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!)

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!

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!

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!

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.