How I Spent My Summer

     When I finally knew I was coming home for a bit between jobs, my sons immediately informed me that they did NOT have a couch.  If I wanted to stay with them, and this was VERY STRONGLY DISCOURAGED, I would have to buy a mattress of some sort and follow their rules.  The thought of staying for an indefinite period of time on an air mattress was not making my old body happy.  When I posted this distressful news, I was immediately offered a room, and a bed, with my friend Becky.  Her and her mother live in a big old house (my favorite kind) in Evanston, and they would welcome the company.  I very quickly said YES!
     Before I left Riyadh, I made sure to book a hotel near the airport in Riyadh so I would not have to worry about making it to the airport on time.  I was of the understanding that the "airport shuttle" was included, but regardless, I would pay anything to leave.  I had paid the equivalent of my "bonus" to upgrade to business class, as I had "just" returned from the US a short time ago and was not up to sitting for another 14 hours.  Also, because I knew I was almost immediately turning around to do it in reverse, the money would be my small "vacation" treat to myself.  WELL WORTH EVERY PENNY TO LAY DOWN FLAT!  Also, because I had paid for business, I was able to spend my 3 hour layover in Istanbul in the business lounge!  I figured it would be a while before I got a bite to eat, so I grabbed a snack and a chardonnay :-)

     I had also booked a hotel for the night I arrived, so as not to have to deal with anyone until my body had adjusted to life back in the good 'ol US of A!  BTW, WTF has this asshat who calls himself the supreme leader been up to while I was gone?  Seriously, what is wrong with that man?  I find myself traveling the world and apologizing for him.  I have to swear I did not vote for him (I voted absentee in Saudi) and promise to work hard to never let this happen again.  I leave the country for one minute and the Cubs win the pennant and Lord Feltersnatch tries to start WWIII.  Don't even get me started on the race riots he has instigated and supported....sorry, hard to watch.  I don't bother trying to watch anything but world news anymore.  I figure the big shit will get reported on the BBC (Las Vegas?!?!)
    So, I stayed with Becky and her mom.  They were the world's best hostesses.  Mom and I had some great conversations and Becky....OMG that woman can cook!  One of the best parts of staying with them, is that the house came complete with CATS!

 This is Mr. Winston. He is a most regal old man.  He is 17 years old and quite the dignified cat.

 This is Niko.  He is a young hellion, and he loves to annoy Mr. Win.  He has the SOFTEST fur of ANY animal I have EVER petted!  He used me for a pillow quite regularly and I did NOT object!  I did not take a picture of Dali dog, as her and I butted heads the whole time I was there...LOL  She has her humans quite well trained and I just wasn't playing that game.

They had installed a bird feeder in the front window, so I could sit by the window with a lap full of fur and watch the birds....squirrel!

     I was able to spend some quality time with my boys as well!  Ian and Mike both picked me up from the airport and we had dinner at Longhorn.  I barely ate and barely finished my cocktail before I knew that all I wanted to do was crawl into a soft bed and sleep til I could sleep no more.

     Mike was quite proud that he was able to buy me dinner one night (a fish meal with the pizza he ordered), and make me dinner one night (He called it "spaghetti", I called it pasta casserole.  Then he made me dessert....hot baked chocolate chip cookies with vanilla ice-cream!  He took me to the BEST Mexican place I have eaten at in ages and had them cook me up some fresh, hot churros.  OMG they were good!  This was what we saw in the gift shop window next door.  Did I mention the neighborhood is predominately Hispanic?

I also did not question the beer on the shelf in the shower...

I did finally get a picture of the third afghan I crocheted for Ian.  The picture does not do it justice, as it is beautiful shades of blue and green!

     As is turned out, it was actually quite fortuitous that Becky had invited me to stay.  She had made plans to attend a concert in Minneapolis and it was comforting to her to know that someone else was in the house in case mom needed anything.  I was happy for the opportunity to cook mom dinner.  Becky is an AMAZING cook and preferred to cook while I happily (except for the day I got my manicure :-) did the dishes.  They have a dishwasher so it was not that hard.  In addition to the concert, both Becky and her mother had tickets to attend the Shakespeare festival in Winston, Canada.  I was happy to spend a great deal of quality time with Win and Niko.  

      Dali dog was NOT happy at their departure and let me know in no uncertain terms that she was unhappy.  Apparently when they have gone before, she has a habit of taking a crap on the white bathroom rug in the large upstairs bathroom.  She also has a horrible habit of eating the cat food if it is left unattended.  When she does this, she gets horrible diarrhea.  So......

This was the second round.  The first round had been cleaned up before I went to bed.  (very heavy sigh).  They have a woman who walks the dog, and I was happy she arrived that morning.  I was worried that there was something wrong with the dog and was freaking out because they had not made a point to give me a number for the vet.  Fortunately, the dog walker was very well versed on all things dog and informed me the problem was the cat food, she would keep an eye on the dog, and I simply needed to add some white rice and plain chicken to the dry food.  She also told me that it was perfectly fine to have Dali sleep outside on the covered porch at night.  The porch I could hose off if need be. :-)

     I was also able to spend some real quality with my friend Holly in her fabu penthouse rental.

     She took me out for "life changing fried chicken", and I have to admit it was pretty damned good! The mac and cheese was amazing, and the peach cobbler for dessert? The long things are fried green beans that were, in fact, life altering...I stuffed myself silly! YOLO

Speaking of food, you KNOW I hit up Portillo's before I left...ok, hit them hard a few times!

 I was also able to fulfill my promise to my dad and check on mom's grave.  I had picked up some flowers at Meier's and planted those.

I had mailed in my passport to the visa processing center in D.C. immediately upon returning home and had it back with the visa in a week.  I immediately contacted the recruiter to inform them that visa was in hand, and I was told the ticket would come.....so I waited.... Two weeks later I received an email from the principal telling me she was excited about my coming.  I told her I had the visa was and waiting on the ticket.  After another week, she contacted me again asking, "Where the heck are you?"  School had started....told her ask the office...  She told me she would take care of it and sure enough, the next day, I had a ticket.  So Monday morning, about 10am, I was informed that I was leaving on a 10 am flight on Wednesday.  Cool.  48 hours to get my shit together to fly out of the country.

     So, I tried to call the airline to upgrade and was told to just check in and deal with it then....great, but in coach I get 20kg in each of 2 bags, and in business class, I get 32kg in each of 2 bags...so, books? underwear? clothes? toothpaste? (I actually seem to have lost that)  I packed the bags at 32kg and figured I would just eat the over baggage fees if I couldn't upgrade.  I set aside $3000 on a credit card to pay for baggage and upgrade.  Fingers crossed, I headed to the airport (Becky gave me a ride) and my next grand adventure!

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!

The "R" word and a new job??

     Ok, Ramadan...where to begin?  I believe I have repeatedly said that working a split shift (8-12 then 4-8) was rough and I hated it.  Well, Ramadan takes the split shift to crack on steroids level of hell.  Sorry, I have a very profound appreciation for the whole idea behind Ramadan, and I respect the religious nature of the holiday, but most people get to stay home and sleep/pray almost all day as schools and most business either close or severely restrict their hours.  Because the people who observe the holiday are Muslim, all restaurants are closed during the day.  There is the usual number of calls to prayer, but there are additional, "sermons"? delivered over loudspeaker on and off all day.  There seems to be additional such prayers/sermons in the evening.  So, we are now working 10-1 then 9:30pm-12:30am.....shoot me!
     You are NOT allowed to eat or drink anything in public and we are not allowed to eat or drink in front of the students.  YES, we have lots of students....and kids....lots of kids....it is like a daycare drop off while the parents are out socializing with family and friends....(loud, heavy, long sigh).  We have 4 classes for each session, but the time of each class has been shortened to 45 minutes.  I teach only 2 in the morning, first and last, but the admin at school has us doing busy work all morning...I hide....and growl....I am still trying to catch up on the stuff I never got a chance to organize/sort from last sessions.  Because the students are mostly fasting, they are groggy and grumpy in the morning classes.  After the sunset prayer (? - about 6:30ish?), the folks who have been fasting all day gorge themselves.  So, in the evening they are tired and sluggish...yeah, it is a blast.  I am usually in bed by 10pm every night so this is killing me.
     My entire body is screaming at me.  I am NOT getting enough sleep, my eating schedule is all off, and my eating habits are for shit.  I get up at 9 and have breakfast after my first class at 10:15...if I remember to pack food.  I come home at 1:00pm and either crash and burn or eat myself silly and pass out from a foodgasm....I try to nap again around 8pm, but nothing is normal.  Baby Girl is not handling it well either and is not quite sure what and when we are going and doing....Decorations seem to be red, blue, and gold, and consist of crescent moons and stars.

     I have talked to other people who work at regular schools, and most of them are closed for the month of Ramadan or working a normal straight shift with adjusted hours or a later start.  So, this is where the possible new job comes in (fingers, toes, and intestines crossed).  I received an email about 2 weeks ago asking me to fly to Sharjah, just outside Dubai, I had to pay for my own flight and accommodations, but I was told the client, the Department of Education for the UAE, had asked the agency to invite me.  If nothing else, I got to see how the other half lives.  I flew in the night before and stayed in a hotel.  I left for the airport immediately following the interview.  I worked until 12:30 then caught a ride to the airport at 6:45am.  I slept the whole flight.

The sights were amazing and I was thrilled to be there.  I was given a queen sized bed and a room with a tub...life was good!  Because I had been unable to find a copy store that worked, let alone find a fax machine, my first goal was to print and fax the documentation I needed to update my income based repayment plan for my student loans.  Sharjah is also a Muslim country/province, so all food places were closed.  I had a small packet of cookies and a cup of instant coffee in my room, then headed downstairs to find printer/fax.  The hotel I stayed at let me print all my docs for free and headed me in the direction of a possible fax machine.  I was also given a list of local Souks.
     It is Ramadan, EVERYTHING is pretty much closed during the day.  I did manage to find a grocery store who let me sneak into the back room to chug the cold beverage I had purchased.  I showed them medicine (Aleve) I had to take so they forgave me drinking during daylight :-)  All possible fax shops were......closed until likely 8 or 9 pm.  At that point, I hailed a cab and headed for the farthest Souk.  I was THRILLED to see that the cabs in Sharjah were cheap and every single cab driver put the meter on while playing a reminder to put my seat belt on.  I made it the farthest souk and it was an amazing old world style, traditional, out-door souk....where most of the stores were closed, but I still found plenty open.

I found some amazing items as gifts for friends, and again, found a store willing to let me drink my cold beverage while hiding behind the counter.  Not kidding.  I bought 2 bottles of water and a thing that tasted like a virgin mojito....I was happy, but still pretty hungry.  My next stop was the "gold souk".  It was two enormous buildings connected by an overpass walkway. On the way, the cab driver circled an amazing park and pulled over to purchase something in a plastic bag from a guy who was standing on the curb...didn't ask, didn't want to know....I was on the meter and didn't want to argue.

I did finally get to the souk.

Again, most of the stores were closed but I found enough to keep me occupied until after fasting broke at 7:00pm.  I found a place that sold soft serve cones that would tide me over til I got real food.  When I left, the buildings were all lit up and the skyline was amazing.

 I didn't sleep well, but I got a hot bath the night before and I had purchased food and milk for breakfast.  I got dressed, checked out, and headed to my interview.

Because I was not in Saudi, I was not required to wear an abaya and the other women applying were also wearing pants or an abaya.  The recruiter said I looked perfect and I felt fabulous.  I had to take a test prior to interviewing that included drafting a lesson plan and then defending my choice of subject and teaching methods.  My lesson plan was for contract construction and negotiation.  I was of the understanding that I was interviewing to teach college level business English.  Nope, middle school English...oh well.  I thought it went well and my last words to the recruiter were, "I want this job!"

     When I got to the airport, I found that food court was open, albeit hiding behind a wall, but the only food available was Indian food and McD;s.  Because of the language barrier and my experience with the level of "hot" the Indians use to define spicy, I went with McD's.  They also served a decent latte, which I mixed with the milk from my happy meal to make it a drinkable temp :-)

After eating, I went shopping and found they were just toying with me...

Because my flight was going into Saudi, they did not even have booze on the plane...

I will keep everyone posted...if I survive Ramadan....InShaAllah....