Getting Yelled Out by a Stranger - An Encounter with the Religious Police

Picture from Arab NewsPaper in Saudi Arabia (www.arabnews.com)

I got yelled at…by the muttawa! The muttawa (also called haia) are commonly known as the religious police in Saudi Arabia. I have waited 9 months in anticipation for this to happen. I now feel inducted into society! I was sitting in the car, after going out to a local restaurant. Hubby was not yet in the drivers seat and I turned to see this white Jeep Cherokee type SUV pulling by slowly. We were parked and he was yelling something loud in Arabic. He was a guy of about 60 or 70, had his hair covered in a white scarf thing and had a long gangly beard. He was also wagging his finger. I didn’t even realize what was going on. I was just spectating and rolling my eyes at this crazy guy yelling at me. I mean, how often do you get yelled at, and out in public??! So, traffic kept moving and he was gone and then I told hubby what happened.

Then, it hit me-I had a muttawa encounter! The guy was most likely yelling at me to cover my head with a scarf (which I never do-because I don't have to). I told hubby, I think I just got yelled at by the muttawa! The car was almost long gone, but he was able to see it and verified that, yes, I had in fact had a muttawa encounter! How exciting-right!?? Well, that was the most exciting thing that did happen to me all day! And I’ll leave it at that.

In case you are wondering what the “Muttawa” are…..Well, they have a very important job in Saudi Arabia. Their job includes, but is not limited to the following:

1.   Telling women  to cover their head (even though it is not required by law)

2.   Ensuring that shop and store owners close during prayer time

3.   Monitoring product packaging, to keep them free from images of women in swimsuits (like having a woman sitting in a pool, on the package of a blow up pool or float)

4.   Browsing books and magazines to eliminate pictures of women that are “too 

      revealing” (example: a woman’s legs being revealed in a shaving or razor advertisement)

5.   Making sure that single men and single women are not socializing in public (it is against the law and people do go to jail for this) Often, I see the muttawa walking the malls. They have walked past me in 3 separate instances and not yelled or said anything to me in the mall.

Thanks for reading!

Andrea

 



Wild Monkeys!

It is hard to believe that my family has been in Saudi Arabia for 6 months now! We are lucky to have relatives close by to fill us in on things to do. Life here can get a bit boring. Why? Well, we can’t just walk outside our apartment and go for a walk. We do sometimes, but only when we need to get a snack or a few groceries. (I am notorious for “forgetting” to buy things when we go to the grocery store!) We don’t have the “American” luxuries of our Texas neighborhood, where we had a pool and a playground nearby. Unlike most western expats we live in an apartment instead of a compound.

So, let me get back to why I am writing this blog post today. Well, over the weekend, we had an amazing little adventure…..with monkeys! Before I tell you about the monkeys, let me tell you about the events leading up to it. We left at sunset and drove towards the mountains. It was about a 3 ½ hour trip and my 2 brother in laws and sister in law joined us. The kids rode with them most of the way and gave Sohail and I little break from “he hit me” and “she touched me!” We drove past Taif to a city called Shifa. We stopped for some roasted corn, fresh fruit and our dinner of roasted chicken and rice. 

Then, we checked into a resort that my husband and his brothers had stayed in last year. It was a sweet little villa type home that had a kitchen,a living room, 4 bathrooms and 4 bedrooms. It was not a Hilton, but was nice and clean and we loved it! It had a playground that we played on at night time and we also made a fire. The kids had fun burning wood and making torches! What we loved about our stay was that it was cold. It felt like December in the mountains! We wore sweatshirts and jackets and were freezing! Compared to the daily winter weather of 90 degrees Fahrenheit, this mountain air was amazing!

The next morning we slept past noon and then checked out of the resort. We headed back down the mountain on the ever so winding road! We stopped to see cactus and flowers. And then….we saw WILD MONKEYS! We pulled to the side of the road and saw so many…they were climbing the mountains in packs! There were large daddy monkeys with furry manes and medium sized mommy monkeys with babies either on their backs or stomachs. We decided to feed the monkeys and pulled out some apples and bananas. Several monkeys then jumped on our car. They were so big and my daughter screamed as my little boys laughed hysterically. After the monkeys jumped off our car, we threw the fruit out the window. It was so cute to see them holding the fruit like people do! However,the big daddy monkey kept taking it all and not sharing! We were astonished at such selfish behavior! Oh well. After our fruit was gone, we continued down the spiraling road. A few hours later, in Taif, we stopped at another local fruit stand and bought strawberries, tiny red apples, tangerines and baby bananas!Then, about an hour later we saw more MONKEYS! This time, our little one threw an apple and the daddy monkey caught it! Oh what an adventure!  We then stopped to take pictures of the mountains-we couldn't resist!

To end our adventure, all the kids chanted “we have to go to the bathroom!” So, we found a rest area and my daughter and I endured the “squatty potties” again.  No problem-we are used to it now!

The Real People of Saudi Arabia

I can hardly believe it-we have been living in Saudi Arabia now for 4 straight months! The Expat culture has embraced our family. Expats are basically people living here that are not Saudi nationals. In fact, Jeddah has more non-nationals living here, coming from various nearby countries. 

For example, my driver is from Palestine. My dentist is from the Philippines. Our children have teachers from: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, the United Kingdom and Kenya. My co-workers are Pakistani, Syrian and American. Our neighbors are from Jordan and Egypt. The barista’s at Starbuck’s are from Egypt, Africa and Asia. Employees at my favorite Chinese and Italian restaurant are from the Philippines. Near my work, the food service place workers are from Bangladesh, India and Morocco. I must say, these are the nicest people that I have met here!

On the other hand, those who I have had rude encounters with were locals. We have had some odd experiences here in Saudi Arabia. For example, I and my children have been pushed by a few women and their shopping carts, physically shoved out of the way in the line at cash registers and yelled at by a Saudi lady because she felt that she had a right to be served at Starbucks before me. I don’t know why these women reacted to us the way that they did. But it is what it is. I have met nice locals, too. I have had a few Saudi women approach me and ask me where I am from. One lady at the hospital even asked for my phone number, called me, and invited me to her home for a gift.

These experiences do make me a little homesick, from time to time because these types of things never happened to me in other countries that I visited, like Kazakhstan, Cambodia, Spain and Taiwan.  Saudi Arabia truly is a country like no other, as I’ve been told, and now agree.

What I miss from my own US culture are the rules of ethics that are just understood. I miss people in stores saying “excuse me” or “sorry.” Life here can be hard for a westerner like me. I won’t deny it. However, when my family goes out to eat, we are happy to encounter such nice “expats” as they are the ones that make this country special and bearable. Saudi Arabia would truly not be what it is, if not for the hard work and friendliness of people from around the world.  

My Recent Interview with InterNations

Internations recently interviewed me about my expat life, here in Saudi Arabia. Mine and Sohail's blog is now a recommended blog, posted on the InterNations website! See the button on the home page! Read my interview below!  Enjoy! -Andrea

 

1.     Pleasetell us a little bit about yourself. Who you are, where you come from, when youmoved to Jeddah, etc.

My name is Andrea, and Iam an American. My father was in the Navy (now retired) so when I was young, Ibegan my love for traveling. I went to school in Florida, Alabama and Spain.During college, I traveled to Kazakhstan and Germany (where my mother is from).After college, I accepted my first teaching job in Taiwan. I moved to Jeddah inJune of 2012 to continue working in the educational field.

2.     Whenand why did you decide to start blogging about your experiences?

I started blogging the year prior to comingto Saudi Arabia. Mainly because my family was so interested in hearing all thedetails of preparations to come, then our journey and now our currentexperiences.

3.     Doyou have any favorite blog entries of yours? Please add the URL link as well.

Registering my kids forschool was unforgettable. Here is my entry about it:

http://fromusatoksa.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-madness-of-school-registration.html

4.     Tellus about the ways your new life in Jeddah differs from that back home. Did youhave trouble getting used to the new circumstances? Did you experience cultureshock?

No culture shock for me.But, I think that is because I have lived in other countries before. It hasdefinitely been frustrating that I have to depend on my husband or a driver ortaxi to take me to where I need to go. It was also Ramadan one month after Iarrived. Adjusting to going to bed at 3am and waking up mid-afternoon did nothelp with my jet-lag!

5.     Doyou think you were fully prepared for what awaited you in Jeddah? If you could,would you change some decisions/preparations you made?

No, I researched theculture and life here for over a year. My husband lived here for his entirechildhood. I planned and organized in so many ways, however, living here iswhat truly has taught me about the real lifestyle.

6.     Everyexpat knows that expat life comes with some hilarious anecdotes and funnyexperiences. Care to share one with us?

During Ramadan, I awoke toa goat “baaa-aaa-ing” so loudly at 4 am. This lasted until sunrise and thesound was no more. Apparently, my apartment owner bought a goat and“sacrificed” it close to sunrise. Although this does not commonly happen atresidential area, it sure did shock me!

7.     Whichthree tips would you like to give future expats before they embark on their newlife in Jeddah?         

• Women - Bring a goodsupply of makeup and bath products, as they are available here, but close to double the price.

•  Learn the customs of theculture by reading and researching other expat blogs. There are so many! Thisis the best way to learn about life here because it gives you the perspectiveof a “visitor” instead of a “native.”

• Women – bring plenty ofundergarments, as there are no dressing rooms here!

8.     Howis the expat community in Jeddah? Did you have a hard time finding like-mindedpeople or fellow expats?

Facebook has been my mainway of meeting other expats. I have not embarked yet on group get-togethers andevents, because I have three children. However, my husband has gone to expatevents. I went out on a limb and arranged some play-dates with expat moms andour kids.

9.     Howwould you summarize your expat life in Jeddah in a single, catchy sentence?

My five year old sums itup better than me – “Remember in the other world when we did that?” Yes,sometimes it feels like I am living on another planet!

The Internations website is worldwide and is a great way to connect with other globe trotters! http://www.internations.org

Saudi Bathrooms 101

If you are from America, like me-you are used to American bathrooms. The bathrooms in Saudi Arabia are a bit different for several reasons:

1. Public restrooms do not usually have toilet paper-yep, that's right. Unless you go to a more expensive restaurant-those have TP, but only sometimes.
2. Each stall comes equipped with a hose like water sprayer- just use your imagination to figure out what that is for...I will not go into detail....just remember-no TP!
3. Sometimes the stall floors are sopping wet. Why? Remember the Water hose thing....that's why. Unless- you go to a MORE expensive restaurant, where a cleaning person, mops after each person leaves the stall.
4. Some bathrooms have no toilets! Seriously! They have "squatty potty's" instead. Again-use you imagination...no seat to sit on,but there is a hole in the floor.
5. Some have sign outside, do you know where to go. This sign was in Spanish and Arabic! But the men's sign only came in Spanish....

Lucky for me- toilet paper is sold in all the supermarkets here!

The pictures shown are from a super nice and clean restaurant in Jeddah, called "On the Border." It serves Tex-Mex style food-yum!

School Registration Insanity Continues!

Life here is going ok. The kids are happy, but I am going a little crazy for the moment! To be quite honest, I feel like I am on another planet that is far far away! "The glam of Saudi Arabia is gone and reality is kicking in," as my husband says. In spite of all the backwards things I see here, I am determined to be a super-hero, with God as my strength! 

Part 1 Summary -- In my last post, I wrote about how difficult it was to find a school and then register my children here in Saudi Arabia. You may have even felt a little sorry for me when I wrote about the process of having my children tested to be admitted to a school and then having to wait until the next day to see if they “passed”. Well, the story doesn’t end there.

Part 2

I went back to the school to pay the rest of the registration fees. I was given a number on a sticky note and was directed to go pick out the kids uniform sizes. They tried them on and we picked out their sizes-but since I was waiting to pay, they couldn’t give them to me yet. So, they stacked them to the side and told me to come back with my receipt. So, preceded with patiently waiting for the accountant to accept my money. My number was 39 and they were on number 21…..at 9:30am! By 11:30 my number was called and I made a fool of myself by whooping and hollering because I was so excited that it was finally my turn. (All this time, Sohail is waiting outside in the car for me because men are not allowed on the women’s side of the school and vice versa.) I was surprised to see that everything was calculated by hand and a calculator-with no computer entry. However, at 12 noon, I was finished paying and went on my way to pick up the uniforms.

Guess what? They gave my stack of uniforms to someone else! So, now I had to guess the sizes of the kids-because I was just so frustrated and didn’t want to have them try on clothing again. And-they were out of the sizes the kids needed. Oh well-what could I do, right? They told me that I could exchange the sizes out next week.

Then, I was told to go pick up the kids textbooks and workbooks. What a sight it must have been to see me walking out the building with over 20 books + the uniforms. Seriously-I could see heads turning and eyes glaring at me-this white girl in a black abaya! Now that I was finished it was 2:00pm and I was exhausted-but I did it-and I didn’t cry or yell at anyone!

Before I left, I was told that school had been postponed…until September 16^th. Oh my-what next?

Well, when I got back to work-the lights were out in my office. Then, I opened the door and the door handle fell off from both sides! What a day! What a day!

The Madness of Finding a Driver!

This past month I got the pleasure of searching for a driver *insert sarcasm here*. When I arrived to Saudi Arabia, Sohail had arranged a wonderful driver to take me to and from work each day. He was great, until after 2 months-he quit. So, again, Sohail arranged a driver and after one week-I fired him! Each week, I have had a temporary driver, since. Why did I fire my driver, you ask? Because I arrived to work almost in tears because of how he drove. We were even in a minor car accident on his 3^rd day! Now that the children are going back to school, we need a driver to pick them up from school, drop them off at after-school care, pick me up from work, then pick up the kids and take us back home. Amazing, right? *insert more sarcasm here* So, tomorrow our youngest starts school and this week our other 2 children will begin school. Wish us luck in finding a driver!

Why is finding a driver such a big deal? Well, if you don’t know, women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia-ever. Women must rely on their husband, father, brother, son, a taxi or a family driver to take them anywhere. I have accepted that these are the culture’s “rules.” However, after legally driving for more than twenty years, I feel a bit demeaned by not being able to drive. Granted, men crazily and unsafely drive here-so I would not really enjoy driving here. But, when it comes down do it-I am not able to drive to get groceries, take my kids to and from school, take them to after-school activities, etc…. So, not being able to drive completely limits what a woman is able to do here. It is frustrating to say the least. 

Many women here have tried to start a movement by posting various articles on their blogs and even in the newspaper. One woman did in fact “drive” but now she faces the horrors of not being able to get a job in Saudi Arabia. Her act of driving must have disgraced the family, unfortunately.

Once again, my fellow Americans, be glad for the rights that we have-in America!

Long ago, women did not have the same rights, nor did African Americans or foreigners. Luckily, human rights activists, religious leaders and government officials made equal rights the law. Although American is far from perfect-at least ethics and equal opportunities are enforced. It didn’t happen in a few years, but over the course of decades. I would hope that many other countries would follow. It could happen!

*update* I now have a driver. The problem is-he doesn't speak English! More adventures await!!!!!!!!!!

Another American living in Saudi Arabia wrote about the same women driving issues here:
http://susieofarabia.wordpress.com/2010/05/19/taxi-driver-2/

Picture | Another one of the instagram moments

Another one of the instagram moments in Jeddah

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Mosque | One of many beautiful mosques in the city of Jeddah

Here is another beautiful mosque in Jeddah. Hope you like it. 

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Trip to Taif Mountains!

Al-Shafa | Road to Taif

Taif is a mountain city where visitors go to escape the heat and enjoy cooler weather during the summer days. We decided to visit Taif for the change of scenery and something to do besides visiting the malls. Also, a temperature less than 100 was much anticipated! I have to say, the "cooler" breeze was nice. I am guessing that it was in the mid-90's at the time!

This is nearby the area where stopped to picnic. We climbed a few rocks and saw some goats. But we scared them away and couldn't get any good pictures. These quick animal sightings were very exciting for the kids!

Toothpick tree | Named by our son for humor

Last summer, we enjoyed the mountains of Colorado, where we saw turkeys and buffalo's. However, the mountains in Taif, Saudi Arabia had other interesing wildlife including eagles, falcons, goats, camels, and monkeys. A few of us were lucky enough to see some monkeys climbing on the mountain wall as we drove by! But of course, we didn't get a picture of that either!

I did get a picture of this eagle at the nearby zoo that we visited!
After reading about the horror stories of Riyadh zoo we wanted to see how bad was Taif zoo. To our surprise it was no way close to the Riyadh zoo. Things were not how they should have been but the animals had bigger cages. The lion did look malnourished but in much better shape than the one in Riyadh. The lion and the bear also had open areas to walk freely. But along with all the usual we also saw a few animals that really surprised us. Actually, we couldn't stop laughing! I'll let y'all decide for yourselves!

Yes a Dog from the U.S. 

Cats from all over the world

Other animals that we saw were: porcupines, wolves, foxes, a very sad looking elephant, a 3-legged camel and a five-legged bull (poor thing!) We saw a baby crocodile, gazelle's, ducks, chickens, donkeys, horses, lots of camels, a parrot, an iguana, owl, llama, and little baby monkeys (they were adorable!) Overall, it was a fun and interesting experience. We had a great time with our family-and the kids had so much fun! We even went all the way there and back without any restroom visits! It's amazing how a stinky, squatty-potty will take away the need to go!

Ruins | Old Thuwal city.

A Mini-Arabic Lesson

Arabic is the official language here in Saudi Arabia. English is the unofficial second language. It is written from right to left and books are read starting from back to front.


Most foreigners here speak English and Arabic along with their own language. I am feeling less smart now and with that in the US, other languages were taught to children at an early age. Most US public schools begin teaching foreign languages (usually Spanish or French) in middle or high school. This makes me glad that my children are here and will be learning Arabic at an early age. The school where they will be going, offers Arabic and French. All the other courses are taught in English. Currently, the kids are learning Urdu from our in-laws, which is the major language from Pakistan. Wow-so maybe our children will be tri-lingual!


I have been inspired to learn arabic, from a fellow American, who is also living in Saudi Arabia. On her blog, she posted this humorous video of her Saudi husband using a children's book to teach her Arabic. So, if you want to hear and see what Arabic is all about...check out this video.

Her blog is: http://thesamerainbowsend.com/ 

Our blog has a new name...

Hi-We just wanted to let you know that we gave our blog a new name. Also, if you like reading it, you can "follow" it and then you enter your email address. Every time we write a new post, you will be notified via e-mail address. I usually keep the posts short and sweet.

The old name of our blog was: http://houston2jeddah.blogspot.com
The new name is: http://fromUSAtoKSA.blogspot.com (you don't have to type in caps, you can type all lowercase in the address bar and it will take you there).



Thanks for reading! - Andrea

Andrea's Most Recent Adventures in Saudi Arabia!

I have some interesting stories for you today.....

1.     Sadly, there are soooo many women/homeless beggars. They walk up to the car and tap, while you are waiting at the red light. At first I felt so sad for them, but then found out that they make thousands of dollars a month! I then realized that I shouldn’t feel sorry for them at all because they are getting money for doing nothing. However, I did decide that if the same type of woman is selling something, like snacks or water – then I will buy. There was even an anti-beggar campaign, where the local newspaper suggested to not give to beggars, because it promotes the same lifestyle.

2.    I will also buy from the people who sell cotton candy at the red lights. Each bag cost 1 SR (about 25 cents/bag).

3.    The ice-cream truck sits at the beach, selling treats. It is covered in neon lights and you can see it from a mile away. It’s so pretty!

4.    Vendors do charge me more money, even if my head is wrapped. They hear me speak English-that is why. We went to buy notebooks for the kids and they wanted to charge 15 SR (about $3.50) per notebook. Sohail went to the shop beside and got the same notebook for 5 SR (about $1.25)! So, now it is my goal to learn more Arabic so that I can trick the shop owners-and save some money!

5.    I went clothes shopping a few days ago. The American size on the clothes, is not actually the size that it says. I have to add 3 sizes to get the right size. This is a weight loss motivator, though.

6.    To get a really good deal on kids clothes, you have to go to the stores that don’t have American sizes on the tags. Me and Rayesa went to a store and every size outfit said, size 2-5, but they were all different sizes. Luckily, the one that we got her, did fit her. But the white jeans that she got, ended up fitting Malik better!

7.    We cannot find BBQ ribs here. We thought that we did the other night, but they ended up being lamb chops (ewww…I do not like eating lamb). However, the kids are easily tricked with lamb. They think its beef. But, the ribs we got with BBQ sauce were so spicy that Rayesa cried because she was so disappointed.

8.    We also tried to order ribs (twice) at TGI Friday’s. They have not received a shipment in 3 weeks. The same thing happened at Applebee’s. So-hopefully, we will satisfy Rayesa’s rib craving, soon!

9.    In Arabic, there is no letter “Bb” in the alphabet. So Pepsi is called Bebsi….!

10.  Grocery stores are usually 2 floors high or on the 2^nd floor of a mall. At each store, a guy empties out the cart for you, bags everything and takes the cart out to your car for you. Then, he puts the bags in the trunk of the car for you. I like this. Usually we tip these guys.

11. Hahaha.....bra's are sold on street corners here....and by men. I will not be buying bra's here!

Photo disclaimer: All of these images are from google.com.