Fall weather and Shopping

It is starting to feel like fall here -- much drier and breezy.   Our weekend trips to the pool have to happen in midday when the sun is out; before we had to go in the morning or afternoon to avoid the bright sun.  Today my outdoor lunch duty was pleasant rather than scorching -- it did only get to 94 degrees today :)

I took some more photos of our daily life here in Al Khobar.

Saco World is a big, brand new hardware store.  Saco stands for "Saudi Arabian Company". Jack likes to try out the massaging chairs they have on display.

The delicious akawi cheese pie I like to order at the brick oven at the grocery store.  They make it while I shop and then we eat it on the way home.

The whipping cream I just bought for banana pudding (thanks dad for the banana pudding mix!)

Long-life milk is very common here, and most of our dairy products are locally produced.

And this is our house...actually we drive by this everyday on the way to work and I fondly think of the Pleasure Cruiser...and wonder how did an RV get to Saudi Arabia?!

Hyperpanda shopping center

Jack and I took an early morning walk to the shopping center nearby.  I rarely get a chance to take pictures in public places because Saudis are fairly private and modest people (understatement...).  But at 7am no one was out (and nothing but Starbucks was open) so I took some photos.

The main grocery store is called Hyperpanda and has a giant shopping cart in front.  These pictures are in the food court.  I don't know if I've explained the seating arrangements in public places before or not.  Every place is separated into "singles"and "family" sections.  The "singles" section is for men only.  The "family" section is for women, children, and men who are accompanied by their wives. So if Rob goes out by himself he has to go to the singles' side, and if he's with me he goes to the family side. 

For example, the Starbucks is essentially two identical Starbucks divided by a wall, with separate entrances, and the one guy working there goes back and forth between the two sides.  The family side has frosted glass on the windows, and the singles side has clear glass and an outside seating area.  All restaurants with seating are like this, or at least have dividers that they set up between tables to provide privacy for women.  Some places, like the banks, are separated strictly into "men" and "ladies" sections rather than the "family" section.

Grill Xpress which has Lebanese food like hommus, tabbouli, kabobs -- and Shawarma Inn

Dhow Restaurant with fried fish and chicken, and a Chinese restaurant

"Singles section"

"Family section" - notice the barriers put up for privacy

"Singles" seating -- by Mongolian Grill, something I don't know, Popeyes, Baskin Robins

Thailand Part 4

Our last two days in Thailand were spent at an amazing resort called Birds & Bees.  Not only is it a beautiful and lush resort, it is run by a socially- and eco-conscious organization whose profits are used for fighting poverty through education in Thailand.  They have several restaurants as well, called Cabbages and Condoms.  The man who started this organization is known as the Condom King in Thailand, because he teaches about family planning in an effort to fight poverty and slow the spread of AIDS in Thailand - and he has been very successful.  The name "Cabbages and Condoms" is due to his belief that family planning and health issues should not be taboo -- they should be as easy to talk about as vegetables are.  Therefore the resaturant is decorated with condom art and condoms are passed out as after-dinner treats.  The organization now has a school in rural Thailand that is supported by the resort.  Students pay tuition by doing community service and planting trees.  They also hire people from rural Thailand to work at the resort, providing housing, daycare, and job training to people who otherwise would have very limited options.

An example of "condom art"

Playing at the pool

Loving the water slides!

We took a tour of the resort's mini-farm where they grow many of the fruits and vegetables, and produce eggs, for the restaurant. So inspiring!

Herbs and vegetables

Compost bins

Man-powered watering system for the mushroom house

Jack's favorite new fruit -- Jack fruit!

Pineapples

Also at the resort we learned about spirit houses, which are present near many of the Thai houses we had seen so far. 

A Surprise Holiday

We were surprised with a three day weekend!  On Wednesday afternoon (our Friday), we were given the news that Crown Prince Sultan Bin Abdul Aziz, who has been covering for King Abdullah in his absence, declared a national holiday on Saturday.  The King had back surgery in New York, and has been recovering in Morocco for four weeks.  He returned to Saudi Arabia this weekend and to celebrate his health, all government offices and schools were closed!  What a great idea.

The Healthy King

To celebrate the King's health, Jack and the other kids on the compound went swimming.  It is not quite warm enough, but he went in the kiddie pool for about 20 minutes.  The older kids were swimming all day. It was nice outside, but the pool water is not heated so it was chilly.

Jack with a post-swimming glow

Tomorrow we will be back to school.  We are keeping busy...besides teaching, Rob is leading the production crew for the spring play, I am brushing up on my rock climbing skills so I can start a high school climbing club, and Jack is learning to ride a tricycle.  Off to work...

Week Three: Downtown Al-Khobar

First of all, if you already read Rob's post, rest assured that he does not need to share the bidet with anyone...I avoid it, and the sprayers. The bidet in Jack's bathroom is actually a sink for Jack to wash his hands, if you ask him.

I had to return to a downtown hospital for more medical tests for our Iqama (resident ID) application, so I had the opportunity to take a few photos of downtown Al-Khobar. By the way, the hospital bathrooms had sprayers only, no toilet paper. Not like the toilet paper was gone, more like "why would you need anything but a sprayer?"

So here are a few pictures, in as good of quality as you can get through a bus window:

Yes!  I can decorate our house exactly like our Mpls house!

McDonald's, complete with a separate "family" and "men's" entrances.  Behind it is a mosque tower.

Toys Toys Store

Translation: STOP

Also, two stories from school:

1) You'd think children going to an international school would be a little more worldly...I overheard this on the quad while kids were talking about their summers. 

Student A: "I went to America for the summer."

Student B: "Dude, America's like a whole other country."

2) In study skills class today, I was talking about good habits and bad habits.  For an example, I said I have a bad habit of leaving things out instead of putting them away.  My students, who normally have a comment about everything, stared blankly.  I explained more: this is a bad habit because I sometimes don't know where to find things, and the house looks messy.  Still nothing.  I kept explaining. Finally a boy said, "But, doesn't your maid put the stuff away for you?" 

Next time I'll post some Jack videos.  

Love, Laura