PHOTO MOMENT: Prepping for a creativity

Library at KAUST set up for a workshop in Calligraphy during WEP2017.

Mesmerized by the art and words of Qin Tian

Qin Tian's exhibit at KAUST in January 2017

Writing has always been a part of my life. I wrote my first novel when I was 6 about an Irish Setter named Cinnamon and his adventures living with a koala bear in New Zealand (it wasn’t very good). All my life, I have always jotted down lines of poetry, movie plot ideas or the first couple chapters of a book whenever inspiration hits.

But it was art that I focused on throughout university. My art went on hold when I became a journalist over 20 years ago, but my artist’s soul is still there.

This week I had the honor of having dinner with Qin Tian, one of China’s national artists. His work is incredible to see, but when you hear him talk about his passion and the vision behind the paintings, they completely come to life.

The talk he gave at KAUST during their WEP2017 lecture series was in his native dialect from his area China, but I asked his interpreter to send me the English version so I could share it with you.

These are his words:

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I'm Qin Tian from China.

I have long been yearning for an opportunity to pay a visit to your esteemed university ever since I gained my understandings of it via internet. Today I am so much thrilled with joy to personally visit here, and I am overwhelmed by your hospitality and I am really honored.

This visit to your university has been greatly supported and assisted by my friends in China and the leaders of the university. I hereby extend my sincerest appreciation to them. Also, I appreciate your attendance to my speech. Hopefully, may all of you have a general understanding of Chinese calligraphy and painting arts through my academic lecture and exhibition of my works, and may you be benefited in this wonderful visual feast.

The following is what I am about to share with you:

一、书法作品 

1. Calligraphy works

My calligraphy works are mainly divided into two categories: Modelled calligraphy -- including the regular script structure and the structure of Jiucheng Palace of Ouyang Xun; the Hundred Rhyme Song in cursive writing by Wang Xizhi; and the Memorial before Battle in cursive writing by Yue Fei.

Painting elements are added in my calligraphy works so that the writing and painting are perfectly blended. In addition, the artistic compositions and forms are diversified and go beyond limitations. These works are not only spiritual sustenance and implied with spiritual connotations but also revelations of the state of mind.

Photo by Jian Zhou

My calligraphy works are mostly “freehand”, as in Chinese characters are used as the models of creation for integral and harmonious beauty. My creations are not limited to the traditional calligraphy expressions. Instead, painting and other classes of arts are often borrowed to express my aesthetic tastes to the maximum extent.

二、中国画作品 

2. Chinese painting works

I have been looking for the appropriate status and development space of Chinese painting in contemporary cultural context throughout my artistic career, and never have I stopped my attempts of trying new patterns of expression so that Chinese painting can adapt itself to the development of times and be accepted and acknowledged by more and more youths.

Autograph is not used as one of the fixed elements in my Chinese painting works, in which way not only the works are more pictorially tense, but they also happen to coincide with western paintings so that the paintings are illustrated in a purer way. I don’t have the habit of preparing drafts before painting. I am more inclined to improvisation as in the painting is created spontaneously along with my sensations.

My Chinese painting works are mostly depictions of plum blossoms, lotuses and landscape.

Traditionally speaking, plum blossoms and lotuses are categorized as the bird-and-flower genre in Chinese painting. They are independently categorized in my works. Chinese literati are historically inherited with the habitude of making use of objects and landscapes to express their ideas and emotions. 



Plum blossoms and lotuses are respectively featured with their own characteristics and endowed with unique spirits. When everything withers in the winter, plum blossoms bloom against the world, and they tend to be more vigorous when the weather becomes colder and fiercer.

A lotus remains its pureness despite its origin in sludge, and it never becomes coquettish after being cleaned in clear water. Lotuses have long been favored and respected by people from of old since they stay elegant while being low key. Lotuses are indeed the role model of high moral character among flowers. They not only make a place more beautiful but also purify human heart.

Lotuses have to be depicted with soft brushwork. I usually use goat hair brush which tends to be more moist so that lotuses can be painted with more textures but their character also stands vividly revealed on paper.

三、我的写意山水画

3. My freehand landscape paintings

Imitation of the reality world or subjective expression are the fundamental factors that determine the level of artistic tastes. I personally prefer the latter, as in turning objective images into subjective ideas so that the imagery expressions and brushwork may present abstract formal significance and vast aesthetic perception in an implicit and indistinct manner.



The ranges and peaks, and floating clouds painted in these works are all filtered and screened subjectively by souls without exception in order to manifest my unique spiritual sustenance. Naturalness, magnificence, grandeur, “luxuriantly green” in close distance and “boundless” in further distance, all of which are the significant features of my landscape paintings.

I learned from the nature predecessors to form my own style of landscape painting in combination of my own aesthetic orientations. My use of brush is succinct in creation and I use ink boldly. The lines in the paintings are interlaced and finished smoothly, demonstrating the charm of landscapes to the fullest.

四、我的抽象水墨画作品实验

4. My experimental works of abstract ink & wash painting

惚兮恍兮，其中有象；恍兮惚兮，其中有物。

——老子

There are images and objects in absent-mindedness. - Laos

Laozi’s discussion of “objective images” serves as the inspiration of my abstract landscape paintings. Intentional or unintentional scribblings totally follow the lead of my feelings during the creation of this series of works, and I was completely immersed in an atmosphere where I lost the senses of objectivism and subjectivism.

I was allowed to create freely in my inner world, and the traditional context of Chinese painting has been completely overthrown. Emotions, colors, inks, points, lines, sides and spaces are intertwined in these works, making up exciting visual patterns one after another, which are indeed “lingering”.

Good works not only catch the eyes of the audience, but are also visually pleasing. These works are not given names, leaving unlimited space and aftertaste for the viewers. This series of works breach the restraints of traditional Chinese paintings, and reflect the concerns and tolerance for different regions, ethnicities and cultural contexts.

Due to the limited space of the exhibition hall, there are only 45 works being exhibited, including: Chinese calligraphy works – semi-cursive writing. Chinese painting works – freehand bird-and-flower paintings, freehand landscape paintings; freehand plum blossoms collection, freehand lotuses collection, freehand landscape collection. Abstract ink and wash collection. All these works were created in recent years and represent my creations in this period, demonstrating my areas and academic concepts in calligraphy, painting art, research, creation and practices.

Saying Farewell to Saudi Arabia

At KAUST wearing my favorite yellow abaya

When I moved to Saudi Arabia in 2014 to work at KAUST, I had no idea what to expect…and I had no idea I would like it so much. I met such wonderful people and learned so much about the culture, their humor, their creativity and their challenges.



Group selfie with my amazing co-workers

 I also learned about the real meaning of generosity as they don’t think twice when it comes to ensuring you are comfortable in their country – and instantly they embrace you as part of their family.

When I first moved to Saudi, I remember thinking that my heart was “thrifty” compared to theirs. They would offer to drive me places, would randomly pick up things for me like converters, organic peanut butter and other essentials just because I had mentioned it…and not because I asked. Never did they want anything back in return and were insulted when I tried to give them money. They said it was like I was trying to pay for their kindness and that wasn’t the way it worked.

Farewell dinner - miss you all!!

A year later, when I had a guest from the US come visit the university to speak, I was reminded again at how generous they were. As a woman, naturally I couldn’t drive my guest anywhere, but when I mentioned it to my co-workers, I had not only one volunteer, but four who couldn’t wait to show my guest around.

 They drove him to the mall, helped him pick out stuff for his wife and suggested the best dates in the world to bring back to his friends. And then, when my guest said he wanted a thobe (the traditional dress for men), they took him to a local place to get fitted for one and spent hours helping him dress, pick out the head gear and negotiating a reasonable price.

Man...I love these dates.  Best in the world.

If we had more time, they would have taken him back the next night to show him some of the landmark areas of Jeddah. It was fun to watch my friend learn what the people were like and see through his eyes the amazement at how authentically generous their culture is. Like me, he came in with a shield of mistrust and was surprised at how easy going they were, how funny and how they were willing to take him around without any hesitation.

Just a few of my Saudi family members

Now, as I’m leaving Saudi, I have to say goodbye to these wonderful people who treated me so well when I was so far from home. But I won’t be leaving with my thrifty heart. That one was replaced months ago with a Saudi heart. Well, maybe not quite that big yet as it takes a lifetime to learn to be as generous as they are. But it’s much more open and willing to trust the good in people than it was before.

Taken my first week in Saudi and will always remind me of Samia, who took me under her wing.

Thank you, my Saudi friends for making me a part of your family.

And then there was this crater...

At 4 a.m. on a Saturday morning, most people are sleeping.  But not my friends.This Sunday in August, we are up and already on the road in an effort to beat the heat of the Arabian Desert. It was still dark out and already 38 degrees Celsius, but we had a quest. We were going to see the famed Wahba Crater.

The Wahba crater is located 254 km from Taif in Saudi or about 3.5 to 4 hours from KAUST. This will mean nothing to you unless you’ve been here so let’s just say, it’s a 2 km hole in the middle of nowhere. Really. It is in the middle of nowhere. The road just stops and when you get out of your car, you are standing at the top and it’s a long 250 meters down to the bottom.

But while it’s a bit of a drive. It’s worth seeing – as it’s strange. Some people told us that the crater was caused by a meteorite, but geologists now say the Wahba Crater is volcanic.

It was apparently caused by a phreatomagmatic eruption-an explosion. And if you don’t know what that means, don’t feel bad. I had to look that up as I had no idea what that meant. It means that groundwater came into contact with hot lava or magma and created a mass of sodium phosphate crystals.

It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before, because frankly, how often do you come across a giant white lake of sodium phosphate crystals?

I know you are wondering….can you touch it? Yup…if you can find the way down. This was the hard part of our trip. It took us nearly two hours of wandering around the top of crater in the sweltering sun to find the path. In the end we cheated and had to call someone to guide us to the location. But once you are on it, the route down to the bottom is fairly easy and you can do it in 20 minutes.

The great thing about Saudi is that everything is natural and tourism is a big thing yet so if you can find it, you can see it, eat it (don’t do this), bike over it – whatever. But because it’s not commercialized, you won’t find restrooms, snack bars or any other people for miles around, so come prepared with water, sunscreen and a tank full of gas. Cell phone reception was also a little sketchy out there.

Do I recommend it? Yes!! (that's me in the pink shorts).

PHOTO MOMENT: KAUST mosque at night

A view of the KAUST mosque courtyard at night.  Such a beautiful, tranquil place.

Photo Moment: Too many temptations

The Saudis love their sweets and cheesecakes…and sadly so do I.  It's going to be hard to resist these.

20/20: Advice for Expats Moving Internationally

So happy I decided to bring my cheesy collection of Starbuck's mugs.

They say hindsight is 20/20 and I agree. If I could take what I know now into a time machine and go back two months ago when I was packing, moving and frantically trying to sell stuff on Craigslist, I would do things differently.

First of all, don't listen to those people who tell you to sell everything and come with just your clothes. You'll find out when you arrive that they didn't do that and actually brought their stuff with them. Then they will look at you and ask why you didn't bring your personal items.

So here's the thing. If your company is paying for shipping, bring everything - or max out what they are willing to pay. If your new place is furnished (like mine is) still bring everything you can, including cheap things like Gladware and measuring cups. And definitely bring your rugs, artwork and all your little knick knacks.

Here's why. It took you years to collect that stuff to make your place look and feel like you. And even though you may be moving to a place that has great shopping, trying to replace everything you've collected over the years is not only expensive, but time consuming. Plus, what if you can't find anything you like?

I was speaking to another newbie like me who got rid of everything, and he agrees. Just replacing all the basics in the kitchen like measuring spoons, bowls, strainers, and cutlery takes a while and costs a hefty amount when bought in one go - and you tend to buy cheaper, crappier stuff than the items you practically gave away on Craigslist or to Goodwill.

Then there are the knick knacks like picture frames (they told me to just bring the photos and buy new ones here – expensive), table centerpieces, glasses, towels, sheets, the tray to put your utensils in and placemats.

I got rid of everything, but when I visit people's homes at KAUST and see these things, I realize that all they had to do to make their place “theirs” is to unpack. Me? I’m hiring taxis, running around the city on the weekend and spending money – and in some cases, I’m spending money on stuff I don’t even really like in order to turn my place into a "fake" home.

The other thing you need to bring is your sports stuff. If you mountain bike or road cycle, bring your pump, lights, helmet and everything else. I'm on my second pump here and the quality is not what I am used to (it doesn't fit properly so I have to hold it on). Every time I need to pump up my bike, I regret giving away my $60 pressure pump. I had asked people in advance and they told me I could get all this stuff here (wrong). You can kind of - if you just need a kicker bike to ride to the grocery store, but the true cyclists say they stock up on stuff when they go home.

The same goes for other sporty items. Bring your yoga mat, your camping gear, your hiking shoes and other things as you might not be able to find it as quickly as you think.

Another thing to throw into you shipment are any of your favorite brands. You might find them where you are or you might not. It's safer to just buy a little extra and throw them in a box. When they arrive 2 or 3 months later with the air shipment you'll be thankful for the care package you made for yourself. Stuff you might consider are toothpaste, shampoo, granola bars, and sports powders (if you’re into sports), hand sanitizer and anything else you normally use – especially if you are on a special diet. I also regret not bringing my Swifter as they don't have it here.

Again, the place you are going to might have this stuff - and I’m sure eventually I’ll find all this stuff here, but in the beginning, it’s good to have backup.

Of course none of these are life or death, but when you're already on a learning curve and trying to learn a new job, a new language and a new culture, sometimes it's nice to have what you know.


So this is my advice. Don't be foolish like me. My company was willing to airship up to 300 kgs of my personal belongings. I shipped less than 100 kgs – and that included my bike. I could have probably shipped everything I owned except my furniture and still have kilos to spare.

But keep in mind, I didn’t have that much stuff to begin with – and I wasn’t transporting a family. Pack rats and hoarders…you’ll be screwed, but if you aren’t, then take as much as you can. You’ll be happy you did.

Photo Moment: Shadows and Shade

On hot days like today, the sun silences everyone.  So peaceful.

Just a Little Place by the Sea

People have been asking me questions about where I live in KAUST.  Do I live in a girls only dorm?  Are men and women segregated? Does your place have a kitchen or do you have to eat in the community cafeteria?

The answer to all of these is "no." Although, for the students there are girls and boys only dorms that I haven't been inside, but I'm assuming they are nice.  And there is an amazing cafeteria on the campus that I've tried once.  With all the options and various stations by country, it reminded me of the Marche in Toronto.

So where do I live?  I live in a townhouse by myself -- just like I would in the U.S. or Canada -- except this one is a lot bigger than what I'm used to and I have my own garage to put my imaginary car.

And I have a palm tree, which I love.  Any place with a palm tree has got to be great.

If you live here without a family, I think you get this size of townhouse.  Families get bigger ones or detached homes.  They all kind of look similar in style so it's easy to get lost.

Check out these hallways made for giants.

Notice I have my lovely Home Depot bag on the table that I use for my groceries.  They are trying to be plastic bag free at KAUST, so everyone has a reusable bag to do their bit to help the environment.  I might be the only one that arrived with my own.

They also are big into recycling everything, and I read in one of the documents that they will call you out if you're a "baddie" when it comes to sorting your trash.

The living room area.  There's a TV here and one in the bedroom.  There are maybe a dozen English stations -- and they play a lot of "Family Guy", "CSI: Miami and NY" and movies.  The movies range from "Betwitched", "Men in Black", and "Sleeping With the Enemy", to more recent ones like "Running With Scissors."

The kitchen!  So many cabinets, so little dishes.

The dining area.  The table actually had a leaf and two more chairs, but I felt like I was sitting in a boardroom when working there. So I removed the leaf and put the two chairs in my storage room. I didn't bother taking a photo of that -- or the laundry room as you really don't need to see my washer and dryer.

Giant window leading up to the upstairs. I love the giant window. Makes me feel like I'm living in a mansion in Beverly Hills.

Another photo of the giant window from the second flight of stairs.

A partial view of the bedroom. There is also a desk area in the room and the double wardrobe area is in another section with the master bedroom bathroom.  Again, I didn't bother with photos as it's not exciting.

Then there are three mystery doors down the hallway that are locked.  They told me they were the maid's quarters so I don't need access to them -- but I think they are scary.  You just know there's a Stephen King story about them somewhere.

That's about it.  I can't complain about the townhouse at all.  It's clean, more than big enough and the furniture is comfortable.  There's also a back yard that's pretty big too.  I haven't done anything in it yet, so it looks a little desolate.

I live about 3 blocks from the beach area and the gym, which works out perfectly.  The gym also has this amazing cheesecake in their cafe area.  It's a little dangerous, but gives me a reason to go there and workout.

Now if only I could convince Whole Foods to set up a market here (with Saudi - not "imported from the US" - prices). Then it  truly would be paradise.

Where the Heck Are You and What is KAUST?

The canal and the student dorms.

Okay, I’ve been getting lots of questions from all of you so I thought I would answer a few of them.

 I’ve already answered the “Do you have to be covered all the time” question and the  “Can you still text me” question in previous blogs.  So here’s the next question…


WHAT? YOU MOVED AGAIN??

Yup, I’ve moved. This time I’m in Saudi Arabia working at KAUST. KAUST stands for King Abdullah University of Science and Technology and it’s a very cool place - in a very hot country.  It's already feeling like Phoenix in May, but with killer humidity because we are on the Red Sea. I feel like we are on an island because of the palm trees and the water, but we're not.

The mosque by the campus.  I find the singing sort of soothing.

We're located about 100 km north of Jeddah (about an hour away) and maybe 20 minutes from a fishing village called Thuwal that I have not been to yet, but some of their people will be here doing  a fresh fish market next Saturday (which sounds like a farmer's market with seafood). There is nothing in between us and Jeddah except 100 km of boring desert.  I'm talking real desert and not the pretty desert in Arizona.  This is desert like the ones you see on TV.  Just sand.

In other words, we are away from the main city and are kind of in our own little world, which is what KAUST is all about.


A SOCIAL EXPERIMENT BY THE SEA

KAUST isn't a compound, but a village. In fact, the word compound has never been mentioned.  There's already a few thousand people living here and it's growing monthly. It's similar to a retirement community like Fountain Hills in Arizona or those ones in Florida that are self-sustained.

But the big difference is that instead of people over 55, it's full of science and techie people from all over the world.



I think of it as the new Eureka (the Syfy channel TV series). In the TV series, Eureka was an experimental make-believe town in Northern California created by the government for scientists and computer experts to do their research and live.

It was basically a man-made utopia.  There was the main work building called GD and then all the stuff around the town to make up the community like the coffee shop, the garage, the school for the scientists’ kids, etc.

It’s a great series that you should watch on Netflix if you haven’t seen it.

The KAUST Beacon. It looks amazing at night.

KAUST is similar and is also a man-made utopia that began 5 years ago -- except instead of being located in California it’s located in Saudi Arabia. AND instead of the village being modeled after a quaint American town, it’s like a giant tropical resort on the ocean. How could you not love that?

The whole project is based on the concept of bringing together students and faculty (and their families) who love science and technology -- and who are open minded and see learning as a global language without cultural boundaries.

The campus is state-of-the-art, and there are two grocery stores, a movie theater, 3 fitness clubs, a golf club, a whole load of restaurants and shops, a hospital, fire department, bank, hair salon, travel agency, and of course, a mosque.

There's also a great beach and opportunities to go on fishing expeditions and diving excursions as we are right beside the Red Sea Coral Reef. They tell me night diving is spectacular.

We have out own bus system to help us get place to place, but people also bicycle and drive.  There is also bus system that brings us to the Jeddah a couple times a day.

Check out the interactive KAUST Map
Check out photos of KAUST

Map of KAUST

A BLEND OF WESTERN AND SAUDI TRADITIONS

As mentioned, there's already a few thousand people living here and it's growing.  They are building new homes now to accommodate more people as they estimate there will be approximately 10,000 people living here in a few years.  The official language of KAUST is English and people have come from China, Canada, US, Australia, Europe, and the Philappines -- just to name a few.  There's definitely a  mishmash of cultures.

But even though we are a hybrid village, we are in Saudi so we try to be respectful to the culture by not wearing short shorts, practicing other religions or eating in front of people during their fasting time (that's just mean).  These aren't big things and you'll find the rest of the place feels pretty normal -- except there is no alcohol or bacon. Although, they do serve this beef bacon that my co-worker says is pretty good.

One of the pools by the beach.

Plus, there are a number of things that we can do in KAUST that you can't do when you go to Jeddah or other Saudi cities such as wear your normal clothes in public, wear a bathing suit at the beach, drive a car as a woman, go to a movie theater (theaters are not allowed in the rest of the country so this is big deal) and shop in the afternoon (Jeddah closes down in the afternoon for prayers and stuff. They reopen at 5 p.m.).

It's actually cool being a part of the experiment while it's still in the growing stages.

Texting and Email: Communicating from Saudi Arabia

People forget that Saudi Arabia is considered a newly industrialized country. It's modern and very tech savvy. So yes, internet works fine and it’s fast.

APPS TO USE TO TEXT (FOR FREE)

Texting also works – but I would have to pay extra for overseas texts….I think. I might be wrong on this, but because I had to pay extra to text from the US to Canada, I'm assuming the same rules would apply for texting from Saudi Arabia to the US.

So I’m currently experimenting with the following FREE ways to text people or send photos to friends:

1) WhatsApp

2) Facebook Messenger

3) Skype IM

4) iMessaging and FaceTime (free if your friends have an iPhone)

All of the above work, but I'm finding with some of them, you end up with some texts from "creepers" who text random women they find on Facebook, etc.  I'm still figuring out the privacy and security features to prevent this.  But can't really complain as they are free.

VOICE CALLS AND MAGIC JACK MAGIC:

Yes, I can call people, but again, it’s expensive so I’m planning to use Skype and Facebook. KAUST interviewed me through Skype and it worked fine. Some people here say they are using Vonage to call home -- so that is another option.

I ended up getting Magic Jack -- which has turned out to be amazing.  Magic Jack gives you a US number and you can call any number in the US and Canada for free from anywhere in the world.  You could access from your computer, but I used the Magic Jack App on my phone so as long as I have Wifi, I can call people whenever.

Email also works including Facebook emails. In other words, I’m not feeling deprived on how to communicate with people. It’s mostly the time change that sucks. I’m 10 hours ahead of Phoenix so when I’m up, my friends and family are sleeping.

The technology is the same as in the US, although my iPhone 4 is completely obsolete here so they are more advanced in some areas and have all the techno gadgets you could want. Once I get an iPhone 5, I’ll buy a sim card (no crazy locked-in contracts here) and I’ll be able to tell you more about the fees for texting overseas – and if it’s still free to iMessage iPhone-to-iPhone (even to people in the US), which will be good news to my fellow iPhone users and my mom who loves her iPad.

I will have a new phone number though as Verizon wouldn’t let me keep it. I'm planning to get my new number next week as I'm learning that Saudi Arabia does everything via cell phone.  In fact, I can't get a mail box or bank account without a mobile phone number as it seems the transactions are all through that.

ACCESS TO ENGLISH TV:

Yes, they have cable TV. My townhouse comes with a complimentary package that has over 300 stations from Asia, Europe and a couple US stations. There is also an additional cable package I can buy that will give me all the US stations. Those that have it say you get the shows one day after they air in the US which is pretty good. I haven’t looked into it yet as I’m not a big TV watcher.

There is also the option to purchase a US IP address for $60 a year that will give me access to US Netflix and other sites. I got PureVPN which has been pretty good.  The only limitations so far is that for some reason I can't watch videos on HULU or ABC.com. I can get Spotify, Pandora CBS, FOX and NBC. So no more Castle for me, but lots of Grimm and Blacklist.

To Wear or Not to Wear the Robe and Veil

Me in my Abaya (and really bad hair)

Before moving to Saudi Arabia, I skyped, emailed and phoned numerous women who had lived at KAUST or were still living there. I wanted to know what it was like to be a woman living in the area – and if I would have to wear the abaya and jihab (the robe and veil). The answer was “yes” and “no.”

On the KAUST campus, which is really a village, I would not have to wear the robe. I could wear my normal western clothes to work, I could wear shorts to work out, and I could wear a bikini to the beach if I wanted to – although they recommended a one-piece or tankini just to respectful to the other cultures also living on the campus. 

However, I'm just going to tell you that I did spend $100 on a boring bathing suit and I never wore it the whole time I lived at KAUST. When I went snorkeling, I  usually wore my bikini bottom with a surfer's rash guard top just because it was so hot and I was afraid of getting sunburned.  

At the campus there were women's only pools and bathing decks where you can wear whatever you want. And even in the family pools, there was a mix of bathing suits.

So when did I have to follow the rules and be covered?  When I left the campus.  So when I went to the city of Jeddah, I would have to wear the abaya (the robe -- which doesn't have to be black by the way). The veil was optional. I didn’t have to wear it, but was handy to have with me just in case. In fact, I only wore the veil if by myself and the only Westerner in the area -- and not because I had too, but because my blonde hair was such a novelty to people that I usually got second looks and people often wanted to take their photo with me. So I covered in an attempt to "blend."

DO YOU NEED AN ABAYA ON THE PLANE?

Clair Sale, who has been my lifesaver for the trip, told me the one thing she wished she had with her on the plane was the robe. So I bought one ….in Phoenix.

It was hard to find because if you’ve been to Phoenix, you don’t see anyone wearing them. I googled Halal meat shops in the city and found Alzohour Market on Yelp. I went there and asked the woman if she knew where to buy abayas in the area. She happened to have a selection.

And yes, I did consider buying on online, but I didn’t know my size and because I’m tall, I was afraid it would be too short.

The woman showed me a bunch of abayas and I was a little shocked at how expensive they were. My budget was $25, but the cheapest they had were $100. I was also surprised how decorative they were. When I checked the online news for Jeddah to see what people wore, they looked like they were wearing plain black ones. The woman assured that I would want one with something on it – and that there were designer abayas and everything. I trusted her and found one with gold sleeves that I actually love. I feel like a judge or high priestess in it.

So now I’m at Heathrow with my fancy abaya stuffed in my knapsack. My plane for Jeddah is arriving in an hour. Do I wear it now? Do I stay western? Do I wait and put it on just before we land?

I looked around the gate and every person there was dressed in the robe. The women were in black and the men in white. There wasn’t one Western person in the group. Hmm…robe it is.

PS. While I suffered the 6 hours wearing the robe and trying to sleep on the red-eye to Jeddah without strangling myself with the veil, it turned out it wasn’t necessary. About an hour before we landed the pilot came on the speaker and said we were entering Saudi air space. He said that they would now stop serving alcohol (crap, should have taken advantage of the free wine until then) and that if we wanted, it was time to put the customary robes for the landing.

Next time I’ll be more relaxed. But I was glad Clair told me to pack it. I did feel less of an outsider with it on.

Simple Pleasures of British Airways

I'm now into hour 2 of my 9 hour red-eye flight from Phoenix to London and I am loving British Airways. Except for the unexpected $95 free for having a second suitcase (only 1 bag is allowed), the service has been fab.

First of all there is free wine with dinner. Yay! Then free dinner. Yay! And it was chicken curry. I love curry and haven’t had any good stuff since leaving Toronto 8 years ago.

Then there’s the tea. I may be Canadian, but I have my Scottish grandmother’s blood and tea is my drink. Normally, plane tea sucks. It tastes like luke-warm microwaved water. This is not the case on British Airways. It’s tastes like real steeped tea. AND they come around with a brewed pot of it like US planes do with coffee. I’m in tea heaven.

Of course, I will be going to the bathroom 20 times during the flight – because all good things must come to an end.

Moving overseas is not Easy-Peasy

My pilot’s name is George Michael. Not THE George Michael, but still I find this amusing.

Finally I am on my way to Saudi and the preparations have been crazy – from the intense medical exam, to the rush of selling everything I own, to the emotional heart break of saying goodbye to my friends, family and boyfriend. Most of these have been supportive with this move, but not everyone -- which has made it even harder.

Let me just say moving overseas is not like moving from Canada to the U.S. or from state-to-state. I’ve done those and it was easy. Moving to another country is a little intense.

First of all, you have to part with everything like your furniture, your car and your apartment. I thought about putting it all in storage, but when doing the math, I figured in a year I would be spending $2000 for storage and then if I came back and didn't find a job in Phoenix, I would have to transport all my stuff to the new city which is usually another $2500.

Is my stuff really worth $5000? Do I really love my sofa and bed so much that I can't get a new one later on? No. Not really.

So now all I own 6 boxes of personal goods like fine China from my mom, a few pieces of art and some clothes. That’s it. I feel really light and uncomplicated now.

Secondly, you have to be prepared to get ripped off – a lot. I detest the Craigslisters who took advantage of me when they offered me only $550 for my practically new $1800 sofa that was still under warranty. And the girl who bought my California King luxury pillow top bed (with the stuffed leather headboard and silk sheets) for $350 and nearly made me cry. I think I may still be paying off the $1,600 that bed cost me. But I was desperate. I had two weeks to sell and no other options.

Then there’s the paperwork, which I am still panicked about. I got my temporary visa okay. It took three months to get all the stuff needed for it and the stamp. I thought I was done. But then I realized I needed a few different papers for my work visa. Yeah…If you are married or divorced and don’t live in the same state (or country) where you did the deed, start working on this 6 weeks out. I’m in week three of am still waiting on the authentication as these documents needed to be signed by the state, the U.S. government and the Saudi Embassy.

Did I mention that I’m already on the plane? Yup, I’m going and I’m waiting on papers – STILL. Yes, I am stressed. Very stressed.

But I see light the end of this whirlwind tunnel and I hope it shines on some peace. In the meantime, I'm going to fasten my seatbelt and listen to what George Michael has to say.

Oh…and in case you are wondering. I have not had time to learn Arabic (I did buy the CDs though). I have not learned how to wrap my veil (hijab) – but I have it in my knapsack. And I have not had time to change all my credit cards to overseas travel. What I am is a massive ball of nerves. Touch me and I may break.