Sunday, May 4, 2014

Our time abroad khalas (finished) :-( New information for expats!!!

My, where oh where have the years gone?!?!?!
SO much has happened since December 201l that I can't possibly recap on it all.

Our adventure in Saudi Arabia was one that can never be matched in any way as we received so many blessings on both personal and family levels.  The level of enlightenment I feel is something that could have never been taught to me, only experienced.  Sure adapting to a new culture was hard and we all struggled in different ways but how much we've learned, come to appreciate and value, is simply immeasurable.  I can say without hesitation that Saudi Arabia changed me to the core.

In February of this year, our youngest child became quite ill.  Doctors could not figure out what was wrong with her and rather than referring to someone who could maybe help or just admitting her condition was well beyond their realm, they tried one treatment after another that failed.  Her condition became progressively worse to the point I sat next to her all night while she slept because I feared for her life.  We begged several doctors/hospitals in the region to admit her but they all sent her away with a different treatment.

Finally, after reserving plane tickets to get her home I asked my husband to try just one more time at a nearby hospital.  She was nowhere near stable enough to travel 30+ hours.  The doctors looked at her and were shocked by her condition.  She was finally admitted.  The IV's with antibiotics, immunoglobulins, and fluids seemed bring her back to life.  However, she was still far from better (according to her blood panels) yet released.  She immediately began to regress upon leaving the hospital.  After our daughters hospitalization, near kidney failure, and somewhat stabilization we had no choice but to abandon the medical system there and return to the states.

Aivah and I left just two days after her release from the hospital.  Thank God, since having her treated by various specialists here in the states her condition has improved however, new problems have arose from the negligent care she received abroad, organ damage.
Her condition is much like a roller coaster in that it is up and down constantly.  When we think she is improving she will suddenly have a bad turn.

Because she is not stable and cannot be properly treated in our area abroad, we've decided that it is just best for us all to return home.  After one month of being separated from the rest of my children, they are finally home in USA with me and their sister.  My husband is still working in SA but is actively looking for work to bring him home.

I am still an active resource for expats moving to Saudi Arabia and their families!!!!

Especially, those who are being assigned to the Nassim Compound.  I have created a social networking site specifically for them.  We know that many companies are actively recruiting and our compound in particular will soon be expanding more than it has in over a decade.  I remember all too well the fear of the unknown, the many unanswered or half answered questions I had, I remember trying to visualize our compound, I remember worrying about our children's education.... I remember being just like many of you.  The extensive amount of research I have done, experiences I have had, and the neutral and unbiased standpoints I have established between cultures makes me excited to share and help those starting their journeys.   I love sharing what I have learned and helping others so they can better understand what to expect and transition to the culture!  This being said, I am here to help!

The social networking site is **specifically** for Nassim Compound expats and their families, sorry!  For those of you heading to Nassim Compound find us at
https://www.facebook.com/groups/KhamisMushaytCompound/
We do screen members to prevent spam or security issues.

------> For those of you coming to different KSA compound, potential KSA expats, or those who are just generally curious, I am more than happy to chat with you and help out however I can.  Just reply to the blog post or send me an email via this blog.

Monday, July 29, 2013

LONG TIME NO POST!!!

Our family is still living on Nassim Compound in Khamis Mushayt, Saudi Arabia.  I have been teaching English and keeping busy with our wee-one's.  I have recently started a Facebook group to help perspective, future, and current expats get ready as well as settle in to Saudi Arabia.

The group is called Life on Nassim Compound- Khamis Mushayt, Saudi Arabia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/303777356434828/ 

This is a closed group but feel free to send a request!

Thanks!


Yours truly,

ExpatMomma

Saturday, November 17, 2012

Catching Up- Blogging with a Sense of Urgency (April)

Where has the time gone?!?!?!?
My last entry into this blog of wonders was in March so I hang my head and admit total failure in the blogging hobby!
SO, let's blow the dust off of this thing and pick up where I left off in March (ugh...)

Almost one year into our lives in Arabia and I have yet to become complacent with our new way of life.  Each passing day I have been grateful for and as discussions rise about moving away, I become very saddened.   Anyway, before I move into all of that jazz let's go back to April-ish and pick up from there.

APRIL 2012

Trip to the Red Sea!  Oh yeah, baby!

Trip to the Red Sea- Al Sooda, AKA "The Escarpment" Abha, Asir, Saudi Arabia
  Road lines mean NOTHING here.  We all have to die some time....

 Please take note: Drive as far on the shoulder (safely) as you can... It IS your safest bet!!!!

The floating faucet... Cool, in a psychedelic hippy sort of way :o)

Welcome to the Red Sea!!!
 The best time to go is winter and early spring.  The water is PERFECT!

 Beautiful picture until you realize someone is throwing a punch....

 I can't even remember how many times I attempted to rinse these two off!

 Even the dogs love it!

 Not sure why I put this picture... Oh well, it's here to stay HA!

 Many of the beaches are littered :o(

 Oh my, look what the tide washed in... HA!

 BEAUTIFUL!

 Our dog, Khamis :o)

 Sand creature

 Water monsters

 Palm trees <3

 Convenient beach side parking ;o)

 4-year-old LOVING his adventure!

 Just now noticing a trend with this kid.... (BTW, yes, he is mine haha)

 Sand creature #2

 I wish I could express the beauty here... The picture does not do this moment justice.

 Seriously people, when coming down this way watch out for the "Sandstroms"!!!

 Another couple of shots of the floating faucet :o)

Our time spent at the Red Sea was a totally awesome experience.  To look at it and associate the history behind it is absolutely amazing.  The kids loved it and I most certainly loved it.  MANY expats here in Khamis Mushayt have taken scuba diving classes and go to the sea often to scuba dive.  I was one of these expats pursuing the certification until I blew my eardrum out :oP
I pray that I will have the opportunity to scuba dive the Red Sea but we shall is Insha'Allah.


Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Weird Observations- An Easily Amused Expat

Since our arrival in Saudi Arabia, I quickly began noticing all of the new things around us.  Like a newborn baby, I've been taking in my new environment and have actually made some of it into a bit of a game for me and the kids.

First off, I noticed an extreme preference in the vehicles here...  No sooner than we left the airport I began seeing these cute, little, white, trucks with a flame-like pinstripe along the sides.  So needless to say my curiosity kicked in and I had to know the type of vehicle this country is so fond of.  I think of it this way, each country has its own flag, bird, flower, nickname..... Why not a designated vehicle :o)

What you are looking at is the Toyota Hilux.  While out of the house you can spot one of these very trucks at any given time.  The best part is... THEY ARE ALL THE SAME COLOR!

 A "loaded" vehicle in the States means all of the cool gadgets and gizmos you can add to make it even more spiffy.  As you can see the loaded Hilux here in Saudi Arabia has an entirely different meaning :o)

Anyone can see that Hilux has been here for quite some time... I dare say every generation of Hilux ever made is present in this country.  And YES, each year of this truck are still the classic white and bright pinstripes.  Hmmm, I think I almost want a Hilux for my very own!


Next, we move on to my grocery store observations...  Something tells me there will be a part 2 to this post!

FATEN FACIAL TISSUE- My face is fluffy enough so NO thank you!

 These paper towels should be just FINE (heehee)

 What kind of foil do you want?  Well, I think this aluminum foil should be OKAY (BAHAHA)

Who made this?  Well, YAMAMA did! 
(HAAAAA! I crack myself up!)

 Took a turn down the toy isle and this is what we are greeted by, YIKES!

 This is the first phone I had while being out here.  It is a Samsung, a name we all know and trust.  This particular phone came complete with a picture of Mecca, the holy city here in Saudi Arabia.

Finally, I feel that I must include my observation that I quite enjoyed while strolling through the hospital.  This is an announcement for Dr. FATEN Obeidat- Dietician.  Now that is pure awesomeness :o)

Stay tuned for more of my unique observations.  Thanks for reading, my friends!








Thursday, February 23, 2012

Saudi Arabian Beauty Unrefined

Sheesh, have I fallen off the writing wagon!  So I will start by apologizing for all those looking for my latest posts. Well here I am ready and excited to post about how our lives have gone over the last month.  It seems since we've moved here I have been battling one injury or sickness after another which has stalled me out a bit.  In this blog post, I have posted pictures from THREE+ different trips so if it seems to jump around this is why :o)

Over the last month, we've experienced some new and wonderful things.  Michael took us to what the expats refer to as "monkey mountain" and also the "hanging village"or locally named Al Habalah.  Back in the United States, I'd seen baboons in zoo's and never did I imagine that I'd be able to be out amongst them and feed them in the wild.
Al Habalah AKA "The Hanging Village"

The "hanging village" is one of the most breath taking sites I have ever seen in my life.  And to think that if we had never lost our jobs and been in dire straights, we would never have had this chance to experience the beauty that we've found here.
Yes, we had to trespass... kind of...  It appears that the booth areas to approach the cliffs are now closed down for one reason or another.  However, there is a convenient area of the fence cut out that people still enter through.... Sooo we followed suite :-)
Here we are approaching booth-like areas for visitors to safely be near the edge of the cliffs and look over the "Hanging Village".


 On top of the ledge closest to us on the left there is an amusement area, shops and eatery.  Now, the highlight of this is that there are two cables that run from this area on the cliffs edge to the bottom of the ravine!!!!  We hear that their is a restaurant at the bottom (not yet confirmed) that are only accessible via the cable cars.

Sorry for the fuzzy picture here but you can kind of see an old building with several other little buildings next to it.  We are not sure if they are still used by anyone but it is neat to see them so far down.  I would imagine this isn't an easy walk!
 Here I am bravely holding my phone through the metal slats so I could get a picture of the scenery... 

 Even as the sun was setting on the hanging village it was still a breathtaking site.

 This is from our next visit.  We traveled around the cliff side and explored what all we could safely with the kids.
My sweetheart <3

 Our extremely.... brave? friend Zach climbed out along the right to the large indent in the ledge shown in this picture.  That makes my heart race just thinking about it!!!!

 Sitting here looking out over the miles and miles of divine beauty....  I hope I can remember this site forever.

I'd sure hate to fall here :oP

Heya baby... how you coin'

 He thinks I'm smiling HA!  Fooled him ;o)

 Exploring the countryside 

 I've got to figure out the mystery of the walls... They have built miles of random stone walls everywhere out here in Saudi.  In the city or rural country, walls!

Just a random village  

 I LOVE the mountain in the shadows... Almost a perfect "V" formed in it.  It was amazing to look at.

 Another pretty shot.

 A pretty building... I am thinking it is this village's mosque.

 The cool mountain shot with village

Here we are BACK at Al Habalah but this time we decided to take a little off road excursion as a family.  This is not by the hanging village area, we drove about a mile past that.

 The cliff side is lined with chain link fence for "safety".  People have cut huge holes in the fence so they can sit on the cliffs edges.




 WOWZA!!!!  

 This site was absolutely breathtaking.  I loved to try to look as far back as I could only to see more cliffs and ravines.

 It is photos like this that make me wonder just how many people have fallen.... Sick thought I know but when you see these cliffs you can't help but wonder!

 I felt high enough to touch the clouds... It was an amazing feeling.

 Daddy and Aivah on their adventure.

 I am very intrigued by the rock formations here.  Looking closer at these rocks they almost look volcanic?  I'd really like to research that.

 The kids loved walking around checking everything out.

 Beautiful

 Yeahhhh, I'll just stay back here...

 Mr. Brave...

 Babyyyy steps..... Slow and steady....

 Very nice little walkabout 


 Over 7,000 ft above sea level, in a desert, in the middle of no where and here I find a painted butterfly.

 Me and my bestie!




 I hated this area... They couldn't run the fence along the ground so there is a HUGE opening!  And of course Mike had to go take a look-see......

 But he did get an amazing picture

 My angels

 Love the rock formations!

 Ahhhh a flower for mommy <3


 However, there is a bit of a downside to visiting this area because there is a nearby village of poverty stricken people who seek out the visitors looking for money, food, etc.  The divine peace felt by the scenery is immediately grounded once a child with no shoes or a woman holding an infant comes seeking help.  The most heartbreaking part of all is that we can't possibly help them all.

Here is a sobering story for anyone with a heart. What was taking place in this particular picture was that a little boy approached us speaking to us in Arabic. Poverty is a big thing here so I figured he was asking for some money etc for his family. We didn't have any money so we gave him our bag of picnic food. He began pointing to his foot saying something and I nearly started crying when I seen how battered his little feet were. I told Jace and Collin (my 8 and 5 year olds) to give me their shoes (to see if they fit). Collin's shoes fit just perfect so we sent the little boy on his way with some shoes too.
I took a picture as Mike helped him get his new shoes on... Not to be sick or cruel but as a reminder of just how lucky we truly are. Even the homeless in the States have it better than the homeless here in Saudi Arabia. It is very sad to see such things happening in such a rich country.


Treasure the little things, my friends.  Treasure the beauty God blessed the world with.  Treasure the things you have that others don't... even the shoes on your feet.