Return to the Magic Kingdom

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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?

 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

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…