Dinner At Durrat's

A couple of weeks ago I finally got up the courage to go off compound in the evening and agreed to go out to dinner. It helped that we were going out at 4:00 pm, so it was still bright and sunny outside and the traffic hadn't had time to get revved up to full blown mayhem!

We were taken to a well known Chinese Food restaurant by one of Steven's co-workers. It was clean and very nice inside, but the I was pleased with the next surprise.

We were taken up a flight of marble stairs, (almost all stairs I've encountered in Saudi are made of marble!) and led to a series of doors. Inside the first was a little private room. This was the family section, where women can eat in seclusion without fear of being seen by "stranger" men. This enables them to  remove their hijab (scarf) and even veil if they want. (I promptly removed my scarf!)

Before the server comes in, they always knock and wait for permission to enter to give women time to prepare if needed.

The food was typical Chinese fare, not exactly like American Chinese as we know it, but close. 

It was nice to get out, a thoroughly enjoyable experience!

Visiting the Asdaf Mall

Today we visited the Asdaf Mall, referred to as the Souk Mall here due to its proximity to the Souks, (like a bazzar). We got there before 0930, and had time to walk around looking in store windows before most of the stores opened.

In spite of the fact that all women in Saudi must wear abayas, (a long robe-like dress, mainly in black) many of the stores display some of the most exquisite and ornate gowns I've ever seen. Rumor is when getting together for their frequent all girl parties, ( when they are finally free to dress without covering) they dress in ornate and often risqué clothing. I've yet to see this for myself, not being acquainted with a single Saudi female.

After finding some adorable sweaters and t-shirts, (8 for $65) we headed to a grocery store I'd never been to, Al Raya. The produce was the best we've seen to date, and I almost flipped out when we spotted blueberries and blackberries, the first I've seen since being here. But imagine my greater surprise (and delight!) to discover they were Driscoll's! My Cali friends know how exciting this is for me. I spent the first almost 25 years of my life not far from from Driscoll's Farm in Watsonville, CA. Though they were almost $7 a pkg, we gladly bought 4 pkgs! What a treat they were and what a welcome taste of home, all the way on the other side of the world! So glad to be a Cali girl!!:)

We also picked up this amazingly exotic looking fruit I've had before in the States. My hairdresser had let me try them a while ago and they're delicious. (Shout out to A!) Can't remember what they're called but they're sweet with a hint of tang, and the fruit has a consistency similar to the inside of a firm grape. You have to peel the spiny part off to get to the fruit. Yummm!!

The mall also had an amazing little amusement park on the third floor, but they don't open til later in the day.

All in all, a great day!:)

Parisians: Everything BUT Rude

I've always heard the French were rude.  We've all heard it so many times we take it for truth. So I was really watching to see if it was true when we went to Paris.

And you know what? It's a myth. Almost everyone we encountered was kind, friendly and helpful. 

And those that weren't friendly weren't rude, simply impatient. 

Think about it. Paris is the most visited city on the PLANET. Every year more than 27 million visitors descend on the city, most to visit the world's most recognizeable landmark. Is it any wonder they might be impatient, or less than extremely hospitable? In a city with only 12 million inhabitants, the city often is more than doubled: EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR! Imagine that. Every time you turn around, someone is shoving a map in your face and asking (most likely NOT in French) where they are, asking for directions...where's the nearest Metro station?...when will the Eiffel Tower light up?, do you have change for a hundred? and above all not understanding a word you're trying to say to them. That's not to say that many if not most Parisiennes speak some English, but how many of them speak Russian, Chinese, Dutch, Italian or any of the other languages belonging to the masses of tourists milling around? Think about how exhausting it would be to deal with the traffic, the restaurants you might like to visit reviewed in all the guidebooks making them perennially too crowded for you to ever get in. I think it could be exhausting. 

So I say thank you to the city of Paris for the hospitality and patience that was demonstrated to us all day every day. Your city was amazing, the food spectacular, and your people? Friendly. Patient. Helpful.

Time to put that myth to bed:)

Day 9-Notre Dame-27 December, Part 2

It was a dream of mine to visit the Cathedral of Notre Dame. Being Catholic and living in a country with no official Christian churches, it held a special meaning for us. Started in 1163, it was completed in 1345, after close to 200 years of continuous building. One of Catholicism's most important cathedrals, it houses 3 relics believed genuine by the Church: the Crown of Thorns, a fragment of the True Cross and one of the Holy Nails. Though it was freezing cold and drizzling, we braved the 15 minute outdoor line to be able to tour the interior and pray privately. It was incredibly moving and a fitting way to wrap up our last full day in Paris!

My Daily Life

I've had several people ask me what my days are like, how I spend my time. I just now feel like I'm getting a handle on how to be a housewife, a stay-at-home mom. I've worked steadily since I was 18, and over 18 years later I find myself not getting up early, donning my uniform and trudging in to work every day. Sound amazing? It is, and it's not. I've worked so long I've had to adjust to how it feels NOT working.

But I've found a basic routine that is starting to feel comfortable to me, so here it is:

I start my weekdays ( Sun-Thurs) around 0830. That's right, 0830. It is absolutely HEAVENLY getting up after the sun does! I do NOT miss getting up at 0530!! That might be the best part of not working! But I digress...

Morning View from my Bedroom

I usually get the baby up around 9, so it gives me a half hour to have a cup of coffee, and enjoy my alone time. Once he's up, I make him breakfast. Now let me stop here for a sec. I actually make him breakfast! Back in the States, his poor little breakfast usually consisted of microwaveable pancakes or waffles, a pop tart or bananas. Now?! I have time for bacon, toast, eggs and juice! He's loving breakfast time!

Three days a week for a couple of hours a day Kel goes to a little daycare here on the compound, more to socialize with other kids than anything. On the days he's not going to his little school, I do online lessons with him via ABCmouse.com, the best online early learning system I've found!

Kel Doing His Lesson

After lessons (or school), it's lunchtime. After lunch, Kel lays down for his nap and I'm off to the races--cleaning time. We have a cleaner that comes every Saturday, but we don't have a dishwasher, so I have to wash dishes daily, sometimes 2-3 times daily. It's also my time to do and fold laundry, plan dinner, make beds, etc. 

In between lunch and nap time, we'll often walk to the common facility to drop off or pick up Steven's dry cleaning, to let Kel play at the playground, or to hit the little market.

The common facility also houses the barber shop, (he gives a decent haircut thank god!) a snack bar and a coffee bar. I'll sometimes hang out on my iPad or meet friends for lunch while Kel's up in his classroom on the second floor.

The weather here is actually glorious! I lived in Southern California for 4 years, and it's the closest weather to that I've found. It's usually sunny, high 60's, breezy. Two days ago, it rained, a lovely, light rain that dampened the street and clung to the trees. It was so pleasant!

My best friend in Cali asked me if I feel trapped. While it's true I don't often leave the compound until the weekend (which in the Kingdom is Friday and Saturday) once a week on an evening we'll hit a nearby store or grab food off compound.  

On Friday mornings we'll go grocery shopping, but as Fridays are holy days, nothing else is open until late afternoon, 4 or 5ish, and by then the streets are so clogged and chaotic I won't go out.  We'll go out before noon prayer on Saturday, usually to one of the malls. They have pretty nice malls, the stores more than adequate, except there's usually a lot of trash on the ground inside as Saudis seem to view garbage cans as largely decorative. 

Grocery Shopping

Saudis pray 6 times a day, so we have apps on our phones that count down until the next prayer. If you're in a store when prayer time comes they will usually make you wait outside and close the doors. At this point you wait the 30-60 + minutes or you come back. I always feel rushed when I'm out, trying to get my shopping done before the call to prayer.

Anyways, I've always been a homebody and a major bookworm so I don't find myself getting bored or feeling suffocated. Thanks to Barnes and Noble I can download an unlimited amount of books to my iPhone to keep me occupied, and there's almost no shows or movies I can't pull from the internet. Plus, we have pretty decent cable that comes out of Dubai.

The weather's gotten a little cool (in my opinion) to swim, but there are three adult swimming pools (one Olympic sized), and two children's pools. There are three playgrounds, two "clubs", a gym and a restaurant. People imagine the compound is like an apartment complex. It's not. It's far larger, the size of a subdivision or small neighborhood. There's lots of streets, and lots of space. So as of right now, I feel content. But check with me in 6 mths and we'll see if anything's changed:)

DAY 8-Palace of Versailles-26 December, Part 2

We again visited the Christmas market this morning, this time to get Steven some Christmas presents! He found an amazing sweater, very Euro and very chic, which I neglected to get a picture of. Kellan got an adorable wolf cap with attached paws mittens. We spotted a carousel and Kel "rode" the plane:) We finished up with a swarma wrap!

At 2:00, we had reservations to take a tour of the Palace of Versailles, most notably the final residence of Marie Antoinette and King Louis the XVI before their executions during the French Revolution. Spectacular!

DAY 9-He DID it!-27 December, Part 1

We were despairing that Kel would ever allow us to get his hair cut! We knew we wanted it to happen in Paris to make it more memorable, but we had already failed in our attempt to have it happen in Disneyland Paris. We decided to give it one more shot. Paris Vogue had published an online article in 2011 featuring the five best children's salons in Paris. We picked the one that looked the most fun, gave the address to the taxi driver and off we went. The salon was Simon, and it was BUSY!!

Kel got an amazing stylist named Phillipe who went out of his way to allay his fears and keep him entertained. I was surprised how much effort he was willing to invest in keeping Kel happy and how patient he was with him.  He told Kel the cape was batman's cape! Steven and I exhausted ourselves trying to keep his attention off the scissors though! It was touch and go throughout the entire cut, with us in turns reassuring him, giving him skittles and making jokes! Whew!! At the end of the session though, Kel got his first cut at a Parisienne Salon! What a memory!

DAY 7-Christmas Day-December 25th, Part One

We woke up this morning to find Santa had visited! He even ate the cookies and milk Kel had set out the night before:) Kel opened up his presents and was thrilled with what Santa brought!

 Then we walked to the Trocadero Christmas Market again in the morning. We walked around a bit, sampling food and taking in the sights. For lunch, we had a Seine River Lunch Cruise booked. It was amazing! For two and a half hours, we cruised past all the major sights in Paris: the Eiffel Tower, Les Invalides (which contains Napoleon's tomb), Notre Dame and the original Statue of Liberty, to name a few. Several courses were served, all alongside red and white wine, and champagne. We started with olive tarts, then scallops with leeks, on to the main course of roast chicken with root vegetables, next, a cheese platter and we finished with a chocolate mousse concoction with pear sorbet. Delicious! During the whole cruise, there was live music accompanied by a singer singing classic french standards: La Vie en Rose, I Love Paris in the Springtime, etc. It really set the tone and made the cruise even more magical!