It's Real! And the Face Melter

Last Wednesday morning the "re-movers" came and took away all the Aramco dorm furniture. A couple of hours later the movers brought this...

a house's worth of boxes and an inch of sand, as we had a sandstorm during the delivery. Most everything arrived without damage. Just a few odds and ends were broken, so far as we can tell. However, we have not finished unpacking. Nothing was confiscated at the border so now we are wishing we brought a few things we left behind.

As the movers pulled up and started bringing our things in I started getting a little emotional and thinking ok now, this is whole crazy Saudi thing is REAL.

Unpacking is never an easy task, but having been here for three months with our essentials already in place, it was nice not having to look for things like underwear and toothbrushes. We just made sure the beds were up by the end of the day. The rest is finding a new home one box at a time.

A sweet girl named Siti has been helping me by taking the boys a bit. She is a nanny and cook for a family here in town, but they are gone for spring break so she has some free time... thank goodness. For the boys it's Christmas in March, as they open each box and find another favorite toy they missed.

The night before the delivery the boys went to visit the Face Melter. They desperately needed haircuts and I didn't have the time or scissors to do it. The barber did an awesome job and the boys were extremely well behaved (except for a little water hose incident) as this was their first visit to a barber shop.

Chris said Ethan was as still as a statue. I wish I could have witnessed that! However, women are not permitted in the barbershop.

Total price for two great haircuts? $6.00, including tip.

Now, about that face melter. Zach was wondering what the big round thing attached over some chairs was. Chris wasn't sure so he told him it was a face melter. You could come in and have your face melted off and get a new one if you wanted.

Zach did believe him for a short time. What they saw was a sit-down blow dryer you always see old women using at the hairdressers' in the movies.

One last thing. The night before the move I was up all night. 1) Because our Aramco bed was completely uncomfortable. 2) Graham's normal feedings. 3) Ethan was up all night crying. He kept saying his tummy hurt. After I ruled out appendicitis I noticed he was rubbing his ear too. He was nauseated because he had an earache.

Ethan had a cold about two weeks ago. Then we noticed that he had a strange smell about him. It turns out it was the infection we could smell. He finally got some sleep around 5 am. That must have been when he had what Zach calls an EARUPTION. This is the second ruptured ear drum and fourth ear infection for him in six months.

We often wonder if his hearing has been damaged from all of this, as he constantly asks us to repeat ourselves. We will be seeing an ENT shortly and tubes may be in his future.

How's Your Dog?

I came across this article in my radiology professional magazine ASRT Scanner, Feb./Mar. 2009, Vol.41, No.3, pg. 10.

"They say you're better off not knowing how laws are passed and hot dogs are made, but x-rays now are showing us things you really would rather know about before you take a bite.

Packworld.com reported that a leading hot dog manufacturer (which prefers not to be identified) installed x-ray inspection systems on its packaging lines last year. The electronically controlled, low-power x-ray generators and image analysis software allow the manufacturer to detect bone, stone, glass, wood, plastic and metal in its products and packaging.

When the plant was built several years ago, the manufacturer installed metal detectors - then considered the state of the art - on every line. The new x-ray systems represent the 'next level' in quality assurance and food safety."

This totally turns my stomach! I have not been a hot dog eater since about age eight. This just reconfirms why. Now that I am here I've been super picky about meat. We try to buy only US beef but it isn't always available at our commissary. Last weekend Chris was in a local grocery store and talking to me on the phone. As he passed the meat counter all of the sudden he just about heaved right there because the stench of death and rotten meat was so bad he just had to get away ASAP.

Part of me really wants to be a vegetarian here but I still just like meat.

On a totally separate note - OUR STUFF IS HERE! THE MOVERS WILL BE HERE TOMORROW!

Goth Boy

Just when I think I might not have anything to blog about Ethan does something like this. I had left Zach and Ethan at the table coloring. I was walking into my bed room and to grab my camera and cord to download the beach pictures and I heard them walking down the hall behind me, Zach saying, "Mom will be so surprised how much you look like an Indian." I thought he looked a little more... goth. These markings went all the way around his neck as well. Three minutes I tell you. Three minutes! That's all it was. Now I wasn't sure this would come off, as these were not the usual washables we generally use. It did take a bit of scrubbing but it did come out.

Beach Blanket Baby

The Saudi Aramco Employee Association (SAEA) organized a trip to Qurayyah Beach. We opted to drive so that we could return home before the scheduled 11pm end.

Ethan settling in for the 2 hour drive

Graham's first beach experience

Qurayyah is one of Aramco's private beaches. That means I can wear a swim suit if I so desire. When we visited it was full of Saudis, as well as Arabs of other decent. The women went in fully dressed in their Abayas or just fully clothed. A friend told me there are a number of drownings each year of women because their Abayas weigh them down.

Recently I was in a sports shop and saw a full body swim suit similar to wetsuits worn for scuba diving. It had a hood, but no veil. I believe it is an option for women but you would never see one wearing it.

We went for a walk on a manmade pier. I carried Graham in the front pack and everyone just adored him. We are always stared at when we put him in it. People even stopped us to take our picture.

The SAEA set up a snack bar with a popcorn machine and drinks

The afternoon was full of organized games. It is not often you seen grown men playing musical chairs or jumping in a sack race. The sacks were beautiful by the way.

They did demonstrate their manliness with a few rounds of tug of war.

Unfortunately, the water was full of jellyfish. It took a bit of convincing to even get the boys to go in. Note: the girl heading in she was going out fully dressed to join her family.

Once in they LOVED it. Zach has been excitedly telling everyone about the first time he fully stepped into the ocean.

At sundown the men stopped for prayers. Afterward we had a fully catered buffet dinner on the beach. It felt strange to eat off dinner plates with regular utensils on the beach while listening to the waves and feeling the breeze. After the servers picked up our plates we showered the boys and set off for home.

This was a much needed relaxing and fun family day!

Our Very Own Leprechaun

Our friend Ms. Norma is Irish and runs the youth center activities for preschool age children. For St. Patrick's day she planned a great party for the kids with green play dough. They made green leprechaun door hangers and shamrocks. They also made green cupcakes with green frosting.

When all the moms' backs were turned Ethan decided to knock back the entire bottle of GREEN food coloring, staining his mouth (I'd never seen green teeth before), his shirt and chest underneath, both hands, and his entire left foot. The dye caused his mouth to go into saliva overdrive and he drooled green all over the toys. All the moms felt bad for laughing. I said go ahead and laugh it's hilarious and it's just a normal day for me. I refused to let the drooling green monster in into the brand new car so Chris had to meet us and walk him home.

Green things consumed in that quantity also come out green... if you know what I mean. It made for some very fun potty trips for the next couple of days.

Special Request

This blog is a special request from cousins Senneca and Connor. They wanted to see more pictures of Graham.

But first we need to add one more item to the list of things Mr. Independent does himself.

He now does his own SPIKY hair.

Now drum roll please here is our 4 and a half monther... Graham!

Zach and Graham are just chillin' watching some Star Wars.

Now for the REAL latest and greatest.

We all fight over who gets to kiss him the most. Of course I always win. Zach loves to sit and talk with him. Ethan gets him to goo and says, "Listen mom he's giving me the goos!"

Whoa! Slow Down

It has been really nice temperature wise until this week. It has gone back and forth between the mid 70s and 80s. Then it jumped overnight to the upper 90's... and it's MARCH!

The other morning after playing in the park the boys were all red and overheated and it wasn't even hot yet. They kept asking to rest in the shade. They have never experienced heat above 75... they are just melting. I don't enjoy the heat either, but I'm keeping positive knowing this is only the beginning.

I have decided I am courageous enough to fly around the world with three little boys by myself to escape the heat. I have not decided if I am courageous enough to be without my husband for two months.

Our things should arrive in two weeks. I have missed having music in the house, my shorts (I hope they fit), my pots and pans, and the microwave.

Lost In Translation

We've noticed that even though many people here speak wonderful English, sometimes the translation gets a little messed up.

For instance when driving we are often asked to "dip" our headlights instead of dim them.

And then there is this...

Last year before we arrived there was a construction area in camp with this sign.

1500 - My Magic Number

Stuck is where I've been. I lost the first 20 pounds of the 40 pounds-- I always gain a lot-- without much difficulty and then nothing. Usually the day I hit my six week mark I am literally off running and playing soccer. This time the holidays, the move, and six weeks postpartum all coincided. I hadn't realized how much playing one hour of soccer each week really helped.

Upon arriving it took a while to get settled, and not all my workout equipment came with our luggage. For the last three weeks I've finally hit my magic number of 1500 calories burned between weight lifting and various aerobic workouts. I finally lost another five pounds. For whatever reason that is the number that I have used after each pregnancy and I set my goal at five workouts a week.

I love my Polar heart rate monitor as it lets me know when to push it and when I'm overdoing it. It helps me keep on track. I recommend one for anyone who really wants to get in shape. Sometimes we think we are getting a good workout and we just aren't getting our heart rate up enough to really benefit from it.

I am toying with the idea of training for a sprint triathlon in the fall. I have two other fit mamas who want to do it with me, but it is about to get way too hot to train so we will plan it for cooler temperatures.

Hopefully now when my non-maternity clothes show up in two weeks I will be able to fit into some of them.

Bollywood Bus Ride

Americans are the minorities here in camp and we don't mind. Experiencing other cultures was a big part of why we came. Chris joined the Badminton club and is the only American. There are a few Canadians but they are of Indian decent. We had a blast with this group touring Al-Hasa last weekend.

Al-Hasa is NOT a pretty city. However, it is up for consideration as a new Wonder of the World because it is the largest oasis in the world. We did see groves of date palms but that is not what stood out for us on this particular trip.

Here is just a quick glimpse in town. This was the first trip into town for the boys and Ethan made up a song about it. As we drove down the street he began singing, "Garbage, garbage everywhere in the city" repeatedly. Even a three year old picked up on that. Two days later Zach dropped a grocery sack on our way out of the store. He didn't want to pick it up at first. I reminded him that we don't litter and that it wasn't appropriate. His response was the Saudis litter and don't seem to care. I told him we did not need to contribute to the cause. The bag was recycled instead.

Al-Hasa is a bit scary looking but Udhailiyah is very pretty and is known as the city of flowers.

As part of our day we toured some caves. These jebels (hills or rock formations) and caves were really cool. As recently a one generation ago they were used as a place to sleep in the heat of summer and as a refuge for families during shamals (sandstorms).

This was Zach's favorite part of the day.

Ethan kept running off into side caves. Luckily they were all dead ends. He kept lifting up his shirt for most of the pictures I took. Here are a few modest ones.

This is our new friend Nemita. Chris works with her husband and their whole family plays in the Badminton club. Her comment after the caves was, "He's your busy one," pointing to Ethan.

There were a few tight squeezes... and yes we took Graham out of the front pack for this.

We are so loving those cheeks.

Back into the heat we were off to the ghetto zoo. As we entered there was a banana peel on the ground and Ethan said, "I know a monkey left that there." If a monkey had made it as far as the front gate I hope it kept on running, because its life would be far better on the open road than in that horrible place. I suppose this is another reason Saudi is a closed country because PETA would give this place the SMACK DOWN! I have never professed myself an animal lover but I felt horrible for these ones.

A first look at the rare and exotic... house cat.

Who was next to Rover.

Followed by the ever elusive... chicken.

Ok, so they did have two tigers, two lions, and a giraffe, but the conditions were so horrible I didn't even want to take pictures.

At one point I was watching a gorilla swing from one trapeze to the next. As he swung off, he slammed into the cage wall and dropped to the floor. He crawled over to the corner, sat down, hung his head, and rubbed his injured shoulder. It was so sad to watch.

There was also the lone crocodile who had the saddest eyes. He did not look dangerous at all but he must have been ferocious and deadly, because as you can see they are too afraid to clean out all the garbage floating in his water. By the way, where the picture ends is the extent of his home.

The day got better. We went to a museum and watched a very interesting film about the history of the Arabian peninsula, but it was difficult to understand the English at times. It made me glad that in school we only had to study America's short history. Here it pretty much goes back to Adam.

We finished the day at a hotel downtown where an authentic Indian feast had been prepared. I sampled and enjoyed all of it with the hopes that Graham wouldn't have a hard time the following day. He was fine. We spent a few hours at home in the afternoon relaxing. Zach got some TV and computer time. Ethan asked if he could have some vacuum time. He has loved playing with, taking apart, and reassembling our vacuums since he could walk. However, this is a love-hate relationship, as he loves its mechanics but asks if the volume can be turned down.

We ended our day at the golf club BBQ where we had Cheesecake Factory cheesecake and the boys boogied the night away under the stars.

We Got Wheels!

Here is the lowdown on getting the car.

Before we moved, Chris checked online to see what was available here. Then we went to the dealerships to rule out if what we liked would work for our needs (three car seats, a third row, in case our family gets larger, and room in back to carry all our stuff). We were surprised that many of the cars with a third row were very uncomfortable and/or didn't even have enough room for a stroller, let alone suitcases.

Good thing we did all the reconnaissance before we left because they do not let you test drive cars here.

Trip #1 - Visit Toyota to get a Sequoia (my first choice) only to find out they do not come in 4 wheel drive here. Head over to Nissan and start the process of getting an Armada. You do not have to shop around as all Nissan dealers are owned by the same person in this country. All Toyota dealerships are owned by the same person, etc. At least that saved some shopping around.

Trip #2 - The car arrives from another dealership and is ready for inspection. Chris has to bring paperwork showing he has a large family and can purchase an SUV. What details a large family we are not sure but it proved we will not be transporting people to Mecca in it. But alas he forgot an important piece of paper. Oh well, there's always next trip. He also had to arrange for insurance.

Then we had to decide how to get the money out of our account. There are 2 ways: go to the bank every day and write a check out for $2,000 in rials (as this is the maximum you can withdraw in a day). Or you can get a letter of approval from your boss and signatures from other individuals for the full amount. Neither are easy choices but we chose the latter-- and what a stinking headache it was.

Trip #3 - Take a gangster bag full of cash to the dealer and some letters from the bank.

Here is Ethan holding all the cash before Chris left.

And after all the cash was counted-- by hand-- the car was... almost ours. It could be picked up NEXT weekend, IF they could get the registration done.

Trip #4 - We got a call Saturday afternoon that it was all done and ready to be picked up. At the dealership Chris asked that the plastic coverings in the car be removed. At first they would only take the plastic off the seats and Chris told them he wanted all of it off. With a shocked look the salesman said, "Never in the 6 years that I have sold cars has anyone asked that the plastic be removed." Saudis, for some reason, leave the plastic on the seats. You see it all the time. Why in 120 degree weather they want extra plastic on them we aren't sure. They then let him drive off with less than a quarter tank of gas in search of a gas station. Upon filling the tank Chris was shocked that it cost a whooping total of $14 USD to fill the tank with Ultra Supreme Gasoline.

Upon arriving home we were happy to discover that it does fit in our garage... just barely. I got to cruise around UDH for about 15 minutes to get my seat adjusted and its memory set. Now I won't have to walk the mile to the grocery store when it gets unbearably hot.

Thanks Jim for personally driving Chris back and forth for all of these trips. We really appreciate it.

Let the adventures begin!