Aug. 18, 2009

How Did This Happen?

      I figured that it was time to explain how we became these people who travel to all these different countries. How my husband and I met, might explain part of this story. In college, dh had a class before me and he was supposed to give a presentation on the day we met but his teacher was absent. So, he came up to me and asked, "Want to see my camel?" Dh was in Desert Storm and had been stationed in Bahrain. He had visited Saudi Arabia and had gotten a camel with Arabian sand in it at the suq (market). During our first conversation, I remember thinking that he was so well travelled already. He had been stationed in Germany, too, and had seen most of Europe. You know how it is being a woman when you meet a man, we are already weighing whether he would be a good father or not. I had decided that he was perfect.

    We got married a year and a half later and he loved travelling everywhere. He loved seeing other states and dreamed of seeing more parts of the world. When he graduated from college, he went on a trip alone around the world. He cut the trip short because he missed me. I eventually realized that being settled down while he travelled wasn't going to work because we missed each other. Then, we started teaching together in Taiwan with our two older boys, they were 2 and 1. But, every time I got pregnant I yearned for home and we would return. I knew dh was unhappy, so we finally made the decision (based on many factors) to move overseas and I had to change my heart and be more committed this time. He had always suggested the Middle East, but I absolutely refused because it seemed too weird and dangerous. But, eventually, I encouraged him to apply and he did. He found a great job as a chair of the English department at a university in Saudi Arabia. We live on a compound with other Westerners. It has been a wonderful experience. His employer gives us money and airline tickets to travel every summer. This benefit really helps us get through any inconviences we experience during the year, living in a very conservative culture. We have learned a lot living over here and are very grateful for the opportunity to travel and learn more about the beautiful world that God gave us!

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