Leaving: Part One, Getting Ready

The days before we left were a count down. Every day, one closer to things changing forever. I said to my mom when we got our etickets, "It's all fun and games until you get your tickets." Then it's a whole lot of crying.

We spent the month that Peter was home shopping, packing and saying our goodbye's. We took a 48 hour trip to Seattle to see his family, just taking the baby. I thought it would be really fun, but more than anything it was fast and sad. We are a long way away from home, and hugging loved ones goodbye is hard, especially when you just don't know when you can see them again. And I know that we lived away from family while in Utah, we were just a couple hours flight. We are a thirty hour trip here. (and a HUGE bill for a ticket, short notice can be several thousand dollars) So that was hard.

Grandpa Tennis and Gideon

We were able to take quite a bit of luggage, as the company flew us first class, so we got more weight. They even bought Gid, three months old, his own ticket. So we got 20 pieces, 70 pounds each. I did a lot of home work and found that the biggest bang for your buck, so to say, was to pack in Uhaul dish barrel boxes. They fit the size requirements and 70 pounds is a good amount of weight in them.

Just so you know, Peter's mom has alzheimers. This is why she looks so distant.

So it took us several trips over a few weeks to get all the boxes. We lined them with big yard garbage sacks, just incase water were to present itself somewhere along the trip. Then we packed. And unpacked, and repacked, and packed again. Night after night we stood our garage weighing, padding, cutting and taping. We heard that the customs people in S.A. won't even touch your stuff if there is underwear, tampons or pads in sight. So what did I do? Sprinkled a little of each on the top of every box. (All brand new, of course.) In the end, no one even opened the boxes, but it was worth the peace of mind.

We moved anything we weren't keeping in the house, into our biggest bedroom in the basement. And let me tell you, it is STUFFED. I think we had to close the door and run on our final closing. We left most of our furniture upstairs, brought a lot of things with us, and shoved the rest in there. We sold our blue car. That was a sad day. We bought that car the year we left Seattle, moved it to Houston, and it has been with us ever since. Almost 12 years years. The three oldest kids were brought home from the hospital in that car. Sad. We bought an enclosure to store our big white truck in, it's on the concrete, on the side of the house. (Oh Big White, how I miss you...how I miss driving a car at all. I can't wait to come home and drive you across the country on real roads, and go where ever I want!!!!)

*Smmmoooooch*

On our last night, Peter and I were in the garage, finishing up, and someone walked by. It must have been 11 p.m. or so. We knew who they were, and they knew where we were going. I said to Peter, "If I had just walked by us, and seen all of this, I would have been so jealous. I would have come home and told you that I wanted to move over seas. And, What an exciting adventure! But right now I just think, "What are we doing!!!???" And that pretty much sums up leaving the U.S.

So exciting!!

So sad!

Why?

Why not?

Not what I expected of the 'Wedding'

So I went to 'the wedding' lastnight.

Turns out it was a mock Hindu wedding. There are people from all over the world here, so this was the Indian community sharing their traditions with us. These usually last three days, so we got the super short version of three hours. For some reason I think most people are pretty familiar with these, so I don't have a ton to share. I took more photos to show my family, but some of these women don't like their pictures taken, so I didn't think posting them would be very nice. But these give just a tid bit of what I saw.

The clothes were gorgoeous. I LOVE the red and gold traditional bridal gown. Everyone had their best clothes on, that was enough enjoyment for me. I could look at all the colors, sequins, and henna all night. My other American friend and I went, not knowing if we were to dress up as part of participating. I wore my "best" capri's and a clean shirt and she wore jeans. (I haven't worn pants for almost two months) We were VERY underdressed and decided that by next year we need to buy a beautiful Saree. (again, no idea how to spell that) You can buy them all over the place here, and they are lovely. Even their casual, cotton wear is nice. The long bell sleeves and 3/4 length shirts are really nice. I think they'd be cute with jeans. On the other side of the world where it's a little less humid.

They served some really great food as well. Which is always fun. Great spices and flavor. I really like Indian food, so I thought it was great. Over all, not what I was expecting, but still very fun.

On a side note, I did see something for the first time. I have seem women take off their head covers in Women only areas. (Things are very seperate here.) But I have never seen them totally take their abayas off. Last night women did, and it was so strange to see them in very immodest clothes. I have heard that they wear things like this, but it was eye opening to see it myself. They had TONS of makeup on and their hair was dyed. I saw a blond and a red head. These women weren't locals, but from another M.E. country. So that was interesting. I'll tell you more about staying covered and what not, later.

P.S. I think my blogger has something new in the tool bars. It gives me the option of writing in other languages. They're all from this neck of the woods, so I think it must be for here. Is there anything like that when blogging from the U.S. right now? ALSO, I just noticed that when I spell check, every single word is highlighted as wrong. It obviously thinks I should be writing in Arabic. क्रेजी। ओह लुक, नो आईटी'स टाइपिंग आईटी इन हिंदी।

Look! I just typed in Hindi! I typed "look, I just typed in Hindi" and those letters above appeared. Cool. There's more too.

Weird Things Around Here

The title of this post says it all, and more. There are A LOT of weird/strange things about living in the Middle East. I thought you might find them interesting yourself. And weird too.

Disclaimer! These are not facts, they are my observations, opinions and answers to questions that I ask. I ask a lot of questions, but most women here don't speak very much to Western women. So I ask around, but the answers are usually from Westerner's who have been here more than 20 years. Just letting you know where I am getting my info.

When I sign into blogger, and many other sites, it's all in Arabic, and I sign in backwards. (they read right to left) So usually you write your name in the on the left, and PW on the right. Not here. And it's in arabic, so you can't read where to put what. You just guess.

We've had more problems online that I imagined. Banks, websites, airline sites, paypal, itunes, etc. We are blocked from tons of stuff, because of our location. While I appreciate the security as an American, in drives me nuts! (Like I said, I can't start a new blog because they don't think it's me trying to start it. And they only send PW to cell phones, which I don't have. Weird.)

Most everyone on camp has a second "car." A golf cart. The community is just so small, that they are fine to drive around. I actually like it, and want one! They make me smile, and I love to see them lined up in front of the school for pick up.

Everyone has a nanny. (well, not everyone, but lots) Today I saw a nanny walking a child to school, their "house boy" walking their dog, and then cleaning their car. Why have a dog or a child? I'm confused. This family makes their help wear uniforms as well. Weird. (The family are "locals" - if you know what I mean.) Most of the "help" are Phillipino, and some Bangladeshi. I have a gardener and a guy who cleans four hours a week for me, they are Bangladeshi. (More on them later)

Most bathrooms have a kitchen-sink-type-hose next to them, hanging next to the toilet on the wall. These people rarely use toilet paper, but they do hose/spray themselves off. Yes, I agree. Hygenic? I think not. But they think it's far cleaner than wiping. Maybe with your own hose, but really? Everyone using it in "that" region? Nope. Not for me. (on a personal side note, we have two bideh's no idea how to spell that, I'm going for phonetics, I'm sure Tiff will tell us :) and I actually love them! With the awesome gift of hemeroids after giving birth recently, it's great. And "that time of the month" (I am a g-rated site and the word period is kinda gross, ew), it's nice as well. TMI, I know. But I am sharing about things around here, shedding light on subjects I have before been unfamiliar with. And yes, I have been shot right in the face - TWICE - by the bideh. It takes a second for the water to start and the spray to start. Note to self: Do NOT stare into basin while waiting for water to start. Ew.

There is at least one "hole in the ground" stall available in most public bathrooms, for squatting, and sometimes no toilets at all. And the bathrooms are always wet, because they also hose themselves off. Feet, legs, etc. I think they squat for convience more than anything. Men wear a white 'pajama shirt', I like to call it, called a Thobe. And women wear an Abaya, the black tent like dress. But for women, I can't see why it would be convienent. Unless they weren't wearing anything, which I am sure happens. And actually, men wear underclothing too, so really, I don't know. All I know is that I have squated enough times while camping to tell you that I'm not a big fan. I prefer a toilet, with a seat, toilet paper, and for it to flush when I'm done. Is that too much to ask?

One more for this post, I could write a book about weird things. But for now, how about the fact that "locals" live on the camp here. Strange? Not really. They are allowed to, if they are the right pay code and want to. They don't have to abide by any of the countries strict dress laws while on camp. And ...they can DRIVE! And they LOVE that. What's weird though? They DO wear their Abayas, cover their heads and wear veils - and STILL drive. Ever heard of bad drivers???? Imagine you put a black sheet on, cuffed it at the wrists, cut a tiny slit for your eyes, and had more fabric of our head covering hanging down. Now get in the car and drive. Scary, huh? Are you asking yourself why they are wearing this if they don't have to? Well. I hate to say it, but it's because of their husbands. He may allow them to drive, (and sometimes they sneak) but they have to do what he says. And that usually means, "no one sees my wife but me!" I've even seen women in the water at the beach with Abaya's on, so they can be out with their children. It actally makes me really sad for them. More on this later...

I'm going to a staged "wedding" tonight at the Womens group here on camp. I'm very excited. It's three hours, and I don't know much about it. I think they are going to do a traditional wedding, without the acutal binding of people. Which means, for sure, no men will be there. I'll tell you all about it. Don't let me forget my camera!

Roos Party

I think this is the last post of pre-leaving. More for my own record than anything. But I did want to record it.

Roo turns five this fall, and she was sad to not be with friends on her birthday. So we had a "going away girl party" for her. It was so fun. It was all Roo, G-I-R-L.

Lilly, Ruby, Olivia, and Addison. (doesn't Addison look like Snow White? Adorable.)

I paid my cute neighbor girls, Paige and Lexy to help me. (13 and 11) They set up, did hair, entertained the girls and played games.

It was thrown together in rush, as most things before we left, but it turned out cute. (All the stuff you see came from a Princess Party in a Box from Walmart, BTW. Best 20.00 I've ever spent. It's for four girls, has a sash, tiara, earrings, bracelets, wand, light up microphone, a ring, and lipgloss. A different color set for each. Run, don't walk, run to your nearest Walmart and get one! I wish I brought one with me. Total bargain!)

Roo had a great time. She is really missing her friends back home. But making new ones here and looking forward to seeing her old ones next summer! As we speak she is at her friends house from Germany. She has a good friend from England named Ruby, and friends from Alabama and Arizona as well. Our horizons are being expanded - like it or not. (and, for the most part, we're liking it)

And we call her...Staple Head

While at my Birthday Lunch, in July, with my mom and sisters. I got a call from my ever loved Amanda. Except it wasn't Amanda, it was her mom and my friend, Angella. The first words out of her mouth were, "Everything is okay, but I think you need to come home."

Just the words you want to hear.

Turns out Roo and Si were horsing around (I love those words, horsing arounds - I always imagine hooves kicking, dust in the air and a lot of winnie-ing, which isn't too far off at my house), and Roo bonked her head on the fire place. Everything was fine, but we did take her in to be checked out. Nothing too bad, but it did need a staple. You know how head wounds pull apart and bleed.

But what is really worth mentioning is what happened at the doctors. She was VERY nervous and ready to kick, punch, slap and bite anyone she needed to. Luckily for the entire office- no need.

They rinsed it out and put a numbing gel on the wound. This takes 15 minutes to activate before they can staple. Roo's not much of a napper, so I was even more suprised that you, that she fell sound asleep while she waited her 15 minutes.





"My Dr. Bailey", as Roo refers to him, walked in and saw her asleep. Thought for a second, and said. "Let's just do it." So he quietly got all his stuff ready, and WHACK, put the staple in her head. Roo sat rigth up, gently put her hand of her head, and in her best Disney Princess/SingSong voice said,

"Oh! There it is. Thank you!"

They gave her a lollipop and she skipped out of the office, looking gorgeous as ever! (see picture below for rats nest/ goop head)

Multi Tasking

I know you want to see life here, but there are just a couple other posts from the U.S. that are worth writing about. And here's one.

For my birthday, my friend Aimee and I got our feet done and went to dinner. This pictures sums up the life of a busy mom.



As you may or may not know, getting away when you have four and five kids, it nearly impossible. Kids and husbands schedules are just so demanding, and as you know, your schedule comes very last. Truly, six other schedules come before mine.

So I had to laugh, after we picked our colors, got all comfy and ready for a little pampering - Aimee pulls out her purse and a plastic grocery sack. "I'm going to clean out my purse while we do this."

This pretty much sums things up. Don't you think?

Fer Rills?

Fer Rills? (that's Utahn for asking the question, is that for real?)

I'll admit that I hope that I am not a photo on someone's blog, being used as some sad example. You know, a shot of me shopping at Target, with a caption like: "Look at this girls big bum" or, "did this person just get out of bed?" But I just couldn't NOT share this.

Peter and I went to lunch at one of my very favorite places. Mmm. Makes me drool just thinking about it. Zuppa's. It's soup and salad. I love it!

This girl in front of us, was amazing, My jaw honestly dropped. Really, I had to close my mouth.
Please note her two big bags. It took her FOREVER TO ORDER! And mid way through ordering, she pulls out a SCALE! Yep, you heard me. She snuggles down to the ground and puts down her scale - flat surface, I'm sure.

She then weighs the chicken the employee hands to her in a plastic container. Nope. Too much. The employee has to take some out. She re-weighs, and decides it's fine now. A little lettuce to go with that, and she's good to go.

She's totally done up. Perfect hair and make-up, lots of other clones in attendance with her. Big diamond. I'm quite sure she was trying to fit into her dress for her upcoming wedding.

Best of all? Check out her shoes. Giant, purple, sparklie, heels. HELP ME! "Squatting, while weighing my food always goes best in heels!"

Maybe that's why I'm a hefer. Remind me to take my scale next time I go out to lunch with my girlies. Haha. (as if there is anywhere to go to lunch here anyway...)

Dental Fun

Remeber this?

Just thought I'd update on Mr."King of Candy."

TWO cavities. Yep. The only kid to have any. And here he is getting them filled.

Did I mention I HATE the dentist?

Well, now you know.

Lot's To Say

I wanted to start a new blog, for our new life.

But apparently, I can't. It seems that blogger thinks I have hijacked my computer. I don't know. Something about my location. What ev.

So, I will continue on here.

For now.

Since being away from you all for so long, I have many, many things I want to write about. So, for now, I will list these things of interest. And write about them as I have time, as well as keeping up to date. You know how things get so far behind, you think you may as well not do anything at all? Well, that's where I am. But I can't think of a more interesting time in my life to blog. So, I will go forward from where I am and try to fill in the gaps as I go.



I have written some emails over the past several weeks, with some detail of the events. I will be posting these on here. Anyway, here I go. Let's hope I can keep it up. But you'll have to help me. Comment and encourage me! Please. I need it. This is really the only way I will be recording life here, and I am already doing a lousy job. So help me out and lets get goin!



Ruby Gets Stitches
Dental Fun
Multi Tasking
Fer Rills?
Seattle Summed Up
Lots of Crying
Packing to Leave
Airport
For you In-flight Enjoyment
Welcome to your new home?
"I hate jet Plag!"
Unpacking 1400 Pounds really STINKS!
Everything Is Beachy Keen
First Day of School
2010 Family Theme
Trying to read Arabic
Ramadama Ding Dong
Eid and Peter's Birthday
Sunset at 4:30?!
When you have Limes, Make LEMONS!
Ballerina Girl
First trip out of Camp
Thoughts on Wearing a Sheet
Modes of transport
Dulal the gardener
Fat Group
A'buyin an Abaya
Stinky Water

See? I have LOTS to say, as usual. It's just a matter of actually writing about it.

Here goes!