Everyday is a new adventure...

YAY PICTURES OF MY APT! MORE PICS TO BE COMING!


So, this week has defenitly left wondering how on earth I ended up drinking camel's milk for lunch this afternoon in October. I finally have settled into the school routine..ish. I know all of my kid's names, even if I do mix them up with 4 boys named Omar. I also learned that you cannot teach ABC in second grade by having the student's put themselves into ABC order. Why? Well when more thank half of your boys names start with the letter A, and the rest are H,O, and Y with many name repeating, it is a recipe for disaster. However, I am learning.

I also have learned parent communication, as important as it is, can be the hardest thing to do when there is a language barrier. I had my first parent conference today and I had to have a translator. Somehow, I feel something is lost in translation, but it went well...I think?

The highlight of the week had to attempting to open up a bank account and I say this with the utmost sarcasm. First, I must explain that in order to open an account you must obtain your residency card and a letter of authorization from your employer. Now, Saudi paper work moves as fast as a snail going up a greased pole. So, once you obtain these documents, you must go to the bank to open up your account. I dont leave school until 4pm each day and dont get home until 4:30. In addition, the bank workers have the same work schedule as I do and therfore work until 4pm most days. Luckily, the only time I really have to go inside the bank is to open the account. Deposits and transfers can be done at an ATM or online. However, this still requires the inital visit to the bank. So, I get off early on Monday with another lady I work with and we go to the woman's branch of the bank. We get there, along with a number of other people, and proceed to wait 25 mins to be told that we cannot open up a bank account today because the system was "down." HOWEVER, after explaining to them all we had to go through to get off work early, take a taxi here, and waiting, they agreed to let one person get an account. How their system magically popped up for one other person is beyond me. However, I digress. So, the next day, we go to a different bank branch to open the account. We sit down and everything is going great. HOWEVER, apparently on my residency card, I have no occupation which means I cannot open up an account until I have an occupation. We were told by the banker this happens a lot along with them putting the wrong gender on the card. It does not matter I have a letter from my employer with all the same information on it. So, thankfully, I was able to transfer funds home using a friend's account, but I still lack a bank account. The bank teller felt so bad because I was upset that he brought apple juice. Apparently, apple juice makes all things right with the world. Oh Saudi...

Thankfully that night we had a Canadian Thanksgiving dinner with a lot of the staff from the school which was fun and helped to cheer up. Then, yesterday I went to yet another mall in Saudi. I use to be impressed that I had 3 malls within 20 mins in GA. I think I have 10 within 20 mins here. They all start to look the same after awhile.

Today was our adventure day in Jeddah! The morning started out with a bus trip to starbucks which, I thought, was a good sign for a good day. Then we took our second stop at the red sea fish market. Now, I am personally not a fish fan in the least. However, after today, I can honestly say that hell is going to smell like this fish market. The smell was AWFUL!!! I really and truly wanted to pass out. However, the floor was made of tile, was slick, and was covered in fish juice and water. I chose to wear flip flops on this little endever which I am convicned was almost like a suiced attempt. I was slipping and sliding and the only thing to grab onto if I fell was fish, lobster, or giant shrimp. I felt like a fish morge personally. THankfully I excaped with my life but not without keeping the lovely scent of dead fish on my abaya.

The next stop was a shopping center in old Jeddah where we haggled, browsed, and bought "Italian table clothes." Our final stop was at a camel farm. I apparently bonded well with the camels and will post pictures soon. I also tried fresh camel's milk which, once you get past what you a drinking, you realize it is not half bad. You only live once so live it up! We did not get to ride the camels, but I guess we have to save some excitement for the next 2 years.

PR:
- I am missing friends and family a lot so strength is needed
- Dealing with parents
- Commitment to keeping with His plan for my life