Hola,
Today, we went to the pool and elaborated on the idea of possibly staring a smoothie business there. Yes!!! I had a lot of homework still to do from last week and the internet hasn't been working very well! So, I just read more of Treasure Island. This evening we went to the Camel Club...it was a slow night not much going on so we left and instead we walked down to the commissary for ice creams. Our Bangladeshi yard boy, Moolah told us that the cat who hangs around the commissary had 3 kittens this morning so we investigated...but we didn't find a cat or any kittens.I think the commissary gave them to a family who lives in the apartments. The Bangladeshi yard boys are paid by the compound to do all the general up keeping of the compound. Most of them also have a family they work for part-time doing gardening and/or housework. Moolah tells us about his life back in Bangladesh sometimes. It is really interesting and sad. Moolah's wife is pregnant with their first child and recently they found out it was going to be a boy! Sometimes he tells us stories that lead us to believe that the workers here are not treated as they should be. In their contract with the compound it says that they are suppose to get fed every meal. However, according to Moolah the man who runs the compound feeds them tea and bread for breakfast and a bowl of plain rice for lunch and dinner. We had been getting rice and chicken from a little shop right outside the compound; they would always give us an excess of rice! A lot more than we could eat and so we were giving Moolah our extra rice. Looking back he was probably thinking "WOW, thanks for the rice! What a nice break from...rice!"
Friday, April 30, 2010
Thursday, April 29, 2010
April 28, 2010
Hey,
Lately the internet has been insanely slow! . I really wonder if the Saudis get as bad internet as we do or even if they use the internet as much as we do in the western world. I will have to look into that...This morning I spent 4 hours reproducing wildebeast. I had to do a science project with pieces of paper representing lions and wildebeast that was suppost to teach me about natural selection but it actually just taught me to always do science last and that wildebeast reproduce fast...I started with just 30 wildebeast and by the end of the project had around 250. After my four hours of science I still had lessons left from today and yesterday so I will unfortunately once again not be enjoying a homework free weekend.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
April 27, 2010
Bonjour mes amies,
School today.... The internet was down most of the day which made it kind of hard to homeschool especially considering that our homeschool program is almost entirely online! Therefore, I didn't get much work done and had to sit home reading Treasure Island (my least favorite book in the whole world) while the rest of the family went to play tennis... Today, Gabin, Christelle, and Christopher left for a trip to Bahrain (a country bordering Saudi Arabia)...They will be back on Friday... This afternoon it didn't rain at all but it definitely did tonight! It just finished raining the hardest I have ever heard rain in my life!!! It never rains for very long here but it rains hard and fast... Saudi Arabia doesn't have a very developed drainage system due to the lack of rain! It will rain for 5 minutes and there will be a foot of water on the ground!
School today.... The internet was down most of the day which made it kind of hard to homeschool especially considering that our homeschool program is almost entirely online! Therefore, I didn't get much work done and had to sit home reading Treasure Island (my least favorite book in the whole world) while the rest of the family went to play tennis... Today, Gabin, Christelle, and Christopher left for a trip to Bahrain (a country bordering Saudi Arabia)...They will be back on Friday... This afternoon it didn't rain at all but it definitely did tonight! It just finished raining the hardest I have ever heard rain in my life!!! It never rains for very long here but it rains hard and fast... Saudi Arabia doesn't have a very developed drainage system due to the lack of rain! It will rain for 5 minutes and there will be a foot of water on the ground!
April 26, 2010
Hey Everyone,
Today was my midweek day off from school...This morning we went to the pool with Gabin and Christopher...We came home for lunch and I attempted to make crepes from the box...When Will and Cam's friend Guillaume had been here his mom had taught me to make crepes! (I got really good)...However this time when I tried they were an absolute disaster! It rained all afternoon...it absolutely poured! After it had finished raining we went outside and found a lake in our driveway! We made boats out of cereal boxes, we named them and we raced them... When my dad got home from work this afternoon he had to go to Asir Mall to pick up his Igama (he had left it there yesterday. An Igama is like a Saudi ID you have to use it to complete most business transactions... School tomorrow...
Today was my midweek day off from school...This morning we went to the pool with Gabin and Christopher...We came home for lunch and I attempted to make crepes from the box...When Will and Cam's friend Guillaume had been here his mom had taught me to make crepes! (I got really good)...However this time when I tried they were an absolute disaster! It rained all afternoon...it absolutely poured! After it had finished raining we went outside and found a lake in our driveway! We made boats out of cereal boxes, we named them and we raced them... When my dad got home from work this afternoon he had to go to Asir Mall to pick up his Igama (he had left it there yesterday. An Igama is like a Saudi ID you have to use it to complete most business transactions... School tomorrow...
Sunday, April 25, 2010
April 25, 2010
Hola Amigos,
Today I had school.... After that I babysat Gabin while my mom had tea with the neighbors... It rained all afternoon on and off. This is the rainy season... People warned us but we weren't aware that it really does rain every single afternoon from April 1st to June 30th... Not to mention the people who come to make it rain! Gabin and his mom had dinner with us tonight because Christopher had to work nights this week...Dinner was watermelon, potatoes, chicken, some traditional Saudi food, salad and rice! Yum.That is all for tonight but tomorrow is our midweek day off from school.... Stay tuned for more!
Today I had school.... After that I babysat Gabin while my mom had tea with the neighbors... It rained all afternoon on and off. This is the rainy season... People warned us but we weren't aware that it really does rain every single afternoon from April 1st to June 30th... Not to mention the people who come to make it rain! Gabin and his mom had dinner with us tonight because Christopher had to work nights this week...Dinner was watermelon, potatoes, chicken, some traditional Saudi food, salad and rice! Yum.That is all for tonight but tomorrow is our midweek day off from school.... Stay tuned for more!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
April 24, 2010
Gutentag,
Back to school...Ugh. Didn't do much today...However we did play with our almost two month old kittens, their names are... Boule de Neige (french for snowball), Puck, Bonbon, and Lucy and their mother's name is Madame... Mom and Dad also went on their weekly shopping trip. Hopefully tomorrow is a little more interesting for the sake of followers at home!
Back to school...Ugh. Didn't do much today...However we did play with our almost two month old kittens, their names are... Boule de Neige (french for snowball), Puck, Bonbon, and Lucy and their mother's name is Madame... Mom and Dad also went on their weekly shopping trip. Hopefully tomorrow is a little more interesting for the sake of followers at home!
Friday, April 23, 2010
April 23, 2010
Hola,
Today we climbed a mountain... We woke up at 8:30 and were out of the house by 10... We got to the mountain we planned to climb and started immediately! In Saudi there aren't national parks or anything like them, so therefore there is trash everywhere and not trails...nothing is preserved correctly. Up the mountain was a little difficult, it was just loose rocks spiky bushes (all they have here) and sheer cliffs... Gabin was on Christopher's back, and Tadhg climbed himself the whole way!
At the top we stopped for a little snack, and then headed down (much easier than up).
I had come extremely prepared (after watching Journey to the Center of the Earth) with everything we would need if we got trapped in an avalanche (bandages, flashlights, headlamps, and spare clothes) ... and of course being the prepared one I was the only casualty of the day... At the very bottom of the mountain I stepped on a thorn, at least 2 inches long... it went straight through the bottom of my shoe and into my foot! However it was thin and so even though there was a big hole in my shoe, and a little blood on my sock I put enough pressure on it on my way back to the car that when I took my shoe off you couldn't even see where it had gone straight into my foot...
We had a wonderful/rainy picnic. Christopher and Christelle laid down their Arabian picnic rug and their Arabian picnic cushions... We had: freshly baked french bread (baguettes), carrot salad, green salad, kiwi, sandwiches, pasta salad, zucchini and chicken bread, cheese and crackers, chips,chocolate muffins, carrot sticks, and water...
Christopher also built a fire and boiled some water for Arabic tea and coffee... It wasn't my favorite but it was quite the experience...
We found some carvings in the rocks that looked like cuneiform... and I didn't have to wear my abaya the entire time! However as soon as we got off the mountain it began to rain on and off and eventually we had to leave...
I rode home with Gabin, Christelle, and Christopher. When we got home I took a shower and hung out at home until it was time to babysit Gabin so that the adults could go out to dinner.
Today we climbed a mountain... We woke up at 8:30 and were out of the house by 10... We got to the mountain we planned to climb and started immediately! In Saudi there aren't national parks or anything like them, so therefore there is trash everywhere and not trails...nothing is preserved correctly. Up the mountain was a little difficult, it was just loose rocks spiky bushes (all they have here) and sheer cliffs... Gabin was on Christopher's back, and Tadhg climbed himself the whole way!
At the top we stopped for a little snack, and then headed down (much easier than up).
I had come extremely prepared (after watching Journey to the Center of the Earth) with everything we would need if we got trapped in an avalanche (bandages, flashlights, headlamps, and spare clothes) ... and of course being the prepared one I was the only casualty of the day... At the very bottom of the mountain I stepped on a thorn, at least 2 inches long... it went straight through the bottom of my shoe and into my foot! However it was thin and so even though there was a big hole in my shoe, and a little blood on my sock I put enough pressure on it on my way back to the car that when I took my shoe off you couldn't even see where it had gone straight into my foot...
We had a wonderful/rainy picnic. Christopher and Christelle laid down their Arabian picnic rug and their Arabian picnic cushions... We had: freshly baked french bread (baguettes), carrot salad, green salad, kiwi, sandwiches, pasta salad, zucchini and chicken bread, cheese and crackers, chips,chocolate muffins, carrot sticks, and water...
Christopher also built a fire and boiled some water for Arabic tea and coffee... It wasn't my favorite but it was quite the experience...
We found some carvings in the rocks that looked like cuneiform... and I didn't have to wear my abaya the entire time! However as soon as we got off the mountain it began to rain on and off and eventually we had to leave...
I rode home with Gabin, Christelle, and Christopher. When we got home I took a shower and hung out at home until it was time to babysit Gabin so that the adults could go out to dinner.
Thursday, April 22, 2010
April 22, 2010
Hey,
Today we hung around the pool all day like we do every Thursday... And this evening we went to the Rugby Club, one of the pubs on the compound where they were having their annual "horse races"... On the compound there are 3 pubs: the Camel Club, the Rugby Club, and Twilight Zone... Us kids are allowed in the pub, so every Thursday night Tatum ( my younger sister), Cam, and Tadhg participate in the disco, mom and dad bring us home when they are done, and usually go back to the Camel Club for a while.
Tomorrow we will go climb a mountain with our French next-door neighbors, Christelle, Christopher, and their baby Gabin... Christopher has been here quite a while and has been showing us the sights. Lucky me, I won't have to wear my abaya to climb the mountain... But I will bring it just in case because God forbid someone sees me in real clothes... I'll tell you how it goes...
Today we hung around the pool all day like we do every Thursday... And this evening we went to the Rugby Club, one of the pubs on the compound where they were having their annual "horse races"... On the compound there are 3 pubs: the Camel Club, the Rugby Club, and Twilight Zone... Us kids are allowed in the pub, so every Thursday night Tatum ( my younger sister), Cam, and Tadhg participate in the disco, mom and dad bring us home when they are done, and usually go back to the Camel Club for a while.
Tomorrow we will go climb a mountain with our French next-door neighbors, Christelle, Christopher, and their baby Gabin... Christopher has been here quite a while and has been showing us the sights. Lucky me, I won't have to wear my abaya to climb the mountain... But I will bring it just in case because God forbid someone sees me in real clothes... I'll tell you how it goes...
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
April 21, 2010
Bonjoir,
Today was Wednesday, in the states it was the middle of the week...In Saudi it is like our virtual Friday (see chart below)...
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday:
Bold is the Saudi Weekend and italic is the Western weekend....
Well I hoped that for the first time since starting homeschool I wouldn't have homework on the weekend... I was wrong, but lucky me I finished tonight so at least I am free for the rest of the weekend... However I still owe my dad quite a few Saudi Riyals for throwing clay at Will who then commissioned Tadhg to throw the woolly mammoth I had been working on for about and hour at the TV...
Saudi Riyals are the currency in Saudi Arabia, on the front of a Saudi Riyal is a picture of the king at the time the Riyal was made, it has the number of Riyals it is worth in Arabic and some decoration. The back of the Riyal is written entirely in English... It has some landscape in place of the king and it also has a little decoration. With each king the design of the Riyal changes so in my wallet right now I have two different types of bills equal to one Riyal... And the Saudi coins are called Halala...The exchange rate between Saudi Riyals and U.S. dollars is 3.75... (FYI)
Today was Wednesday, in the states it was the middle of the week...In Saudi it is like our virtual Friday (see chart below)...
Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday:
Bold is the Saudi Weekend and italic is the Western weekend....
Well I hoped that for the first time since starting homeschool I wouldn't have homework on the weekend... I was wrong, but lucky me I finished tonight so at least I am free for the rest of the weekend... However I still owe my dad quite a few Saudi Riyals for throwing clay at Will who then commissioned Tadhg to throw the woolly mammoth I had been working on for about and hour at the TV...
Saudi Riyals are the currency in Saudi Arabia, on the front of a Saudi Riyal is a picture of the king at the time the Riyal was made, it has the number of Riyals it is worth in Arabic and some decoration. The back of the Riyal is written entirely in English... It has some landscape in place of the king and it also has a little decoration. With each king the design of the Riyal changes so in my wallet right now I have two different types of bills equal to one Riyal... And the Saudi coins are called Halala...The exchange rate between Saudi Riyals and U.S. dollars is 3.75... (FYI)
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
April 20, 2010
Hola Amigos,
Woke up at 7:30 and was able to have a little free time before homeschool (Ugh).I hopped on my bike and took off... Will, Cam, and Tadhg (my little brothers) decided to come with me... Oh Joy! Being boys they all flocked toward the new stream flowing from across the street, and they followed it all the way down the hill and to the next street... But, living in the desert water is precious and so Bangladeshi yard boys came running from every direction to...TURN OFF THAT WATER!!! What a bummer the boys were having soooo much fun!
In the desert everyone who handles water is rich... There is a Saudi man who lives right out side the compound we live on and he is in charge of all the water for the compound, well he has 5 mansions on his lot, one for him and one for each of his four wives! He also has his own personal Mosque...
Tadhg also learned to ride his bike without training wheels today....It started out ok but Tadhg didn't have a nap today...
Later this afternoon we said "Bon Voyage" to some of our French friends heading back to Paris for a week... Of course with the volcano in Iceland you don't know if they will get out this year!
Woke up at 7:30 and was able to have a little free time before homeschool (Ugh).I hopped on my bike and took off... Will, Cam, and Tadhg (my little brothers) decided to come with me... Oh Joy! Being boys they all flocked toward the new stream flowing from across the street, and they followed it all the way down the hill and to the next street... But, living in the desert water is precious and so Bangladeshi yard boys came running from every direction to...TURN OFF THAT WATER!!! What a bummer the boys were having soooo much fun!
In the desert everyone who handles water is rich... There is a Saudi man who lives right out side the compound we live on and he is in charge of all the water for the compound, well he has 5 mansions on his lot, one for him and one for each of his four wives! He also has his own personal Mosque...
Tadhg also learned to ride his bike without training wheels today....It started out ok but Tadhg didn't have a nap today...
Later this afternoon we said "Bon Voyage" to some of our French friends heading back to Paris for a week... Of course with the volcano in Iceland you don't know if they will get out this year!
Monday, April 19, 2010
April 19, 2010
Mes Amis,
I recently woke up after a 90 hour trip and realized that it was already 7:00 at night and I was in The Kingdom... This isn't the kind of kingdom with Knights and Ladies riding on pretty horses, it's the kingdom of men in white thobes with red and white checkered gutras on their heads, women dressed in black from head to toe, and 14-year-old boys driving in the wrong lane, in beat-up old pick-up trucks with their baby sisters on their laps. But don't worry its "Inshallah"("God's will")... Since it's expensive to get a ticket I'll take you on a journey to another planet a.k.a Saudi Arabia!
I recently woke up after a 90 hour trip and realized that it was already 7:00 at night and I was in The Kingdom... This isn't the kind of kingdom with Knights and Ladies riding on pretty horses, it's the kingdom of men in white thobes with red and white checkered gutras on their heads, women dressed in black from head to toe, and 14-year-old boys driving in the wrong lane, in beat-up old pick-up trucks with their baby sisters on their laps. But don't worry its "Inshallah"("God's will")... Since it's expensive to get a ticket I'll take you on a journey to another planet a.k.a Saudi Arabia!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
