(very heavy sigh) Trials and Tribulations or why I hate liquid yogurt.

     Those who followed the blog or spoke to me about China, and who brought up the topic of coffee, know that I have an issue with finding real milk in foreign countries.  Those who know me, and love me anyways, know that I need milk for my coffee.  I drink coffee for YOUR safety, so to not have milk....makes for a bad day.

Istambul Airport.  I was told NOT to take pictures at the Riyadh airport, so this is it.

Where China was just kinda dirty all around, Riyadh is DUSTY!  It is all under construction, and because the air is so dry, EVERYTHING is covered in a layer of dust.  It gives the entire city a tan/gray tinge that covers over everything.

My street

My building

The entryway.  My apartment is past the stairs to the left on the first floor.

Looking to the left from the front door.  Yes, the couch and chair are pretty outrageous red and gold crushed velvet.  Looks like I will need furniture covers...LOL

Looking to the center from the front door.

My BEDROOM DOOR!  I HAVE AN ACTUAL BEDROOM! (+5 pts KSA)

My new kitchen.  Note that there is a sink in the bath AND in the kitchen!  I wanted hot water in the kitchen and I HAVE HOT WATER in the sink,  Be careful what you wish for as the water gets SO hot, I generally turn the water heater off so I don't burn myself in the shower or while doing dishes.

The bathroom.  Not much better then China and I have no shower curtain.  I have scrubbed it down, but the shower base is sketchy at best and the walls just don't want to come clean.

Looking out from the bathroom.  WOOHOOO I can shit and watch TV :-)

This is an ACTUAL STOVE with an ACTUAL OVEN!  They sell all sorts of baking mixes at the grocery store!

     Now to the real blog.  So, I arrived at midnight on Friday/Saturday morning and woke up to the previously described situation.  I have to start off by describing my living situation.  The promised "compound" is actually just an apartment building.  There is no access to a health club, no pool, no common areas, and we can't really walk around outside due to the heat.  That said, we are actually about 3 blocks to  a small mall and a store (Jareer) that is almost a combo of book store/craft store/art supply store/electronic store.  It has a bit of everything, and it is walking distance!  Just a bit further, there is a small mall.  The mall is meh, at best, but it does have a grocery store (Carrfeer) on the level of a super K-mart, in that it sells food and some small amounts of electronics, small appliances, clothes, etc.  They do NOT sell lamps, unless I want to use a camping lantern.  The mall has a food court that serves mostly hamburgers.  I found a small assortment of desk lamps at Jareer, but it wasn't what I wanted it and it is expensive as hell.
     I had mentioned earlier that I just needed to shop to fill in the blanks.  It turns out there is an IKEA in Riyadh.  YES! an actual Ikea.  I will be able to buy the exact same lamp for my bedroom that I knew and loved in China and at home in the US.  I LOVE IKEA!  Another teacher and I have arranged a taxi to take us there and back.  I CANNOT WAIT!  I have no plans to go wild, but the lamps I need and the shower curtain are NEEDS, not just wants.
   

Grand Adventure Part Deux - a sneak peek

      I am going to preface this post by saying no pics yet, still feeling out what is an is not allowed when it comes to taking pics.
      I arrived in Saudi at about 9:30pm and proceeded to customs.  In and out in a breeze and on to baggage claim.  I was toting 2 checked bags, a carry-on, and my "purse".  Some guy standing next to me at the carousel tried to help grab my bag and managed to drop it on my foot.  Not having really walked anywhere, it only now is starting to hurt like hell.   I manage to make it all the way to the exit with the help of a man who insists on "helping me" until I inform him I have no cash. :-)  I left the states with about $15 USD but I knew I had cash in my accounts and it made no sense to keep converting dollars until I knew what I was up against.  My cards all have chips so I was good.
     My "driver" did eventually find me, and my name was spelled correctly on his sign. (+1 point for Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)).  The driver was to provide me with an abaya (the long black cloak that covers a woman from neck to ankle), but he did not have one.  So, wearing clothes that fully covered me and were lose, I headed to the parking garage with a scarf wrapped badly around my head.  We drove directly to my new "home" and I believe the guard gave him a ration of grief for letting me come out without an abaya.  Regardless, I was now officially "home".
     Before I go any further, I must say that I fail to understand why every single TEFL recruiter feels a need to lie about everything and anything related to our work, our lives, our homes, our pay, etc.  I am in an apartment building, not a compound, and there is NO gym nearby that will allow women to work out.  (-5 points KSA).
     So, by the time I arrived at my new apartment it was pushing midnight and I was exhausted.  Fortunately, I was provided with an actually comfortable bed with clean sheets and a pillow! (+2 points KSA).  I did not pack a towel, but the shower had no curtain and the bathroom was poorly designed.  (no points as = to China).  I was too exhausted to think too much about this so I simply took a whore's bath and went to bed.  I did not sleep much on the plane, had been up for more then 24 hours, and knew my inner clock would be off, but WTF was that loud noise (horns and singing???) at 4:30 AM?!?  Pre-dawn call to prayers....really??
     So, when I finally got out of bed at about 11:00 am, I found myself in a spacious apartment with minimal but functional furniture, a full size fridge, a four burner stove WITH OVEN (+10 points KSA) and a washing machine.  I do have a microwave but NO counter space.  Anyone who saw or recalls my pics from China knows this is not even an issue...just have to shop!  What I did NOT find easy to deal with was the fact that they left me with an empty fridge and no drinkable water!  Throwing on clothes, I wandered down the hall until I found an open door and was able to borrow an abaya and 100 riyal in order to run next door to the ultra MINI mart and procure coffee, milk, sugar, water, and some cheese and crackers.  More to follow.