Bangkok

A friend and I went to Bangkok to visit another friend during Chinese New Year. We did lots of shopping, and a bit of site seeing.

Thousand Islands

A group of friends and I leased an island for the weekend! It was beautiful. Not many places in the world you can lease an island. Indonesia has so many opportunities for travel.

Irian Jaya

This was an incredible trip. A life changing adventure. We were warned not to go because of security. However, my friend Loreto and I decided to go. There was absolutely no concern for security! The people of Papua are very kind, generous, accepting people.

Bali

I spent easter holiday in Bali with my friend Karin. It was our last trip to Bali before we both moved from Indonesian. It was a beautiful Easter Day!

Summer in Montana

I spent another beautiful summer in Montana getting ready for my move to Saudi Arabia!

Riyadh Saudi Arabia

The flight wasn’t bad at all. Not as long as going to Jakarta. I met a couple on the plane who are teachers here in Riyadh. So that was nice. I found my way through immigration in Riyadh. They took my passport and didn’t want to give it back to me since I am female traveling alone. In the end they did give it to me because I told them I was with the couple that I had met on the plane. If they wouldn’t have given it to me, the school would have had to go in and get it. The superintendent was waiting for us to take us to the compound.

The compound is very nice. I live in a nice 2 bedroom villa. There is a nice pool and a good restaurant. Nice gym to work out in, tennis courts, racquetball courts. We have a small store here also – ok a bit like a 7-11 store.

As for the shopping in Riyadh – you can get pretty much anything you would want – except pork products and alcohol! They have safeway grocery stores here – they call them by a different name but they are safeway brand. They have lots of shopping malls. They have many markets – souqs. They have the gold souq, textile souq, carpet souq, plastic souq, fish souq, you name they have here! The prices in the grocery stores are similar to the US. The prices in the markets are of course cheaper and you can bargain.  However, everything closes for the prayer times—4 times a day. So you really have to plan your shopping.

We have lots of security at our compound and school. The Saudi National Guard is our security. Big army trucks (they look like a tank without tracks) with machine guns mounted on them and camouflaged guard shacks with machine guns pointing out toward you as you approach the entrance.

The school is great so far. I am enjoying my job. I have been very busy right now at this time of year getting all the new students tested and scheduled into classes. I am about finished with that part so now I can start to focus on working with the students.

I went out to the desert a couple of weekends. There are lots of sea shells. Yes – Saudi was under water at one point. Although the Saudis will never acknowledge that, because the Quran doesn’t say it. They say that Allah has put that there for you to find!! Whatever. It is pretty amazing. The desert has sand dunes but also areas of very rocky terrain - big valleys.

As a female, I have to wear my abiya whenever I leave the compound. I don’t have to wear the head scarf but I need to have it with me just in case the Mutawwa (religious police) tell me to cover. Wearing the abiya really isn’t that bad. I look at it like putting on my jacket before I leave – however, I certainly don’t need it in this heat!! The temps are about 120 degrees!! They tell me it is going to get cooler starting in October.

I have been cleared to attend the US embassy events. They have open community nights. It is a bar at the embassy – Uncle Sam’s. They serve real alcohol and pork products! Yep pork chops and bacon! It is nice to go there for a bit of normalcy and a chance to meet other people. The security is really tight getting in. There are roadblocks to get through as you enter the diplomatic quarter. Once you are in the quarter, you don’t have wear the abiya. Then once you get to the US embassy (all the embassies are in the diplomatic quarter), you stand across the street until they call you over. They check your ID to see that you are on the approved list then you go through another door and then a scanner (like in the airport) then another ID check then you are in! This can take some time depending on how many people are waiting to get in. It’s worth it! We can’t take our cell phones, keys, or cameras in the embassy.

I went to a barbecue at the compound where the US military people live. It was very tight security!! Many check points as you are walking, they even scan your body – the type of scanner that can see through all your clothes – I guess it really is an x-ray. I probably won’t go to that compound often – too much hassle getting in!!!

I have been asked to tutor for a Saudi family. I met with the father, a couple of weeks ago. The parents aren’t around too much. They travel ….. so far it is going ok. The parents are back in town again now for a few days so I will meet with them again. It sounds like the mom will be staying here in Riyadh for a while but the dad will be traveling. Very wealthy family. The wealthy that is here is Saudi is amazing –more then you can ever imagine!!

As for traveling – I have a three day weekend and am planning on going to Jeddah to the Red Sea. The hotels have private beaches so you don’t have to worry about wearing the abiya there. I may do some diving while I am there. I will just see how it all plays out.

I have a week off in October for Eid Al Fitr. Ramadan starts in a couple of weeks and that is the beginning of a month of fasting. Eid Al Fitr is the end of the fasting month. During this time the shops have modified hours. It is pretty quiet here. Most Saudi leave during this time!! I haven’t decided where I will go the week – maybe Jordan to Petra and the dead sea.

Restaurants have separate entrances for women – usually around the side or back of the building. They have separate sections for families and women to sit. They have separate banks for women too! Oh and women aren’t allowed to driver here either! And it is illegal for a single woman to be riding with a man in a car!! Right well we single women ride with men obviously!!

Well that’s it for now. This gives you a pretty good picture of my life so far here!

Jeddah Saudi Arabia

The hotel was average. They offer a bus to transport you back and forth to their private beach. Jeddah is a nice relaxed city. Very humid being on the Red Sea. The Red Sea is beautiful!. I did not do any diving this trip but I will next time. The snorkeling was great! The beach has walls on either side of it so you are a bit hidden.

Jordan

An amazing trip!! I leased a car in Aman with a coworker and we made our way around Jordan. It is actually very easy driving and finding your way.

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