What's my name?

I've noticed that many of the lost formalities and polite manners I remember from my youth are still the norm here.  Some I very much appreciate, while others I would be happy without. For example, many of the men Roberto works with call him Mr Roberto.  Somewhat formal!  Then there are also a couple of employees that insist on calling him, "Boss." Roberto frequently tells them, "Please don't call me, 'Boss', call me, 'Roberto!'"  Their response, "Okay, Boss!" 

Some of the ladies and men on our compound call me, "Madam."  Because of the cultural sensitivity between men and women, I don't say anything to the men, but I have on several occasions asked the women to call me, Dawn Marie.  Their response, "Okay Madam, Dawn."

Happy Birthday Sheik Roberto

We had a party for Roberto's birthday and enjoyed our guests from around the world.  There were South Africans, Lebanese, Saudi, New Zealand, Indian, American...  A great time!

One of Roberto's co-workers got him a Saudi Keffiyeh for his birthday.

This is a hospital?  Sweet!

Recently I had a doctors appointment at a near by hospital.  I walked it and stood amazed at what looked like a lavish 5 star hotel.  It was beautiful, elegant and did not look or smell anything like a hospital.  It was a short appointment and I was in and out in no time even though it was a first time visit and I had all the paper work and registration to take care of. The care and service was excellent. 

Thank God we are healthy and have no need to stay in a hospital, but if there is ever a need it would be nice to stay at one that looks like and has the service of a 5 star resort.

And for dessert you have, what?

In Al Khobar there is a place call the Vitamin Palace that serves great fresh fruit drinks, but check out their menu Couples Specials.

Hum, we'll have the mango juice please!

Covered & Uncovered; A Wedding

At the mall with a S. African and Saudi friend and their children.

Early in March
It has been fun making new friends and learning about life here. It is definitely a different perspective from what we are used to and it's interesting and challenging not only living here as a foreigner, but also living among foreigners from countries all over the world.  For example, my Saudi friend in the picture does not have to veil her face, but does by choice. In the area we live, most Saudi women veil, but not all. Some like many of the foreign Muslim women, cover their heads only.  Most foreigners from the west only wear the abaya (the black gown) and do not cover their hair or face.  My friend says the head covering is for the religion, but the veil is only a tradition and custom which she prefers to keep.  

On this trip to the mall, my South African friend and I covered our heads to make it more comfortable for our Saudi friend as it is not at all common to see Saudi women out with foreigners.

Later in March
Last week, we had the joy of going to St Lucia for Joseph and Lindsey's wedding. Welcome, Lindsey, to the Olivas family!  We had a great time enjoying the island fun and the wedding was beautiful.

We all enjoyed a catamaran sunset cruise except that was overcast and therefore no sunset.

The day before the wedding we went zip-lining. Lots of fun!

 Amazing what a different culture from the US and also nothing like Saudi Arabia.  We had a great time interacting with the locals.  We met the Lucian mother-in-law of a friend in Saudi and went with her to a local church service on Sunday.  Taking the local bus transportation -- their buses were actually vans -- got us out and about seeing more of the residential areas as well as the countryside.

Roberto and I at the rehearsal dinner the night before the big event.

Joseph and Lindsey soon to be Mr & Mrs.

It was a beautiful wedding and the bride was gorgeous.

The exchange of rings. 

 After exchanging rings and the more traditional vows, each said a few words to the other. They both did great, but Joseph really did an incredible job and I lost the fight to hold back tears.

Introducing Mr & Mrs Joseph Olivas.

So proud of Joseph.

 

Having a great time celebrating.

A Taste of Humble Pie

Soon we will be making a trip to St Lucia for a family wedding. It will be the 30th country I've visited, each one with it's own beauty and each with it's own struggles. I am amazed at how differently people from varying backgrounds and cultures see things. We all want good things for our families and our children, but we often have differing ideas about what is good and/or how best to achieve our desired goals.  Living in any foreign culture, especially one with such a different world view can be rewarding, but also a humbling experience.  The following are 2 such examples from here in KSA:

We American gals are not used to some of the restrictions here that greatly effect our daily lives.  The inability for women to drive is an big example with many implications.  How to get what I need from the grocery store, from the garden center, from the pharmacy, etc., takes some planning.  There are several errands I could run this afternoon, but the grocery store run on today's compound bus/van schedule is not for the store where I like to shop and the compound bus/van does not go to a pharmacy or to a garden center.  Even if it did, I would have to choose one place to go, not all three even though they are not very far from each other.  With 24 hours advance notice I can book a ride for one drop off and pick-up to a location not on the schedule, but needless to say, I didn't schedule anything yesterday.  In the end, I will get the things I want or need, just not in the time or with the ease to which I am accustom.

Another example was an eye opener for me.  It was my belief that every restaurant had a family entrance and seating area for families and for single women dining together, as well as a separate entrance and seating area for single men without their families.  The purpose is to prevent inappropriate fraternizing. The other day, Roberto and I were out and about and looking for a place to stop for dinner when he saw a restaurant he had been to with some of his co-workers.  It took a while to find parking and we had to walk a distance to get there, but Roberto said the food was good so I was game.  Once we got to the restaurant we couldn't find the family door.  Roberto started to open the one door to go in and ask when he realized he saw no women inside at all.  He went to the window, got the attention of a waiter, and pointed to me.  The waiter quickly responded with a strong shake of his head and a wave of his finger indicating that I would not be allowed to enter.  The restaurant was for men only. 

A Lesson From the Chinese

With Last names like Lee and Kim, I am thinking the Chinese and the Korean have a point.  I imagine if there is list somewhere of the worlds longest street names, several streets in Saudi are probably at the top of the list. For one thing, every Prince, and there are thousands, has as street named after him.  As a result there are many streets such as:

Prince Hamoud Bin Abdulaziz Street

Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz Street

Prince Faisal Bin Fahd Road

Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd Road

 You get the idea.  Then there are streets that give a message such as:

Custodian of The Two Holy Mosques Road

Teaching Hospital Street

And other names that for some reason are important enough for an extra long street sign:

Makkah Al Mukarramah

Salaheddin Al Ayoubi Street

Imam Mohammad Bin Saud Street

 Abu Al Mudahfar Al Samaany

Of course every street sign is in both Arabic and in English so with such long names the signs are not little.

While it doesn't happen often, there is sometimes snow in the North.

The local Hyper Panda Grocery Store. Now that's a shopping cart.  It serves as a great landmark.

Little Bites

While having dinner at an Indian restaurant called Maharajah, enjoying delicious food, and the company of an Indian colleague and his wife, Roberto asked for napkins.  The waiter looked at him with a puzzled look and said, Sir, they are right there, pointing to the Kleenex tissue box in front of us on the table.

Our compound offers a private beach cove with nice facilities and a restaurant about a 30 minute drive from the compound. It's great to have a beach area for compound families where we can lounge and play in western swimwear.

Went with a colleague to visit a Church service in Bahrain and afterward to lunch at a nice restaurant on the beach.

Enjoyed a ladies brunch with lots of friends, but this South African lady is special.

Yesterday, my friend Lydia and I spent the afternoon with a precious Saudi women at Lydia's Villa.  Their daughters met at the mall and connected bringing the mom's together.  We enjoyed the visit and are invited to her home next week.  I am especially looking forward to learning more from her about Saudi culture.  From our short visit I am reminded that reading about a culture doesn't necessarily give you a true picture and often doesn't apply to most people you meet. It takes spending time with people to learn and opportunities here are not always easy to find so we are blessed to have this one.  I look forward to seeing her again and to my 1st visit to a Saudi home.