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...
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!
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.
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:)
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