Nov. 27, 2009

Thanksgiving and Firecrackers

     We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family of friends. It was a great time. We loved having all the kids around. It was really great. Also, it is Eid here in Saudi and it's the only time that we can buy fireworks, so we bought a whole bunch and have had a good time letting the off while all the kids watch.

The moon was beautiful. This picture doesn't do it justice.

Turkey on the mirror yearly tradition made by Robby.   

Jamilia- She was born last year, Dec. 22. Adorable. It is great seeing the kids grow up here.

Alicia- My husband calls her the Nepal version of Shirley Temple. She is so cute and my little buddy. Alex helping me cook.

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Nov. 24, 2009

Saudi- A Mysterious Country

   I found this article recently. We talk about this all the time here in Saudi. It is like living in a different time. The article says 90 years. I would say even longer than that- like more like 400 years ago. But, a lot about it is good. The values at its core are good. It does take it too far, of course. I have found that the women do not view their rights like we do in the West though. It's hard for us to understand, but most Saudi women don't want things to change as much as we think they would. Most of them are happy to do whatever is best for their community and their family. They don't have the desire to drive for the same reasons that we do. They don't wish to be free and equal, but they desire to drive only because it would make life easier and better for their families.

    I found this debate online about the driving issue. It is interesting reading everyone's opinion on the matter. I wouldn't drive here either because it's really crazy on the road. I can barely stand being a passenger. It is really bad!! They're going to have to provide better driving instruction before giving women drivers licenses. The last thing Saudi needs is more drivers because that just means more accidents and more people dying in them every day.

    When I first moved here, I would overt my eyes when I would see a woman fully covered, but then I realized that they aren't trying to be invisible. They are still there and want to be seen. They are just being modest. So, I have had to change my habit and look these women in the eyes. And I can tell that they smile back at me. They are good people.

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Nov. 24, 2009

Daddy's Home For the Holidays

    Rob has some time off from work because of the Eid Holiday and we are loving it. We talked about what we are all thankful for and they all said daddy. Robby- I am thankful for daddy because he put pressure on my foot when it was bleeding (he cut his foot on glass, lots of blood, but he's ok. Daddy to the rescue!) Justin- I'm thankful for daddy because he's the best. Alex- I'm thankful for Daddy because he buys us stuff. Connor- I'm thankful for daddy because he's nice to me. At least, Rob said he was thankful for me.

And we got to go the Pizza Company and then, to Swensens. Our favorite thing to do here!!

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Nov. 24, 2009

The Way, The Truth, The Life

We made crowns. Jesus is our king.

Love that dimple!!

We sang a song that we got from Sadlier We Believe to the tune of Frere Jacques.

Jesus Christ
Jesus Christ
is our king;
is our king.

He rules with peace and justice.
He gives life to all people.
We praise him.
Praise our king.

Let us worship,
let us worship,
Christ our king;
Christ our king.

As king he shows the way,
the truth, and the life.
We praise him.
Praise our king.

Then today, we made our own Pledge of Allegiance to Jesus. (By we, I mean Robby.)

Pledge of allegiance to Jesus the son of God and the King of Heaven.

Please forgive our sins on the earth that we stand on.

But take us to Heaven to be with the Son of God.    

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Nov. 24, 2009

Faith, Hope, and Love

We've been learning a lot in Catechism. The boys made crosses, anchors, and hearts to remind them to live their life with faith, hope, and love. It's so cute to hear Connor repeat that later. These are really good for Alex and Connor. The discussions are good for me, Robby, and Justin. I learn a lot about what they believe through our talks. It's really good for all of us. Their faith has really grown.

They put a thumb mark in the middle to represent that they will put their thumbprint on the world through faith, hope, and love.

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Nov. 24, 2009

Dissecting a Brain

     The boys learned so much from dissecting the heart, that when learning about the brain, we had to dissect one of those too. I asked for a beef brain, but that wasn't possible. So, we had to do with a lamb's brain. This was a little hard on me because it was just so tiny. So, while daddy was home this week, I thought it was a perfect time to have brain dissection and he could take the lead.

They looked at the left and the right hemispheres, the cerebrum, cerebellum, and the brain stem. They learned a lot and had a lot of fun. Rob messed them up by pretending to lick it. Robby and Justin said that it was the grossest thing he has ever done. Rob said, "So far..." I was just excited to get it out of the fridge. Thomas says that he is still working on getting me a beef brain though. And now we're learning about the eye and are supposed to dissect a beef eye. We'll see how that all works out.

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Nov. 23, 2009

What I Am Thankful For

I am thankful:

1. For my husband, Rob and that he can always make me laugh.

2. For my four little boys who are so much fun to be around.

3. That we are all happy and healthy.

4. For my faith.

5. For being able to teach my children about their faith and that they have grown in their faith this year.

6. For winning $200 in groceries at Panda. That really helps us pay for our Thanksgiving feast.

7. That we have made good friends here in Saudi and that some of them are able to join us for Thanksgiving.

8. That  I have received my Master's degree and that studying hard for tests and writing paper days are over.

9. For a nice house.

10. For a nice, quiet compound where the kids can grow up playing with their friends.

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Nov. 20, 2009

My Big Win

     The Pandas here in Saudi are having a promotion that someone here in Saudi wins their groceries every minute. Well, I had no idea that this was going on Nov. 17. I had to go to the grocery store on an off day to get some kitty litter and my husband told me to spend lots of money (which he never, ever does) to get groceries and get ready for Thanksgiving. So, I go and get lots of stuff and I'm really nervous because I'm afraid that I won't have enough cash, so I keep asking him to subtotal. Then, I hear a terrible noise which I am very annoyed at and then, three guys start talking to the cashier in Arabic and then, I am really annoyed because I know they are talking about me. So, I put my head down trying to be invisible. (The last time they were speaking about me in Arabic was because the Mottawa was there and my hair wasn't covered.) Then, the guy behind me starts helping me with my groceries and tries to put his spaghetti noodles on my pile of food. I shake my head at him and use my hand to shoo him away. Of course, if I had known that I had just won 800 riyals of groceries I would not have done that!! But, the manager had to come up to me in English and tell me to put my money away and that all my groceries were free. I was still skeptical though because the promotion signs were in Arabic and I was clueless. But, after drilling the manager, I was convinced that this was real and it slowly set in and then, I was really, really happy. My friend notified me later that the whole thing was probably recorded and playing on a loop at the store. Now, I wish I could have a do over and be happy because now I look like the foreigner who doesn't care that she won a lot of groceries!!

    Now, I have the motivation to learn Arabic! Even though, Rob has informed me that they were Bangladeshi and probably speaking Urdu. Still, it wouldn't hurt for me to be a little more aware of what is going on around me so that I can realize when something really good is happening!!!! Now I know what that noise is and I am very excited when someone wins!!!

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Nov. 16, 2009

Reasons I Like it Here

     1 Saudi people are very hospitable, generous people.

     2. Safe place for kids.

     3. The location is a great starting point for traveling and exploring this world.

     4. Great place to study the geography of the bible. It is all right here.

     .5. Great Food

      6. Saudis believe in the same God as I do. They love  Abraham, Moses, and Jesus too.

      7. We can swim eight months out of the year.

     8. Arabic is a widely spoken language in the world now and there are many opportunities to learn it here.

     9. Living here has made us focus on what is really important. It has been easier for us to set goals and reach them here.

   10. Cooking Western food is very easy here. In other countries, it has been a lot more challenging. We have a full- size oven and Western food is available to us here.

    11. The houses are big and fire-proof.

   12. The Western community comes together and really helps each other out.

   13. We get to go to parties at the embassy.

   14. We have English channels on our tv and can even watch sporting events we like, like the World Series.

    15. We can use Skype to call our family. Then, it seems like they are not so far away.

   16. I never have to change before going out because I can just throw my abaya on.

   17. Saudis have many children, so we don't have people counting us in amazement as we're walking down the street. 

18. There are many inside play places for the kids.

   19. It's fun to camp out in the desert.

   20. The Gulf is very beautiful.

   21. They have many of my favorite restaurants from the U.S.

   22. Flying domestically is very cheap.

   23. Saudi Arabia is a very mysterious place and it's fun to explore it.

   24. Domestic help is cheap.

    25. It's a very fun place for 4 boys who love to dig and play in the sand.

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Nov. 14, 2009

Saudi- A Totally Different Place

     I was walking with my friends the other night and we have all been here for awhile. We were discussing that when we first got here to Saudi we were all wondering why it couldn't be more like the U.S. I told them that I didn't understand why that is, because when I was in Taiwan or Thailand, I expected it to be different; so, I never moped around wishing that it could be more like the U.S. But, this is a common problem for people moving here to Saudi. One of the reasons for this is because Saudi is a rich country, so we think that more things should be available to us. Part of it is also because businesses here do try to lure people here by saying that there are American compounds. There is one community here that is little America. When going there, you can trick yourself to believing that you are in an American neighborhood. But, most people do not live on compounds like that. Most are small and made for the purpose of keeping everyone safe. All of my friends agreed that it takes a good year to adjust to living here. After the second year, I feel a lot more comfortable here and it has become home.

     One thing that people have to watch out for coming here is that Saudis want us here for our unique abilities and skills. It's important to keep our values here and not let those things go. My husband told me an interesting story. He said that he was going up the elevator with another man who had worked in America and the man mentioned that he hoped that they weren't going to be late for their meeting. My husband looked at him and said that they were going to get up there and have to turn the lights on because everyone was going to be late. He was right. Then, the man said that next time they should just come a half an hour later instead of waiting around. My husband told him that it was important to be prompt and show other people that that is an American value. I thought that was interesting because it is so easy just to forget about those things and relax. But, it's important to never forget who you are.

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