Bubba J vs. the Ants

My two-year old boy, Bubba J, has been waging a steady war against our minor infestation. The ants have responded in kind. While Bubba J squishes them, the ants crawl on him and bite him. This reduces my poor boy to tears. After one particularly bad skirmish, Bubba J came to me and said, "Naughty ant bite me. Bad boy ant".

I keep reminding him to leave the ants alone, and despite the frequent bites, Bubba J persists in his quest to rid our house of the pesky ants.

I suppose it is time for some adult intervention and something stronger than a shoe.

Overthinking it-thoughts on hiring help

I hired a maid yesterday (and yes, the term here is maid). Since we arrived in Riyadh, we've fielded up to 10 calls a day from maids looking for work. Yes, word gets around when a new family moves into the compound. The going rate for help is $6.00 an hour for housecleaning or childcare. I've hired "Anna" to come 3 times a week to help with a lot of the heavy cleaning.

But I kind of feel guilty about it. I don't have a problem with people hiring help to clean their homes. I have friends who have help. My mom has a cleaner come in once a week. Really, it's cool. But for me???? Yikes! Am I being lazy? Am I providing yet another opportunity for my kids to be lazy and fail to learn the value of hard work? Or am I doing the right and moral thing by hiring someone? I know I will treat them well and decently, which isn't something that is always guaranteed by other employers.

Input please!

Mini-Bazaar

First, I really have to apologize for the lack of pictures. I really need to get back in the habit of bringing my camera everywhere. I tried to get a picture of the mini-bazaar at the compound yesterday, but only had a few minutes and couldn't find my camera. I'm also sorry that I tend to be so long-winded. I love describing things with words (even if I'm not always adept at description). I hope you don't find it too tedious or torturous to wade through my verbosity. If you do and have some good suggestions about cutting the wordage--let me know. I should also say that I tend to just type and then publish. So the words are really off the cuff. If you want a more polished blog at this juncture, maybe you should look elsewhere.

After the kids finished their assessments at the American School (anxiously awaiting an acceptance decision, but more about that later) we caught a taxi home. I had forgotten that the compound had advertised a mini-bazaar on Saturday. So when I saw the vendors near our villa, I realized that I had caught the tail end of the bazaar. Even though my husband had lunch ready for the kids and I, I couldn't resist taking a peak at the bazaar.

So picture several tables set up in along the sidewalk (almost like a craft fair). Some wares are displayed on the ground, while other things (like clothes) are hanging on portable rods. I don't know if the bazaar was larger earlier in the day, but by the time I got there, there were about 7 vendors. Three of the vendors displayed tables full of jewelry. There was some gold jewelry, but a lot of it featured polished stones of various sizes in necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. I liked what I saw, but I wasn't in the mood for jewelry. Given the state of things in our house, I was on the hunt for practical items.

At the end of the line I found a vendor with pot holders, aprons, and several "touristy items" like ceramic camels and notepads. I bought an apron with a camel on it and a nice-quality pot holder. Both will remind me of Saudi Arabia in the future.

I also found a new abaya. I wanted to have to have abayas because the abayas get so dusty and dirty. The vendor selling the abayas said, "I bring you the latest styles, very nice abayas, very good price". I had to laugh, because I don't consider abayas particularly stylish, but I suppose the Arabic ladies DO consider style when purchasing this item. I bought an abaya with a hood this time. My other abaya comes with a scarf that can be put over my hair if needed. (I will try and get a picture of both so you can see what they look like.)

There was a vendor selling framed daggers and swords. We've seen framed daggers and swords in other homes. They look really cool and I know my husband would love to have one before we leave the Kingdom. But I didn't want to buy the first one I saw and really, he should choose the one he wants. The same vendor also sold beautiful chess sets very similar to the set my BIL bought us from a bazaar in Kuwait when he was deployed.

After looking at the wares, I looked at the last table of beautiful Oriental carpets. The colors and patterns on the rugs are beautiful. The vendor tells me the carpets are handmade out of silk and wool. Hestitantly, I ask the price. $5000 for a small rug. Oh goodness! I can't afford that, but the rugs are SO gorgeous. Maybe someday!

And that's that! I look forward to more bazaar experiences.

Ballet Class

When B and I were looking for homes in Riyadh, I realized that living in a compound with activities for the children was really important to me. We almost chose a villa in a nearby compound but their lack of amenities, despite the lovely villas, caused me to choose a different compound. I'm really happy about our choice. Our villa works well for our family and is both comfortable and functional. But the amenities of the compound really take up our living a notch. (If I'm going to live in a country where I can't drive, where so many things are restricted, I might as well have some fun, even if I'm not exactly soaking up ALL the local culture, right???)

On Thursday (which is like Saturday for all you "Westerners") I happened to meet a neighbor taking her daughters to a ballet class. She gave me the information and A and I promptly followed her to the class. Things are a little less formal here so I hoped the instructor would be willing to let my daughter join her class.

While waiting, I met some other mothers and we chatted, exchanged the basic information (where are you from, how long have you lived here, how many children do you have, etc.). Then the teacher, a Russian lady, arrived. The Russian ballet instructor was unlike any other ballet instructor I have seen. I'm used to seeing lithe, slim teachers dressed in leotards. This teacher was a bit stockier and was dressed in black pants that resembled Genie's pants (in I Dream of Genie) with a loose flowing top over it. Her hair had seen better days and was long and a dry-looking. I admit, I was a bit skeptical of this teacher.

I spoke to the teacher briefly and she agreed to let my daughter try one class and then she would make a decision. Then, she began to dance. It was really a beautiful thing to watch this woman, who on the outside didn't look so beautiful, transform into beauty and grace when she danced. She led the girls through warm-up exercises. A hasn't had so many dance classes so she really didn't know what she was doing, but she kept her eyes and focused on the teacher and did her best. Even though there were younger girls at the class, A was one of the smallest girls there.

After about 20 minutes of warm-up exercises, the teacher turned to me and said, "She confused about some of the positions, but she is flexible. She can stay." The teacher didn't always communicate clearly with her words what she wanted (how I can understand that language barrier, so hard!) but always demonstrated with her body, which was very clear.

I'm so proud of my little A! She really gave her best effort and seemed to enjoy the class. I'm excited that we've found a place for her. And the convenience can't be beat. We have to walk a few yards (versus driving for several miles) to get to class. I can workout in the gym while A takes her lesson. It really works out perfectly.

Prayer Time

(Please note that I am not an expert on Islam. I am just sharing what I have observed in the few days I have been in Riyadh. I'm not providing commentary in any way, shape, or form--simply observation.)

I've long been a huge fan of Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series. Amelia Peabody, an intrepid Victorian woman meets and marries the eminent archeologist Emerson. The two of them spend winters in Egypt conducting archeological digs. Emerson and Amelia have a son, Ramses, a frightfully audacious child with extraordinary ability in languages. One of my favorite scenes in the series is when Ramses and his parents are talking to a someone who had been rescued after being held in Cairo for several hours. Ramses, in an effort to help pinpoint the location where the victim was held, proceeds to give the prayer calls for the various parts of the city. His parents are horribly astonished at this random and brilliant recanting of this aspect of the city. This anecdote, while completely fictional, has always fascinated and amused me.

But it wasn't until I went to the Middle East that I began to understand the true signficance of the whole anecdote. Muslims pray five times a day. During prayer time, EVERYTHING stops, and, depending on your location, you can hear a variation of this call to prayer. To me it sounds so incredibly foreign and a bit mystical. But neverthless, it is a very real part of my day here. For example, this morning, as I crept downstairs around 5:30 to start breakfast (more about that later) the sounds of the call to prayer drifted through the walls. It was a strange accompaniment to my early morning rising. Just a few days ago, while in the supermarket, an announcement came over the loud speaker telling customers that prayer time was in 20 minutes and that the store would be closing. Fortunately, we were allowed to stay in the store and continue shopping but couldn't check out until the prayer time was over. During prayer time in the store, the call to prayer was broadcast over the store's stereo system. Even while we were on the plane, there was a special area designated for prayer time. Not all passengers utilized it, but some did.

I suppose that there will be times when I find prayer 5 times a day very inconvenient, but for now, I find it an interesting cultural custom.

One More Photo

This picture is taken with the Recreation building at my back. I'm overlooking the entry area of the compound. At night, the fountains, one on each end flow and the palm trees are lit with spotlights at the base pointed to the fronds. It is a cool sight at night. I'll have to try and picture in the evening.

A few pictures of our compound and villa

Our boxes arrived before we did! I think it is probably the first time in history that has ever happened to anyone. We met some people today who have lived in the Kingdom for 1 year and still haven't gotten their stuff.










This is the front of our villa. We live in a row of villas. They may not look like much on the outside, but the inside is spacious!





















Another view of the front of the villa. You can see that B already got out the bikes. The kids have biking and riding their scooters non-stop.













This picture is taken from in front of our house and then turned to the left. The wave pool is over there. And notice the palm trees! Lots of those around!