Saying Goodbye

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

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!

Women driving, really!

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

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!

Men's Fashion

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!

Camel Crossing

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

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

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

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! 

What a sandstorm feels like...

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

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!

Guest Blogger: Sister in Law Elaine

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

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”

Rain Day

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!

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

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!

Tahra Tying Lesson

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...

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!

At the Border

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!

A culinary victory

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!