We have been here in Saudi 4 weeks today. We are still settling our home and finding our way around. We are learning which store to shop in for certain items and at what time we can go there around the calls to prayer throughout the day. It is quieter for us to shop during the day when we can arrange transportation. Night life in the city is very busy and to say that traffic is SCAREY is a bit of an understatement. NO rules!!!
We've been quad'ing in the dessert and Carli has been desert diamond hunting twice now. We look forward to visiting the Souks (open markets) soon. Now that Carli and I have our Igama's (pronounced Ecomma) we are permitted to travel to more areas outside of Riyadh. We will visit Dubai at the end of September for a few days while Clint moderates a conference there. We also have a trip planned to Australia in October as Clint will teach a workshop there. Carli will celebrate her golden 17th birthday there on the 17th.
The reality of our move here, (not just a fun holiday we will be coming home from soon), has set in. Carli and I are both missing home, family, friends and freedom.
Carli is the only teenager on our compound. Fortunately she has met a friend at our Social group and is able to spend a good amount of time with Elise and her family. There is a pool and gym here on our compound but no other activities. Most compounds have many facilities and activities for the expats' who live there.
I have met a few ladies here from all over the world and we are attempting to meet together from time to time for "coffee". Otherwise we see some others when we take a bus to go shopping throughout the week.
Before we came we knew that one of the hardships here for women is the fight against boredom. I have only been here a month and I am already feeling the effects of this. Some of you at home have suggested that I can always come home and I know that is always an option. Even with as much as I do not do well being bored, I feel that we are here for a reason and a season! I am often on bended knee seeking direction and strength but I have deep abiding faith that the Lord would never lead us where He will not keep us. I know without doubt that we are here on His errand. What my role in that errand is I have yet to discover...but discover it, I will.
I miss my grandbabies more than I can express. Only God's purposes would keep me from them. Each of us have to make sacrifices at times in our lives. I have been so greatly blessed in my life. I want to show my gratitude to Heavenly Father by my willingness to serve Him even when it seems so difficult to do so. Any returned missionary will understand my feelings. I felt this way before when I was called to serve a formal mission. It IS a sacrifice but we are always SO blessed when we do anything for Heavenly Father. The sacrifice gets swallowed up in the joy that comes over time. Right now we feel like we'd like to go home and go back to life as we knew it there. However, when our season here comes to a close I'm pretty certain we will have a tough time leaving our life and experiences here.
How grateful we are for the Gift of the Holy Ghost which testifies to our hearts that we are to be here at this time. It is such a powerful feeling embedded within us and is what keeps us looking forward and feeling peace amid the conflict. We will carry on!
So my musings today may seem somewhat negative but they really aren't. They just are what we are feeling and going through. We have faith and confidence that all will be as it is meant to be.
Farewell,
Clint, Liz and Carli
Saturday, 16 August 2014
Wednesday, 23 July 2014
Reunited in Saudi---Our New Home
After 17 hours in the most comfortable flight we've ever taken, (business class is definitely the way to fly), we were reunited with Clint here in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
First impressions: When entering the airport I thought it was just like so many other airports I've been in. Getting through Customs was a bit different. Seemed like some people were being tested and perhaps intimidated somewhat. I just kept smiling and we were taken out of line and brought to the front ahead of others. After passing through we still had to wait for about half an hour to have my passport returned. Many were waiting MUCH longer. We picked up our bags which were all there and in tact. We were grateful.
Of course when we saw Clint it was all smiles, hugs and kisses.
We stepped out of the airport and immediately felt the heat. It was HOT! Having a long black abiya over our clothes added to the experience.
It took about 35 minutes to get home to our compound. The drive reminded me of Arizona mixed with Las Vegas. The city looks a lot like Phoenix but with many neon signs like Vegas. We passed by a very large university for women. Apparently there are 65,000 Saudi women who attend there.
Our compound is well guarded with high walls with barbed wire fences on top and a huge steal barricade wall and a I don't know what you call it---this sort of wall that comes up from underground. Once inside it is as if you entered a holiday resort.
After putting our bags inside Carli wanted to go for a swim so off we went to the pool at midnight. It is a 4 minute leisurely walk from our front door to the gym and pool. No complaints with that!
Since Saturday Carli and I have been to the gym and pool every morning....early... as it gets too hot to be outside later in the day. Even too hot to sit by the pool!
The heat seems almost unreal. When you walk outside it seems like someone has forgotten to turn off the furnace or something. It is so intense! There is often a nice breeze which makes going outside somewhat bearable.
Everything in the house has a layer of fine dust on it EVERY day. This will be my new favorite household task...dusting! NOT!
We have been out shopping a bit with Clint to pick up household items we need as well as food. Perhaps because of Ramadan and also because of summer heat, the city seems a bit like a ghost town. You see ONLY men driving vehicles of course but it seems they do most of the shopping as well. I've seen a few women while out and about but not many Saudi women.
We have been able to find most foods that we usually eat. The Timimi store is owned by Safeway so we feel blessed to have some familiar products here.
Yesterday we were able to visit Clint's company downtown. This building is new and beautiful, very much like office buildings in Edmonton. We had to get blood taken for our Igama which is our temporary residence visa so we went to Clint's office and were then driven to a very interesting medical office downtown. Let's suffice to say that it was a bit of a walk back in time!!!
Today we are having some renovations done to our villa. The fridge was in the middle of the kitchen blocking the doorway to our dining room and the washing machine was in the kitchen as well. We had them both moved to the maids room adjoining the kitchen, which we will obviously not be using for a maid! We will buy a dishwasher today and put it where the washing machine was located.
This evening we have been invited to dinner at one of our neighbors. He is Canadian and she is Thai. She has a take out orders restaurant in her home. The menu is spectacular. Can hardly wait to eat with them this evening.
Carli has been given a short term job caring for a cat while the project's lawyer is out of town for a couple of weeks. She has also been very motivated in planning out her own bakery. People are already interested in her goods. She has also been asked to babysit for families on the compound. Besides that she has been swimming laps and working up to her plan of training for a triathlon. We are seeing a very motivated, very positive and forward thinking side of Carli. We are encouraging her to continue and look forward to seeing her results.
All in all we feel very comfortable here....and yes, very safe! We look forward to meeting more neighbors and finding our bearings within the city. We have been able to keep busy and we are adjusting very quickly to the new time zone and new surroundings. I think we are going to really enjoy our experience here.
So other than missing our family and loved ones, life is good and we are happy.
Just one funny event I almost forgot to write about: Out shopping the other day, pushing the cart along and suddenly stopped in my tracks. My abiya got caught in the wheel of the cart. YIKES. What do we do? Don't want to just rip it out. Along comes a sweet Philipino man who tells me to just wait; he can help. Then a man from the store runs and gets a pair of scissors. YIKES again. Don't want to cut it either. The Philipino man says NO NO just wait. He patiently pulled the hem of my abiya through the wheel then off the side and back through. No ripping or cutting. All is well. Wonder if he had to do it before????We thanked him very much. He went about his way.
Ten minutes later I am suddenly stopped in my tracks again. Same thing happened AGAIN! This time Clint layed down on the floor of the store and pulled the hem through the wheel and off the side and back through just as he had seen the Philipino man do earlier.
I am now very paranoid about pushing shopping carts while wearing an abiya!
Until next post...
Signing off in Saudi
First impressions: When entering the airport I thought it was just like so many other airports I've been in. Getting through Customs was a bit different. Seemed like some people were being tested and perhaps intimidated somewhat. I just kept smiling and we were taken out of line and brought to the front ahead of others. After passing through we still had to wait for about half an hour to have my passport returned. Many were waiting MUCH longer. We picked up our bags which were all there and in tact. We were grateful.
Of course when we saw Clint it was all smiles, hugs and kisses.
We stepped out of the airport and immediately felt the heat. It was HOT! Having a long black abiya over our clothes added to the experience.
It took about 35 minutes to get home to our compound. The drive reminded me of Arizona mixed with Las Vegas. The city looks a lot like Phoenix but with many neon signs like Vegas. We passed by a very large university for women. Apparently there are 65,000 Saudi women who attend there.
Our compound is well guarded with high walls with barbed wire fences on top and a huge steal barricade wall and a I don't know what you call it---this sort of wall that comes up from underground. Once inside it is as if you entered a holiday resort.
After putting our bags inside Carli wanted to go for a swim so off we went to the pool at midnight. It is a 4 minute leisurely walk from our front door to the gym and pool. No complaints with that!
Since Saturday Carli and I have been to the gym and pool every morning....early... as it gets too hot to be outside later in the day. Even too hot to sit by the pool!
The heat seems almost unreal. When you walk outside it seems like someone has forgotten to turn off the furnace or something. It is so intense! There is often a nice breeze which makes going outside somewhat bearable.
Everything in the house has a layer of fine dust on it EVERY day. This will be my new favorite household task...dusting! NOT!
We have been out shopping a bit with Clint to pick up household items we need as well as food. Perhaps because of Ramadan and also because of summer heat, the city seems a bit like a ghost town. You see ONLY men driving vehicles of course but it seems they do most of the shopping as well. I've seen a few women while out and about but not many Saudi women.
We have been able to find most foods that we usually eat. The Timimi store is owned by Safeway so we feel blessed to have some familiar products here.
Yesterday we were able to visit Clint's company downtown. This building is new and beautiful, very much like office buildings in Edmonton. We had to get blood taken for our Igama which is our temporary residence visa so we went to Clint's office and were then driven to a very interesting medical office downtown. Let's suffice to say that it was a bit of a walk back in time!!!
Today we are having some renovations done to our villa. The fridge was in the middle of the kitchen blocking the doorway to our dining room and the washing machine was in the kitchen as well. We had them both moved to the maids room adjoining the kitchen, which we will obviously not be using for a maid! We will buy a dishwasher today and put it where the washing machine was located.
This evening we have been invited to dinner at one of our neighbors. He is Canadian and she is Thai. She has a take out orders restaurant in her home. The menu is spectacular. Can hardly wait to eat with them this evening.
Carli has been given a short term job caring for a cat while the project's lawyer is out of town for a couple of weeks. She has also been very motivated in planning out her own bakery. People are already interested in her goods. She has also been asked to babysit for families on the compound. Besides that she has been swimming laps and working up to her plan of training for a triathlon. We are seeing a very motivated, very positive and forward thinking side of Carli. We are encouraging her to continue and look forward to seeing her results.
All in all we feel very comfortable here....and yes, very safe! We look forward to meeting more neighbors and finding our bearings within the city. We have been able to keep busy and we are adjusting very quickly to the new time zone and new surroundings. I think we are going to really enjoy our experience here.
So other than missing our family and loved ones, life is good and we are happy.
Just one funny event I almost forgot to write about: Out shopping the other day, pushing the cart along and suddenly stopped in my tracks. My abiya got caught in the wheel of the cart. YIKES. What do we do? Don't want to just rip it out. Along comes a sweet Philipino man who tells me to just wait; he can help. Then a man from the store runs and gets a pair of scissors. YIKES again. Don't want to cut it either. The Philipino man says NO NO just wait. He patiently pulled the hem of my abiya through the wheel then off the side and back through. No ripping or cutting. All is well. Wonder if he had to do it before????We thanked him very much. He went about his way.
Ten minutes later I am suddenly stopped in my tracks again. Same thing happened AGAIN! This time Clint layed down on the floor of the store and pulled the hem through the wheel and off the side and back through just as he had seen the Philipino man do earlier.
I am now very paranoid about pushing shopping carts while wearing an abiya!
Until next post...
Signing off in Saudi
Friday, 18 July 2014
FAREWELL CANADA ADIEU!
This is my last post from home. We are off to Saudi this evening. Bags are packed and the last of my "To Do" list is being checked off with this post.
Farewell our dear family and friends. You will all be missed more than you can imagine. We will stay in touch through this blog as well as Skype (address mammieandpops) and Face Time.
We will miss OUR TRUE NORTH, STRONG AND FREE!
Until we meet again, farewell.
~~~Clint, Liz and Carli
Farewell our dear family and friends. You will all be missed more than you can imagine. We will stay in touch through this blog as well as Skype (address mammieandpops) and Face Time.
We will miss OUR TRUE NORTH, STRONG AND FREE!
Until we meet again, farewell.
~~~Clint, Liz and Carli
Tuesday, 15 July 2014
FLYING ON FRIDAY !
We have our tickets! We will leave here Friday evening, arrive in London Saturday morning. Two hours later we fly to Saudi. Will arrive there at 10:30 pm Saudi time. (9 hrs ahead of MST in Edmonton)
Carli and I have been resorting and repacking all afternoon. Our load keeps getting lighter. It's an interesting process to give up almost everything you own. It is freeing and relieving. It also makes me think about what is really important in life and just how little we can live on. There are a number of "nice to haves" but we really are a rich people and perhaps even somewhat spoiled by all that we possess. I wonder if my service might be different now while I don't have as many distractions. Time will tell.
Back to packing.
Carli and I have been resorting and repacking all afternoon. Our load keeps getting lighter. It's an interesting process to give up almost everything you own. It is freeing and relieving. It also makes me think about what is really important in life and just how little we can live on. There are a number of "nice to haves" but we really are a rich people and perhaps even somewhat spoiled by all that we possess. I wonder if my service might be different now while I don't have as many distractions. Time will tell.
Back to packing.
Monday, 14 July 2014
HALLELUJAH! VISAS HAVE BEEN ISSUED!
Just received word that our visas have been issued. Travel plans are being made as I write. Will probably fly on Friday.
Today marks 5 months since Clint's departure. So relieved to know I will see him again within the week.
Doing the happy dance!
Today marks 5 months since Clint's departure. So relieved to know I will see him again within the week.
Doing the happy dance!
Sunday, 13 July 2014
We're Still Waiting!!!
Because of observing Ramadan, members of the Saudi Embassy are working shorter days. Thus we wait a little longer to receive our visas. It feels a bit like being due to have a baby. You meet some people and they all ask the same question: "Are you still here?"
So yes, we are still here. We are hopeful to receive word tomorrow and make plans to fly out just as soon as we can book our flights.
Yesterday our grandbabies left for a trip away with their Mommy. It was a tearful morning as I said farewell to my precious girls. Perhaps it was a blessing to see them leave from home rather than at the airport as we leave. They will grow so much in the next couple of years. Skype and Face Time will become a vital part of our lives. How grateful I am for modern technology!
So yes, we are still here. We are hopeful to receive word tomorrow and make plans to fly out just as soon as we can book our flights.
Yesterday our grandbabies left for a trip away with their Mommy. It was a tearful morning as I said farewell to my precious girls. Perhaps it was a blessing to see them leave from home rather than at the airport as we leave. They will grow so much in the next couple of years. Skype and Face Time will become a vital part of our lives. How grateful I am for modern technology!
Saturday, 5 July 2014
WAITING !
On Wednesday our visa applications were submitted to the Saudi Embassy. We hope to receive word on Monday or Tuesday this coming week. As soon as word comes we will be booking our flights with hopes to leave Canada on July 10th.
Today, Carli and I had our first taste of living as a Muslim as we bought an abiya for each of us. We will need to carry them with us to don as we enter the airport in Riyadh.
Today, Carli and I had our first taste of living as a Muslim as we bought an abiya for each of us. We will need to carry them with us to don as we enter the airport in Riyadh.
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