After what felt like the longest week ever (working six days a week and waking up at 5am everyday to do so, will do that to you) I finally got a day off. To my delight I was invited to go to the beach. I briefly mentioned the idea of going to the beach as a foreigner and I can now tell you that they exist. So the day started with breakfast as we decided who has going and what beach to go to. Once that was settled we all packed our bags and us girls put on our abayas (over our other clothes) and we all got in the car. We only drove about 30 min from our hotel and stopped at an unmarked, very bright blue metal door. Next to this door is a very small window. When we pull up, a man appears at the window and asks us where we are from, we proceed to tell him that we have Italians, an American, and a Colombian. We show are passports, pay 100SR (which is about $25USD) and the bright blue gate opens and we drive into a parking lot.
I discovered that they ask for nationality because they do not allow Saudi nationals attend and the only way they even get away with existing is that they are a "private" beach (thus the entrance fee) and are surrounded by other "private" beaches who don't care that there are expats showing skin.
And how much skin! I mean by comparison to the very proper and "modest" dress code at KAUST and of course the lovely abayas everywhere else, I almost forgot (for a split second) that I was in KSA. I do have clarify, the KSA shore is apparently not sandy, it is rocky and not really meant for lounging about. So what this beach (and I've heard the beach at KAUST) have done is that they have shipped in their sand to create a beach where people can lay out. Silver Sands beach (where we were) is only about 1/2 a mile long and maybe 200 feet wide, and it was packed. There were people from all kinds of nationalities, I heard people speaking in French, Italian, English, Spanish, Arabic (the Lebanese expats apparently really like the beach too) and an amalgam of other languages.
So the beach isn't really that spectacular, but the water was. It's as blue as you see in the Caribbean and just as clear. Getting into the water, however, is not as smooth as it is in the Caribbean. Because they have made this beach it has lots of little coral pieces all over the place, so you actually have to be really careful when you walk in or out of the water. The water was cool but not cold and lovely to swim in. It is after all KSA. It's always hot (even in January).
Now for as much fun as I had at the beach I have to say that one of my favorite moments actually happened in the bathroom of all places. When I was washing my hands I noticed a sign that read "please don't throw sanitary tiles in the bathroom." They try, the honestly do, but sanitary tiles? I mean I certainly hope the tiles in the bathroom are sanitary, and no one is throwing them around!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Shopping Saudi Style...
As the name of this post might suggest, this here in KSA are done a little differently, including on of my favorite pastimes shopping! There are many ways in which to shop, which according to some, is quite the Saudi thing to do. Now, this is probably due to the fact that there is very little else that can be done for fun in the Kingdom. There are no clubs or bars,drinking is forbidden and you can't dance with people of the opposite (it's considered unsightly!). You can't really go to the beach, because you can't (technically) be on any beach in KSA in a bathing suit (showing skin is BIG no-no, although I have been told of the elusive "ex-pat beaches" where yours truly might actually be able to work on her tan, but more on that when I stop working six days a week and actually have to time to find one of said places). And then of course most of the time it's just too hot to want to be outside anyway, so shopping it is.
Now there are of course two places to do said shopping. There is the souq and the mall. Either option is welcomed in Saudi and by now I have had the opportunity to do both. So first the mall. The malls here in KSA are basically like an enlarged (or perhaps engorged) version of US malls with European stores. There are also other more subtle differences. First you do not see women shopping in large groups the way you in the western world, and of course all of the women who are there are wearing the ever so fashionable abaya. Second, all of the store clerks are men. ALL OF THEM. Even when you to a lingerie store (and no I did not go into a lingerie store just walked past one) the clerks are male. So, I wonder what happens when you don't know the proper bra size? A man is not allowed to measure you and I can only imagine what trying anything on must be like. Finally, there is the issue with shopping in saudi riyals and the arabic numbers. Contrary to popular belief the numbers as we know them 1,2,3,4,5 etc. are not the same in arabic. the 4 basically looks like a backwards three, the 6 looks like a seven and the 5 looks like a 0, so trying to sort out what price is on things, is well as everything here, an adventure.
The souq: souqs are the "original" way to go shopping here in KSA. There basically streets lined with stores. Different souqs are known for different things. There is the more "general" souqs like Al-Balladh where you can go to get an abaya (and is coincidentally where I wanted to go to get mine when I ended up at the creepy shop). There are other souqs that specialize in certain things, like the gold souq (that I have yet to visit) or the Afgan souq, where they have some of the most beautiful rugs I have ever seen. There is one thing to consider when buying a rug, know your price and make sure the rug shop keeper does not show you anything above that price. Why? Because the more expensive the rug, the more beautiful they are and at that point you will no longer be interested in the rugs you can afford because they just don't look as good (even though they looked gorgeous when you first saw them). Also, no price in the souq is set. Like so many things in the middle east, you have to be ready to barter and haggle the price down to something where you think you got a deal and the shop owner is still probably thinking they overcharged you.
Now there are of course two places to do said shopping. There is the souq and the mall. Either option is welcomed in Saudi and by now I have had the opportunity to do both. So first the mall. The malls here in KSA are basically like an enlarged (or perhaps engorged) version of US malls with European stores. There are also other more subtle differences. First you do not see women shopping in large groups the way you in the western world, and of course all of the women who are there are wearing the ever so fashionable abaya. Second, all of the store clerks are men. ALL OF THEM. Even when you to a lingerie store (and no I did not go into a lingerie store just walked past one) the clerks are male. So, I wonder what happens when you don't know the proper bra size? A man is not allowed to measure you and I can only imagine what trying anything on must be like. Finally, there is the issue with shopping in saudi riyals and the arabic numbers. Contrary to popular belief the numbers as we know them 1,2,3,4,5 etc. are not the same in arabic. the 4 basically looks like a backwards three, the 6 looks like a seven and the 5 looks like a 0, so trying to sort out what price is on things, is well as everything here, an adventure.
The souq: souqs are the "original" way to go shopping here in KSA. There basically streets lined with stores. Different souqs are known for different things. There is the more "general" souqs like Al-Balladh where you can go to get an abaya (and is coincidentally where I wanted to go to get mine when I ended up at the creepy shop). There are other souqs that specialize in certain things, like the gold souq (that I have yet to visit) or the Afgan souq, where they have some of the most beautiful rugs I have ever seen. There is one thing to consider when buying a rug, know your price and make sure the rug shop keeper does not show you anything above that price. Why? Because the more expensive the rug, the more beautiful they are and at that point you will no longer be interested in the rugs you can afford because they just don't look as good (even though they looked gorgeous when you first saw them). Also, no price in the souq is set. Like so many things in the middle east, you have to be ready to barter and haggle the price down to something where you think you got a deal and the shop owner is still probably thinking they overcharged you.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Thuwal...
KAUST is located in the town of Thuwal, which I learned today means "blinded" in arabic. People use it to signify dumb or "despistado" when someone does something stupid like fall or walk into something. I wonder if there is any significance to the fact that this very expensive institution has been placed in a town of 'blind fools.'
The town of Thuwal got its namesake because of the 'blinding sandstorms' that affect it in the winter. Today was one such sand storm. It was nuts! It wasn't quite like the movies with clouds of sands but you feel the sand in the back of your throat and a light coating of sand on everything else. The winds were so strong they were literally tearing pieces of the roof off (now that might also be because they haven't finished building the roof and according to my sources are not doing a very good job with it anyway).
Random Fact of Day: There are basically no coins in KSA (with the exception of the very rare 50cent coin). Most things are rounded in the nearest riyal and if there is change to be given it usually given to you as a pack of gum.
The town of Thuwal got its namesake because of the 'blinding sandstorms' that affect it in the winter. Today was one such sand storm. It was nuts! It wasn't quite like the movies with clouds of sands but you feel the sand in the back of your throat and a light coating of sand on everything else. The winds were so strong they were literally tearing pieces of the roof off (now that might also be because they haven't finished building the roof and according to my sources are not doing a very good job with it anyway).
Random Fact of Day: There are basically no coins in KSA (with the exception of the very rare 50cent coin). Most things are rounded in the nearest riyal and if there is change to be given it usually given to you as a pack of gum.
Friday, January 15, 2010
Week 1
So sorry that it took me a whole to week to update this but what a week it has been! Let's get started with the stories shall we?
Thursday Arrival the Hotel:
Everything worked out well. Walked into hotel room to find that it's a suite type room with a little living room and a bedroom. To my surprise the bedroom has two single (!) beds. Now, I've been in my share of hotel rooms and this the first time I've ever seen single beds, very interesting.
Friday:
Woke up pretty early after a bad night's sleep. I guess having an 8 hour jet-lag will do that to you. Met my British colleague V. and discovered that my hotel breaks every Islamic rule on earth by actually having "women's hours" for the pool! While I realize that this may seem like a small feat, you have to understand that women in KSA are very limited and to go to a pool and actually be able to wear a bathing suit (and a two piece at that!) is a big no-no. So, we sat at the pool and met other KAUST people. V. had only just arrive four days prior and so had not purchased an abaya yet so we decided that today was as good a day as any to go do so. We asked around and were told that the Al-Balad souq (a souq is a typical market-place type thing, where basically there are a lot of stores and stands where you can buy pretty much anything).
Wonderful, I had already agreed with the driver that had dropped me off at the hotel the night before that I would need a ride to do some shopping. He picks us up and we head to the souq to realize that neither of us actually has any Saudi Riyals. So what do two smart, western women do? Go to the ATM, naturally. One problem, the ATM would not work, not with my card or V's. Ok, so we go try another, same thing. We try a third ATM and again leave with nothing. At this point I'm beginning to think that this is going to be one short shopping trip when I finally stop someone and ask him if he knows anywhere close by where I can exchange USD into SR. Fortunately he speaks English and proceeds to ask us if we know where X street is, we of course reply, no. Then he asks if we have ever heard of Y place, again our answer, no. So he kind of smiles, says something to his friend in Arabic and says "Come we will show you."
At this point, I'm sure most of you are thinking, please Cata tell me you didn't go with him. Well, I did. What else was I going to do? I needed to buy an abaya! I had gotten lucky that someone loaned me one to go to the souq but I needed one of my own and if my ATM card wasn't going to work then exchanging USD was my only option. The guys turned out to be friendly enough. One of them started to talk to V and the other started to me. His name, Ahmed and he quickly clarified for me that he was in fact Egyptian, not Arabic. "It's not that Arab men are bad, but everyone is bad so trust no one," is what he told me. I guess I'll have to trust him on that one.
As we walked, Ahmed asked me for my name, my occupation, my age and then my marital status. Apparently, this is quite common in the Arabic world and ladies if you ever do find yourself in this part of the world the correct answer is either that you are married or engaged. I of course, did not know that at the time and told him I was neither married or engaged. He walked us to one place where they promptly told us they would not be able to exchange my dollars, we went to a hotel where the guys had stayed previously hoping they might be able to exchange $100USD (which is not much is KSA) but they said they had no money.
Finally as we walked out the hotel Ahmed offered to change the dollars for me himself. He actually gave me the exact exchange rate and then proceeded to give me his phone number, which me made me write down. We thank them for their help and go our separate ways.
Now V and I actually have money to go abaya shopping. We find an abaya shop and are quickly accosted by the salesman. Now, I've dealt with my fair share of overzealous sales people but this guy was just creepy. He kept insisting that he had to "help us" put our abayas on (over the abayas we were already wearing, mind you). By the end of the whole thing I was so uncomfortable that I bought the first two abayas that fit moderately well and ran out of the store. I probably paid more than I should have but I just wanted out of there!
Saturday:
The beginning of the work week. I had to wake up at 5am! As it turns out the hotel I'm in is 1.5 hours away from KAUST and the day begins at 8am, so that means that the bus picks us up at 6:30am. So after another bad night, I get ready have breakfast and get on the bus. I saw the sun rise
I arrive at KAUST and was ushered to HR. Met with my HR rep who was nice enough and was picked up by my supervisors, my direct supervisor the Assistant Director of Admissions and his supervisor the Associate Director of Admissions (my former college counselor back in Bogota). We walk over to Admissions where I finally meet the Director of Admissions. I am shown around as the "new professional staff member" and am told to sit at a desk for the time being. With nothing to do and no "proper training" in how to read applications I am given the VERY important task of labeling files. I task I do, ALL DAY LONG. Get on the bus at 5pm, see the sun set, get to the hotel at about 6:30pm, try to have some dinner and fall asleep exhausted.
Sunday:
Another early morning and long commute. I arrive in the office and am shown to my "permanently-temporary cubicle." Basically the office is a bit unorganized and while V and I are meant to have actual offices there are other people (who are not Admissions) in them at the moment, so we have to wait until they move out. Today I get promoted! Now I get to open mail, stamp it as an original document, file and then, of course, label the files :)
I did however remember to take pictures of the campus...
Monday:
I have to get blood work done for my Iqama (the resident visa card), which is all fine and good until they tell me they have to take my passport while the card is being processed and that the process can take up to two weeks (eeek!). I also discover that KSA is the only country in the world that requires an exit visa, so I will have to be getting one of those when I get my passport back.
In the office I am still filing away until at the end of the day I (finally!) get a computer set up at my desk. Well, this of course can mean only one thing, another promotion! Now I get to upload the mail that I've opened and filed onto the system, but alas still no reading of the file.
Tuesday:
Pretty much the same. My boss asks me to work on a flyer (yey for a break to filing!) and I actually stay late because V and I have been offered a ride back to Jeddah and dinner at place other than the hotel. Dinner was good, but I think I'm a better cook, so I'm desperately waiting for housing to set me up in a house with a kitched.
Wednesday:
The end of the week has finally arrived! Unfortunately so did the staff meeting where we were told that we are expected to work Thursdays for the next "few weeks" because we are behind in reading files. On a happier note, I did go out to dinner again with my new hotel friends and had a blast (although, once again the food was underwhelming).
Thursday:
In the office at 10, which means I got to sleep in until 7am :) Finally got reader training! Started to read, which for my fellow AO's, KAUST reading is a breeze. All I need to look at are GPA's, tests scores and making sure that the rec letters and essays correspond to the right student. Unfortunately, we are working with some bizarre system that basically requires a million more steps to get the process moving than it should. Oh well, Inshallah everything will work out by the Jan 30 deadline for PhD and the Feb 30 deadline for MS candidates.
Overall, a very long week, but so far so good.
Thursday Arrival the Hotel:
Everything worked out well. Walked into hotel room to find that it's a suite type room with a little living room and a bedroom. To my surprise the bedroom has two single (!) beds. Now, I've been in my share of hotel rooms and this the first time I've ever seen single beds, very interesting.
Friday:
Woke up pretty early after a bad night's sleep. I guess having an 8 hour jet-lag will do that to you. Met my British colleague V. and discovered that my hotel breaks every Islamic rule on earth by actually having "women's hours" for the pool! While I realize that this may seem like a small feat, you have to understand that women in KSA are very limited and to go to a pool and actually be able to wear a bathing suit (and a two piece at that!) is a big no-no. So, we sat at the pool and met other KAUST people. V. had only just arrive four days prior and so had not purchased an abaya yet so we decided that today was as good a day as any to go do so. We asked around and were told that the Al-Balad souq (a souq is a typical market-place type thing, where basically there are a lot of stores and stands where you can buy pretty much anything).
Wonderful, I had already agreed with the driver that had dropped me off at the hotel the night before that I would need a ride to do some shopping. He picks us up and we head to the souq to realize that neither of us actually has any Saudi Riyals. So what do two smart, western women do? Go to the ATM, naturally. One problem, the ATM would not work, not with my card or V's. Ok, so we go try another, same thing. We try a third ATM and again leave with nothing. At this point I'm beginning to think that this is going to be one short shopping trip when I finally stop someone and ask him if he knows anywhere close by where I can exchange USD into SR. Fortunately he speaks English and proceeds to ask us if we know where X street is, we of course reply, no. Then he asks if we have ever heard of Y place, again our answer, no. So he kind of smiles, says something to his friend in Arabic and says "Come we will show you."
At this point, I'm sure most of you are thinking, please Cata tell me you didn't go with him. Well, I did. What else was I going to do? I needed to buy an abaya! I had gotten lucky that someone loaned me one to go to the souq but I needed one of my own and if my ATM card wasn't going to work then exchanging USD was my only option. The guys turned out to be friendly enough. One of them started to talk to V and the other started to me. His name, Ahmed and he quickly clarified for me that he was in fact Egyptian, not Arabic. "It's not that Arab men are bad, but everyone is bad so trust no one," is what he told me. I guess I'll have to trust him on that one.
As we walked, Ahmed asked me for my name, my occupation, my age and then my marital status. Apparently, this is quite common in the Arabic world and ladies if you ever do find yourself in this part of the world the correct answer is either that you are married or engaged. I of course, did not know that at the time and told him I was neither married or engaged. He walked us to one place where they promptly told us they would not be able to exchange my dollars, we went to a hotel where the guys had stayed previously hoping they might be able to exchange $100USD (which is not much is KSA) but they said they had no money.
Finally as we walked out the hotel Ahmed offered to change the dollars for me himself. He actually gave me the exact exchange rate and then proceeded to give me his phone number, which me made me write down. We thank them for their help and go our separate ways.
Now V and I actually have money to go abaya shopping. We find an abaya shop and are quickly accosted by the salesman. Now, I've dealt with my fair share of overzealous sales people but this guy was just creepy. He kept insisting that he had to "help us" put our abayas on (over the abayas we were already wearing, mind you). By the end of the whole thing I was so uncomfortable that I bought the first two abayas that fit moderately well and ran out of the store. I probably paid more than I should have but I just wanted out of there!
Saturday:
The beginning of the work week. I had to wake up at 5am! As it turns out the hotel I'm in is 1.5 hours away from KAUST and the day begins at 8am, so that means that the bus picks us up at 6:30am. So after another bad night, I get ready have breakfast and get on the bus. I saw the sun rise
I arrive at KAUST and was ushered to HR. Met with my HR rep who was nice enough and was picked up by my supervisors, my direct supervisor the Assistant Director of Admissions and his supervisor the Associate Director of Admissions (my former college counselor back in Bogota). We walk over to Admissions where I finally meet the Director of Admissions. I am shown around as the "new professional staff member" and am told to sit at a desk for the time being. With nothing to do and no "proper training" in how to read applications I am given the VERY important task of labeling files. I task I do, ALL DAY LONG. Get on the bus at 5pm, see the sun set, get to the hotel at about 6:30pm, try to have some dinner and fall asleep exhausted.
Sunday:
Another early morning and long commute. I arrive in the office and am shown to my "permanently-temporary cubicle." Basically the office is a bit unorganized and while V and I are meant to have actual offices there are other people (who are not Admissions) in them at the moment, so we have to wait until they move out. Today I get promoted! Now I get to open mail, stamp it as an original document, file and then, of course, label the files :)
I did however remember to take pictures of the campus...
Monday:
I have to get blood work done for my Iqama (the resident visa card), which is all fine and good until they tell me they have to take my passport while the card is being processed and that the process can take up to two weeks (eeek!). I also discover that KSA is the only country in the world that requires an exit visa, so I will have to be getting one of those when I get my passport back.
In the office I am still filing away until at the end of the day I (finally!) get a computer set up at my desk. Well, this of course can mean only one thing, another promotion! Now I get to upload the mail that I've opened and filed onto the system, but alas still no reading of the file.
Tuesday:
Pretty much the same. My boss asks me to work on a flyer (yey for a break to filing!) and I actually stay late because V and I have been offered a ride back to Jeddah and dinner at place other than the hotel. Dinner was good, but I think I'm a better cook, so I'm desperately waiting for housing to set me up in a house with a kitched.
Wednesday:
The end of the week has finally arrived! Unfortunately so did the staff meeting where we were told that we are expected to work Thursdays for the next "few weeks" because we are behind in reading files. On a happier note, I did go out to dinner again with my new hotel friends and had a blast (although, once again the food was underwhelming).
Thursday:
In the office at 10, which means I got to sleep in until 7am :) Finally got reader training! Started to read, which for my fellow AO's, KAUST reading is a breeze. All I need to look at are GPA's, tests scores and making sure that the rec letters and essays correspond to the right student. Unfortunately, we are working with some bizarre system that basically requires a million more steps to get the process moving than it should. Oh well, Inshallah everything will work out by the Jan 30 deadline for PhD and the Feb 30 deadline for MS candidates.
Overall, a very long week, but so far so good.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Arrival
Picking up from where I left off. After my very expensive hour of internet usage was up, I befriended a Saudi man (who's name escapes me at the moment) who lives in Salt Lake City. He was very patient in answering all of my questions regarding like in Jeddah and KSA. According to him, life in Jeddah is really nice and relaxed and that the food is awesome (especially for someone like me who love sea food and doesn't eat pork!).
After chatting with my new Saudi friend we were approached by two other men, who turned out to be from Sudan. Our flight from Frankfurt would be stopping in Khartoum. Very nice as well. One of them tells me he knows people in Saudi (some prince or something I think he said) and that he was going to give me his phone number so that if anything ever happened to me, he "knew people who could help me." Clearly, I did not ask for his number and as soon as I boarded the plane, I fell asleep and didn't see him again.
Let's talk a little about the plane/flight itself, or rather the people on it. I think it is safe to say that over 80% (and probably closer to 90%) of the people on the flight were men. I guess this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, but it was definitely something you noticed (especially if you're a girl).The flight in and of itself was uneventful. I slept for most of it. Once we arrive in Jeddah however, a couple of things happened. First, as soon as we hit Saudi airspace the flight attendants came up and down the isles picking up any last remnant of alcohol and any magazine that might have a picture of a woman that is "innapropriately dressed" (a.k.a. any fashion/gossip magazine had to go). Secondly, once we landed in Jeddah I realized that I was the only woman who was not wearing an abaya (a.k.a. long black dress that all women have to wear when in KSA). Now I must point out that most of these women were wearing short skirts and fairly tightly fitting clothing when they got on the plane, but now they had all nicely covered up. That is, all of them but me. So clearly I got a lot of "she's clearly not from around here" and "what is she thinking?" looks.
Great, so I get on the shuttle bus to take to the terminal, where according the email I had received there would be a KAUST counter and someone to greet me. I arrive at the terminal and the KAUST counter is very visible and very empty. I stand there for what seemed like an hour, but was probably closer to a minute or two, when a Saudi immigration officer looks at me and says "KAUST?" and points at my passport. I promptly hand him my passport, which he looks at, looks at me and tells me to follow him. I arrive at the immigration desk where he hands my passport to one man, who just kind of disdainfully glances my way and hands it off to yet another immigration officer. This immigration officer tells me cut the line and basically really annoy the guy who was behind me. He then proceeds to talk to the immigration officer in front in Arabic while pointing at me. No idea what they said.
Finally I get my passport back, my picture taken and my finger prints scanned and I'm off to pick up my bags, but still no word or sight of anyone from KAUST. I'm starting to freak out. Fortunately an American comes up to me and asks me if this is my first time in Jeddah (again the abaya thing is a dead giveaway) and looks at me in some measure of concern. He asks me why I'm in KSA by myself and why there is no one there to meet me. I tell him about KAUST, which seems to relax him a bit. He says there are a lot of people from KAUST on the plane so I should be ok. He keeps telling me that the ex-pat community here in KSA is really small and that I'll probably run into him again at some point (we'll see).
In the meantime, I have somehow managed to find a baggage handler who is helping me load my three pieces of luggage onto a cart, then an x-ray machine, and then the cart again. I'm in the "lobby" area of the airport and still no one from KAUST is to be seen. Now I'm really freaking out. The luggage handler keeps asking me if I want a taxi (which is useless to me because I don't know where I'm going), and if I have a number to call (which I do, but not phone to call with and no Rials to use a pay phone with). After another painfully long ten minutes, I finally see someone holding a sign with my name on it. I am escorted to a car, the baggage handler is paid and we are on our way to the hotel.
After chatting with my new Saudi friend we were approached by two other men, who turned out to be from Sudan. Our flight from Frankfurt would be stopping in Khartoum. Very nice as well. One of them tells me he knows people in Saudi (some prince or something I think he said) and that he was going to give me his phone number so that if anything ever happened to me, he "knew people who could help me." Clearly, I did not ask for his number and as soon as I boarded the plane, I fell asleep and didn't see him again.
Let's talk a little about the plane/flight itself, or rather the people on it. I think it is safe to say that over 80% (and probably closer to 90%) of the people on the flight were men. I guess this shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, but it was definitely something you noticed (especially if you're a girl).The flight in and of itself was uneventful. I slept for most of it. Once we arrive in Jeddah however, a couple of things happened. First, as soon as we hit Saudi airspace the flight attendants came up and down the isles picking up any last remnant of alcohol and any magazine that might have a picture of a woman that is "innapropriately dressed" (a.k.a. any fashion/gossip magazine had to go). Secondly, once we landed in Jeddah I realized that I was the only woman who was not wearing an abaya (a.k.a. long black dress that all women have to wear when in KSA). Now I must point out that most of these women were wearing short skirts and fairly tightly fitting clothing when they got on the plane, but now they had all nicely covered up. That is, all of them but me. So clearly I got a lot of "she's clearly not from around here" and "what is she thinking?" looks.
Great, so I get on the shuttle bus to take to the terminal, where according the email I had received there would be a KAUST counter and someone to greet me. I arrive at the terminal and the KAUST counter is very visible and very empty. I stand there for what seemed like an hour, but was probably closer to a minute or two, when a Saudi immigration officer looks at me and says "KAUST?" and points at my passport. I promptly hand him my passport, which he looks at, looks at me and tells me to follow him. I arrive at the immigration desk where he hands my passport to one man, who just kind of disdainfully glances my way and hands it off to yet another immigration officer. This immigration officer tells me cut the line and basically really annoy the guy who was behind me. He then proceeds to talk to the immigration officer in front in Arabic while pointing at me. No idea what they said.
Finally I get my passport back, my picture taken and my finger prints scanned and I'm off to pick up my bags, but still no word or sight of anyone from KAUST. I'm starting to freak out. Fortunately an American comes up to me and asks me if this is my first time in Jeddah (again the abaya thing is a dead giveaway) and looks at me in some measure of concern. He asks me why I'm in KSA by myself and why there is no one there to meet me. I tell him about KAUST, which seems to relax him a bit. He says there are a lot of people from KAUST on the plane so I should be ok. He keeps telling me that the ex-pat community here in KSA is really small and that I'll probably run into him again at some point (we'll see).
In the meantime, I have somehow managed to find a baggage handler who is helping me load my three pieces of luggage onto a cart, then an x-ray machine, and then the cart again. I'm in the "lobby" area of the airport and still no one from KAUST is to be seen. Now I'm really freaking out. The luggage handler keeps asking me if I want a taxi (which is useless to me because I don't know where I'm going), and if I have a number to call (which I do, but not phone to call with and no Rials to use a pay phone with). After another painfully long ten minutes, I finally see someone holding a sign with my name on it. I am escorted to a car, the baggage handler is paid and we are on our way to the hotel.
In Transit
I'm sitting at my gate in the Frankfurt Airport. It's 8:30 am here, 10:30 am in Jeddah and 2:30 am to me, so I apologize in advance if things don't make sense, but I'm operating on very little sleep. A couple of things to share.
I arrived at the airport in Miami all ready and set to go and was told that my carry-on luggage was too heavy! So the lady told me I was going to have to check it (making it my third checked bag). I was (I think) understandably upset, this was the bag that I had all of my valuable things in. Upon seeing my distress, the lady gave me a smaller bag told me to take a couple of the more valuable things and put them in there and that the rest would be checked and that she would not charge me for the third bag. So fingers crossed, that everything I packed actually makes it to Jeddah.
Once through security it hit me like a bag of bricks, I'm actually doing this. I'm moving to a country where I don't have any friends, I don't speak the language, and being a woman is seen as a bad thing. An entire chapter of my life has come to an end! I no longer live in the US, after 9+ years and countless conversations about trying something new, here I am. Granted I'm headed to a place that had never really entered my thoughts, but I guess that's what makes it exciting, right???
After I came to this realization it was time to board my flight, and what should I see as I'm getting ready, but lovely immigration officials pulling people aside. And who, you might ask, were they pulling aside? Well only the people who were not blonde and blue eyed, basically everyone who looked Arabic or Muslim! Talk about racial profiling...
So then the flight. Fairly uneventful. Except for one thing: Luftshansa serves alcohol! Score for me, considering I'm moving to a dry country. So I see a very young looking kid order a beer in perfect french and voila, he gets it, no questions asked. Me? I ask for a gin and tonic and get asked if I'm 18 yet "it's about the law madam" the guy says to me. Really? I mean I know I look young for my age. But not over 18???
Finally, I arrive in Frankfurt. Land at like 6:30am and it's freezing here and dark. Everyone I see has the same blood shot eyes I have and all look as lost as I feel. Apparently Frankfurt doesn't believe in a traveler's ability to sit in the airpot besides their gate. So I arrive at my gate a full four hours early only to have the security people look at me like I'm insane and tell there are no bathrooms here, no where to eat or drink or buy anything. I tell them, I don't care, they shrug and here I am. I've paid a fortune for an hour of internet and I'm spending sharing with all of you.
Next stop Jeddah...
I arrived at the airport in Miami all ready and set to go and was told that my carry-on luggage was too heavy! So the lady told me I was going to have to check it (making it my third checked bag). I was (I think) understandably upset, this was the bag that I had all of my valuable things in. Upon seeing my distress, the lady gave me a smaller bag told me to take a couple of the more valuable things and put them in there and that the rest would be checked and that she would not charge me for the third bag. So fingers crossed, that everything I packed actually makes it to Jeddah.
Once through security it hit me like a bag of bricks, I'm actually doing this. I'm moving to a country where I don't have any friends, I don't speak the language, and being a woman is seen as a bad thing. An entire chapter of my life has come to an end! I no longer live in the US, after 9+ years and countless conversations about trying something new, here I am. Granted I'm headed to a place that had never really entered my thoughts, but I guess that's what makes it exciting, right???
After I came to this realization it was time to board my flight, and what should I see as I'm getting ready, but lovely immigration officials pulling people aside. And who, you might ask, were they pulling aside? Well only the people who were not blonde and blue eyed, basically everyone who looked Arabic or Muslim! Talk about racial profiling...
So then the flight. Fairly uneventful. Except for one thing: Luftshansa serves alcohol! Score for me, considering I'm moving to a dry country. So I see a very young looking kid order a beer in perfect french and voila, he gets it, no questions asked. Me? I ask for a gin and tonic and get asked if I'm 18 yet "it's about the law madam" the guy says to me. Really? I mean I know I look young for my age. But not over 18???
Finally, I arrive in Frankfurt. Land at like 6:30am and it's freezing here and dark. Everyone I see has the same blood shot eyes I have and all look as lost as I feel. Apparently Frankfurt doesn't believe in a traveler's ability to sit in the airpot besides their gate. So I arrive at my gate a full four hours early only to have the security people look at me like I'm insane and tell there are no bathrooms here, no where to eat or drink or buy anything. I tell them, I don't care, they shrug and here I am. I've paid a fortune for an hour of internet and I'm spending sharing with all of you.
Next stop Jeddah...
Sunday, January 3, 2010
Preparing for D-Day...
After months and months it seems like the day is finally upon me. What started as a whim, a simple job application way back in May has turned into what might be one the defining experiences of my life. If all goes according to plan I leave for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on Thursday!!! In the meantime, I can tell you that I'm nervous, excited and terrified at what lies ahead
And so, this marks the beginning. "Salsa in Saudi?" is my attempt at sharing with all of you everything I experience while in KSA. Here goes nothing...
And so, this marks the beginning. "Salsa in Saudi?" is my attempt at sharing with all of you everything I experience while in KSA. Here goes nothing...
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