Abayas: A Whole New Fashion Item to Explore

When coming to Saudi Arabia and starting at KAUST, I was concerned about the abaya and making sure I bought one the right one.

So I did some research- which mainly involved trying to see what women were wearing on the local news sites. From what I could gather, they were wearing plain black robes with plain black veils.

Oh, how I was wrong. There is nothing plain about them.

I did buy this one and totally love it.

In my month here, I've learned that the abaya/robe is more like a long jacket that you wear 
when you leave your home and they have some really nice ones. I had assumed they 
were all black and drab, but most of them are decorated -- and they don't have 
to be black.

I think black is like our standard corporate suit that never goes 
out of style, but many women wear ones that have color, some sort of decorative accent on them. 


I’ve been watching my co-workers and checking the abaya fashion sites (yes, I actually do this) and it seems chocolate brown was hot for the winter months. But now that the weather is getting 
really hot, I'm seeing off-white, lavender and other colored abayas on the Saudi girls.

Now I’m getting excited. This is a whole new fashion arena that I never knew existed.  

In addition to the colors, you also have different styles that range from the button down, to the zip up, to belted, to umbrella sleeved, to the pullover. There are work abayas and some for casual wear.

And they wear them with dress shoes and heels and not flat sandals like I thought.

Oh yeah. I'm kind of regretting giving away most of my stilettos now, but they probably aren’t practical for running around the campus.

Then there is the veil. I admit I'm still trying to master that part as I seem to get caught up in it, but without it, it looks like you forgot something.

I’m sure if I had to wear an abaya and veil everyday, I would be less excited, but I only have to wear it for shopping or dinners when I go to the city and
 traveling. So basically, when I put it on, it means I’m going to go someplace fun -- so I might as well look fashionable when I go.

All the abayas featured on this page are from Aab Collection, my favorite abaya shop so far.

Picnic under the moon

Midnight in some countries is witching hour, but not in Saudi. Here midnight is beach time - and I find it just as magical.

I don't know how they do it as I'm ready for bed at midnight, but if you drive along the corniche in Jeddah at that time, you will find the shores of the Red Sea packed with families. Yes, that's right. Families with kids and everything are awake and enjoying the evening.

...

So are they swimming?

No. Many of them are eating.

I'm learning quickly that they love their food and their sweets - which is dangerous for me as I too love good food and desserts. But it is how they are serving the food is what I love. They do it berber style.

They literally bring a carpet, roll it out by the sea and then serve the food or midnight snack on it. Some also bring these special cushions made for relaxing on. And they eat and talk and eat some more. It's all very relaxing under the moonlight and for some reason - probably because it's dark - even though the beach is crowded, you really don't noticed anyone else except those sitting around your carpet.

It's one of my favorite things - along with their coffee tradition. And if they combine the two, then it's perfection.

Fun and Food at Janadriyah

Saudi Arabia is so far been one amazing experience after another, and last weekend’s Janadriyah Festival was not the exception.  I have absolutely no regrets moving here. The people have been very welcoming and the country is one that needs to be lived in to truly appreciate the beauty it has to offer.

Me holding a hawk. So beautiful.

By back to this weekend and why I'm holding a hawk in the photo.

Janadriyah is a yearly event and it’s held in Riyadh. Approximately 30 of us from KAUST got up really early (like 3:30 a.m.) and took the plane to the city for the weekend to see what this festival that commemorates Saudi heritage, culture and history had to offer.

And that is why I'm holding a hawk.  In the past, hawks were caught and trained to hunt for the nomads living in the desert.  He was quite beautiful - and as nervous as I was.

My friend buying this leather bag that you put fat in for cooking.

Our group was given VIP treatment as we were allowed to tour the area a couple of hours before the masses arrived and enjoyed Arabic coffee and mint tea in the executive tent.

I was worried at first as I’m not a coffee drinker, but Arabic coffee doesn’t taste like regular coffee. It’s actually tasty – and I love the dates that come with it. I also learned that it's an insult not to accept the coffee when you come to a friend's home (good thing I like it) -- and it's very traditional to offer it as a welcome.

My friend enjoying some delicious Arabic coffee.

My favorite part of the trip was hearing about things from the perspective of a Saudi.

One of my friends here at the University had never been to Janadriyah, but while she’s very western, she had heard about the traditions from her parents and could explain them to me.

I think I got more out of the festival with her as she put things in context. I know I would have missed out on the spiced tea with condensed milk and I would have no idea what some of the things in the marketplace were for like the black leather bag in the photo above.  She said you store fat in it for cooking. Interesting.

Weird mushy grain stuff that was surprisingly tasty.

There were even some things that she had never experienced, like this strange mushy grain dish with honey on top. It was good and extremely filling, but neither of us knew what it was.

Saudi Arabia. Always full of wonderful surprises – even to those who are from here.

Traditional meal at one of the restaurants.

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.

Learning How to Shop Saudi-style

The malls in Saudi Arabia are incredible – and gigantic.  I’ve only been to the ones in Jeddah, but I’ve been told the ones in Riydah are just as fantastic.  

They are multi-leveled and have interesting things in them like a full-scale amusement park, a snow village where it actually snows fake snow, tropical lagoons, go-cart tracks and more.  The only thing they don’t have are movie theaters as those aren’t allowed here.  

And then you have the shops.  One of my friends asked if they have any shops they would know. The answer is "yes." They have them ALL.   There’s Sephora, Guess, Bebe, Boots,  Juicy Couture, Zara, Applebee’s, Burger King, Baskin Robbins and more.   They also have a few local shops, a bunch of designer shops and some British shops.  You name it; they have it…or they will have it soon.  I saw a sign for a Tim Horton’s coming soon at The Mall of Arabia.

So why so are the malls so amazing?  I think it’s because it’s hot here and the malls are air conditioned so people go there as a family and hang out.  And I mean they really hang out because they stay for hours.

The website says the malls are open from 10 a.m. until midnight, but with the prayer times, many of the actual shops close in the afternoon and reopen in the evening.  Then they are packed from 6:30 p.m. to closing. When I say packed, I’m talking Black Friday shopping packed. 

But while the shops are the same, the way you shop is different.

My first time in the mall, I picked out a bunch of clothes and wanted to try them on. Apparently you don’t do that as very few of the shops have change rooms. Surprise!

 At first I thought Saudi women simply guessed their size, then tried them on at home and brought back the ones they didn’t like.    

This wasn’t going to work for me.

First of all, I don’t enjoy shopping with crowds of people. Secondly, going to the mall is big endeavor as I take the bus from KAUST from 5 p.m. It takes an hour to get to the mall and then it only picks me up again at 11 p.m.  That’s a long time in a mall for someone who likes to get in and be done in 30 minutes.  And thirdly, I didn’t understand the return policies and some of the shops only give you 2 days to do exchanges. 

Not knowing how it’s done, I didn’t buy anything my first time to the mall. Instead I vowed to never go again and just buy everything online. Yes, that sounds drastic. But keep in mind, I just wasted 5 hours in a mall.  

It turns out there my drastic measures won't be necessary.  There is a secret to shopping in Saudi that nobody told me.  

Yes, you have to buy the clothes without trying them on in the shops.  But there is a place to try them on.  It’s in the restroom! 

I was wondering why the restroom was so big with these bare stalls on one side.  I thought they were for private praying or something (really, I knew nothing).  Nope, they are where you try on your clothes. 

So in summary…you buy the clothes, try them on in the restroom, and then return the ones you don’t like.  

PS  I haven’t bought shoes, so I don’t know how that works yet.

A warm welcome from old town Jeddah

Wednesday was my first day at work and already I got to visit Jeddah, which is the nearest city to KAUST and the second biggest one in the country with 4.1 million people.  

Jeddah is currently having its first cultural festival in the city’s old Balad area and I went to check it out with my co-workers.

So imagine me in my abaya – without the veil (so glad I bought this before I left Phoenix or I wouldn't be able to go) trying to follow a group of other women dressed in black through the busy streets of the city. 

Keep in mind that I'm not only new to the area and my Arabic is limited to "thank you" and "yes" -- or if I'm being fancy, I can say "Yes, thank you," but I'm also without my guardian techno angel -- aka my iPhone.

That's right.  I learned when I got here that my cell phone no longer works because I have an iPhone 4 so can’t get a Sim card for it -- and to buy the new iPhone 5 will be $800. So I've been walking around old school -- pre-smart phone.

In other words, I have no idea how to get back to KAUST if I did get lose my co-workers in the crowd, I can't talk to anyone, and I don't have GPS, any translation apps or a way to call for help.

Little did I know that I had nothing to worry about.  My group was also afraid of getting lost in the crowd so they basically were following me (the only blonde in the streets) to make sure they weren't left behind.  Guess I stood out a bit.

The Jeddah Heritage Festival they took me too was the first of its kind in the city and thousands of people were attending that week.  

I know it sounds strange that heritage festivals are a new thing, but some of Saudi co-workers said it’s because in the past, the country really focused on the future.  This makes sense as there are so many gorgeous modern skyscrapers and other architectural buildings in the city.   

However, this is about to change.

According to Prince Sultan Bin Salman, head of SCTA, this 10 day festival was a “turning point for cultural heritage in the Kingdom.” He told the media, they (meaning the government) are starting to focus on national tourism in Saudi Arabia.

Yay for me!  This works out perfectly because when I’m not at work, I’m basically a tourist.   

And it seems like I'm not the only one excited about this new cultural trend.  My group at work had arranged a private tour of the festival so that we could learn about the buildings, history and the stories behind the structures. 

My favorite one was the house with the tree (yes, it is actually known as that because it’s the only house with a tree).

I loved this house because the owners had stairs specially made so camels could walk right in the front door with the packages and food and take them up to the top floor of the home where the kitchen was.  Smart thinking!  The stairs were shorter and wider to make it easy for the camels to climb up and down them.

So was I shunned walking as a westerner in the streets?  Not at all.

In fact, there were countless times when I would walk past an elder and hear say in a quiet voice meant only for my ears, “Welcome, daughter” and then nod as they made eye contact.

It was humbling, touching and very much their culture to be privately welcomed by strangers like that.  

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.