Not So Good This Time!!

I am not so good at this blogging thing this time around. I guess when I was in Europe, I had lots of stories to tell and more interesting things to share. We have not been doing a whole lot since our arrival, and we have not even begun classes yet. Therefore, I guess there is not a whole lot to be saying.
I am learning a few things about the culture here, and I guess to a certain extent, I am experiencing some culture shock. Visiting a place, a people and a culture during a vacation is quite different from coming into a place, a people and a culture for a job. As a visitor, you are more an observer than a participant, no matter how much you try to dig in and experience it all. The bottom line is, you are a witness to the way people live their lives, but because you are not truly impacted by the way they live their lives, you are just an observer. When the way of life of the people from the land in which you are living has an effect on the way you want or are able to live your life, you become a participant. This is of course only my opinion, but I feel that experiencing the cultures in the places around the world I have visited, is not the same as when you are there long term.
You may be thinking that I am talking about "all of the restrictions." That is not the case at all. In fact, I was very much over prepared for the 'restrictions' I thought I would be living under. The fact of the matter is, it is not at all what I expected. I suppose it could be due to a number of factors. Perhaps, times are a changing, even in Saudi Arabia!!! Perhaps, Riyadh and Jeddah are just very, very different in the enforcement of rules and behaviour expectations. Perhaps it is a combination of the two. My point is, it feels very different from my visit here 7 years ago. So far, (and I realize this could change tomorrow) the only thing that really feels the same is the required use of the abaya, and I have already told you that the abaya doesn't feel at all like an infringement upon my freedoms. In fact, it is just the opposite!
The culture difference that I feel the most is the relaxed nature of things and the seeming lack of urgency in getting things done. "Insha' Allah" is the phrase you will hear often, quite often, on a daily basis. It means, "If Allah wills it" or as we would say, "God willing". It seems to also imply, "in Allah's time" or "when Allah wills it"!!!Ha! For it seems to be used in response to inquiries about when things are going to happen. I think that as Canadians, we feel that if there is a job to be done, you do it when it needs to be done. If you are expected to be somewhere at a certain time, you be there. That doesn't seem to be the case here at all. Although there are expectations on us for getting things done or for being places on time (which we only expect as it is in our nature anyway), the same urgency doesn't seem to be there when we expect or hope for things to be done. We spend a great deal of time waiting. We wait after work for the bus to bring us home. We wait for prayer time to end. We wait for people to arrive. We wait for meetings to end. We wait for things to arrive. We wait for jobs to get done. It often feels like a hurry up and wait kind of situation. We now joke that our work day ends at 3:30 Insha' Allah.
I am not criticizing their way of life. To be honest, a part of me wishes life could be so relaxed. It is just not the way we are wired, so it feels stressful sometimes when we feels we could be accomplishing things in the time we spend waiting around for something that could happen in 2 minutes or 45 minutes. I suppose in time we will get used to it, and grow more accustomed to that way of living, but it will certainly take some time as it seems to go against every fibre of our being.
Moving on!!
I have had the displeasure of making the acquaintance of a new breed of cockroach!!! They are very different here from the ones in South Korea. The ones there were much bigger and they were black. The ones here (or at least the ones I have seen up to this point in time) are a gold/brown colour, which much to my delight blends in perfectly with the colour of the floors in my apartment! I was making my bed one day and saw one on the floor. I responded with my characteristic wail, followed by the question, "And what the heck are you?" I went to the bathroom to get a tissue so I could kill it. I didn't want to step on it because I had on new slippers that I had only bought the previous night!!! I threw the tissue down so I could crush it, and of course, having the strong survival instinct that a cockroach has, he crawled away from under it and went under the bed before I could get him. And before I knew it, he blended into the laminate floor and I could no longer find him. He escaped!!! Of course, I was on edge then, for I had no idea where he was, and I knew he could be anywhere. All I could think was, "As long as he doesn't end up in my bed, I think I will be fine." Has anyone seen or read, "The Secret"????? Dammit, dammit, dammit!! Wouldn't you know it. I forgot about the 'laws of attraction' and I willed it to be. When I went to bed that night, he was right there, right where my pillow would have been! I couldn't help but have the fleeting thought that he was my reincarnated husband from a previous life who was waiting for me to come to bed. Shoot, he must have been a real gem to be sent back as a cockroach!!!
Tonight, I made another new acquaintance. It was my first meeting with an Arabian gecko!! Actually, that is a lie. I met one in the hall one evening, but this was the first one to visit me in my apartment. I was about to start washing some dishes when I caught him out of the corner of my eye! Once again, there was the typical howl, followed by me running for my camera and some help. I ran into the hall and thankfully Osama from work was here working on somebody's computer. I called him in to help. I took a picture and then he was going to kill it, but I insisted that he just get it out. I don't have the same sentiment when it comes to cockroaches!! I got him some paper towel and he took it out. The poor gecko though! He left his tail behind. Apparently that is some kind of defence mechanism for them. They leave their tail behind flailing all about and it is supposed to fool predators or something. So, the tail was still there, flicking all around like a little worm. It was funny, gross and sad all at the same time. Given we are only 3 weeks in, I have a feeling I will be meeting many more interesting creatures!! The funny thing is, other people have talked about having geckos in their apartments, and I told myself, "I think if I ever get one in my place, I will let him stay. He will take care of the cockroaches." But, I changed my mind pretty fast when I saw him!!!
Well, it is past my bedtime, so I am turning in. Not a lot shared here! Sorry!!