Settling In

   Well, I've been here for six weeks now. The newness has worn off and the day-to-day routine has settled in. I'm not sure how I feel. Teaching is not an easy job. My first year of teaching is not an easy job. I don't know if it's made easier or more difficult teaching in a foreign country for my first year (have never taught my first year anywhere else!) :-) Some days I love it and some days I think that I can not do this for a career. But, doesn't everyone feel this way about their job?
   I have found that I am SO VERY THANKFUL for Facebook Messenger and FaceTime so I can talk to my husband, every day, for free. It's my lifeline. If one's not working the other one is and it saves my sanity daily. I also talk to Aubrey on FB Messenger. Skype doesn't work here at my apartment. I brought a Vonage phone with me but it is useless on most days. It's just difficult to talk to my parents because they don't have Messenger or FaceTime.
   Still struggling with the food. The beef here just doesn't taste like beef to me. I don't know what it tastes like but it's not the beef that I am used to. The chicken is pretty reliable. When I get home from a long day at school the last thing I feel like doing is cooking, though. So, on school days it's usually frozen food, sandwiches, or just some popcorn.
   I haven't found anything to do in Riyadh. It seems that there is just going to the mall or going out to eat. Neither one are overly appealing to me. I thought Riyadh would be more like the hustle and bustle of Cairo or Alexandria (Egypt). They're nothing alike.
   I only have a single entry visa right now so I can't go anywhere on my upcoming 11 day break for Hajj/Eid. Most of my fellow teachers are going out of the country for the break. I'm stuck. For the winter break, which is two-and-a-half weeks, I was originally planning on going to Egypt. #1. It's cheap. #2. The travel time is fast. #3. Bahaa's family, that I love, is there. BUT-after six weeks away (that's not much when I have a total of ten months here!) I have decided that I think I'm going to bite the bullet and pay the fortune and travel the zillion hours and go home for the break. I want to see my husband. I want to see my kids. I want to see my parents and family. And I want American food! If I already miss everyone after six weeks I'll probably REALLY be ready to visit home after 17 weeks! So, I think I will be purchasing my ticket after I get paid this coming week. I was planning to try to save my every penny that I made here in order to pay student loans but I think the $2000 will be worth it to see my family at the little less than half way point in my journey.
   Those are my ramblings for the day. Not much of an exciting blog entry but it's how I'm feeling this week. Three school days left then I'm on my 11 day break. Yay! Will probably do a couple days of school work during that time but for the most part I'll be off....and sleeping, and reading, and watching M*A*S*H (best investment I made before coming here!) :-)
   Good day, all!

Shopping and What-Not.....

There's an Ikea in Riyadh! Who knew??? I haven't been there but it seems that most everything in my villa came from Ikea. They say it's packed with people all the time. I don't have anything I need to buy from there so I haven't gone.
There are malls here in Riyadh with all of the most expensive, exclusive name brand designers shops in them. I am beginning to think that all Saudi's are rich. All of the kids at my school have nannies. I rarely see the parents. It's usually the nanny that drops them off and picks them up. These kids come from families that have more money than I'll ever see. I think every student in my class spent the summer abroad. They talk about international cruises and a variety of international trips. My seven-year-olds are more well traveled than me!
I'm finding that my groceries are pretty expensive. But, I also want American-style products. Not necessarily American brands but similar products. After four weeks of being here I have started buying some of the Saudi products. Oranges are CHEAP here. I can get five, large-sized oranges for about $1 USD. Needless to say, I have an orange everyday in my lunch! Apples can cost you your life savings. Since I only had an arm to spare (and not a leg) I bought three apples this week. Still a fortune. And, guess what? They are NO GOOD. They are soft and dry. I have to choke them down but I'm not about to throw them away because they were expensive. Bananas and American-style loaf bread are a comparable price to home. I found American-style cheese so I've been having grilled cheese sandwiches. I know, not the most nutritious or healthy food choice but it's fast and easy after a long day of school.
The only miscellaneous items I've purchased since I've been here is a reusable water bottle and a mini food chopper. Both were about three times what I would pay in the US. OHHH....and I bought some medicine. At home I take omeprazole for my intense, daily acid-reflux. Well, cheap me decided to get 10 months worth of a cheaper brand to bring with me to Saudi and, guess what? It doesn't work...AT ALL! So, I had a friend pick up my omperazole (Prilosec) at the pharmacy for me. 14 tablets was $32 USD!!!!!!! I get 42 tablets for $18 USD at home. Do people in Saudi not get acid reflux??? Or are they just rich enough that they can easily spend $65+ USD a month on over the counter medicine? I have a friend going to the US on the Dec. break so I am sending money with her and she is going on a Walmart run for me for six months worth of omeprazole! In the meantime, I'm either going to have to choke up $65 a month or suffer immensely. I'm still deciding which one is worse. If you know me well you know how cheap I am. I came to Saudi to make money to put a dent in my IMMENSE amount of student loans....not to spend my life savings on acid reflux medicine!!!!! :-(
Someone said to me yesterday "You're still converting everything over to USD?" Yeah, I am. I don't know if I'll get over that or not. I would probably be happier and more care-free if I would stop but it just seems like everything is so expensive here! Thank God I'm not paying rent or utilities....I'd probably have heart failure (along with my acid reflux!!!)