Let's Talk About Discipline....no, really...we need to talk about this

     As previously complained about, the boys' building was completely out of control!  The high school boys were on one side of the building and the middle school boys on the other.  There were far more students than the previous year and we were short of teachers.  Our principal decided she would help by "teaching" a few classes.  She called the teachers working in that building together for a meeting near the beginning of the year.  We ALL agreed that there needed to be rules, discipline policies, and most importantly, CONSEQUENCES!  It was the principal's long held belief that the teacher was the only one responsible for controlling the classroom, and if a child acted out, it was because the teacher was not doing their job.  I wish I was kidding.
     We all agreed that discipline was an issue.  The principal told us to write up rules and we would post them.  Right.  In the end, she called the high school boys together and instructed them to write up posters about things like discipline and team work.....seriously, stop laughing....which may have been posted about a month before the end of the school year.  I was paying less than no attention by that point.
     By mid November, with the principal "helping out", the addition of new teachers, and after all of the vandalism, things were at an all time low.  EVERYTHING, including school condition, teacher morale, and student behaviour, had gone down the tubes.  I likened it to feeding time at the zoo, at which time the principal had opened all the cages, and where they were also behaving like feral cats in heat.  Any time anyone attempted to discipline a high school student, the principal would step in and overturn the decision.  I took a phone from a student during school hours, she gave it back.  I took a soccer ball from a student who was playing soccer inside, she gave it back.  I received a formal email in which I was informed that I was not allowed to speak with or interact with any of the high school students, and I was to tell another teacher.  One of the new teachers, would simply tell the boys it was ok and tell me I needed to loosen up and relax....in front of the students.
     One of the new teachers, a young woman, was being sexually harassed by all of the high school students, as she was the "hot teacher".  Keep in mind she wore both an abaya and a hijab.  The students would make comments to other teachers and students, of an explicit sexual nature, and then wink and smirk at the teacher to her face.  She knew what they were up to and was terribly uncomfortable.  She came back to the teacher's room almost every day near tears.  By the end of November, I was always surprised when she showed up to work.  Some of the high school boys took to telling me, to my face, that I was a bitch, a cunt, and should go fuck myself.  The principal was informed of the harassment, as to both the teachers, and after she "had a talk" with the boys, things only got worse.
     Speaking of "worse", we were reading, "The Diary of Anne Frank" in grade 8, and one of the high school boys (who wound up actually failing the school year, but will likely pass after the principal alters his grades at the direction of the head of education for the base), took to calling himself "Hitler" and having the 8th grade boys throw him Nazi salutes.  One of my parents was in the school the day it happened and was HORRIFIED!  He agreed it was NOT funny and I should inform the principal.  One guess how THAT went.  It never stopped.  Any attempts to drive home the concept of the Holocaust were met with comments about how it may have been faked or over exaggerated.  That they would believe this is just sad.

THE GAY THING
     
    We had a problem from the beginning of the year with bullying.  There was a new student who may or may not have been gay, but who was relentlessly tormented.  He was in the 9th grade, and the entire high school boys student body jumped on the bandwagon.  In Islamic culture, because the concept of being gay is so haram  (forbidden or proscribed by Islamic law) , that it is about the worst insult you can throw at someone.  It became a game of sorts, and they took to beating people up outside of school, as the principal's statement was that she didn't care what happened outside of school.  The entire middle and high school staff agreed that there needed to be an intense discussion about bullying.  I did not discuss any aspects of the gay lifestyle, nor did I support or reject anything gay.  I said some of my best friends were gay and unless they felt their god made mistakes, that was the way that they said they were born.

      There were two 8th grade boys that were beyond out of control.  Both were failing miserably, and had conspired to make the teachers' live hell.  These two had their fathers complain to the principal about the content I was allegedly teaching them.  All of the middle school teachers agreed these 2 boys were our biggest problem and we asked the principal to call the parents in.  She summoned the parents, who were very excited to come and complain about me, apparently, I was the ONLY problem teacher, and summoned us all to her office, where we were confronted by the angry parents of horrible children.
     The first father IMMEDIATELY pointed out I was the ONLY problem teacher, and the fact that his son was failing was because I taught them horrible things that offended him, and put him off learning completely.  He specifically pointed out use of the words, "freedom", discrimination, racism, pork products, and....HOMOSEXUALITY!  Didn't I know that it was all terribly HARAM and I was insulting both the students AND their religion?  He was OUTRAGED, and the principal then agreed I was a terrible teacher and told him to write me up formally, and, as all of the parents were talking together, they should ALL get together and write me up to get me dismissed.  NOT ONLY did she strongly encourage the parents to write me up, she offered to get up immediately and get him the proper form.
  I explained that we had started reading about Harriet Tubman, talking about slavery, emancipation, the underground railway, and racism. A prior story discussed the fact that Chinese culture included almost 5 courses at every meal.  I was asked to explain what emancipation, racism, and the typical Chinese meal, YES, I had used the words "freedom", "racism", and "PORK".  The Chinese eat a LOT of pork.  "Did I ever eat pork?"  ALL THE TIME!  "Did I like pork?"  YES.VERY.MUCH.  BACON!  I explained to the father that these were not things I pulled out of my ass, but were discussions related to our readings AND I was very careful about what I said.  When asked if I liked pork, I simply said Yes.  When discussing racism, I explained that in America, especially in the South, if we went into a "Whites Only" restaurant, I would be the only one served, because even the very white looking Egyptians, etc., would be asked to leave when they opened their mouth to order.  THIS, they could understand.
     As to the issue of all things HOMOSEXUAL, it was only mentioned in relation to the bullying issue, and ALL of the other teachers, including the BSCL who did NOT like me at all, backed me up and said we ALL talked about it as it related to bullying.  BSCL went further to explain that she discussed this in ARABIC so there was NO EXCUSE, they did not understand.  After this, the principal AGAIN, asked the father if he wanted to file a formal complaint, and offered to get up immediately to retrieve the proper form.  He immediately said there was no need to file a complain as this was apparently just a misunderstanding on the part of the students and what they told their parents.  The students had previously told me they wanted to see me fired.
     The second father came in and we had the exact same discussion as the previous father (they were talking among themselves at the hospital), and he too agreed that there was no need for a complaint against me, as this was clearly a misunderstanding (and NOT a misstatement of details on the part of the sons), and there was no need to file a complaint.  After relieving the other teachers from the meeting we met one-on-one with just me and the parents.  BOTH agreed there was no need to file a complaint, and yet again, the principal offered to get the form immediately and strongly recommended they file a formal complaint.
     That was mid November, and we hadn't even gotten to winter break. (VERY HEAVY SIGH).  At this point, having had all of our efforts at sports activities deflated, and with the principal hell-bent on seeing me fired, I was a bit stressed out, to say the least.  When I wound up leaving school in an ambulance to the hospital, with a BP of 225/125, I knew it was time to consider not coming back.  Rumours were afloat that she was not comping back, but I had to consider jumping ship to save myself.  For the record, even after having to be taken to the hospital in an ambulance, the principal never contacted me to see if I was ok or coming back to work.  This was two weeks before mid-term exams and winter break.  I took one day of bed rest and refused the next two weeks because I had to do mid-terms.  The principal took over "teaching" the middle school boys for me and administered the mid-term exams, worth a total of 20 points....(Another very heavy sigh).
     And then we got to "Winter Break".  Last year it was 2 full weeks and started on Dec. 24.  This year it was 10 days and did not start until Dec. 27.  Being in a Muslim country, we were told that it was NOT Christmas break, as us Americans liked to call it, but Winter Break.  Because we were getting out for the summer much earlier this year (Ramadan), they were cutting our winter break short.  Because some teachers had already book tickets to the US for Christmas, there was much ado about when it started and when we could leave.  Did I mention the students were out the 24th?  Yup, holding us hostage until AFTER xmas....LOL  When the Arabic teachers at the nursing school heard some of the Americans were leaving early for "Christmas", our leave date was moved forward to Dec. 24.  AFTER WE HAD ALL BOOKED OUR FLIGHTS for Dec. 27.  Zantika and I very quickly agreed that we did NOT want to spend Christmas day in Saudi, and booked flights to Bahrain for a few.  We flew back into Jeddah right before we were scheduled to depart.  She was LA bound, and I was headed for Poland to spend some much needed comfort time with Nikka.   To be continued....

I LIVE!

     I refuse to believe it has been a year and a half since I last posted.  There is simply no way this can be correct.  SO MUCH has happened since then.  I SWEAR I posted later than Sept. 2018.  Well, time to get to work!  The school year 2018-2019 was a year of trauma, drama, and more bullshit.  Unlike the first year, when I returned to school, I was horrified to discover that they had removed or relocated all of the monkeys!..NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  The base had had enough and had hired a pest control company to rid the compound of monkeys, dogs, and cats.  They succeeded, for the most part, in completely removing the monkeys and dogs, the cats, not so much, but there were significantly fewer kitties.
     The school had made NO improvements, and life was back to "normal" in the boys' building.  It was loud, out of control, and a painful place to try and exist.  I would NOT call it living, it was existing....hanging on by a thread.  Prior to the start of the new school year, Zantika and I had, out of our own pockets, purchased a plethora of sporting goods, with high hopes for the new school year.  Zantika had officially been put in the position of teaching PE, and she was over the moon with high hopes and great expectations!  We purchased basketballs, soccer balls, 2 American footballs, badminton sets, baseball equipment, jump ropes, small cones, and other stuff.  The boys had been begging for equipment for ages, and we both decided they needed REAL physical education activities and not just soccer.  The school may or may not have possessed 1 or 2 very sad soccer balls prior to our purchases.
     It took the 9th grade boys less than a day to pop one of the brand new soccer balls.  They would kick it extremely hard with the toe of their shoes into the brick wall, or kick it over the fence into the street.  The ball was kicked into the street where it broke the window of a car.  It was dead before the end of the day.  Needless to say, within 2 weeks they had lost or destroyed almost every single piece of sporting equipment and decided they were rather just play soccer all of the time.  Zantika was CRUSHED, as was I.  We had previously withheld a right to go out for PE as punishment for misbehaviour.  That all changed when the principal decided to get more involved with the boys building.
     Did I mention they brought in vending machines to the boys' building only?  It was stocked with junk, phone cards, and more junk.  We were able to convince them to put a few sandwiches into the machine, so if a child actually had no lunch, they had real food options.  It created nothing but havoc as the middle and high school girls were outraged that only the boys got a machine.  Our explanations that the boys' building was a single story, they were on the third floor, and the building had no elevator, did nothing to assuage their anger.  The principal stated repeatedly that the boys were angels and the girls were horrible....to the students, so she cared not.  It took a high school student less than a month to bust out the machine and remove most of the items, and all of the phone cards.

     The teachers were at least happy for one less thing to deal with every day.  We had to fight with the students to only go over one at a time, to then come back into their room, and to only use it during their lunch period.  The second machine contained only beverages, so it was far less trouble to deal with.  At least the principal agreed that the machines were a nuisance.  And THAT was the last thing we ever agreed upon.  All of this in only the first 2 months of school.  Next post - Let's Talk About Discipline.

Oh the drama!

     Hello all.  It has been a very long time since I last posted anything, so I will try to catch up.  First of all, I did manage to make it back with a new visa in January, albeit shy a few dollars for the upgrade to first class.  I want to go on record as saying that, because Saudi Airlines shares a "lounge" with Korean Air in JFK airport, it is the KA lounge that is a waste of time and energy.  There tends to be very little in the way of anything to eat, although plenty of dry ramen cups, and there is usually some wine and beer, but if you want food, good luck.  I do enjoy the fact that I get a comfy chair for my usual 3-4 hour layover, and a very nice bathroom, but it is always a huge let down to see it.

     For those of you not in the know, my birthday was Feb. 27.  I turned 56 years OLD this year and was feeling my age.  On the actual day of my birthday, I was informed I had to go to HR to sign some papers.  When I got down there, the little old man had me sign a letter informing me I was being let go at the end of the school term because I was over 55, and therefore, too old.  REALLY?!? I was already 55 when they hired me and they are just NOW figuring out I am older than 55?  So, in a nutshell, I was fired on my 56th birthday for being over 55.  I went back to school and just sobbed.  I finally gave up the ghost and went home.  My 7th grade girls had planned a surprise party for me and were crushed when I didn't show.  When I went back the next day and explained I was being let go, they cried with me.

     The next day, my principal told me to go back to HR and demand they give me back the signed letter.  Like a take backsies....LOL When I approached the window, I was told that once it was signed, I was being processed out.  I asked to speak to the supervisor and wound up waiting about an hour.  I was then informed that it would require a letter from my principal explaining that they school needed me.  It turns out that Saudi has a 55 and retire policy, that is usually dealt with by your supervisor writing a letter saying they can't replace you and they need to keep you.  I was informed that this was part of the Saudi 2030 plan to get more Saudis jobs.  I was informed that they would try to replace me with a Saudi woman.  I am an American, middle school language arts teacher, who is a native speaker.  Good luck with finding a Saudi to replace me.  HAHA!

     I then spent the next 2.5 months going all over the base and talking to everyone in charge to beg to be allowed to return the following year. It was not until about a week before I was scheduled to fly out that I was able to sign a contract to return.  It was with a great deal of anticipation and excitement that I was planning to head home to Chicago in May.

What I came to find out later was that this was a HUGE mistake and it could have all been avoided.  Apparently, they had wanted to fire one of the teachers, who I fondly refer to as "BSCL" or bat shit crazy lady.  Rather then give her a back eval and just let her go, they decided to fire her for being "too old."  When she was informed that this was why she was being let go, she quickly demanded that everyone at the school above that age be fired as well.  So, with 8 teachers caught in the net, they let us all go.  When the principal was able to convince them that this included almost all of the English native speakers, for an international school based on the American curriculum, she was then able to convince them to keep us all, including BSCL.  So, I am back, but so is she.

There and back....again (very heavy sigh)

     So, I was unable to upgrade my flight to the US, but I was bound and determined to upgrade the return 13 hour flight.  I had spent too much time flying over the holidays and was still not 100%.  I spent an UNHOLY amount to upgrade to first class because business was booked.  So, I had a private little roomlike thing, a pair of "pj's" and a chair that converted to a bed.  I was ready to go, and the only thing that could have made the flight better was alcohol.  Saudi Airlines does NOT serve alcohol.  I had a glass of wine in the lounge before I left, so I was ok.  Because I had upgraded at the last minute I was left with a choice of meals.  Lamb or curry.  Yup, not doing it.  I got an "extra" seafood dinner from business class, and I was not happy, but was able to eat.
     About half way through my journey, I was struck, almost suddenly, by a full-blown migraine.  Before I could even think about doing anything, I was puking.  I had to call a flight attendant for more barf bags.  I was cursing the wasted cost of first class, but grateful I had an actual bed like thing to lay down on.  I was also grateful for the "pj's" they had given me as a slightly better option than the wretched clothes I was wearing when the puking commenced. 
      I finally decided it had to have been caused by the air blowing on me in first class.  Unlike coach, the ceilings are higher and there are no individual air vents to control.  After asking for more barf bags, the flight attendants did not bother to check on me again until they woke me up to ask me if I wanted breakfast.....REALLY?!?  I finally managed to convince them that I was not able to walk out on my own and would require a wheel chair.  Apparently, a wheel chair gets you whipped through customs...just sayin.  I then had, what turned out to be, a 4 hour wait in the airport in Jeddah for transport back to the base.  I literally formed a fort of my luggage and laid down in a deserted corner of the airport to await my ride.  I was given a full seat to myself in the van to maintain a horizontal position.
     I arrived in my room at 10:30 pm.  I did not feel any better, but I just wanted to try and sleep.  So, after a shower, I crawled into bed.  At 2:00am, I finally gave up and stumbled across the street to the hospital ER.  I was able to mumble, "migraine...vomiting" before I started dry heaving again.  That got me into a bed quickly, where the doctor proceeded to ask me what was wrong.  Again, "migraine...vomiting" before I started dry heaving again.  He wanted to know how I knew it was a migraine....had I been actually diagnosed?  WTF?  He then asked me what I wanted.  Anti-nausea meds, pain meds, and a saline IV for fluids.  I was given an IV with god knows what and finally felt like I could move.  I had to BEG for a tiny saline drip.  When I finally left the ER, it was 6:30am and my medical note said I could go home and go back to bed.  Took me 2 days bedrest to achieve vertical.

More drama to follow.
   

WORST "VACATION" EVER! and the small stuff....

     I had a case of tonsillitis and an ear infection about 2 weeks before I was due to fly home, so I was already feeling kinda crappy.  I was able to book a room at "Chez Heydemann".  Both Becky and Anny were glad to have me and if I wasn't sick THE ENTIRE TIME, it would have been much more enjoyable.  I arrived stateside in the evening of the 23rd of Dec. and Ian was kind enough to pick me up.  We made a stop at the liquor store for provisions, so, in addition to the one glass of champagne I had in NYC at the airport, I had a glass when I got to Becky's.  (Booze count = 2 glasses)
     I had no wifi so communication was difficult.  I was able to get to T-Mobile and activate my phone and obtain a SIM card, but apparently it did not play well with my hot spot from Saudi.  When I left Saudi, it was about 75 degrees and when I arrived in Chicago it might have been zero.  My sons and my friends had laughed at my purchase of a farwa, but I was warm as heck.  We managed to stop and pick up a hat, scarf, and gloves so I was covered head to toe.  The cut came down to my ankles.  I was warm.  I was stopped everywhere I went by people telling me they loved my coat.  I had the last laugh.

Saudi farwa...they wear these in the desert in the winter.  Authentic ones are made of camel hide with the fur/hair inside.  Mine was animal friendly faux!

     I spent both Christmas eve and Christmas day with my boys and I was thrilled to death.  My sons conspired to get me lots of bath gel, bath bombs, and Epsom soaks.  I also got more coffee mugs and coffee!  The larger one on the right is the new one....someone knows me VERY well.

     I arrived Saturday, spent Sunday and Monday with the boys, and flew to Arkansas to see dad on Tuesday.  I am still coughing, sneezing, and hacking up a lung.  When I arrived in Arkansas, I think the temp was maybe 16 degrees!  Southern hospitality my ass!  Mary was kind enough to pick me up in Little Rock and fill me in on dad.  He is doing ok, but has a huge medical issue with his foot.  I love him very much, and it kills me to see him uncomfortable or in pain.  We drove dad to doctor appointments and he was given some things to help out with the issue.  I was glad to see dad and was actually able to get some shopping done.  I also managed to purchase YET ANOTHER mobile hot spot to accommodate my 3rd data SIM card.

 doormat

door (nothing religious about snow!)

I had arrived with a large empty suitcase, and bought another one when I left the states.  I made a trip to a local clinic and was told I did NOT have pneumonia but had an upper respiratory issue for which she gave me a steroid shot.  Not sure it did anything, but we officially ruled out pneumonia.  Mary, knowing me very well, bought 2 large bottles of Chardonnay, and had one already cooling in the fridge.  Knowing I would be flying again, and again, in a few days, I was simply too tired and icky feeling to partake.  (booze count = 0) 

      The one thing I was able to do for my dad was feed him!  We had pork roast with oven roasted potatoes and homemade applesauce.  I also made homemade 5 cheese mac and cheese with crab.  My sister informed me I was welcome to move in an cook for them any time....yeah, hold your breath and let me know how that works for you!  My dad managed to clean his plate every single time.  Job well done.  

     I was able to have some brisket and pulled pork while in Arkansas, so a good time was had by all....ish.  I managed to get a massage while there and had gone in my PJ's, because I knew I would need a shower after.  When my brother-in-law picked me up, he informed me we had to stop at Wallymart to pick up fixins for what dad wanted for supper.  I will add yet another phrase to my list of things I NEVER imagined I would EVER say, "Even in my pajamas (that were purchased at wallymart), I was still one of the best dressed people in wallymart."  I survived Arkansas and flew back to Chicago for some serious shopping and quality time with my boys.

     I arrived back on the evening of the 30th, and Becky was kind enough to pick me up.  My sons both had to work and I was not feeling at all well...still...so my New Years Eve celebration was surf and turf, cooked by Becky, and everyone was off to bed by 9:30pm.  (booze count = 0)  My boys were not too thrilled that I left a bit of booze unopened at their house.  The best laid plans got hocked up in a wad of phlegm.  

     I wound up staying a few days longer then anticipated, so I was able to accomplish many things, do a TON of shopping and see my boys.  I also talked to a realtor and finance person, about possibly buying something when I come back in the summer.  Hard to really concentrate on anything coughing up a lung or two.  Did I mention I felt like shit the entire time I was home?  

     The ONLY downside to staying with Becky was an unforeseen water issue.  She had plenty of hot water, but NO pressure in the upper floor of the house.  We could do laundry in the basement, cook and do dishes on the first floor, but there was no bath/shower upstairs.  I was able to run by the boys and take a shower, but Anny had to call on a favor from a friend and borrow their tub.  We wound up spending the day that the plumber arrived at a spa :-) They had hot tubs, saunas both wet and dry, and a fabulous Korean restaurant.  I have to say it was FABULOUS and will plan to return.  I just need to remember that dry saunas are NOT recommended for osteoarthritis as they further dry out already dry joints. :-(  I am happy to say that I have since been informed that the plumber was able to fix it and there is now plenty of hot water upstairs too.

     Another thing I managed to do was get my driver's license renewed.  It had been stolen, but I was able to get in and out of the DMV in the 3 weeks I was home.  I also got a haircut AND was able to convince Michael that he should get one too....it helped I paid...and we got matching haircuts....LOL

     On the way home from haircuts we stopped by this house.  I can not make this up, it was FABU!  I am just sorry you can't quite make out the Burberry porch.

     Here is where we get to the "little things".  One of the things I had been unable to find ANYWHERE in Saudi, was a white cotton blanket for my bed.  ALL of their blankets are that super hot fake fuzzy shit that is NOT conducive to hot flash relief.  My only issue in Chicago was the fact that the Target I hit did not have a full sized blanket, but a twin is almost perfect.  SCORE!  That little extra layer is perfect and I slept like a baby.  I was also able to get the folding shelf units I could not find here.  I was FINALLY able to organize my pantry.  As soon as I get a hold of an Instant Pot, it is ON like donkey kong!

     I hit the clearence rack at Old Navy hard.  I am pretty sure I have mentioned that there are NO dressing rooms in Saudi.  You have to purchase, take home, try on, and then return within their 30 minutes (really 3 days) return policy.  At least at Old Navy, I know an XL shirt or pants will fit almost every.single.time!  I got 2 bags of Garrets Chicago mix, a box of Frango Mints, and most all of the food stuffs I cannot get in Saudi.  One of my BEST scores was 4 boxes of Triscuits.  I bought 2 boxes of reduced fat, and 2 boxes of ginger/lemongrass.  They were on sale for $2.50 per box.  WHEN I can find them in Saudi they are almost $9.00 per box.  Tons of instant Starbucks coffee, cocoa, and mochas.  These are NOT available here at all.  (little things)

    

 My OWN personal full size fridge with manual ice-maker!  How can you shock anything in an ice bath if you have no ice?

This is the after picture of my pantry.  Forgot to do the before.

I am not completely done, but EVERYTHING is accessible and organized.  I just need a few more storage containers (think flour) and baskets and it is DONE.  My roomie will be thrilled!  I was able to buy non-metric measuring cups and spoons as well.  (little things)

Ok, that is it for now.  The journey home is (cringe)worthy of its own post.  HAPPY NEW YEAR!  May good things come your way.

A Weekend Away and My Last Weekend in Saudi...until I come back

     Last weekend, my co-worker announced she had joined a women's basketball team in Jeddah and would be spending every single weekend in Jeddah.  For some reason, I got caught up in the excitement and promptly announced I was going too.  She could do her thing, but because there were no seats left on the bus from base, we agreed to figure out alternative transport to Jeddah together.  We found 2 more teachers going and managed to book an SUV for 200 SAR.  The bus was no longer on the table!  One of the other teachers, whose husband lives in Jeddah, asked if I wanted a ride back....REALLY?  HELLLLLLS YEAH!  So, I booked a hotel in Jeddah, breakfast included, walking distance to a HUGE souk, and close to everything else I might need.
     Zantika's friend was out of town until Friday, so she booked a last minute room at my place.  We dropped off our bags in our AWESOME rooms, and headed down to the restaurant for supper as they were about to call prayer...again....We paid a pretty penny for a pretty awesome buffet supper and huge dessert table :-)

View in the morning from the restaurant.

    After supper we headed out to the souk and shopped until we dropped about 10:30.  Even though the beds were hard, I slept like a baby!  Traveling with my mini-humidifier and mini fan makes a HUGE difference.  At breakfast in the morning, we saw a mommy cat and her little kitten looking at us with hunger in their eyes.  The buffet was about to close so they got turkey sausages.  The next morning, I made sure they had some sandwich meat and eggs.  While these 2 were eating, another mommy came up, so I went back in and snagged some more food for her.  EVERYBODY eats when they come to my house!

Mommy and baby.

View from my room :-)

     On my last morning, I went for a walk with phone in hand and took pictures of the historic sections of Jeddah.  The Saudi are very quick to tear down, but I was glad to see they were preserving the ancient architecture.  It was really amazing.

     I was able to make contact with my friend and co-worker Elizabeth and her husband begrudgingly agreed to drive us around to shop.  I was able to pick up some trinkets for my kids and found a FABU crafting supplies/sewing store.  On the way home we stopped at LuLu Market and I discovered my new hard to find go to place.  Life is good.  I am heading home and hope to meet up with as many people as I can while I am home!

HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!

    Because they issued me the wrong visa type, and because that visa was in my stolen passport, I am being flown home for the winter break.  School ends on Dec. 21, but the first available flight is Dec. 23.  No problem.  Zantika and I will get a ride to Jeddah on the 21st and spend a day and a half shopping in Jeddah.  Unfortunately they have me flying Saudi Air so I will not have a cocktail until I hit JFK for my 4 hour layover.  I have booked a flight an car so I can swing by Arkansas and see dad.  I told Mary to buy whatever ingredients I need to make whatever he wants to eat.  Aside from Roladen, not sure what he will ask for.
   So, I have made the trip to Ikea and I have been to Jeddah twice.  The first trip was to Ikea, the second to the embassy to replace my STOLEN passport.  My friend's husband was able to pick up my passport and bring it to me when he came to visit his wife.  The road to Jeddah is down the mountain and I am just glad I didn't have to drive it!

Sheep on their way to "market".

More sheep.

Sneaky baboon.

Roadside baboons.

Jeddah

Road to Meccah.

I am not allowed in Meccah.

      It is about a 2 hour drive and I took the bus the last time.  The Saptco bus reminds me of the ADO bus in Mexico.  They have buses that make the trip from base each weekend, but I have had no cash and too many things to do at home.  Payday was a tremendous relief as I no longer had to beg an allowance/loan from co-workers.  

The drive to "town" aka Taif, is about 25 minutes.  On the way to town, there are literally 5-6 amusement parks.  I wish I was kidding.  They make me laugh every single time I see them.  No idea why Taif seems to be the amusement capital of Saudi, but there are TONS of parks, playgrounds, and amusement parks.

     

     Once I got paid, it was off to Taif for shopping.  I was able to get a co-worker to explain to the phone guy my wallet was stolen so he allowed me to recharge my phone.  I was also able to stock the fridge for Thanksgiving.  I cooked supper for about 5 of us.  One of the teachers procured TWO frozen 7 pound turkeys, as they didn't have anything bigger.  I had my students make thankful birds to bring home.  Thanksgiving is a totally non-religious holiday!

This is the view of the school yard from the 2nd floor of the girls' building.

I have done crafts with all of my classes now, and tie them into one of the stories we are reading.  The 7th and 8th grades no longer get art classes so they are happy to do the projects.

Paper machete heads.

This is a bird that comes by almost every day to say hi and beg for seeds.

Could not pass this up!

 Building in Taif.

Really old buildings.  There are pieces of stone buildings all over Taif.

     So, I will be home for the holidays and I have booked my flights to see my dad.  After everything I have been through, glad to not spend Christmas and New Year in Saudi.  Before I go, I will briefly mention that I finally got sick in Taif.  I wound up with an ear infection and tonsillitis.  Fortunately, the biggest perk about working for the military hospital compound, is that medical is literally across the street.  Thursday morning I was able to leave "teacher training" about 9am and head to medical.  A long wait at pharmacy was lessened by replacing my lost base ID (yes, the hits just keep coming) and getting my second of 3 Hep B booster (?) shots.  Home and in bed by noon.  Slept until 4:30, up to eat turkey soup, nap, more turkey soup and evening antibiotic, then back to bed by 9.  Feeling a bit better today, but my chest feels like a monkey is sitting on it.  Hoping it is not becoming pneumonia.