Eid Mubarak in Jeddah Saudi Arabia

Today I am counting my blessings. These past 12 days I have had opportunites to rest, play and explore Jeddah. One of my revelations has been to discover what stores and facilities are within walking distance. Upon reflection, I have discovered I like to walk to where I am going because it gives me a sense of independence. Usually I have to call the taxi or bus and I like the fact I don't have to depend on 'the man' when I walk. The downside of walking is I have to pick the times I walk. Mid-day is still over 30 degrees and bundled in a black abaya creates heatstroke! Regardless, my days off as Muslims from all over the world celebrated Eid Mubarak was entertaining, informative and overall, lovely.

Mock Hajj at the KG building.

Buildings in Old Jeddah

Arch where all people arriving in Jeddah use to have to pass through.

Teachers on a public beach.

Teachers on a private beach. (Notice any differences?? LOL)

Jeddah has a special airport for people arriving for Hajj. This is the 'tent' airport where the visitors arrive prior to their trip to Mecca.

Natural sunroof for a car in Jeddah. It never rains so rusted through - no problem. After I took the photo, the guard yelled at me. A big smile, friendly wave and "I'm sorry," fixes all.

birthday party fun

Meera on the left my new sister and  'walking buddy'.

Happy Birthday Kay!

boat trip # 2. Give me water, a boat and sunshine and I'm smiling from ear to ear.

Resort in the marina - a beautifully manicured hedge.

Jeddah skyline on our return from diving and snorkeling. It is always hazy in Jeddah. Not sure if it is sand, smog or both??

breakers in the middle of the Sea because of the reef

Thanksgiving Lunch

The photos above represent some of my adventures. I was fortunate to participate in a bus tour, shopping at the Red Sea Mall, spending a day at a private beach called Silver Sands, visiting the Phillipino Souk, celebrating birthdays with a brother and sister, snorkeling in the Red Sea, enjoying a Thanksgiving lunch complete with stuffing and pumpkin pie, a pamper day which included a haircut, fingernails and toenails done, walking on new trails with a friend I met, and attending a church service at the British Consulate. Of course I found time for reading my novel, swimming in the pool and sleeping in. Indeed as I look back, many blessings!

Begin With the End in Mind Sprinkled With Perseverance

Begin with the End in Mind Sprinkled with Perseverance 

Again, another character building day in Jeddah! I just wanted to pay the required fee to obtain Glenn’s visa . . . . . . The documents are all in order, I just want to pay.

Ø 9:00 - leave school go to the 1^st bank, it doesn’t open until 9:30

Ø 2^nd bank – sorry we have only been open for two days and don’t accept cash (What???? J)

Ø 3^rd bank – banker man tries to help three times, sorry it’s not working

Ø 4^th bank – we no longer carry visa payment service

Ø 5^th bank – tried to give me a Visa Charge card. Then when I was able to explain what I wanted I was told, “Sorry you have to have an account here.”

      “I’ll open an account.”

“Do you have a post office box number?”

“No.”

Ø 6^th bank – was actually the 3^rd bank on a re-run. I waited; they served me coffee and water, I waited, waited and then left because their system wasn’t working.

Ø 7^th bank – Omar my driver went to his bank and was going to get the visa for me. Not working at his bank either.

Ø Foreign Affairs office – sorry we can’t accept your money, this is a banking issue.

Ø Before I went to the 8^th bank, I called and was assured the system was now working.

Ø Drive to the bank – opps, not working yet. I find out the whole system has been down for three days now.

Ø 9^th bank – I walk a couple of km. off the compound (good exercise and blows off built up steam)

Ø 5:00 PM - Hallas (Enough/Finished in Arabic) I remembered to push the right buttons and I now have the paper to take back to the Foreign Affairs office tomorrow! Yahoooooooo!

If it takes this much effort to get into the country, how much does it take when we leave? Humm, I’ll think on that another time.

Week Ends on an Affirmation and a Prayer

My weekends, much like yours are precious. Each work week is intense and extremely demanding. Aside from leading the educational components and dealing with personnel requests, this past week I had seven scheduled parent meetings, one true medical emergency complete with a 911 call, 7 paramedics, and two ambulances. Wednesday as we finishing off our week, we celebrated our first theme day called “Red Day”. At our morning assembly looking at all the little darlings dressed in red, one teacher commented, “Look at the sea of red.  Oh I guess we could call it the Red Sea!” They were very cute in their party dresses, red shoes, handbags, headgear, t-shirts and even red trousers. Wednesday was the precursor to my weekend.

Wednesday morning I went with the driver to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to get Glenn’s visa papers. I was very excited to be getting this important and necessary document as we are working within a time frame.  Hajj (an important Muslim holiday) occurs November 11^th and all government offices will close for the week. We need the visa before Hajj.

The office was an interesting old one story building. I noticed in each department ancient one piece solid marble counters spanning the across the room. The counter was like a Lego design where some parts were elevated over others. Those marble countertops do not move! The atmosphere was sombre, it was not well lit, and there were old chairs everywhere. With all those mismatched chairs, I thought I was in for a very long day.  I was directed to go to the “Women’s section” without my interpreter. Instantly my first affirmation and prayer started. “I can do this, I can do this.”

After one worker looked into the room and saw three women, he told us to sit down, left the room and closed the door behind him. “I will wait, I can do this.” Another man returned about 10 minutes later and it is not uncommon here that people jump the order of service. The last woman in, was the first woman served as she reached the counter first.

When it was my turn, the man looked at my documents and said, “Sister, you must get these degrees translated in Arabic, get the application stamped and go to the bank and pay SR2000.” Hence my Thursday adventure was set.

Thankfully, the translation office was open on Thursday. I called at 8:30 and they said yes they would be waiting for me. The translator would be available at 10:00. Great I thought, as doing anything here takes a long time. If I leave at 9:00 I might get there by 10:00.

Part way to the translator’s office my driver and vehicle changed. Whisked off one bus, into another I repeat, “No problem, keep smiling because today I will get the documents I need.”

We arrive at Nader Office at 11:00. We are told to wait for a little while – people always tell me “Wait about 10 minutes.” One hour later we are invited into the elaborately decorated office. Sitting in a tan high backed leather chair, I quickly realize something is not quite right. The elderly man behind the desk speaks very little English, and I now know I am not speaking to the same man I talked with at 8:30. A few more phone calls and I realize we are at a law office not a translator’s office! We have been offered tea and coffee so it is far too rude to jet out of there. We sit and enjoy our coffee, make small talk and then politely excuse ourselves.

Unfortunately the man who set up my Thursday appointment, gave me the phone number for AGS’ translator, and the address for their lawyer’s office.  Just another example of the language barrier and how twisted things can become because each person believes they understand what the other person is saying.

Repeating another affirmation, “There is still time, there is still time,” helps me as we make our way on the busy streets to the next office. Of course the translator is not there but we are invited to come in and sit. We are told he should be arriving in about, yes,  10 minutes.

When Mohammed arrives he asks what took me so long to get to his office. I sheepishly tell him we were at the Nader lawyer’s office instead of his office. Being the gracious man that he is, he tells me no problem. When I am informed that my documents should be ready on Saturday, another mantra begins. “I am not leaving this office today without my translated documents; I am not leaving this office today without my translated documents.”

‘The Madame’ who translate the documents is in yet another office and presently unavailable. Mohammed continuously tries to reach her to tell her these documents are most urgent. Finally at 1:30 he is able to reach her and she speaks to me via Skype. She is most apologetic and says she will do my documents immediately. Halleluiah!!!

While we have really done nothing all day, we are exhausted and hungry. As we waited for ‘The Madame’ to translate and email the documents back to Mohammed, we step out for a bite to eat. Bravely I order chicken and rice from a sidewalk cafe. The man cooking and serving the chicken assured me he was not related to “Osama Bin Laden”. You can see by his dress he is from Pakistan. This is a common communication to Expats in Jeddah. It is said with a smile on their face; however, I think they clearly want to be known as an Pakistani.

Arriving back at the office at 3:00, the documents were ready. Although Mohammed refused me offering to buy him lunch, I left a tip for him. He had worked one hour past his regular shift to accommodate my request for my four documents. He kept telling me in his heart he felt like I was a good person and wanted to help me. He was so sweet and genuine with his Indian accent and ways.

As I struggle with the slow pace of business in Saudi Arabia, I remember back to when I was studying my Masters degree. My favourite Canadian affirmation then was, “I have just the right amount of time to get everything done.” I must incorporate that affirmation again here in SA. Adding a prayer, I expect Glenn will be here at the end of November.

Boat Trip

Moving from insanity to paradise because of one conversation is what happened for me today. One of the ladies I work with knows the divers called ‘The Tiger Team’. This team teaches people how to dive, or if you are an amateur like me, you can snorkel. My past experiences with snorkeling have been beyond dismal, but I desperately wanted the boat ride. On the eve of my Thanksgiving weekend, I give thanks as I got far more than a boat ride!

Thursday morning I was up at 6:00 and on the bus at 6:40. We drove to north Jeddah which took about 40 minutes. I geared up at the Desert Sea Divers shop and then walked through a private resort to the water’s edge. On board the boat I enjoyed coffee, fruits, a slice of breakfast cake and plenty of cold water. Breakfast was served; what a great beginning!

We travelled out into International waters for about 40 minutes. Our first stop was at a reef called Chicken Wreck. It is a favourite site and gains its name because a misfortunate skipper, whose cargo was frozen chicken, ran his ship into the reef. Unfortunately he not only lost his load but his ship as well. This shipwreck is about 15 meters under the water. I found it a bit eerie seeing a sunken ship. I wondered if there were fatalities and I didn’t like that thought.

Cruising with my ‘snorkeling buddy’ Camille, I tentatively ventured away from our boat. She stopped me and told me not to touch anything! No worries. My hand was not going anywhere close to caves or crevices. What I quickly found out was that I could breathe air rather than water, my mask was tight enough that it didn’t leak, and the anti-fog drops allowed me to see clearly.

Oh my goodness! The glory and species of fish I saw, abundance of coral, aqua blue water, patches of bleached white sand and the buoyancy of the Red Sea made me instantly love snorkeling! Here are some schemas I made up as I snorkeled. I witnessed coral of all sizes and shapes. I viewed piles of brown potatoes, coral lettuce, gigantic brains, cream coloured mushrooms, bunches of lavender, purple lips (giant clams with purple insides), white bony fingers and a serving platter balanced on a pole.

The fishes were equally amazing.  I saw my first barracuda and puffer fish. My favourite fish of the day I named ‘Uptown Lady’. Uptown Lady was grey with iridescent purple when she skirted by. It was like she was wearing a chiffon shawl which shimmered when she moved.  Her most amazing feature was her bright red lips! Other fish were striped, ½ and ½ black and white, intricate designs, perfectly symmetrical, lime green, pink, sunshine yellow, rainbow, and the list goes on.

I can’t remember the name of the second reef we stopped at.  Following that snorkel we enjoyed a delicious traditional meal of rice with spicy chicken and salad. Our third stop was the Garden Coral Reef. Oh my – it was like Victoria’s manicured Butchart Gardens; no gardener required.

After that snorkel we stayed anchored and enjoyed the sunshine and some traditional juice which we can purchase in Canada. We had more snacks, I enjoyed one last dive and swim in the Red Sea and then we motored back to land.

Reflecting on my fabulous day, I realized I was wearing my down jacket and toque while viewing Margarie Glacier in Alaska in July. In October, I was snorkeling in the Red Sea. I have so much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving to all!

Dessange the Classy Salon

I went to get my hair cut yesterday so I my locks and the humidity would stop battling. I went with my Principal as she knew someone who knew how to cut hair. The bonus was it was an amazing experience (not to mention a great haircut).

We climbed the marbled circular staircase and upon reaching the top, were greeted by someone who took our abayas and hung them in the closet. Abaya off and crisp clean white smock on. The smock reminded me of a Doctor's white jacket. It had a little pocket on the upper left sleeve. I found out this pocket was to put my appointment paper in along with the invoice for the services I received.

After settling on an appointment time (sort of - Saudi time is not like Canadian time), I was ushered to a seat to have my hair washed. I sat down and the chair immediately started with a back massage. AHHHHH. The lady messed with my hair, complete with a scalp massage and finished with a tiny shoulder massage. AHHHHH.

I then was sent to sit in a very comfortable chair and was asked what kind of drink I would like, I ordered a cappuccino. Such a lovely presentation and yummy too. Now for the wait . . . . . My hairdresser was Valerie and I think she owns the business. She has about six or so chairs and runs (literally) from person to person. She worked on six other people before she came to me. Thankfully the chair was comfortable and fixed on the wall was a steel tube to rest my feet.

After my haircut I went into another room to get it styled. Each person that worked on my head got a little tip (including the lady who hung up the abayas). After a short stay of 2 hours and 20 minutes it is time to go outside and wait another 25 minutes for a taxi! Good job my meeting didn't start until 7:00.

Belly Laughs in Saudi

Thankfully, deep belly laughs are still available in Saudi Arabia. I had the pleasure of experiencing a tummy that hurt and happy tears yesterday.

These past nine days are somewhat similar to our school start up in Canada. Everyday is extremely full. If you are a teacher, consider that we are a brand new school which has been in operation since September 2008. Given you have just started your school year, you know the push required to get past the opening weeks. While some things are similar, understandably, we have some differences here. We have a multitude of supplies arriving every day which need to be placed. Daily, we conduct interviews for new hires, we have people assembling our furniture and toys, and, we are moving furniture to new classrooms because our population is exploding! On top of opening an elite new school, we as new teachers to Saudi must attend to personnel and personal issues.

Here is a typical day! No kidding! I was up at 5:30, caught the bus at 7:00, and returned home from a jam-packed day of adventures at 7:40. At school, we met with our HR man, Mr. Fahad and received our medical cards and coverage. I worked with the IT man, sat in on three meetings, went to the hospital twice (just blood work), stopped to get my photos taken, and finally shopped for groceries.

My belly laugh comes from my second trip to the hospital. First, let me explain that our group of new teachers went to two hospitals yesterday trying to get the necessary blood work done. Although we all had extensive medicals in Canada, additional tests are conducted in Saudi prior to receiving our igama. (Like a passport you carry at all times.) We were unable to get the work done yesterday because the hospitals said there were too many of us. After the second rejection, one of our teachers had a perfect attitude as we boarded the bus yet again. She smiled, pumped her fist and said, “Yahoo, another road trip!” This is often the case here. When one thing doesn’t seem to work, you try another and another, and another . . . . . . .

Our hospital adventures were smoother today. Mr. Fahad came with us on the bus and while Adiroos (our bus driver) drove us to the hospital, Mr. Fahad was our personal tour guide. Along with mentioning the sites, he was delighted to explain some of the Saudi life and culture to us. He also showed us some photos and recordings of a wedding he attended, his yacht, and his cute little son. We appreciated him being with us and our hospital visit went fairly smooth. Unfortunately, I didn’t have extra photographs for my paper work so I needed to bring additional photos on a return trip.

Following the first hospital trip we went back to the primary building and dropped off some teachers. I was then driven over to the KG (Kindergarten) building. Thankfully I had an hour to do some work; rearranging furniture to get ready for opening day, bring a fridge into our administration area, request the desks and chairs they were moving in be reloaded into the truck and delivered to the other school, meet with potential parents of children who want to attend and possibly a few other jobs! J

At 3:25 we are picked up from our school and driven to the other school to pick up the other teachers. We dropped off teachers and staff along the way as we make our way back to Saudi City Compound. Once there, we dropped off those teachers who were not going to the hospital with us.

While at the hospital, Adiroos and I are sitting and waiting for the other teachers. Along comes a cleaning woman with a caged rat. The funny part was she looked like she had a pet! This rat was in this funky little blue cage and she carried it like a child would carry a loving pet gerbil. She proceeded to the bathroom which happened to be right where we were sitting. She popped the caged rat into the garbage can and we naturally we started asking questions. With the sweetest smile she said, “I have to kill it, but I don’t want to.” Out comes the hose and she fills the can up with water. When we finally get our jaws off the floor, we start laughing and joking with her. She asked me if we have rats in Australia. I told her we have rats in Canada, just not usually in the waiting room in the hospital. At that point we all were rolling on the floor because of the bizarre nature of the whole incident. Meanwhile, a doctor and X-ray technician come to watch the show too. Together we are laughing (not because the rat is being drowned) just at the craziness of the situation. Brings a whole new meaning to the saying ‘drowned rat’.

When we have finished in one building, we then move to another building in the hospital for further tests. Finally we are finished. On the way home we stop for groceries and return to our humble abodes just before 8:00. Yep, just another day at the office!!

Women!

Women are wonderful! Our kindered spirits allow us to communicate without effort, even without uttering a single word. This has been my heartfelt experience as I travelled to Jeddah. In the Toronto airport, I 'talked' with my first veiled Muslim woman. Standing in line to go through customs and security, we were waiting our turn to move through the 'tunnel' where you either beep or not. Standing in front of me in her black abaya with only her eyes peeking out, we expected she would be called through next. Instead, the customs security man wiggled his finger to the man that was standing third in line, directly behind me. In an instant while she turned to look to see who the security man was waving through, we locked eyes. Instinctively, we shrugged our shoulder togeher and rolled our eyes with as much as to say 'whatever'. As our eyebrows arched, I know behind that veil, she too smirked. In fairness, the man at the security check-in was not being sexist. He simply scanned the men; the lady security agent was busy searching another woman.

My next stop was Dubai. While waiting to go through customs, I met another ambitious and lovely lady. She was travelling to Canada, I was on my way to her home city, Jeddah. She and her husband and children are immigrating as skilled workers to Ottawa. She is an interpreter and a teacher. They have been preparing for their International move for four years. Naturally she wanted to hear about Canada, I wanted to hear about Jeddah. We exchanged information in the lineups, waiting for the shuttle and over dinner. Already I have a personal guide who will make invaluable suggestions where to visit in Jeddah and the surrounding areas.

Over the course of over 11,000 miles in the air, I met three other teachers whom I will be working with at AGS. Imagine that, a 747 and we managed to find one another prior to passing through custos in Dubai. Natalie, Allision and Josie-Ann are all wonderul enthusiastic ladies looking forward to an overseas teaching experience, each for their own reasons.

Arriving in Jeddah, our growing entourage met two other women while waiting (I stress the wored waiting) to go through customs. Zurnia, comes from South Africa and will be working in KAUST, teaching English as a second language to first year university students. Being a Muslim woman, Zurina wore her abaya and had her head covered, but was not veiled. As we    w  a  i  t  e  d  , we giggled and she 'welcomed us to S.A.' We hope to connect at a later date.

Lastly, after a whirlwind of activities which for me was far more intense than having a brand new baby at home, I had just finished a dash and shop. This means I supplied an apartment with goods in less than 90 minutes, all-the-while getting my purchases checked through the till prior to prayer time at 6:30. I bought everything from a vegetable peeler to pillows. Two shopping carts full of stuff literally stuffed everywhere! As I waited for my less fortunate colleagues who did not get through the checkout prior to prayer, I had a cup of mint tea. In that moment of rest, I realized I needed to purchase a lighter. No, I have not taken up smoking due to stress, I need a ligher to light the gas element each time I cook. As I was asking the waiter who made me my tea where I could purchase a lighter, a beautiful brown-eyed Muslim lady stretched out her hand to me offering me her lighter. I explained I wanted to purchase one. She said with tenderness in her eyes, "Yes, yes. Have this one; it is a gift from me to you." How could one gesture over a lighter move my heart so?

These are a few stories of the wonderful women I have encountered in my first week of travels. Women all over the world are a wonderful bunch! As I experience and enjoy my International journey, may my humble offerings build up and encourage little girls who one day will grow up to be marvellous women.