Summer 2013
I wish I could say I did a lot this summer.....but I didn't. For the second year in a row, the Holy Month of Ramadan took place during the hottest months of the year. For those you who don't know, the dates of Ramadan will change in the Gregorian calendar most of us are use to because the Hijra year (the Arabic calendar) is shorter. Ramadan and summer don't mix very well. It is the hottest time of the year and Muslims fast during the daylight hours. For the non-Muslims in Riyadh, we are required to follow the rules or risk arrest or deportation. No that doesn't mean we have to fast, it just means we are not allowed to eat or drink in public.....not even water.....which really sucks when the temperature hovers around 50C.
The other thing you run into is that many expats leave for Ramadan. Many companies close for 4 to 5 weeks during Ramadan so most people go travelling or go home. That equates to not much happening on the Riyadh Social Calendar. I volunteered to work Ramadan......in particular the last couple of weeks, so that Mohammad (the guy who covers my on call and job when I'm on leave) could enjoy Ramadan and Eid with his family. In exchange I get Christmas and New Year's and he never hesitates to cover for me when I need a night off for an embassy party or whatever.
The biggest event of the summer was my move. With my new job I was able to upgrade my apartment. I was a little sad to be leaving Catherine but she will be leaving the Kingdom soon and thought it was best to move while I wasn't as busy. My new job entitled me to a one bedroom unit in the new apartments on the other side of the hospital. It is a little bit closer to walk which is nice considering the extra hours and my on call status. Plus it allows me to sleep in a couple extra minutes everyday. There will be some decorating etc. to do (I get to head to Ikea......YEAH!!!!!!) and then it will become my new home. The move made it pretty obvious how much stuff you can accumulate in such a small period of time.
My stuff on the truck. I've only been here a year and a half but there is a lot of stuff. I had to pack it all up myself but the movers then come to carry it down the stairs, load it onto the truck, unload it at the other end and get it into my apartment.
My last few moments outside MCV 46E. A little sad to be leaving but always exciting to get to move into a new place.
Mohammad, one of the nice guys that helped me move. That's my little kitchen behind him. Funny, every girl I know who has moved in the last few months has a picture of Mohammad. He likes to pose for the girls.
My living room. I'll have some furniture rearranging to do but there is a lot of space.
Shoe rack!!!!! Looks like I have a bit more space so could probably use some new shoes.
My new view. West Compound is behind me and I don't see them tearing it down anytime soon so my view should remain unobstructed. It's a little dusty on this day but that is Kingdom Tower on the left and Faisalia Tower on the right.
My new Tupperware cupboard. Let's hope I can keep it looking this organised.
The rest of the summer was spent mostly relaxing and celebrating a few birthdays. Here are some pictures.
Me with Manguay and Lindsey. This was Lindsey's 27th birthday party at a friend's compound. Not a lot of other people around so we had the pool to ourselves.
I tried to help out but Jeff was taking Laura into the pool. At least the water was warm.
This is at like 3am. Not many of us left but Lindsay, Kelly, Myself, Laura, Jeff and Jos (taking the picture) were still up playing some music. Once again the compound was pretty empty so no one seemed to mind.
The end of Ramadan. The start of the Eid celebrations.I get a pretty good view of the fireworks from my balcony.
A few more fireworks.
I love seeing the reflection of nearby buildings in Kingdom Tower.
The big party we threw this summer was Yin's 40th. Now Yin is usually the one organising things and she has been here forever so knows a ton of people but we managed to pull off a full on 70's/80's themed surprise party for her. Now it wasn't a total surprise....she knew something was going on but she didn't expect all this.
Walking in the door to find about 50 people waiting to surprise her. Not sure how her girlfriend Jackie manged to get her into some 80's inspired clothing and then to Sumit's house, but she did it. And Yin was so surprised she shed a few tears.
Watching the slide slow a few of the girls put together.
Would not be a birthday without a cake.....with a lot of candles.
Wendy and I. Wendy went totally 70's glam. Most of the rest of us totally hit up as much florescent 80's inspired stuff as we could.
Amy, Camara and I.
Natalie, Sarah and Me enjoying some of the amazing refreshments.
Corrie, Me and Sish.
This picture is a little blurry but one of the best pictures of the group having a good time.
Yin making another speech. We made her cry.....more than once. We also collected a few thousand SAR (Saudi Riyals) as a gift. She had just bought a drum set and I think we more than helped pay for it. She's awesome so totally deserves it.
And that about sums up my summer. It was good fun, but looking forward to Ramadan moving in the calender next year.
Julie
No comments:
Post a Comment