after Iftar, the break of fast, we have been hearing prayers around town, for about 90 minutes. There is another added prayer, in the middle of the night, around 1:00 am, which again lasts for 90 minutes. I woke up last night, thank you jetlag, and heard the night prayers from the closest mosk.

Now, during this whole Ramadan period, life for non-Muslims is also different if you live in Saudi. It is extremely recommended to abstain from eating and drinking, laughing or behaving extravagantly in public. Modesty in dress code should again be followed more strictly. All in all, these are considerations for the respect of those fasting.
What does it really mean to us? Well, being in a workplace where many of our colleagues are Muslims, we do not eat or drink in front of them. Today was our first day back and breakfast and lunch were offered, in a separate room. We could see that some of our colleagues were fasting, from the low level of energy and the pale faces. You have to understand that the sun rise around 4:30 am and set after 6:30 pm, which means 14 hours without water, while living in very high temperature in the middle of an arid desert! I've considered not eating, but couldn't fantom not drinking. I'm really feeling sympathy and respect for my colleagues and for Muslims around. It's also interesting that until moving to Saudi, I really had never thought about the hardship of the fast.

At sunset Iftar or the break of fast happens by first eating one date and drinking a glass of water, then on to prayers. It is after all important to eat nutritious and healthy foods after fasting all day. Imagine the best of middle eastern food every night! Stuffed grape leaves, hummus, falaflel, pita, baba ganouj, fattoush salad, tabouleh, lentil salad, fresh fruits and many many others! Last Thursday I was invited to an Iftar banquet...what celebration! Everybody was gathered, a prayer was said, dates were eaten by all, then more prayers, then off to a buffet with all kinds of great tasting food... You can't live in the Middle East without having some favorites, of course and was really happy to have them again, after two months of western food fare. I had not realized that I had missed it!

One of my colleagues was actually explaining all this to me and when asked what she missed the most during Ramadan she said coffee! At Iftar, the first thing she has are TWO cups of black coffee...and somehow feels all that sudden a burst of energy. Only then does she sits down and enjoy foods..and here I am, worried about all of them not drinking water during the day!

At the Iftar banquet, a man was pouring date juice from a special carafe...it was probably one of the best juices ever, a mix of what I think was rose water and date juice...Another man was going around pouring coffee as no self-respecting meal would be complete without cardamon coffee and Arabic sweets!

Bon Appetit, or more appropriately, بالهناء والشفاء / بالهنا والشفا (bil-hanā' wa ash-shifā')

Return to the Magic Kingdom

2010-08-30T20:34:00.000+03:00

After a busy summer break, it came time to fly back to Saudi, alone, as kids and hubby were staying behind for another week. So, 3 flights and 2 layovers later, I arrived late last night at the villa and was glad to see our little kitty cat Gumbeaux alive and well, extremely happy to see me, purring and licking proving that!
The house was hot...probably close to 100 F/40 C inside when I entered. We only had one AC unit running for the cat, which turns out not to be enough to cool the whole place in such high summer temperatures. The floor felt sandy, the wooden side tables were covered with a thin film of sand (and cat's paw prints for some), the water in the toilet bowls had totally evaporated, the back door in the laundry room had piles of sand and ants all over who all came from the crack under the door and the dryer vent.
So, at around 10:45 last night, I started vacuuming the floors, dusting the tables and mopping like a mad woman. Eventually I had to go to bed and tried to fall asleep. Not an easy task when you are jetlagged with 8 hours difference, and ahhh, before I knew it the alarm woke me up!
Work from 9 to 3, then return home and on to another task: the car! Of course, after sitting under the canopy for 2 months, the car battery was dead! OUr neighbor Sammy tried to jump it to no avail....We pushed the car on the street then workers pushed it to get it started, down a little side street. We were trying to get it to crank up. There, Sammy got his cables again and ran it for 15 minutes...eventually it sta...rted. So, to make sure it wouldn't die, I drove around the compound for about 20 minutes, since I am not allowed to drive on the streets. I even took the car outside between the walls and the fence! The army guys in their watch towers and the security guys at the front gate were looking at me driving around and laughing when they realised what was happening! One of the army dudes even came out of his place to check it out!
Then, after all that pushing, waiting, cranking, I did the most refreshing thing I could think about: carwash, with hot water coming straight from the water tank! You should have seen how filthy the car was...Red sand all over. I had to clean the street afterwards!
Just now, some compound workers just delivered a NEW (at least to us) TV that lets us get over 35 channels, even Nat Geo and History channels.

Who said the compound was dead??? We had some excitement today!

Summer vacation 2010

2010-08-26T23:23:00.000+03:00

What a wirlwind of adventures we've had this summer. We left the Kindgom on July 6th at 12:35 AM en route to Paris, from where we took a TGV train to Belgium to visit with my family and friends over there... The day we arrived in Namur, the Tour de France was passing through and we had the chance to see the commercial caravan as well as the peloton wizzing through in less time it took to say "Look, here's the Tour de France". Since the city was closed down, my parents met us at the train station, we put all our bags into the car my dad had parked the night before and we spent the afternoon watching the Caravan, getting some little souvenirs, even grabbing a Tour de France Souvenir bag.

Over the next two weeks, we saw many family members and friends, having dinners and parties here and there. The children showed amazing adaptability and blended in with all the cousins and friends. Throughout our stay Belgium was hit by an unsual heatwave and had us begging for AC! My parents' converted attic where we slept was very hot but we pulled through and were able to enjoy the beautiful Belgian heat and sun..Not many times can you say that about Belgian weather!

Among the highlights was the visit with my cousin Vincianne of Liege and climbing over 360 steps to reach the citadel. After this climb, we had a well-dereved mid-morning Aperitif at the reknowed Maison du Pequet, the oldest continuously opened cafe/bar since the 18th century. For lunch we had the typical Boulet Frites (meatball in the yummiest sauce and fries) and Potee (green beans, bacon, potatoes and pork sausage). We ended the afternoon behind the cathedral at the Village Gaulois with a refreshing drink. Unfortunately this whole set-up was destoyed the next day by heavy winds and rains.

We also did the tourist tour of Bruxelles with a viewing of the world famous Manneken Pis and lunch in one of the narrow tourist streets. This statue of a little boy has since several centuries been a major tourist attraction in the city.

Nobody actually knows why the manneken is there. He is believed to be nothing more than a decoration on top of a fountain, where people in the Middle-Ages came to get fresh water. Already in the 15th century a fountain called 'manneken-pis' existed in Rue de l'étuve. The official origin can be traced back to the 13th of August 1619 when the city ordered the sculptor Jerome Duquesnoy to make a new bronze statue of manneken-pis to replace an old and withered one. During the course of the centuries our little manneken has often been hidden to protect him against bombs of invading armies. He has also been stolen several times by plundering soldiers at times of conflict. Oftentimes, the Manneken-Pis gets a makeover from his wardrobe of more than 600 costumes. He received his first costume on May the 1st 1698 by the governor of the Austrian Netherlands. Nowadays he still receives new gear when folklorist groups visiting Brussels. There are many legends about the Manneken. According to one of them a little boy had watered against the door of a witch who lived where the fountain now stands. The witch was so angry that she turned the little boy into a statue. Another legend says that a man had lost his little son. He found the child after two days near the place where now the fountain of manneken-pis can be seen. When the father spotted his child, the latter was peeing. As a token of gratitude the father had the fountain with a statue of a peeing boy constructed. I've also heard the legend of the little boy rescuing Brussels from a fire by peeing on it! So as you can see, many legends surround this little guy!

On Saturdays one of our favorite things to do is just go to the market and see all the goods offered. Kids also love to go as it always provides them opportunities to see small pets, goats, rabbits and poultry as well as get a pack of some delicious candy!

So, after two weeks in Belgium we headed back to the States, in two shifts. As we were all waiting to board the Atlanta-bound plane, an announcement looking for volunteers to give up their seats was made. Worth and Emma decided to stay an extra night in Paris while Alex and I headed back to the States. Unfortunately it took them two days to get back due to flight delays and missing the last connection... and they arrived just in time for the big Welcome Home party thrown by some of our Clinton friends...we must have been over 50 people at this Pigapolouza, with Cajun microwave pig, lots of pork goods and other yummy treats. We had so much fun and are thankful to have such friends celebrating our return!

Over the next few weeks we visited with many friends, having breakfast, lunches and/or dinners at homes or restaurants...all those not very good for our waistlines! We did a quick visit to see the family and cousins in Dallas, TX. We also invaded Granny's house with all of our luggage for the length of our stay, although we tried to stay out of the house for various lengths of time.

One of Worth's favorite activities is playing golf with his regular game on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. 'The Rat Pack' game is a high stakes golf game wich deals out good chances to needle each other and play golf. All of the Rat Packers were anxious for Worth to hit it in the bunkers since they just knew his sand game was so much better after living in Saudi Arabia. Worth got the last laugh though when he won the Club Championship division all of his friends were playing. He even was able to get some new clubs courtsey of his Mom for his 40th birthday.

Kids also had their share of fun, including a weeklong stay at World Disney World, in Orlando, Florida, as their Christmas and birthday present from their Granny. Their Tante Elaine, my sister in law, planned the trip, organized their days and took them with her. They came back loaded with Disney souvenirs, ranging from the traditional Mickey Ear Hats to a pin collection for Emma and a pressed pennies collection for Alex. The kids thoroughly enjoyed their week in the Magic Kingdom. Emma even swam with sharks and Alex rode a submarine! They also prepared their authograph's books and brought them back full of signatures. All in all, they will never forget their first time at Disney, having been able to enjoy all the rides, seeing all the sights.

Thanks again to Tante Elaine for taking them to Orlando....as it allowed us to book a trip to a all-incluse resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica! And what a trip that was! Never had we taken such a luxurious vacation: all inclusive in the land of rum and good times. We spent our days at the pools, on the beach, snorkeling, kayaking, Hobi riding, biking... We also went off the reservation and enjoyed a day trip to the hills where we tubed down the Great River and took a trip down a series of zip lines. This was a first for both of us, wearing all the safety gear to glide safely from ropes hanging in the trees and above the river. That was one of the coolest way to see the area trees and vegetation...

All in all, this was a summer to remember, busy as can be and full of adventures. In two days, I'm heading back to the Magic Kindgom and will be followed by the rest of the family a few days later.

Sharpie

2010-07-27T22:45:00.000+03:00

It's funny how being back in the States makes me realize little things I had forgotten I was missing so much.. For example, picking up a People Magazine and not having any pages ripped up or legs and bossoms blackened with a thick sharpie. I guess I was getting used to it or was not paying attention anymore. This week, I'm leading a workshop and some participants started talking about censorship, which made me think of Saudi and of how aggravating it is to not be able to purchase a magazine with the guarantee of having all the pages still in the mag.
Might as well enjoy those while I can!

Ghost town

2010-07-05T11:07:00.000+03:00

Imagine standing in the middle of a street and seeing the dust around being picked up by the wind, hearing the distant calls to prayer, marveling at the almost but not quite ripe bunches of dates hanging heavily from the palm trees, laughing at the stray cats frolicking in green lush front lawns, listening to the birds chirping in the lime trees. Imagine children's bikes nicely parked under fabric tent carports, ripsticks waiting to be picked up again, lawn furniture gathering dust under the heavy sunrays...but not seeing a single person!
Our compound has turned into a ghost town! With the advent of summer and the summer vacation, all the families have vacated the premises, some with and some without the dads. The maids are finding that their usual villas have been emptied for the summer, the nannies have been left behind, giving them also a much deserved summer break to enjoy.
Last night, we took our evening walk around the compound and truly did not see another person during our walk. Some cats, some children's bikes and toys, but nobody else. The majority of the villas seem emptied, many are actually being repainted and refurbished before new occupants move in. That's the sad part of the summer, as we had to bid goodbye to some of our new friends who completed their contract in the Kindgom and moved on to literal and figurative greener pastures.
So, to all of you still here, congrats, you are part of the few die-hards sticking it out during the summer.
And to those who have left, we are not very far behind...13 hours and 19 minutes to be exact until take off!

The Summer Exodus

2010-07-04T14:14:00.000+03:00

Every year, a massive Exodus out of the Saudi capital city takes place. The Saudi schools finished this past Wednesday, many of the international schools finished a week or two ago...which means that Riyadh has already lost about half its population and that King Khaled International Airport is seeing its heaviest traffic since the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Summer in the middle of the Arabian desert is hot, temperatures are averaging 45 Celsius daily, in the shade and it's much hotter in the sun, as you all know.

Riyadh is a desert town with the old city of Diryah having been built at this location because of a wadi (Underground River) that could provide water to the Bedouin tribes on a consistent basis, giving them and their animals a little oasis of greenery in the middle of the unwelcoming expenses of sand. Things have changed since then, as most Saudi are urbanized, cars have replaced camels as daily mean of transportation, water comes from a water "factory" that desalinates water from the Gulf to use for daily household usage and bottled water comes from deep water wells and natural sources. BUT one thing has remained the same: the desert heat and dryness.

So, once school is over, Saudi and expat families pack their suitcases and leave the country behind. Their destinations however are different. Expats, like us, go "home" for the summer, wherever home is! So, tomorrow evening, we are heading home first to Belgium and then back to the States where we will stay away from the desert heat, although we will tackle the summer humidity when back in the South! All of our colleagues, almost without exceptions, have already left and are homebound for the summer break. They are going back to Canada, Australia, Singapore, Lebanon, Syria, the States, Colombia, Sweden, UK…

Most of our students also have already left Saudi to go spend the summer in one of their residences scattered around the globe. A few of the favorite places that kept popping up when they were discussing their summer plans included Paris, London, Rome, Madrid, Lebanon, New York, Los Angeles, the Maldives, Provence in the South of France...

So, who is left behind? Those who can’t afford a plane tickets, including manual laborer from Asia, families who just welcomed a baby, people who keep on working during the summer, those not fortunate to have an almost two month long summer break. There are advantages at staying put: the streets are much less congested with traffic, the shopping malls are running insane sales, like 70, 80 % off everything, hotels like the Four Seasons are almost giving you their rooms for the weekend for ridiculous amounts compared to the rest of the year..

Would all this entice me to stay? Heck NO! We are so getting out of Saudi Arabia! Too hot and so many other reasons. Just ask when you see us ...

Masalama and have a great summer.

A Girl's Guide To Saudi Arabia

2010-06-30T14:03:00.000+03:00

This is it! Last day of school for the students...actually they didn’t even have school and reports were distributed this afternoon. I survived my first year in the Kindgom, with some ups and downs... and how fitting that TODAY Vanity Fair publishes a teaser for an article in their August issue about “A Girl’s Guide To Saudi Arabia”. Link the Vanity Fair Article
Now, as a girl who now can say has lived in Saudi Arabia, I’m starting to know how to function in this society and the article is AGAIN talking about all the stereotypes of women in Saudi. Before moving here, I had heard and read it all...had to cover, could not travel alone, without a male guardian, could not do anything independently. Living here opened my eyes and ears and showed me that, although Saudi is still a very religiously controlled country, visiting women are treated with decency and are not required to cover completely...
Maybe I’m overreacting, but I even left this comment for the article: “ I'm writing this from Riyahd. As a western women currently living in Saudi Arabia I do not like this teaser article. It again perpetuates the stereotypes of being a woman in the Kingdom. Before moving here, I had the same idea as the author, but after 10 months here, there are more sides to the story than these quite sensationalized and exaggerated points of beign a women. I will buy the magazine when it comes out and will read it, hoping that the author went beyond what is believed life to be like in Saudi.”

Let this be heard and make sure to get a copy of the full article at publication! That probably will be another blog!

Elections

2010-06-11T19:34:00.002+03:00

Aujourd’hui j’ai exerce mon droit de vote en tant que citoyenne belge, vu que ma pauvre petite Belgique se trouve à nouveau dans une crise gouvernementale (et si on en croit certains medias au bord de la scission de la Flandre et de la Wallonie.) En tant que résidente belge a Riyad, inscrite à l’ambassade, j’ai eu le droit de m’inscrire pour les élections au sénat et a la chambre. Il y a quelques semaines, j’avais rempli mon formulaire pour les élections, la semaine passée, le consul est passe délivré ma convocation en main propre, donc j’étais prête pour les élections. Ce vendredi matin, l’équivalent du repos dominical partout dans le monde, je me suis rendue a l’ambassade. De la centaine de Belges inscrits, seulement 25 avaient décide de voter en personne, les autres ayant opte pour le vote par proxy. Le bureau de vote avait des assesseurs ainsi qu’un chef de bureau (tous personnel de l’ambassade). J’ai reçu mes deux bulletins de vote, me suis rendue dans un bureau servant d’isoloir et ai enfin contribue au bon déroulement de la démocratie belge !

End Of Year/Graduation

2010-06-11T19:20:00.001+03:00

At the end of the school year, it is pretty usual for a school to host a graduation ceremony for their exiting seniors. Well, the school did just that and I truly want to say it rivaled any American Idol or Dancing with the Star production. The venue was the KFCC, not Kentucky Fried Chicken Center, although the kids started refereeing to it as such, but officially the King Fahad Cultural Center, a huge venue with a seating capacity of 3000.

The EYE, as we all came to know the End of Year Event, was held on two separate nights, one for the 4 graduating boys and one for the 18 graduating girls. This wouldn’t be Saudi if the event had not been segregated: on the boys’ night, the mothers viewed the ceremony from the upstairs balcony while the fathers were on the floor. The girls’ night was 100 % girls only. No father/brother/boys over puberty allowed! Both EYEs started officially at 8:30 PM, with an actual start time of 9:15PM.

All the K-3 students were involved on both nights, with each grade having prepared a song, dance or play. Everything was prerecorded so there was no room for mess up on the actual nights. The shows had been choreographed by a team of Lebanese professionals hired especially for the occasion and flown in for 3 weeks from Lebanon. Their specialty: they work on show like Star Academy or American Idol. The production was awesome: all the children wore custom made costumes, makeup artists and hairdressers were available for final touch ups, the soundtrack had been prerecorded and the lights were professionally orchestrated. Of course, all this came with a rehearsal schedule for all participants involved: some took place during class and the week before school was on a hiatus, to let us have rehearsal. Our two children were worn out of the rehearsals, some on the weekend and with the shows going till past 11:00 PM they were on their knees! Same could be said for the teachers!

This event was truly beautiful, with songs around the theme of giving back to the local and global community. Songs included Heal the World, We are the World, Oh Africa (World Cup Theme song) and several English and Arabic plays also about helping others. The audiovisual slideshow moved the acts smoothly and quickly. The kids were amazingly well prepared and acted like true professionals.

Graduation did happen after the songs and plays and was well done too. Fathers were subdued while mothers were hooting and hollering at their daughters/nieces/friends graduating. A very different atmosphere on both nights, much more respectful and traditional for the boys, with an insight into traditional Saudi Sword dance while the girls’ evening was joyful, a look at the future and full of energy and excitement!

I'm in Saudi Arabia, where are you?

2010-06-02T19:39:00.000+03:00

We were talking this afternoon, wondering where all the readers of the blog are reading it from...so, if you could, please comment below and tell me from which city you are reading this.
I know of some of the readers but I suspect many others I don't know about are also reading and never commenting. Something strange happened today as two separate people mentionned the blog and we had no clue they were reading it or even knew about it...

Masalama!

Hot

2010-06-01T20:56:00.002+03:00

It’s hot, it’s damned hot, it’s so hot you could boil water for tea without heat…wait, the shop guy just delivered two new 15 liters water bottles and the water was steaming, literally! I stuck a thermometer in there. Verdict: 104 F..Hot enough for a good cup of tea.

Outside temperature is no better: the past few days, we’ve been having 115F during the day, last night at 11:00 PM it was 101F! The pool water is a hot tub already, the walk around the compound just makes you lose two liters of water! We are going through 15 liters bottles at an amazing speed, drinking a whole lot of H2O and not even bothering to drink ice water…room temp is so refreshing when you’re so hot!

Yep, summer’s here to stay until October at least…

Mall Amusement

2010-05-20T09:32:00.001+03:00

Despite a rich historical heritage, Saudi does not have lots of cultural activities going on. There are a few museums here and there, but to get in is a problem, as there are male days and female days and most of the time, you don’t find out which one it is until you try to get in. Movie theaters are totally nonexistent, so no chance on catching the last Hollywood hit either…so the Saudis have devised ways to do activities as a family or more likely ways to entertain the children without parental supervision but under nanny watch.

Every Mall has a play area decorated around a theme, Under the Ocean, Huge Insects, In the Backyard…and we are thinking way more serious that the few climbing toys at Cortana Mall or the single video arcade at Mall of Louisiana. What I’m talking about are full fledge amusement park rides inside a mall. You want to ride the roller coaster, it’s there; the pirate boat, got it; bumper cars, always there; the wild river canoe drive with waterways, check; the parachute up and down ; the rock-wall with complete harness; merry-go-rounds; shooting range; interactive video games; remote control cars competing against each other, a fake moving elephant you ride on. Anything you’ve seen at an amusement park you may/will find in one of the malls in Riyadh.

This phenomenon is not only unique to Saudi Arabia: when we went to Bahrain, we all went to the Wahoo water park, at the City Center Mall. Imagine a two year old Blue Bayou inside a mall, with an outside area on the rooftop. At the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai you can even ski at the world-famous Ski Dubai. At the Dubai Mall, there is a walk-through fish tank, similar to the one at the NOLA Aquarium of the Americas.

So, for lack of better words, a trip to the mall has a different appeal depending on your age: over 20 year olds enjoy the shopping, the teen crowds like the socializing, among the same sex though and the 0-12 year olds are widely attracted to the rides. They make it easy on you and your wallet. Purchase a card, with whatever amount you wish and each time you go on a ride, your card is swiped and a certain amount is debited. The powerful merchandising and food court also use that card. Of course, the more you buy the better deal you get. Buy a 500 Saudi Riyal card (125 US) and you receive one with 1000 SR! Emma has gone with one of her little princess friend who did purchase that huge card and the two of them ended up riding enough rides to use it all up! Two girls and one plastic card…imagine the damage that can be done, on the rides now and later in the shops!

Women driving in Saudi Arabia

2010-05-17T07:26:00.000+03:00

There is one thing people learn very quickly about KSA... change comes slowly, so don't believe it until you see it. But the public discourse about finally allowing women to drive seems to have become more intense during the past month, including:
An April article in Riyadh newspaper, discussing how to implement change in the law, translated and explained very nicely How do we start implementation? One point made is that, for the first time, the discussion is no longer about "whether or not" the ban should be lifted, but is publicly focused on the logistics of making it happen.

A very popular program on Al-Arabiya TV covered the topic last Friday night, after being promoted during prime advertising space on MBC4 during "American Idol." I watched the program (with my daughter's translation help) and found it to be refreshingly positive. Guests (all of whom spoke in favor of lifting the ban) included a former member of the government Advisory Council, a sociologist, and a religious scholar. An article about the program appeared in today's Arab News: Women driving issue resurfaces
Dare one hope... that the driving ban may be lifted during our time in the Kingdom? I'm not going to speculate about exactly when... but maybe... hopefully... before our time here is up? :-)

Written by one of my colleagues who has been living here for over ten years...

Springtime in Saudi Arabia

2010-05-15T18:17:00.004+03:00

Not many people would associate much with Saudi Arabia other than sand and heat when it comes to climate. The truth is that Saudi Arabia is indeed hot for a significant part of the year. And I do mean REALLY hot. The desert has many areas with sand but you are likely to find much more rock and gravel. What you might not think of when you think of Saudi is plants and green areas.
In southern Saudi Arabia there a mountains that get enough rain to stay green all year long and there are the proverbial Oasis areas too. Riyadh in its current form is neither. In the earliest incarnations of this city there was enough of a water source to support a population of about 10,000 people. The advent of oil brought wealth of an unimagined scale and that money was spent on desalinization plants where sea water is turned into potable water and piped by the millions of gallons a day 280 miles from Dammam to Riyadh. To give an indication of how much water is needed, know that this city has about 4.5 million people and is expected to double in size in the next ten years. In fact, Riyadh uses more water to water the 3 million palm trees than the city of Jeddah uses in an entire year for all purposes.
I am proud to say that our compound contributes heavily to this water usage. Chris and I walk around the compound most evenings and realized how green our living space is. All houses have shrubs to offer privacy and a grassed front lawn, big enough to say you have grass but not big enough that mowing would take longer than two minutes. When we walk around, there are different types of trees in every yard. Some of the trees include some types of willows, palm trees, date palms, and citrus trees. There are various types of flowering trees that have beautiful blossoms and other trees that produce pods that we thought might be vanilla pods but are not.
Of particular interest to us are the date and lime trees. Dates grow in clusters similar to grapes and are incredibly thick and hang down from the top of the trees. Most people that want to harvest the dates will put a bag around the dates a month or so prior to harvest to prevent birds from eating them. I have no clue if the compound will want to cover the dates as some of the clusters are at least 30 feet in the air. We also like the lime trees which are completely loaded with limes and will offer us a great opportunity to make lime aid.
Who said Saudi Arabia isn’t green.

Up at 2:00 AM

2010-05-14T20:39:00.000+03:00

The other night, I had to relunctantly get up at 2:00 AM; a driver was picking me up to welcome a PYP workshop leader leading a workshop at the school, and since that’s kind of what I’m in charge of, it fell upon me to go to the airport and be there for her! For those of you who know how much sleep I get each night and even for the others, I can tell you that I was not happy about having to miss on my precious sleep. OK, enough complaining. Let’s get to what I want to tell you about.

Imagine 2:00 AM anywhere in the Western World on a weeknight…What do you expect to see…Not much, a couple of cars on the roads, nobody around, nothing lit up…well, you get the picture. Hence, this is what I was expecting, early Tuesday morning. How wrong was I!

At the intersection of two heavily traveled highways two major soccer games were raging. Yes, at 2:00 am, on fields of dirt, only lit by the road lights. A whole bunch of guys were playing, and another bunch was on the sidelines watching. Since I’ve been here, I’ve heard that the Saudis are a nighttime society.Well these two soccer games were one proof.

Upon arrival at the airport, it was so busy you would have thought that it was the middle of the day. Guys upon guys were waiting for their friends arriving from faraway places, all standing next to each other, without any consideration for personal space. From their clothes, the majority of them were not Saudis, as very few were wearing thobe and gutra. I can even venture and say that they were Pakistani or Afghan, again from their dress. Now, of course, all these were guys! Very few females were around. Thankfully the driver was waiting as well, so I was not totally alone. I wasn’t feeling too comfortable there but would have felt a whole lot worse had I been totally by myself. I did draw a lot of glances, sideways look and straight stares. I guess not wearing anything on my head and letting my hair flow free was not the wisest thing to do to go incognito! For the majority of these guys, seeing a woman’s face is rather rare and seeing hair even more. They are working all day long, staying up a majority of the night, playing soccer or waiting at airports, and always in the company of men. Many have wives and families who stayed in their home country. But few interact with women here at all!

An interesting sight was a group of six guys, wearing the traditional Saudi thobe and just sitting/standing around, moving their prayer beads and having what looked like the time of their lives, talking, laughing… After observing them for a while, I asked the driver what they were saying. He told me they were just joking around and waiting for customers as they were taxi drivers. The bad kind! The kind that prey on people who don’t know not to travel by taxi in Riyadh, the kind that take you all around town and charges you twice as much as what you should pay for! We were heavily warned NOT to take a taxi anywhere, and as a woman, doubly warned that by taking one you may never reach your destination, as there have been attacks on women traced back to taxi drivers…

Around 3:00, the person we were waiting for finally arrived and we loaded the car and brought here to the hotel and finished up by dropping me back at home. We passed a mosk by the house at 4:00 am, all lit up, front doors wide open… yes, you guessed it, morning prayer was about to be called, at 4:15 that morning, right about the time I managed to climb back in bed to be hit by the alarm clock not even two hours later!

What's this?

2010-05-09T07:18:00.000+03:00

OK, so Alex came home with this today... At first look, I'm thinking belated birthday gift from a classmate? Well, came to find out that the beautiful box was a birthday invitation! A little wooden box, personalized with his calligraphied name and a little pirate glued on top.
Delicately open it and inside there is a treasure: gold chocolate coins and nestled among those a delicately rolled piece of parchment with the details for the birthday...

Ahoy Matey
Come sail the ocean blue
Hunt for treasure
And be part of our pirate crew!

So, party is on Thursday afternoon, starting at 5:00!

Hockey Night

2010-05-07T16:38:00.000+03:00

One of the more interesting aspects of the expat life in Saudi Arabia is how most ‘western’ countries embassies tend to host events that offer little slices of a normal life at home. Those slices include and are not limited to; actual for real life drinks- spirits and beer, Pork, and dirty dancing. But thanks to the Canadian embassy we can add sports to that list.

We teach with a young Canadian couple who are regulars at the Canadian Embassy functions. J.J. and his wife K are excellent young teachers who have a very good perspective on what life and our job is like. We enjoy their company very much and have been hanging out with them a good deal lately. J.J. and K invited us to a coat and tie fancy Wine Tasting and Cigar party at the embassy where I met the Canadian Ambassador. J.J. has been inviting me to the ultimate in Canadian life….HOCKEY NIGHT!

Hockey Night in Canada is the night to commit a crime. Every man, woman, child, moose, and beaver is sitting in front of the TV watching the game of the week and to see what kind of ugly coat announcer Don Cherry is wearing . In Riyadh it is a rather small function ranging from 5 to as many as 30 people who go the bar (Yes! A BAR) on the Canadian Embassy grounds where there is a giant flat screen television. There are seats and a pool table which is covered by wood to serve as a table. Smokers have reign over the outside seating of course but the bar is large and the selection of beverage choice is excellent. You can get Stella Artois, Sol, Becks, or Heineken beer. Sprits include Rum, Scotch, Bourbon, and of course Canadian Whisky.

People are invited to sit around and watch the game. You help yourself to the drinks and keep a tab on an honor basis. Drinks are 10 SR or about $2.50, which isn’t too bad. Typically they order pizza but also will order Quiznos sandwiches and everyone is charged an equal share of the food plus your drinks. So it really does make for a relatively cheap night out.

I have always been someone who enjoys hockey though I can’t say that I am very sophisticated in my knowledge of the game. I am sympathetic to the Canadians who have lost many teams to the south to the USA. Frankly, I am not interested in watching Carolina v. Tampa Bay play hockey. It is much more interesting and romantic to me to see Montreal or Edmonton play than Anaheim. So, I have scored good points with the Canadians for voicing my opinion of that fact. I am all about Halifax, Hamilton, Regina and Quebec City getting franchises.

So we watch hockey, drink beer and eat pizza. Sounds a lot like what we do back home during football season. And for a short period of time…..I don’t feel like I am in Saudi Arabia. PWT

Rain in the Desert

2010-05-07T16:32:00.003+03:00

These past few weeks, we’ve been having the weirdest weather! I’m just saying this based on what the old timers are recounting: usually, at this time of the year, it’s already unbearably hot with cloudless blue skies! We’ve been having grey overcast days where it threatens to rain until the clouds open up and let all the water fall on our heads! Now, coming from the sub-tropical climate of Louisiana it shouldn’t be a problem…except that Riyadh was built in the middle of the desert where it usually does not rain much. Houses have flat roofs, streets have no gutters and sand on the side of the streets. So, what happens when it rains that is so special?

Well, for one thing, the Saudi children go crazy! I was with a group of 10 year old when it started pouring! The wind was quite violent and the rain was beating on the door, windows and roof. The girls were out of control, scared and jumping at each thunderclap! Older girls had left their classrooms and were outside, in the rain, screaming of joy and terror at the same time! During a previous light rain, a group of boys begged me to let them go play soccer in the rain. As you can see, they are not used to the rain, to say the least.

Another problem with this rain is that the city infrastructure is not built to evacuate rain or to function with all the water. Roads flood, the sandy roadsides end up on the roads mixed with water, quick rain erodes the sand at the bottom of fences and the fences fall down! Water accumulates on the roadways and the Saudi drivers, who usually are not the most cautious drivers on dry days, decide to drive through the waters and get stuck! Traffic comes to a standstill and the city literally shuts down.

Depending on where you are living, you may have heard of school closures due to snow or to hurricane, well, this week, school was cancelled for a rain day. They announced the closure by text message around 8:00 PM the night before. You already know we were totally crushed! Parties around the compound started at about 8:01 PM!! Before going to bed, we left a note for Emma and Alex who were already asleep when the text message came, letting them know that there was no school and not to wake us up. It’s nice to have reading children after all! As you may guess, it did not rain at all on our day off, not that we are complaining!

We did take a drive around town and could not believe what we saw: it may have rained 2 inches but the destruction was unreal. The number of flooded cars abandoned on the side of the roads, the trees fallen all around, collapsed fences, and sand all over the road, a constant reminder that we are, after all, in a desert!

FYI: These pictures were all taken more than 12 hours AFTER the rain!

Emma's weekend

2010-04-02T20:20:00.001+03:00

On Wednesday afternoon, Emma was invited for a "get together" at one of her classmates's house. After calling the nanny for confirmation of the time and date of the event, we went drive her to her friend's house. Worth knew the street so that made navigation easier. We werent't quite sure exactely which house it was, as the map had no house number. We eventually found the house using a football /soccer field across the street as a landmark. Well, the house per se really was not what we would call a house. Looked more like a palace, protected from the street by 10 feet walls covered in white marble, with the house decked similarily! The whole compound was made up of probably 6 to 8 huge houses, each with a squarefootage of 6000 sq ft, this is just an estimate as we are not sure of that and never were invited inside the house!
Emma was invited for the evening, along a bunch of other children, all cousins of some sorts. They played outside, inside, swam in the underground pool... got a tour of the house, with Emma telling us that there is a disco at the pool and in another room. With her new birthday gift cell phone, Emma called us later in the evening, to ask if she could sleep ove, r which she did. She says that the little girls' bedroom is bigger than our villa here (and our house in Copper Mill)! There is even a kitchen and a fridge inside her bedroom! Now, what may look huge in the eyes of a 9 year old may not truly be bigger than our villa...but after seeing the outside of the house, it would not surprise me!
Yesterday, after coming back home, she was invited to another little girl's house for a sleepover. They ended up going to the girl's grandmother's farm where they went camel back riding!
At least one of the family is living the life!

Bridal Shower a la Saudi!

2010-04-01T07:36:00.002+03:00

Last night, I attended a Bridal shower for Maysoun, the finance manager assistant at the school who recently got engaged to get married this summer. She’s one of the nicest and sweetest people at the school and we all wanted to give her a nice bridal shower. Having a party like this is just one occasion to let your hair down, figuratively and literally in the case of several of my colleagues.

Maysoun wears the hijhab (headscarf) and the black abaya everyday at school. So, after seeing her every day, I still had no clue what she would look like with regular clothes. After a while I just got used seeing my colleagues dressed a certain way and took it for granted that it’s the way they look like. Several of the teachers who attended also wear the hijhab daily and again I didn’t know what their hair would look like.

Now I kind of knew that, being a girls only party, they would not cover since they did not have to shy away from men’s eyes. What I was not expecting was how different they all looked like without their hijhab. I definitely would have passed them on the street without recognizing them. It’s just amazing what a difference having styled hair did to their faces. It made them look younger and much more relaxed. And what beautiful hair is hidden, the long, thick and beautiful kind full of body! I know I sound kind of cliché but it really was revealing to see them like that.

The music selection for the evening was all middle eastern and we danced… you can say I was a belly dancing fool, or at least a fool trying to be one. Most of them have a lifetime of practice, so poor little me, with my European upbringing and the two left feet…well you can easily imagine the scene. To make dancing more fun, there were several tie-around the waist embellished scarves to make jingling sounds when dancing. Now, those women could dance! Their bodies had some moves and their bums had a life of their own. Very beautiful and sensual dancing…all for women’s’ eyes! One of them, who was married last summer, told us that her husband had forbidden her from dancing like that because she’s just great at it and very provocative. The poor husband wants to protect his wife from other men’s eyes!

At one point in the evening, we played a game: having been provided with raw materials, in teams we had to design a bridal veil… some interesting designs came about. We also ate some delicious foods. But honestly the dancing was the highest point of the evening…well, maybe after seeing my colleagues’ hair! Amazing how little things you take for granted make an interesting blog entry…

Breakfast at IKEA

2010-03-26T08:17:00.000+03:00

One of the best kept secrets in town as far as Best Breakfast deal is the breakfast at IKEA on the weekend. From 9:00 to 10:00, before the actual store opening at 10:00, carloads of people walk into the IKEA and get the best deal in town. Entire Saudi families, with dad, mom and the average number of kids (seven, according to the latest pole) arrive as well as a faire share of expats also looking for something different to do on a weekend morning. Unbelievably, 4 Saudi Riyals (about a quarter US) buy you a plate with the equivalent of two scrambled eggs, two long beef sausages, two slices of beef bacon and two pieces of toast served with jam. And, all coffee and tea drinks are complimentary... My favorite is their cappuccino!
So, about once a month, we load up and go have breakfast there. It's probably Alex's favorite place to eat...I've never seen a kid eat eggs that fast and with so much energy than when he receives his plate.
As with all eating places around here, seating is divided: one side for single men - tables and chairs separated with a opaque wall partition from the other side for families only. Each family table is separated by its own wall partition with curtains to completly close it off from other dinners. It's actually nice to sit together and not have to worry about seeing thekids misbehaving at the neighboring table... unfortunately, I can't do any people watching with that kind of seating arrangements. There are a few tables without curtains, but that doesn't help with the people watching as all the curtains are closed...

Anyways, after a good hearty breakfast, we can leisurely go on to the store and enjoy the nice lines of the IKEA collections...

Traffic

2010-03-19T07:47:00.003+03:00

It’s funny how a city without much of anything to do would have so much traffic at night! Mind you, there are no movie theaters, no large concert venues, or bars or dance clubs….but man; you would never think traffic could get this bad!!! If you plan on going anywhere at night, at least double the time required in order to get there on time!!! I’m not exaggerating: Interstate 10 at peak hours in Baton Rouge looks like a speedway….

I think part of the problem comes from the configuration of the major “shopping” areas in Riyadh. Although the city has grown over the past 40 years at an amazing rate, it looks like the 4 major streets where all the “good” shopping is located are all interconnected and fit into one square kilometer of each other. If you look at a map, locate the Kingdom Tower, go down Olaya Street and here’s Faisaliah tower…they must be less than one kilometer away from each other. Right after Faisaliah you have Thalia and Thalatheen Streets where all the good restaurants are…So you just get stuck in traffic whenever you go in that area of town. That’s probably one of the funny things around here: stores are grouped according to their specialty. Looking for flowers, turn right on the street after the Kingdom Tower; looking for tires: easy – go to the used car parts souk off of Aruba Street. Chocolate anyone…Thalateen Street is the place to go… so I guess the grouping of stores makes it easy on you to find what you’re looking for…but makes the traffic heavier at times.

Should I also mention that Saudi society is a night society? It’s not uncommon for our students’ mothers and fathers to party all night, send the kids off to school, sleep all day and get up when the kids come back from school. Stores and malls are open every day until 11:00 pm. Dentists see patients from 4:00 pm till midnight…I know this because my colleague’s husband is a dentist and that’s his daily shift! So, people here sleep during the day and live at night. No, the working people have a slightly different schedule: we get up in the morning, go to work, get off work, and go to bed at a reasonable hour. Those who don’t work can do the night life! And the “normal” people get stuck in that night traffic when they dare leave the house at night.

One last reason I can think about to explain this traffic is the traffic patterns and the way drivers deal with the Riyadh streets!! Since we got here, I am not sure how many times I have thought to myself it may be a blessing in disguise that I am not allowed to drive in the Kingdom! For one thing, you have to understand that, fifty years ago, Riyadh was nothing more than a little village. It’s grown tremendously since then, at a rate of adding ONE million people every 5/10 years!! So, you can imagine that the road infrastructure that was here 10 years ago is so totally outdated! There are not enough roads for the millions of cars on the streets… and the roads that are here are all making you turn right down one road for 1 km in order to do a u-turn and turn left…. That’s pretty much the only way to turn left throughout the city.

Add to this chaos the way MEN drive here…(and for once, you can’t blame it on the women….) Let’s say you’re on a four lane highway, you need to turn left…..where do you go? Any right thinking person would place their vehicle in the furthest left lane to make a quick and easy turn…Well, in Saudi, if you need to turn left, ANY lane works…. Being in the furthest RIGHT lane won’t prevent you in any shape and form to turn LEFT…you take your life in your hands when you do this but this is not too infrequent to be cut off at the middle of an intersection by someone going from the furthest lane in the opposite direction. This habit does slow down traffic and create more traffic jam….

So, to sum up this diatribe about traffic….in Riyadh, traffic totally sucks and yes, I am glad (for once) that I am not allowed to drive in this craziness!!!

Proof that drivers and passengers are crazy doing what they call "land skating"

Best Bread in Town

2010-03-10T20:23:00.000+03:00

I've always been a Bread Snob! Growing up I'd be the one going to the bakery and getting fresh bread...some of it would never make it home, being eaten on the way by a "mysterious" mouse... I've always loved good bread and am always looking for that tasty crusty bread. After 15 years of deprivation in the States, I've finally found it!!!
Well, close to the compound there is a little stripmall of stores...nothing much to it, just a little grocery store, dry cleaner, some kind of office AND a bread store. What I call the Bread store is nothing more than a counter in front of a open oven. Set-up is easy: you hand in your ONE Saudi Riyal ( a whooping 25 cents US), grab a plastic bag and when the bread comes out of the oven, you get FOUR, yes you are reading this well, FOUR awesome, hot, crispy and soft flat arabian bread!

We stopped there again tonight to pick a few for dinner. Kids were all excited to see it, as usually Worth stops by himself.... It also was my first time as many of those hole in the wall places usually are for men only! I took a risk today and was not quicked out...always a good sign. I asked the baker if I could take his picture and probably made his day. He was halfway posing while flattening out his rounds of dough into a perfect circle. Then he lightly sprinkles water on a wooden paddle, places the flat round of dough over it, makes a few indentations with his fingertips and skillfully places it on the oven brickfloor! Now comes the hardest part: waiting for the bread to be ready...excrutiating pain, major mouth watering just thinking about its crunchiness! If only you could be here with us to share those four flat breads.... Too bad they don't taste nearly as good when cool....

Ain't this the most beautiful bread in the world?

Prayers

2010-03-09T20:29:00.002+03:00

Five times a day life stops for prayers when the minarets relay the Muezzins’ prayer call to all Faithful Muslims. I don’t know how many mosques are in Riyadh, but I’ve read somewhere that there are enough that you can walk to a mosque from anywhere in the city! Imagine when the calls starts, that it starts almost simultaneously all over the city, that the call is different for each prayer of the day and that you hear it from all directions. In the morning, before sunrise you have Fajer, around noon there is Dhuhr, mid-afternoon is Asr, Maghreb comes later and at sundown Isha. The times for those prayers change daily according to sunrise and sunset, and also change depending on where you are in the kingdom. As a result, the prayer times get later in the day as you move to the west.

After a few months here we are now really attempting to plan our shopping around those times. When the call for prayer is heard, stores, banks and all businesses shut down, iron curtains fall down, store clerks leave their good and either go to mosque or take a break. We’ve been caught several times right at the beginning of prayer and the only thing to do is just wait until the stores reopen. We’re finally wisening up and are now timing our grocery shopping with prayer, entering the store around the beginning of prayer, getting locked in the store and taking care of the weekly shopping during the time when most everything is shut down. Although little stores ask you to leave before close, grocery stores will let you stay during prayer and lock you inside. They dim the lights a bit, out of respect I guess, and let you fill your carts with all the goods you want. As the end of prayer nears, you can see families starting to line at the registers and once the iron curtains open back up, check-out clerks come back and business as usual starts back again.

During prayers, although business life is shut down, traffic doesn’t stop and cars move freely from one place to the next, although you do see, on occasions, cars stopped on the side of the roads and men keeling on their prayer mat, facing Mecca and praying.

Dust Storm

2010-03-09T20:28:00.005+03:00

Discovery of the day: living in the desert means being surrounded by sand. However, if you are thinking that sand here looks like what you’ve walked on the Florida beaches, think again. Depending where you go, which area of the desert surrounding Riyadh you go to, the “sand” goes from hard little rocks and pebbles to the fine stuff the consistency of talc you can’t drive through without having a 4x4 vehicle.

Being surrounded by all that sand does come with pros and cons. Pro: you don’t need to cut the grass twice a week because it doesn’t grow in non-irrigated sand! Pro: The colors of sand change, depending on the light of the day and the sunrays, which makes the desert a tantalizing and beautiful place! Cons: it gets all over, enters all the little crevices. You know how, when you go to the beach and you log sand in your shoes…. Well, living in the desert is that on a daily basis. Given, although Riyadh is in the middle of the desert, the cities, malls, schools, compounds…are all surrounded by concrete. Concrete streets, concrete parking lots, paved sidewalks… But when a lot is not developed, when a hole is dug to plan a tree or build a house, sand is always there, just beneath the surface.

One weird thing linked to living in the middle of the Arabian Desert happens when the wind blows. It starts picking up the sand and blows it all over the place. A couple of weeks ago, we were woken up in the middle of the night, by wind and by our bathroom vent flapping like crazy. We could hear the wind, and after pulling the curtains, it was eerie outside: the streetlights were surrounded by an orange cover. The sand being picked up was landing all over the place, the cars, the streets, the doors, even through the closed windows and doors. In the morning, the dining room table seemed covered with a film of sand. When we opened the back gate of the truck, sand had crept up under the door and all over the back bumper.

It happened again last Friday afternoon, our “Sunday”, when our whole word turned orange. I’m not exaggerating; just everything was surrounded by that orange dust. From Alex’s bedroom window, the view was surreal. What is usually an open view of the desert was just a blur. I did take a picture but it doesn’t do it justice. We tried to go outside and feel it but the sand was everywhere and I really am not too keen on tasting that gritty sand through all the openings of my face!

Worst Sandstorm in Riyadh caught on tape

La Francophonie dans le Royaume

2010-03-01T20:17:00.001+03:00

Bon, je viens de lire le blog d’Eugénie, une des mes voisines françaises dans le compound et elle m’inspire a écrire en français. Ca fait très longtemps que je n’ai rien écrit de substance en français et j’espère que mes lecteurs me pardonneront.

Apres avoir vécu en Louisiane pendant presque 15 ans, on penserait que mon français n’est pas aussi terrible…mais j’ai un manque de pratique flagrant! Il fallait que je déménage de l’autre bout du monde pour le reparler régulièrement… Comment est-ce donc possible d’avoir une telle présence francophone en Arabie Saoudite?

Commençons à l’école. Nous sommes 3 profs de français; Claude est un français de 40 ans, Zoulaikha est une algérienne dans la quarantaine et moi, la petite Belge et la cadette! Donc, chaque fois qu’on se voit on parle français et ca fait du bien. Je ne me rendais pas compte a quel point ca me manquait d’avoir des conversations intelligentes avec des adultes. En classe je parle aussi le français, autant que possible et suis agréablement surprise au niveau de certaines de mes élèves. La plupart ont des profs particuliers qui leur donnent cours plusieurs fois par semaine. Avec une telle intensité, il est normal que leur français soit assez bon! Et puis, elles ont une motivation: aller faire les magasins a paris, lors de leurs séjours a la maison de l’Avenue Foch…non, je ne blague pas…Nombreux parents ont une résidence a Paris, et/ou a Londres, et/ou a New York…Enfin tout ce français fait du bien !

Dans le compound, il y a également plusieurs francophones. J’ai déjà mentionne Eugénie, une jeune française, mari également français et dont la petite fille Agathe – 2 ans- commence à maitriser le français et l’anglais car elle est en crèche a l’américaine ! Il y a aussi Lea et Lina, deux gamines françaises dont le père est français d’origine vietnamienne et la maman est marocaine. Faut aussi que je mentionne Vinciane, une belge du Tournaisis et son mari Pierre Emmanuel, aussi belge. Ils viennent d’agrandir leur famille avec la petite Eléonore, née début décembre. Une nouvelle famille de français vient d’arriver il y a moins d’un mois... La petite Reem et sa famille habite aussi dans le quartier, ainsi que Faong et sa famille… Comme quoi il y a pas mal de francophones, certains dont je connais le nom et d’autres dont je connais juste le nom des enfants avec lesquels Emma et Alex jouent. Il y a également quelques libanais qui parlent aussi français, mais dont le français n’est pas la première langue.

Pourquoi autant de francophones : Carrefour a 3 gros magasins, il y a plusieurs compagnies de construction françaises, il ya aussi Schlumberger, une compagnie pétrolière… il y a une école internationale française assez importante. Dans le quartier, la plupart des femmes restent à la maison la journée et socialisent entre elles. Heureusement, mes nouvelles copines francophones m’acceptent malgré mon statut de femme qui travaille !

Un des avantages d’avoir des francophones dans le quartier c’est que les enfants parlent beaucoup plus français au quotidien. J’adore voir Emma jouer avec Agathe qui a 2 ans et demi. Elle est très attentionnée et super gentille avec elle, une véritable petite maman ! Pour les mamans, c’est chouette de parler français et d’échanger des idées, magazines et livres. Puis, on s’est déjà fait quelques petits soupers très sympas entre francophones…. Ca me rappelle mon groupe de copines francophones à Bâton Rouge. Eugénie nous avait invite pour un diner anniversaire pour son mari Laurent : comme il est chef, il avait préparé du pate de fois gras ainsi qu’un poisson cuit sous croute de sel. Un vrai petit repas gastronomique dans le quartier ! On est également invite la semaine prochaine chez Vinciane et Pierre Emmanuel, le couple belge. Il est le consul à l’ambassade de Belgique et Vinciane travaille à l’ambassade des Pays-Bas. Un des avantages de leurs boulots est qu’ils ont la valise diplomatique et on accès a toutes sortes de choses interdites ici…je ne les nomme pas mais une est un animal avec une petite queue en tirebouchon et l’autre est une boisson juste pour adultes ! On se demande déjà ce que ce diner nous reserve comme surprise !

Donc, on ne s’embête pas trop dans notre nouveau petit monde. J’ai même l’impression que Worth et moi avons plus de « sorties » qu’en Louisiane… toute occasion qui nous permet de sortir du quotidien est la bienvenue ! Avec l’absence de cinéma, bars, discothèques, salles de théâtre dans le Royaume, il fait bien trouver d’autres façons de s’amuser ! Allez, faudra que je raconte ca une fois prochaine !

Masalama ! Au revoir !

Souk

2010-02-18T13:44:00.002+03:00

Living in the Middle East offers one of my favorite places to shop…the SOUK. A souk is the Middle East equivalent to Wal-Mart in terms of the variety of goods they sell, except they date back to before Christ. You have the plastic department, but it is a whole street full of vendors selling plastic. The toy department is a different street and fabrics usually take up a couple streets. In most of the older large cities the souk is usually in the old part of town. Part of the attraction is that the souk is a labyrinth of streets and passageways. There are maps in travel books, but we found the best way to experience a souk is to just explore. If you’ve ever seen movies set in Egypt, you know you’ve seen a souk… Think about Indiana Jones, running in narrow alleyways to outrun his attackers, faced with the numerous merchant stalls, selling their baskets, pots, spices…

What exactly does this SOUK word mean? According to Wikipedia, a souq (Arabic: سوق,) is a commercial quarter in an Arab or Berber city. The term is often used to designate the market in any Arabized or Muslim city. It may also refer to the weekly market in some smaller towns where neutrality from tribal conflicts would be declared to permit the exchange of surplus goods.

What it means for me is a few hours of aimlessly roaming little streets, darting in and out of shops, feeling, touching, smelling, and visually absorbing the sights. I just love to go to the Souk and hopefully won’t tire of it. I guess it gives me an insight into the Arabian culture. The products sold range from rugs, abayas, spices, gold items, knick-knacks and what’s nots that you know you don’t want or need but that you will end up buying regardless. As much as the idea of roaming in the souk is appealing, what’s even more thrilling is the bargaining that needs to take place before a purchase is made. We were told to cut the price in half and start bargaining from there to meet the merchant halfway... So what can at first cost 200 Riyals may end up in the 120/150 range before it’s all set and done. Being “the first customer” can also have its importance. It is believed by many that the first customer of the day, if she leaves your shop without purchasing, is a bad luck sign...so it’s possible to get a much lower price if we are the first customer of the day. I’ve also been told that I was the first customer after prayer..but that may be carrying it a bit far. Anything to get a good deal! Superstition is one thing, abusing of it is too much!

Riyadh has several souks: the one I consider the “newer” is known as the “Kuwaiti souk”. It is located pretty close to our compound, a quick 15 minutes drive without traffic and we have found the “quick” way to get there! One must wander in and out of the many small shops and narrow alleyways. Everything is negotiable. The Kuwaiti souk contains a little bit of everything from household goods, carpets, furniture to abayas, thobes, shoes and dresses as well as gold and spices and food stuffs.

Street stalls that old ladies have are also interesting. The other night, we found the coolest looking Arabian traditional dresses. When we inquired about their price, the lady did not speak a word of English, nor did she understand what we asking her. Emma, with her burgeoning Arabic skills, another child and another merchant worked with us and we finally had the price. What she asked for the dresses was low and we did not have the heart to haggle over their prices.

My favorite Souk in town so far is the Deira Souk, located in the old city adjacent to the infamous “chop chop square” where public executions are still held on Fridays. Deira, like the Kuwaiti souk, is another traditional style souk that goes on and on with a multitude of shops and offerings. Deira is especially known for antique watches, daggers, traditional clothes, hand carved furniture and other items representative of the Kingdom. I’ve been there during the day and after evening prayer and I can say that the atmosphere is totally different! Both times have their advantage: during the daytime shopping as you can really see what you are looking at and it’s not crowded at all; at night the narrow streets are packed and the merchants are more prone to accept lower prices. The street vendors of nuts are always attracting customers and we’ve already made it a habit to get some salted almonds, fresh cashews and pistachios at the end of each of our souk visits.

The weekly Second Hand souk, held on Thursdays, is worth a look too. From the compound, it took almost 45 minutes without traffic, which in Riyadh means it was on the opposite side of town. Its name says it all: a plethora of second hand clothes, party dresses, handbags, and shoes. Also a good place to visit if you are looking for traditional Saudi dresses, like abaya, thobes, headdresses, winter coats… I got myself a party abaya, black silk on the outside, turquoise on the inside, all decorated with sequins and embroidery and I had to pay a whopping five riyals (less than US$ 2) Another five Riyals was spent on a cute party dress for Emma, with organza and silk. Now, of course, this price was achieved after haggling! All the merchants need to hike their price is to see my eyes and hair…and they think it’s OK for them to ask four times as much as they ask the locals! So, the abaya started at 30 Riayls, then I said 5, then he said 20, then I said NO and walked off, to what he said..OK, you take it! About the same happened with the dress!

Another visit is definitely needed to the second hand souk, as it sells gorgeous party dresses. Now, although women are covered from head to toe in black in the public eye, when they get together for a party or a wedding, those gatherings are segregated and all the coverings fall off, revealing the sexiest most intricate designer gowns you can imagine…No, I have not been to one of those YET, but this is what I’ve heard from expats who were lucky to attend a special event…. Anyways, once the party is over, what happens to the dresses? It’s not acceptable to wear them again so they end up in the second hand souk where girls like me may end up buying one! I really was tempted, as I saw some cool designs, all sequined and flashy colors. Before I get one, I need to check with a cleaner and find out if it would be possible to get one cleaned… The intricacy of the dresses in my opinion makes them impossible to hand wash…hopefully they can be dry-cleaned!

The souks are not just limited at clothes and household items… The outskirts of Riyadh is home to one of the largest camel souks in the Middle East. Spread out over several acres there are camels in every color and size, hay and stalls as far as the eye can see. They are available for purchase as food, as assets or as pets. One Friday afternoon, the whole family loaded up the car and went look for the Camel Souk. It was hard to miss, being located right off a major highway and the camels were all visible! We walked around and it soon hit us: the SMELL…Let’s be honest: camels are not pretty smelling and when you put a whole bunch of them in a contained area, their proximity makes it nice for the shopping but hurtful for your nose buds! Camels often wear shiny harnesses and have elaborate seating equipment. Some merchant sells everything that is needed with the camels.

Outside of the Kingdom, I’ve also visited the Dubai Souk, situated in the old part of town. It’s easily accessible by taxi, but once there, it’s a must to take an Abra (a small wooden boat water taxi) to cross Dubai Creek to the spice souk. When Alex, Emma and I had a lay-over of 23 hours in Dubai before flying to Riyadh, we took time to go visit the souk and really enjoyed walking around and savoring the sights and sounds of the fish, fruit and vegetable market as well as the spice souk and doing some window shopping in the Gold souk.

So, on your next visit to Riyadh, we will go together and explore the Souks and you will tell me what you think!

Masalama!

Security

2010-02-16T13:27:00.002+03:00

Living in Riyadh requires us to change several of our “westerners” behaviors. When leaving the house, women need to wear the Abaya, guys can’t wear shorts above the knee. A certain degree of modesty is also needed when dressing the children. No hugging, holding hands or kissing in the streets..PDA are more than frowned upon!

One thing I was not prepared for was the security around Expatriates Compounds… Picture a nice little neighborhood, houses arranged in a large rectangle, with a small block of houses in the middle. The streets are lined with trees and kids ride their bikes around or slide on their ripsticks…nothing out of the ordinary so far. Now, imagine that a wall over 10 feet high rise around the whole group of houses and closes off the neighborhood to the outside. Once you have that mental image of a wall surrounded neighborhood, add a really tall chain link fence, topped with barbwire around the whole perimeter of the compound. It’s not easily climbed over… Cameras are also situated all around the fence, allowing us to view on 2 TV channels the comings and goings of anybody around.

Is this enough to make us feel safe? To provide secure housing for a bunch of expatriates workers and their families? You would think so, but after several attacks in the early 2000’s on compounds and the death of several expats, security around those was heightened and now, each entry is guarded 24/7 by armed Saudi soldiers and private security officers. Before being allowed into the compound, each car is submitted to a search. Headlights are turned off, the hood is opened, battery connector wires are checked, mirrors are placed under the car to check for bombs or other explosive devises. Trunks are also checked… The entry is also littered with speed bumps and makes you drive in zig-zag..no good for me, as I get car sick pretty easily! Only after all these security measures are you allowed inside the compound. Even then, once you are in your Villa, you can turn on two television channels that show the security cameras shots so, in case of attack, you can watch it live on television.

It has now become part of our daily life when coming back home after work, after shopping, after an outing to submit our car to the security searches. Thankfully we live in a pretty small compound and cars are usually checked fast if you are a resident. Outside visitors may have to leave their Iquama (resident card) at the gate, to ensure they will leave fast. Or some are not allowed totally inside. They can drive up to the main gate and have to park their car at the entrance.

So, earlier this week, I had signed up to attend a ladies’ coffee morning, one of those gatherings for stay at home ladies where lots of coffee is drunk, small talk is done and little booths sell odds and ends. Pretty uneventful but it’s a way to get out and see other faces and view amenities at other compounds. I usually don’t get a chance to take part in those, as they take place during the work week. So, I had signed up for coffee morning and several of my girlfriends also had. It was going to be a fun time!

After a 30 minute bus ride, we got stuck in LINE to go through the security gate for over 30 minutes… mind you, that compound had organized this coffee morning, inviting ladies from all over the city to join for a morning of fun and coffee drinking. However, the compound security guys seemed to be unaware of this and were checking each bus and their passengers like they were all security threats. Nevertheless, all the ladies were losing their patience. It was past 10:00 am, coffee morning started at 9:00, would end at 11:30 and we were not seeing the end of this security nightmare! Knowing this, we decided, still not close to getting in, that this particular compound was not worth our time and told the bus driver to just go on back to our beloved small compound.

One thing this whole adventure taught me was to truly appreciate our compound security procedure!

Valentine's Day, Saudi Style!

2010-02-16T11:12:00.000+03:00

If you are a cynical sort who thinks Valentine's Day is only a money grab for florists and candy makers, and that it often puts more strain a relationship than warms it.....you might have a group of friends out there.

"There" is Saudi Arabia.

And "they" are the Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice, aka the religious enforcement police in Saudi Arabia.

This morning I was having a leisurely late breakfast while watching RELIGION AND ETHICS on PBS, and the story came up about how the religion cops in Saudi Arabia are going around busting retailers who are selling Valentine cards, hearts, candies...and even warned about selling anything RED this Sunday.

Meris Lutz wrote this story in The Los Angeles Times about the situation. Below are a few paragraphs.

A spokesman for the Saudi virtue commission, Sheik Ali Qarni, defended the ban on celebrating Valentine's Day on the grounds that Muslims know the true meaning of love -- the love of God -- and behave accordingly throughout the year.
"Muslims are people of love, as evidenced by the fact that this word appears in [the Koran] 83 times," Qarni told the newspaper Al Watan.

The newspaper said Valentine's Day is outlawed based on a fatwa against "pagan holidays."The commission ran ads this week warning shop owners against selling any merchandise related to Valentine's Day, which is Sunday.

Another newspaper, Al Riyadh, ran articles with headlines such as, "A fifth of adults prefer to spend Valentine's Day with their pets instead of their partners," and "Valentine's Day flavored with cocaine in the Netherlands this year."
Well that does it- I was thinking about spending a relaxing couple of weeks in Saudi Arabia....but if I can't bring my extensive Rutgers Scarlet Knights wardrobe, then I'm afraid that's out.

And I used to think that the Republican "purity test" was repressive!

Posted by Hugh Jee From Jersey at 7:52 PM

My take on this: Yes, it is true, nothing in stores was there to remind us of the proximity of Valentine's Day. Same was true for Christmas, by the way! But it was possible to buy flowers, chocolates, and any kinds of presents that were NOT red! In a way, it does simplify the holidays and makes us think about their true meaning! Newspaper did mention that some sotres were bypassing the directives and still selling the RED stuffs. Blackmarket price for red roses was 3 times thier regular price, not that I would know but that was reported in the paper Arab News.
On this note, I hope y'all had a great Valentine's Day and that the Mardi Gras celebrations all were beyond spectacular!

Al Ghat weekend

2010-02-06T20:26:00.002+03:00

We finally experienced Saudi Arabian Hospitality like we had been hearing about and, believe me when I tell you it was really worth the wait. One of the junior Boys had invited whoever was interested to spend the weekend at his family farm. We jumped on the opportunity to get more acquainted with Saudi culture and to get out of Riyadh. So, on Thursday morning, a group of teachers in a three car caravan did the two hour drive to Al Ghat, a small town at the bottom of a huge cliff in the Arabian Desert.

On the way we saw herds of camels, roaming the desert, guarded by a camel shepard, on foot or on the back of his donkey. Although our long-held belief that camels are beige and brown, most of the ones we saw off the highway were a dark-black. It’s always interesting to see them walking behind each other in a nice orderly line. At some points, the Kingdom roads authority even build a bridge OVER the highway for camel crossing. Other times, there were tunnels dug UNDER the highway to serve the same purpose. As an added security measure, the highway was fenced on both sides. I have a sneaky suspicion that this measure was taken after many collisions between crossing camels and incoming traffic..and it is not difficult for me to think of the damage such a collision can bring on to the camels and to the cars!

A little before reaching the exit for Al Ghat, we stopped at one of the gas stations/rest stop/mosk that line the side of any highway you travel. This particular one was pretty well equipped and what should have been a quick fill-up/restroom break ended up taking almost 30 minutes. We all went inside and were surprised to see how well stocked this highway gas stop was! We could have bought all and any desert camping gear we would have wished for, dinner for a family of 15, including meats, roasted almonds and cashew nuts. Of course, the always present drinks and snacks too!

When we reached our destination, our 17 year old host met us at the highway exit and lead us to his family farm. His ride was an amazing Ford F-150 pickup, custom built to meet his desert driving and dune bashing needs…but more on that later. Immediately upon our arrival at the farm, we were led into a comfortable dining lodge and were served a delicious full breakfast, with eggs, omelet, onion-tomato comfit, pancakes, labneh and zatar, fresh fruit salad and juices, milk, coffee and teas. We were waited on by 2 workers in full attire; one was in charge of the teas, the other the food cook. The coffee tables were all laden trays of different variety of dates, all for us to enjoy! This welcome was our first hint that announced a great weekend.

After eating our breakfast, our host showed us our accommodations: the guest quarter set up was ideal. Imagine a street starting with parking places for over 30 cars, a dining room with tables, couches, even a pool table. From there, each side of the street is punctuated by adorable adobe style villas, each providing private accommodations for many guests. The Thompson family was housed in villa 16 in the cul-de-sac at the end of the street. Our villa was a cleverly disguised old trailer with 2 bedrooms, one bath, one living room and one kitchen. From the outside, there was no way of distinguishing the humble origin of our sleeping quarters. Each villa also had its private patio, making it a thoroughly relaxing spot.
After settling in our quarters, we met all up, loaded the cars and left for our first activity, as Mosaed had prepared a full agenda of activities for his guests.

Our first stop was a library/cultural center built by his grandfather. He was very proud to show us that achievement, which again gave us an insight in the Arabian culture. Family is everything and its achievement should be celebrated and regarded with honor. His grandfather saw a need in the community for a library and built one. His grandmother also contributed and built a side for women, as like everything in Saudi Arabia, the library was segregated, with one side for the men and one side for the women. Each side contained computers with internet access, books in Arabic and some books in English. There also was an auditorium magically covered with a tent! The room was really four walls but no ceiling or roof. A tent-like contraption was protecting this whole complex and shed the most wonderful orange colored light over things. As we came in the auditorium, a camera was following us and projected us on a huge screen. This, of course, made the kids’ day...Seeing themselves on a huge screen. In front of the library was a beautiful lush green garden with waterfall and coy pond…do I need to say again that we are in the middle of the desert! Anytime we see green grass or lush vegetation, we know it’s because of irrigation, long hours of yard work and frequent watering. Water is everything in the desert, as you can imagine.

We left the library for our next stop: the date processing factory. Since we’ve arrived in Saudi, we’ve all become quit avid eaters of dates. Our packed lunch always include a few dates, which we were told you could only eat in odd numbers: eat one, three or five, but never just two! So both Worth and I were really glad to finally find out how they sort the dates and their packing process. We arrived at the factory and were again received the VIP treatment, including sparkling date-apple juice and the five dates variety processed at the plant. We all donned on surgical hats and masks and were shown the different stations, starting at the dumping station, the pressured air station, the brushing station, to finally see the conveyor belt and the workers sorting and packing the dates. To quote Worth:”I could go back to Riyadh now and be happy!” He really enjoyed learning about dates! Thankfully this was not the end of the weekend and we still had so much to see!

On the drive to the date processing plant, we had seen ruins of what looked like an old Arabian mud house village. We asked our host about it and he immediately offered to take us there as this was the village where his grandfather and great grandfather used to live. We packed the cars and followed him there. What we had first called village ruins turned out for the most part to be just that, old walls, build of mud and twigs who had given up the fight against the Arabian wind and sand… However, some of these were still in passable condition and one in particular stood out as it was in pristine condition. Of course, we stopped right in front of that beautifully restored mud house!

Our host took us in and filled us on its history: his great-grandfather had built it over 160 years ago and his family lived in it for over 100 years until they moved to a more modern location about 40-50 years ago. The restored house was truthful to the original, including small windows, doors through which you had to watch your head, winding stairs and a roof top viewpoint. The woodwork all looked hand scrapped and even gave the impression of artisanal work. The house’s purpose is now a guest house for the farm guest. The restoration was just completed and we were not its first guests.

Hopefully, if we are invited again, we would love to stay in that house to feel its history! A room that used to serve as date storage, with 2 compartments still stained with date juice and with the smell of date still lingering has been turned into a computer center. Another room, at the top of the stairs leading to the second floor has been turned into an Arabian living room, with a huge oriental rug on the floor and floor cushions all around, probably one of the most comfortable rooms I’ve seen here. We all sat down and just started visiting… The only thing missing was either some delicious sweet tea or must unlikely in the Kingdom a nice drink.

By now, it’s after 3:00 PM and our host is inviting us for lunch back at the farm. We expect to be lead back to the dining room where we had breakfast but instead are lead to the official reception banquet hall. As we walk in there, we can feel the passage of many leaders of Saudi Arabia. The room is filled with photographs of important figures in the history of the Kingdom. There are several photographs of the current ruler, Kind Abdullah at various family functions, as well as some of our host as a young child, riding his horse and showing the resemblance with his grandfather. The room is also decorated with weapons and an antique copper tray that must have played an important part in the family history. His grandfather was the uncle of King Fahd after all, so it’s normal that the family picture be all over the room!

So, we had lunch…full blown lunch including two sheep served over a bed of rice, each on a platter about 3 feet in diameter! Other items on the menu were eggrolls and Chinese noodles, eggplant “caviar”, sweet potatoes, a cucumber-mint salad…and let’s not forget the dessert spread! Kids seated together while we enjoyed a round table for the ten adults. Our host sat with a bunch of his friends at another table. After lunch we enjoyed a short rest time, changed up for the desert and loaded in 4x4. After asking them how rugged the terrain was, we left our SUV behind, not daring to bring it for a spin in the desert. A short 15 minute drive and we were faced with the most magnificent set-up: on top of a large hill/dune was erected an authentic black Bedouin tent, complete with oriental rugs on the floor, teapots on a burning fire and men in authentic Saudi thobes and gutra. We all spread out and enjoyed the vista: red dunes complete with wind ripples on the top of the sand. The place was so quiet...no cars, no birds, no humming of any kind… After obligatory sand and dunes pictures we all packed in the 4x4 vehicles for some dune bashing…

OMG! How did I live to this age without ever doing this…Dune bashing was probably one of the most exhilarating, crazy fun and utterly irresponsibly dangerous thing I have done! We had two vehicles: a supped up custom modified Ford 150 with a super charged V-8 engine and over 500 horse power. The other one was just a Nissan Patrol. A lot of us packed into the truck cabin and bed! I know, now in retrospect, I realize how crazy it was to do this, but we had so much fun, going up and down on those hills, bouncing all over the place in the truck bed… We were all screaming so loud in the pickup I’m surprised none of us ended up with hearing loss! So, at one point, we were going up a hill and BAM! The truck got stuck in the sand. The more the driver tried the worst off the stuck was! We all got off, started looking, pushing, digging, wondering until one of us called the Nissan Patrol to come pull us out…with a slight difficulty, they were stuck too! How we laughed at that; too funny. The whole crew, both cars are stuck in the middle of the desert. I guess the Nissan was not as bad off as us (or we worked harder to get their vehicle out…pwt) because they eventually showed up and pulled the F150 out using its installed wench! That whole rescuing did not take longer than 30 seconds. Amazing how quick it was! I had been driving in the back of the pickup but decided to ride back in the Nissan… As you can guess, the truck made it back to the tent before us, while the Nissan got stuck again…we all tried to push and pull and even rock it to no avail…so we called yet another car to the rescue who could not get their wench unwound. So they brought us back to the tent, picked up a few pieces of wood and went back to rescue the Nissan.

After all this excitement I was worn out. It was already past 7:00 PM. The rest of the group had gone back to the farm to freshen up and rest before dinner. We had less than 2 hours to wait, so Worth, Ric (another teacher) and I decided to just chill at the tent! That was definitely the best choice! The tent was what is called here a black tent, made of goat hair. It’s mostly black with stripes of white at specific spots. The sand floor was covered with three huge oriental rugs and scattered on its perimeter were big fabric covered rectangular prisms used as pillows to lean on. So, the three of us sat down, propped up on a pillow and were immediately served tea. One of the workers only job was to make and serve tea. You would think that’s a pretty easy job but you would be wrong. This man had several tea pots on the campfire, to boil water and to keep the prepared tea warm. Over the course of the evening, we had 4 kinds of beverages: typical black tea sweetened with loads of sugar, the freshly grated ginger tea, the ginger milk and the Arabian cardamom coffee. And as good guests, lounging in the tent, we had to sip each and every one of them!

As the evening progressed, so was our knowledge of the Arabian culture and the best way to pick dates! There were two platters of dates and Nasser, one of the old men there, saw me pick a date. He shook his head and said “no, not that one!”, then he proceeded to show me how to pick THE best date from the pack. I soon became an expert, looking for his approval after picking a date. When Worth picked one, I stopped him and showed him which one would be a better one, which made Nasser truly laugh out loud! We just chilled for a while.

When the rest of the group joined us, the evening party truly started. Our host also brought a variety of meat for the barbecue: chicken and beef kebabs, ground chicken with spice kebab, lamb and goat chops, burgers and hotdogs. Mosaed and his friends all took over the barbecue cooking, before realizing they had forgotten all the flipping and turning barbecue tools…but they managed by burning a few fingertips and even using a Styrofoam plate (imagine when they laid it on the barbecue…thankfully one of them reacted fast and the plate only had three holes! A group of 17 year olds can be very resourceful and the barbecued meat turned out delicious! What we did not realize was that this was only the appetizer!

We then all were led back to the tent where eating areas had been set up, with a large plastic round tablecloth laid over the Persian rug. We all sat cross-legged in a circle and the large dish with the cooked goat was laid out in front of us. The goat had been cooked INSIDE a fire pit dug in the ground. It was placed on a platter over the fire, covered with some fabric and then covered with sand. To take it off the fire, the cooks had to slowly shovel the sand off the top of the fabric wrapped goat. We were told that this is a very traditional way of cooking goat but also that many Arabian may never had had it that way. Like some of our friends in Louisiana would say, this is kind of like a Cajun Microwave, but I personally think it was way cooler and laden with tradition!

The evening started winding down… All our eyes were getting heavier, some were yawning..It was time to call it a night, but our host wanted to show us something else. The boys were planning on going gerbil hunting and explained us their procedure. Armed with a huge floodlight, they roam the dunes in their 4x4. When they see a gerbil, they flood it with light and the poor little creature freezes in sheer terror. They insisted it was so much fun, but we were so exhausted that we did call it a night. It did sound fun though. We made it back to our cabin and just collapsed…Next thing we knew it was 10 am and we were going to be late for breakfast, which was being served at 10:00! Again, food was a full spread and delicious!

Our last activity for the weekend was a tour of the farm.. We drove around the farm and saw a variety of animals, going from horses, pigeons, goat, sheep, rabbits, and even ostriches! Most of these animals are for their own consumption…we did eat two sheep and one goat over the weekend after all! The farm also has its own date processing plant, just for the dates grown on site.

The end of the weekend was getting near and soon time came for all of us to load up our cars and bid farewell to our host. As a parting gift, each of us received two 5kgs boxes of dates, one filled with almond stuffed dates, the other with mandarin stuffed dates. So, not only did we have a great time discovering another side of Saudi, but we left happy, tired, and fed with dates for a long time! This weekend was really unforgettable and will stay with me for a long time. Dates, Dune bashing, Tea drinking, black tent, fire pit cooked goat will forever mean Saudi hospitality!

Sri Lanka

2009-12-31T17:31:00.000+03:00

It would be a fair assessment to say that none of us would have told you that we would spend this Christmas in Sri Lanka if you had asked us a year ago where would be celebrating the holidays. However that is where we were and it was an amazing experience. For those readers who think of Sri Lanka as part of India, you would be wrong. Certainly India has had an effect on the people and culture of the Island but Sri Lankans have a culture all their own. I had always wanted to go to ‘Ceylon’ as it was known in my youth but had never really considered going there until we arrived in Saudi Arabia.

We were keen to travel in the region but have found flights to be quite expensive out of Saudi Arabia and even went to a travel agency or two to get prices on a Christmas vacation but found nothing within our budget. Some fellow teachers had taken their November holiday there and said the Island was wonderful. All we really knew was that the civil war had ended a few months before and there was not a resurgence of violence. Chris checked for flights on her own and found that we could get there as a family for half of what the travel agents were charging. Also, in our favor was that Chris knows a fellow IB trainer, Anne Evans, who had been to Sri Lanka to help train early childhood teachers and she could set us up with a person to help us get a tour. Karu Gamage is a native Sri Lankan who had worked with Anne and he made us a suggested itinerary, recommended hotels and even had a driver arranged for us. His help was invaluable to us on having such a wonderful trip and we will remain forever grateful. We were somewhat worried about the trip when a week before we arrived, Karu had a heart attack. However he kept up with us through Facebook and his daughter e-mailed us to keep us abreast of his condition and what would happen for the trip.

We boarded a Sri Lanka Airlines jet on the 23rd out of Riyadh at 11:00 pm and made the five hour flight to Colombo with little fanfare as we arrived on Christmas Eve. The flight was notable for two reasons. The alcohol was free and started flowing over Saudi Airspace and the female cabin crew was abuzz about the new secret uniforms that would be unveiled at the start of the new year.

After getting through customs, we met our driver, Gihan Mahesh. Gihan is a 27 year old Sri Lankan who has a wife and child and would be our driver and tour guide over the next week. He loaded us in a Toyota van and we headed north toward the ancient city of Kandy.

On this first day, we stopped at an elephant orphanage run by the government. There were probably 50-60 elephants and we were able to pose for pictures in front of the herd with the beautiful mountains of Sri Lanka in the background. While there, the elephants needed a bath so they were herded to a river across the road we came in on and we followed to watch the elephant’s bath in the river. The river scene was beautiful and surreal as if it were something you would watch in a National Geographic special.

We left there and went to a privately owned elephant tourist attraction where the four of us rode the elephant for 20 minutes. It was fun, but any longer would have meant the end of our vacation as Chris and I spent the next two days suffering from leg cramps from having to ride such a large animal. We didn’t realize that these elephants were the same size as African elephants and are much larger than those found in India.

We then stopped about 4 miles down the road at a spice garden. There, we were taken through a path of well swept dirt on a tour of the various types of trees, spices and plants that were grown. It was a very educational tour and of course we had to buy some of the ‘organic’ products that they offered. In the end we bought some of the lower priced goods but enough to make the time the guide took us on worthwhile.

Our next stop was quite shocking when we arrived and there was Santa Claus. We saw him dressed in full regalia at a tea plantation. He had the beard pulled all the way up below his eyes. At the plantation factory we saw how tea was processed and given sample cups of tea. There was a grading process and drying process and we saw both. We bought a great deal of this very strong tea and love it so much more than Lipton. Also interesting is the fact that the 100 year old factory is still using the same equipment that they started with. These electrical machines were built to last.

We ended the day in Kandy where we visited the Buddhist temple of the relic of the Tooth. Apparently, there is a piece of the Buddha’s tooth there with this site being considered very sacred. It was also the home of a terrorist attack several years before by the rebel faction that was just defeated by the government forces in the civil war. The temple is an interesting place but nothing of amazing grace or beauty. We checked into our hotel which was quite literally on a hillside above Kandy. This room was well appointed and quite nice. It was a new hotel and we had a wonderful room that had A/C and views of the city. This room proved to be the highlight of the trip. I won’t go into details about the other places we stayed, but 2 star hotels they were not. All of them had one issue or another from lack of A/C to the four of us sleeping on one bed, to being 50 yards from a railroad track where trains passed every 15 minutes during the day. We chose to go budget and we got budget. None of the rooms were filthy or dangerous however. Some were just less comfortable than others.

Our second day was primarily a transit day where we went from Kandy to the southern coast. We could have gone on a wild elephant safari but had already spent 6 hours in the car, would have done another three hours on the safari and then another few hours on the road to the hotel. We decided to skip that and just go ahead to the beach.

Along the way we drove through villages and larger towns, rubber plantations, tea plantations, and rice paddies framed by beautiful soaring mountains and the ubiquitous King coconut tree.

The king coconut is an yellow/orange coconut that is sold for various prices around the island depending on what the seller thinks he can gouge the tourist for. We paid anywhere from 50 rupees to 20 rupees (.46-.16 cents US) for a coconut. The seller would then take out his knife, and chop off the top and then chop down making a hole in the coconut for you to then drink out the fresh coconut juice. We have never seen Alex so happy as when he got that first coconut and started drinking. The juice is clear and sweet and oh so coconutty. Chris and I agreed that it was absolutely the most refreshing drink we had on the trip. It can then be split and the Jello textured flesh can be scraped out and eaten. It is even used to make soups with and we found out to how good effect that was on our fourth night when we went to a beachside restaurant next to our hotel. Chris had seafood soup that was a cream based soup that had a decided coconut juice flavor.

We spent two good days on the beach. The sand was amazingly soft and the waves from the Indian Ocean came in hard and fast. There were large rocks in the ocean and surrounding the beach, there were coral reefs that could be seen just off of the shore and the beach was littered with pieces of coral. The people we met on the beach were particularly fascinated by Alex and Emma. There would be times where each kid could be surrounded by as many as 10 people talking to them, asking, “What is your country? What is your age? Your name is?” We were a little nervous with this at first but the people were always polite with the children and the kids never felt uncomfortable. Alex must have had his head rubbed about 1200 times. For the most part we feel that this curiosity was based in the fact we weren’t in the ‘tourist’ areas. We were where Sri Lankan tourists would go on vacation and that is who we saw. Many had likely seen Anglo people before but not with small children. Sir Lanka is full of German and American backpackers, surfers and hippies. But family vacations are a new cottage industry there.

Perhaps the greatest concern I had on the trip was food. I am not a curry eater and I saw myself eating a great deal of the amazing fruit they have such as bananas (which are about 2 inches long), pineapple, mango and papaya. To my surprise, I rather liked the curry. The Sri Lankan version and that of India is far different. The Sri Lankan version is very hot but does not have that curry taste that I don’t care for. We ate a great deal of seafood and there was a lot of tourist inspired dishes. I very much like calamari and had that dish in various forms three times on the trip. The kids ate well except eating curry at breakfast was a little too much to ask of them. They generally stuck to juice, tea and toast.

We also spent an afternoon snorkeling. Chris and Emma took to it like ducks to water. They swam and snorkeled and we saw lots of coral and fish. It was really very good and an activity we hope to do soon in the Red Sea where the snorkeling is said to be spectacular. Alex couldn’t muster his courage to do this activity. It’s a big ocean and he is a little man and just couldn’t conquer his desire to stay in the boat. On the way in we saw an olive sea turtle and followed it around as it came up for air. This was a sneak preview of the next day’s trip to the sea turtle hatchery. Sea turtles have had a rough go of it but locals have been persuaded to find eggs and bring them to a hatchery where they are born, kept three days and then sent off to the ocean. Most will still die before age one but are given a huge leg up just to get a little time on their sides before they set of on their sea journeys. The hatchery we went to allowed us to pick up one and two day old turtles as well as some as old as three that they keep for demonstration purposes. We even saw two turtles that would have died in the wild because they were brought with their front flippers amputated due to damage they suffered in the Tsunami of five years ago.

We also went to a moonstone mine. Shafts are dug vertically up to 70 feet down and then sideways up to 300 yards. Water is constantly seeping into the hole and has to be pumped out and men are in there with candle light as they dig out sand and gravel which has to be hand cranked to the top and then panned like gold to get the gravel where moonstones and other precious stones are taken out. The working conditions are inhumane and would never pass any semblance of safety in our country. We saw the other workers polish stones and make jewelry. We bought Chris a beautiful moonstone necklace and Emma a moonstone ring. It was a very humbling experience and one that Chris will forever remember…That necklace literally is the result of back breaking hard work!

On the trip we also went to tour Colombo, Galle and its Portuguese fort with all of the small antique shops and gem stores. We went to a mask factory, and viewed Tsunami devastation along the way. But what we will really remember is the generosity and caring of the people.

Ladies Only!

2009-12-22T18:16:00.000+03:00

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far far away lived gorgeous ladies, all clad in black from head to toe. When in the confines of their house, they would loose their so-called Abaya and wear designer clothes, all in the latest fashionable colors and cuts. However, as soon as they left their houses, they had to cover with their black Abaya, in order to follow the Kindgom's laws and regulations.

Life under that Abaya is not all the time that sweet. Imagine going up and down escalators, not only having to watch your step, but making sure your Abaya does not get caught in the moving stairs. Walking down stairs can oftentimes be tricky too. It really bring s on a new meaning to the often heard expression "Watch your step"! At the mall, you will see groups after groups of the ladies in their Abayas. As a child, how would you recognize your mom as ALL the other moms are dressed the same? I figured that before leaving for the store, the moms make sure to point out the shoes they are wearing and the handbag they will be carrying that day. After a hard day of shopping, A great coffee seems well incicated: imagine having to sip your delectable hot beverage through a straw in order to not let strangers peak at your face ... Forget about eye contact when having a conversation, if the lady is wearing the full burka ... Sometimes, you will be able to view her beautifully made-up eyes through a slit of black fabric. Another huge caveat of the Abaya is its color, in the hot Arabian Summer Sun ... Black as we all remember from our science classes absorbs the heat ... so imagine yourself wearing a synthetic fabric abaya in 50 degrees F heat!

Now, what about some of the advantages of being a woman in Saudi Arabia ... For one, you don't drive so no need to worry about knowing the way to get somewhere ... you just tell the driver where you want to go and you chat with your gal pals all the way there. Also, you never have to worry about finding a parking place. Your shoes will not get damaged from hitting the floor when pushing on the pedals ... At the restaurant, you go to the Ladies / family section, away from the stares of single guys and you can enjoy your time alone / with the family / with the girlfriends without worrying about being harassed / accosted or addressed by strangers .... One of the newest malls here has a LADIES ONLY level, where ladies can uncover and enjoy coffee, shopping and pampering all among ladies. Even wait staff and store workers are ladies .. none of them wearing the Abaya. Some malls also have ladies only stores where the staff is not covered and where you are more than welcomed to take the Abaya off when browsing.

I've discovered a ladies only Spa, Salon and Boutique Hotel ... Haven't had a chance to get pampered there yet, but I will before I leave the city ... The staff is so welcoming and the atmosphere is just relaxing. Again, that will be an adventure to be shared with several girlfriends and we'll make it a day trip ... in the middle of town geographically but miles away from the sometimes gender-biased atmosphere.

But my favorite so-far is going to a specific bank and its ladies section. I've visited that branch twice, to cash my paycheck and get brand new Abdullaziz .... Again today, upon entering the branch, I was greeted with smiles and truly felt welcomed. The entire bank staff is female and none of them are wearing the Abaya. I was seated at a desk, handed my check to the teller. Meanwhile, while the teller is entering the millions of numbers and codes needed to cash a check, I was served a delicious perfectly sugared and milked coffee, with a tall glass of water AND a scrumptious chocolate. I'd go to that bank daily if I could ... but gosh, I have to work to earn the paycheck so that I can go cash at my favorite bank at the end of the month!!! Oh, and the best of all, my dear driver (Worth not to name him) was patiently waiting in the car, under the hot sun, listening to Arabic radio station, without a sip of water in sight while I was having my Ladies Only banking adventure. There is some justice in this world!

Marine Corps Ball

2009-11-21T07:21:00.001+03:00

Yesterday, Worth and I attended our first Embassy function with a handful of our colleagues. The way to get started is to be invited by someone who is already involved in the Expat community. The tickets cost us 200 Saudi Riyals each, a little over US 50$ per person. The function was formal, so I wore my full-length ball gown and Worth who does not have a tux, wore a suit. The evening started at 6:00, with the doors opening at 5:00 and we were advised to be there for 5:30 because the lines get long due to the security checks! Unlike our compound security which is a running joke amongst residents here, the Embassy takes it beyond seriously. In fact, Worth had to go back outside and turn in his key to the rental car because it had a remote unlocking sensor.

We left the compound at 5:20, dropped to kids at two of their friends where they were spending the night and we were off. The Diplomatic Quarters are less than 10 minutes from the house. To get in there, we went through 2 check-points: imagine very curvy road blocks, where you have to basically zigzag to avoid the concrete blocks. I had to laugh at how I must have looked sitting in the car. I am wearing my black abaya over my beautiful gown, just to get into the DQ. The diplomatic complex is quite vast, organized behind barbwire fences and with two entry checkpoint and one exit only. The embassies are organized around 9 roundabouts. It’s surprisingly green and has lots of trees. The American Embassy sits towards the back of the DQ with a huge parking lot in the back where all of the guests left their car. Before entering the embassy, we went through another check point, where we were asked to leave ALL electronics…so no cameras, cellphones, NOR remote-entry keys were allowed in the embassy. Worth had to leave the keys in an envelope and was given his claim ticket. Imagine that over 500 people attended this function..that makes a whole bunch of envelopes!

After going through the X-ray machines, metal detectors and handheld detectors, we were finally inside the US embassy complex. The abaya I wear has some metallic ‘bling’ that caused the metal detector to go off and required that they search me with the hand held want. The ball was taking place inside a large courtyard and was accessible through an underground parking lot… Remember that we access this event from the back of the embassy!

The set-up was amazing! They had strung “icicles white Christmas lights” across the courtyard, and the large round tables, with 2 color contrasting tablecloths, beautiful fresh-flowers centerpieces, wine and water glasses and pressed cloth napkins. As we entered the courtyard, we were greeted and shook hands with each one of the Marines there. The last one even handed me a red rose and we both received commemorative pilsner glasses - what irony to have that in a dry country!

We found the master of ceremonies who showed us the seating chart. There were over 40 round tables each seating 10 people plus several large rectangular tables. Overall I would say about 500 people were attending. Our table was toward the back, so pretty far from where the ceremony was going to take place BUT close to the buffet lines AND the BAR!

The ceremony recognizing the Marine Corps started at 7:00 PM with a good old Christian prayer, while at exactly the same time you could hear the call for prayer. It was quite surreal to listen to the prayer and hear the call for prayer at the same time. I just loved it.

The Ambassador stood and did his speech which carried the hallmark of all good speeches….It was short. Then his wife read a letter from Secretary of state HRC.

Then it was dinner time, with buffet lines…Oh, so sweet dinner…Two pigs had been roasted and cut in pieces, with some especially crispy skin. We even found some pork ribs! Tempura shrimp and vegetables, smoked salmon, and prime rib too. All sorts of salads, vegetables and breads were available as well. Now, knowing me, I left some room for dessert…and that was a good decision: carrot cake, chocolate mousse, cheesecake, petits fours, various Arabian desserts, pecan pie, apple pie…

After dinner, the ball itself started. We had wonderful conversations with the people at our table and did a bit of drinking. I was especially fond of a juice cocktail mixture that you can buy here which tasted REALLY good with Ciroc Vodka!

We left there at 11:30, tired, a little tipsy but happy to have attended our first (of many, we hope) functions at the US Embassy in Riyadh!

A "regular" birthday party

2009-11-13T09:17:00.002+03:00

(The lack of names, specific locations and pictures are out of respect and to guarantee the privacy of the people involved.)

Alex was invited to one of his classmates’ birthday party yesterday. Since it was the first invitation he had received, we decided to take him. To start, the invitation looked just like a regular birthday invite from the USA. The invitation had balloons, “you’re invited”, and a map… The only REAL difference was the map. Instead of showing where the house was, it indicated a WHOLE city block as the location of the house. This was our first indication that wasn’t just a regular birthday party! Since we are still new in Riyadh and streets don’t have names well indicated (or written in English) we really had no idea where this whole city block was located! So, I called the number on the invitation and talked with someone who asked me if I knew where certain locations were, which I didn’t know ANY of them… After a while of this, he just offered to come get me and bring me to the party, so we were going with our private chauffeur.

So, Alex and I arrived to the house. It is guarded and is behind huge walls (pretty usual here, but these walls were really high, and the entrances were multiple.) The driver honks and a beautiful wooden ornate entry gate opened and we are let in. There is a drive-way leading to the house, with trees all over the front and a beautiful green lawn (remember, it’s the desert here). The Driveway was particularly fascinating because it was not concrete…it was all marble tiled. The house that I should probably refer to as the mansion was all faced with marble too, and was either 4 or 5 stories high. We are led to the back of the house in a huge courtyard where the party is held.

There, I see one of my grade 6 girls and finds out that she’s the big sister of the birthday girl! She’s very happy to see me and ran to hug me, called her little sister who is very happy to see Alex. The little ones take off running after each other, playing tag and hide and seek. Although we arrive on time, we are the in the first ones there. I see about 10 large round tables, all decked with table cloths, with covered chairs and centerpiece decoration (what you usually see at formal weddings). There are also plastic lawn chairs, all along a wall. I am not sure where to sit so I head that way. My student grabs my hand and says that I cannot sit there, because that’s for the nannies! So I put my abaya and purse down at one of the table. Still holding my hand, my student takes me around the house and tells me that this is her grandmother’s house, that her house is under renovation and they’re having the party here, on the women’s side (as there is a whole other side reserved for the men on the grounds of the house). She takes me and shows me the full-size grass soccer field, the pool house with an Olympic sized indoor heated pool, the playground for the grandkids. It was nothing unusual for her to show all this to her teacher! It is what she’s used to and it does not occur to her that some of us may not ever have seen such a spread of wealth and privilege.

She guided me back to the party area. The guests start arriving, each time accompanied by their own nannies. Before the end of the evening, there must be over 40 nannies sitting on those plastic patio chairs! Moms and dads are not there. I was one of the very few moms there. After a while the father the birthday girl came by to survey the scene and stayed for about 5 minutes. The birthday girls’ mom arrived a little after the father has left and will stay for the remainder of the evening. So, who was taking care of it all? The maids, nannies and various workers were working to make the party a success! The mother never got up the whole time, except to visit with the other very few moms. I went talk to her and she was just very nice. She seemed genuinely glad to see us there and visited with me for a while.

As for attractions and activities, the children were not disappointed. There were 2 large inflatable jumpy thing, pop-corn and cotton candy machines, a stage with light that would rival with the Varsity and a D-J mixing table ready for any party! The stage was covered with a large Persian rug and another one was laying in a corner of the courtyard…because later on a clown was in charge of entertainment with magical tricks, games, make-up, dancing on the stage… Alex was very happy and kept busy all evening. The older girls put on a talent show, with amazingly organized choreography. I have the sneaky suspicion that they do those pretty often as they have certain moves that go with certain songs and they all know these. I also have seen them browse youtube and watching videos to learn the moves (they were doing that when we arrived)

Party started at 6:00PM, by 9:30 the food was brought on the large table! The spread included hummus, mini pizza, white rice with a parsley sauce, hotdogs, chicken wings, French fries, curly fries, spaghetti and two huge cakes! We all sang happy birthday and then all the nannies fixed their child a plate of food, sat them at the tables and went back sit in their plastic chairs. During that time, I started talking with the mom about the green parsley sauce (and I cannot remember its name) telling her that it was really good and asking her what was in it…Before I know it, the mom brings me a covered dish with about half a gallon of the green sauce for me to take home. There was nothing I could have done but accept graciously the dish! She also tells me that everything was fixed in-house by her kitchen staff, that nothing was brought from the outside, because and I quote “you never know what could be put in there!” Remember that we are dealing with some members of the Saudi Royal family and you can’t be too careful. All the food was delicious and the children (and moms and nannies) were all ravenous by the time it was served!

Since this was our first party in a Saudi home, I wasn’t sure what to expect…well, in a nutshell, it was a regular birthday party thrown by (almost) regular folks. Unfortunately I did not get to see the inside of the house…but as I was saying my goodbyes to the mom, she thanked me for coming and said that I needed to come visit her in her house soon, to which I replied that I would love to! So, if that invitation comes through, it will most certainly be another blog entry.