Our Scouts

Both boys are in cub scouts this year. Don't they look handsome in their uniforms?



Michael is a Webelos, in a den with 5 other boys. The nationalities are quite varied, which makes saying the Pledge of Allegiance at the beginning of the den meetings interesting. And the other surprising thing...rather than the Dads participating with their sons, it's an all Mom den, even the leader! Obviously I attend the meetings with him and not Steve.

Steve is Jacob's partner in a Tiger Cub den. I don't know a lot about how that is going, other than the fact that Jacob can't wait every week to put his uniform on for the meetings! He's been waiting a long time to be able to join Cub Scouts. He is also a badge FREAK! It's all about earning badges, badges, badges for that boy. I sewed the Saudi Arabia badge on the shoulder before the last pack meeting (where he was awarded his first badge, the Bobcat badge). When he found the shirt with the badge on it, he literally squealed!



Just a side note...I finally got the badges sewed on straight! Do I get any special badge myself for that???? (and yes Dawn, I managed to to it without any Kahlua!)

Here are some photos of the pack meeting:




We are so happy to get both of the boys back into this wonderful program, and have the time (Steve especially) to commit fully to it. To do it right really does take a lot of effort, but it's worth it - just like anything I suppose. And next summer when you see me, be sure to ask me to demonstrate how many knots I can tie. I bet it will be more than you!

Finally, THE BEACH

We have gone to the beach twice now, and lamely, I still haven't told you about it. It's really very beautiful - the water is bathwater temperature and a gorgeous blue color, the sand is soft, there is a nice breeze. In addition, there are very few people where we were, it was clean, and there was lots of shells that were very different than the ones the boys find in North America. It was peaceful, quiet, simply beautiful. We loved it. I don't feel that I can do it justice with words. But you have to know how privileged we feel to be living so close to such a cool thing to do with the kids, so I'll try my best...

Locally there are two beaches that we can use: the Aramco public beach which is open to all Aramco employees and their dependents, and the Yacht Club beach. Both of these beaches are on Half Moon Bay. While I do not have to wear anabaya at either beach, I am told that the public beach is overrun by Saudis in their abayas . Not only is it very crowded, but I most likely feel uncomfortable, even in my one-piece suit there. To use the Yacht Club beach, one must own a boat or be escorted in by a member. In addition to being less populated and less conservative, the Y.C. beach also has very nice covered picnic areas with clean grills, electricity, and trash cans. You are allowed to camp there and the snack bar, bathrooms and showers are very close by.

Matt has a sailboat and graciously invited us and the Wilkes to come along with his family to the Y.C. beach. We were ecstatic - the kids have been begging us to go to the beach since the moment we stepped off the plane. However, the temperatures have been too high - who wants to go to the beach when it's 110F or more? It's been slowly dropping the last couple weeks and we are now hovering around highs of 100F.

We eagerly packed up a huge cooler of food, grabbed all our beach toys and other gear, and drove in a caravan the 20 minutes to the gated beach. The drive itself was very interesting - I wish I had taken a picture or two. We mostly saw nothing but desert, but a different looking desert than anything I've seen before.

Here is a picture of us getting ready - sunscreen, goggles, etc. Goggles - at the beach?? I know, sounds weird, huh? The water here has a much higher salt content than any ocean beach we've been to in the States. The saltiest water on earth is in the Dead Sea, followed only by the Persian Gulf, due to the high rate of water evaporation in the area. If water gets into the kids' eyes, they start crying right away. Michael says it's worse than sunscreen. In fact, at one point during the day we couldn't find Jake's goggles and he refused to go in the water, even a little, for fear he'd get water in his eyes. There are showers in the sand between the water and the picnic area - for getting that nasty water off your skin immediately!


One more thing about the water - it was so clear that you could see quick little fish, about 6 inches long.


We played here until the sun went down. What a memorable sight! If I had spent more time reading the manual of my new camera, I would have been able to show you a better picture - it looked way nicer than this. Sorry!


We went back to the Gulf 2 weeks later - though not locally this time. There is another Aramco family compound (there are actually six or seven) in Saudi Arabia in a smaller city called Ras Tanura. They have off-shore rigs in this area, and the compound is located right on the water - some of the homes have views of the gulf. You can even go out the back gates onto the beach. The only thing preventing me from being completely green with envy is that they have much higher humidity there, for a much longer time than us. Ras Tanura is about 45 minutes away and the beach on the compound is open to any Aramco employee.

We spent the morning there with some new friends of ours that also have two boys. This time we got up early and had breakfast (as well as lunch later) at the dining hall on theRas Tanura compound - located steps from the beach.


The water here was even more stunning than Half Moon Bay. The color reminded me of the water in Thailand. I'm not sure if it was the time of day, or simply that we were not in a bay. However,because it was not in a bay there was a bit of a tide, and the water was not clear at all in the shallow area of it. In fact, it was so cloudy you couldn't see your legs. Seaweed kept washing up around our calves, causing many memorable moments of utter terror.

There's really not much more to add, so I will just end with some pictures of the boys playing. They went on a couple of adventures along the coast, exploring the interesting vegetation. We are coming into a couple months of great beach weather and anticipate many more weekends in the sand.

I got sand in my eye while sitting on the sofa

Nope - I haven't had too much sun lately (well, actually I have but I don't think it's affected my mind yet). I really did get sand in my eye while I was just sitting, OK laying, on the sofa watching t.v. last night. I almost titled this blog posting, "Sand, Sand, Sand." It's everywhere I don't want it to be.

I know I am living in a desert. I knew there would be sand at the beach here. I knew there would be sand in the rural areas. I guess I imagined that the sand stayed outside the compound walls, if I even really thought about it at all. In reality though, the sand is everywhere. It just appears as a fine dusting on the cement on the patios, driveways, walkways, etc. There isn't any dirt here that I've seen. It's just...take a guess...yep, sand. The "top soil" that is brought in when planting new grass is "sweet sand," sand that had nutrients added I assume.

The sand gets in the car. It usually looks like I did a poor job of vacuuming after going to the beach. The sand gets in the garage if I leave it open too long. It gets into the house, presumably from the kids' shoes (leaving your shoes by the door only works when you are NOT urgently bursting through the door en route to the bathroom - a daily event in the life of one of my beloved sons!). I don't know how to explain the sand on the window sills and baseboards. And finally, the most amazing feat of all - the sand gets on the sofa. Usually not in quantities that would find it's way into your eye though.


The boys love to go to the park that is one door down from our house. It's actually a nice little park, except for the fact that the entire thing has sand instead of mulch. I believe the day it got into my eye Jacob had been at the park, sweating and rolling (yes, it's very possible) in the sand. I obviously didn't catch him before he made his way to the family room. Sigh.

Our floors are fully vacuumed and mopped twice per week. At first, I though that was excessive - surely once a week would be adequate. It's not. Well, it might be if we were living here by ourselves without any children. Instead, twice a week isn't nearly enough. I try to keep up in between without obsessing too much about it. But seriously, who wants to lay in grit after a long day?

Recko

Just about the time we started thinking maybe we'd be ready to get a dog for the boys, we learned that Jacob was allergic to animal dander and dog licks. It was a sad day in the Green household. We have had several fish since then: only interesting for a few days - then the novelty wore off and only Mom remembered to take care of it. The boys lobbied for guinea pigs or hamsters: Mom said NOPE, no rat-size furry things that could get loose (not to mention that Jake would be allergic to them too). We looked into pot-belly pigs: did you know that a typical, healthy pig can weigh as much as 150lbs? Birds? Absolutely not - there is enough yelling and chaos around here without adding a squawking, pooping bird! And lastly, a caged reptile just doesn't give you warm fuzzies like a dog or cat would. I fear it would become ignored like the fish.

We have been talking the last six months about Jake getting allergy shots to lessen his sensitivity to pets and pollen. The last allergist we had seemed to think that after about a year of shots, we probably could get a dog, depending on the breed. Jake was 100% on board with that idea. Unfortunately, we were in the middle of an international move and the timing didn't work out. Now that we are settled in here, talks are in works again about starting the shots.

In the meantime, someone (something?) has adopted us: Meet Recko Green...



Yes, Recko is a Gecko (the boys are currently into rhyming names for pets. I hesitate to imagine what they would name dog). Recko likes to hang out in our garage mainly in the evening. We've also seen him on the window screen and the walls in our front entry patio. He runs very fast and does not want to be touched. We are learning to not move erratically around him, so as not to scare him to death (or scare him so much his tail falls off - is that really true?).


Here are the boys trying unsuccessfully to convince him to come out from behind the water heaters:



Last week someone left the back door (from the garage) into the kitchen slightly open and Recko scampered into the kitchen. Not a pretty sight. Mom of course was trying to stay calm, doing her best to repress images of Recko going under the oven until we went to bed. Or worse yet, dying under there. The boys were whooping and hollering, mostly hiding behind Mom. Recko looked like his tail was about to fall off! A call was placed to Dad that ended something like, "What do you want me to do from here?" A decision was made to gently encourage Recko toward the sliding glass door in the dining room. That worked pretty well, until Recko ran into the curtains where we couldn't see him.

Another deep breath was taken by Mom, who went and got a file folder and a tupperware bowl. The thought was for someone get Recko in the container and then cover it with the folder until we got outside. No one wanted to try to pick him up. No one wanted to go near the curtain. More arguing and hollering ensued, ending with Mom calling everyone else a "wuss" and taking care of it herself. As she began to bend down to find him, there he was at eye level peeking out of the curtains, mere inches from her face!

More screaming.

To make long story short, Recko was eventually escorted by Mom outside. He hasn't come back into the house since - maybe he decided he was an outside pet?

(just a side note: Reliving the "Recko in the house" incident must have been too traumatic to type in first person -I inadvertently found myself retelling it in third!)

Jake's 7th Birthday

Jacob celebrated his 7th birthday here on September 8th. Can you believe he is already 7 years old? I'd say something about how time really flies, but that would make me feel very middle aged - and with a significant upcoming birthday of my own, I'd rather not think about it.

Back to Jake - celebrating his birthday was a bit more low-keyed than in years past. We were still waiting for our shipment - expecting it any day. We really had no control over it at this point. Steve said it could come at a moment's notice, and it couldn't come soon enough. I was especially disappointed that it wasn't here before Jake's birthday. But I borrowed a cupcake pan and quickly made very plain cupcakes. I just stuck an Oreo cookie on top of each chocolate cupcake and everyone was happy.

I knew Jacob expected a birthday crown at school and wasn't sure if they gave them out here. However, I didn't stop to think about it until the morning of his birthday, so forty-five minutes before I needed to be at the school, I was in the kitchen fashioning a crown out of whatever I could find around the house. The lucky supplies ended up being a green file folder and tin foil!

Steve was delighted to be able to come to his school birthday party for the first time ever. It was pretty typical - pass out the cupcakes, sing Happy Birthday and then go out to recess. Typical, except that we were asked to keep the cupcakes covered until we got to the classroom out of respect for those fasting for Ramadan. I normally wouldn't bring uncovered cupcakes into school anyway, but I certainly wouldn't have thought about doing it for Ramadan.






Here is a very proud Jacob with his teacher, Mrs. Chavez:


Later than night we had a little family party for him. I didn't have a cake pan, so I made a tiny "ice cream cake," a modified version of MJ's delicious ice cream sandwich cake. Afterwards, Jake opened the gifts we brought from the US this summer. Can I tell you how GLAD, GLAD, GLAD I am that we had the forethought to plan for those gifts! I think celebrating your first birthday, the first time in a foreign country without your best friends is tough. And it would have been a million times tougher if you didn't get some of the the toys and books you love. It wasn't a windfall, but we were able to give a couple things that really mattered to him.


We went to bed that night not knowing that the next morning would turn our little world upside down: with one hour's notice our household goods shipment were delivered at 8:30am. Looking back, it would have been a disaster to have had the shipment one day earlier. Aren't we thankful that we don't always get what we wish for?

We're Still Here

Hey everyone...bet you're wondering if we dropped off the edge of the earth. Actually, we have had a couple events that have turned life upside down for a short time. I'm just starting to claw my way back to normal and have a ton of pictures and updates for you.

The most challenging event, in addition to being the most thrilling, was the delivery of our shipment! Yes, it came, with about a one hour notice, on Tuesday, September 9th. It was nothing short of organized chaos! Steven quickly convinced the furniture warehouse to pick up all the rented furniture (beds, dressers, sofas, ect.) before the shipment delivered - the warehouse truck came within twenty minutes. Shortly after that, the local moving company came with all our blessed wooden crates. They delivered two-thirds of the household goods and then stopped for the day (even though it was only 1pm). Remember that it's Ramadan? All of the delivery guys were fasting - which means no food OR drink, even water. I can't even begin to imagine how they most have felt carry all our stuff in the heat, without being able to drink. Although we were disappointed about stopping when clearly there was enough time in the day to finish, we completely understood. Then we noticed that our mattress was not delivered yet. Oh, the joys!


The rest of the shipment was delivered the next morning and then the real work began! We mostly unpacked and organized now, though every thing is not in it's final resting place. We can even get the car in the garage. We still need to purchase some bookshelves - sure do miss those built-in bookcases in our Michigan house!

I'm happy to say that nothing was confiscated in our shipment - not even the Christmas tree! We only found 2-3 boxes that were even opened. The box of music CDs was one of them and I haven't unpacked it yet, so it's possible some of that was taken - but nothing else that we are aware of. Hurrah!

Unfortunately I do have one sad thing to report: our globe was broken in the move. There were a few dings, chips and other minor breakages, but this one hurt. We bought it in Beijing in 1999 - it moved to Seattle, Maryland, Michigan and now here. It's really a shame - they just packed it badly. It's insured of course, and we will try to replace it, but we did have a bit of an emotional attachment to it, particularly Steve.



The boys were absolutely ecstatic to see their beds, books, toys, and all their crap (mom's eloquent term for the rest of their "treasures" - bottle cap collections, old bus ticket stubs, curled ribbon from a birthday present, colored children's' menus from every restaurant we've been to in the last 5 years, ETC...yes, I shipped it all BUT only because I didn't have time to rifle through it covertly before we packed out in Michigan. Trust me, it WON'T all be put away and it WON'T be missed!) They went to school thinking it was just another day, and came home at lunch to find the mountains of boxes and paper. Here is a fairly accurate portrayal of their reaction:


Just two days after the shipment was delivered, the Wilkes arrived in the Kingdom. This is the family we met in Houston last November at the initial orientation for the job. It turned out they have a son Michael's age, and two younger daughters - and they lived an hour from us in Michigan. Neil Wilke is a doctor working now for the hospital here - he was here for a month in the spring and Steve spent a lot of time with him - "bach-ing" it. They had a very rough summer and their transition getting here was horrible. In addition, they've never lived overseas before. Steve met them at the airport Friday night, and we've been very busy helping them get settled in. So far, they are exhausted, overwhelmed, and at times frustrated with the system -- but very much loving the community, school and overall experience. Sound familiar?

I was determined to get this post up this morning - I'm still sitting here in my pajama with the breakfast dishes in the sink - so I better stop talking (typing?). Stayed tuned...there'll be more to come soon on Jacob's birthday, cub scouts pictures, Royal Saudi Air Force jets, skinny cats, our pet Recko, and many more ideas bouncing around my brain. I'm never at a loss for words, just the time to type them!

Saturday is Monday and 37 is 60 ?

I'm well over the jet lag. I've recovered from the first round of my intestines' official protest to living here. I've got the exchange rate firmly planted in my mind. But I have to tell you, between the different weekend and the metric system, I'm still completely messed up!

The weekdays here run from Saturday through Wednesday, and the weekend is Thursday and Friday. The Islamic holy day is Friday, as opposed to the Christian holy day of Sunday. So, the beginning of the school week/ work week is Saturday. And, of course, the end of the week is Wednesday. When I go to the gym three days/week, I aim for Saturday, Monday and Wednesday. Instead of activities being on Tuesday and Thursday, it's Sunday and Tuesday. It doesn't sound difficult, but I just can't seem to wrap my mind around it.

It doesn't help that one of my new friends is even worse than I am at deciphering what day it is. Here is an excerpt from a conversation in which we were trying to set up a playdate:

Lani: What day do you want the kids to come over and play ?

Friend: I think Friday works the best for me.

Lani: Pause. Do you mean Wednesday?

Friend: No, Wednesday we have a dental appointment. Can we do Friday?

Lani: Well...we usually try to do family things on Fridays.

Friend: Uhhhh...

Lani: Do you mean Friday, as in Wednesday? Or are you thinking of the weekend?

Friend: Uhhh...

Lani: Ok. Can you get to a calendar? What DATE works for a playdate?

I'm telling you, it's painful.

Steve made a calendar template for me in Word in which the week starts on Saturday, and Thursday and Friday are in gray at the end of the week. It's tremendously helped my capacity to even picture the week. Now, when asked when Back to School night is, I pause only briefly as I hesitantly say, "Sunday," instead of what I want to say, "Tuesday."

But then there's that metric thing! Curse the day I thought I didn't really have to learn it in 6th grade! It has come back to haunt me in a big way. Just a few examples...

Most of the products in the stores are not from the US, even the recognizable brands. A brick of Philadelphia cream cheese seems pretty standard, no matter where it's from - right? But the plant here prints metric volumes (?) on the box. The salmon dip recipe calls for 16 oz of cream cheese, so you have to figure out many grams that is (it doesn't come in bricks either, it's a tub). The butter doesn't have tablespoon marks on the wrappers and it's a different shape, the milk comes in liters, gas is sold in liters, produce is sold by the kilo...I could go on and on. When cooking, I have to stop everything, go to the metric converter that is now a prominent bookmark in my web browser, and try to figure it out. I'm going to atone for the stupidity of my past by wising up and writing the converted amount in the margin of the recipe from now on. Thankfully my liquid measuring cup has some metric on it!

Metrics are everywhere here - the outside temperature, the boys' height and weight at the clinic, buying lengths of ribbon, rope or fabric, etc.

The speed limit signs are in metrics as well. All the limits are round numbers such as 40, 50, 65, 85, etc. Fortunately Honda took pity on us Americans and put the kilometers per hour on the dash in very tiny numbers. No tick marks though, and only the even numbers: 20, 40, 60, 80. A very common speed limit here is 65. Instead of guessing what 65 might be, I just drive 60 (which is 37.28). I know you are sitting there say, "Lani, give me a break. Just keep it between 60 and 70. You don't need tick marks." Yep. But seriously, the numbers are really small, and I'm scared to go 66 by mistake. There are Aramco Security cars, aka police, lurking with radar guns everywhere here. Word on the street is that they show absolutely no mercy. And if I get a speeding ticket, Steve will get into trouble at work, and may not get the yearly merit increase. Six percent a year doesn't sound like much, but if you do the math and carry it forward the five-to-ten years we'd like to stay...a $70 speeding ticket turns into tens of thousands of dollars. Ouch! You might say that's incentive to drive well under 37.28 mph.

It's a good thing whoever said, "you can't teach an old dog new tricks" was wrong. Just give me awhile and I'll get it these things down. In the meantime, you'll find me driving five miles (or is that five kilometers?) below the speed limit.

Please Leave the Lid Up

Have I ever told you how warm the tap water is here? The only true options for water temperature in the washing machine are quite warm, and hot. It's not surprising considering how hot it is outside. What is surprising though, is how it affects the toilet.

From the day they learned what a toilet was, I have been relentless in training the boys to put the seat and lid down on the toilet. With Michael, putting the lid down was so that Jake didn't play in the toilet water. With Jake, well, I guess by then I just had already made it the standard and it was easier to stay the course. They do a great job and I rarely need to say anything to them about it. So naturally, they continued to put the seat and lid down after moving to Saudi Arabia.

Being boys, they are also in the habit of taking care of business just as fast as they can. I have also tried to train them, not as successfully though, to wipe up "drips" that happen when they wait too long and quickly fling the seat and lid up. Any woman will tell you, it's absolutely disgusting to sit on a wet toilet seat. (Guys, I'm sure you would agree - it's just that you probably don't run into it as often as we do.)

Immediately after arriving here, I started finding wet toilet seats on a regular basis. My reaction started out as gentle reminders, and after mere days turned into roaring! I cannot find words to describe how loudly I was yelling at one point (the abundance of tile and lack of rugs on our main floor really turn this place into an echo chamber too!). I couldn't figure out what the deal was: Jet lag? New surroundings? Did going from 70 degrees to 118 overnight erase a portion of their memory?

I continued to flame the male members of our family for a couple weeks. Yes, I had moved onto yelling at Steve too. Why not...the boys naturally protested that it wasn't them and it had to be someone. It really wasn't pretty, and I'm positive they conspired to hide the bottles of water from me so that I'd drink less, therefore pee and scream less.

I don't even know when I figured it out, but I did feel very bad when it hit me: Putting the lid down causes the water to condensate onto the seat.

I've clearly stopped yelling at the three of them for peeing on the seat. Now, I've moved onto yelling at them for putting the seat down.

First Day of School, ...and Michael Squarepants

The first day of school was August 30th! The humidity was so high, that I had to wait about five minutes for the camera lens to clear before taking this picture. Thus, the very annoyed look on the boys' faces. "Come on, Mom. Let's go! Who cares about a picture?" Sigh. At least I got a quick one, and I'm delighted that they were eager to get to school.


And just another picture to deliver your daily dose of laughter: Michael Squarepants! He did this at bedtime and we were laughing so hard it took us 20 minutes to get the boys settled down enough to go to sleep. Oh, the joys!

More Thoughts on Covered Women

Again today I was the only Western woman in the waiting room, make that the female waiting room, at the clinic.

We had dinner with some new friends, Andrea and Roy, from Vancouver Island. Andrea once had a Muslim friend in college who wore the abaya and covered her hair completely, but not her face. In a discussion once about women "covering", Andrea's friend said that Muslim women think we are the enslaved ones: enslaved to culturally defined ideals for weight, beauty, breast size, hairstyle/color, fashion, etc. They are the "liberated" ones. When they make a first impression, they are not judged on any of those things - only their inner beauty and intelligence. Stops and makes you think, doesn't it?

I love this stuff!! It's been ages (OK, maybe only 8 yrs) since I've lived in a place that turns all my preconceived ideas of "what is" onto its head. I love being challenged to look at something from a different, sometimes wildly unimaginable, but still valid perspective. I love the way it expands my mind and requires me to accept that our way isn't the only way, and at the same time, this new found knowledge doesn't shake my beliefs or customs (yes, I am beginning to get why Muslim women cover, I respect it, BUT I'm not running out to buy my own veil!).

I don't think that all Muslim women embrace the veil as liberating. And I have to admit that I wonder if they use this reasoning as a way to make themselves feel better about it. There again though, that's my "Western Woman-colored glasses" thinking they couldn't possibly enjoy covering. Is it possible to shake off those glasses and accept differences without cynicism?

I hope someday to be able to talk personally with them - it's going to take a lot of courage on my part though. Not one has ever struck up a conversation with me. Not one has ever even caught my eye. I think I would have to be good friends with someone before they would honestly open up, exposing their true feelings/beliefs about such a sensitive topic. It's not very likely to ever happen, and that makes me sad.

The Salad Spinner

I have been wanting a salad spinner for ages. Dawn has one, and I always thought it was so cool to spin it, and amazing how much water comes out (I'm apparently easily entertained). But, for reasons unknown to even me, I have never bought one and have just continued to buy the already washed, bagged lettuce.

When we first arrived here, I was astounded to see a salad spinner in the commissary. They do have a very wide variety of things, just not many different brands or styles of all those things (did that make sense?). It was around $20 and after convincing Steve (actually myself - he couldn't have cared less if I bought it) that I really "needed" it, I was the proud new owner of a salad spinner. I also bought a head of romaine lettuce and promptly "gave it a whirl" when we got home. It works wonderfully, and I now have a ziplock bag of clean, bite-sized romaine lettuce in my ugly produce drawer.

I really believe that a significant aspect of a successful overseas assignment is flexibility. That ability, or the lack thereof, makes it or breaks it for you. You just aren't going to be able to do some things the same way you did before. You may not have the same tools. You may run into obstacles, different processes, or even impossibilities. You really have to be patient, creative, and have a good sense of humor...or you will go completely batty!

My salad spinner has become the symbol of that adaptability. We have had limited kitchen gadgets so far: a few pots/pans, cutting board, silverware, dishes, etc. The spinner, comes with three components: the large, clear bowl that holds the water that is spun out, the basket that holds the lettuce which fits inside the bowl, and the lid which has the spinning mechanism. We have used the bowl numerous times as a salad bowl, trifle dish, serving bowl, and a mixing bowl. The basket has been used as a colander and makeshift bowl while the clear bowl was being washed. I haven't figured out a use yet for the spinning mechanism (all my creative, problem solving friends out there - and you know who you are - be sure to leave your ideas in the comments).

And by the way, not only has the spinner justified its place in my cupboards with it's versatility, but it's saved me piles of money that I would have spent on temporary colanders, mixing bowls, etc. More importantly, it's a proud reminder to me of being able to look challenges and adversity (albeit minor kitchen-related adversity) in the face and say, "bring it on!"

Salad, anyone?

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