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...
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