Where's Home?

"Home is where your heart is."  "Home is where you hang your hat."  I remember my Aunt Betty Jo saying, "A house with love has rubber walls.  There is always room for one more and the noise is absorbed."  There are hundreds probably thousands of quotes about home.  Some say you can never go back.  Others say you will always gravitate back. 

At our front door.

During our recent visit to the US I over heard Roberto say, "This doesn't feel like home anymore.  Our home is in Saudi."  It took me by surprise at first since it is his 1st time to live outside of the US and it's only been 6 months, but then I can also relate.  I've traveled to many countries, lived in 3 outside of the US, my friends are scattered, and each time I return it feels less natural to be there.  It's just not the same. There are always some things that have changed since I was last there and I've changed as I experience new and different places, people, and cultures.

So where's home?  Roberto loves his work and the people he works with.  We've made lots of friends and are enjoying life here.  However, no matter how long we stay, we will never be Saudi.  I loved my work and friends in Afghanistan, but I was never going to be Afghan.  So where's home?

I think this one is most true for me:

“For the two of us, home isn't a place. It is a person. And we are finally home.”

~ Stephanie Perkins

Below are few more quotes as people have tried to answer that question along with more photos of our Villa in Saudi.  Add a comment and let us hear your favorite quote about home.  

The street we live on inside our compound.

 "Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in."

~ Roberto Frost

“Is it possible for home to be a person and not a place?”

~ Stephanie Perkins

Our Villa from the street.

“Home is the nicest word there is.”

~ Laura Ingalls Wilder

“Home is people. Not a place. If you go back there after the people are gone, then all you can see is what is not there any more.”

~ Robin Hobb

Our back patio.

“Well, sometimes home is a person.”

~ Beth Revis

“It’s funny. When you leave your home and wander really far, you always think, ‘I want to go home.’ But then you come home, and of course it’s not the same. You can’t live with it, you can’t live away from it. And it seems like from then on there’s always this yearning for some place that doesn’t exist. I felt that. Still do. I’m never completely at home anywhere.”

~ Danzy Senna

Congratulations Jessica!!!

We are very proud to share that yesterday Jessica Graduated from Bel-rea Veterinary Technician College.  She has always had a passion for animals so we are excited for her future in a career path she loves.

Roberto, a Mexico

Roberto is frequently mistaken for an Arab and men will start talking to him in Arabic before they realize he isn’t.  The other day he was waiting for the elevator and an older Arab gentleman started talking to him.  When he realized Roberto isn’t Arab, he asked, “Where are you from.”  Playing around, Roberto answered, “I’m from Mexico.”  The Gentleman got very excited and said in his broken English, “Mexico! You from Mexico! You the 1^st Mexico, I meet.”

Fishy Cat

Our compound is overrun with wild cats.  They are everywhere.  Many of the residence leave food out for them so they are not lacking.  A couple of them often sleep in the shade of our back porch.  They are not only on our compound, but all over the city.  About a 30 minute drive from us is a private beach for our compound residence only.  It is the only beach where were can wear western swimsuits, but it has a very nice private cove and includes a club house with an indoor pool and restaurant as well.  We spent an afternoon there a few weeks back and, like everywhere, there were a lot of cats.  This particular cat I chased down to get a photo:

He apparently ordered the catch of the day.

Before it got hot and a little windy, but we had a great day.

 

Where’s the Wedding?

In a land with no addresses it can be difficult to find a place.  There are street names, but no #’s.  Recently, Roberto and I were invited to a tradition Saudi wedding by a co-worker and his fiance.  We were honored to be included and to have the opportunity to see a little more of the culture.  We received the traditional invitation along with a separate information and instruction sheet in English.  The invitation said that the men would be welcome from 8:00 – 10:00 pm during which time they would enjoy a nice dinner. Afterward, they could leave or stay and visit with the groom for a while.  The women meet from 11:00 pm - 1:00 am.  During that time, the women would enjoy dinner.  Like many things here, Saudi wedding celebrations are segregated.

The men dress business casual, but the women dress up in formal gowns with as much bling on them as you can imagine and no concern for modesty since there will be no men.  Around midnight, the women cover up with their abayas (the black robe) and veils and the groom joins them for a short time.  When he leaves, they uncover and depending on the family, the dancing begins.  I was looking forward to seeing it and to meet many women.

Roberto left our home at 7:30 pm with a couple of other men from the office and planned to return to pick me up at 10:00 pm to take me for the ladies event.  He was business casual and I was all dressed up ready for a gala ball.  Around 10:00 pm Roberto called to tell me that they had been driving around for the 2 hours and never found the wedding hall.  What a bummer!!!  They had GPS coordinates that lead them nowhere.  They called for directions and even stopped to ask, but never found the location.

So sad!  All dressed up and nowhere to go.  Roberto was a sweet heart and took me out to dinner at the nice upscale restaurant at the hotel on our compound.  It was a good choice under the circumstances since there I wouldn’t have to cover up with the abaya. 

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.