Saudi is real

"Together forever, never apart, maybe in distance, but never at heart."

          Some people think that Saudi is this really crazy, foreign, far off place that maybe is on this planet. It has less of a foreign feel than I expected. It is a real place, modern day, and people live here! I promise!

1.     Have I seen the desert yet? No. I’m in the middle of the city. I have seen the dust that comes from the desert, though. It is like days when we have fog in the States, you can’t see anything!

2.     Have I seen people using camels for transportation? No. Too bad :)

3.     Have I seen a camel yet? Actually yes, it’s pretty hilarious. In Arkansas, when a cow or horse is seen being taken somewhere by trailer on the road, that is exactly what I see here but it is a camel. And their faces never get less funny. You see just the head sticking up, and then see through the bars their bodies laying down and resting.

And when I feel homesick for American food, no worries! There are tons of familiar places here to enjoy! Johnny Rockets (amazing burgers!), Burger King, McDonald’s, Applebee’s, Chili’s, Dunkin Donuts, and even Baskin Robins! And, coming soon…the Melting Pot!

The option of home cooking is always here too. So far I have made chili dogs, beef stew, fried chicken, chicken alfredo, quesadillas, pancakes, cinnamon rolls, macaroni, and pizza. Yeah, you can take the girl out of America but you can’t take the AMERICAN out of the girl. I may be in Saudi, but I eat like an American.
In conclusion, even though Saudi Arabia feels really far away and not real, it actually is real. I know because I live here :)

My 1st Saudi Wedding!

I went to my first Saudi wedding last weekend. They are very different from American weddings.
For starters, the wedding I went to started roughly around 10:30 (p.m.!). Weddings are a much more formal affair here as well. I saw some of the most crazy fashion! I hate that I wasn't able to take pictures! Another very different thing about Saudi weddings is that they are not women and men together. Women and men celebrate separately.
So we (Badr's sisters and mom) got ready and left the house around 9:30 p.m.. We dropped off Hessah, (Badr's niece) because children aren't allowed at this particular wedding, and arrived around 10:15. With weddings here, the invitation comes with a card that you HAVE to bring to the wedding, or they won't let you in! It is someone's job to collect the VIP cards and make sure every person entering is a guest.
Once we entered, we took off our veils and got ourselves composed: hair checks, lipstick application, etc. Then we went to the front and handed in our phones (to prevent pictures getting snapped of the bride when she enters). When you hand in your phone, you receive a card with a number on it so when you leave they know which is yours (they do the same thing with our abaiyas and our veils).
Upon entering the grand room where we all were, we went through the greeting line. I side kissed about a dozen women; most of them I didn't even know. Then, I started to notice the fashion. Most women were wearing floor length dresses. Some of the dresses were seriously prom dresses! It blew my mind.
A popular thing to do in Saudi is get a custom dress made so that no one has the same dress. One girl showed up in a dark green Victorian dress with white ruffles on the front and big poofy sleeves. I saw another girl in a long sleeve, hot pink (and I mean HOT pink) dress that was short in the front and long in the back, with multiple layers of the skirt.
Walking to our seats made me realize one small thing: everyone was staring at me. It made sense to me; I was the only white person in the entire room of maybe 200 people. Also, of the small fraction of white people who work in Saudi, probably NONE attend weddings because they do not have family or friends here.
So we are seated and ready for the night to begin. We are all awaiting the bride. She is scheduled to arrive at 11 p.m. The room is a long rectangle shape and the chairs are arranged in rows against the length of the wall. In the middle is the long aisle for the bride to walk down to take her seat on the stage. All the seats are facing the aisle. From my seat, the stage was on the left at the end of the room and the place where the bride was making her grand entrance from was on the right. There was a flight of stairs covered by curtains that she would descend from while having the spotlight on her and her favorite song playing.
I was ready to see this! But first, maids all dressed alike came out and served Arabic coffee. Then came the trays with chocolates. More coffee. Then the Arabic tea. Then the small pastries! More tea! And while all of this was going on, Arabic music was playing and people were dancing on the aisle. It had temporarily become the dance floor.
Finally the bride came down the stairs, the curtains opened, a Coldplay song played, the spotlight was on her, and she walked down the aisle and took her place on stage.
A line quickly formed in front of her to greet her. While that was going on, I realized the maids had come back out to serve mini sandwiches! I jumped on that deal as I did with every other offer.
After a delicious sandwich, we got in line to greet the bride. While standing in line, I looked back and noticed girls staring at me. Oh well. I had never met her before, but when I was next she said "Oh my God!" I guess since I was the only white girl in the entire room, she knew that I was Badr's wife.
Her dress was really beautiful. It was a princess cut ball gown, and she had a headband of jewels across her forehead that was connected to her veil.
Once the bride had greeted everyone, it was time for dinner! Yes!! We went to a room with tables and chairs and got in line! A delicious buffet of a bunch of brand new foods for me to try was awaiting. We had difficulty finding a seat, and when we finally found one I noticed that the table next to us was full of starers (staring at me). Oh well.
At the end of dinner, 1:45 a.m., we left with full bellies. It was a good day for this white girl in Saudi.

"You can never cross the ocean unless you have the courage to lose sight of the shore."

Home is where the heart is

           On our 5 day break from work, Badr and I made it our mission to decorate the apartment…and it’s really getting there! It is starting to feel like home to me. We got a BIG zebra print canvas from Ikea and hung that sucker in our bedroom; I couldn’t believe Badr let me do it (I thought he’d say it was too girlie)!

 My ‘America the Beautiful’ calendar is on the wall right by my side of the bed. I get to look at that beaut every morning, as well as an oldie from a family photo shoot.

            I hung up pictures of the family on one of the walls in the living room. And in our walk in closet (bedroom turned closet), I have the mustache necklace holder hung and my Hog painting.

            It can be really hard at times being away from family, friends, and everything familiar, but I would be a liar if I said Badr wasn’t worth it. Elise De Wolfe really got it right when she said “I’m going to make everything around me beautiful, and that will be my life.” What a cool woman. That’s my goal! Because it is pointless to focus on the negative when there is so much to be thankful for. If you change your thoughts, you will change your world!

            I think back to the day that I introduced myself to Badr freshman year of college. I can’t think about it without either smiling or getting a little teary eyed. I would love to go back and give 18 year-old Katherine Anne the biggest hug, and a cold Coke. How thankful I am for that day. Life is beautiful. 

Good Times

http://youtu.be/qrOeGCJdZe4

I had some of the best times my senior year of college. This song is incredible! I'm addicted to it all over again!
When I listen to it, it brings me back to when my senior year of college had just begun. Me, Fahad, and Abdul would get in the Hummer and blast this song. We would scream it and just drive! Life was easy! I loved it! Life isn't easy now, but it is so beautiful.

"It's supposed to be hard. If it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The hard is what makes it great."
-A League of Their Own

A few highlights from the year...

But my favorite highlight from this year without a doubt is 

BEST YEAR YET!

Eid Eve

“Life fails to be perfect, but never fails to be beautiful.”

Today is the last day of fasting, which means today is Eid Eve. Tomorrow is Eid, which is a big celebration.

We broke fast the way we have all month, had our tea, and then adventured on to go buy fireworks! We bought those poppers you throw on the ground that explode; they call them garlic because they look like garlic! Haha. We also bought some stuff that you light and it blows up with a super loud noise. My brother-in-law Hesham, tried to scare me a few times. Hesham 1, KA 0. We also bought sparklers.

After that, we stuffed our face with chocolate and the boys went to go get McDonald’s! I requested a BigMac, and I received a Chicken BigMac. I didn’t know that existed! After that sandwich, large fries, and a large Coke, my stomachache rendered its ugly face! I really over did it with the food!

Once we had finished our food, I taught them how to play Spoons. We had a great time.

Ramadan

"One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well." 

-Virginia Woolf

So we are in the month of Ramadan and it is almost over! Everything here changes during Ramadan. Work hours are shorter, places open much later, and the family breaks fast together every single day.

When I went grocery shopping with his sisters and mom, we went at 9:00 p.m. and that was extremely early! No one was there! Badr goes to his job at 10:00 a.m. and comes home at 4:00 p.m. It is really nice to have him home all this time! At the clinic yesterday, we had patients coming in at 11:00 p.m., and that is very normal!

            The foods we eat during Ramadan are delicious, but of course, they are all fried. We eat these little things called Gaimat, and they taste like doughnuts! My mother-in-law taught me how to make them, and it was difficult. His whole family said I made them really well…I was proud. They cover them with honey.

            We also eat Samboosa. They are basically fried pastry shells filled with either cheese, chicken, or beef. I’m obsessed with them.

            I’m afraid by the end of Ramadan, my teeth will be brown because we drink so much tea. It tastes a lot like sweet tea in the south and is the same color, but it is served hot. I quite like it.

And here are pictures! 

New Job!

"Do not hire a man who does your work for money, but him who does it for love of it."
-Henry David Thoreau

I have a job! I'm a registered nurse! I had my first official day today and it was pretty great! I'm working at a specialty clinic that has started recently. My co-workers are awesome. I think I already made a friend; we conversed about food for a long time. My boss is really cool. Oh, and I'm the only white person there!
My hours are crazy right now because it's Ramadan. I work 9 p.m. to 1a.m. It is a part time job because I have another full time job in the works...we'll see how that goes! Cross your fingers for me!

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Here is a little flashback to clinicals on my birthday. 2 of my friends got me coke as a present...I drank it for breakfast :) My new scrub colors are purple, green, and white. So far I have an olive green pair. Pictures to follow!

Panda

“All the concepts about stepping out of your comfort zone mean nothing until you decide that your essential purpose, vision and goals are more important than your self-imposed limitations.”

-Robert White

My first outing in Saudi was at Panda. Panda is a giant supermarket very similar to Wal-Mart. Badr and I went during the heat of the day. Mistake.

            (The Saudi sun is much more harsh than the Arkansas sun. In Saudi during the hottest part of the day, the sun is like a concentrated laser beam blasting you with flaming heat. It almost takes your breath away! The sensation is similar to when you are really close to a bonfire, when your face feels like it turned into hot dry leather.)

            We got to Panda and it seemed very normal to me. I saw familiar items on the shelf like Heinz ketchup and Coca Cola. I stayed close to Badr because I got a lot of stares. I think it’s the white skin and blue eyes, but I’m not sure. It also could have been because my veil fell off my head twice! I was horrified. I felt my blonde hair exposed and yanked my veil up on my head and tried to wrap it tightly.

            Other than struggling with my veil, everything went pretty well. I felt happy; we had coke, chocolate, and cake mix. What more could I have needed?

Welcome home KA!

“My one and only fantasy is to have you for life.” Badr

Badr has been an amazing husband so far. He tries so hard to keep me comfortable here. I am his number one concern.

            We got to the apartment around 2 a.m. He was excited to show me around our new apartment and asked me at least five times that night if I was sure I liked it.

Looking around the apartment made me realize he had unpacked most of my stuff I had sent ahead of me in Abdullah, Fahad, and Badr’s suitcases. He had my jewelry organized in 2 top drawers of our dresser. He had put my shoes all in a row. My jeans were folded in a drawer. On our fridge were pictures of my family. Badr had the fridge filled with coke. He also had The Office (my favorite show) recorded on DVR for us to watch. His mother and sisters had made a cake and some snacks for me.

I took a shower, we watched The Office, and went to bed.

The World is a book...

“The World is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

-St. Augustine

When I was a little girl, planning out my life and my wedding, I didn’t account for this. I planned on going to college, marrying an American, and maybe getting a house in Rogers. A few years down the line, I find myself packing for my move to Saudi.

It started with my 26-hour journey to my husband and my new home. I had a great group at XNA to send me off. That group included my parents, my sister, my grandma, my aunt and my cousin Sally, my best friend Abbie, Pope, Brendan, and Abdullah. Needless to say, it was very tearful.

Once I got past security and found my gate, I pulled it together. Flying out of Arkansas was hard because I was fully aware that I was leaving everything I’ve ever known. Once I landed in Chicago, I had 7 hours to kill. After much wandering around aimlessly, I found a free charging station and watched a movie I had brought on my laptop. After that, I called my dad, my brother, and my sweet grandpa. I had to fight tears again.

My next goal was finding food because I was starving. I bought a sandwich and sat in the food court across from complete stranger approximately my dad’s age. I awkwardly asked him if he could help me figure out where my mysterious gate was. He was really nice and helpful and told me I’d have to leave security to go to the international terminal. He directed me to ask a person who worked at the airport to make sure that was true. Well it was!

I left security, got on a train, road to the terminal, and then got in line at Turkish Airlines. The man who gave me my boarding pass asked me what my reason was for going to Saudi and had my visa checked by someone in the back. Once I got past that, I went to go through security for a second time and waited in a long line of people.

Found my gate and waited to board my flight to Istanbul. Boarded and came to the conclusion that Turkish Airlines are really nice! I made a friend on our 10 hour 40 minute plane ride. She was my age and going to Africa for a friend’s wedding. Once we landed, we had to leave the plane on stairs that went straight to the ground outside. A bus picked us up and dumped us in front of the airport.

My friend and I went through security (my third time through) and then realized that they hadn’t posted either of our flights. They posted them for us 50 minutes before boarding time. We parted ways and I sat at my gate, feeling very accomplished.

About 5 minutes before boarding time, I looked out the window and realized the plane still wasn’t at the gate. I looked up at the screen and it said my gate moved! I frantically gathered my things and basically ran through the entire airport looking for my flight.

I finally found my gate to Saudi and realized I had to take another bus to the plane. We all got on the bus and were dropped off by the plane. I carried my 2 heavy carry-ons up another huge flight of stairs onto the plane.

We finally all boarded and the plane went to the runway. Right when we were about to take off, we turned around. Someone had gotten sick on the plane and needed to get off. The stewardesses started opening all the overhead bins and asked which bag belonged to who, with every single bag. Once all the bags were accounted for, we got back on the runway and took off to Saudi.

I was ready to get to Badr at this point. I put on my veil, we landed, and I grabbed my things and headed to customs. When I got there, a guard asked to see my passport. He saw that I was an American and directed me to follow him. He let me cut everyone in line. Didn’t see that one coming.

I handed my passport to a customs guy and he looked at my passport. He asked me if my husband was a Saudi. I said yes. I couldn’t read the expression on his face. He let me through with no more questions. I was surprised and relieved. Then I saw Badr. To me, the stressful trip was over. I was home.