Drum roll please...

  It is official.  I will be working at the military base in Ta'if, Saudi Arabia.  They are processing my visa as soon as I get home and fedex my passport to the processing office in DC.  As soon as I received the email informing me they were processing my visa, I got to work finding a new home for Baby Girl.  I posted an ad on expats.com and was inundated with messages offering to take the cat.  I weeded through some of the creepy ones (like the guy who informed me he sold the last cat for money and that is why he needed a new cat, or the lady who already had 3 cats...).  I found a couple who were very happy to take her, but were worried about how she would react to their birds....

I did get these pictures along with a note saying that she was chasing the birds, but they would make it work and they were not returning her.  I know SHE is happy as hell that they have the bird show on cat tv at the nature channel....LOL

     I am allegedly flying home on Aug. 25, but there have been issues with my ticket.  I had called the travel agent and asked him to upgrade me to business class (for the 15 hour flight home) at my expense, and he said no problem....he just had to get approval from the school.  I said do it first, get approval later, I am paying for it.  For some reason, my credit card declined the transaction so I was reduced to relying on the company....PROBLEM.  They worked at their usual speed, and after a week, 27 conversations about the ticket, a call to the men's side (they have the final say on everything), it was determined that I could do this, but the cost went from 7300 SAR to 25,000 SAR.  I cried.  I contacted my bank and was told they did NOT decline the transaction, the airline never entered an amount to be approved so it was not their fault.  I cried some more.

     After wiping away my tears, I contacted the travel agent at noon and asked him to help make this right.  He found another flight that would work, although with a layover, but before he could change it, he needed permission from the school....(very heavy sigh).  At 6:00 pm I finally INSISTED he contact the men's division to get permission.  The (many words come to mind and won't be shared here) guy at the men's side said we would deal with this on Sunday....(another VERY heavy sigh and more tears).  I am leaving (allegedly) Fridayish.  I should arrive Chicago Saturdayish.  I have a wonderful friend who offered a bed (thanks Becky!) so I have a place to crash.  I figure I will only be there no longer then one week, as all they have to do is process the visa.

     The other issue is the matter of my household goods.  Having moved, what feels like a million times, I know that "fully furnished" can be an exceedingly misleading label.  I have no furniture, I gave it away or sold it, and my "household goods" consists of a suitcase full of clothes, including the abayas I don't need back home, and about 4 boxes of craft supplies, and kitchen shit I CAN NOT live without...you know; potato masher, stick blender, spatula, etc.  I contacted a number of shipping companies, but they don't seem to understand.  I then contacted the recruiter and asked if she had an address I could have my stuff sent to.  She was shocked I would need to take ANYTHING with me as it was "fully furnished".  Silly rabbit, household goods are necessary, regardless of how "fully" it is furnished.

    I have talked to a number of folks who have been to Ta'if, and the consensus is that I will NOT find a craft store in Ta'if.  I will have a medium box of craft supplies and a box of yarn and fabric.  It is beautiful, but I need something I can do indoors when it rains!  I know this will all work out in the end.  My BFF Rick used to say that no matter how bad things went in my life, I always managed to land on my feet, and to remember, that the way to eat an elephant was one bite at a time.  I miss him from the bottom of my heart, but I know he has my back.

Hurry up and wait....or deja vu

    Again, my life is on hold pending paperwork.  I have had a number of job offers in both China and Saudi.  I now have two full years of experience, in two countries, teaching all from pre-school to senior adults.  I have tutored, taught in an elementary school, and worked in a language center.  The only thing I am missing is a teaching license.  I have found a program that allows me to do my teaching remotely via webcam.  I teach while the instructor takes notes and confers with my local mentor.  In the end, I will have a teaching certificate from the state of Arizona.  I have not put down the cash, but I am ready to go when I settle into my new job.

     So, about the "new job".  I met with the head of a local school that will be run by one of my fellow teachers.  Maria is an amazing teacher and has done it all.  She has far more experience, much better credentials, and an amazing amount of energy.  She is actually leaving the job the same day I do and she was very excited about taking me with.  She will be the director of the new school, as well as the advanced math teacher.  She introduced me to one of the owners (?) and the man with the boots on ground to get the brand new school fully staffed and up and running.  He "hired" me in part because he was impressed with my work at LexisNexis.....ok....?  I did not say anything about it, I just nodded.

     He agreed, in theory, on a salary of more then I am making now, but not the best, and said a contract would follow.  That was a few weeks ago, and so far, nothing in writing.  I was told I would be hired to teach grades 7, 8, and 9 English, and lower levels if needed.  No problem.  They did not have a villa in a condo yet, so I would be living with his family or the family of a student.....ok....? UNTIL they procured a villa or an apartment building.  No problem, I think.  School would start on Sept. 17 so I would have about a month to go home and get my new visa.  No problem.  I have asked Maria more then once for something in writing, and so far....crickets.

     About a week and a half after I met with the man, I received an email from a recruiter that I had been accepted for a position teaching English on a military base in the South of Saudi.  Specifically Taif.  The weather is AMAZINGLY TEMPERATE!  the place is supposed to be "really green" (measured with a pound of Saudi salt), and full of monkeys....?  I would live and work on base and would be provided with a fully furnished, all utilities paid, one bedroom apartment.  There is supposed to be a pool and gym on base.....YES....(but not holding my breath).  There is little to do in town, but there is a grocery store, bank, restaurants (?) on base.  There is not a lot of actual info, but I believe that there may be US troops there as well?

     So, with the email, I received a written offer.  I answered back with a few questions, hesitant about accepting a whole new place with an alleged offer coming in Riyadh.  Also, I was recently informed that I would not be allowed to bring my cat with for the Riyadh school.....problem.....  In response to my questions, I was informed that I would not be allowed to have my cat in base housing either.  Level playing field.  I could not find a printer to actually print out the offer to sign it and send it back, but when I mentioned this to another teacher, was informed the printer in our office actually worked (it rarely does, and don't EVEN get me started on the copier...LOL).  I was able to print it out, take it home, sign the offer, and then scan it and email it back.  Baby Girl "helped me" with my printer so it no longer prints well, but I just needed the scanner.  No problem.  I am now waiting for my formal contract and visa instructions.  Did I mention it payed 1.4 times what I make now? :-)

     Bottom line, Baby Girl has to find a new home.  I asked my boys if they would like a kitty and their response cannot be printed.  So, working on re-homing her.  In Saudi, most of the cats are the flat faced long haired kind that are cute.  Baby Girl is adorable, and fixed, and has all her shots, but she is not a long-haired fuzzy ball.  She is entirely too cute to be a homeless street kitty!  But, she is fixed and has all her shots.

     My life is once again a matter of hurry up and wait.  I am flying into Chicago on 26 Aug., and had a recent offer to stay with Becky.  I have to make doctor appointments and have my annual mammogram.  I just want an Italian beef and a glass of Chardonnay!

I Survived AND I got a NEW TOOTH!

     So, it seems I survived Ramadan.  It was very taxing and I hope to avoid doing the crazy hours again.  Because I was told we had 10 days paid leave to start on June 20, and because they refused to give me any idea in late April as to what my schedule might be like for Ramadan, I booked a flight for 1:00am departure on June 20 to Arkansas to see my dad.  My sister had informed the family the last week of April that dad was winding down and would not be traveling anymore.  I decided it was a great time to both get out of Saudi, and to see my dad.

     As it turned out, I was supposed to teach until 12:30am the morning of the 20th, so making my 1:00am flight was out of the question.  After my sister had suggested that 10 days was too long to stay in Arkadelphia (read, she wasn't really wanting me around that long), she told me dad would pay to change my departure city and fly me to Chicago for the last few days.  The airline said to check with CheapoAir, as they had booked my flight.  After hearing the cost of $1000, I nixed the idea until I checked in with the airline itself to see if I could change my flight.  School was starting back up July 2, so I booked my flights to arrive back in Saudi on July 1 so I could unpack and recoup.

     It was a week before the start of vacation that I was told I could not leave after the first period the night before my flight so I could make the flight.  I arranged to have my kids come in early to make up the classes, but the school said I was only working the morning session and they would give me a ride to the airport at 10:00pm.  Nice, but then I was informed that because I was leaving before the very end of the work day, I would not only be docked the half day of pay, for the classes I missed, but would be docked for the entire vacation period.  ARE YOU KIDDING ME?  I informed the director that I was not happy with this and explained the situation.  She said she would write a letter on my behalf to the men's side and see if they could make an exception for me?!?! REALLY????  So, I left on "vaca" to Arkansas not knowing if or how much my paycheck when I came back.  Typical, not unusual, for the company.

     I got to the airport in time, was told I could NOT even pay to upgrade to business, and prepared for almost 24 hours in planes or airports....wooohooo!  After I checked in, I was told that they could not change my departure city so check when I changed planes in Paris.  Ok.  When I arrived in Paris, I was told to check in Little Rock.  Ok.  In Little Rock, I was told to call the airlines.  Ok.  After claiming my almost empty bag, I was able to find my sister at arrivals (this is a joke, the airport is tiny).  She remarked about the huge bag I was bringing with me for only ten days.  I told her it was mostly empty and only contained gifts.  I was planning to fill it to go home :-)  Did I mention I live in a country where all the women have black hair so finding strawberry blonde....not gonna happen?

     On the hour drive from Little Rock to Arkadelphia, we stopped at IHop for dinner.  When asked what I wanted I simply said, "Bacon."  Asked if I wanted anything with that, I replied, "More bacon."  When pressured by my dad, I also ordered 2 eggs....with bacon :-)  When we got to the house, I was so exhausted I didn't have a glass of wine, I stayed awake until 8:30 and then literally crashed.  Slept until 8:30 am the next morning.  Just in time to get breakfast and coffee at the REAL LIVE coffee house down the street.  Actual espresso machine and bacon :-)

     Dad was quick to inform me that I was to be paraded into the senior center for lunch at least one day.  No problems.  I was also informed that the following day I would take dad to the dentist.  No problem.  Remember when I said I was living in a country where every single woman has black hair?  My only MUST for the entire trip was to find a hair salon to get my hair did.  Apparently, "red" translates to actual clown red in Saudi.  I had at least 3 shades of "red" in my hair.  I asked the ladies at the senior center and was directed to a place in town.  When I got there, I realized that only old ladies went there.  Fortunately, they did not have my color and directed me to a salon down the road that did "younger hair".  The poor gal took one look at me and simply said, "Oh my."  I was told they had a last minute cancellation and if I came back in an hour they would get me in.  NO PROBLEM!

     I was able to hit a local dollar store and purchase some items, like a hair coloring bowl/brush set, paperback books for $1, and some English language flash cards.  I had ordered some instant Starbucks, some inexpensive prescriptions glasses, and a few other items, that I had shipped to my sister's house.  It was far easier and cheaper then trying to get things shipped to Saudi.  I was able to get a cut and color for $120 + $20 tip.  She had to strip the "red" and then color it.  Took at least 2 hours but well worth it!

     I was finally able to call the airline and get my departure city changed to Chicago for only $120, no problem.  My father then booked me on the Amtrack from Arkadelphia to Chicago.  He was kind enough to splurge for a sleeper and I have to tell you, WELL WORTH EVERY PENNY to be able to lay down and sleep!  I was fed breakfast and lunch on the train....don't even ask, but it was food.  I was able to hop on the 147 bus downtown, and take the bus to my old hood.  I had been invited to stay with one of my besties (Holly), but I couldn't get ahold of her so I just got a room.  It turns out, the Motel 8 was only 1.5 blocks to her Chicago apartment.

     Her "studio", which is HUGE, is a penthouse on the north lakeshore area.  She is close to Toughy and East of Sheridan.  I spent 3 wonderful days with an amazing friend and a tremendous view!

Leaving her apartment was one of the hardest things I have done.  I was headed back to this:

Sad to leave my home sweet home :-(

     I was not able to get my new tooth put in before I left, so I was at least looking forward to getting that finished.  It took many months and much money, but I finally got a new tooth!

It is so nice to be able to talk and smile without worrying.  I no longer have to chant, "Keys, wallet, phone, tooth." when I leave the house!