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.

• 0 People have Talked • Leave a Comment! •Permanent Link

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!!!

• 0 People have Talked • Leave a Comment! •Permanent Link

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.

• 0 People have Talked • Leave a Comment! •Permanent Link

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.

• 1 People have Talked • Leave a Comment! •Permanent Link

Oct. 24, 2009

Homeschooling and Living in Saudi

     I receive a lot of questions about homeschooling and living in Saudi. Homeschooling in general isn't legal in Saudi. However, I know many expats who do it without any problems. I love homeschooling here and have had a great time doing it. It was tough at first because I had to adjust to not having a library. But, the internet has so much available now, that I don't even think about it anymore. I use Sonlight and I haven't had any trouble having that delivered here. The cost of shipping is very expensive for anything here, but that is also something that you get used to. I like having everything shipped at once.

     Living in Saudi is a challenge at first. Saudi Arabia is the complete opposite of America and it took a lot of adjustment. But, I have adjusted just fine and I enjoy living here. Some compounds may have church services, but it isn't very common or easy to attend. It really depends on which city you live in. There have been rumors that King Abdullah has had discussions with the pope about building Catholic churches here, but it's a long way down the road.

   There is a new university, KAUST being built here and everyone is really excited. It's going to be something that Saudi Arabia has never had before. It will take some time of course, but I think that university will have a little city and compound in it that will be a lot more like what Westerners are used to.

    I have a link to my email on my sidebar. Please feel free to email me if you any more questions. It is easier for me to answer questions if I know more details. Saudi Arabia varies throughout the country.  

• 1 People have Talked • Leave a Comment! •Permanent Link

Oct. 15, 2009

Saying Goodbye

     One of our dear friends is going home. When you live in a small compound like this with people that you work with, they become like family and it is hard to say goodbye. Our friends invited us over to their house last night for dinner to say goodbye to him and his son. It was a lovely evening.

• 0 People have Talked • Leave a Comment! •Permanent Link

Oct. 7, 2009

Camping

     The boys love, love, love to go camping in the sand. I don't usually look forward to it, but, once I'm there, I'm ok. Rob likes camping, but he can't sleep out there and there isn't a thing to do. But, the boys just can't get enough of it! They would live out there if they could.

• 0 People have Talked • Leave a Comment! •Permanent Link

Sep. 21, 2009

Our Favorite Pasttimes

Ramadan is over and we celebrated by going to McDonald's today. The boys were so excited because this one has a ball pit.

• 0 People have Talked • Leave a Comment! •Permanent Link

Sep. 17, 2009

Oldest Photo Blog

     I found a new blog today and I love this post about posting the first picture you ever posted to your photo sharing site. My first picture was

This is the 6th century Christian church we visited two years ago. We had just arrived in Saudi and we had an amazing time walking around this area. This church had been buried under sand until the 1980s when it was discovered. It's the only church here in Saudi. We had to climb over a couple of fences. It was very difficult for me in my abaya. I love finding this picture again. It makes me think about the people we were there with that day. The people who were there have all moved on. We are the only ones from that day still here. We found a lot of old pottery that day. We had so much fun finding it and imagining what is was like for the people back in the 6th century. I like looking at the other pictures from that day because my boys have changed a lot since then. Here are other pictures from that day:

The inside of the church. The church was very small. I love picturing all the people gathered there listening to stories about their Savior.

This is a good picture of Justin. His face looks so much younger here. He had just turned 8. By the end of the day, that bag was filled with pottery. They loved that.

Here's Alex. He looks a little upset here. I can't believe he was only five then.

It was really nice thinking back on this day. I think I will do this more often with my old pictures. It's fun looking back from a different perspective.

• 0 People have Talked • Leave a Comment! •Permanent Link

Aug. 25, 2009

I did it and I'm back!

I received this comment and I wanted to write about it today because it was a perfect response to all my whining and fretting in my other post. It reminds me of what my good Muslim friend would have said to me if I had shared my concerns:

You will do great. Just travel and be who you are. A Christian Western Women. All that you have to do is wear your abaya but you do not have to cover your hair. You are not a Muslim. Also every one will be friendly and even more so now because of the increased reward from God to be patient during fasting. I also live in the Middle East, Saudi to for a while and Muslims are some of the friendlest people I know.. Remember your recent post of the man you helped you. Really there is nothing to be scared or nervous about. I am married to a muslim and they do not bite. They are people with the same hopes and dreams as us.

I am happy to report that I did do just fine. I didn't cover my face or my hair (even though I brought it with me). I never felt uncomfortable enough to try to disappear. When we got to the airport where we had a layover for 6 hours, we found a family section and hid in the corner and ate our snacks. Ds11 was upset because he thought that we could get arrested for eating. That would never have happened. But, we don't like the idea of upsetting anyone either. The truth is that when you come to Saudi Arabia, other Westerners love to talk about stories of what crazy stuff goes on here. And it can be a little scary to think about that stuff and the possibility that it could someday happen to you. But, that happens everywhere. In every country there are crazy stories about what crazy people do. But, it's not the norm. I really like to keep to myself. I'm shy and I don't like conflict. I want to do what I'm supposed to without upsetting anyone.

When I first came to Saudi Arabia I covered my hair, but everyone, Muslims and Westerners alike, asked me why because I don't have to. I don't understand this because it is a royal decree. The royal decree is that every woman in Saudi Arabia must cover their hair or the man with her could be arrested. The Mottawa can't speak to the woman, but they can get a police officer to arrest her male guardian. I'm only bringing this up because it confuses me. I think that Western women, like me, have decided that they just won't do it, but it is the law here.

• 0 People have Talked • Leave a Comment! •Permanent Link