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)