Saudi Sexpat Stories: Tales from the Kingdom

Here’s more of our recent “jam-packed” weekend…

Still catching our breath from Wednesday’s “major event” with the two boys, I was happy to be able to unwind a bit the day after.  And what better way to do this than by cozying up with two easy-reading books – yipee!

At the risk of being branded “perpetually juvenile” for my choice of reading materials, I admit that I have generally found books meant for the “much younger audience” thoroughly enjoyable – the imagination and adventure detailed in most of them never fail to “tickle my fancy”.   

So when I became the “surprised” recipient of the latest post-Harry Potter work of JK Rowling (hubby got me a copy of “The Tales of Beedle the Bard” as “pasalubong” after his much-deserved “me time” at the mall – sweet, isn’t he? ), I was obviously thrilled! Added to this, I also chanced upon the Roald Dahl section at the bookstore and was “intrigued” by “The Witches”, so I snapped it up too (yeah, yeah, call me greedy! Hahaha! )!

All in all, I most definitely welcomed this relaxing treat … I guess, I wasn’t the only one!

Come Friday (which is actually Sunday – “kingdom style”), we, together with some friends, decided to try out the newly-opened Johnny Rockets Diner here in the kingdom.  Suffice it to say that, apart from the ambience and location which we liked, these were the only “happy faces” we remember from our dining experience there…

So, anything special lined up for the coming weekend? Do tell coz I’m all ears!

From late afternoon until the good part of the evening of last Wednesday, Keith and I were busy playing “rah-rah parents” to our two boys, Luigi and Rafa,  who were both representing their school, International Schools Group – Dammam, in the first ever regional speech contest held here in the Eastern Province of the kingdom. 

The event was participated in by ten schools and, after several elimination rounds (class, grade, school and inter-school-wide), our two boys were blessed to have ended up as finalists in their respective grade levels.  

Come results time, however, both Keith and I were not prepared with the outcome that was announced: only Luigi managed to bag the top prize for his grade while Rafa ended up in second spot for his  own level (something he wasn’t exactly thrilled about initially especially since he idolizes his “kuya”).  Modesty aside, we were very confident that both our sons would easily “bring home the bacon”… apparently, this would not be so as God had other plans for all of us.

Never realized having such a “mixed outcome” could prove a bit “challenging”  for hubby and I.  Believe me, it was a tricky tightrope we were treading there as we tried our best to celebrate and acknowledge  the achievement of elder son while at the same time making sure second son also felt that we recognized and valued all the hard work and effort he put in nonetheless.  Honestly, it broke my heart to see Rafael distraught after the results were announced yet I had to put a brave front and encouraged him to put his “game face” on…    At the same time, I didn’t want Luigi to feel that we were disregarding his victory in any way for he certainly deserved the recognition he got.

So how did hubby and I deal with it? Is a “win-win scenario” even possible in the face of an actual “win-lose” outcome?

With a lot of prayers and support from well-meaning relatives, I can still say that all’s well that ends well.  Several heart-to-heart talks (and “crying sessions”) later, I am relieved and thankful that both Luigi and Rafa seem to be more at peace with the hands that were dealt them.  In fact, Rafa even told me that he’s ready to do his best again if another opportunity like this comes along.  Luigi, on the other hand, managed to remain a “gracious winner” throughout and was sensitive to what his younger brother was going through.  It was touching to know that Rafa even apologized to his kuya for not being able to congratulate him right away – saying that he just had to get over his “sadness” before he could sincerely do so.  God is good and I believe he has used this incident to slowly mold our boys (plus hubby and me) into the “vessels” he would want them (and us) to be.

Throughout this experience, these two particular verses proved helpful to me as I tried to make sense of this “unique” situation in our sons’ lives.

Just as clay is in the potter’s hands for him to shape as he pleases, so we are in the hands of our Creator for him to do as he wishes. (Sir 33:13)

We also boast of our troubles, because we know that trouble produces endurance, endurance brings God’s approval, and his approval creates hope.  This hope does not disappoint us… (Rom 5:3-5)

I pray that all of us may have the grace to remain thankful at all times and in all circumstances in the face of a loving and faithful God.

O, ano, laban kayo sa “bongga-cious” na sapatos na ito?

Di po akin ito kundi sa aming kikay na bunso.  Ito ang ipinamigay na “souvenir” sa isang kiddie party na dinaluhan namin kamakailan.  Bota daw ito ni Dora (“the Explorer” ha… hindi yung pamatay-daga!).

Ano sa tingin ninyo? Talbog nga ba dito ang “glass slipper” ni mareng Cinderella?

SCENE: Early morning today – just woke up. On our bed. Hubby, diva-lette and me exchanging happy banter and playing around.

DIVA-LETTE: Ma, Mulan realized… (Hubby and I just had to do a double-take – did she just say “realized”??? Big word for a person barely three! )

She definitely got our full attention now.

ME: What, Marga?

DIVA-LETTE: …that her duty is to her heart.

Double wow!!! Wisdom straight from the mouths of babes! Hubby and I just had to look at each other knowingly and smile our biggest.  We live for moments like these!

Mulan would’ve been proud of her little fan (*sigh*).  We know we are!

POSTSCRIPT TO SSS #145: Sammy’s well again! Yipee! The “washing machine doctors” saw her earlier today and just took out and replaced the offending sensor and she’s now as good as before and back to her washing “duties” (never mind that we’re approximately US100 poorer – having our laundry washed professionally would end up being more expensive for us – something like a quarter per piece of clothing – ang dami kaya ng miyembro ng pamilya namin!). Thank goodness!

Lastly, here’s a shout-out to two of the most fantastic couples I know who are both celebrating their wedding anniversaries today (the feast of St Joseph, patron saint of husbands) – to my loving and super-mega-wonderful parents, Papa Jess and Mama Petite, on their 37th year of wedded bliss and to uber-sweet online buddy Twinkie and hubby Jose – happy, happy anniversary, guys! May our good Lord continue to bless your union and grant you every good grace to continually live out your marriage vows.  Love, love and more love to you all! Mwah!

Things are definitely looking up and I am thankful (yet again!). 

“Be joyful always, pray at all times, be thankful in all circumstances.  This is what God wants from you in your life in union with Jesus Christ.” (1 Thes 5:16-18)

“Let the giving of thanks be your sacrifice to God and give to the Almighty all that you have promised… Call to me when trouble comes; I will save you and you will praise me.” (Ps 50)

Hindi ako dalubhasa sa larangan ng alahas - sa totoo lang, di ko masyadong naiintindihan ang “cut, color, clarity at carat”!

Basta ang alam ko – paka-iingatan ko ang iilang pirasong alahas na mayroon ako – lalong-lalo na ang mga ito dahil sa kanilang tinaguriang “sentimental value”.

• ang relong ibinigay sa akin ng aking mister matapos makumpirma na babae na nga ang aming huling supling (sa wakas! ) na limang buwan ko pa lamang noon na dinadala sa aking sinapupunan;
• ang aming platinum”wedding ring” na iniregalo sa amin ng aking mga magulang;
• ang mga hikaw kong white gold na “rositas” na una kong ginamit noong araw ng aming kasal; at
• ang pinakaunang hikaw na iniregalo sa akin ng aking ex-boyfriend (na ngayon ay asawa ko na – hahaha!) – inamin niya sa akin ng hulugan pa nga daw ang bayad niya dito – sweet di ba?

Kung gusto niyong makibalita sa iba pang kumukutitap na paborito ng ating mga kaibigang litratista, maari po lamang na bumisita sa Litratong Pinoy site dito.

Isang makinang na Huwebes sa lahat!

Just when I thought it would be a normal “laba-dami, laba-ngo” (washing) day for me…

Our three year-old decides to pull a nasty prank on me!

Not our diva-lette, of course, but our “other” 3 -year-old  – our front-loading washing machine – waaah!!!  What’s worse, after going through the owner’s manual and googling the problem, turns out that what we have cannot be resolved by troubleshooting from our end.  It’s the “dreaded 8e”, folks - MOTOR ERROR!!!

On top of the usual language barrier, what we actually dread would be going to the (in)famous (dis)service centers in this part of the world.  Oh, when (if at all) will we see Sammy (nickname of our Samsung washer) again?

Guess some lucky laundromat owner will be a happy camper  washer for a few weeks or so as we literally wash our dirty laundry in public…

…their vixens (and cubs!) can’t be far behind!

Yes, in the month or so that we have been part of the Desert Fox Shooters (DFS) family, we have been so blessed to be able to see sides of the kingdom that we never even knew existed (or thought possible!).  And what’s more, the very warm welcome we received from the members, spouses (special mention of course to Ann, Olive, Anna, Tita Cel, Wise, Anna E and Precy) and their families was truly very heartwarming and certainly has enriched our “desert adventures” all the more!

We stumbled upon DFS, a kingdom-based photographers’ community aiming to “capture life through the lens”, through the gracious invitation of  KD, the jolly and ever-so-game hubby of (then-online buddy) Ann.  And the rest, as they say, is history…

Blogging desert divas (aka “DFS Vixens”) finally meet! Ann and Me

So far, our “journey” with the DFS has taken us to these very interesting and fun events and places…

A Dora-themed joint kiddie party for DFS toddlers, KC & Cher ( Thanks, Tita Olive, for lending us this cute pink outfit!).  Incidentally, the party for the “kids-at-heart” was held on the evening of the same day.

An (almost) horse show at the Dhahran Stables in Aramco… Though the horse show was cancelled due to a horse virus that was going around, the riders still gamely posed for the shooters who “rose at crack of dawn” to be able to photograph the supposed event.

The 10th Harley Davidson (HOGS) anniversary in Saudi Arabia where (as mentioned in my previous post) we were amazed to see more than 200 different HD motorcycles from all over the kingdom.

And last, but not the least, never in my wildest dreams did I think we would ever attend a beauty pageant – but we did!    This is a photo of the Ati-Atihan performers who were part of the Parade of Candidates for the 2009 OFW Little Prince & Little Princess Pageant. We came to support the DFS-sponsored “little prince” and “little princess”.

Again, thank you so much, DFS, for taking us in. As the cliche goes, I believe “this is going to be the start of a beautiful (and hopefully, lasting) friendship”! Here’s to more wonderful snapshots and memories to come!

Hindi naman ako “fashionista” kung kaya hindi blusa o polo ko ang napili kong lahok ngayong linggo.  Sa halip, ito ang nais kong ibahagi sa inyo…

Sabihin na lang natin na sobra akong humanga sa “look” na ito dahil napakatotoo ng dating niya.  Bukod kasi sa pagiging isang pangangailangan, sa tingin ko ay gumagamit din tayo ng mga damit para maipakita kung sino tayo – at swak na swak ang suot ng lalaking ito sa kanyang “biker image”, di ba?

Kuha ito ng aking butihing asawa kaninang hapon.  Mapalad kaming naanyayahan ng ilang kaibigan na dumalo sa anibersaryo ng Harley Davidson dito sa kaharian.  At opo, hanggang ngayon e medyo “mangha” pa rin ako sa halos 200 na iba’t ibang mga Harleys na nakita kong dumalo sa okasyong ito mula sa Riyadh, Jeddah at Eastern Region (parang katumbas ng Luzon, Visayas at Mindanao sa atin) – galing talaga!

Isang magandang LP sa lahat!

Simple lang ang hanap ko sa mga bag.

Ang pinakamimithing “Bleecker Signature Duffle” bag na regalo sa akin ng aking butihing asawa noong isang taon

B – Bagayin (kahit anong isuot ay puwede siyang i-terno)

A - Ayos ang itsura (siyempre, kailangan pa din namang mag-”ja-porms”, di ba? )

G – Gamit ko ay kasya! (mula ng maging “Mommy” e mas gusto ko na ang malaki-laking bag na puwedeng lagyan ng lahat ng gamit ko – “kikay kit”, wallet, cell phone at kung anu-ano pang kailangan ng aking mga “kulit bulilit” – )

Mabuti na lang at alam na ni “Papa” ang aking “criteria”. Kaya naman noong araw ng mga puso ng nakaraang taon, swak na swak ang kanyang regalo na labis kong ikinatuwa!

Nawa’y ma”bagbag” ang inyong mga damdamin sa mga lahok sa LP ngayong linggo! Maligayang unang linggo ng Marso sa lahat!