Your Questions Answered...Part 1

Hey everyone - I'm back at the keyboard again! Thanks for all your questions - if you think of more let me know - you can leave them in the comments if it's easiest.

I have close to twenty to answer at this point, so I thought I'd break them down into separate posts. Some are easy to answer questions (such as "do they sell deodorant"), others are more thought provoking, ("does moving long distance bring you close, breed any source of bitterness, or, more importantly, affect your children in a way that you may see as a long term problem/benefit?). This post will have all the "easy" ones because I have to ease myself back into writing (truthfully...I feel lazy today).

So here we go...

Do they sell deodorant? Yes, in limited varieties. I haven't found the kind that Steve and I use, but even if I did, I doubt I would buy it. I have heard that the formulas are not of the "quality" as in the states and trust me, with the temperatures and humidity we're facing here, we need all the help we can get. On that note, did you see the new thing on the right side here - it is suppose to tell you how HOT it is here. It's fairly accurate, from what I've seen, but doesn't tell you that it's 80% humidity as well!

Is there recycling over there? Yes. But you have to make a HUGE effort to get recycling bins and I can't get an answer as to when they are picked up. I'm guessing that they don't get picked up, that you just take them somewhere. No one seems to know. Steve told me that once at work he saw the janitor empty the paper recycling bin right into the garbage bin. We suspect recycling bins are just something that they provide to make the foreigners feel better and stop squawking, though we have little proof of this (other than the incident Steve saw). It just makes you sick to see the mountains of plastic bottles that just our family alone accumulates in one week, knowing they are going into the landfill. We will be getting a water dispenser (those things that hold big jugs of water) hopefully later this month, so we can cut back on the empty bottles.

What about natural/organic foods in the store? There are very little organic foods available. There is a lot of locally grown produce though. The fruits and vegetables are vine ripened and taste so very delicious! As far as dry goods and dairy though, you are basically out of luck in finding many organic foods. I think the bigger supermarkets off the compound have larger selections than the commissary, but I still would say it's no where near what you would find in a U.S. store.

What are you going to do without tampons? (sorry all you male readers out there) Thankfully I won't have to find out! I brought a fair supply with me, and we are going over to Bhahrain in couple weeks (once the car is legal to drive out of the country) and I have heard that there is a lot of things you can find there that aren't here. If I don't find any there, I'm going to load Steve's mom up when she comes in December. Recently, I did see them in ONE store here, but they weren't the exact kind I use. It's nice to know if I get totally desperate, I know where to get them though.

What type of U.S. news do you get there? We have only found CNN on the satellite so far (we've also found the Daily Show w/ John Stewart, but that doesn't really count as news, does it?)

Why are the women allowed to show their feet? I don't know. But I have seen some women so totally covered that their feet are the only thing showing - they have the full veil and gloves. They like pedicures though, because their toes are very nicely painted.

How would a vegetarian fare? Hmmm...good question. I think a vegetarian would fare fine if they could cook a lot from scratch. There aren't any soy-based substitutes here, such as tofurky or Morningstar Farms products that I've seen. However the tofu in the commissary is good; hummus is everywhere and it's good too; each store I've been in has a bulk nuts department that is very extensive and fresh.

Since you have to wear the big black dress everytime you go off the compound, does that mean you don't go off very much? Nope- has nothing to do with how often I go off. I think the biggest thing dictating how often I go off the compound is the fact that I can't drive off. I have to either hire a driver/taxi, or wait for Steve to drive me. (it makes my teeth grind just to type that sentence!) The going taxi rate seems to be about 30SR /hour, which is 8 US dollars. It takes about 20 minutes from our house to the shopping areas. It's obviously pretty cheap - I'm just a little lazy right now I guess. Well, that and I'd rather go with someone (not alone) and I'm still making friends.

How safe are you when you leave the compound? The $100,000 question!! When we've gone off, we've gone during the day and been in pretty common areas for foreigners to go...big shopping malls, big grocery store (Safeway), Tony Roma's restaurant, etc. In terms of personal safety, I've felt fine. I am extremely nervous on the roads, though. I cannot emphasize enough how unsafe the driving is. You really wouldn't ever want to be in a sedan here, and I am so very glad we have lots of airbags in our SUV. Back to personal safety though, I'm pleased at how comfortable I have felt (aside from having to wear the abaya -big, black dress- in 100F+ heat).

Where do you do grocery shopping? Mostly I shop on the compound, at the commissary. The prices are the same or better than off the compound but the selection isn't as good. Even if it's something they typically carry, the shelves may not be stocked at the moment I am there. Yesterday I had yogurt on my list and found none on the shelf in the morning, and then went back at 3:30 for something I forgot and found an abundance of yogurt. I'm learning not to run out of things we eat a lot of, and if I am planning a dinner (especially one w/guests)...shop in advance. Off the compound, there are many large supermarkets - my favorite is the Safeway. I have found lots of things there that are never on the compound store, a lot of familiar brands.

Ok, that's it for today. More to come...

It's been craaazy!

School starts on Saturday and we've been running all week to get last minute appointments in, get the car registered, etc. Add to that...no intersession this week - two boys bored, one boy with a bad cold, a husband with a bad cold. Mix it together and you get little time (or at least little uninterrupted, quality time) for writing on the blog.

I have a substantial list of questions to answer for you, plus seven drafts/partially completed posts. Next week should be better - stay tuned for an avalanche of posts!

Updates on the car & puzzle

Steve brought the Pilot home tonight!! Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! I was so happy to have it, drive, sit in it, put groceries in it, look at it...you get the picture! I can live without the household goods for six more months if I have to, but I really wanted my car right away. We took the "beast" back last night, thanked its owners profusely, and said so long!


Check out the Arabic on the license plate:


We still need insurance and registration - it's all good though, now that it's in our driveway and not a container at the port!

In addition, we finished the puzzle last night! The boys and I worked on it for a couple hours today and then we finished it when Steve came home - it was fabulous quality time! Michael put the ceremonial "last piece" in, as planned. And finally, we celebrated with root beer floats, yum!


Here is a picture of most of the puzzle, and a close up of Mickey's eyes/nose area. I'm telling you, it was brutal!

As I write this everyone is happy...the boys, because they finished the puzzle.... Mom, because she has her beloved car again... and Dad, because Mom will finally stop nagging about when we can get the car. We all slept well last night!

Mickey Mouse Puzzle

For those who are in Michigan (and Mom who was with us in May), we are still working on that @$%&* Mickey Mouse puzzle! It's one of those where millions (?) of scenes make up a larger image. Michael started the puzzle before Steve left in March, and he literally cried at the suggestion that we would have to take it apart to move.


I didn't have the heart to do it. No, we rolled it up as it was - partially completed - in June right before the packers came. I found one of those nifty puzzle roll-up thingys (I'm sure that its inventor has a clever name for it, but it escapes me at the moment). At any rate, it fit into the air shipment and was already here waiting when the kids and I arrived. We only have one table right now, which we eat at... so we improvised:

We are still optimistic that our household goods shipment will be delivered in the next week and a half. There is absolutely no way we can have this "puzzle table" set up in the kitchen, or anywhere else in the house for that matter. We will be up to our ears with our furniture, the rented furniture that has to be picked up, boxes, packing paper, etc. Upon that realization, Steve and I announced that the puzzle will either have to be finished by delivery, taken down, or rolled up again to be worked on after everything is unpacked and put away. Michael really pressed to finish it - a decision I'm good with, because frankly I'm sick of the darn thing!

We've been working day and night - Aunt Holly, where are you when we need you???

Though we all have been frustrated and our perserverance stretched to it's limits, it's been an incredible team/family building experience for us. We all cheer (and I mean CHEER) when someone finds a piece. We enjoy spending time together working on it, even though we don't talk much - except to complain a bit about the challenge. We are brainstorming about the celebration we will have when it is done. And we unanimously decided that Michael should put in the last piece, as our team captain.


Maybe Mr. Mouse should get involved in the negotiations for world peace.

Keep your fingers crossed

Our household goods shipment arrived, as scheduled, on Monday!! With all the broken promises (lies) and trouble we've had with the Honda, I was totally shocked. It was around the beginning of July that they predicted the arrival date of 8/18. Very impressive (too bad we didn't use the same company for the vehicle!).

Now, before you get too excited for me, let me define "arrived." It simply means that our container came into port and has been taken to the official customs inspection site. That's where they rifle through EVERYTHING looking for contraband (idols, religious symbols, drugs/alcohol, pornography, weapons, etc.). After they are satisfied that we're clean, they'll deliver the stuff to us. I believe all our books, music and DVDs are held back for a closer look.

Steven has been told that our stuff will deliver in 10-15 days. That timeline is really crucial because Ramadan starts on Sept. 1. Why does that matter?

Muslims are not allowed to eat/drink anything from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, even at work. I know, you are thinking, "what in the world does that have to do with Steven & Lani's stuff?" Great question. In Saudi Arabia during Ramadan, Muslims turn their schedules upside down. They don't eat/drink at all during the day. Then after sundown they stay up all night, eating/drinking of course. The next day they are very sluggish from not sleeping. As you might imagine, it just compounds as the month goes on. They don't officially sleep at work, but they are so inefficient that they may as well sleep. I guess it's one way to get through 30 days of fasting!

So, when you are waiting for customs or whoever to go through your stuff, you don't want them to be sleeping all day. We've heard that if we don't get it delivered before Ramadan, it won't likely be before until the 1st or 2nd week of October. So, we'll have it either in the next 2 weeks or the next 7 weeks.

They have already started processing it, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. And Michael says he's crossing his toes too!

Compound Pictures - Part 1

The slide show on the side seems to have a mind of it's own, so I'm going to get rid of it and put the pictures in posts - what I originally intended to do. I can also include a short commentary - think of it as a cheap tour!

Here is the standard, "Boys, please go stand in front of our house" shot:




And some pictures of our street taken from our driveway:




These are misc. street scenes taken while driving around the compound:




Before you can get into the school grounds, you have to go through a gate and show ID. I have never been asked to do this, with or without the kids. I have seen non-western men been asked a lot, but almost never a mom. Here is a shot of the gate:



This is the front of the elementary school. It's a little hard to see through the trees:



And the side of the school:



They have a covered playground at the school. It helps stay cooler a little bit, but only on the non-humid days. We all just figure on being very, very sweaty anytime we are outside for more than a couple minutes. (on a side note, you should see how curly Michael's hair gets in the humidity! It's very cute.) Here's a couple of the playground:


They have a drinking fountain outside the school, but the water isn't chilled until school starts. Right now, you could bring your cup and make tea immediately, as Michael unfortunately discovered:


The grass golf course is very pretty and well maintained (actually, everthing is well maintained within the compound). The boys are very anxious for cooler weather when they can go golfing with Steve and carry his clubs. Yep, I was wondering the same thing...how did Steve convince them to be his little caddies??? By telling them that while he is golfing, they can drive the golf cart from hole to hole!

Here are some pictures of the golf course:



And no photo tour would be complete without a view of the pool. Of course you have to go through the gate first. Again, only certain level of employees and their families can use the pool. They have never once asked to see my ID. I assume that all Westerners are employed at whatever level that is or above.

There are two pools on the compound. This is the one that we can walk to within 5 min., but the boys like the least. It does have a cool little water slide, but it is only open every 30 min. The other pool is a 10 min. drive and boasts an AWESOME elevated diving board and lots of shade - over the pool and on the sides. Unfortunately I don't have a picture of that one yet. Worse yet, the picture I have of the closer pool is a bad shot, taken from outside the pool area. But for what it's worth, here it is, with the gate first:


And finally, Jacob wanted everyone to see the funny fire hydrants here:


Until next time,
Lani

Car Trouble - Remember this name...

As some of you may know we shipped our Honda Pilot to Saudi Arabia. Steve checked out the used car market when he arrived in March, and quickly decided that it wouldn't save a lot of money to buy one here. In addition to the financial aspect, the driving is CRAZY here (for those of you who visited us is in China - it's very similar, but with a lot less people and higher rates of speed! I've never been as thankful for airbags and seat belts!). With a very high number of accidents, you have no idea what the history is on the used car you are buying. I'm not aware of "Carfax" history reports for Saudi Arabia!

So, we checked around and settled on a shipping company. They picked up the Pilot at the end of April, told us it would be in Saudi Arabia by the second week of June. Super! If only.


It has been nothing short of a nightmare dealing with this company: Schumacher Cargo. Remember that name now: Schumacher Cargo. Tell all your friends to not use them for anything!! They took our 30k vehicle, title and all, and haven't initiated one line of communication the entire four months.

The car did not arrive mid-June. In fact, it didn't even get on a boat until after the beginning of July. We had to repeatedly call them to find out what was going on.

It eventually arrived here on August 2nd. We were excited because the boys and I would be here with Steve on August 4th. But in speaking with the agents that were going to work with customs to clear the car, we found out that the paperwork - the bill of lading - was illegally combined with another car coming to the same location. The agents here wouldn't touch it -- and our car was stuck at the dock (hopefully still in the container, and hopefully still with all four wheels on it) forever in no man's land.

Schumacher Cargo (remember that name!!) apparently used a subcontractor to ship the car, and pointed their fingers to them for the mistake. It has taken an unimaginable amount of phone calls, emails and threats to get anyone to take responsibility and reissue the paperwork correctly. One delay after another. Add in the fact that the workweek here is Sat-Weds, and in the US it's Mon-Fri., and that just adds more delay.

It is now August 17. The paperwork has been issued correctly, but won't be released in the states until the wrong paperwork has been sent back and received there. Then the correct paperwork will be sent to the agent here, who hopefully can go get our car. There is going to be fines, fees, storage fees to be charged to us. Schumacher Cargo (remember that name!!) WILL be reimbursing both us and the other poor guy whose car is living with ours at the dock, but probably not without many more phone calls and threats.

In the meantime, we have been very blessed to have been able to borrow vehicles from other expats. Matt and Julia loaned us their SUV while they were out of town, so we had something to drive for a week when we first arrived. They're back now though, so we are borrowing one of Steve's co-worker's son's car. It's a rattle-trap, manual transmission Land Rover. The a/c only works in the back seat (the boys can't understand why I get so crabby when we go anywhere). Second gear grinds everytime. It's already rolled backwards out of the driveway into the street once, unbeknownst to us at the time (you MUST put it into first gear AND set the parking break when parking on a hill). Here is a picture of the beast:



However, I am soooooo thankful for using it (THANK YOU BOB!), as much as I grit my teeth getting into it everytime. It would be a much more difficult or expensive transition here if we didn't have a car, or had to rent one. It sure would have been nice if Schumacher Cargo (remember that name!!) had done what we paid them to do - and had the Pilot here in June. I will never be so happy to see my car as I will when it finally gets here! With some patience, it will.

Until next time,
Lani

Just some fun shots of the Skate Park

The boys have been begging us to take them to the skate park, so we finally caved in and went on Friday (our Sunday). Quite honestly, it's not cool enough until either 9pm (and it gets pitch black dark at 7:30pm)--or 7:30am, neither of which work well for the little sleepyheads. We ended up going around 10:30am, and could only stay for about 45 min. due to the heat but as you'll see, they had a blast!










On a side note, our monkey boy who loves to scale anything vertical (trees, poles, etc.) has now discovered one very cool fact about palm trees: they have built-in foot holds, all the way around, ALL THE WAY UP! He was on the way down when I took this picture:

I have to say that my hands were so sweaty and shaking from the terror of seeing him so high up that I almost dropped my beloved new camera!


We KNEW it was time to leave when we saw this:



Till next time,
Lani

More Grocery Shopping...

I'm not sure why I feel such a need to tell you so much about my discoveries with the grocery shopping here. Having familiar food in an unfamiliar land is so important though, especially to the kids. It gives a whole new meaning to the term, "comfort food."

We've been here for 11 days now and just cooked our first dinner at home last night (aside from heating leftovers from restaurants). We have gotten very tired of take out, but I just haven't been inspired to try to cook anything for a several reasons. I only have cookware for the top of the stove --the BBQ, crockpot and bakeware are in the shipment. The commissary on camp has limited availability of spices and other ingredients for foods I commonly make. And lastly, I hadn't taken the time to brainstorm a list of feasible dinner ideas.

Yesterday, armed with a list of meals and the ingredients I would need to make them, we ventured off camp again to a new store, Tamimi (formerly a Safeway store). It was a quick twenty minute drive into Khobar, our neighboring town. Tamimi is located on the Corniche, a street that runs along the Gulf (Yes, THE Gulf - it's beautiful, by the way!).

I had to wear my abaya because we were off camp - I put it on in the parking lot. Here is a picture of it (finally):

As we pulled into the parking lot, we realized that we arrived just at the beginning of the mid-day prayer time, when all the shops/restaurants stop for 30-45 minutes for prayer (more about this aspect of life here to come in another post). The very kind, non-Saudi guard at the door of the store unlocked the door for us, making sure that we understood we would only be able to shop, not check out, until prayer was over. Glancing at the long list in my hand, I assured him that it wouldn't be an issue.

The inside of the store looks just like a grocery store in the states, except there is no "self checkout" lines. You don't have the option of paper bags, and you certainly don't have the option of buying those reusable bags (I do have some coming in my shipment though!).

The produce department was fantastic. I can't think of anything that was "missing" except for berries, and most of the fruit is vine ripened. The cantaloupe is out of this world! We found wonderful peaches, small but flavorful apricots, seedless grapes, bananas, Gala apples, tangerines, and many other exotic fruits that we will one day try. The vegetable selection was just as extensive - off the top of my head I can't think of anything that I normally buy that I wouldn't be able to get there, aside from asparagus.

A sampling of other grocery items I bought are: vanilla, brownie mix, Hershey chocolate chips, sour cream, Reynolds foil, fajita/taco seasoning, baking powder, frozen pizza, Bush's black beans, Tillamook cheese, worcestershire sauce, Ragu spaghetti sauce, Maggi beef and chicken bouillon, Fruit by the Foot, Oreo cookies, canola oil, Smart Balance margarine, etc.

The only things on my list that I couldn't find were tampons, Act flouride rinse, and vanilla instant pudding. Not too bad.

Other things I saw at Safeway were: Pringles, Doritos, Frozen Pizza, chicken nuggets, Sargento Cheese sticks, cake mixes/frosting, Ritz crackers, Extra Gum, Ken's Steak House dressing, Heinz catsup, Kellogg's cereals (up for a posting here, Eric??), Pepsi/Coke products etc.

I think some of the items are produced locally (since the boxes are printed in both English and Arabic) like Kellogg, Oreo & Ritz, and some are imported like the cheeses. Other products, such as milk and yogurt are just unrecognizable but decent local brands.

Bet you are wondering about the prices? (converted to USD)

chocolate chips : $3.60

sour cream 8oz: $1.30

packet taco seasoning: $1.00

Tillamook cheddar 8oz: $ 4.79

Mushrooms 8oz: $2.00

Gala Apples 1lb: $1.30

Safeway brand Macaroni & Cheese: $ .79

Reynolds Foil: $4.60

1/2 gallon milk: $1.86

dozen eggs: $1.00

Act II microwave popcorn: $ 2.80

Duracell AAA battery (4pack): $ 3.98

I don't think it's a lot more expensive in most cases, but it's been awhile since I really shopped. I am just so excited about the availability (however, I have been told that you can't always count on something being there - it sounds a bit like Costco in that sense - you have to get it when you see it because you don't know when it will be back). Nonetheless, I'm excited and relieved. Just another step toward settling in and getting life back to "normal" for my family.

By the way, here is a picture of my now well stocked, but extremely ugly, refridgerator:


Until next time...
Lani

Closer to the true Pronunciation

We just came back from the ID office to get my temporary ID - the card that gets me through any gate, into any facility including the school, borrows books from the library...you get the picture.

While checking in at the counter the man said my name, LaLani, for verification. I overheard Steve say, "Yes. You pronounced it perfectly! That doesn't happen very often."

Steve is actually wrong. It NEVER happens - in the U.S. that is. Anyone that has not lived in Hawaii for a significant amount of time butchers my name the first time they see it. I have put up with this for nearly 40 years (we won't actually disclose just HOW close to 40 it has been) and I'm at the point where I don't think twice about it until someone actually gets it right the first time. My skin has toughened up quite a bit since junior high, when I created the nickname of "Lani" to lessen the opportunities for mistakes. Substitute teachers were the absolute worst.

However in Saudi Arabia, I think I have a fighting chance of having a "normal" name. I obviously haven't started studying Arabic yet, so my reasoning for their pronunciation may all be bunk. But my guess is that in Arabic, the "a" sound is often not (maybe never?) a long "a" as in lake, or a short "a" as in cat. Rather, mostly I'm hearing the sound like a short "o" as in lost. Which if you apply to both of the "a" vowels in my name and say it quickly, you get much closer to an acceptable pronunciation of my name.

(I know you were all sitting there trying it aloud. The thought of that makes me chuckle!)

Every time we establish ourselves in a new location, I always say to myself that I'm going to stop going by "Lani" and introduce myself to all my new friends as "LaLani." I never do. Maybe this time will be different. I am certainly inspired to make more effort in introducing myself with the name my parents gave me. At the very least, I won't be cringing quite as often when hearing my name read aloud by strangers.

Pictures

Technology....Grrrrr!
I have been trying everything to get pictures to upload within the text of this blog. I think I need to find a time when not a lot of people are on the DSL lines - I've heard the lines get overloaded which would explain the issues I've been having. The best I can do right now is a slide show on the side. The pictures are kind of small, but if you are interested in seeing them bigger just email me and I can send you a link to view the album bigger at Picasaweb.

Please let me know in the comment sections if there are other things you'd like pictures of. We tried to show pictures of the inside of the house to everyone this summer. I can load those on as well if you missed them.

In the meantime...enjoy the pictures! Aramco does a nice job of keeping the compound clean and well maintained - it's beautiful for being in the middle of a desert!

Intersession !!

The boys went to Intersession today, something similar to a mini-summer day camp at the school. Aramco pays the teachers to run it, and they do all fun stuff for 2 hours/morning at the school. It runs for 2 weeks, 5 days per week. Intersession happens between trimesters - once in the winter, once in the spring and twice in the summer. School goes year-round here (PLEASE don't use that term with the boys !!) so there are bigger breaks in winter/spring, and a shorter summer vacation.

Michael's schedule consists of one day of each per week:

• Gym games
• Bowling (the kids are taken on a 10 min. ride by a/c bus to the bowling alley on the compound)
• Pool (which is right next to the school and has an "awesome" water slide)
• Computers & Activities
• Movie (the kids are taken on a 10 min. ride by a/c bus to the movie theater on the compound)

I don't actually know what Jacob does on most of his days, but the theme is "Fairy Tale Fun." He also gets 2 pool days though, as well as building sand castles on the covered school playground and a trip to the movie theater.

The boys were excited about starting, but their excitement was WAY overshadowed by their nervousness. I thought Michael might be close to throwing up. But when I came to pick them up they both had an AWESOME time, of course, and the best part was that in Michael's group he found his pen pal Kyle. Apparently, they hit it off and stuck together like two peas in a pod. Kyle is a nice, but wildly fun little boy who has been known to do silly things like tie his OWN shoes together or wear his pant backwards just for laughs. Doesn't that sound like Michael's kind of friend?

At any rate, I am just thrilled to have 2 hours of time to myself. Our suitcases are all unpacked and everything is put away in our rented dressers, rented bookshelves and closets - but it will be nice to have just a little bit of time to get oriented on the compound. However, I think that the best part of intersession is the cost: $0.

A journey to the "real" Saudi Arabia

Starbucks…
Kentucky Fried Chicken…
Cinnabon and Seattle’s Best Coffee (with pictures of Pike Place Market)…
McDonalds…
Burger King…
Baskin and Robbin…

Time to gather up the courage – today another family is taking us on our first excursion to the “real" Saudi Arabia. I didn’t think we would be going off the Dhahran compound, the bubble that insulates us from the surrounding foreign culture just days after arriving. I am nervous and excited at the same time. OK, mostly nervous. Will I be able to contain my anxiety in front of the kids? Will we be able to find our way around? Will I be so uncomfortable that I will never want to leave the compound again?

My borrowed abaya is too short and ill fitting. “Don’t worry,” my new friend tells me. “It only has to be shapeless. The only issue is that we can see slightly above your ankles. Just wear long pants under it today.” That works, except for the fact that it’s one hundred and six degrees (with the humidity it feels like one hundred and thirty two according to Accuweather). Begrudgingly I find some lighter weight yoga pants and put them on. I’m hoping the mall will be well air conditioned and I won’t be all that uncomfortable.

Two security gates, a short time on the freeway and ten minutes later, we pull into the parking lot of the Mall of Dhahran, the largest mall in Saudi Arabia. Built eleven months from conception, the mall boasts one million square feet of premium shopping space. The Mall of America dwarfs this with two point five million leasable space (I assume shopping space and leasable space are similar?). Nonetheless, compared to anything I’ve seen yet, this is an Aramco shopper’s dream, with unimaginable amounts of parking to boot!

The boys are delighted when we arrive at the ten thousand square meter entertainment area, complete with an ice skating rink, train, arcade games and numerous carnival rides – all inside the mall. We pull out the credit-card type things that have replaced tokens and begin swiping them in the arcade games. Aramco subsidizes the cards: we buy them for 40 SAR ($10.60) and get 150 SAR ($40) worth of games or rides. We will likely becoming here again at that price – what a great, air-conditioned way to keep the kids busy until school starts.

Quite frequently I notice blonde hair in abayas walking by, carrying large shopping bags. Oddly, there are never any women walking alone, only in pairs. A few are with their husbands, who are all dressed in short sleeves and long pants despite the heat. All are animated and happy, walking as though they own the place.

As we leave the entertainment area and walk further into the pristine retail paradise, I begin to recognize stores. A large Starbucks is on my right. A Cinnabon that serves Seattle’s Best Coffee is on my left. Many of the fast food favorites are in the food court, albeit with limited but certainly adequate menus.

At the French hypermarket chain store, Geant (similar to a Super Wal-Mart), I find Dove soap, Crest toothpaste, Frosted Flakes and Hellman’s mayonnaise. And the Holy Grail of the Green family shopping list…Goodnights pull-ups. Not only are they the size and style Jake needs, but they are priced similarly to what I would pay in the states and are made locally as a joint venture with Kimberly-Clark. I am invincible now – there will be no shopping challenge I cannot defeat!

I never dreamt that leaving the walls of the compound could make me feel more “at home.”

The morning at the Clinic

On some, their faces can’t be seen at all. On others, just their eyes take furtive glances at me. But on all, they are covered completely in black from head to toe. I am wearing capri pants, a t-shirt and sandals – certainly not what I would have defined as provocative or scandalous. So why do I feel like the strange one?

I am sitting here alone, without the security of family and friends. My husband and sons are in the waiting area for males, the sectioned-off area in the front. The section with the nicer chairs and flat screen TV. What the hell?

We are on the compound. I am not supposed to be segregated on the compound. I am not supposed to have to “cover” on the compound. I am not supposed to feel uncomfortable by the way I dress on the compound. I am supposed to be surrounded by six thousand other Americans on the compound.

We have been to the commissary, the post office, the dining hall and now the medical clinic – all within the compound walls - and I have seen many robed, Muslim women, but only two other non-robed, western women. It wasn’t supposed to be this way!

We have been in China, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong and of course Mexico. Never once in a foreign country have I felt so alien, nervous and somewhat afraid. Afraid that I am going talk when I shouldn’t. Afraid that I’m going to stare too long at their veils, wondering how they manage to eat while wearing them. Afraid that I will get angry looks by showing my bare arms and shins. Afraid that I might, without realizing it, do something offensive and be yelled at. My anxiety is relentless as we take care of business this morning.

What have I gotten myself into? I didn’t realize the extent of the cultural differences here and the impact it would have on me emotionally. Did I not face reality? Could I have known what reality would be before coming? Shouldn’t someone have told me about this? What else have I not been told about?

“They look like ninjas, Mom,” Jacob tells me in the car. “Do you have to wear that on your face?”

“Nope, I sure don’t honey. They wear the veil by choice, in following the Islamic customs. Some choose to, some don’t, but no one expects me to because I’m not Muslim.”

“That’s too bad, cause I think you’d look very cool.” His lighthearted comments lessen my discomfort, if only for a couple minutes.