December 2014 Update

I have had multiple people asking me to post an update to my job situation. So here it is: I did NOT get the job I had interviewed for recently:( I was very disappointed at first, but after taking some time to reflect, the truth is I really wasn't the most qualified person for the job, though I have no doubt that I would've learned my duties quickly and done the job well. 

However, I think it's actually for the best. Upcoming jobs include two I think I'm more well suited for and both include duties I think I'd prefer doing. Apparently there are even more options coming as well; though I'll have to wait and see what the offered salaries will be to determine if I can feasibly apply for those. In the meantime they'll keep me working on a temporary basis, so all is well at this time. Thanks to everyone who's encouraged and supported me through the job hunt, you know who you are:) 

In the meantime, we've had a beautiful Christmas at home in Texas with friends and family, good food and even better wine! Merry Christmas to you all and may you be blessed with health and happiness!:)

M-I-C...K-E-Y...

We just got back from the Happiest Place on Earth! What an amazing Disney World trip we had! We met up with family friends, (our goddaughter and her parents). She's a couple of months older than Kellan and they were adorable together, often holding hands and chattering excitedly about the rides. It was so nice for Kellan to be around someone his own age; their interaction was priceless!

As for Steven and I, it was awesome sharing our experiences freshly back in the States with such dynamic and fun friends. 

We laughed, joked, drank wine, ate good food and screamed loudly on rides. Truly one of the best vacations we've ever been on! We got back Friday evening, and we're finishing unpacking and reorganizing the house, getting settled in. Next week: going back to work for the first time in over a year!:)

Going Home! Officially!

We finally made it from Abha to Riyadh, not uneventfully however. Before we boarded our first flight we were told we had to go back to security as one of our checked bags had been flagged. Turns out they were antsy over Kellan's replica Pirates of the Caribbean gun from Disney World. 

Going through security here in Riyadh, the same bag was flagged, but this time we were ready for them. They laughed when I took it out and demonstrated it. One of my bags got flagged twice as well, all over a mini genie's lamp I had purchased in Turkey! I thought it was ironic that we were in Saudi Arabia and an item featured in the story Arabian Nights caused all the fuss!

It was an exhausting set of flights, the first: 1 1/2 hours to Riyadh, about 6 hours to Frankfurt, Germany, (a 5 hour layover) and finally a 10 hour flight into Houston. We were so happy to be back in the States, tired beyond belief but in good spirits. And then...Steven got flagged by Customs and pulled into a back room for an interview with Homeland Security. Kel and I waited and waited, and finally after close to an hour Steven emerged irritated, and even more tired. They wouldn't say why specifically he was flagged, but they asked several detailed questions about his work in Saudi. We finally went on our way, but slightly deflated from the experience.

We had 4 days to relax and acclimate at home and then on to 9 days in Walt Disney World, Florida!:)

On Our Way...Almost

9 Suitcases, 2 Backpacks, 1 Stroller, 1 Car seat, 1 Tote bag and a Partridge in a Pear Treeeeee!! Whew! We leave for the airport in a couple of hours for what will be the start to almost 25 hours of travelling back home to Houston for the holidays. 

The house has been cleaned, all the laundry done, closets and drawers  double and triple checked to make sure nothing has been left behind that shouldn't have been. The fridge has been cleaned out, beds made, computer shut down, A/C turned off.

Our traveling clothes were laid out, ready to be donned, online check-in completed, boarding passes printed out. Benadryl has been packed, snacks have been packed, my anti-anxiety pills (for flying) have been packed--all three packed where I can get to them quickly:)

In short, we are ready. Too bad we thought we were leaving yesterday and did the EXACT same things last night. Except when I went to check in online, I received an error message stating you have to be within 23 hours of travel--which we were not--because our flight wasn't leaving until TONITE!!

We were numb with shock. How had we messed that up? We'd lined up a ride to the airport, everything packed and in the hallway, and we were accidentally a DAY EARLY?!

Needless to say, we chalked it up to nerves and stress, laughed disbelievingly all night, and went to bed, ready to do it all again tonite, which we did. But the itinerary has been checked, we know we're good this time, and we're anxious to be off. We'll be in Houston Sunday afternoon. Wish us luck:)

We're Going to Disney World!!

It has certainly been a stressful couple of weeks, waiting for the verdicts on our job applications and trying to be flexible in light of ever-changing short term plans! Whew! So, I am especially looking forward to a relaxing 9 days in--DISNEY WORLD! That's right. We are going to join Kel's god-sister and her parents in the (second) Happiest Place on Earth. We knew we wanted to give Kel a special vacation for his birthday (which falls mid-November) and where better to seek out magic than in our favorite vacation destination, Mickey's house!

We'll spend the first 7 days at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, famous for its rooms with views of live animals in a savannah-like setting. We brought Kel to this resort for his first visit a couple of years ago, but there'll be a lot of new things he'll discover at this age. 

Our last two days we'll be hopping over to Disney's Port Orleans Riverside for a stay in their new Royal-themed rooms, complete with Sassagoula River view. 

Aside from our Disneyland Paris visit last December, we've never visited WDW during the holidays, so we're thrilled to be visiting during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party. 

In addition to this special holiday event, we've got some other very cool events lined up. Our goddaughter will be receiving a princess makeover at the Bibbity Bobbity Boutique, and Kel will get a Captain Jack Sparrow makeover at the Pirates League. 

We'll follow the festivities up with dinner at Cinderella's Royal Table in the castle where we'll be greeted by Cinderella herself and a few of her best girlfriends: Aurora, Snow White, Ariel and Belle. 

Speaking of royal experiences, we'll have an opportunity to eat in the Beast's Castle, lunching at the Be Our Guest Restaurant. 

We have reserved seats for Epcot's annual Candlelight Processional; a telling of the Christmas story backed by a full choir and orchestra, and our celebrity narrator will be Whoopi Goldberg! 

Best of all, we'll be doing special birthday celebrations for both the kids (they're two months apart) including a Welcome to Disney party at our resort complete with Disney-themed birthday presents. And even the other adults are in for some holiday surprises I've spent weeks planning!

This will be a great opportunity for us to relax and unwind after coming into the States, time we can spend reconnecting with friends and making new experiences as a family:)

Hello Pin Number, My Old Pal!

As we get closer to going home for the holidays, I'm beginning to think of more and more adjustments I'll have to make. Here in Saudi, I've grown very accustomed to carrying large quantities of cash on me. The compound commissary, snack bar, coffee shop, restaurant, dry cleaners and barber only accept cash. At the major stores and in every store in the malls, plastic is accepted. However, there can be a few problems associated with using them here:

1)  They often have problems with their credit card machines. It is quite common to walk into a store and be informed they are only taking cash as their whole system is down. 

2) Regardless  of how conscientious you've been about putting travel alerts on your account, your bank may still seem to enjoy stopping a transaction or two every now and again just to keep you on your toes; which is always fun particularly after they've already rung up and bagged a huge grocery purchase. 

3) Some of the cashiers seem to be unscrupulous, untrained, or both, and will double charge you or overcharge you or both. We are currently disputing a charge with our bank at a store where we were told our transaction didn't go through and were handed the declined receipt--in Arabic of course. We then paid with cash and left. Guess what showed up in our online banking the next day? You guessed it...the so-called declined transaction. 

4) Even at some of the stores that accept cards, their systems have difficulty recognizing non-Saudi bank cards and may not authorize the transaction. For all these reasons, it's far easier to take money out of the ATM once or twice a month and pay for your purchases with cash.

Back home, we come from a culture that largely (at least for my generation) uses plastic for everything. I almost never had cash, treating it very much like a novelty item. Anything I needed in every place I could think of accepted my debit cards. It will be strange to use my card to pay for things again, to not need to break the 500 (SAR) you're carrying. It was very difficult to get accustomed to a cash culture when I first got here, especially with the currency difference. I'm very comfortable with Euros, but had never seen a Riyal. It'll be nice to shop for things without having to do the automatic conversion in my head!

And so now I will get to return to using my beloved, personalized debit cards. I will once again earn my points at the gas station, the grocery store and when eating out. Get ready BofA, rest time's over!

This chick's about to put some serious wear and tear on her cards!:)

Returning to Civilization

With three weeks to go until we return to the States for the holidays, I find myself having to get back into "civilization" mode, specifically electronically. It's time to re-download the apps I deleted off my phone and iPad a year ago because I didn't need them. Time to add back Amazon, Walmart and Target! Time to add back Barnes and Noble, Southwest Airlines (we'll be taking a domestic flight while home), and the Disney Store! All these old friends have been missing from my life until recently, completely obsolete in a country with none of these stores. 

I'll also get to delete my Ela-Salaty app. This app tells me the time of each Muslim prayer and gives a countdown in minutes until the next one. With prayer being five times a day you WILL be caught unawares and highly inconvenienced without an app of this sort. DELETE! It'll also be nice to not have to engage my VPN all the time. Being back in the States means I can once again surf the net, visiting any site I want without being blocked by the government for what THEY deem is inappropriate, like the Victoria's Secret site! Crazy!

I'll need to add back the Watch Me Grow app, used by Kel's preschool to allow us parents access to watch the classroom. After a year spending every waking hour of each day with Kel, I suspect it'll be extremely hard to be away from him while I work; so this app should help to soothe my  initial separation anxiety. At least I hope, (fingers crossed).

Time to change my playlists in iTunes.  Because of our Mediterranean cruise this past summer, my phone holds all the sun-drenched bossa nova and samba inspired albums typical of what beautiful celebrities in gorgeous sun hats languishing on the beaches of the French and Italian Rivieras in the 50's and 60's would've listened to. Music from Stan Getz, Frank Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Count Basie, Dizzy Gillespie and Henry Mancini. 

But now I'm going home, and Thanksgiving is on the horizon, with Christmas hot on its heels. Tine for new playlists. Time for timeless Christmas classics from the likes of the Andrew Sisters,  Bing Crosby, Ella Fitzgerald, Louis Armstrong, Rosemary Clooney, Dean Martin, Burl Ives and Perry Como. (Of course Frank stays on my phone, he never leaves, only his albums may change.)

For more contemporary Christmas artists, I'll include albums from Mariah Carey, Cee-Lo, Jackie Evancho, Andrea Bocelli, Cobie Caillat and the Jersey Boys. And before you freak out that I've left Michael Buble off the list, I point once again to Frank Sinatra. Why go with a cheap imitation when you have the REAL thing? (Listen, in our household, ALL roads lead back to Uncle Frank!)

 

The most important change I'll make on my phone? Adding back my Starbucks app. They emailed me yesterday telling me I'll lose my gold status unless I purchase the requisite number of drinks by my annual expiration date. And that date is 8 December. In a 9 day period I have to purchase 30 drinks or qualifying items. (Do they think I'm not up to the challenge?!)  Everybody better pitch in! "Kellan, time for breakfast...do you want a peppermint mocha or a spiced pumpkin latte?!?!":)

What Kind of American Are You?

So I was laying in bed, watching an episode of one of my favorite shows, Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern. In this particular show, he was sampling the culinary wares of Lisbon, Portugal. In a large marketplace, he held up a slice of cured ham, a beautifully thin, deep pink slice of fragrant, savory pork. Pork being illegal in Saudi, I immediately made a mental note to indulge when we went home to Texas for the holidays. It was frustrating though to have my taste buds piqued and not be able to satisfy the craving. And it was in that moment that it popped in my mind  how much most Americans take their freedoms for granted, even something as simple as eating and drinking whatever you want. Essentially, we often act like lottery winners who've won 100 million dollars but are angry we didn't win an extra million more. 

Spending an extended amount of time away from the US has given me an incredible education in appreciation.  I believe it would do the same for all those whiny, dissatisfied, overly-entitled people back in the States. No more complaints about potholes, you'd just be glad as a woman to have the right to drive. No more complaints about your local store's small selection of gluten-free breakfast muffins, you'd just be glad to have a large variety of fresh produce and a refrigerated foods section that was actually refrigerated. Angry about the 45 minute doctor's office wait? A thing of the past. You'd be glad the waiting room was clean, the doctor skilled in the latest techniques and the building wasn't crumbling down around you!

I believe as an expat you become even prouder to be American than when you lived in the country. You certainly develop a more finely-honed sense of appreciation for the things most people back home take for granted. Now, not every American is an unappreciative complainer, certainly not the people I call friends. Most are hard-working Americans who want to feel that they'll get a return on their efforts. But visiting the States this holiday season will be all the more sweet for us, as we'll appreciate everything just a little more. And isn't that what the holidays are about, after all?:)

The Waiting Game

We were never sure how long we were going to be (or wanted to be) in Saudi. It's been a year for Kel and I, a year and a half for Steven. It has been a wild ride, with ups and down--no different I guess than moving anywhere new.

We've been thinking about a long term solution for Kel's schooling among other less major issues, and we came to the conclusion it was time to test the waters (job market) on going home. We've put out the applications, received the interviews, and now the waiting game--were we selected? Did I get my job but Steven did not? Is he the winner and I'm the loser? It's hard to not get entirely emotionally invested in the idea of going home, after all, home means freedom for each of us in a different way.

For Steven, he'll finally be able to breathe a little easier, relax a little on the hyper-vigilance he instinctively displays every time we leave the compound. For me, I can wear what I want at home, drive a car, go wherever I want--by myself! I can once again work and earn money for the family, restoring my sense of fiscal self-worth. For us as a couple, we can display affection in public, holding hands, a peck on the cheek, a quick hug, all things we're denied here. But most of all, my son is once again exposed to a multitude of new experiences, getting to attend a school with a formal classroom setting, having more kids available to interact and play with. Yes, he has quite literally had the chance to travel the world, visiting Turkey, France, Italy, and Greece among other countries. But as far as availability of experiences on a daily or even weekly basis, the choices are extremely limited. The Saudis don't do family style entertainment on any grand kind of scale--there are no movie theaters, bowling alleys, zoos, children's museums or the like. The nearest beach is about an hour and a half away, (Red Sea) but to reach it is to commit to a fairly dangerous drive down a steep escarpment, where the local drivers have no problem driving in your lane head-on around a blind curve. No thank you!

So for now, we sit and wait to hear the outcomes. If they're not what we had hoped, we'll come back to Saudi after our Christmas vacation in the States and focus on the future. The good news is, we have it fairly easy here, in spite of the lack of access to the lifestyle we were used to in the States. We'd have more time to continue to pay off bills, and to do more travelling. We're looking at Dubai, Istanbul, and Budapest (among others) as potential vacation spots for 2015. But truth be told, if it works out that we get to stay in Texas, I'll be just as happy at Walmart:) Fingers crossed...

Mediterranean Cruise 2014-Cannes and Malta

Our next stop was Cannes, France, situated on the French Riviera. The city has a lovely waterfront promenade, and while we'd been to Nice and Monte Carlo on our last cruise, we had not visited Cannes. We walked down their main shopping street, popping in shops, and enjoying the gorgeous weather. We ate at a cute outdoor cafe attached to a little amusement area pour les enfants (for kids;) and watched Kel ride (yet another) carrousel and other rides.

View of the marina from the promenade

Next we visited Valletta, Malta, an island conquered many times over during its several hundred year history. We took a double decker bus around the island seeing the main sites, and ended up at their wharf shopping and dining area. Some of the best pizza I've ever had was served by one of the cafés there!

The outdoor cafe we ate at-it had WiFi!:)

Yet another of Kel's cultural souvenirs!:) 

  

It's That Time of Year Again...Hajj!

It's Haaaajj tiiiiiiime!! Hajj is the annual Islamic pilgrimage to the holy city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. Every Muslim that is financially and physically able is required to make the trip at least once in their lives. Hajj also happens to be the largest gathering of people in the world. 

We had wanted to leave for Hajj mainly because Steven was given 11 days off (with weekends) separate from his leave days! By the time we thought about leaving, there were no available flights out to go anywhere. 

But then we started thinking about the tens of thousands of people from every corner of the world converging on all of Saudi's airports, carrying every type of germ imaginable and we got completely freaked out and decided it was for the best we couldn't fly out. (I will pass on Ebola this year, thank you!)

Anyway, we have spent the first few days off going on early morning nature hikes, swimming at the pool, going to the mall, and taking sunset walks, enjoying the cool breeze and spending time as a family:) While I started off frustrated that we had missed out on traveling, it has turned into one of the best "stay-cations" we've ever had! Now excuse me, we've got guacamole to make and drinks to mix because we have a date with the House Hunters International marathon!!:)

Out and About-Pt. 2

Always nice to see familiar sights, but the fun is in spotting unusual menu items--like the McArabia...

Or these Camembert cheese bites!

Love this huge shopping cart sculpture outside the grocery store Hyper Panda! I guess it's our claim to fame?

And at the end of a successful shopping day, a dozen Krispy Kremes goes a looong way towards overall happiness!:)

Mediterranean Cruise-Rome, Pisa & Lucca

Our next stops on our cruise included the cities of Rome, Pisa and Lucca.

Rome is a glorious city; hot, chaotic, vibrant and chock full of amazing buildings and structures around every corner. We had booked a private driver to take us around to notable sights of the city. I'm heartbroken that I no longer remember the name of the first cathedral we visited, but it was spectacular!

Continuing our tour around Rome:

The Pantheon

Inside St. Peter's Basillica

Next we visited Pisa. Below see the infamous Tower, the lesser known but gorgeous Duomo and a cafe we ate at with a peek-a-boo view of the Tower!

I end with Lucca, an ancient Medievel walled city with the quaintest winding streets. It was a gorgeous day for shopping and eating gelato. Oddly enough, surrounded by the most beautiful culture, my son decided this was the souvenir he needed most:

I can't lie, the Backstreet Boys were appearing there in concert the next day, and if we didn't have to leave, that ticket stub would've been my favorite souvenir!

All in all, amazing sights, and waaay too many pics to post here! :)

Television Programming in Saudi

And now for one of my favorite subjects: television! I grew up in a strictly religious household, and for much of my childhood, tv viewing was either closely regulated or cut out altogether. I'm sure I have that to blame for why I'm such a viewing fanatic now. Here in the kingdom, and more specifically on the compound, one has three different options for television programming. 

First, everyone on the compound gets free "cable", a selection of AFN (Armed Forces Network) channels mixed with well known American basic cable channels and a smattering of international news, sports and music channels. Following are just some of the available channels:

Nat Geo

Animal Planet

Discovery

Travel 

History

Itv

BBC Lifestyle

Fox movies

TCM

E! 

Disney

Cartoon Network

Boomerang

MTV

VH1

And as mentioned, a small selection of British, French and Filipino programming are also available. The downside is the reception on several of the channels, (often including the AFN channel that airs football) is poor, filled with static and often cutting out every few seconds.

Second option: Pay for expanded cable packages through an actual cable company. We use OSN based out of Dubai, reception is perfect (always) and we have something like over 200 channels. Now, half are Arabic, but we get a selection of channels most like what we are used to in the states, although it doesn't (of course) include local channels (ie., ABC, NBC) or the premium movie channels like HBO. You do have channels that play popular programming like Scandal, the Ellen show, SNL and the Tonight Show, though they are jumbled together and not a whole channel's regular lineup. We pay $80 (US) a month for this service and I enjoy it for it's three Disney channels (for my pre-schooler), the expanded Discovery and Nat Geo channels, and the included DVR that let's me schedule and auto record our shows. This company also regularly airs seasonal programming containing Christmas, Halloween and other holiday themes beloved by Anericans.

The third option is to use a VPN service (which if you haven't heard of this, it's faster for you to Google it than for me to try to explain it) and download the shows you want from the internet. (We do not do this.) Virtually every show, with the exception of the very obscure can be found on the internet and downloaded for free. (Again, we do not do this.) By using a VPN service (like Golden Frog) you bypass Saudi-blocked websites and connect to servers in other countries that do not ban illegal downloading like the US or Saudi. You can get a package through GF for $15-$20. (We do NOT have one or more VPN packages.) For those that do, they are often only one day behind the US in watching any newly run episode, including shows on HBO, Showtime and STARZ, as well as seasonal events like the Academy Awards, Super Bowl, Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade or Victoria's Secret Fashion Show! (Lol)

I would say we utilize all three options, but of course we ONLY do the first two! There are NO shows we miss out on by being here, even those exclusive to Netflix and other streaming sites that require a membership. All shows downloaded from the net (so I'm told:) are uploaded without commercials, so in 10 months of television watching I've never had to fast forward through commercials like I did back home. (Don't miss that!)

In short, I'm up on all my shows more so than even in the States, and there's nothing I miss. Whatever option(s) you choose, you can rest assured there will be plenty of beloved theme songs and familiar faces of the small screen coming your way:)

Mediterranean Cruise 2014-Athens, Kusadasi & Santorini

In keeping with the theme of the last post, I wanted to try to show highlights of our trip without dedicating a whole post to each day of the trip (like I did for our Paris trip, which was exhausting and time-consuming).  Instead, I'll post a few pictures for each place, perhaps even combining ports.  With that said, on to the trip!  We embarked on our adventure from Venice, and having visited before, we chose to stay outside the city in a cute hotel, and so took no pictures of the main sites in Venice.  After our sail away, we had two days at sea and on the third day, visited Athens, Greece. We had hired a private guide (Hi Takis!) who spent a few hours driving us around to see the sights.  We did not tour the Acropolis as we had done that in 2009 on our honeymoon.  He did take us to see the changing of the guard however, which we all found to be one of the most mesmerizing things we had ever seen. The pictures don’t do the ceremony justice, but it was amazing! We also toured some ruins and spent a few hours shopping in one of the oldest shopping districts in the world, the Plaka!

A Greek Orthodox Cathedral we visited

 

 

Our next stop was Kusadasi, Turkey.  We chose to spend the day touring the very large Bazaar.  It made for some very good shopping!

From our stateroom window

In the bazaar

 

Our third stop was Santorini, Greece.  We toured around by charter bus, visited a winery, saw the breathtaking scenery from the cliff tops and had an Opa style greek lunch complete with dancing and the breaking of plates.  Awesome!

One of Santorini's many cafes

Our Greek lunch, Opa!

Posing with my new bag at the winery!

Our ship the Jade, from atop a cliff