More ridiculousness from the government...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-21932432
and also
http://www.arabnews.com/news/446001
UGH. Really?
Back to really expensive phone calls and four month snail mail. I suppose this is what I get for complaining about the Company not being like it used to be. Ha!
So tonight we're gonna party like it's 1989...
Monday, March 25, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Not The Same Old Company
For all you non-Company-cons (insert the name of the Company minus the ending c and o) out there, I am married to a person known as a Brat. Mike being a brat means that he grew up here, and you can think of it in the same way as Army Brat, except that he is a Company Brat. Since he grew up here, he can tell me all about what the Company was like way back in the day, like when there used to be a pork store on camp, and how that soccer field over there didn't used to have any grass, and no, the merry go round never really worked except in the very early 80s. It also means that everyone here who has been here a long time, or who is also a Brat, knows how to both spell AND pronounce our last name. Which is nice.
I've heard stories for years about what this place was like when Mike grew up. I remember in our VERY early relationship (maybe we had been dating for 3 or 4 days?) how he drew me a really detailed map of his compound in an effort to explain about where he was from. Back then, it was almost entirely Americans living on the compound, and the compound was meant to be a protected place where Americans could be Americans and not have to follow the Saudi rules. You couldn't go to the commissary, I have been told, without bumping into someone you knew, and everyone was really close because the compound was small and the Americans stuck together - an oasis of utopian suburbia in the middle of the Arab desert.
Thirty years later, however, things are not exactly the same as they were back in the day. This place is filled with Saudis now, and anywhere we go, we are in the minority as Americans. Rather than being a protected oasis from the rules, the compound walls and gates serve to physically protect us by keeping the terrorists out. And hardly anyone around here speaks any English (well, speaks enough English to make themselves understood without a major game of charades). It's different. Not the same old friendly place.
This past week, I experienced two things that really brought it home that things around here have changed from Mike's childhood.
1) On two different occassions, I saw American women with American children in the commissary, and the women were WEARING ABAYAS. IN THE COMMISSARY. The compound is the one place in this country where you are supposed to be protected from this rule. Yet here they are. And this was not a just-got-back-from-Khobar-and-ran-in-to-grab-something,-and-I'm-wearing-a-slip-under-this-thing-because-it's-so-hot-so-I-can't-take-off-my-Abaya-in-here trip to the commissary. No. Both times, it was a cart-fully-loaded,-brought-the-kids-for-our-weekly-shopping-trip kind of trip. Granted, the ladies and I were the only westerners in the commissary at the time, which is not unusual, so maybe they feel more comfortable wearing an abaya to fit in. But honestly! It's defeats the purpose of the compound if you have to wear your abaya inside these walls. Hmm.
2) We made the mistake of going to the Company beach one Friday afternoon. It was PACKED with Saudi families, and we were definitely the only non-Arabs there. I had a choice. I could get out of the car like normal and get harassed, and stared at, and have my picture taken by packs of Saudi women following me around. Or I could wear my abaya. I chose the latter. I hated to do it, but I must admit that I did feel a lot more comfortable and safe in it than without it. BUT THIS IS THE COMPANY BEACH. I am allowed to be normal here. I am supposed to be normal here. But I'm not. Holy crud, I just had to wear my abaya on the Company beach! What the heck?!?!?
This place is not amenable to westerners anymore. This whole place, the beach, the compound, the entire setup here, is being, and has been, taken completely over by Saudis. It's not supposed to be like this - but it is. It's sad. I am sorry for the loss of the Old Company. I am sorry that it is not the happy utopia that Mike remembers. I am sorry that I had this vision of what the Company used to be like, because sometimes I think that if I didn't come with any prior expectations, I would have been a lot less disappointed in the current status of things. I am sorry that I feel so uncomfortable in my skin all the time, everywhere I go. I am working on learning to not care. But it's an uphill battle. I will keep trying - I guess you can just call me Sisyphus.
PS - Still slow internet...will keep trying....pictures to come soon! I've got posts about Sand Roses and a Trip to the Propane Store on deck.
I've heard stories for years about what this place was like when Mike grew up. I remember in our VERY early relationship (maybe we had been dating for 3 or 4 days?) how he drew me a really detailed map of his compound in an effort to explain about where he was from. Back then, it was almost entirely Americans living on the compound, and the compound was meant to be a protected place where Americans could be Americans and not have to follow the Saudi rules. You couldn't go to the commissary, I have been told, without bumping into someone you knew, and everyone was really close because the compound was small and the Americans stuck together - an oasis of utopian suburbia in the middle of the Arab desert.
Thirty years later, however, things are not exactly the same as they were back in the day. This place is filled with Saudis now, and anywhere we go, we are in the minority as Americans. Rather than being a protected oasis from the rules, the compound walls and gates serve to physically protect us by keeping the terrorists out. And hardly anyone around here speaks any English (well, speaks enough English to make themselves understood without a major game of charades). It's different. Not the same old friendly place.
This past week, I experienced two things that really brought it home that things around here have changed from Mike's childhood.
1) On two different occassions, I saw American women with American children in the commissary, and the women were WEARING ABAYAS. IN THE COMMISSARY. The compound is the one place in this country where you are supposed to be protected from this rule. Yet here they are. And this was not a just-got-back-from-Khobar-and-ran-in-to-grab-something,-and-I'm-wearing-a-slip-under-this-thing-because-it's-so-hot-so-I-can't-take-off-my-Abaya-in-here trip to the commissary. No. Both times, it was a cart-fully-loaded,-brought-the-kids-for-our-weekly-shopping-trip kind of trip. Granted, the ladies and I were the only westerners in the commissary at the time, which is not unusual, so maybe they feel more comfortable wearing an abaya to fit in. But honestly! It's defeats the purpose of the compound if you have to wear your abaya inside these walls. Hmm.
2) We made the mistake of going to the Company beach one Friday afternoon. It was PACKED with Saudi families, and we were definitely the only non-Arabs there. I had a choice. I could get out of the car like normal and get harassed, and stared at, and have my picture taken by packs of Saudi women following me around. Or I could wear my abaya. I chose the latter. I hated to do it, but I must admit that I did feel a lot more comfortable and safe in it than without it. BUT THIS IS THE COMPANY BEACH. I am allowed to be normal here. I am supposed to be normal here. But I'm not. Holy crud, I just had to wear my abaya on the Company beach! What the heck?!?!?
This place is not amenable to westerners anymore. This whole place, the beach, the compound, the entire setup here, is being, and has been, taken completely over by Saudis. It's not supposed to be like this - but it is. It's sad. I am sorry for the loss of the Old Company. I am sorry that it is not the happy utopia that Mike remembers. I am sorry that I had this vision of what the Company used to be like, because sometimes I think that if I didn't come with any prior expectations, I would have been a lot less disappointed in the current status of things. I am sorry that I feel so uncomfortable in my skin all the time, everywhere I go. I am working on learning to not care. But it's an uphill battle. I will keep trying - I guess you can just call me Sisyphus.
PS - Still slow internet...will keep trying....pictures to come soon! I've got posts about Sand Roses and a Trip to the Propane Store on deck.
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Internet Out
Just a quick note to let everyone know that the internet is R-E-A-L-L-Y S-L-O-W over here. I'm not not posting because something is wrong or I am being lazy (although that has been true at other times), honestly this time it's because I can't get anything to upload except small bits of text. Please know that I am trying every day and will post again (I've got two on deck) as soon as it will go up!
Also, Gramama and Grapapa arrived safely!
Also, Gramama and Grapapa arrived safely!
Friday, March 15, 2013
Hoarding
Last weekend, we went to the Safeway, and we had a big find. They had Cheerios! And not just the Middle Eastern Nestle kind. The REAL General Mills Cheerios, imported from the States. Yeah! It is really hard to have kids, especially a baby who is just starting solids, and not have Cheerios. Not only that, but they had MULTIPLE KINDS of Cheerios! They had Honey Nut Cheerios and Apple Cinnamon Cheerios and regular Cheerios. So score!
People here tend to develop a problem with hoarding. If you see it, don't just buy it, buy ALL of it. That's just what you have to do - you may not see it again for months, so stock up.
Well, I guess Mike and I are still too American-minded for no-holds-barred stocking up, because the price of the regular Cheerios was a deterrent. So we got one box, which was really two boxes wrapped together like they do in Sams. That should last us for a while, anyway. We also got a box of Honey Nut Cheerios because they were there and we couldn't resist. But then just as we were walking away, Mike noticed that there was a special sign up for the Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. Imported honest-to-God General Mills Apple Cinnamon Cheerios for 1 SR. One Riyal! That's 26.7 cents! Per box! Are you KIDDING?
OK, what's wrong with them. They are 26.7 cents a box. They must be expired. And indeed, they were on sale because they were expiring in 4 days. Four days from now? That's technically still good! Heck yeah, I will eat nearly-expired Cheerios for 26.7 cents a box!! I will even eat already-expired Cheerios for 26.7 cents a box! So we stocked up! We bought all seven boxes left on the shelf. For a whopping $1.87. Score again!
So we have become hoarders, after all. But only if it's a good deal!
Our stash, on top of the microwave. The very top box is Nestle Cheerios, which are made in Dubai. They are close, but not quite the same. They are available just as infrequently as regular Cheerios.
All the imported food items get these white square labels stuck on them. It is a description in Arabic of the item, including the ingredients and the expiration date. So you know this is the real deal since it has the sticker.
The Mott's applesauce also comes with a label since it is imported. They are not very discerning about where they stick the label sometimes, but on top of the jar was not such a bad place.
The guy who was sticking labels on the imported pudding, however, must have gotten lazy. Dude. We all don't speak Arabic. Some of us would actually like to see the front of the box.
And it's really bad when they put it on the back of stuff like brownie mix or muffin mix, right over the directions. How many eggs do I need? How much oil? How long do I cook it? Thanks, Saudi official. Even Arabs need to know what to add, you know.
People here tend to develop a problem with hoarding. If you see it, don't just buy it, buy ALL of it. That's just what you have to do - you may not see it again for months, so stock up.
Well, I guess Mike and I are still too American-minded for no-holds-barred stocking up, because the price of the regular Cheerios was a deterrent. So we got one box, which was really two boxes wrapped together like they do in Sams. That should last us for a while, anyway. We also got a box of Honey Nut Cheerios because they were there and we couldn't resist. But then just as we were walking away, Mike noticed that there was a special sign up for the Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. Imported honest-to-God General Mills Apple Cinnamon Cheerios for 1 SR. One Riyal! That's 26.7 cents! Per box! Are you KIDDING?
OK, what's wrong with them. They are 26.7 cents a box. They must be expired. And indeed, they were on sale because they were expiring in 4 days. Four days from now? That's technically still good! Heck yeah, I will eat nearly-expired Cheerios for 26.7 cents a box!! I will even eat already-expired Cheerios for 26.7 cents a box! So we stocked up! We bought all seven boxes left on the shelf. For a whopping $1.87. Score again!
So we have become hoarders, after all. But only if it's a good deal!
American Cheerios vs. Dubai Cheerios. Note the Arabic on the white box.
All the imported food items get these white square labels stuck on them. It is a description in Arabic of the item, including the ingredients and the expiration date. So you know this is the real deal since it has the sticker.
And it's really bad when they put it on the back of stuff like brownie mix or muffin mix, right over the directions. How many eggs do I need? How much oil? How long do I cook it? Thanks, Saudi official. Even Arabs need to know what to add, you know.
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
InshaAlla
InshaAllah.
Also spelled Inshallah.
You hear it a lot in this country. It means "God willing," or "Allah willing." Or, for those of us who speak Southern, it means "Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise."
Used sparingly, it's kind of a neat, handy phrase for a strong "I hope so." As in, "I won't have the baby until my parents get here, Inshallah." Or, "One of these days I'll get to bed before midnight, Inshallah."
(For those of you who took Spanish, this is where "ojala" comes from. Eight centuries of Muslim rule rubbed off on those Spaniards, I guess!)
However, used too much, it changes from "I hope so" to "If I feel like it." As in, when the man from irrigation who has an emergency appointment to come to fix your busted sprinkler that is flooding your front porch calls and says "I might make it to your house today, Inshallah." Or when you take your broken phone to the cell phone store, and the guy there says, "I might fix this after prayer, Inshallah." It's the ultimate cop-out.
Then it's really scary when the doctor uses it. As in, "Your baby looks healthy, Inshallah." WHAT? There's no Inshallah about this!! DO YOUR JOB and CHECK if my baby is healthy! Don't just leave it up to God!! (Remember, these are the same people who don't wear seat belts, because if God wants you to die in a car wreck, then it's your time to die.)
(Unless you are the man, which means that you are the most important person in the family, so you do wear your seat belt. I can hardly tell you how many times I have seen a family driving on the road where the mom and kids are just loose in the car - on the console, turned around backwards in the back rear window, on top of each other in the back seat - and the dad is belted in nice and secure up there in the driver's seat. So hard to watch.) (They'll arrive safely, Inshallah.)
So now you know what it means, so you'll understand when I say it. They'll get ground beef at the commissary tomorrow, Inshallah. The road by the gas station will open up before I run out of gas, Inshallah. And the windows in Al Midra will stay in, Inshallah.
Maybe I should say, "I will write on the blog more, Inshallah!" :)
Also spelled Inshallah.
You hear it a lot in this country. It means "God willing," or "Allah willing." Or, for those of us who speak Southern, it means "Good Lord willin' and the creek don't rise."
Used sparingly, it's kind of a neat, handy phrase for a strong "I hope so." As in, "I won't have the baby until my parents get here, Inshallah." Or, "One of these days I'll get to bed before midnight, Inshallah."
(For those of you who took Spanish, this is where "ojala" comes from. Eight centuries of Muslim rule rubbed off on those Spaniards, I guess!)
However, used too much, it changes from "I hope so" to "If I feel like it." As in, when the man from irrigation who has an emergency appointment to come to fix your busted sprinkler that is flooding your front porch calls and says "I might make it to your house today, Inshallah." Or when you take your broken phone to the cell phone store, and the guy there says, "I might fix this after prayer, Inshallah." It's the ultimate cop-out.
Then it's really scary when the doctor uses it. As in, "Your baby looks healthy, Inshallah." WHAT? There's no Inshallah about this!! DO YOUR JOB and CHECK if my baby is healthy! Don't just leave it up to God!! (Remember, these are the same people who don't wear seat belts, because if God wants you to die in a car wreck, then it's your time to die.)
(Unless you are the man, which means that you are the most important person in the family, so you do wear your seat belt. I can hardly tell you how many times I have seen a family driving on the road where the mom and kids are just loose in the car - on the console, turned around backwards in the back rear window, on top of each other in the back seat - and the dad is belted in nice and secure up there in the driver's seat. So hard to watch.) (They'll arrive safely, Inshallah.)
So now you know what it means, so you'll understand when I say it. They'll get ground beef at the commissary tomorrow, Inshallah. The road by the gas station will open up before I run out of gas, Inshallah. And the windows in Al Midra will stay in, Inshallah.
Maybe I should say, "I will write on the blog more, Inshallah!" :)
Al Midra
Hello again, everyone.
Yes, it's been a while. I'm a big believer in "when you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." So sorry for the delay while I work through my tough spot.
But things are getting better now. We've had some good and funny things happen to us recently, and I've got some good posts coming up. Not to mention, this has been a good reminder that you DO read my blog and you DO notice when I don't have anything new. (Sometimes it's easy to think that I am writing to a black hole and wouldn't be missed.) So a big thank you, thank you to Miss Bloobyrd and ASF - dear friends who don't know each other, but both emailed on the same day at almost the same time to notice that I've disappeared for a while - and also IEM and my daddy, for pinging me when I really needed to be pinged. Deep breath, buck up E, get back on that horse.
(You guys can't see it, but I've got a rather large piece of pound cake covered in powdered sugar icing and strawberries to help me out here.) (Because there's no wine in this bleep-ing country.)
OK, anyway, hopefully I've made it clear by now that the quality standards are not as high over here as they are at home. For anything. Here is a big something that is a good example of that:
See this building?
It is a new fancy-schmancy Company building called the Al Midra building. They are all very proud of it. And pasted below is a fancy-schmancy article about the new building. It's worth a click - just take 15 seconds to peruse the article and get the sense of just how fancy-schmancy it is.
http://www.saudiaramco.com/en/home/news/latest-news/2011/new-complex-sets-course-for-future.html#news%257C%252Fen%252Fhome%252Fnews%252Flatest-news%252F2011%252Fnew-complex-sets-course-for-future.baseajax.html
Hmm, yes. Fancy.
What they don't happen to mention in the article is that THE WINDOWS ARE FALLING OUT. Also the solar shade parking doesn't work, and did I mention that THE WINDOWS ARE FALLING OUT! Luckily, all the windows that have fallen out so far have fallen onto the side of the building that has grass and no one on the ground or in the building was hurt.
Rumor has it that they have fixed the remaining windows so that they won't fall out. Rumor also has it that they have not fixed the remaining windows so that they won't fall out. Rumor has it that I will never ever get near a window in this building.
I think there is only one lone soul from HDR who is reading my blog, but for you, IEM, and anyone else in Mike's old (highrise) office who might remember us....remember how every time I brought the kids up to see Mike, both in the new and the old buildings, I was SO paranoid about the kids banging on the windows? "I don't know how good the contractor was who installed the windows," I would say as I held the boys back by their clothes as they leaned forward to bang on the glass, "Boys, don't get too close, you're making my toes tingle!" This is why! The fact that these windows are falling out makes me nervous to live in my house here. What's next? Upstairs bathtubs falling through the ceilings?
The other crazy thing about this is that all the people who live here just shrug their shoulders and go "Oh well. The windows are falling out." Or "Huh. Well, I'll be careful when I go in there." It's just the way life is over here. Expectations are so low, that while it's a small shock when you hear about this the first time, it's not really all that surprising in terms of life over here. Windows just fall out, the commissary doesn't have any ground beef today, and the road to the gas station has been completely blocked off and gas is unavailable. Oh well. Things will get better soon, InshaAllah. Which takes me to my next post....
Yes, it's been a while. I'm a big believer in "when you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all." So sorry for the delay while I work through my tough spot.
But things are getting better now. We've had some good and funny things happen to us recently, and I've got some good posts coming up. Not to mention, this has been a good reminder that you DO read my blog and you DO notice when I don't have anything new. (Sometimes it's easy to think that I am writing to a black hole and wouldn't be missed.) So a big thank you, thank you to Miss Bloobyrd and ASF - dear friends who don't know each other, but both emailed on the same day at almost the same time to notice that I've disappeared for a while - and also IEM and my daddy, for pinging me when I really needed to be pinged. Deep breath, buck up E, get back on that horse.
(You guys can't see it, but I've got a rather large piece of pound cake covered in powdered sugar icing and strawberries to help me out here.) (Because there's no wine in this bleep-ing country.)
OK, anyway, hopefully I've made it clear by now that the quality standards are not as high over here as they are at home. For anything. Here is a big something that is a good example of that:
See this building?
It is a new fancy-schmancy Company building called the Al Midra building. They are all very proud of it. And pasted below is a fancy-schmancy article about the new building. It's worth a click - just take 15 seconds to peruse the article and get the sense of just how fancy-schmancy it is.
http://www.saudiaramco.com/en/home/news/latest-news/2011/new-complex-sets-course-for-future.html#news%257C%252Fen%252Fhome%252Fnews%252Flatest-news%252F2011%252Fnew-complex-sets-course-for-future.baseajax.html
Hmm, yes. Fancy.
What they don't happen to mention in the article is that THE WINDOWS ARE FALLING OUT. Also the solar shade parking doesn't work, and did I mention that THE WINDOWS ARE FALLING OUT! Luckily, all the windows that have fallen out so far have fallen onto the side of the building that has grass and no one on the ground or in the building was hurt.
Rumor has it that they have fixed the remaining windows so that they won't fall out. Rumor also has it that they have not fixed the remaining windows so that they won't fall out. Rumor has it that I will never ever get near a window in this building.
I think there is only one lone soul from HDR who is reading my blog, but for you, IEM, and anyone else in Mike's old (highrise) office who might remember us....remember how every time I brought the kids up to see Mike, both in the new and the old buildings, I was SO paranoid about the kids banging on the windows? "I don't know how good the contractor was who installed the windows," I would say as I held the boys back by their clothes as they leaned forward to bang on the glass, "Boys, don't get too close, you're making my toes tingle!" This is why! The fact that these windows are falling out makes me nervous to live in my house here. What's next? Upstairs bathtubs falling through the ceilings?
The other crazy thing about this is that all the people who live here just shrug their shoulders and go "Oh well. The windows are falling out." Or "Huh. Well, I'll be careful when I go in there." It's just the way life is over here. Expectations are so low, that while it's a small shock when you hear about this the first time, it's not really all that surprising in terms of life over here. Windows just fall out, the commissary doesn't have any ground beef today, and the road to the gas station has been completely blocked off and gas is unavailable. Oh well. Things will get better soon, InshaAllah. Which takes me to my next post....
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)