Our New "Normal"

We've been in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (aka "the Kingdom" or KSA) about 2 weeks now and we feel very settled.  We're learning the way things work and how to do "normal" things in a completely new environment.  We are currently on a smaller compound waiting for a home to open up on the main compound, but we love our environment.  There are lots of kids here for our children to play with and a great pool, bowling alley, rec center, & movies most afternoons they are keeping busy and happy.  School doesn't start for another week or so and my kids and their mom (me) are ready!  I think they will be a good fit, but will be a challenge at first.  Great curriculum!

A couple of things we are slowly getting used to:

1. The Weekend.  Friday, Saturday is the weekend, with the work/school week being Sunday-Thursday.  Friday is worship day and Saturday is the weekend.  The biggest thing is to remember what day it is and when the week starts. 
2. Prayer Time.  As Coby stated there are 5 prayers per day and the times change.  No worries - there's an app for that!  During prayer time shops and restaurants close for about 30 minutes (some you can stay in and shop/eat if you're already in, but you can't enter during prayer).  Planning for prayer is key to a happy shopping/dining experience!  I appreciate the reminder to remember my relationship with God on a regular basis, but sometimes it can be frustrating.  Some shops close from 12-4pm.  Not sure the exact reason, but a reason I've been given is in the very hot months not too many are shopping in the hottest part of the day (12-4) so they close.  The nice thing is that most shops are open until 11pm or midnight - so late night runs to the store after the kids are tucked in are an easy possibility.
3. No driving - for me.  Although there is a small market here on compound, the no driving off compound thing is a HUGE change for me.  Coby and I have been grocery shopping together more in the last two weeks than in many years previous.  Luckily we like each other. :)  There is a great bus system from our smaller compound to the large compound and shopper buses (think large coach buses) each day to various shopping destinations around the local community.  This slows my groove, but I'm learning patience in MANY ways here!  I know there has been talk about women driving here, but for now, I'm enjoying my very handsome chauffer and the time we get to spend together. 
4. Grocery Shopping.  Many of the grocery stores here are called Hyper Markets.  I was thinking hyper in terms of some little kid hopped up on sugar, but I think it is more representative to think of lots of shops, etc.  The hyper markets (Lulus, Panda, Danube) are a large grocery store with a varying number of smaller stores connected in a small indoor mall.  The hyper grocery stores are more like Walmart/Super Target where you have groceries, clothes, home goods, etc. all in one place.  There is a more Americanized grocery store called Safeway Timimi where you can get some great familiar things, but for the most part we are enjoying exploring the other hyper markets.  Imported goods are EXPENSIVE here, so we are trying to make due with more local ingredients, but we do spurge on some things.  Some great advice I got my first day here - don't make your family favorites, they won't taste the same, try some new recipes.  Although we have made some family favs and they taste similar, I'm looking forward to trying new things too.  Here are some things I find interesting, maybe you will too:
1. Beef-here we get mostly New Zealand or Australian beef.  It's good, but much more gamey tasting than we are used to.  You can buy Canadian beef which is supposed to be more "regular" tasting, but at nearly twice the cost of other options we are acquiring a new taste for gamier beef.
2. Chicken-mostly the same as the States, but a little gamier too. 
3. Veges-lots of great options in the produce departments.  Some very different things that I've never seen, but love all the options!  You can often choose not only between varieties of a fruit or vege, but also from where it came.  Often produce is not only identified by its type, but from its originating location - depends on how much you want to spend and how picky you want to be.  Once you choose your produce and put it in the bags, you go to a weigh station where an employee weighs, closes the bag, and puts a barcode on it.  This speeds up your time at the cashier (it kinda reminds me of the weigh stations at HEB in Texas where you can weight and barcode your produce, but someone "official" does it here).
4. Lunch meat - great selections and varieties, but still different.  One big thing we have to remember is cost is by kilo (1K = 2.2 lbs).  No pork products in Kingdom, so my love of ham will have to wait until we travel outside of the Kingdom.
5. Cheese/Dairy-there is awesome dairy here!  The milk is delicious and price set at SAR7 for 2 Liters (about 1/2 a gallon)(more on SAR later).  Hard cheeses are very hard to find and expensive.  Soft cheeses are very prevalent - cream cheese (more like a spreadable tart cheese than the cream cheese I'm used to) seems to reign supreme.
6. Bread - my time here will not be good for my carb addiction! I love the naan bread, Arabic bread (also substitutes nicely for pizza crust and tortillas and is SOOO cheap!), and the sandwich breads are a great variety and delicious!
7. Drinks - soda is quite cheap here (SAR3 for 1 Liter of Coke) and bottled water (approx. SAR1 for 1/2+ Liter) is even less expensive.  The kids have found a love of Tang in it's many flavors (I guess I never gave it to them in the States, but I love it too).  We love the many options for sparkling juices.  Alcohol is forbidden in the Kingdom so there is a great selection of Martinelli's type beverages.  We love the no alcohol - we can get fancy drinks at a restaurant and not have to worry about the booze!
8. That's what I can think of for now...
5. Money.  SAR (Saudi Arabian Riyal) is the currency.  The exchange rate is $1=SAR3.75.  So in my previously mentioned SAR7=$1.86, SAR3=$0.80, SAR1=$0.27.  Although most major stores take credit cards, cash is king.  We carry way more cash here then we ever did in the States.  The initial shock at seeing a cost for something - like SAR49.95 for 2.5K of frozen chicken is abated when I remember the equivalency - $13.30 for 5.5lbs - not too bad.  And again, there's an app for that!  Tipping SAR5 or 10 is normal for the baggers that take your groceries out to your car, more for your waiters at the restaurant (usually can't be combined in the payment for the meal), and cash for the cost of gas (45 halala [SAR0.45] for 1 Liter of gas - so about $0.48/gallon for 91 octane-gov't fixed prices) plus a tip for the gas attendant (only full serve gas).  When I see SAR675 on the cash register after a grocery shopping trip I freak out until I do the math and realize $179.79 isn't too bad (not a great deal, but better than $675-my first reaction).
6. Abaya. When we go off compound I wear my abaya.  Although there are varying and strong opinions about this practice, I figure it's easier to just follow the culture I'm in.  There are tons of options of all kinds for an abaya.  You can spend a small fortune for a very ornate, jeweled option or just a small amount for something plain.  It is warm to wear an extra layer out and about, but I love that I only have to get ready from the neck up!

   

   Not a great picture, but here's my first abaya.

7. Traffic.  With no women driving here, I am now convinced that women MUST be the better driver!  Traveling by vehicle is an adventure!  Defensive driving and Proactive driving are a MUST! 
1. Speed limits are more of a lax suggestion. 
2. Lane lines mean nothing - a 3 lane road can quickly become a 5-6 lane road when you use the shoulder of the road and have multiple cars side-by-side in a lane.  ANY lane can be a left turn lane - some cars pull up on the right shoulder of the road just so they can turn left and cut off traffic. 
3. Traffic lights are only at the very front of the lane, not across the intersection like most places in the States.  Only one lane of traffic goes at a time.  Many of the busier intersections have timers that count down before a light goes green and then counts down how long the lite will be green. 
4. Honking is a popular pastime - "hey drift back into your own lane" honk, "you're a moron for cutting me off" honk, "GO!" honk (used at a stop light and usually started by a car WAY in the back the second the light turns green), and so many more. 
5. One of my recent favorite experiences while on the road with my handsome chauffer was when we were waiting at a light - the first car in the right of two lanes.  The shoulder lane to the right of us was open and a few cars use it to turn right at the light.  Then a small truck uses the shoulder to drive up, cut in front of us and the other car at the line and U-turn on our red light.  Soon after two other cars pull up on the shoulder and then cut in front of us and the other car at the line to be the first at the light.  The biggest problem for them being that they now can't see the light - so when it turned green for us we had to honk to get them going.  We use most of these experiences as a good laugh and other less fun and more dangerous experiences as a reminder that life is precious. 
6. We've seen a couple fender benders and a really bad accident.  I have a feeling these are only the first of some nasty car accidents we will see.
8. Tender Mercies.  We've experienced many tender mercies before and since our time here in KSA.  People, events, and circumstances that help us to know that this is where we are supposed to be!  Thank you for being a part of this amazing adventure!

That's all I can think of for now.  If you have questions, please let me know so I will know what to write about.