Egypt Day 6: The Valley of the Kings

We woke up bright and early in Luxor for a long day of sightseeing. Our first stop was the Valley of the Kings. Cameras are not allowed after a certain point, I'm sorry to say. I wish I could show you the interior of the tombs because they were simply breathtaking. This is a view of the entrance of the Valley of the Kings from the parking lot.

I'm not going to bore you hear with all the details of the valley, its purpose, number of tombs, etc. You can read about the valley from National Geographic or read up on Wikipedia.

The tombs are cut into the cliffs and jig-jag all over each other, under and over. We visited three different tombs. I simply wasn't prepared for the breathtaking colors of the paint on the walls. Do an image search on google images and search for Valley of the Kings Tombs. So you have to understand that ruins in Egypt are thousands of years old and many things are in bad condition. So I expected the tombs to be in equally bad condition. The paintings and carvings aren't perfect. Things are missing but you almost don't notice in the stunning array of gorgeous, vivid colors and beautiful images.

My sons had been reading Rick Riordan's series The Kane Chronicles which explores Egyptian history through a very modern, fast-paced plot. Because of the books, they were able to really understand what they were seeing inside the tombs. My son was able to point out the different gods depicted on the walls and explain their functions and meaning. It was awesome.

We paid the extra money to go into Tutankhamen's tomb which was remarkably small. I knew it was small from reading about it, but actually seeing its small size really astounded me. I've seen the collection of items found in the tomb. Frankly, I can't believe they managed to stuff it all in. King Tutankhamen's body was displayed very respectfully and decently. He was wearing only the linen bandages and was covered with a sheet. I think it is nice they left his body in his tomb.

Going in those tombs was so amazing, a life-long dream. I just wish I had pictures to share! 

An Evening of Russian Musical Culture in the Desert

When I first moved to Riyadh a year ago, I didn’t really expect to attend any classical music concerts. I just didn’t picture Riyadh as the hot spot for traveling professional classical musicians. Fortunately, access to iTunes, complemented by my personal CD collection (outdated I know) has allowed me to get my classical music fix. I was pleasantly surprised to receive an invitation to a piano concert held at the home of the French Ambassador.  

The setting of the Ambassador’s home was perfect for an intimate performance of passionate Russian music. About two hundred expats and Saudis sat on chairs around a beautiful baby grand piano. Galina Besner presented a beautiful program highlighting Russian composers.

Galina Besner was born in Russia and has studied piano since she was six years old. She has worked with a number of orchestras in Russia, Pekin, and France. Galina taught music at an international school in Pekin, China. She is a skilled accompanist as well as a talented concert pianist in her own right. This was Ms. Besner’s first performance in Riyadh.

Ms. Besner compiled a program of music from the Russian masters Rachmaninov, Tychaikovski, Alexandre Scriabine, and Chostakovitch. Rather than playing long piano pieces from each composer, she played extracts from a variety of pieces, displaying a breadth of knowledge and repertoire. Ms. Besner remarked on the contrast of playing Russian music in Saudi Arabia. Russia and Saudi Arabia are two very different countries in culture, weather, music, and history. I felt Ms. Besner presented the best of her home country with passion and sensitivity to the culture of Saudi Arabia.

One of Ms. Besner’s more unusual choices was to highlight selected works from the composer Alexandre Scriabine. Alexandre Scriabine was almost a revolutionary in the way he looked at music and the tonal scale. He was extremely innovative as well as very controversial. Scriabine eventually developed a musical system which was dissonant and tones were associated with colors. Scriabine was influenced by mysticism and attempted to use his music to articulate that.

Ms. Besner played her music with sensitivity and excellent technique. She ended the evening with a selection of Chostakovitch pieces, highlighting the humor and irony of Mr. Chostakovich’s compositions. It was nicely rounded performance, showing the power of music to convey ideas, emotions, and experiences.

Following the performances, guests enjoyed appetizers, bite-size desserts, and drinks. It was particularly enjoyable to be outside in the evening under the moon.  It was a lovely evening filled with beautiful music in an intimate setting. 

Country Music in Riyadh

I must confess I'm a country girl at heart. Growing up in Wyoming without access to MTV pretty much guaranteed that my music tastes run along the lines of 80s power ballads and country music. I'm also a classically trained pianist and vocalist, meaning that I do love and actually understand classical music. Despite years of traveling and living abroad, other forms of music just don't really do it for me.

(Camels in the bed of a truck are a common sight in Riyadh.)

We don't generally listen to music in the car while driving in Riyadh. For one thing, it distracts my husband because he is hypersensitive to sounds while driving. Our radio gets poor reception and the few stations we pick up aren't really conducive to easy listening. Some of the wailing and undulating tones of Arabic music don't really appeal to my western musically trained ear. Occasionally, we get brief moments of an American military channel playing country music.

(My sisters and I at a George Strait concert. George Strait is the quintessential country/western artist.)

As I said, I like country music. However listening to country music while driving through Riyadh is a surreal experience. Popular country songs today sometimes feature an almost aggressively American arrogant attitude that is almost embarrassing to listen to while driving in one of the most conservative Muslim nations in the world.

Songs like Toby Keith's Angry American come to mind. And other songs unique to the genre celebrate small-town America. Listening to songs like "Small Town USA" by Justin Moore is really incongruous to my surroundings. I almost feel a little guilty listening to that kind of music because it almost directly at odds with my current environment. An environment of which I'm keenly sensitive to and understand.

Maybe I feel the incongruity in my life because sometimes I have a hard time reconciling all the pieces of my own life. I grew up in a small town, like the quintessential town Justin Moore sings about. I know people just like he describes. But I wanted a very different life and I've had it. I've lived in three different countries in a ten-year period of time. I call New York state home and visit NYC when I can. I have traveled to many different countries. Heck, I live in the Middle East. I also have a large family which is not something you expect to drag around the world.

(Bubba J pets Bill and Bob, a team of Percheron horses my dad owns. This was taken in Wyoming in January 2013.) 

Sometimes I think we want to put each other into boxes or categories and for things to fit neatly withing those parameters. But I've got ragged edges, overlapping circles, and all sorts of parts of me that don't fit neatly anywhere. I don't think I'm the only person who doesn't fit all the categories defining people. I've stopped trying to fit into something I'm not because I don't want to be limited to one piece of me. Who I am is pretty amazing and I'm not afraid of owning it.

(My sister and I soaking up the Christmas atmosphere in NYC in December 2011.)


What parts of you feel incongruous to other aspects of your life? Do you feel like you are being categorized narrowly?

Maintenance Perks

So let's say your dishwasher breaks down, leaking water all over underneath your sink. If you own your house, you are probably cursing as you try and figure out if you'll attempt fixing it yourself or if you will call a plumber to fix it for you. If you have a landlord, you call them and hope they'll get it sorted out before dinner, which usually doesn't happen.

If my dishwasher breaks down, I make a phone call to maintenance and by the end of the day, someone usually comes over to fix it. Simple and easy. If my light bulbs burn out, I call the maintenance guys to change the bulbs. That's right, I don't even change my own light bulbs.

Last week, my dryer broke. After a phone call, the maintenance crew came around, took a look at the dryer and brought me back a new one. It's a very nice luxury to have an on-call maintenance crew. Granted, maintenance isn't always perfect. My fellow compound residents do have some stories of things not getting fixed properly or having to sit in the house for days to get things working properly.

We have a crew that keeps the trees trimmed, the grass clipped, and things generally neat outdoors. Of course, all these perks are covered by the high yearly rent that is paid once a year in one enormous lump sum.

Regardless of the hiccups, maintenance still makes my life immeasurably easier. I'm really, really going to miss them when I move back to New York.

(Pictures courtesy of my 3-year old son. Please excuse the little fingers in the frame.)

An Afternoon at a Saudi Farm

I write a monthly article for the WSB newsletter. The Women's Skills Bureau is an organization designed to help women expats within Riyadh. It is a great organization and one that I am proud to be a part of as well as  to contribute to. Our sponsor is a Saudi prince who owns a farm on the outskirts of Riyadh. Recently, the WSB gathered all those who are associated with it for a day of fun at the farm of our sponsor. My family and I attended the event and had great time networking and socializing with other families.

It was really interesting to walk around the farm and see the farming methods. The site was originally occupied by Turkish forces to oversee Arab Bedouins. They had a quarry. The quarry is now a beautiful plot of land cultivating organic vegetables.

The International Festival

My kids attend a private international school which boasts a wide and diverse student body. Luckily our school embraces that diversity with many events throughout the year. One of our favorite events is the international festival where families from the school make booths highlighting special aspects of their country. It is quite literally a feast both for the eyes and stomachs.

We had loads of fun exploring the booths, eating the food, and learning about Germany, Iraq, Bosnia, Australia, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, etc.

 Lebanon has such delicious food. We love their fresh salads. It also has a very ancient culture.

 The young men here are performing a traditional dance from the Philippines. It was very energetic and fun.

 These beautiful ladies hail from Korea. They made some wonderful food and I tried kimchi for the first time.

 The German International School sent a troop of performers over to sing and give us a teaser of a circus they are preparing. The kids were amazing. They walked on these big balls, rode unicycles, and did tricks.

 The Saudis set up a gorgeous desert tent and served traditional Saudi food. I love Saudi food.

 This group of young women come from Palestine and performed a traditional Palestinian dance. They wore the most beautiful dresses and danced with loads of energy.

 Miss B got a henna tattoo in the Saudi tent.

 I got to ride a camel again. We watched the camel and horse go through security which made me giggle. How does a camel or horse pass a screening test? You can't open their trunks!

 My daughter and son rode this pretty horse.

At the American Idol booth, my husband and I dazzled the crowd (ha!) with a country number.

Bubba J Helps the Guys!

Bubba J received a yellow toolbox full of handy tools from his oldest brother for Christmas. It was his favorite present and he promptly forgot about his mountain of unopened presents and lost himself in the magical wonder of realistic tools. Bubba J carries around his toolbox religiously, eager to fix things that are broken and even things that aren't broken.

Whenever our maintenance guys come around, Bubba J grabs his toolbox and works with "the guys"-as he calls them, until they are finished. This week our dryer was replaced. Bubba J was on hand to lend his expertise and to make sure things were done right.

I really enjoy life with a little boy.