Al Faisalliah., originally uploaded by Carcura.

Al Faisalliah: The View from The Top.
Originally uploaded by Carcura

Al Faisalliah: The Ball Reflecting The City.
Originally uploaded by Carcura

Time in this place moves very slowly. The days are long and filled with things to do and the rythme of life is very different from anywhere else I’ve been. Giving up complete control is not an easy thing, although that seems the gateway into life here. The past two weeks have been very full…some days I’ve been very frustrated and others excited and happy.

There’s been plenty to do in getting the house settled and unpacking. We’ve gotten lots of new furniture that we’ve had to rearrange and had to put thought into redefining our living space with the guys. With that comes dusting, arranging, and organizing. I’ve also been busy personally getting situated in getting a phoneline, finding a abaya, and getting a gym membership.

The Ramadan schedule has also been somewhat of a challenge. Under normal circumstances, I imagine this is a time of spiritual awakening and joy, but for someone who just moved to this place, the waking up early and being up til the early hours of the morning socializing and meeting new people while managing daily household operations…grocery shopping, cooking, etc. can get quite hectic.

Being here, one feels a strong sense of family. Of course, being so far away from mine can be frustrating. I feel the distance in the time difference and the cost of phone calls. It will be so nice when they are closer. We can talk and I can even go see them every few months.

Through all of this, I’ve managed to cook a wicked kebbeh meal and various salads during the week. I’ve also been taking photos daily and writing. Another big one is that I haven’t freaked out! So far, nothing horribly unpleasant.

Hallab sweets from Beirut., originally uploaded by Carcura.

George, got back last week from two weeks vacation in Lebanon and brought back these delicious sweets from Hallab. The green ones are a layer of pistachio nougat with crunchy pistachios on top of layer of green gummy candy. Awesome textures, crunchy, creamy, and chewy with a really nice subtly rich after-taste. The cream ones are like the pistachios but with peanuts instead. The white round candies are coconut. Delicious afternoon treats from home.

Fresh Saudi Dates., originally uploaded by Carcura.

Just after prayer, we went grocery shopping at Al Jareer Supermarket. This is the third gocery store I try here. The two previous grocery stores I had been to were unique in their own way. I found things at one that I didn’t find at another. I found Al Jareer to be the most authentic so far. Most of the products here are middle eastern, lots of herbs, spices, and produce from the region. I saw these delicious dates that took me way back when I was six or seven years old. They are so delicious!

Butter Cookies.
Originally uploaded by Carcura

Neighborhood Cat., originally uploaded by Carcura.

I made friends with one of Paul’s friends today. This beautiful stray cat came to our kitchen window ledge while I was making sandwhiches for lunch. She had come by a day before and Paul gave her some tuna. As you can see, it’s a cool 90 degrees in Riyadh.

Wall hanging party, Riyadh house., originally uploaded by Carcura.

Ramadan officially began on Wednesday here in Saudi. This is the equivalent of Christmas for us. My understanding of it is that everyone fasts (and sleeps) all day, not even water, except for the westerners who are at work keeping business going, and right at the first evening prayer, which is just before six, families gather and break their fasts with huge meals, known as “futter” and are up for most of the night, until they have another meal at around two in the morning before they go to sleep at four or five. Everything is closed all day until eight in the evening when everybody comes out and fills the streets and malls…traffic jams at midnight! During Ramadan, life is reversed from day to night. The big rule: during fasting hours, don’t move your mouth in public, not even gum or water.

Push!
Originally uploaded by Carcura

Ramadan or not, Fridays (the equivalent of Sunday) are a day of rest in Saudi. Everything is closed until four and there is nothing to do. So since the walls in the house are bare, I invited the guys for a “wall hanging party”. Gave us something fun to do while hanging out. The guys went through almost an entire box of steel nails trying to get into the concrete walls. The walls are so rigid that when they would be hammering, the nails would break in half. They managed to find a rythme and things went fairly smoothly. I made fruit salad with yogurt and honey, then grilled chicken salad with mint, and oreos for dessert. We watched Zodiac and rested. Days of rest are so nice.

Roberto Cavalli Sunnies., originally uploaded by Carcura.

I made my first Saudi purchase yesterday. In the desert a girl needs a good pair of sunglasses. It’s always bright, even in the shade. So, after days of trying on pair after pair, I was starting to give up, when Cavalli came to the rescue. The perfect pair of Roberto Cavallis presented themselves to me, and the second I put them on, they were mine!. I was going for some very simple raybans when it suddenly hit me, when in Saudi, do as Saudis do, and Cavalli, it is.

O & Co. Pressie., originally uploaded by Carcura.

After the guys picked me up at the airport, Hazem gave me a bag with some stuff in it. Opened it when we got home and found these delightful little treats. Olive oil with mandarin, beautiful aluminum oil dispenser, olive oil hand soap, and olive oil handcream. I had seen the olive oil dispenser in Paris last winter, and found it so charming. It’s a little gift, but really made me feel warm and at home in my new “home”.

Starbucks, Riyadh., originally uploaded by Carcura.

Landing in King Khalid Airport and going through customs went very smoothly. So smoothly, that Hazem and Paul didn’t even recognize me when I came out of my gate. I was waving for a while before they realized it was me…totally Saudi with my black outfit and head dress. We dropped off my stuff at the house. Got the tour of our new place…spacious and very nice. Then headed for dinner at Cafe Blanc, an upscale Lebanese Restaurant near the house.

The evening of my arrival was almost surreal. Being in such a different place coupled with eight hours of jetlag was quite the twighlight zone. In the morning, Paul was off to work, and here I was alone in Saudi. Okay, time to focus. I needed to get a better grasp of this situation, so I gave myself tasks. The first thing, of course was unpacking and hanging my clothes. When I started, I realized that there were no hangers. To my surprise, the phone rang and it was Mona on the phone, asking if I wanted to go with her to find a abaya. We chatted and hung out, but no luck with a abaya. They were either too busy or had nothing going on, so I decided to wait and look some more.

Ikea, Riyadh.
Originally uploaded by Carcura

I was back home just before noon, waiting for the driver to take me to Ikea to get some hangers. Unpacked what I could in the meantime, and was off to Ikea at just after two. Picked up a non-fat iced latte from Starbucks, then we hopped on the freeway and ten minutes later we were there. The signage on the exterior of the building was in Arabic in almost the same font and the same color on one side and English on the other. An Ikea in Saudi…with Saudi people walking around dressed in desert wear…did I mention twighlight zone?!

Ikea, Riyadh.
Originally uploaded by Carcura

Well, once I walked into the store, I felt okay because it was almost identical to every Ikea I had been to. They even have a little clearance area, in the same place. I walked around, and noticed that they have everything but are low in stock on some (alot) of items. The only hangers they had were unfinished wood, not the nice stained wood ones they had in Houston. pooo!! I grabbed fifty hangers anyway, paid 45 riyals and headed back to the house with the driver.

Upscale shopping near our house.
Originally uploaded by Carcura

On the way back to the house, I stopped by Al Jawal store, which is the Riyadh equivalent of Cosmote or Cingular. Sat at the desk of a Saudi man with head wrap, signed a contract, gave him my passport, and 100 riyals, and got a Saudi phone number. Communicating was challenging, but the experience quite interesting. I accomplished 2 of 2 things today, yeeey!!