Perhaps it's the massive amount of turkey and its accoutrements consumed today, but I am suffering a bit of writer's block right now. Or perhaps it's the fact that I just spent nine hours wrangling my four year-old nephew, which, when he's consumed sugar, as he did today, can exhaust six adults. Which it did. In any event, I'm not in a creative enough state to tackle Just US's great roundup topic this week - "I'm Thankful I've Learned." So, I'm going to do the ubiquitous "I'm Thankful For..." post instead. Bear with me.
I am of course incredibly thankful for my phenomenal family and friends, who make it all worthwhile. I'm thankful for my nieces and nephews, who remind me what it's like to be a kid again. (Even though one of them is perilously close to being an adult, which makes me feel old.) I'm thankful for my job, which has changed my life in so many wonderful ways. I am thankful for my colleagues, near and far, who make the journey far more interesting and form the world's greatest support group and travel network. I'm thankful for technology, which allows me to stay close with all of the above, even when I'm thousands of miles away. I'm thankful for the pets in my life - cats, dogs, and even my brother's rabbit. I'm thankful to have had seven wonderful years with my faithful friend Hattie, who I still think about and miss every single day. (And now that I'm tearing up, let's change the tone a bit.)
I'm thankful for APO and pouch, which allow me to be a shameless American consumer and enjoy online Black Friday deals. Come to think of it, I'm thankful I have no compulsion to venture out to the stores at 4am on Black Friday. (More power to those that do; I just get my crazy in different ways.) On this subject, I am incredibly thankful for Amazon.com. In so many ways. There are millions of other things for which I'm thankful, but writer's block strikes again.
And it's worth saying again - my family, friends, and colleagues are truly amazing. Wishing all of you as wonderful a Thanksgiving as I was able to enjoy at home in NH today, surrounded by loved ones.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Viva la Vice: A Tale of Depraved Indulgence
There exists in Saudi Arabia a government body named the Committee for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice. The famed religious police, or mutawwain, operate under the auspices of this committee. I have been lucky enough not to encounter any mutawwain thus far, but they are a fact of life in KSA. I actually really like the English translation of the committee's name, because who's not for the promotion of virtue? Granted my idea of vice is very different than theirs, and I tend to be pretty liberal in my tolerance of the (legal) vices of others. I knew that I'd encounter limits on certain freedoms in KSA, especially as a woman. But I find it's not the restrictions I worried about at first. Being back in the U.S. for a short break has me contemplating the way I feel about some of these said restrictions.
I don't drink, so the official ban on alcohol doesn't bother me in the least. I rarely wear the abaya anymore; I think I've worn it once (and even then unbuttoned) since the beginning of October. There's only been one event I couldn't go to because of my gender (and it was something I wasn't particularly interested in anyway). But what I really miss the most? Bacon. And driving.
Who knew bacon would turn out to be one of my biggest vices?! Certainly not me. And since I can occasionally get bacon and other pork products through special circumstances, it's not like I'm completely cut off. It's more the idea of bacon, if that makes sense. Pork products are the butt of many jokes among my friends, pun intended. It doesn't help that I have a lot of friends serving in Muslim countries who frequently post about their own bacon withdrawal or their convoluted ways of obtaining it on Facebook. It's a classic case of wanting what we can't have, and the constant conversation keeps it at the forefront of our minds. One friend, who shall remain nameless, convinced herself that her overdue baby wasn't coming out because she was feeding it a steady diet of bacon, having found her underground supplier. She tried quitting cold turkey. I think she lasted 12 hours. Part of that was overnight. (Baby has since been born and seems not to have been influenced one way or the other by pork products.)
So what was the first thing I ate when I left KSA? Pork sausages in Heathrow, of course. I got really upset one day last week when the ham sandwich I'd ordered turned out to have turkey instead. And while I don't have pork with every meal, I at least consider it a whole lot more than I normally would. I thought this might just be me until I had breakfast last week with a high school classmate who is currently teaching in Saudi. We're both back for Thanksgiving and met to catch up. And we both ordered something with bacon. She told me that she is trying strategically to work pork into most meals. I started laughing and said I knew exactly what she meant. So it's not just me.
Driving is a whole other thing. I knew I would miss this. I love driving. A lot. A lot lot. But more than driving, I love getting into a car and losing myself in the act of driving. It's a time when I can either think hard about things or not think at all. I love listening to the radio, music, or books. It's a time to be by myself, to explore my surroundings, to just be. And while no sane person would wish to drive in Saudi (there are no rules of the road but lots of senses of entitlement), I do. Because it's less about the physical act of driving than about going places independently. As it is, I have to call motorpool and plan ahead. And then plan for how long I'll be wherever. Spontaneity is seriously restricted. And the other thing is never being alone in the car, so I lose that bubble. And even though our drivers are great and very accommodating and friendly and immensely helpful, I wish I wasn't totally reliant on them.
It wasn't until last night, when I ran errands for several hours by myself, that all of these feelings coalesced quite clearly. I was alone with a car, with no specific time I had to bring it back (gotta love sharing vehicles), with nobody needing to know where I'd be at what time. It was freeing. It's interesting, because I hadn't felt this loss of independence so acutely in Saudi. I'd felt it to some extent, but that feeling of freedom let me know what I was missing all along. So I'm not sure what I'll do with this new realization, but I am coming to realize that this is the hardest part of culture shock for me.
I almost had to sit down in the grocery store. Not only was I there by myself, with my own car, but there was pork and alcohol for sale. I had to stop myself from thinking "haraam!" I had to laugh. Tomorrow I'm going to a movie theater. To see a film about magic. Now if that isn't haraam, I don't know what is :-). Viva la vice while I can, I guess!
I don't drink, so the official ban on alcohol doesn't bother me in the least. I rarely wear the abaya anymore; I think I've worn it once (and even then unbuttoned) since the beginning of October. There's only been one event I couldn't go to because of my gender (and it was something I wasn't particularly interested in anyway). But what I really miss the most? Bacon. And driving.
Who knew bacon would turn out to be one of my biggest vices?! Certainly not me. And since I can occasionally get bacon and other pork products through special circumstances, it's not like I'm completely cut off. It's more the idea of bacon, if that makes sense. Pork products are the butt of many jokes among my friends, pun intended. It doesn't help that I have a lot of friends serving in Muslim countries who frequently post about their own bacon withdrawal or their convoluted ways of obtaining it on Facebook. It's a classic case of wanting what we can't have, and the constant conversation keeps it at the forefront of our minds. One friend, who shall remain nameless, convinced herself that her overdue baby wasn't coming out because she was feeding it a steady diet of bacon, having found her underground supplier. She tried quitting cold turkey. I think she lasted 12 hours. Part of that was overnight. (Baby has since been born and seems not to have been influenced one way or the other by pork products.)
So what was the first thing I ate when I left KSA? Pork sausages in Heathrow, of course. I got really upset one day last week when the ham sandwich I'd ordered turned out to have turkey instead. And while I don't have pork with every meal, I at least consider it a whole lot more than I normally would. I thought this might just be me until I had breakfast last week with a high school classmate who is currently teaching in Saudi. We're both back for Thanksgiving and met to catch up. And we both ordered something with bacon. She told me that she is trying strategically to work pork into most meals. I started laughing and said I knew exactly what she meant. So it's not just me.
Driving is a whole other thing. I knew I would miss this. I love driving. A lot. A lot lot. But more than driving, I love getting into a car and losing myself in the act of driving. It's a time when I can either think hard about things or not think at all. I love listening to the radio, music, or books. It's a time to be by myself, to explore my surroundings, to just be. And while no sane person would wish to drive in Saudi (there are no rules of the road but lots of senses of entitlement), I do. Because it's less about the physical act of driving than about going places independently. As it is, I have to call motorpool and plan ahead. And then plan for how long I'll be wherever. Spontaneity is seriously restricted. And the other thing is never being alone in the car, so I lose that bubble. And even though our drivers are great and very accommodating and friendly and immensely helpful, I wish I wasn't totally reliant on them.
It wasn't until last night, when I ran errands for several hours by myself, that all of these feelings coalesced quite clearly. I was alone with a car, with no specific time I had to bring it back (gotta love sharing vehicles), with nobody needing to know where I'd be at what time. It was freeing. It's interesting, because I hadn't felt this loss of independence so acutely in Saudi. I'd felt it to some extent, but that feeling of freedom let me know what I was missing all along. So I'm not sure what I'll do with this new realization, but I am coming to realize that this is the hardest part of culture shock for me.
I almost had to sit down in the grocery store. Not only was I there by myself, with my own car, but there was pork and alcohol for sale. I had to stop myself from thinking "haraam!" I had to laugh. Tomorrow I'm going to a movie theater. To see a film about magic. Now if that isn't haraam, I don't know what is :-). Viva la vice while I can, I guess!
Friday, November 19, 2010
Ebates: A Testimonial
And now, a break from your regularly-scheduled, commercial-free programming.
I usually don't advertise on this blog, but with the holiday season I want to make sure everyone knows about Ebates. Basically, you go to the Ebates homepage, choose your online retailer, and click the link to the retailer's site. Then, you get a percentage cash back on whatever you purchase at said site, automatically. The percentages usually range from 2-10% with special deals all the time. Plus Ebates collects and displays all the free shipping and discount coupons for online retailers, so I find I do much less research before purchasing. The only major online retailer I use frequently that isn't an Ebates participant is Amazon. But just about everything else is represented. (If you put items in a shopping cart but then close your browser prior to purchasing, you don't get the points. So click through the Ebates site every time you intend to purchase.) I have been using this for less than six months and already have gotten about $110 cash back, just on normal purchases. Right into Paypal, or via check! At first I thought it would be a pain to click through Ebates every time, but it's an easy site, and it's worth the extra two clicks.
So, here's my advertisement. If you are a new customer and sign up using THIS LINK, you and I both get $5 bonuses on your first purchase. That simple. So, particularly for those of you overseas, it's well worth signing up. Then you can start referring people for more bonuses. Plus, you don't have to get any annoying emails from them if you don't want. Though I allow about one a week to see if anyone is doing double cash back or anything fun.
(I am not receiving anything from this personal endorsement, aside from the $5 referral bonus everyone gets. I just truly think it's a worthwhile site.)
So, click here!
I usually don't advertise on this blog, but with the holiday season I want to make sure everyone knows about Ebates. Basically, you go to the Ebates homepage, choose your online retailer, and click the link to the retailer's site. Then, you get a percentage cash back on whatever you purchase at said site, automatically. The percentages usually range from 2-10% with special deals all the time. Plus Ebates collects and displays all the free shipping and discount coupons for online retailers, so I find I do much less research before purchasing. The only major online retailer I use frequently that isn't an Ebates participant is Amazon. But just about everything else is represented. (If you put items in a shopping cart but then close your browser prior to purchasing, you don't get the points. So click through the Ebates site every time you intend to purchase.) I have been using this for less than six months and already have gotten about $110 cash back, just on normal purchases. Right into Paypal, or via check! At first I thought it would be a pain to click through Ebates every time, but it's an easy site, and it's worth the extra two clicks.
So, here's my advertisement. If you are a new customer and sign up using THIS LINK, you and I both get $5 bonuses on your first purchase. That simple. So, particularly for those of you overseas, it's well worth signing up. Then you can start referring people for more bonuses. Plus, you don't have to get any annoying emails from them if you don't want. Though I allow about one a week to see if anyone is doing double cash back or anything fun.
(I am not receiving anything from this personal endorsement, aside from the $5 referral bonus everyone gets. I just truly think it's a worthwhile site.)
So, click here!
Thursday, November 18, 2010
The Phenomenal Lyle Lovett
Being at home in the US this week has allowed me the time and quick internet to catch up on all my favorite blogs. And to realize how little I've been posting lately. Need to be better about this. I've posted a couple things already (not Cairo yet, it's still hanging over my head...) but want to get caught up from last weekend.
One of the things I miss most about being in KSA is the lack of cultural outlets. No movie theaters, concerts, theater, etc., unless we put it on. I think there are some underground-ish venues and performances, but it's not quite the scale I was used to in DC. Or even in NH, where I live near Dartmouth and have access to all the great artists who come to Hanover. Last year in DC I went to see LOTS of musicals, concerts, sporting events, and various shows, including some of my favorite performing artists. So there's some cultural shock this year. Pun intended. So when I knew I was coming home, I made a short list in my head of who I wanted to see and started researching shows. Dartmouth wasn't featuring anything I'm dying to see, nor were the local opera houses. And none of my favorite bands would be nearby. So I started thinking. If I could see anyone, who would it be. And the answer was easy. Very easy.
Lyle Lovett.
Most people aren't too familiar with Lyle Lovett, except perhaps his slightly wild hair and slightly wilder marriage to Julia Roberts. They know of him, but they don't know his work. Which is a shame. Because Lyle Lovett is one of the most talented songwriters and singers of all time. His lyrics are pure genius, his genres diverse, and he's a fabulous entertainer. I grew up listening to Lyle Lovett, and, even now, he's one of the few artists my brothers and parents and I will ALL listen to without complaints. I have all his albums and follow his career closely. I started going to see him in college and do so as often as I can. Which is easy when I'm in the US since he tours much of the year. I last saw him in November 09 in DC, right after his latest album came out. Even if you're a skeptic, go see Lyle Lovett and His Large Band in concert. This touring group usually has 10-15 members, on all types of instruments and vocals. Some have been recording and touring with him for decades, and some are newer. But they're all phenomenal musicians and/or singers. Without exception. LL has a way of arranging his songs to best fit the musicians/vocalists he has with him, and his repertoire is large and diverse enough to accommodate this. As a result, every concert is phenomenal. Hands down. Not to mention he's got a fantastic, dry sense of humor and amazing stage presence. He has a way of making a large concert hall seem like an intimate venue. His narrative and conversations with the audience throughout his shows keep people coming back year after year.
Enough gushing. So I looked on his website, and, sure enough, he was touring. But nowhere near NH while I'd be home. So I started thinking about traveling to see him. And then I started thinking of taking someone with me. And then I remembered my mother's birthday was coming up. So I started appraising his concert venues for their ease/cost of getting to and from. One venue won because he was performing in the same place two nights in a row. Near an easily-accessible airport. And that's how I chose Fort Worth, TX. I had my mom take a day off from work before I told her why and asked my dad if he wanted to come too. He said no, because it involved flying. Which he doesn't do. But Mom was game, as usual. She and I like crazy travel adventures on a whim. So I booked the concert tickets. And the flight. And the hotel. And the rental car. And started getting really excited and exclusively listening to Lyle on my iPod, as I do before every concert. Another bonus? This would be my first trip to Texas. A travesty, I know.
So I got home last Wednesday night. Mom and I left early Saturday morning. Very early. Especially for her, since she and my dad had gone to see a concert the night before, and she only ended up with two hours of sleep. I slept on the 3 hour bus ride to Boston. She watched the movie. We both slept on the two flights. We landed at DFW, got our rental car, eventually found our hotel (who knew there were two Hyatt Places within a mile of each other!?), and rested briefly. We drove in early to Fort Worth and parked downtown with the intention of finding a place to eat. Which was more difficult than we imagined, since apparently November 13 in Fort Worth was a BUSY night. Between the concert and a film festival and something else, downtown was buzzing. And beautiful. We didn't mind walking around looking for a restaurant with a decent wait list. We settled on a nice Tex-Mex place and had a delicious dinner, including my second favorite enchiladas of all time. (But keep in mind my standards are pretty low/quirky; the first best are in Cape Town.)
One of the bonuses about this concert series (aside from being in Lyle's home state) is that the performance hall is phenomenal. The Bass Performance Hall in downtown Forth Worth is about 12 years old and considered one of the 10 best in the world. I can see why. Beautiful architecture, very inviting space, the hall itself is gorgeous, and the acoustics are amazing. I rate it highly.
Concert number 1 was phenomenal, for lack of a different word in this blog. I expected nothing less. I tapped my toes and my fingers and laughed and smiled the whole way through, as did Mom. I will spare you the details, because I could gush for paragraphs.
The next day we slept in and had breakfast at IHOP, one of my favorite guilty pleasures. We headed into Fort Worth and down to a top tourist attraction, the Fort Worth Stockyards. We had no expectations and were pleasantly surprised. Sure parts of it were touristy, but there was some authenticity as well (a live cattle auction!). And who doesn't like pretending to be a cowgirl for a day? The highlight of the day was the cattle drive. Twice a day cowboys and cowgirls drive the Fort Worth Herd of longhorns around the Stockyards. My only previous experience with a cattle drive was the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. There's no comparison. This 'drive' could more accurately be described as a saunter. Which was great, it gave me time to snap photos and video and enjoy the scene. But it was still slightly underwhelming.
A day of shopping and sightseeing complete, we drove back into town to find a restaurant. And drove and drove. Nothing sounded good. We checked a few menus but didn't find anything that struck our fancy. So finally we settled on a nice BBQ place where we could get a decent steak. We crossed the road, and just then my mother grabbed my arm and said, "Lyle Lovett," in an eerily calm and steady voice. I looked up, expecting to see a concert poster. Instead, right in front of me, was Lyle Lovett and his girlfriend April Kimble. O. M. G. I could have died. I was rendered speechless. They were in a bit of a hurry (to get to a private barbecue dinner I found out later), but he politely thanked my mother when she told him how much we enjoyed last night's concert and that we were coming back again tonight. And as he walked away I called after him, "we came all the way from New Hampshire just to see you!" He looked back, smiled, and doffed his hat. Ten gallon of course. And then they walked off into the sunset. Or into Sundance Square. Same thing. Wow. But wow. There's a fine balance of being star struck and wanting an autograph and photo and wanting to let the poor guy walk down the street without being accosted by crazy ladies. I think we stayed pretty centered, no matter how much we wanted to veer into crazy stalker fan.
Dinner was good (how can you go wrong with fried okra, filet, and pecan pie?), but I was just completely star struck. I started hoping for a shout out during the concert. He occasionally does that sort of thing. The concert was as amazing, if not better, than the first. The set was slightly different, including singing about 1/3 different songs. No shout out. But it was still positively awesome. Phenomenal even. And the fourteen hour travel day the next day was worth it too. (Fifty minute weather delay in Charlotte meant missing our bus in Boston by 5 minutes and having to wait an extra two hours.)
So the moral of this blog is, I love Lyle Lovett. And His Large Band. And I am going to make a tradition out of traveling someplace new every year or so to see one of his concerts. (My secret fantasy is to recruit him for a State Dept overseas tour... If anyone has any suggestions as to how to make this a reality, I'm all ears.) He is, in a word, phenomenal.
One of the things I miss most about being in KSA is the lack of cultural outlets. No movie theaters, concerts, theater, etc., unless we put it on. I think there are some underground-ish venues and performances, but it's not quite the scale I was used to in DC. Or even in NH, where I live near Dartmouth and have access to all the great artists who come to Hanover. Last year in DC I went to see LOTS of musicals, concerts, sporting events, and various shows, including some of my favorite performing artists. So there's some cultural shock this year. Pun intended. So when I knew I was coming home, I made a short list in my head of who I wanted to see and started researching shows. Dartmouth wasn't featuring anything I'm dying to see, nor were the local opera houses. And none of my favorite bands would be nearby. So I started thinking. If I could see anyone, who would it be. And the answer was easy. Very easy.
Lyle Lovett.
Most people aren't too familiar with Lyle Lovett, except perhaps his slightly wild hair and slightly wilder marriage to Julia Roberts. They know of him, but they don't know his work. Which is a shame. Because Lyle Lovett is one of the most talented songwriters and singers of all time. His lyrics are pure genius, his genres diverse, and he's a fabulous entertainer. I grew up listening to Lyle Lovett, and, even now, he's one of the few artists my brothers and parents and I will ALL listen to without complaints. I have all his albums and follow his career closely. I started going to see him in college and do so as often as I can. Which is easy when I'm in the US since he tours much of the year. I last saw him in November 09 in DC, right after his latest album came out. Even if you're a skeptic, go see Lyle Lovett and His Large Band in concert. This touring group usually has 10-15 members, on all types of instruments and vocals. Some have been recording and touring with him for decades, and some are newer. But they're all phenomenal musicians and/or singers. Without exception. LL has a way of arranging his songs to best fit the musicians/vocalists he has with him, and his repertoire is large and diverse enough to accommodate this. As a result, every concert is phenomenal. Hands down. Not to mention he's got a fantastic, dry sense of humor and amazing stage presence. He has a way of making a large concert hall seem like an intimate venue. His narrative and conversations with the audience throughout his shows keep people coming back year after year.
Enough gushing. So I looked on his website, and, sure enough, he was touring. But nowhere near NH while I'd be home. So I started thinking about traveling to see him. And then I started thinking of taking someone with me. And then I remembered my mother's birthday was coming up. So I started appraising his concert venues for their ease/cost of getting to and from. One venue won because he was performing in the same place two nights in a row. Near an easily-accessible airport. And that's how I chose Fort Worth, TX. I had my mom take a day off from work before I told her why and asked my dad if he wanted to come too. He said no, because it involved flying. Which he doesn't do. But Mom was game, as usual. She and I like crazy travel adventures on a whim. So I booked the concert tickets. And the flight. And the hotel. And the rental car. And started getting really excited and exclusively listening to Lyle on my iPod, as I do before every concert. Another bonus? This would be my first trip to Texas. A travesty, I know.
So I got home last Wednesday night. Mom and I left early Saturday morning. Very early. Especially for her, since she and my dad had gone to see a concert the night before, and she only ended up with two hours of sleep. I slept on the 3 hour bus ride to Boston. She watched the movie. We both slept on the two flights. We landed at DFW, got our rental car, eventually found our hotel (who knew there were two Hyatt Places within a mile of each other!?), and rested briefly. We drove in early to Fort Worth and parked downtown with the intention of finding a place to eat. Which was more difficult than we imagined, since apparently November 13 in Fort Worth was a BUSY night. Between the concert and a film festival and something else, downtown was buzzing. And beautiful. We didn't mind walking around looking for a restaurant with a decent wait list. We settled on a nice Tex-Mex place and had a delicious dinner, including my second favorite enchiladas of all time. (But keep in mind my standards are pretty low/quirky; the first best are in Cape Town.)
One of the bonuses about this concert series (aside from being in Lyle's home state) is that the performance hall is phenomenal. The Bass Performance Hall in downtown Forth Worth is about 12 years old and considered one of the 10 best in the world. I can see why. Beautiful architecture, very inviting space, the hall itself is gorgeous, and the acoustics are amazing. I rate it highly.
Concert number 1 was phenomenal, for lack of a different word in this blog. I expected nothing less. I tapped my toes and my fingers and laughed and smiled the whole way through, as did Mom. I will spare you the details, because I could gush for paragraphs.
The next day we slept in and had breakfast at IHOP, one of my favorite guilty pleasures. We headed into Fort Worth and down to a top tourist attraction, the Fort Worth Stockyards. We had no expectations and were pleasantly surprised. Sure parts of it were touristy, but there was some authenticity as well (a live cattle auction!). And who doesn't like pretending to be a cowgirl for a day? The highlight of the day was the cattle drive. Twice a day cowboys and cowgirls drive the Fort Worth Herd of longhorns around the Stockyards. My only previous experience with a cattle drive was the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona. There's no comparison. This 'drive' could more accurately be described as a saunter. Which was great, it gave me time to snap photos and video and enjoy the scene. But it was still slightly underwhelming.
A day of shopping and sightseeing complete, we drove back into town to find a restaurant. And drove and drove. Nothing sounded good. We checked a few menus but didn't find anything that struck our fancy. So finally we settled on a nice BBQ place where we could get a decent steak. We crossed the road, and just then my mother grabbed my arm and said, "Lyle Lovett," in an eerily calm and steady voice. I looked up, expecting to see a concert poster. Instead, right in front of me, was Lyle Lovett and his girlfriend April Kimble. O. M. G. I could have died. I was rendered speechless. They were in a bit of a hurry (to get to a private barbecue dinner I found out later), but he politely thanked my mother when she told him how much we enjoyed last night's concert and that we were coming back again tonight. And as he walked away I called after him, "we came all the way from New Hampshire just to see you!" He looked back, smiled, and doffed his hat. Ten gallon of course. And then they walked off into the sunset. Or into Sundance Square. Same thing. Wow. But wow. There's a fine balance of being star struck and wanting an autograph and photo and wanting to let the poor guy walk down the street without being accosted by crazy ladies. I think we stayed pretty centered, no matter how much we wanted to veer into crazy stalker fan.
Dinner was good (how can you go wrong with fried okra, filet, and pecan pie?), but I was just completely star struck. I started hoping for a shout out during the concert. He occasionally does that sort of thing. The concert was as amazing, if not better, than the first. The set was slightly different, including singing about 1/3 different songs. No shout out. But it was still positively awesome. Phenomenal even. And the fourteen hour travel day the next day was worth it too. (Fifty minute weather delay in Charlotte meant missing our bus in Boston by 5 minutes and having to wait an extra two hours.)
So the moral of this blog is, I love Lyle Lovett. And His Large Band. And I am going to make a tradition out of traveling someplace new every year or so to see one of his concerts. (My secret fantasy is to recruit him for a State Dept overseas tour... If anyone has any suggestions as to how to make this a reality, I'm all ears.) He is, in a word, phenomenal.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
No More Houseguests!!
In a previous post, I alluded to some unwelcome household guests. The good news is that they're gone. The bad news? It took significantly longer than it was supposed to, right in the middle of an incredibly hectic and stressful week. A week later, I am able to look back on it without my heart rate going through the roof. And so here's the story, along with some lion cat photos.
The plan was simple. I would pack all of my belongings into plastic bags and then boxes. They would be removed and put into a locked vehicle in full sun for a full day, enough to kill any lingering bugs after washing and drying fabrics at high heats. Meanwhile, the offending soft furniture would be removed, the apartment fumigated, and, several hours later, the new furniture and all my belongings brought in. I arranged to take the cats to the vets for a day of grooming. I rearranged my schedule to be at home for the morning and evening moving times. I did all the packing.
And everything went smoothly at first. Cats to groomer, check. Belongings moved into truck, check. Icky furniture removed, check. And then we found out that the four hour fumigation treatment would actually be forty-eight hours. Cue nervous breakdown. No place to sleep. No suitcase of belongings for two days (everything spread out across boxes). No provisions for the cats. And, worst of all, no time to do laundry and pack for my trip home just a few hours after being allowed to move back home. Deep breath in, deep breath out.
I could write a long post on the 48 hours of drama, but the short story is that everything worked out. Funds were mysteriously found to pay for two nights in a hotel after I started making faces at the suggestion I sleep on the gurney in the med unit. Several boxes were delivered to my office so I could cobble together a few outfits and necessities for the hotel stay. The vet agreed to board the cats, but only after I made a trip there to pay a 2000 riyal deposit ($533), even though the final bill would be a whopping 150 riyals ($40). My colleagues were, as always, helpful and accommodating. And I was able to move back in at the scheduled time on Tuesday (imagine that!), after picking up the newly groomed cats. And the warehouse guys did an impeccable and quick job of moving my stuff back in. I managed to get the laundry done and pack my bags, as well as unpack most of my belongings. And let me tell you, my new bed is soooo much better. Before I had a king-sized bed. Which sounds nice. Except the mattress was equivalently comfortable to a toddler bed mattress (complete with crinkly plasticky covering). And had no box spring, just resting on a wooden platform. So now I have a relatively comfortable queen mattress and box spring with a decent headboard. Best of all, I can use my own linens. Which should hopefully arrive when I get back to Saudi in a few weeks.
The new couch and arm chairs and worlds better than my old couches. These new ones are just FS-standard Drexel couches, but they are at least comfortable and better-looking than my brown burlap monstrosities. Now I just need to get rid of the drapes. Yellow, really?
But what really kept me laughing and in good spirits all day Tuesday was Griffin. I'd asked the groomer to just trim his long hair. This was interpreted as "give him a lion cut." Don't get me wrong, I think the lion cut is hilarious. But that's the problem. I can't stop laughing at cats with it. Which can be scarring. Griffin is very proud of himself and is soft. But he's hysterically funny to look at. See photos below. I started using Picasa and am experimenting with photo collages. The one below contains a few pre-grooming cat photos, pics of my moving chaos (along with glimpses of the ugly brown couches), and after pics of the furniture and cats.
The plan was simple. I would pack all of my belongings into plastic bags and then boxes. They would be removed and put into a locked vehicle in full sun for a full day, enough to kill any lingering bugs after washing and drying fabrics at high heats. Meanwhile, the offending soft furniture would be removed, the apartment fumigated, and, several hours later, the new furniture and all my belongings brought in. I arranged to take the cats to the vets for a day of grooming. I rearranged my schedule to be at home for the morning and evening moving times. I did all the packing.
And everything went smoothly at first. Cats to groomer, check. Belongings moved into truck, check. Icky furniture removed, check. And then we found out that the four hour fumigation treatment would actually be forty-eight hours. Cue nervous breakdown. No place to sleep. No suitcase of belongings for two days (everything spread out across boxes). No provisions for the cats. And, worst of all, no time to do laundry and pack for my trip home just a few hours after being allowed to move back home. Deep breath in, deep breath out.
I could write a long post on the 48 hours of drama, but the short story is that everything worked out. Funds were mysteriously found to pay for two nights in a hotel after I started making faces at the suggestion I sleep on the gurney in the med unit. Several boxes were delivered to my office so I could cobble together a few outfits and necessities for the hotel stay. The vet agreed to board the cats, but only after I made a trip there to pay a 2000 riyal deposit ($533), even though the final bill would be a whopping 150 riyals ($40). My colleagues were, as always, helpful and accommodating. And I was able to move back in at the scheduled time on Tuesday (imagine that!), after picking up the newly groomed cats. And the warehouse guys did an impeccable and quick job of moving my stuff back in. I managed to get the laundry done and pack my bags, as well as unpack most of my belongings. And let me tell you, my new bed is soooo much better. Before I had a king-sized bed. Which sounds nice. Except the mattress was equivalently comfortable to a toddler bed mattress (complete with crinkly plasticky covering). And had no box spring, just resting on a wooden platform. So now I have a relatively comfortable queen mattress and box spring with a decent headboard. Best of all, I can use my own linens. Which should hopefully arrive when I get back to Saudi in a few weeks.
The new couch and arm chairs and worlds better than my old couches. These new ones are just FS-standard Drexel couches, but they are at least comfortable and better-looking than my brown burlap monstrosities. Now I just need to get rid of the drapes. Yellow, really?
But what really kept me laughing and in good spirits all day Tuesday was Griffin. I'd asked the groomer to just trim his long hair. This was interpreted as "give him a lion cut." Don't get me wrong, I think the lion cut is hilarious. But that's the problem. I can't stop laughing at cats with it. Which can be scarring. Griffin is very proud of himself and is soft. But he's hysterically funny to look at. See photos below. I started using Picasa and am experimenting with photo collages. The one below contains a few pre-grooming cat photos, pics of my moving chaos (along with glimpses of the ugly brown couches), and after pics of the furniture and cats.
Turkey Day Travel
Sara at Wife-Mommy-Woman is hosting this week's Blog Roundup on one of my favorite topics - Thanksgiving travel.
Late November is perhaps the time of year when, no matter where I am or what I'm doing, I start getting pangs of homesickness. So much so that I've only spent three and a half Thanksgivings away from my immediate family. My freshman year in college, I went to my aunt and uncle's house in VA for a wonderful weekend with family and friends and food. My junior year in college, I spent Thanksgiving in a literature class at the Sofitel Hotel in Khon Kaen, Thailand. We didn't get classes canceled, but we did have class while eating a buffet lunch that included turkey. Three years ago I loaded my suitcases full of pumpkin pie filling, french fried onions, cream of mushroom soup, and cranberry sauce and flew to Oxford, England, where one of my best friends and I made a traditional American turkey dinner for her flatmates and classmates. Last year was the half year.
I was living in DC and was all set to spend Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house again, with most of the extended family. Which is always a fun time. Except that I knew that all three of my brothers and all the assorted nieces/nephews would be gathering at home in NH, for the first time in forever. I hadn't planned to go home because missing work on the Friday after would mean losing per diem for that day, and I didn't want to deal with that. But Wednesday morning of Thanksgiving week, I woke up feeling like I wanted to go home. So I started thinking. I decided it would be rude to miss Thanksgiving dinner with my extended family in VA (I really wanted to see all the cousins et al), but since my brothers wouldn't all be there until Friday, I might be able to do both. What's a 500 mile drive each way when it's holidays at home?? So, feeling a bit crazy, I called my above-mentioned friend (also living in DC and from the same home town), and she agreed to join me. We planned to leave after dinner on Thursday, drive through the night, and then head back Sunday. Crazy, indeed. The best part? We didn't tell our families. I had a really hard time not telling my parents (especially as I tried to figure out where everyone was sleeping while on the phone with my mom), but I managed.
Thursday morning I packed everything up before heading over to my aunt and uncle's. Hattie got really worried when I pulled out suitcases, thinking she'd be left behind, so I left the suitcases in the apartment while I went to VA. Thanksgiving was, as always, a lot of fun. When all the aunts and uncles and cousins and Grandma get together, we tend to reminisce and laugh hysterically most of the time. Lots of good senses of humor. I felt badly leaving so soon after a delicious dinner, but everyone understood. (They're used to my crazy ideas by now, but I promised to email when I got home to let them know I made it safely.) A quick stop at home to pick up the luggage and Hattie, a quick stop in MD to pick up L, and we were off! We left about 8:30 pm and made great time almost all the way. The only traffic we encountered was getting onto the GW Bridge in NYC. We switched off driving and caffeinated well and reached our hometown at about 4:30am. We made awesome time, in other words.
I dropped L off at her house (making sure she made it inside before I took off, as we weren't sure the doors would be open) and headed home. My plan was to bed down in the kids' room (some of the only open space at that time of night). About an hour later, my six year-old niece woke up and found me on the floor next to her. She gave me a big hug and then ran into my brother's room, where my three year-old nephew had snuck into at some point during the night, yelling "Aunt Sadie's here!" My brother of course didn't believe her and did a double take when I popped my head around the door. My nephew woke up at about that point, so I got another big hug and then went into the living room to watch cartoons with the kids. I tried to nap in a chair, but that was futile. After another hour, my father woke up. He walked downstairs, saw me, and smiled brightly. Cue another big hug. My mother woke up a bit later. I was in the kitchen with my brothers and the kids, and Mom was still a bit sleepy. She gave everyone good morning hugs and kisses and only noticed me as she went to hug me and realized I technically shouldn't be there. The surprise visit home was a huge success - the surprised looks on everyone's faces was well worth the long drive and lack of sleep.
I napped a little bit, had another round of hugs when my older brother and oldest nephew arrived a bit later and had a great day hanging out. Thanksgiving is always around birthdays - my mom's and my nephew's - so that was another impetus to go home. My nephew's third birthday was that day, so we had a fun family dinner and party for him that night, complete with turkey cupcakes! Hattie was happy to be home as well, enjoying being able to go outside without a leash and chaperone, and she lapped up the extra attention. She was a phenomenal car traveler - just happy to be going somewhere with me. We would stop every few hours for her to relieve herself and stretch, but she was always content just to sleep in her bed in the backseat.
Saturday I went into town to visit friends and colleagues, making my usual rounds. Lots more surprised faces and hugs. All around, a perfect November weekend in NH. L and I started back to DC early on Sunday, taking a slightly circuitous route through NJ so as to miss some of the traffic on I-95. This allowed us to stop at my favorite Italian deli and bakery in Raritan to get sandwiches and cannolis! We of course hit traffic on 95 from the MD border to 495, but it was doable. We just turned on the Christmas music and reveled in our weekend. L's family had been as surprised and happy as mine, and she made the family/friends rounds all weekend as well.
So this year I of course thought about surprising the family again, but the logistics were a little more complicated. Things like needing a ride home from the airport and having a bed for three weeks. That sort of thing. So I made plans early, got decent flights at a decent price, and secured almost three weeks off with only six days of work missed by stringing together lots of Saudi and U.S. holidays. I got home late last Wednesday night and have been enjoying the cooler weather and family scene. My mom and I went to Texas this past weekend (blog post on that coming), and now I'm looking forward to a busy couple of weeks with lots of family, friends, and food :-). So for me, more often than not, traveling for Thanksgiving is well worth the expense and hassle. Whether from 500 or 6,000 miles away. (We'll see if I'm still saying that the 27th-28th as I travel back to Saudi with a bajillion other holiday travelers...)
Late November is perhaps the time of year when, no matter where I am or what I'm doing, I start getting pangs of homesickness. So much so that I've only spent three and a half Thanksgivings away from my immediate family. My freshman year in college, I went to my aunt and uncle's house in VA for a wonderful weekend with family and friends and food. My junior year in college, I spent Thanksgiving in a literature class at the Sofitel Hotel in Khon Kaen, Thailand. We didn't get classes canceled, but we did have class while eating a buffet lunch that included turkey. Three years ago I loaded my suitcases full of pumpkin pie filling, french fried onions, cream of mushroom soup, and cranberry sauce and flew to Oxford, England, where one of my best friends and I made a traditional American turkey dinner for her flatmates and classmates. Last year was the half year.
I was living in DC and was all set to spend Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house again, with most of the extended family. Which is always a fun time. Except that I knew that all three of my brothers and all the assorted nieces/nephews would be gathering at home in NH, for the first time in forever. I hadn't planned to go home because missing work on the Friday after would mean losing per diem for that day, and I didn't want to deal with that. But Wednesday morning of Thanksgiving week, I woke up feeling like I wanted to go home. So I started thinking. I decided it would be rude to miss Thanksgiving dinner with my extended family in VA (I really wanted to see all the cousins et al), but since my brothers wouldn't all be there until Friday, I might be able to do both. What's a 500 mile drive each way when it's holidays at home?? So, feeling a bit crazy, I called my above-mentioned friend (also living in DC and from the same home town), and she agreed to join me. We planned to leave after dinner on Thursday, drive through the night, and then head back Sunday. Crazy, indeed. The best part? We didn't tell our families. I had a really hard time not telling my parents (especially as I tried to figure out where everyone was sleeping while on the phone with my mom), but I managed.
Thursday morning I packed everything up before heading over to my aunt and uncle's. Hattie got really worried when I pulled out suitcases, thinking she'd be left behind, so I left the suitcases in the apartment while I went to VA. Thanksgiving was, as always, a lot of fun. When all the aunts and uncles and cousins and Grandma get together, we tend to reminisce and laugh hysterically most of the time. Lots of good senses of humor. I felt badly leaving so soon after a delicious dinner, but everyone understood. (They're used to my crazy ideas by now, but I promised to email when I got home to let them know I made it safely.) A quick stop at home to pick up the luggage and Hattie, a quick stop in MD to pick up L, and we were off! We left about 8:30 pm and made great time almost all the way. The only traffic we encountered was getting onto the GW Bridge in NYC. We switched off driving and caffeinated well and reached our hometown at about 4:30am. We made awesome time, in other words.
I dropped L off at her house (making sure she made it inside before I took off, as we weren't sure the doors would be open) and headed home. My plan was to bed down in the kids' room (some of the only open space at that time of night). About an hour later, my six year-old niece woke up and found me on the floor next to her. She gave me a big hug and then ran into my brother's room, where my three year-old nephew had snuck into at some point during the night, yelling "Aunt Sadie's here!" My brother of course didn't believe her and did a double take when I popped my head around the door. My nephew woke up at about that point, so I got another big hug and then went into the living room to watch cartoons with the kids. I tried to nap in a chair, but that was futile. After another hour, my father woke up. He walked downstairs, saw me, and smiled brightly. Cue another big hug. My mother woke up a bit later. I was in the kitchen with my brothers and the kids, and Mom was still a bit sleepy. She gave everyone good morning hugs and kisses and only noticed me as she went to hug me and realized I technically shouldn't be there. The surprise visit home was a huge success - the surprised looks on everyone's faces was well worth the long drive and lack of sleep.
I napped a little bit, had another round of hugs when my older brother and oldest nephew arrived a bit later and had a great day hanging out. Thanksgiving is always around birthdays - my mom's and my nephew's - so that was another impetus to go home. My nephew's third birthday was that day, so we had a fun family dinner and party for him that night, complete with turkey cupcakes! Hattie was happy to be home as well, enjoying being able to go outside without a leash and chaperone, and she lapped up the extra attention. She was a phenomenal car traveler - just happy to be going somewhere with me. We would stop every few hours for her to relieve herself and stretch, but she was always content just to sleep in her bed in the backseat.
Saturday I went into town to visit friends and colleagues, making my usual rounds. Lots more surprised faces and hugs. All around, a perfect November weekend in NH. L and I started back to DC early on Sunday, taking a slightly circuitous route through NJ so as to miss some of the traffic on I-95. This allowed us to stop at my favorite Italian deli and bakery in Raritan to get sandwiches and cannolis! We of course hit traffic on 95 from the MD border to 495, but it was doable. We just turned on the Christmas music and reveled in our weekend. L's family had been as surprised and happy as mine, and she made the family/friends rounds all weekend as well.
So this year I of course thought about surprising the family again, but the logistics were a little more complicated. Things like needing a ride home from the airport and having a bed for three weeks. That sort of thing. So I made plans early, got decent flights at a decent price, and secured almost three weeks off with only six days of work missed by stringing together lots of Saudi and U.S. holidays. I got home late last Wednesday night and have been enjoying the cooler weather and family scene. My mom and I went to Texas this past weekend (blog post on that coming), and now I'm looking forward to a busy couple of weeks with lots of family, friends, and food :-). So for me, more often than not, traveling for Thanksgiving is well worth the expense and hassle. Whether from 500 or 6,000 miles away. (We'll see if I'm still saying that the 27th-28th as I travel back to Saudi with a bajillion other holiday travelers...)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
UAB (for lack of a clever title)
Since I don't blog about work here and these days my life is all work all the time, I haven't had a lot of meaningful input for blogs. I know I still owe a Cairo blog. It may or may not happen, realistically. I'm on vacation starting after next week, so we'll see how bored I get. My work event for tonight was canceled, and I'm about done repacking (more on that later on), and dinner was easy to procure (shwarma from the on-compound restaurant), so I have a little bit of extra time before bed. So I'll participate in this week's State Department Blog Round-Up, the theme of which is "what I wished I packed in my UAB."
Honestly, I don't know. Because I don't yet have my UAB. For a myriad of reasons.
I arrived in country almost three months ago. It took a month to get my residency permit, which was the first step before I could apply for my customs exemption. Which I didn't do right away. Because. Shortly after moving into my permanent housing, I discovered that I was not moving into an empty place. Oh no. I won't go into the sordid details, but it became painfully clear (literally) that the media-darling pests of the moment in the US are resident in my apartment. Ew. It's a horrifically long story, but I am still waiting for a solution. It has not been the greatest two+ months. But next week my apartment and all of my belongings will be sanitized, all soft furniture (including mattresses) will be replaced, and hopefully my roommates will be history. Meanwhile all of my belongings that have been heat-treated are in bags inside boxes so they stay pest-free, and the remaining belongings are awaiting heat treatment. So I am basically completely packed up, except for a few clothes and necessities.
In the middle of all this, my UAB arrived. I heard last week that it had cleared customs and is ready for delivery, along with half of my HHE (but the boring half, not the fun half with my kitchen stuff, books, and decorations). I refuse to have it delivered until my apartment is sanitized, for obvious reasons. So while it should have only been two months without UAB, it'll be three+. Add to that the fact I'm going on vacation right after the apartment gets sanitized, so I really won't have my UAB until the end of the month.
What have I missed the most, and what am I glad is arriving in my UAB soon, though? That's easy! My bedding - down comforter, comfy pillows, high TC sheets and duvet cover. Hangers! (My housekeeper leaves me a note every time she comes that I need more hangers. But I have TONS coming and can't justify buying more right now.) I think my iPod sound system is in there; if not, I should have put that in! I think I threw in enough toiletries to get me through until HHE arrives; would do that again. A few essential kitchen gadgets. Really important photos in frames, ones I wanted right away. A few decorative items to make the place feel like home. I've resisted looking at my pack-out list to see what else, because I want it to be like Christmas when it finally gets here.
All of the things I've ordered since arrival are sitting in boxes in my office; I don't dare bring anything else home until the place is clean and pest-free. Those are things like throw pillows, a couple pairs of shoes, another comforter I bought on sale (I love comfy bedding), a knife set, a couple of board games, clothes, etc. Plus my gorgeous new mosaic mirror (featured on our Consulate Facebook page, if you want to take a look) and some hand-woven baskets.
I actually think I did a pretty good job of organizing my UAB. It weighed in at 214 pounds without the packing materials - for the first time in my life I estimated packing correctly! It's got some awesome stuff in it. So I look forward to receiving it. And not having roommates. One more week. I hope. I really really hope.
Honestly, I don't know. Because I don't yet have my UAB. For a myriad of reasons.
I arrived in country almost three months ago. It took a month to get my residency permit, which was the first step before I could apply for my customs exemption. Which I didn't do right away. Because. Shortly after moving into my permanent housing, I discovered that I was not moving into an empty place. Oh no. I won't go into the sordid details, but it became painfully clear (literally) that the media-darling pests of the moment in the US are resident in my apartment. Ew. It's a horrifically long story, but I am still waiting for a solution. It has not been the greatest two+ months. But next week my apartment and all of my belongings will be sanitized, all soft furniture (including mattresses) will be replaced, and hopefully my roommates will be history. Meanwhile all of my belongings that have been heat-treated are in bags inside boxes so they stay pest-free, and the remaining belongings are awaiting heat treatment. So I am basically completely packed up, except for a few clothes and necessities.
In the middle of all this, my UAB arrived. I heard last week that it had cleared customs and is ready for delivery, along with half of my HHE (but the boring half, not the fun half with my kitchen stuff, books, and decorations). I refuse to have it delivered until my apartment is sanitized, for obvious reasons. So while it should have only been two months without UAB, it'll be three+. Add to that the fact I'm going on vacation right after the apartment gets sanitized, so I really won't have my UAB until the end of the month.
What have I missed the most, and what am I glad is arriving in my UAB soon, though? That's easy! My bedding - down comforter, comfy pillows, high TC sheets and duvet cover. Hangers! (My housekeeper leaves me a note every time she comes that I need more hangers. But I have TONS coming and can't justify buying more right now.) I think my iPod sound system is in there; if not, I should have put that in! I think I threw in enough toiletries to get me through until HHE arrives; would do that again. A few essential kitchen gadgets. Really important photos in frames, ones I wanted right away. A few decorative items to make the place feel like home. I've resisted looking at my pack-out list to see what else, because I want it to be like Christmas when it finally gets here.
All of the things I've ordered since arrival are sitting in boxes in my office; I don't dare bring anything else home until the place is clean and pest-free. Those are things like throw pillows, a couple pairs of shoes, another comforter I bought on sale (I love comfy bedding), a knife set, a couple of board games, clothes, etc. Plus my gorgeous new mosaic mirror (featured on our Consulate Facebook page, if you want to take a look) and some hand-woven baskets.
I actually think I did a pretty good job of organizing my UAB. It weighed in at 214 pounds without the packing materials - for the first time in my life I estimated packing correctly! It's got some awesome stuff in it. So I look forward to receiving it. And not having roommates. One more week. I hope. I really really hope.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Think Pink!
In case you're living under a rock and didn't notice, October is breast cancer awareness month. Those of us who (usually) live in the U.S. know of some of the amazing campaigns to raise awareness and funds to fight this disease. In the past few years, pink has come to be so much more than a color. I didn't expect that to be the case as much in Saudi Arabia. Boy did I underestimate the women here!
(This month, a member of the Foreign Service family was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's a prominent blogger and active member of the community, and, while I don't personally know her, my heart goes out to her and her family. Another reminder that nobody is immune.)
Several weeks ago I started to get wind of a big event to be held in Jeddah in honor of breast cancer awareness month. The basic idea behind the event was to assemble enough women to form the world's largest human awareness ribbon. (Apparently, a group in Germany currently holds the record with more than 3,500 participants for an AIDS ribbon a few years ago.) The organizers originally set the bar low and said they were hoping for 2,000 participants (less than the record).
I started getting daily emails about the event, saw numerous news articles about it, picked up flyers in stores, and heard about it from dozens of people. So of course I decided to go. I organized a group of colleagues and friends to join me, and everywhere I've gone for the last few weeks people have said they'd be there too.
Between Facebook, word of mouth, and an extensive marketing campaign, the event was the talk of the town. Other organizations joined in too. Universities held lectures for the public on breast cancer information, hospitals sponsored free screenings and discounts on mammograms, and pink merchandise sprang up in stores. This being my first October in the Kingdom, I don't know if this is normal. But it's certainly impressive.
The event is for women only and to be held in the Ministry of Education's stadium. The sponsors, Avon Beauty Arabia and a local breast cancer awareness foundation, would distribute pink headscarves for the picture. Other than time, date, and place, that was all the information available. So none of us knew what to expect going into today...
This afternoon started with a community day at the American school, complete with a USG vs school faculty softball game, a budding tradition. The school won. Easily. But it was a fun afternoon with a great barbecue and lots of merriment. Three buses full of women left from there to go to the breast cancer event. I went with three colleagues, with the intention of meeting the rest there.
As soon as we got close to the stadium, the traffic was intense. Women of course can't drive, so every woman there had to be brought by a man, an interesting phenomenon on its own. We had been encouraged to wear pink (under the abaya for most, which could come off once inside), and all of us dutifully did so!
Now I have to give some credit to the organizers for their attempts at organization. They booked the stadium, got the word out, had enough headscarves, and made the VERY smart move of drawing a ribbon outline on the field. However, I'm convinced they underestimated the turnout. And since all the local police and security agencies are male, it was all volunteers with little crowd management experience. We immediately got into a frighteningly tight crowd, everyone clamoring to get inside. I figured out from muffled megaphone announcements that we had to register and get tickets at one table (despite having pre-registered), so I made my way in to do that for my group. After catching back up with them, the crowd started surging to the left again, this time to pick up the pink scarves. Again, knowing it was easier for one to maneuver than four, I tried to get to the table. I have honestly never been quite that crushed in a crowd. It started to get a little claustrophobic and frightening. I made it to the table, where the overwhelmed volunteers were working as hard as they could. I waited my turn (though I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who did), grabbed the swag, and made it back to my group. We were then able to enter the stadium area, where the crowd thinned out and dispersed. We found the rest of our colleagues and tried to figure out our next move.
The other major problem with the organization was the lack of communication. We followed the crowd into the stadium seating, where thousands were already gathered. When we sat down and regrouped, though, we realized there was no access to the field from there. The few people we asked had no idea what was going to happen or when. There were all kinds of rumors going around, and even the organizers seemed hazy on the details. We sat for about 40 minutes, posed for some pictures with a couple of media outlets, and marveled at the crowd. One of the rumors was that over 7,000 women had pre-registered, which meant the turnout could be even higher. I believe it, looking at that crowd.
We finally figured out that there in fact was no field access, so we made our way to the other side where a very small sign indicated 'ribbon entrance.' The volunteers at the gate told us it would be another hour until things got started. So we took a seat on the nearby curb and camped out. As we sat there and waited and marveled, the crowds kept getting bigger and bigger. After another 30 minutes the volunteers were called to the field. I think the VIPs (including a couple royals) must have entered too, but it was hard to tell since there was no communication and seemingly mass chaos. We finally went over and asked again and were told that everyone would be entering the field in clumps of 50, so that the Guinness Records people could count and record the participants. 7,000+ women, 50 at a time, every group taking 10+ minutes. You do the math. We'd already been there 2+ hours, and it would be hours before we even got inside. The place was a sea of pink and black. Even though it was just women, most people kept their abayas on. I have no idea how they did it. I didn't even bring mine with me (I seldom wear it these days, anyway). But almost everyone put their new pink scarves on. Most over their black scarves and abayas.
Sitting there and watching the crowd, my colleagues mostly came to the same conclusion: it was time to leave. I originally decided to stay, with another woman, to participate in the actual ribbon. But as we waited for the car and I started processing the sheer number of people (7,000+) vs the number of exits (1) vs the number of security personnel (0), I changed my mind. I felt guilty about leaving, so I asked my colleague, a security officer, to tell me that it was a security risk to stay. Which it was. So she did, laughing at me all the while. The chances of stampede, a crush injury, and/or a major traffic accident as everyone left at the same time was pretty high. So I left with the group. A few people stayed. They texted me two hours later to say they'd made it onto the field. Not to say the ribbon was assembled, just that they'd made it in. I made a good decision.
Leaving early was difficult enough. We snuck out an emergency exit so as not to battle the crowd again. The guys manning the door from the other side weren't too pleased, but we pushed through anyway. I do have to give them kudos for having an ambulance and emergency medical personnel there. And health professionals had handed out flyers on staying hydrated, crowd control, and maintaining a healthy temperature in the heat. Amazingly, the heat wasn't a factor in our leaving. The weather is indeed cooling slightly, and tonight, with a mild breeze, it was bearable. (The internet tells me it's only 81 with 79% humidity right now, so four hours ago it must have only been a cool 90 degrees or so!) Outside, hundreds of cars and men milled around (the drivers and husbands of all the women inside). Quite an interesting contradiction to what we'd just left.
I'm sad I didn't officially take part in forming the world's largest human awareness ribbon. I have little doubt they accomplished the task tonight. But for safety reasons, it just didn't make sense to stay. And as I walked up to my apartment, I ran into my neighbor, who told me she'd just come from the event as well. I think a whole lot of people left on seeing the reality. But I'm glad I went. I wish the organizers had planned for the huge crowd, and I hope nobody got hurt tonight. But it is such a great idea and a great cause, and the fact that women here are seemingly informed and proactive about breast cancer is awesome. Lots of kudos to the sponsors and organizers. There are some lessons to learn, but that doesn't take away from the effort and vision to put on such a massive interactive awareness campaign. Way to go Jeddah!
(Here are a few photos from the very beginning. As it got dark it was harder to take photos. Please note that the stadium shots are from very early on in the night and are a mere fraction of the crowd.)
(This month, a member of the Foreign Service family was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's a prominent blogger and active member of the community, and, while I don't personally know her, my heart goes out to her and her family. Another reminder that nobody is immune.)
Several weeks ago I started to get wind of a big event to be held in Jeddah in honor of breast cancer awareness month. The basic idea behind the event was to assemble enough women to form the world's largest human awareness ribbon. (Apparently, a group in Germany currently holds the record with more than 3,500 participants for an AIDS ribbon a few years ago.) The organizers originally set the bar low and said they were hoping for 2,000 participants (less than the record).
I started getting daily emails about the event, saw numerous news articles about it, picked up flyers in stores, and heard about it from dozens of people. So of course I decided to go. I organized a group of colleagues and friends to join me, and everywhere I've gone for the last few weeks people have said they'd be there too.
Between Facebook, word of mouth, and an extensive marketing campaign, the event was the talk of the town. Other organizations joined in too. Universities held lectures for the public on breast cancer information, hospitals sponsored free screenings and discounts on mammograms, and pink merchandise sprang up in stores. This being my first October in the Kingdom, I don't know if this is normal. But it's certainly impressive.
The event is for women only and to be held in the Ministry of Education's stadium. The sponsors, Avon Beauty Arabia and a local breast cancer awareness foundation, would distribute pink headscarves for the picture. Other than time, date, and place, that was all the information available. So none of us knew what to expect going into today...
This afternoon started with a community day at the American school, complete with a USG vs school faculty softball game, a budding tradition. The school won. Easily. But it was a fun afternoon with a great barbecue and lots of merriment. Three buses full of women left from there to go to the breast cancer event. I went with three colleagues, with the intention of meeting the rest there.
As soon as we got close to the stadium, the traffic was intense. Women of course can't drive, so every woman there had to be brought by a man, an interesting phenomenon on its own. We had been encouraged to wear pink (under the abaya for most, which could come off once inside), and all of us dutifully did so!
Now I have to give some credit to the organizers for their attempts at organization. They booked the stadium, got the word out, had enough headscarves, and made the VERY smart move of drawing a ribbon outline on the field. However, I'm convinced they underestimated the turnout. And since all the local police and security agencies are male, it was all volunteers with little crowd management experience. We immediately got into a frighteningly tight crowd, everyone clamoring to get inside. I figured out from muffled megaphone announcements that we had to register and get tickets at one table (despite having pre-registered), so I made my way in to do that for my group. After catching back up with them, the crowd started surging to the left again, this time to pick up the pink scarves. Again, knowing it was easier for one to maneuver than four, I tried to get to the table. I have honestly never been quite that crushed in a crowd. It started to get a little claustrophobic and frightening. I made it to the table, where the overwhelmed volunteers were working as hard as they could. I waited my turn (though I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who did), grabbed the swag, and made it back to my group. We were then able to enter the stadium area, where the crowd thinned out and dispersed. We found the rest of our colleagues and tried to figure out our next move.
The other major problem with the organization was the lack of communication. We followed the crowd into the stadium seating, where thousands were already gathered. When we sat down and regrouped, though, we realized there was no access to the field from there. The few people we asked had no idea what was going to happen or when. There were all kinds of rumors going around, and even the organizers seemed hazy on the details. We sat for about 40 minutes, posed for some pictures with a couple of media outlets, and marveled at the crowd. One of the rumors was that over 7,000 women had pre-registered, which meant the turnout could be even higher. I believe it, looking at that crowd.
We finally figured out that there in fact was no field access, so we made our way to the other side where a very small sign indicated 'ribbon entrance.' The volunteers at the gate told us it would be another hour until things got started. So we took a seat on the nearby curb and camped out. As we sat there and waited and marveled, the crowds kept getting bigger and bigger. After another 30 minutes the volunteers were called to the field. I think the VIPs (including a couple royals) must have entered too, but it was hard to tell since there was no communication and seemingly mass chaos. We finally went over and asked again and were told that everyone would be entering the field in clumps of 50, so that the Guinness Records people could count and record the participants. 7,000+ women, 50 at a time, every group taking 10+ minutes. You do the math. We'd already been there 2+ hours, and it would be hours before we even got inside. The place was a sea of pink and black. Even though it was just women, most people kept their abayas on. I have no idea how they did it. I didn't even bring mine with me (I seldom wear it these days, anyway). But almost everyone put their new pink scarves on. Most over their black scarves and abayas.
Sitting there and watching the crowd, my colleagues mostly came to the same conclusion: it was time to leave. I originally decided to stay, with another woman, to participate in the actual ribbon. But as we waited for the car and I started processing the sheer number of people (7,000+) vs the number of exits (1) vs the number of security personnel (0), I changed my mind. I felt guilty about leaving, so I asked my colleague, a security officer, to tell me that it was a security risk to stay. Which it was. So she did, laughing at me all the while. The chances of stampede, a crush injury, and/or a major traffic accident as everyone left at the same time was pretty high. So I left with the group. A few people stayed. They texted me two hours later to say they'd made it onto the field. Not to say the ribbon was assembled, just that they'd made it in. I made a good decision.
Leaving early was difficult enough. We snuck out an emergency exit so as not to battle the crowd again. The guys manning the door from the other side weren't too pleased, but we pushed through anyway. I do have to give them kudos for having an ambulance and emergency medical personnel there. And health professionals had handed out flyers on staying hydrated, crowd control, and maintaining a healthy temperature in the heat. Amazingly, the heat wasn't a factor in our leaving. The weather is indeed cooling slightly, and tonight, with a mild breeze, it was bearable. (The internet tells me it's only 81 with 79% humidity right now, so four hours ago it must have only been a cool 90 degrees or so!) Outside, hundreds of cars and men milled around (the drivers and husbands of all the women inside). Quite an interesting contradiction to what we'd just left.
I'm sad I didn't officially take part in forming the world's largest human awareness ribbon. I have little doubt they accomplished the task tonight. But for safety reasons, it just didn't make sense to stay. And as I walked up to my apartment, I ran into my neighbor, who told me she'd just come from the event as well. I think a whole lot of people left on seeing the reality. But I'm glad I went. I wish the organizers had planned for the huge crowd, and I hope nobody got hurt tonight. But it is such a great idea and a great cause, and the fact that women here are seemingly informed and proactive about breast cancer is awesome. Lots of kudos to the sponsors and organizers. There are some lessons to learn, but that doesn't take away from the effort and vision to put on such a massive interactive awareness campaign. Way to go Jeddah!
(Here are a few photos from the very beginning. As it got dark it was harder to take photos. Please note that the stadium shots are from very early on in the night and are a mere fraction of the crowd.)
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Busy Busy!
It seems I've been remiss about posting blog updates lately. Part of my absence can be explained by not having home internet for a week (a very long week!), but most of it is due to a very busy few weeks at work. When I first arrived, during Ramadan, things were much calmer. Now we're firmly in the swing of a normal schedule, which I love because it keeps me busy. However, it also means I spend most of my precious free time sleeping.
There are some exciting events on the horizon, including a trip home to NH, which I'll post about once they're complete. A highlight of the last couple of weeks was a day trip to Taif, a city tucked in the mountains about two hours drive from Jeddah.
Taif has long been a popular vacation destination for Saudis, including the royal family, in large part because its weather is so much better than most of the rest of the country. As soon as you ascend Al Wada mountain, the humidity eases and the temperature drops considerably. Taif is known in particular for its agriculture and tourism industries. It grows roses that are pressed into essential oils and coveted across the world. I hope to return in the spring for the Rose Festival.
Taif was a nice break from Jeddah (particularly the cooler weather!), but it was really the drive there that I want to comment on. On the way out of Jeddah, you drive along the Mecca Road. After about 30 minutes you start to see signs dividing the highway into two sections - one for Muslims Only and one for Non-Muslims. We turned off right before the checkpoint into Mecca. The authorities check the IDs of all visitors to ensure that only Muslims enter the holy city of Mecca. I'd heard about these road signs for a long time, so it was exciting to finally see them. As soon as we were outside the city limits, the road narrow to two lanes. And almost instantaneously, it was a whole other world. We were in the desert, surrounded by sloping hills, scrub brush, and desert scenes. Jeddah is very flat and green, so the contrast was startling. My favorite part of the change in scenery was the appearance of camels! Hundreds of camels were grazing on either side of the road, with only cursory attempts to fence them off the road. (Camels are a very dangerous road hazard here; they have similar physical characteristics to moose in that they have long legs and bulky bodies that can fall in just the right way to crush a car.) We were speeding through without any chance to take pictures, so next time!
About 60km before getting to Taif, we started ascending Al Hada mountain. A new road was constructed just a few years ago to allow cars to drive up the 6000+ foot mountain on a winding 35km road. It's in very good condition and has decent barriers. The drive is long, winding, and a bit nervewracking, but the view was spectacular! We didn't see any of the mountain's resident baboons on the way up, though they were out in force when we drove down again. (Again, no pictures.) Taif city is a very pleasant place, with more of a small town feel than Jeddah, even though more than .5 million people live there. It's relatively lush with agricultural projects. I will definitely return!
(At the top of the mountain is the hotel from which the Kuwaiti government operated during the Gulf War. We stopped for a rest break - quite a historic site!)
On the cat front, the kittens have discovered the joys of shredding paper. I now have to keep napkins, paper towels, and bathroom tissue out of sight or risk coming home to find a mess. (And wouldn't you know, just as I wrote that, I heard a thump. I went into the bathroom to find both cats in the bathtub, ready to attack the toilet paper I'd hidden under a towel. *Sigh*) For beings that dislike water, they spend an awful lot of time in the bathtub...
Anyway, I still owe a posting on Cairo, and I want to write about education in Saudi, a sector I've been dealing with considerably lately. Some very interesting observations. Hopefully this week I'll be able to write at least one of those, although it is shaping up to be another very busy week... (That's okay, I have a trip to NH, and a side trip to TX to see Lyle Lovett, coming up very soon!)
Happy Weekend! (Or almost weekend for those of you not working in the Muslim world.)
There are some exciting events on the horizon, including a trip home to NH, which I'll post about once they're complete. A highlight of the last couple of weeks was a day trip to Taif, a city tucked in the mountains about two hours drive from Jeddah.
Taif has long been a popular vacation destination for Saudis, including the royal family, in large part because its weather is so much better than most of the rest of the country. As soon as you ascend Al Wada mountain, the humidity eases and the temperature drops considerably. Taif is known in particular for its agriculture and tourism industries. It grows roses that are pressed into essential oils and coveted across the world. I hope to return in the spring for the Rose Festival.
Taif was a nice break from Jeddah (particularly the cooler weather!), but it was really the drive there that I want to comment on. On the way out of Jeddah, you drive along the Mecca Road. After about 30 minutes you start to see signs dividing the highway into two sections - one for Muslims Only and one for Non-Muslims. We turned off right before the checkpoint into Mecca. The authorities check the IDs of all visitors to ensure that only Muslims enter the holy city of Mecca. I'd heard about these road signs for a long time, so it was exciting to finally see them. As soon as we were outside the city limits, the road narrow to two lanes. And almost instantaneously, it was a whole other world. We were in the desert, surrounded by sloping hills, scrub brush, and desert scenes. Jeddah is very flat and green, so the contrast was startling. My favorite part of the change in scenery was the appearance of camels! Hundreds of camels were grazing on either side of the road, with only cursory attempts to fence them off the road. (Camels are a very dangerous road hazard here; they have similar physical characteristics to moose in that they have long legs and bulky bodies that can fall in just the right way to crush a car.) We were speeding through without any chance to take pictures, so next time!
About 60km before getting to Taif, we started ascending Al Hada mountain. A new road was constructed just a few years ago to allow cars to drive up the 6000+ foot mountain on a winding 35km road. It's in very good condition and has decent barriers. The drive is long, winding, and a bit nervewracking, but the view was spectacular! We didn't see any of the mountain's resident baboons on the way up, though they were out in force when we drove down again. (Again, no pictures.) Taif city is a very pleasant place, with more of a small town feel than Jeddah, even though more than .5 million people live there. It's relatively lush with agricultural projects. I will definitely return!
(At the top of the mountain is the hotel from which the Kuwaiti government operated during the Gulf War. We stopped for a rest break - quite a historic site!)
On the cat front, the kittens have discovered the joys of shredding paper. I now have to keep napkins, paper towels, and bathroom tissue out of sight or risk coming home to find a mess. (And wouldn't you know, just as I wrote that, I heard a thump. I went into the bathroom to find both cats in the bathtub, ready to attack the toilet paper I'd hidden under a towel. *Sigh*) For beings that dislike water, they spend an awful lot of time in the bathtub...
Anyway, I still owe a posting on Cairo, and I want to write about education in Saudi, a sector I've been dealing with considerably lately. Some very interesting observations. Hopefully this week I'll be able to write at least one of those, although it is shaping up to be another very busy week... (That's okay, I have a trip to NH, and a side trip to TX to see Lyle Lovett, coming up very soon!)
Happy Weekend! (Or almost weekend for those of you not working in the Muslim world.)
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