Dates

04/10/2010
Hello Friends and Family,
I know that when you read my blog you may think that I’m doing something new and exciting every day, but what I don’t write about is all the time in between.
Life here in Riyadh can be real hard some days. Just the thought of being 6000 miles away from your family and friends can make your days much longer. Every day is a exercise in keeping the mind body and spirit busy. A normal day here for me will consist of me getting up, meeting the fellas( which includes Abdulla and his wife Sue) and going to breakfast downstairs in the hotel. After eating we usually go and sit outside in the front of the hotel and talk for about 30 min. Here there is no rush, no hurry. Time is just something we try to burn waiting to start work. Now don’t get me wrong I am grateful for down time but there is a point when too much down time can be negative. What I have learned about myself is that I much rather sit outside and talk to people than do anything in my room like play video games or watch a movie. At home I had times when I would watch a movie by myself, but here that can sometimes bring my spirit down. After sitting outside we all tend to go back to our rooms for a while and clean up or whatever. Later someone from the group will motivate to go for a walk or head to the gym in the hotel, where these creepy little Philippino guys who work in the gym and the spa are usually sitting in the workout room watching tv. These guys like to stare as you work out…Creeeeepy. They seem enjoy staring at men more than the television. Anyway at this point it’s probably about 2pm. I don’t really need to go on I just wanted to paint a picture of what a standard day is like. I know things will be better once I am able to start working, open a bank account and get a car. The good thing about all of this is that I was getting paid as soon as I got off the plane, it just takes time for all the paperwork to get finished so I can actually see the money I’m making.
Since an expats life consist of trying to find something to do in this new strange world we are always on the lookout for functions that are posted or any parties. There have been two people that I am so grateful and indebted to and that is, Asma and her sister Reema. They have gone above and beyond her job duty working in recruiting for the SRCA and they have taken all the expats under their wing, showing us things to do to keep us busy. They realized that our spirits would be higher if we had more things to do. They takes it upon themselves to find out all the different functions that are going on in Riyadh and tells us or e-mails us about them. If it wasn’t for Asma , me and the fellas would have never got in that race car. This week coming up Asma got us invites to a pool party and Barbeque and also we will be going to the Tai embassy for their new years celebration this Thursday. I will try to see if I can get pictures but most embassies don’t allow visitors to bring cameras or cell phones.
I can’t sing Asma’s and Remma’s praises enough they are a perfect example how hospitable to visitors the Saudi people can be. This thursday their father invited all the expats to his date farm somewhere far north of Riyadh, like 300 miles. We all met at their family’s house , which was lovely and really, really big. We got to meet their father Ali, her mother and brother. They piled us up into their family vehicle and another car and off we went. The drive took us about 4hours in total and we ended up in this small farming town where Ali grew up. When we went inside the gates of the Date farm there was this nice sized structure with palms for a roof and walls. Ali took us into this Palm building that was about 20 degrees cooler than it was outside( and that’s Fahrenheit for anyone who reads this who uses Celsius) Now at this point all the men went into this hut outside and the women went into the main house on the property. Ali told us about growing dates and he also took us for a tour around the property. Ali not only had date trees but he also had 3 fish farm tanks where he was growing Tilapia and Catfish. He had grapes and some other fruit that we tried to figure what it was called after we ate it. They had chickens in the back and across a door leading to the other portion of the family’s land where they had more chickens and some hairy goats.
I went to the store with Essam, Ali’s son and we bought some drinks for everyone. When I tried to pay for my portion of the drinks he explained to me that because I am his father’s guest his dad would be angry if I paid anything. He explained that it is the Saudi way, to really cater to and take care of their guest. Essam then took me to his family’s old house and I got to take some pictures of these old structures made from straw clay and cement. Shortly after we got back with the drinks lunch showed up. We were served Kapsa rice and meats( chicken, beef and lamb no camel) along with hummus olives in olive oil and pita bread. This was my first traditional Saudi meal. We sat on the floor of the hut and dug into the food with our hands( but spoons were also available). This was one of the best meals I have had since I have been here. After lunch some of the guys took naps and I went to walk around the farm. I had a chance to sit for a second and talk to Asma’s mother, her sister Reema and Judy one of the expat wives. When I went to shake Asma’s mom’s hand she kind of pulled her hand into herself. I was like Oh I’m so sorry. She was cool thought she understood. I’m so used to western culture of shaking someone’ s hand when I meet It feels rude when I don’t but here you don’t shake a woman’s hand and if you do it, it sure as hell won’t be a married woman’s hand.
I walked around some more and even helped Essam chase one of the goats to give it some medicine. While doing this I learned a valuable lesson Date Palms have some very sharp points on them. The weather began to change and Ali told us we should leave early because there was a storm heading our way.
So of into the cars we went to head home. On the way back we drove threw one of the strangest sand storms I have seen thus far. It was raining and heavy sand was wiping the car around. It got real thick at one point, similar to a white out in a snow storm but only lasted a mile and it just cleared up. 4 and a half hours later we got back to the hotel had some dinner and I was off to bed.
Now this weekend there was a large teenage football team at the hotel so the hotel filled the rooms with 3 to 4 kids a room and they were all hanging out in the hallway. These little F**KERS decided it would be funny to knock on my door while I’m chilling in my room and it’s about 1 or 2am. I went to the door twice and no one was there. At one point I opened the door and yelled at the closest kid WHAT! At that point I realized I have become that old man that I would have done that too if I was in their shoes, Karma can be a bitch. So, before I opened the door and started beating other peoples children with my belt I called the front desk and complained… It’s funny but even though I couldn’t understand the language I was able to understand by the tone of voice one of the kids telling an adult “but it wasn’t me” and the Adult yelling back all you little pieces of shit better stop bothering that man or I’m going to let him choke the lot of you. LOL, ahhh if I have learned nothing in Riyadh, I have learned to have a strong imagination and she comforts me in my times of need.
All kidding aside I understand that the world is a book that we are here to learn from and if that’s true then so far Saudi Arabia has been like high school for me. I have already learned so much about myself and about this culture and look forward to learning more in this ancient and holy land. When I first arrived here I thought a certain way and had a few preconceived notions in my head. As time has passed everything changes. How I think, how I see things, how I value things and the people in my life. This culture with all it’s restrictions can seem like a large loss of freedom. But even though I can’t live my life the way I did in the west I think it helps one to focus on other things more basic and important, like friends, family and the bond that we all share.
I may have started this blog with the glass is half empty kind of writing but as I write I do realize and appreciate the gifts that God Or Allah( which ever name you prefer) bestows upon me and I am grateful for that and for all of the people that have crossed my path. For the experiences that we share and the lessons that we learn are a wonderful gift.
I am especially grateful to Ali and the whole Al- Tuwaijri family for being wonderful host and inviting us into their home and lives. Shookran Jazeelan (Many Thanks)

How Fast Did You Say

So on Friday I went with Doug, Tom and Allen to some kind of race event. We were invited by one of the ladies at the office Asma( sorry if I spelled it wrong) to go to this event that way out in the desert somewhere. I really need to keep track of the names of the places I go. Anyway when she asked if I was interested in going to some race event I thought I would be sitting up in some seats and watching a race. Well, we drive on the highway for about an hour and get off and start heading down some road with farms and it's very interesting because there are these patches of greenery in the middle of the desert. These farms use these Giant sprinklers on wheels that water the soil. So we drive past a few farms and in the middle of nowhere there is this race track. So we go to the office sign our names on a list and then sign an injury waver. Now we walk into this area with these garages and inside one there are people sitting at tables there is a bar with drinks( juice ,soda, water and red bull) a DJ blasting music and a table with all types of sandwiches. Instead of being in the stands we are now standing in the pit where the cars come in. First thing we find out is that the food and drinks are free. Then we find out that we will be able to go around the track in the race car. The racing team is called Al Faisal and everyone we met are very nice. So we all got a helmet to wear and then each one of us got a chance to get into this bad as Porsche and get driven around the track at about (220kph) 137mph. When it was my chance to get in the driver says to me if you need me to slow down just move your hand up and down. I told him, “buddy you don’t have to worry about me telling you to slow down”. So I slide my wide ass into a seat that squeezes onto my hips the assistants lock me into the 5 point harness, the door closes and driver gives me a thumbs up and screeeee we peel out. Now I think that I have been fast before on a motorcycle, but I am sorely mistaken. Even before we get on to the main track I’m thinking is this guy trying to run us into the wall because we were heading toward a turn like we can only go straight. Then boom he down shifts and takes this tight turn faster then I have ever been in my car. We zip around this track and by the time we make it to the straight away he looks over to me and I’m laughing and clapping like a chimpanzee, he points to the speedometer to show me how fast we are going(220kph), grabs the wheel down shifts and takes the turn. When we pull back into the pit and stop I’m officially a fan of racing. Never in my life have I felt any G-forces like this for that long. I step out of the car and have this real light headed adrenaline rush going on. Has to be one of the most exhilarating feelings of my life that didn’t include worrying about crashing, like when my plane almost ran into the back of another plane.
I walked away from that car with nothing but profound respect for race car drivers. After I was talking to one of the pit bosses; Paul. I over here him say something about princes and when I ask him, there’s a prince here? Where? He points to the guy who drove me around the track. He tells me one of the drivers name is Abdul and the other is named Khalid. Then I find out that most of the people who are hanging out are family and some of the other drivers are cousins and uncles. Now my mind is officially blown. Never in a hundred years would I imagine that I would be driven around a race track by a prince and then able to have out with his family. WOW!
So me and the guys giggle like little girls comparing our racing stories and as Prince Khalid walks by we get a picture with him and later his brother. After that we got another chance to go around in these open top race cars that kind of look like the cars from speed racer. We traveled around the same speed but this time there were a bunch of cars on the track and we did two laps. Passing a car at those speeds is another major rush that is hard for me to explain. This was one of the best days that I have had here and I can’t remember the last time I was this high off life. I think the last time I felt this way was after my first fire.
We are supposed to go back this Friday to watch another race, Insh’Allah. It’s amazing how experiences like these change your perception on things you like or dislike. Before I would say I can’t stand to watch Soccer. Now I get it and am a whole lot more interested in going to a game. I also can’t wait to go to the races again.
Being here in Saudi Arabia all alone has made me look at life differently. It has made me a much more understanding and patient person. It also has change what I focus on. In the states I would be content in coming home and sitting down watching TV and playing video games for hours. Now a barley watch TV or play video games. They seem to be my last option. Here interaction with people is the most important thing I do in my day. Just sitting and having someone to talk to in your language is worth it’s weight in gold.
Something I think we never think about is good old human contact. I’m Spanish and my whole family we kiss and hug when we first see each other when we say goodbye. All my friends we shake and give each other a hug. When a person that you’re a friend with talks to you and cracks a joke they may tap you in the arm. But here that has been non-existent. I think that has been one of the most enlightening things I have learned about myself so far. There is a deep routed need for simple human contact. It’s hard to explain I think you have to experience it to get the idea. Last Wednesday when we were hanging out at one of the compounds my buddy Allen put his hand on my shoulder and said” now this is a place I could live at happily” It’s weird but just buy that little touch it made me kind of get surprised for a sec. It was weird, but then I realized that was the first contact I had had with anyone in almost 3 weeks. The next time you go threw your day count how many times someone touches you or you touch other people. It may blow your mind. This Thursday a bunch of the expats from SRCA are going to Asma’s father’s date farm in the country. It should be a wonderful day. I will Take a bunch of pictures and write about it as soon as I can.
Carlito
Arabic word of the day is Ukht-Sister
Arabic phrase of the day is Ayn Al Humum- where’s the bathroom

Where do I start

04/02/10

Happy Birthday Mom

I write this today my mom’s birthday the past few days have been eventful and really great.

First I moved out of the compound that I was staying at and into the hotel that is in the center of the city, it is called the Tulip Inn. Pretty nice place and the company covers our breakfast and dinner here in the hotel. It is nice to be able to go out of the front and walk around and see people. Even though I can’t speak to most of the people I see, it is still nice to be in the heart of the city. The past few nights I go out and take long walks and just venture around seeing whatever I can. All of the shops here open late and stay open til almost 12am. This will be my 4^th day in this hotel and I’m happier than a pig in shit to be where the pulse of the city is. I blend in well here because I have had many people turn to me and speak Arabic and every time I reply Mafi Arabi ( I don’t speak Arabic) I get a shocked look and what I assume is a statement like bullshit you don’t speak Arabic to start. But then I tell them where I’m from and if they speak any English I can usually have a nice chat about New York or Florida.

Time is interesting here since I haven’t started work and won’t probably start for another 10 days if not more, so I find things to keep my mind and body busy. The other night after dinner me and my buddy Tom walked around and found a shopping center across from our hotel. We saw our first little person working behind a counter and we looked at women’s dresses…And took pictures of them with our phone. I know the people in the mall were already staring at us cause we looked different but then you add on that we were oohing and ahhing the beautiful designs of dresses that all these shops had. Yes I know very macho thing to do. Ah I know Amira probably has a proud tear in her eye to know her husband had a dandy old time window shopping. But really I have never seen such beautiful designs. So me and Tom had a laugh at our own expense and imagined our significant others wearing these works of art.

On Wednesday I went to the health council to get my paperwork together so I can get my work visa. I can say it was my pleasure to wait in this building for 10 hours. My ticker number was 68, so I walked around in a circle for hours and when it became later and they were up to number 53 I noticed a bunch of guys standing my one of the window. I decided it was close to closing time so I should see what’s up. Well apparently some time after 3 o’clock the number system goes out the window and it is a kind of a free for all. So I found a person who could speak English and tell me what to do. One of the guards told me just go to the window and this one particular will process my paperwork real fast… Anyway, they went over my stuff and I ended up being the last person leaving the place. There might have bee a small amount of pushing and squaring off in front of the window but by the grace of God I didn’t have to go back on Saturday.

Later that night me, Tom, Allen, and Doug all went to a compound called The Ranco Compound. Now this place was a real compound it had a Supermarket, Tennis courts, Pools, Hair dressers and 2 machine gun nest. Me and the guys hung out with one of the Aussie medics Matt who was really nice and gave us a tour, introduced us to his family and brought to the local gathering spot where we played pool, darts, drank apple juice, coke and non-alcoholic beer. It was a lot of fun and we met people from all over the world. It was a great night. All the expats that I have meet so far have been really great sociable people. This is turning out to be a really great experience, I’m glad I came out to this side of the planet. I hope you enjoy the pictures I think that say a few more than a thousand words ; )

It’s now 9:44pm and I just came back from dinner at a Korean restaurant. Earlier today Tom,Allen,Doug and I drove to some racing, family day event. It was such a AWESOME!!! experience I have to put it in another post with a bunch of pictures. I should have all of the pics from the other guys tomorrow and I will post the majority on facebook.

Today has been the best day I have had here in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. We got to hang out with 2 princes (that we know of) and their family and there was a race track involved…

Nuff said for now. To be continued…

Carlito

It Never Rains In Southern Riyadh

Written on 3-26-10

Last night I was missing everyone real bad and I decided I really needed some good sleep so I got myself a full 8 and a half hours, made me feel great. When I woke up I got myself some breakfast and then I was off to the cleaners up the road from the compound. I brought a bunch of clothes because the guys here that use the cleaners always get hangers in return. So soon I will be able to hang up some of my stuff. I went up to the cleaners with my friend from Australia, Tony. Great guy, really almost all the people I have met here have been really great people. Everyone is down to earth and can joke around with each other.
After I took my clothes in I went for some exercise so I walked down this trail that runs outside of the compound. Since I am injured I have not been able to exercise the way I need to. I tried to do a little work out the other day by doing a bit of swimming in the pool but my ribs hurt like hell after and I decided I need to give myself way more time to heal. So this walk was a much needed thing. It is a weird feeling walking down a rocky road and there are not really any people around. It is a very sobering experience. Worry not my friends Carlos kept his head on the swivel while I listened to some hip-hop in my Mp3 player. Just a walking and hearing music from home creates a feeling of normalcy in my mind. Also I saw a police car drive back and forth every 10 min. I think because I was walking near one of the Saudi Families Palaces. In my picture you can see the high wall and a small part of the Palace in the background. So I got a 45 min work out in and on my way back to the compound the wind started to kick up more than normal and with wind comes sand. I was ready though, I had my bandana put it on my face and I was good… Well almost I was fortunate enough to suck down a good amount of sand before I got the mask on, but real men can breath sand ; )
After the walk I took a ride with Tony and my cab driver Amin. Amin took us to this car sooke. This place was massive and there were cars everywhere. It’s hard to explain how big this area was and how many cars were out there.
The place was alive with people yelling and trying to make deals and vendors selling peanuts, water, soda and food. If I stopped to look at a car for a sec the guy who was trying to sell it would start talking to me in Arabic. When I try to explain “ no Arabia ,Amerikii” they lean back look at me and think I’m full of shit. I heard more than once “you no Saudi?” It was a really incredible experience.
Me Tony and Amin walked around for a hour and a half and only got to look at a 1/16 of all the cars in this place. Amin was real great cause he would tell us which cars were good and which ones not to bother he would also speak to the guys selling the cars and work deals. When you look at my pictures of this place keep in mind what you see is only what can fit in the frame. I will try to take a panoramic shot of it the next time we go.
My goal is to find a car I would not normally get in the states. Here gas is not a problem. For example I saw a 2002 Lincoln LS with a V8 for 17,500 Saudi Ryials which is about $5,300 American. I would love to own this car, but we will see. I’m still keeping my eyes open for a Imprezza Sti or a Mitsubishi Evolution. Oh and gas here right now is 17 cents a liter, which is 68 cents a gallon. Anyway, the place closed before we could see everything so me and Tony decided we need to go back another day when we can spend way more time.
After that I had Amin drop me in downtown Riyadh so I could eat dinner with my buddies at the hotel. After dinner we walked to the mall, walked around and stopped by starbucks to sit outside and drink some coffee. While we were sitting outside it started to rain. It drizzled a bit last night and that blew me away but today it actually rained. Now Saudi Arabia averages 4in a year and I think this was the whole years worth of rain today. I have never been so happy to see rain.
After the guys went back to their rooms I waited around for Amin to come and pick me up so if you know me I didn’t just sit in the lobby of the hotel I went out and explored for about a hour. In the main part of the city it’s much harder to get lost. So I stepped out of the hotel and just made a right and explored. I found some real cool shops and I also found a area where they sold a bunch of computer stuff. There were these guys in the street that would walk up to me holding disc in hand but instead of movies they were selling pirated computer programs, but a few strides away I found a guy who sells the movies” Praise Jesus!” I finally found me some movies. So I picked up 6 very recent movies for 10 ryial each which is about 3 bucks(”Yeaaaaaaa !!!)
Tonight my goal is to post all the pictures of today, so you can see what I saw. FYI, I also posted some other pics on facebook.
Talk to you soon.

A positive Day

3-23-10

Hello everyone,
Today was a much more positive day then yesterday. I did start it off with a phone call from Amira and then I couldn’t get back to sleep so I figured I will get up and do something. I got out into the main parts of the city and had lunch at the mall near the hotel where some of the guys moved to. After we went to pick up one of the flight medics Allen from the base where SRCA keeps the helicopter. I drove with my buddy Tom and I got to watch the chopper fly in. It flew over top of us so close that we both got blasted with the Prop Wash. Which blew dirt and grass into my face. The force was strong enough to flip my shirt up and onto my head as I held my hands in my ears. After we got Allen we drove back to the hotel and we had some dinner. On the way there we passed this real cool market. I t was loaded with people and it look liked they sold all kinds of stuff. I got some pictures while in traffic, but it is hard to tell how amazing and full of life this place was. At the hotel I got Lamb Kabobs which I thought would be chunks of Lamb on a stick but out here they also take ground lamb and put it on a stick. It wasn’t bad, it came with french fries which I am starting to notice comes with a bunch of stuff here. We also ate some Hummus with some flat bread. Awesome!
Tom drove me back to the compound and the compound manager was standing outside. The day before I told him I would walk his dogs for him and help him to train them. I figured it will help me stay sane by making myself a job. Well, he has two beautiful huskies. So I told him I want to take them for a walk separately first so off I got with the boy and I run up and down the compound with him and I do some training stuff with him. These dogs are super well behaved for two dogs who’s idea of daily activity is being left on a roof top at night. So I took both of them for a round and did some exercises with them. After I spoke with the Manager (Tamor) threw a translator and it was really nice. These dogs with only 1 hour of time really help lift my spirits. It’s good to be doing something even if it’s not my job.
Tomorrow I will be going with Travis and AJ to work so I can get away. They are working this big festival here in Saudi. All I know is that it is somewhere I went 4 wheeling.
Now if your reading this you may notice that the dates may be off a bit. It is because the internet at the compound has been off line. So I hop that I can put this up soon along with pictures. I think I am start to get used to this place a whole lot more. It still looks like mars in some places though.
Well I’m off to bed now, I do enjoy our little chats. I will make sure I take more pictures to post as soon as I can.
Later,
Carlito

Sunday March 22nd

Sunday March 22nd

I am actually sitting on my stoop at 130 am here. Writing about yesterday. Today I woke up and played some playstation, fed one of the cats that are around and watched half of a movie while I ate a bowl of cereal. Yes they have cereal here; Dig em Smacks MMM. The good thing about today was that it was kind of cool I think low 80s high 70s all day. I did find out a fun fact about Saudi Arabia today. KSA ( Kingdom Of Saudi Arabia) is one of the few places on earth that can reach up to 140 degrees in the summer. Ouch!
Anyway, one of the medics from Australia, Tony came over in the3 morning and said he was going into town to look at a car. So whenever I hear someone is going into town I ask to go. It’s nice to see people. So we hopped into this guys cab to check out a Chevy Blazer we drove for 20 min looked at the car went to McDonalds and turned around and came back. It’s a funny feeling to sit inside McDonalds and only see a bunch of men, because there is a Single men section and a family section. This society is set up for families. Even in the mall after a certain time at night they usually stop men from walking in because it’s family time. It truly is another world. You start to become conscious of the time because if your in the mall and trying to get some food and if the call to prayer comes all the shops close. So you better have your food or purchases taken care of. If not you have to wait about 30 min for everything to open back up. The pace people do things is different too. If you ask someone well when do you think my paperwork will be ready they will say real soon “Insh Allah” (God willing) So it’s important to not be in a rush.
So after we left McDonalds we came back to the compound. But I had to go out again. I just need more interaction with people than just a quick visit to Mickey D’s
So about 3 hours later I went back into town with one of my American neighbors Abdula and his wife Susan. I call them my family because in the compound they are some of the few people that speak English. They are really nice people from Louisiana.
So we got food in the mall and I got to sit in the family section. It was real nice to sit with people and eat dinner.
After dinner we split up and I went to go visit my buddies Tom And Allen at the hotel that SRCA put them in downtown. I walked around for about a hour before I found the hotel. I started off so sure of myself in the wrong direction. Anyway was able to chat with those guys for about a hour before I had to head back.
Here I notice that sitting down and talking to people who speak the same language and have relatively the same culture is a very big deal. It makes the day better.
On a much brighter side I was invited to got to a party or a get together at the American Embassy. An American lady that I met on the plane introduced me so now I have a hook up to go to Steak and movie night this Wednesday. I can’t wait to speak to more Americans it should be real cool. Well I will write again real soon and post more picture when the internet wants to work with me. I did get some pics to upload onto facebook today so you can see some of what I have been talking about. Thanks for reading…writing you makes me feel like I am talking to you somewhat it helps with the fact I don’t know many people here. I look forward to when I can tell you stories of work. Til then I will still keep in touch.

Carlos

Sand Storm? What Sand Storm?

Ok so two days ago I went to a place called Thurmamma to go 4 wheeling with some of the medics from Action Aviation. Me and two of the other SRCA medics met up with the action guys at their hotel. Then we went for a 40min drive out of the city and into the desert. Did I mention there was a sandstorm going on. There was about 300 meters of visibility but that didn't make a difference. So we get to the place where we rent the 4 wheelers and it is this site with a few tents and about 20 4 wheelers lined up. It only cost us 100 Saudi Rials which is about 30 dollars for a hour.
Now this is my first time on one of these and it had a bit of a issue with the brakes... The didn't really work. But hey we're in the desert we got all the time in the world to stop. So off we go into the desert. The first dunes we go over are subtle nothing to crazy but as we traveled a bit further in they became REAL BIG. So of them you had to get up speed to get up them or you would get stuck. Which I did a few times. The most interesting thing was that some of the dunes were moderate incline and then the other side was a pretty steep drop down I think the biggest dune I went up was about 50 feet high. Anyway as we are going in I asked on of the guys. How do we find our way back? He looked behind us and said we just got to go that way...
Now I have a camel pack on and I am sooooo glad that I brought it cause apparently they are very hard to find here in the Kingdom. So I figure these guys have done this before so I'm ok. Anyway, we zip around up and down dunes round and round and we jump some smaller dunes here and there.
There was this one dune or a bit of a ramp in the sand it was about 3 feet high, some of the guys had jumped it so I figured I'm really gonna get some air time. Well I got some good distance and speed up pretty fast hit this ramp and BAM! As I got up it my right side of the bike went down instead of up and straight and over the handle bars I went. I tried to tuck for some what of a roll but I think I only got half f a roll. All I remember is going over quick and then landing on my right side arm, and head buried somewhat in the sand. I tried to get up right away but when i did I fell back onto my hand trying to catch my breath. I pressed my ribs to see if any were broken but it turned out ok. There was a guy about to take a picture but when he say how hard I crashed he put the camera down and ran over. Well I am so glad I landed on a soft spot in the desert but I still hurt like hell 2 days later. I don't think I will be 4 wheeling for a while. Oh I forgot on the way back we got lost. So it took us longed than it did to get out where we were. It's funny how that way changes after a hour of doing jumps, dives and donuts in the sand. Lucky for us the place where we road was surrounded by fence and a road. How bit it was I'm not sure but we made it back, thank GOD. By the way happened all during a sand storm and there were no other fools out but us. After all was said and done I hurt like hell but had a blast.
The next day I went out for a walk by myself and I sat and enjoyed coffee at a plaza near the Mc Donalds. Came back to the compound and made some steaks on a grill and sat with 2 ice packs on my hip and chest. Today I am going to head back toward the middle of the city and me and my roommate are gonna get a wireless router so I don't have to walk to the lounge to use the internet.
Well my friends I will write you again soon. Writing this does help me keep sane. BTW if you see this without pictures of the dirt biking experience just check back later, downloading takes a while sometimes.

Happy Saint Patty’s Day
March 17th 2010

So I finally made it over here to sunny Saudi Arabia. I have to start by saying fuck what you think you know about culture shock until you have experienced it. It’s one thing to do research on a place and a totally different thing to actually be in that place…Jetlag wuppin your ass. I was picked up from the airport by a nice young guy by the name of Abdula. Now Amira did say to me that the driving here is probably like a dollar cab drive down flatbush ave. Almost but not quite, way more intense.
In my first day here I have see some things that are the norm I guess. But if I told you, you would not believe it. For example I went to the mall today Wednesday. I saw a group of guys driving down a main strip in four wheelers fast in the wrong direction. Now if that wasn’t enough as this group of 10 or so 4 wheelers blew the red light as they traveled threw on coming traffic. That’s Nucking Futs!
My roommate’s name is Jeff and he is a pretty cool guy in his late 40’s early 50’s from Spokane Washington, he looks a bit like Kenny Rogers. He and another guy named Dan who is a retired firefighter from Albany NY drove me out of the compound to get some dinner buy groceries and to get a cell phone. Everyone I have met so far have been real cool people. I got a fun fact from the guys. In Riyadh there are about 17 motor vehicle deaths a day. No bullshit.
Anyway I have been forcing myself to stay awake that I can fall asleep and kind of get on their schedule here as best as I can.
It’s funny cause I say that as I write this post at 0354 Riyadh time 854pm EST and I can’t really sleep.
The flight was cool but there were a bunch of little kids on the flight that would from time to time scream at the top of their lungs. My flight was a total of 12 hours with a stop over in Jeddah. I went to the SRCA office and met the ladies that help us with our paper work everyone was super friendly and accommodating. I got the chance to have some Arabic coffee, which is not black or brow but greenish yellow. It had a little kick. After I went to the compound and got my room. My first thought as a walked around it was, Wow this in tiny. That’s when it all set in… I thought to myself, where the fuck am I? Am I dreaming? I can’t believe I am really here. Really scary feeling. But after my short nap and meeting more of the guys and getting my cell turned on and talking to Amira and Jazmine I felt a million times better. I got some cool picture and I will try to post video real soon cause if pictures say a thousand words video will say a million. Much love to all and I will try to put a post again in two days.
Ma Salama,
Carlos
PS
today I tried numerous times to load pictures on facebook as well as this blog and it didn't work so for tonight I will have to just post words. Talk to you soon.
LOS

The Adventure begins

Day one my adventure to work for the Saudi Red Crescent in Saudi Arabia

Ok so how do I begin? Woke 4am sat morning the 13th. Got my things together and said goodbye to Jazmine and Amira. That was hard. Got onto the plane which had some of the smallest seats I have ever been in. It seemed like a flight for middle school kids. But as luck would have it in the emergency isle there were people that couldn't sit there, because they didn’t speak English. So right away I spoke up” I speak English” And Boom I now have a seat for a grown up with plenty of room. If I can give anyone advise about flying stay off Delta if you can help it.
So the flight was great pretty smooth. We made it to NY 30min early. BUT… we had to wait to land because of bad weather. So we flew over NY for those 30 min before getting cleared to land. The pilot told us it was going to be a bit bumpy because of the weather as we landed. So a bumping we went down threw the clouds. As we made our final approach and I was able to see the ocean. BAM! The pilot suddenly pulled up real hard and cranked the engines. I could feel some serious G’s as we climbed and then banked HARD to the right. Now if you have ever been threw something like this on a plane it is interesting to hear 200 people take a big gulp all at the same time. Anyway, the pilot comes on the air and sounds shook. He tells us that the tower had us and another plane bunched too close he tells us not to worry we are going to swing around and make another approach. 15 min later we touch down to thunderous applause. I don’t clap til the plane stops. Once to a complete stop I throw my hands in the air and yell Weeee and then clap with everyone again.
So now I get off meet with my Uncle Robert and drive to meet Rachel and Marcus, but the drive on the belt was super long because one of the lanes was underwater. So I saw the baby, Rachel and fam real quick got back to the airport after sitting down to eat with them for only 30 min. Made it back to the airport, went threw security, got 1200 Saudi Dollars exchanged which cost me $512 and made it on to the plane.
At this point we sat and waited on the plane for a total of 6 hours we pulled on to the runway once but the wind was so strong that the plane would rock as if we were in the air. Later I would find out that that there were wind gust up to 74 Mph. The plane rocked so much and for so long, even when docked that when I laded down at night I felt like I was still moving.
So all flights we canceled and we were told to come back 0730 the next morning and maybe we will fly out in between 2 storm fronts. So I called my Uncle and he came and picked me up and we had dinner at this awesome Korean restaurant.
Now I must go to sleep to be up early tomorrow to possibly fly out. Insh Allah.

The OC makes it hard for me (that's what she said)

So my lovely job has been giving me a hard time with my sick time. They tried to say if I already employed with the Saudi company that I can't use any of my sick time. But truth be told I really wont be officially hired until I go over to Saudi Arabia. Seven years of service and 3 weeks of advance notice and they still try to give me a hard time. I feel disgusted by the attitude of some of the hierarchy at my job. " Is Wayne Brady gonna have to Choke a Bitch" I want to leave on good terms because you just never know but I tell you what they are really making it hard for me. It is a wonderful reminder of one of the reasons I am leaving.
On another note, I have been getting my stuff together that I'm going to bring on my adventure and one of those things my lovely wife has blessed me with is a new camcorder to tape my exploits in the KSA. It's a waterproof Sanyo ( ironic) and I should get it on Monday. Then maybe I can add some video to this blog. I have never been a person who shared easily or ever was able to keep a journal for more that a few entries. Just not my style but I will promise my friends and family that read this, I will do my best to at least put an update in every week. That being said I will leave you with a short poem that best describes me by Dean Alfange

I Do not choose to be a common man

It is my right to be uncommon—if I can.

I seek opportunity—not security. I do not wish to be a kept citizen, humbled and dulled by having the state look after me.

I want to take the calculated risk; to dream and to build, to fail and to succeed.

I refuse to barter incentive for a dole. I prefer the challenges of life to the guaranteed existence; the thrill of fulfillment to the stale calm of utopia.

I will not trade freedom for beneficence nor my dignity for a handout. I will never cower before any master nor bend to any threat.

It is my heritage to stand erect, proud and unafraid; to think and act for myself, enjoy the benefit of my creations and to face the world boldly and say, “This I have done.”

My First Blog About The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

So begins my first blog. I decided that what better way to keep my friends and family updated on my experience living and working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I have taken a job working for the Saudi Red Crescent Authority working in the city of Riyadh as a Paramedic. In order to do this I needed to leave my career of 7 years as a Firefighter Paramedic with Orange County Fire Department in Sunny Orlando Florida. Many of my friends say why would you leave such a secure job working for the fire department? My answer is complicated but I will put it simply, for the betterment of my family and myself. I figure we only have one life to live so I will live this one to the fullest and try to do my best.

That being said I got my itinerary from the SRCA and I will be flying out of Orlando on the 13th of march I leave Orlando at 6:25 and fly into JFK I hold over til 2pm then get on a plane to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia arriving 2pm on the 14th. I will update this blog as frequently as I can so I can keep my friends and family up to date on my experience.