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!!!)
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!!!)
No comments:
Post a Comment