A lot of Firsts

Since we have been in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) we have experienced many firsts.  Some have been great and some have brought some frustration but none the less we are having a great time.

Some of our firsts are:

• Driving in the Eastern Province - this has brought a whole new meaning to defensive driving.  Blinkers are not always use and it doesn't matter what lane you are in as they are all turn lanes according to the local drivers.  Also, it's okay to use the shoulders of the road as driving lanes.  So when you think that you have 3 lanes of traffic...almost double it up.  Honking is the national pastime while driving.  There are different honks for traffic.  A short honk = hey I'm right here.  Multiple honks = let's start moving people, usually comes from 3 cars and further back at the exact second the light turns green.  The long honk = you just cut me off and I'm not to thrilled about that.  Needless to say it's a driving experience.
• Prayer time - everyday there are 5 times to pray for the Muslims.  When that happens all shops, restaurants and stores stop.  Some will allow you to continue to shop while the employees go to pray, others kick you out of the store until they are done.  We always have to plan our outing around prayer time.  There are a lot of stores that close from 1200 until 1600 so they can go to prayer, eat and prayer again.  Needless to say even though we plan around prayer time we appreciate the devotion.
• Weekends - the weekends are Friday and Saturday.  Most shops and stores do not open on Friday until after 1500 or 1600.  Going to work and school on Sunday instead of Monday has taken a little to get used to.  We learned recently that the weekends were Thursday and Friday.
• Food - we have tried to immerse ourselves into the area and not only stick to the food that we know.  On our flights over we had Middle Eastern food and we have tried to eat quite a bit of it since living here.  Schwarma, Kabobs, Hummus, and Arabic Bread are quite delightful and will be a part of our diets.
• Money - the exchange rate here is $1 US Dollar = $3.75 Saudi Arabia Riyal (SAR or SR) and so when you see that something costs $350 SAR it is really less than $100 USD.  Having to get over the sticker shock and then realization that you aren't spending that much money is still a bit of a chore but I think we are getting used to it.
• Friends - since being here we have made several friends and there are so many people here who are willing to help out at a drop of a hat.  Those who have been here a few months are able to share experiences with us that is able to help us understand and power through.  The kids are playing and bowling and meeting new people all the time and that has been great for them.

We have truly enjoyed our first week over here and look forward to many more firsts.