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.

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!)

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.

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!