The Expat Wife Life: Faith Strengthened in the Desert

Photo Credit: World Top Top - Bahrain "Tree of Life"

Now this may sound strange, but living in a country where I am in the religious minority has strengthened my faith. When you are constantly faced with someone else's religion in a way that completely disrupts your daily life (aka Prayer Time), it makes you really take a hard look at what you believe and why.

Moving to a Muslim country with Muslim law is not easy. There are many things I can tell you about that would just flabbergast anyone who has not experienced this type of culture before (and I've described some of that in my other posts). But the one thing it has done that I was not expecting, the one thing I actually least expected to happen, is a strengthening and growing in my own personal walk with God.

The Expat Wife Life: The Doctor Experience

And.... we're back! Sorry for the delay in getting this posted. I wanted to have some photos to go along with my descriptions, and it took me a little while to get it all together!

One of the scariest parts of moving abroad is that frightening question, "What if I (or my kids) need medical attention?" This one possible scenario spurs a plethora of questions - Where do I go? How will I be treated? Will they speak English? How does insurance work? How do I make an appointment? How long will I have to wait?

If you've been in Saudi any length of time you will also ask these questions - Can I go without my husband? Are they open during prayer time? Can my husband be in the room with me during a procedure?

Equipping yourself with some knowledge of the process can help calm your nerves and give you an idea of what to expect when you find yourself dealing with something that your OTC medicine kit at home just isn't good enough for.

The Expat Wife Life: The Saudi Blues

Living abroad is mostly about attitude. I've talked about this in many of my posts. I'm a generally happy person, so I don't have a terribly hard time looking on the bright side of the experiences here and finding a way to learn and grow from them.

Today was not one of those days.

The Expat Wife Life: The Moving Monster

So your husband accepted a job in Saudi. Woo hoo! If you're like me, your excitement quickly gives way to endless questions, worries and to-do lists that seem to be longer than there are hours in the day. Now if you are with the same company as my husband and I, they have a great team of relocation folks that help you through the big steps. For most of us, the biggest stresser is the packing process. From the first survey to the last taped up box, its a roller coaster of emotions. And you get to do it all over again when you move back to the US! Okay, okay, let's not get ahead of ourselves.

Many women have the same questions, and these questions usually prompt them to finally surface from the sea of craziness and reach out to us more "experienced" wives for opinions and tips. Well, I'm going to attempt to consolidate that advice into one post. Not all the advice is my own - this will be a collective post with information, tips, and suggestions that I have seen shared over Facebook and in group conversations. Are you ready? Here we go!

The Expat Wife Life: What do you DO?

One of the first questions I'm usually asked by new expat wives in Saudi is, "So what do you do here?" It's a simple question, with an interesting answer.

The Vacation Dilemma

Vacation is such a great time to get away from the giant sandbox we live in. Unfortunately, it's a long way from the Magic Kingdom back to the US - usually anywhere from 24-36 hours total travel time. Add on top of that the 8-9 hour time difference and subsequent week of jet lag, and any trip less than three weeks doesn't make much sense.

Luke, my little Water Boy!

Since coming back to Saudi in early June, our days have been filled with beach and pool days until about a week ago when the crazy heat finally set in. Now our pool days are limited to the evening when the temperatures dip into the lower triple digits.

Good-Bye Denial

It's that time of year. For expats all over the world, this is the season of goodbyes. A time when the first question that passes between people in a group is, "Are y'all leaving?" (Well, that's the southern version anyway!) And if they say yes, the next questions in rapid succession require the leaver to describe where and when they will be departing, including any stipulations or interesting arrangements they'll have to endure during the process - like their husband staying abroad for months afterward until he finds a job back home, living with in-laws until a suitable house can be found or the purchase of an RV with the intention of traveling the country on a yearlong family sabbatical. (And yes, I know folks in each of those situations!)

Byron Baby Shower

The first week in August, I spent some time in Byron/Rockford, Ill., to visit with my wonderful in-law family and attend my good friend Izzy's wedding. Little did I know until a few weeks before that we would get to celebrate this little boy as well!

A HUGE thank-you to my mother-in-law Marilyn, best friend Amanda, and sister-in-law Courtney for all their time and hard work to plan and arrange a baby shower for our little man. It was a wonderful afternoon with the sweetest women of Byron and Valley Covenant Church.

Dan and I have always said that we are blessed to have the support back here in the US to do what we do overseas. That was never more evident than when I was surrounded by the love and happiness of this group of women. There is something so special about being among other women and mothers during this time of change and uncertainty. The support and love that is shared through stories and advice is what will keep me and Dan going as we start this new chapter of our lives.

Thank you to everyone that attended and provided a gift for Luke. We will think of each and every one of your when we use them.

Expecting Baby Feimster

Wow - where has the time gone? I'm 17 weeks along today and just sitting down to write my "announcement" post - about 7 weeks after we announced!

Athens: Not What We Expected

In April 2012 Dan and I traveled to Athens, Greece, for a week and then onto the island of Santorini for a few days. I attended the Near East South Asia (NESA) Council of Overseas Schools spring educators conference for four of the days we were in Athens.

Abayas in Saudi: Modesty vs. Control

This is a difficult topic for me to write about. An "abaya" is the long, black "choir robe" that women are required by Muslim law to wear in public here in Saudi. I've reserved judgment and public comment about this for over a year now, but I had a revelation the other day that I just had to share. It's been nagging at me ever since, and if I don't share this observation, I feel that it will make me very bitter over time.

A Very Saudi Evening

On Dec 1, 2011, Dan and I were invited to his boss's house for a visit. We attended with our friends Chad and Susanne and their two children. While this invitation sounds innocent and commonplace enough, I assure you, it was quite a cultural experience!

California: A Wedding and Some Wine

This whirlwind of a trip began with our arrival at LAX in September 2011. Los Angeles was not at all what we expected, but I think part of that was probably because we headed south and didn’t get into the actually "Hollywood" area of town.

Italia - Cure for the Saudi Blues

Italy. The land that stole my heart in 10 short days. My August 2011 trip with bestie Amanda and her mom Cindy is something we will never forget. I feel so blessed that we we're able to take this trip together - not something kids like us are usually capable of doing at this time in our lives.

Al-Hofuf: the Largest Saudi Oasis

The dunes off the highway

This spring, the great people at ISG Jubail organized a day trip down to Al-Hofuf, the largest oasis in Saudi Arabia, and it's only about 3 hours away! We got up at 4 AM to make it to Hofuf for the camel market early in the morning. The drive to Al-Hofuf was very interesting. The landscape of our area of Saudi is relatively flat with shrubbery and gravel. As we drove further into the desert toward Al-Hofuf, the classic sand dunes slowly appeared, along with herds of grazing camels on the sides of the highway - just like cows in the states! The different colors of camels were amazing - they ranged from white (rare and expensive) to the golden brown we generally know, to dark ebony.  

Dog Daze of Summer - Saudi Style

There is no mistaking that we are spending the summer in Saudi Arabia. The heat, the sand, the HUMIDITY. You didn’t know that Saudi was humid? Were you expecting a “dry heat”? Me too! Nope – not here. On the bad days you walk outside and you can forget your sunglasses – they are instantly a wall of fog. That condensation also forms all over your body – so you are instantly dewy from your fingertips and toes to your scalp. On the good days, you just feel the 110+ heat and sigh out of relief that the humidity is down. Of course, the wind on either day feels like it’s blowing across a bonfire before hitting you. What a different feeling when you think 100-107 degrees F is cool! Now, I know that the weather part is hard to understand for a lot of our friends and family back home. Just remember – even though it feels this way, I have to wear a neck-to-toe black abaya over my clothes when I leave the compound. Suffice it to say, we just don’t go out much during the day right now!

Diving the Maldives – The Highlights

On the beach in the Maldives

Our recent SCUBA liveaboard trip to the Maldives with our friends Stephanie and Micah was certainly the best diving we’ve enjoyed yet! We booked on the Ocean Dancer Maldives for a week of tough, but very rewarding dives. I’ll follow up this post with one just about Ocean Dancer (it was incredible!) but this post is just going to focus on the diving.

Equations and Rulers and Students, Oh My!

At the beginning of January 2011, I began substitute teaching. Not any old kind of substituting – I became the long-term sub for a teacher (and friend) who just had her first baby boy (check out their blog when you can – McGuires of Arabia).

Once Upon A Time, in the Magic Kingdom…

…Lived a semi-newlywed couple trying to figure out married life in the most conservative part of THE Muslim Middle East country. Intrigued? Good, there’s more.