To me it shouldn't be that hard to find a pair of pants. It's not like I'm some weird size that can only be found in the US. People come in a variety of sizes here in the Kingdom--they're not all slender. But I've had the hardest time finding a pair of pants.
The sizes are European--which I can never convert in my head--so that makes it difficult to find a pair. Then if I do find a pair that looks like it might fit there are no dressing rooms to try them on (that protection thing--somebody would probably try to peak).
I finally found a store--Marks and Spenser--that had US sizes. I looked and found some slacks. Then I noticed something--something that I had seen before but didn't pay attention to--the pant lengths are all odd numbers (29, 31 and 33). I'm a 32 length. I held up the 31--they seemed ok. The store clerk assured me they would fit. I bought them and brought them home--they didn't fit. Too short for me. So we had to go back and exchange them--which was a very easy process at Marks and Spencer (it a British store with over 830 stores worldwide). I bought the 33 length. They look nice--but...I really wish they had 32. I asked the store clerk why they didn't have even sizes but he didn't know--he only knew what sizes they had.
Now I understand why most expats take an empty suitcase back to the US with them--they stock up on clothes that fit--haha. So next year--Kohls watch out because I'm going to need some new pants--that fit.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Bright lights, Big city
Now that Laurie and Timmie are here I get to see more of the city--at night. When I was here alone I went out anytime I wanted--which was normally after work and I was usually back before dark. However, Timmie has school and Laurie is at work until around 4. Most stores don't open until 4--after the noon prayer they close--but Laurie needs a chance to wind down and we have to eat (unless we eat out--which we've been doing but we're starting to get tired of it--only one more trip to Subway and our card will be filled). We don't usually leave the house until 6ish--and even then we may get caught during prayer time (some stores kick you out others let you stay but you're locked in and can't leave until after the prayer is over).
It's not that the malls or stores are that far away but the traffic--unreal. Riyadh is tearing up roads, there are detours and it seems that traffic is more congested. It seems to take forever to shop and we don't usually get back until 8 or 830--and then it's time for Timmie to go to bed. While we're out the bright lights come on.
To me Riyadh is pretty at night with all the different colored lights. There's an energy to the place at night--during the day I don't "feel" that energy. There are so many cars on the roads and so many families shopping (if you get to the malls in the morning around 0900 you'll see other expats but very few Saudi's--though some of the Mamas do come out that early).
The Saudi's I know don't go out during the day--they go out at night--they're amused when i tell them I went shopping during the day. The air is cooler, the men are home from work, it's family time. This is a different concept for me since I'm used to being home at night--all the shopping was done during the day by Laurie or me on my home from work. I didn't go out at night in San Angelo unless I had to and even going to HEB at night annoyed me (and that was 2 miles from the house). But here I've embraced the night shopping.
I'm curious to see what it will be like next month during Ramadan. Then everything is closed during the day and only open at night. I've been told that if I think driving is crazy now--well Ramadan is crazier (maybe it's because they can't wait to eat). We're waiting to see what our work hours will be for Ramadan. Last year it was 1000-3pm--5 hours--and we got two weeks off (paid!). But no matter if it's Ramadan or just a normal night--the bright lights are beautiful in this big city.
It's not that the malls or stores are that far away but the traffic--unreal. Riyadh is tearing up roads, there are detours and it seems that traffic is more congested. It seems to take forever to shop and we don't usually get back until 8 or 830--and then it's time for Timmie to go to bed. While we're out the bright lights come on.
To me Riyadh is pretty at night with all the different colored lights. There's an energy to the place at night--during the day I don't "feel" that energy. There are so many cars on the roads and so many families shopping (if you get to the malls in the morning around 0900 you'll see other expats but very few Saudi's--though some of the Mamas do come out that early).
The Saudi's I know don't go out during the day--they go out at night--they're amused when i tell them I went shopping during the day. The air is cooler, the men are home from work, it's family time. This is a different concept for me since I'm used to being home at night--all the shopping was done during the day by Laurie or me on my home from work. I didn't go out at night in San Angelo unless I had to and even going to HEB at night annoyed me (and that was 2 miles from the house). But here I've embraced the night shopping.
I'm curious to see what it will be like next month during Ramadan. Then everything is closed during the day and only open at night. I've been told that if I think driving is crazy now--well Ramadan is crazier (maybe it's because they can't wait to eat). We're waiting to see what our work hours will be for Ramadan. Last year it was 1000-3pm--5 hours--and we got two weeks off (paid!). But no matter if it's Ramadan or just a normal night--the bright lights are beautiful in this big city.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Meet the Teacher night
Yesterday was Meet the Teacher night. I loved it. As a parent I want to go and see the enviroment that Timmie is getting his education in. I want to see the classroom, samples of his work and to hear the comments from his teacher. I'm never dissapointed. I was really looking forward to this year since the school has an international flair to it. Another plus to this year is I got to see Madame Library's office (it's big and she was a hit!).
I grew up in the South. We all "looked" and "sounded" the "same." Going to school was no big deal. But here--wow. Last night there were American accents--and you how varied they can be--Arab accents, German, Australian, Canadian (Timmie's teacher--Mr Bennett--is Canadian) and so many others. It was awesome to hear all these accents speaking English.
It was also interesting to see the parents--and you can tell that they want the best education for their children. Just like the US some parents seemed high-strung while others were very laid back. Some were dressed in very nice clothes while othere were wearing jeans.
I really liked the variety. I even got to meet the new PTSA President--she's Saudi--and she's already invited Timmie to come to their house and play (a play date is supposed to be set up within the next two weeks--inshallah).
This is the most diverse school I've been exposed to. I hope that all the children learn to appreciate different cultures. I am so glad that Timmie has this opportunity--it's lik no opportunity he would have been able to have in our small town of San Angelo (but McGill was an awesome school and his teacher was the most loving teacher I've seen--I still get tears when I think of Ms. Nichols).
I feel completely safe at the school. The security there is better than here at the compound or the RSAF HQ where I work. They really protect the children and they take it very seriously. The cool thing is as soon as the guards saw Lauie they all smile "Hello Ms Laurie" or "Hello Ma'am"--they all recoginzed her. I had a great time at our Meet the Teacher night--the adventure of driving there--that's another blog.
I grew up in the South. We all "looked" and "sounded" the "same." Going to school was no big deal. But here--wow. Last night there were American accents--and you how varied they can be--Arab accents, German, Australian, Canadian (Timmie's teacher--Mr Bennett--is Canadian) and so many others. It was awesome to hear all these accents speaking English.
It was also interesting to see the parents--and you can tell that they want the best education for their children. Just like the US some parents seemed high-strung while others were very laid back. Some were dressed in very nice clothes while othere were wearing jeans.
I really liked the variety. I even got to meet the new PTSA President--she's Saudi--and she's already invited Timmie to come to their house and play (a play date is supposed to be set up within the next two weeks--inshallah).
This is the most diverse school I've been exposed to. I hope that all the children learn to appreciate different cultures. I am so glad that Timmie has this opportunity--it's lik no opportunity he would have been able to have in our small town of San Angelo (but McGill was an awesome school and his teacher was the most loving teacher I've seen--I still get tears when I think of Ms. Nichols).
I feel completely safe at the school. The security there is better than here at the compound or the RSAF HQ where I work. They really protect the children and they take it very seriously. The cool thing is as soon as the guards saw Lauie they all smile "Hello Ms Laurie" or "Hello Ma'am"--they all recoginzed her. I had a great time at our Meet the Teacher night--the adventure of driving there--that's another blog.
Saturday, August 16, 2008
"Please cover your head"
Every expat has a muttawa story. Now we have ours. The muttawa are the "religious police" or The Office of Prevention of Vice--something like that. They're supposed to make sure that everything is going religiously well in the Kingdom. At one time they were very powerful. However, their power is slipping and most Saudis would like these men to just go away.
I heard one funny story about a muttawa incident. There was a large American. He had done something that upset the muttawa. A muttawa took his stick and poked the American in the chest as he was screaming at him in Arabic. The American pushed the stick away and told the muttawa not to do that again in English. This happened two more times. On the third time the American took the stick, broke it in two and threw in down on the ground. The muttawa left.
There are horror stories too. A US-Saudi business woman was "caught" with a man not her husband. She was having a business meeting in Starbucks. The muttawa "arrested" her and took her jail. She was forced to admit that she had done wrong--after her clothes had been put in the filthy toilet and she was forced to wear these clothes in front of the judge (showing her uncleanness and humiliating her). Her husband has since hired bodyguards to protect her.
Westerners tend to be able to "get away" with most things. But, the muttawa still like to show that they are in charge. I've been told that if a muttawa says something to ignore them and nothing will happen to me--especially since I'm white.
So, Laurie, Timmie and I were walking from Hyatt Mall to the Sahara Mall--they're right next to eachother. We left the Hyatt and were getting ready to cross the street. A green Suburban with a police symbol pulled up. Laurie had her abayya on (which she doesn't have to wear according to the law but all expat women are "encouraged" to wear it) and her head scarf was around her neck (the normal place an expat woman wears it). A Saudi man with piercing eyes (actually kind of scary wacky eyes) looked at Laurie and said "Please, cover your head." It wasn’t' mean, but it wasn't nice. Laurie did. They drove off. We went into the Sahara Mall.
While in the mall Laurie kept the scarf on her head. As we were leaving the mall who do we pass? The muttawa. He looked at us and kept walking.
So what do we do as expats? Do we ignore the muttawa? Do we "give in" so they can pretend they are “in charge?" It's really a quandary. The bottom line is nobody forced any of us to come here and work. We all came on our own accord. We knew that there were laws and customs to obey. It's always interesting to hear what the more "seasoned" expats have to say. Most will vilify the muttawa but do what they say.
It's not like there are a million muttawa. The last figure I saw was around 10,000. Riyadh has something like 8 million people. So it's not as if the muttawa are lurking on every street corner with a stick ready to beat people (the sticks are long gone and there are way too many street corners). They don't hit you anymore. They have to have a policeman to "arrest" you. They aren't allowed to arrest a woman by themselves--in fact from what I understand a woman can't be arrested unless the husband or a male relative is there and agrees. And if you talk back to the muttawa they tend to back down--especially if you are Western (but I'm not ready to try that just yet). Their "power" is slipping and they know it--maybe that's why they look so mad.
It's just another part of the adventure of being here. At least he said "Please."
I heard one funny story about a muttawa incident. There was a large American. He had done something that upset the muttawa. A muttawa took his stick and poked the American in the chest as he was screaming at him in Arabic. The American pushed the stick away and told the muttawa not to do that again in English. This happened two more times. On the third time the American took the stick, broke it in two and threw in down on the ground. The muttawa left.
There are horror stories too. A US-Saudi business woman was "caught" with a man not her husband. She was having a business meeting in Starbucks. The muttawa "arrested" her and took her jail. She was forced to admit that she had done wrong--after her clothes had been put in the filthy toilet and she was forced to wear these clothes in front of the judge (showing her uncleanness and humiliating her). Her husband has since hired bodyguards to protect her.
Westerners tend to be able to "get away" with most things. But, the muttawa still like to show that they are in charge. I've been told that if a muttawa says something to ignore them and nothing will happen to me--especially since I'm white.
So, Laurie, Timmie and I were walking from Hyatt Mall to the Sahara Mall--they're right next to eachother. We left the Hyatt and were getting ready to cross the street. A green Suburban with a police symbol pulled up. Laurie had her abayya on (which she doesn't have to wear according to the law but all expat women are "encouraged" to wear it) and her head scarf was around her neck (the normal place an expat woman wears it). A Saudi man with piercing eyes (actually kind of scary wacky eyes) looked at Laurie and said "Please, cover your head." It wasn’t' mean, but it wasn't nice. Laurie did. They drove off. We went into the Sahara Mall.
While in the mall Laurie kept the scarf on her head. As we were leaving the mall who do we pass? The muttawa. He looked at us and kept walking.
So what do we do as expats? Do we ignore the muttawa? Do we "give in" so they can pretend they are “in charge?" It's really a quandary. The bottom line is nobody forced any of us to come here and work. We all came on our own accord. We knew that there were laws and customs to obey. It's always interesting to hear what the more "seasoned" expats have to say. Most will vilify the muttawa but do what they say.
It's not like there are a million muttawa. The last figure I saw was around 10,000. Riyadh has something like 8 million people. So it's not as if the muttawa are lurking on every street corner with a stick ready to beat people (the sticks are long gone and there are way too many street corners). They don't hit you anymore. They have to have a policeman to "arrest" you. They aren't allowed to arrest a woman by themselves--in fact from what I understand a woman can't be arrested unless the husband or a male relative is there and agrees. And if you talk back to the muttawa they tend to back down--especially if you are Western (but I'm not ready to try that just yet). Their "power" is slipping and they know it--maybe that's why they look so mad.
It's just another part of the adventure of being here. At least he said "Please."
Friday, August 8, 2008
Internet
The internet. We all use it. We all love it. Coming from the US I'm used to high-speed on all the time internet. Not here. At least not at the Jadawel Compound.
When I first arrived I was under the illusion that I would have high-speed on all the time US internet. The reality was I had four choices:
dial-up
Wireless
DSL
Satellite
I wanted DSL but the compound told me I would have to sign up and then wait at least 6 months. Nobody liked the wireless and the Satellite--well that's expensive in the begining and it wasn't getting rave reviews either. So I chose dial up.
It works. But if I want to listen to the music on the Liddell blog I can't. If I want to watch the Britney Spears "Ice" video--I can't (well I can but it will take hours to download). But I've learned to live within the dial up.
When Laurie got here she was not happy with dial up. So we decided to explore Mobily wireless. The webpage makes it sound awesome and we have a tower righ outside the compound. So we went and paid our 1200SR. We got a USB and one month of wireless (this was on 28 July--the month was for July--we found that out afterwards). We were excited. Hey look at that spike. Wow we're on. And then--wow look how that spike has fallen. Hey we're not on. Hey I still can't listen to the music on the Liddell's blog.
I went back and talked to customer service. He assured me that they would boost the power--just give them five days maximum--inshallah--and everything would be working fine. We gave them five days. Then we went back again.
This time I spoke to another very nice desert warrior--they really are nice--he took my usb and plugged in--wow it was working great--but it's the Mobily office so of course it's going to work great. I told him I would pay extra if it worked like that at the compound. I filled out another sheet of paper with our info to include directions on how to get here. The nice man said to give them 24 hours.
We got home and it was humming. Doing really well (I should have gone to the Liddell blog--I did listen to "Hey Eugene" by Pink Martini--well I had to download it from youtube and it took 15 minutes for a 3 minute song). Today is Friday--nothing. It's been a flat line. I'm using dial-up.
Our neighbors have SATNET1 and they like it. But one of the guys at the lunch table had SATNET 2 and he was furious with it and had it taken out after 5 days and is back with the compound DSL (he's been here for 7 years--the waiting list didn't exist when DSL was first offered).
So what to do? We're going to cancel Mobily--it just isn't working--even though the desert warriors have been very very nice. We're going to call about SATNET 2 and have them come out and give us the sales pitch.
Most of the Saudis I know have Mobily or SATNET and they love it. However, they live in the city--we live in the outskirts (until about 4 years ago this was the country--but now houses everywhere--Riyadh is growing like crazy).
The driving, prayer time, inshallahs--that doesn't really make me crazy. But not having internet--come on--hire a US company and get the infrastructure for the entire country--like the Mobily commercials promise.
For you all in the US enjoy the high-speed on all the time internet. I do envy you all for having that. But have you all every had TGI Fridays in Saudi where the entire staff is Phillipino and you get to close the curtains in your booth (so the women can take off the abayya, head scraf and veil)--very entertaining.
When I first arrived I was under the illusion that I would have high-speed on all the time US internet. The reality was I had four choices:
dial-up
Wireless
DSL
Satellite
I wanted DSL but the compound told me I would have to sign up and then wait at least 6 months. Nobody liked the wireless and the Satellite--well that's expensive in the begining and it wasn't getting rave reviews either. So I chose dial up.
It works. But if I want to listen to the music on the Liddell blog I can't. If I want to watch the Britney Spears "Ice" video--I can't (well I can but it will take hours to download). But I've learned to live within the dial up.
When Laurie got here she was not happy with dial up. So we decided to explore Mobily wireless. The webpage makes it sound awesome and we have a tower righ outside the compound. So we went and paid our 1200SR. We got a USB and one month of wireless (this was on 28 July--the month was for July--we found that out afterwards). We were excited. Hey look at that spike. Wow we're on. And then--wow look how that spike has fallen. Hey we're not on. Hey I still can't listen to the music on the Liddell's blog.
I went back and talked to customer service. He assured me that they would boost the power--just give them five days maximum--inshallah--and everything would be working fine. We gave them five days. Then we went back again.
This time I spoke to another very nice desert warrior--they really are nice--he took my usb and plugged in--wow it was working great--but it's the Mobily office so of course it's going to work great. I told him I would pay extra if it worked like that at the compound. I filled out another sheet of paper with our info to include directions on how to get here. The nice man said to give them 24 hours.
We got home and it was humming. Doing really well (I should have gone to the Liddell blog--I did listen to "Hey Eugene" by Pink Martini--well I had to download it from youtube and it took 15 minutes for a 3 minute song). Today is Friday--nothing. It's been a flat line. I'm using dial-up.
Our neighbors have SATNET1 and they like it. But one of the guys at the lunch table had SATNET 2 and he was furious with it and had it taken out after 5 days and is back with the compound DSL (he's been here for 7 years--the waiting list didn't exist when DSL was first offered).
So what to do? We're going to cancel Mobily--it just isn't working--even though the desert warriors have been very very nice. We're going to call about SATNET 2 and have them come out and give us the sales pitch.
Most of the Saudis I know have Mobily or SATNET and they love it. However, they live in the city--we live in the outskirts (until about 4 years ago this was the country--but now houses everywhere--Riyadh is growing like crazy).
The driving, prayer time, inshallahs--that doesn't really make me crazy. But not having internet--come on--hire a US company and get the infrastructure for the entire country--like the Mobily commercials promise.
For you all in the US enjoy the high-speed on all the time internet. I do envy you all for having that. But have you all every had TGI Fridays in Saudi where the entire staff is Phillipino and you get to close the curtains in your booth (so the women can take off the abayya, head scraf and veil)--very entertaining.
Friday, August 1, 2008
At Last
Finally, Laurie and Timmie are here in the KSA. It only took 3 months—and that was mainly because Laurie wanted to attend her brother’s wedding which didn’t take place until 19 July. Laurie and Timmie arrived on 27 July—six days after getting their visas.
I asked for the day off and General Faisal said of course I could have Sunday off to pick up and be with my family. Saturday after work I was busy buying all the last minute stuff—at three different stores. I made sure to buy a cake—the most delish are at Danuabe and I bought a chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse—so delish! I hardly slept that night.
I wake up on Sunday morning making sure the house looked good—it did. I’m ready to go to the airport. The compound provided a driver. He picked me up at 0845—the plane was scheduled to land at 0900 and it takes 20 – 30 minutes to get to the airport—I was a little anxious. We got to the airport in plenty of time and the plane was landing as we were parking—it was 6 minutes late.
I’m standing at Terminal 2 with the abayaa and scarf for Laurie. The first class people are coming thru the doors—I’ve noticed that first class people don’t seem to have luggage or maybe somebody else picks it up for them. The pilot comes through the door. No Laurie or Timmie.
Zidan calls me and asks if everything is going well. I say yes. He tells me that if I have any problems to call him and he’ll translate or talk to the person giving me a hard time—Z is awesome.
Lenny calls me. I tell him things are going fine. He tells me to give the guards a sob story—my wife and habibi are here—first time—I need to help my wife—etc.. I say ok. I wait 5 more minutes—still no Laurie or Timmie.
I take a deep breath and go to the military guard. Tell him my sob story—my wife, I have her abayaa, first time in country, need help with luggage, my habibi. He looks at me. No expression. I’m ready to show him my military badge. Then he waves his hand toward the door. I took that as a “yes” and went thru the door.
The place is full of people waiting for their luggage. I scan the crowd of black robes. No luck—has Laurie changed that much. Then I start looking for a red-hair boy. Nothing. Did they miss the flight? Are they being questioned? Did something happen? Then I look at the immigration area—no one. Wait. There’s one lady in black with a grey scarf and there’s a little boy with red hair—that HAS to be them. But now there’s another guard.
So, I give the same sob story. This guard is very nice. Smiles and points the way. I smile back and thank him. There’s my family. Laurie is filling out the sheet of paper that no one will look at—they didn’t look at mine. Timmie is sitting on the chair looking very unhappy. “Hey boy.” He looks up—a big smile and he runs to me. I ALMOST started to cry. My eyes did get teary. Laurie looks up and looks relived. She finishes the paperwork.
We pick up the carry-on and go to the passport area. The computers are down. We wait and wait—it must have been 20 minutes. Finally the computers come back up and Laurie and Timmie are processed. Now for the luggage.
The airport has workers that get the luggage for you. Laurie points out the luggage. The guy gets it and puts it on the cart. We go through security. Come out the doors. The driver of the compound is waiting. He takes the luggage and loads it in the van while Laurie, Timmie and I go and exchange the US dollars for Saudi riyals (SR). Then we go and get in the van.
We arrive at the villa. Both are impressed with the size. Timmie is impressed with the pool. I keep them up until noon. Then Timmie crashes. Laurie can’t sleep until she puts all of stuff away and is “organized.” I wake them at 4 to go see some sites. It’s like taking zombies with me—their eyes are glazed over and I’m not sure they were paying attention. But the main thing—at last they’re here!
I asked for the day off and General Faisal said of course I could have Sunday off to pick up and be with my family. Saturday after work I was busy buying all the last minute stuff—at three different stores. I made sure to buy a cake—the most delish are at Danuabe and I bought a chocolate cake filled with chocolate mousse—so delish! I hardly slept that night.
I wake up on Sunday morning making sure the house looked good—it did. I’m ready to go to the airport. The compound provided a driver. He picked me up at 0845—the plane was scheduled to land at 0900 and it takes 20 – 30 minutes to get to the airport—I was a little anxious. We got to the airport in plenty of time and the plane was landing as we were parking—it was 6 minutes late.
I’m standing at Terminal 2 with the abayaa and scarf for Laurie. The first class people are coming thru the doors—I’ve noticed that first class people don’t seem to have luggage or maybe somebody else picks it up for them. The pilot comes through the door. No Laurie or Timmie.
Zidan calls me and asks if everything is going well. I say yes. He tells me that if I have any problems to call him and he’ll translate or talk to the person giving me a hard time—Z is awesome.
Lenny calls me. I tell him things are going fine. He tells me to give the guards a sob story—my wife and habibi are here—first time—I need to help my wife—etc.. I say ok. I wait 5 more minutes—still no Laurie or Timmie.
I take a deep breath and go to the military guard. Tell him my sob story—my wife, I have her abayaa, first time in country, need help with luggage, my habibi. He looks at me. No expression. I’m ready to show him my military badge. Then he waves his hand toward the door. I took that as a “yes” and went thru the door.
The place is full of people waiting for their luggage. I scan the crowd of black robes. No luck—has Laurie changed that much. Then I start looking for a red-hair boy. Nothing. Did they miss the flight? Are they being questioned? Did something happen? Then I look at the immigration area—no one. Wait. There’s one lady in black with a grey scarf and there’s a little boy with red hair—that HAS to be them. But now there’s another guard.
So, I give the same sob story. This guard is very nice. Smiles and points the way. I smile back and thank him. There’s my family. Laurie is filling out the sheet of paper that no one will look at—they didn’t look at mine. Timmie is sitting on the chair looking very unhappy. “Hey boy.” He looks up—a big smile and he runs to me. I ALMOST started to cry. My eyes did get teary. Laurie looks up and looks relived. She finishes the paperwork.
We pick up the carry-on and go to the passport area. The computers are down. We wait and wait—it must have been 20 minutes. Finally the computers come back up and Laurie and Timmie are processed. Now for the luggage.
The airport has workers that get the luggage for you. Laurie points out the luggage. The guy gets it and puts it on the cart. We go through security. Come out the doors. The driver of the compound is waiting. He takes the luggage and loads it in the van while Laurie, Timmie and I go and exchange the US dollars for Saudi riyals (SR). Then we go and get in the van.
We arrive at the villa. Both are impressed with the size. Timmie is impressed with the pool. I keep them up until noon. Then Timmie crashes. Laurie can’t sleep until she puts all of stuff away and is “organized.” I wake them at 4 to go see some sites. It’s like taking zombies with me—their eyes are glazed over and I’m not sure they were paying attention. But the main thing—at last they’re here!
Wednesday, July 16, 2008
Yes I'm still fascinated
You all probably think that nothing adventurous has been happening lately. Every day here is an adventure. Right now the adventure is the downstairs a/c in my villa. It’s been working ok. But lately it seems warmer downstairs than upstairs—they’re on separate systems. This morning when I came downstairs the a/c showed 77 and when I came home from work it said 81—and that’s just too hot. So I called maintenance and now I’m waiting. Hopefully they’ll be here soon because I don’t want to wait all day for them. I’ve been waiting for almost 30 minutes now and no phone call back.
Driving here is always an adventure. You’re never sure what’s going to happen next—will they stay in their lane, drift to the left (that seems to be most common), use their signals, etc.. I’m always happy when I arrive at my destinations with no incident. But when there is an incident it creates all sorts of problems.
Here when there’s an accident you don’t pull over—you just stay in that lane blocking everyone until the police arrive and authorizes you to move. I find that interesting. In the States we’re so used to moving our cars so we’re out of the way.
I’m still fascinated with this country—the people and culture. The men still fascinate me with what they wear. This is 2008 so why don’t more of them wear jeans? I understand the thobe has been around for centuries—but so were powdered wigs and we men gave those up in the US. The thobe looks comfortable but I noticed that there are limitations to it such as running. You can’t run in it unless you hike it up over your knees. But I know it’s hard to break tradition and culture.
The women wearing the abayaa’s fascinate me. I often wonder what they’re wearing under all that black. Sometimes you catch a glimpse of jeans, tennis shoes or high heels. When I walk behind them it reminds me of Darth Vader’s cape billowing in the breeze. And the escalators have warning signs reminding women not to let their abayaa’s get caught—that’s fascinating.
I’m still fascinated that there is so much modern technology here. They’re comfortable using thumb drives and all the features on their mobiles. I’m still getting used to carrying a mobile. I got brave and used the calendar and the schedule feature—now let’s see what happens on Saturday.
I love my job. Lately I’m been training two guys for 7-level—Gazi and Khalid. Gazi is very business-he does the pleasantry like he’s been taught—but really he just wants to get down to business. Khalid on the other hand likes to talk, smile and joke. He always seems genuinely happy to see me. Shakes my hand and then holds if for just a little longer—a sign of friendship. Khalid is getting married in about 9 days. His sister found his wife for him. That fascinates me.
Here the mother or sister finds the wife for the son or brother. I’m not sure what happens if you have no mother of sister—maybe an aunt or cousin finds the wife. Khalid’s sister is a teacher and his wife to be is a teacher. I’m not sure if he’s even seen her. That fascinates me too. I’d want to know what the woman I was marrying looked like. Instead of hearing “She has a sweet spirit” or “She has a nice personality”—we all know what both of those statements mean.
I am fascinated, and irritated, about how long some of the paperwork takes. Are US government agencies like this when dealing with foreigners? I hope not. It took 5 weeks for my work permit. And now I’ve been waiting two weeks for Laurie and Timmie’s paperwork to get approved for a visa—all the paperwork is still in this country. They don’t even do the visa here. That paperwork has to be sent to the US to a visa company that contacts the Saudi Embassy and they stamp and give the visa. When I call my company the guys are very nice but I need the paperwork—maybe tomorrow or the end of this week—inshallah. I know things are in God’s hands but here on Earth God doesn’t come down and stamp the paperwork—that’s been delegated to some man.
I’m fascinated by prayer 5 times a day. Mandatory prayer—not that everyone goes (and that’s interesting to me). 5 times a day you hear the call to prayer no matter where you are. And if people don’t go into the mosque they can pray wherever they are as long as they face Mekkah. I want to watch when they’re praying but then I feel like I’m intruding. The ceremony is touching—throwing away your sins and Earthly cares and then kneeling and praying.
There are so many things that are fascinating to me. If you’re a people watcher this place is awesome. If you’re trying to understand the Middle East then you need to live in it. I think I’m beginning to understand them. A Saudi told me—“Tim I love you guys but I can’t be seen as a Western puppet.” That really said it all to me. The Saudi government has the same issue—they love the US but can’t be seen as its puppet (which is maybe why they just signed some deal with Russia for military equipment. Now they’ll have Russian, French, British and US military equipment.).
I’m sure there’s more I could write. But right now I’m a little depressed—a little down. I’m still waiting for that visa paperwork for my family. The General gets back on Monday and he said that if something doesn’t happen soon then I need to tell him. Inshallah something will happen before he gets back--but if not he might have to use his wasta--and that's another one of the reasons this place fascinates me.
Driving here is always an adventure. You’re never sure what’s going to happen next—will they stay in their lane, drift to the left (that seems to be most common), use their signals, etc.. I’m always happy when I arrive at my destinations with no incident. But when there is an incident it creates all sorts of problems.
Here when there’s an accident you don’t pull over—you just stay in that lane blocking everyone until the police arrive and authorizes you to move. I find that interesting. In the States we’re so used to moving our cars so we’re out of the way.
I’m still fascinated with this country—the people and culture. The men still fascinate me with what they wear. This is 2008 so why don’t more of them wear jeans? I understand the thobe has been around for centuries—but so were powdered wigs and we men gave those up in the US. The thobe looks comfortable but I noticed that there are limitations to it such as running. You can’t run in it unless you hike it up over your knees. But I know it’s hard to break tradition and culture.
The women wearing the abayaa’s fascinate me. I often wonder what they’re wearing under all that black. Sometimes you catch a glimpse of jeans, tennis shoes or high heels. When I walk behind them it reminds me of Darth Vader’s cape billowing in the breeze. And the escalators have warning signs reminding women not to let their abayaa’s get caught—that’s fascinating.
I’m still fascinated that there is so much modern technology here. They’re comfortable using thumb drives and all the features on their mobiles. I’m still getting used to carrying a mobile. I got brave and used the calendar and the schedule feature—now let’s see what happens on Saturday.
I love my job. Lately I’m been training two guys for 7-level—Gazi and Khalid. Gazi is very business-he does the pleasantry like he’s been taught—but really he just wants to get down to business. Khalid on the other hand likes to talk, smile and joke. He always seems genuinely happy to see me. Shakes my hand and then holds if for just a little longer—a sign of friendship. Khalid is getting married in about 9 days. His sister found his wife for him. That fascinates me.
Here the mother or sister finds the wife for the son or brother. I’m not sure what happens if you have no mother of sister—maybe an aunt or cousin finds the wife. Khalid’s sister is a teacher and his wife to be is a teacher. I’m not sure if he’s even seen her. That fascinates me too. I’d want to know what the woman I was marrying looked like. Instead of hearing “She has a sweet spirit” or “She has a nice personality”—we all know what both of those statements mean.
I am fascinated, and irritated, about how long some of the paperwork takes. Are US government agencies like this when dealing with foreigners? I hope not. It took 5 weeks for my work permit. And now I’ve been waiting two weeks for Laurie and Timmie’s paperwork to get approved for a visa—all the paperwork is still in this country. They don’t even do the visa here. That paperwork has to be sent to the US to a visa company that contacts the Saudi Embassy and they stamp and give the visa. When I call my company the guys are very nice but I need the paperwork—maybe tomorrow or the end of this week—inshallah. I know things are in God’s hands but here on Earth God doesn’t come down and stamp the paperwork—that’s been delegated to some man.
I’m fascinated by prayer 5 times a day. Mandatory prayer—not that everyone goes (and that’s interesting to me). 5 times a day you hear the call to prayer no matter where you are. And if people don’t go into the mosque they can pray wherever they are as long as they face Mekkah. I want to watch when they’re praying but then I feel like I’m intruding. The ceremony is touching—throwing away your sins and Earthly cares and then kneeling and praying.
There are so many things that are fascinating to me. If you’re a people watcher this place is awesome. If you’re trying to understand the Middle East then you need to live in it. I think I’m beginning to understand them. A Saudi told me—“Tim I love you guys but I can’t be seen as a Western puppet.” That really said it all to me. The Saudi government has the same issue—they love the US but can’t be seen as its puppet (which is maybe why they just signed some deal with Russia for military equipment. Now they’ll have Russian, French, British and US military equipment.).
I’m sure there’s more I could write. But right now I’m a little depressed—a little down. I’m still waiting for that visa paperwork for my family. The General gets back on Monday and he said that if something doesn’t happen soon then I need to tell him. Inshallah something will happen before he gets back--but if not he might have to use his wasta--and that's another one of the reasons this place fascinates me.
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