Hello World,
Disclaimer: this entry was initiated in early September....(PS, Internet here has been awful, photos not loading properly...they will load someday, Inshallah).
Summer and Back to School have been nothing short of a roller coaster of emotions.
We were ambitious about the number of things and people to see in California. It meant we lived out of our suitcase for six weeks. Phillip realized that at one point he slept on three different couches in five days in two states. Seeing the different people and places was also a roller coaster: driving to the friend/place we would grumble 'why did we think this was a good idea' or 'next summer, people can come to us', or simply 'never again'. Driving from the friend/place we would laugh 'Im so glad we did this'.
Roller Coaster...like James. But that is a completely different story.
Visiting San Diego, we would take morning walks in Balboa Park and envy the workout groups, dog walkers, elderly couples holding hands, perfect weather, appealing aesthetics...We would casually say 'hummm, I could see us living here someday, could you?' The plethora of food options available were just a major bonus. And there are many people there that we would love to be nearer to.
Then, we drove to Sonoma County. And cried. We have traveled to many places as a couple, most of which we really enjoy and would casually say ' I could see us living here, could you?'. However, there is something powerful about truly connecting with a place. We belong in Sonoma County.
Sorry if we are misleading you...this is not a post announcing our return. Sorry, not quite yet.
However, our return to Saudi was complex and we both (suffering fro exhaustion and delirium) could not tell if we were looking forward to going to our compound, or dreaded it completely. The journey back usually takes 24 hours door to door, but this time it took 36 hours- about nine of which were at the Chicago airport. However, we would rather be stuck in an airport than flying in a faulty plane.
We arrived to our house around 9am on Saturday, went zombie grocery shopping, unpacked, visited with Taiyo and Hana, fought to stay awake, and went to work the next day.
To this day, we are still in a daze, still not in the groove of things, and completely surprised it is September (update: November) and we are starting (in) our third year in Saudi Arabia.
Last spring, Phillip started playing with an informal team of touch rugby. It is pretty convenient because the team meets up at our campus to play since it is the only field in town not claimed for cricket. Brittney joined the shenanagins this year. Aside from the one New Zealander, we are pretty sure the rest of the men are South African. Everyone shouts calls in Afrikaans. Phillip seems to know what to do, Brittney is still figuring it out. We both think it is a fun sport, but the Tuesday night experience as a whole is pretty cool. I mean, who wouldn't want to stay at school until 5:30, run up and down the field with an football on steroids, chase and get chased by South African men shouting in a foreign language, in 70% humidity and 106* heat, pull your groin muscle, go home covered in sweat and go to work the next day? It is so fantastic. If you aren't doing it yet, you are surely missing out.
But seriously, we really do enjoy it.
Unfortunately, we have experienced a tragedy in our short time back in Saudi.
If you did not know, Phillip's father's brother (Phillip's uncle), and his wife and three children, live about 70 minutes away from us. His uncle is a geologist for a company here. He and his family are beginning their fourth year here. Their three children are 8, 9, and 10 years old. On September 3, their nine year old daughter passed away. At this time, no one knows what caused the death. It is extremely tragic and we felt so fortunate to have (and be) family nearby. We spent about four days with the family to help with the kids, logistics, and grief.
It really puts things into perspective and reminds you to live everyday with passion and compassion.
There really are no words, just strong emotions that come and go, but never seem to leave.
We still really enjoy living at our new compound, it is more social and active. Brittney enjoys the Friday morning Yoga class, and Phillip really enjoys the American sports network. The management hosted a big welcome back for the community at the end of September. They had food, raffle prizes, and a live band. Of course, the Thursday 'card' night is always entertaining.
School is full of newness this year, new technology, new protocol, new students (over 100 new at once), new room assignments, new roles, new titles, new responsibilities, new buildings (although, they are not finished), the only 'new' that isn't are five new hires that are still stuck in the USA because of Visa delays. Remember when we went through that? We arrived in September, these poor folks had to redo their physical exams because they are only good for ninety days. Anyhow, adjusting to the newness has been challenging for everyone, as soon as you think you got the hang of something-BAM something else that is new. We have already been looking forward to our first break, Eid. We plan to go to (we went to) Abu Dhabi and Dubai....more on that later.
Until next time...
B and P
Photo/s from Summer 2014
Disclaimer: this entry was initiated in early September....(PS, Internet here has been awful, photos not loading properly...they will load someday, Inshallah).
Summer and Back to School have been nothing short of a roller coaster of emotions.
We were ambitious about the number of things and people to see in California. It meant we lived out of our suitcase for six weeks. Phillip realized that at one point he slept on three different couches in five days in two states. Seeing the different people and places was also a roller coaster: driving to the friend/place we would grumble 'why did we think this was a good idea' or 'next summer, people can come to us', or simply 'never again'. Driving from the friend/place we would laugh 'Im so glad we did this'.
Roller Coaster...like James. But that is a completely different story.
Visiting San Diego, we would take morning walks in Balboa Park and envy the workout groups, dog walkers, elderly couples holding hands, perfect weather, appealing aesthetics...We would casually say 'hummm, I could see us living here someday, could you?' The plethora of food options available were just a major bonus. And there are many people there that we would love to be nearer to.
Then, we drove to Sonoma County. And cried. We have traveled to many places as a couple, most of which we really enjoy and would casually say ' I could see us living here, could you?'. However, there is something powerful about truly connecting with a place. We belong in Sonoma County.
Sorry if we are misleading you...this is not a post announcing our return. Sorry, not quite yet.
However, our return to Saudi was complex and we both (suffering fro exhaustion and delirium) could not tell if we were looking forward to going to our compound, or dreaded it completely. The journey back usually takes 24 hours door to door, but this time it took 36 hours- about nine of which were at the Chicago airport. However, we would rather be stuck in an airport than flying in a faulty plane.
We arrived to our house around 9am on Saturday, went zombie grocery shopping, unpacked, visited with Taiyo and Hana, fought to stay awake, and went to work the next day.
To this day, we are still in a daze, still not in the groove of things, and completely surprised it is September (update: November) and we are starting (in) our third year in Saudi Arabia.
Last spring, Phillip started playing with an informal team of touch rugby. It is pretty convenient because the team meets up at our campus to play since it is the only field in town not claimed for cricket. Brittney joined the shenanagins this year. Aside from the one New Zealander, we are pretty sure the rest of the men are South African. Everyone shouts calls in Afrikaans. Phillip seems to know what to do, Brittney is still figuring it out. We both think it is a fun sport, but the Tuesday night experience as a whole is pretty cool. I mean, who wouldn't want to stay at school until 5:30, run up and down the field with an football on steroids, chase and get chased by South African men shouting in a foreign language, in 70% humidity and 106* heat, pull your groin muscle, go home covered in sweat and go to work the next day? It is so fantastic. If you aren't doing it yet, you are surely missing out.
But seriously, we really do enjoy it.
Unfortunately, we have experienced a tragedy in our short time back in Saudi.
If you did not know, Phillip's father's brother (Phillip's uncle), and his wife and three children, live about 70 minutes away from us. His uncle is a geologist for a company here. He and his family are beginning their fourth year here. Their three children are 8, 9, and 10 years old. On September 3, their nine year old daughter passed away. At this time, no one knows what caused the death. It is extremely tragic and we felt so fortunate to have (and be) family nearby. We spent about four days with the family to help with the kids, logistics, and grief.
It really puts things into perspective and reminds you to live everyday with passion and compassion.
There really are no words, just strong emotions that come and go, but never seem to leave.
We still really enjoy living at our new compound, it is more social and active. Brittney enjoys the Friday morning Yoga class, and Phillip really enjoys the American sports network. The management hosted a big welcome back for the community at the end of September. They had food, raffle prizes, and a live band. Of course, the Thursday 'card' night is always entertaining.
School is full of newness this year, new technology, new protocol, new students (over 100 new at once), new room assignments, new roles, new titles, new responsibilities, new buildings (although, they are not finished), the only 'new' that isn't are five new hires that are still stuck in the USA because of Visa delays. Remember when we went through that? We arrived in September, these poor folks had to redo their physical exams because they are only good for ninety days. Anyhow, adjusting to the newness has been challenging for everyone, as soon as you think you got the hang of something-BAM something else that is new. We have already been looking forward to our first break, Eid. We plan to go to (we went to) Abu Dhabi and Dubai....more on that later.
Until next time...
B and P
Photo/s from Summer 2014
