Tomorrow marks exactly eleven weeks since my first day here. By now, I have somewhat of a better understanding of this place. Everyday I continue to grow and learn more about life here and see more of the change taking place right now. It’s very clear that tradition is struggling with modernization and a booming economy. There is construction of new buildings happening on every corner. The Gap is opening several stores around the city. Investors, advertising agencies, and large corporations are quickly moving in to get their piece of the pie. It’s only a matter of time before laws will change and society forced to bend and reshape itself.

The eyes of the world are on this region with curiosity. The case of the Qatif Rape has been getting global attention recently. A Saudi girl gang raped in a public place gets sentenced to six months in jail and 200 lashes as punishment. Everybody is asking the same question. Isn’t the fact that she got gang-raped enough punishment for this poor girl. The majority of the people here still believe that she is at fault for meeting in a public place with a man whom she is not related. Human rights activists are focusing on the fact that she was abducted at knife point and raped. Laws are based on islamic principles and it will be very difficult to challenge these principles, but it is inevitable.

Eleven weeks of personal growth as well. Too many to mention. Good days and bad days, but in general things are going well and in the right direction…nip/tuck, amazing race, photography, chicken in the oven, beirut, almultaka, portraits, turkish coffee, cool weather, good music, nikon d200, flock, rss feeds, blogging, walks with Paul, dinner with friends, squats, ketchup chips, non-alcoholic beer, fuschia nail polish, selling the house, waiting for kay, and looking forward to winter and Christmas break.

It’s almost been six weeks since I’ve arrived with two bags and all our things from Houston. Last week I left again to Lebanon for a few days and returned to spend some time here with my husband. It’s been a nice break for the both of us. The city is quiet, peaceful, and everyone is gone. Business hours are back to normal and the people hanging around are calm. We’ve been spending some time at home, catching up on sleep, organizing our things, cooking, reading, and gardening.

Driving around, it’s easy to see how much more progressive this city is becoming. The roads in the center are well paved and well planned and in some parts there are no hints of desert. One can see new highrises every few blocks, new shops, and even newer malls sprouting from in between primitive structures. This is a city with a clear visible duality constantly in motion. Old and new, rich and poor, strong and weak, Native and non-Native.

This duality is a result of a leap towards progress, but this same duality also causes a great deal of hypocracy and inconsistency. The recent spike in oil prices has brought beaucoups of cash to the region. Arabs are quickly realizing that they cannot rely solely on energy income so they are investing in all aspects of the global market. Just a few generations back, life here was drastically different. There are those who embrace this duality and those who fight it. The truth is that you never know what you’re gonna get and you have to be okay with that.

Unfortunately women here are forced to be okay with much more than men. Despite having no public freedom, they manage to float around ever so gracefully under their beautiful abayas. One can notice subtleties in the way they walk or the way they carry their purses or even the way they wrap the covers on their heads. One can only see glimpses of their eyes and if paying close attention, one can notice that some are demure, others confident or sexy, happy or sad. They are definitely strong and proud beautiful beings.

Looking forward to life going back to normal in the next few weeks. Some positives of the past month are that all of our things are unpacked, spent some time together as husband and wife, hung out with some very interesting people, found a cleaning lady that helps me in the mornings twice a week, learning to cook, and most importantly, learning to go with the ever changing tides.