Family weekend event

First of all can I say what a weekend! it has been a very busy and very productive weekend and week. This week was the week of my sister in law's wedding and there where so many preparations before hand that I am literally exhausted, a week before my sister in laws wedding I had spent a week in Jeddah which is 8 or 9 hours away from the city I'm staying in "Abha"  and stayed with my older sister in law that lives there and spent several days in looking for a dress for my sister in laws wedding,  alhumdullilah I found the perfect dress for the perfect price 350 riyal which is "93.00 in American money..

 My gorgeous dress

after the long journey back to Abha from Jeddah we had so much preparations to make I had to scramble to have my dress altered, find gold shoes for my daughter to match her dress and a thobe (white saudi dress for males) made for my son to wear at the wedding and as most men they like to wait until the last minute to gather everything around, on top of the all the finishing touches I was able to have some fun memorable moments with my sister in laws and mother in law... we had a lady come to do henna for all of us I had both of my arms done and my other sister in law did as well and the bride had a full bridal henna was very beautiful masha'allah even my 20 month old daughter she had henna done it was rather funny because during the drying process the henna artist thought it to be a good idea to wrap every ones drying henna with tissue paper and plastic wrap, so all of us accept my one sister in law had henna done it was really funny because we all where sitting and had are arms like in robot mode so that we wouldn't mess anything up it was pretty hysterical to me anyways but it was a good time and the price was not bad 100 riyal for both arms which is around 26 american dollars and my daughters henna "FREE" 

My henna and my baby girl's henna

The following day was a day that I was ready to get over with which was my sister in laws wedding, the wedding hall was very beautiful with a big long catwalk like stage and a special place for the bride and groom to sit at the end of the cat walk,it was honestly a really stunning wedding nothing like the American weddings accept the wedding favors, dancing, and family gathering together and the delicious food. How ever the dancing is rather different if you have been to a  saudi wedding then you know what I'm talking about  if not its not the typical jumping around dancing like we do in America its more like belly dance shimmy shimmy shoulder shaking kind of dance but really entertaining and fun the singer that comes and sings we can "Degaga" I guess is the best way to spell it who comes and sings at the weddings and celebrations she was ok but rather loud but then again the dancing hall was kind of small or maybe it was just me lol...

where the bride and groom sat at the end of the catwalk....

I rather really enjoyed myself this is my second wedding I have been to but this wedding was the main ceremony there 2 ceremonies the first one is where the bride and groom sign a contract agreeing to the marriage and making it official after that the groom is allowed to see his bridge without her hijab abaya (Muslim women clothing) but still not allowed to be alone with each other until the final ceremony which is what I have went to it was rather bitter sweet because I am very fond of my sister in laws I love them very much and was sadden that she would not be coming home with us that night but at the same time I was rather happy for her and wish nothing but the best, but in the end I have the happy memories we all spent together prior to her beautiful wedding, her grand entrance into the wedding hall was absolutely beautiful as she entered sparklers where lit up and as her groom came into the room confetti was thrown around him  and then he sat with his bride along with the bride and groom's family.... 

one of the centerpieces 

The one thing that makes the weddings different here in Saudi Arabia is that there is no mixing between the guys and girls so for me it was kind of hard because not everyone speaks english except a few people who I am happily became friends with I hope that I can learn arabic from these family members and I can teach them English which I think will be what will happen before I become fluent in Arabic lol but I'm rather enjoying myself here and feel very welcomed with all the family and I love them very much and I feel very blessed Alhumdullilah to be apart of the family! <3

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My WTH moments???

It has been a month so since I have arrived here in Saudi Arabia every experience has been rather interesting  and some  experiences have been like "really"?????

Since my arrival I have been dealing with adjusting to the climate and constantly getting sick (apparently to the new bacteria's)  but for the entire time I have been here I have not been able to keep anything down I didn't want to go to the hospital because my trip the private clinic for my (iqama "residency") was rather traumatizing so I was a bit nervous and I had every right to be!!! I had to wait to get checked in like you would any other hospital and then went to an area where there many beds for patients to sit and lay on. 

as for my check up, I think the person that took care of me got her license out of the cereal box! firstly when she met me my father in law explained to her I was from America and she contiues and says, "your from America"??? how did you end up here in Saudi Arabia???? you married his son? reffering to my Father in laws son I'm like yes... she tells me then come to the bed so she can examine me and then continues to lecture me on "why would you marry a Saudi there so complicated" not like I didn't hear enough of that before  so I just ignored her... I explained to her for the past 2 to 3 weeks I been throwing up and unable to keep anything down, what does she do? squishes my stomach asks "does it hurt here" i'm like yes and she's like you have this problem let me give you some medicine, and would you like a shot??? 

I'm like no I don't want a shot and I was like how are you going to prescribe me medicine when you only felt around in my stomach and didn't take any prior tests I mean I been throwing up don't you think a blood drawn or at least a urine sample to make sure I'm not dehydrated would be important??? she explains "you don't always have to do that to know what's wrong" before leaving I told her I really miss American hospitals because as much as I love KSA (kingdom of saudi Arabia) this hospital was a nightmare.....

The other day I went to a bank to open a checking account boy was that a experience where I wanted to literally slap the employees and ask for a male assistance who knew what they where doing....as I sit and filling out my paper work I'm asked to come to a room for any further assistance in my application, let me tell you I think I wrote my signature over 20 times because they where not identical maybe a few dots where not the same or lines but they where close enough the same I'm like really? I know how to write my name, this is how I do it all the time and no one else complains!!!!!!!!

After finishing my paperwork I sit with another lady waiting to get my bank account card which contains my account number etc, I think ask her after she finishes and after i'm done signing my name for the 1000 time where is my ATM card? that took at least another 10 minutes I probably spent over an hour because another client comes in and she tells me can you please go sit over here i'm like ok... so I sit sit sit and sit and still she doesn't check on me my husband and son are waiting for me and I tell him whats going on and he says well just talk to her manager "which wasn't much help" so I just got tired of waiting and got up and went to her and said I'm waiting for my card my husband and kid are waiting she them tells me "oh the machine is being slow" I'm thinking right it didn't take you seconds to print out my account card and I told her I was like well next time tell me that instead of making me wait and wonder what's going on, its very "Unprofessional" on your part! I didn't sit down, I sat where she could see my face after she finished with the other client she made me wait for her to serve she printed the card and I was finished I was so upset with her I just wanted to tell her off but I think me embarrassing her in front of everyone was enough....

I truly do love Saudi Arabia but there are some things I do miss a lot in America which is "great customer service" and professional health care physicians! but it is something I will have to learn to adjust to these are just small things that I can insha'allah live with! 

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first Saudi wedding

So I finally attended my first wedding ceremony not the actual wedding but the contract signing making it official that they are married after that they normally hold a ceremony... I think I would have enjoyed the wedding ceremony if I haven't been so sick with "climate change flu" and respiratory infection other then that I think that the wedding ceremony was absolutely beautiful masha'allah...

Firstly I was under a lot of stress and pressure in finding a dress I have only been here for a few weeks and didn't have enough time or the money to buy a dress so luckily my sister in law had a dress that she loaned me to wear and let alone the pressure of looking presentable such as caked on makeup, and dolled up hair'dos  which cost around 200 riyal for just my hair to be done that's 53.00 in American dollars for hair and makeup it can range up to 1000 riyal "266. American dollars" so if anyone has an experience in doing hair and makeup you could make a fortune here in Saudi Arabia as for me I only had my hair done and my sister in law did my make up she does a pretty good job masha'allah but next time I think I will try the caked on makeup for once lol... 

The wedding ceremony was very expected the males and females are separated as they normally would be in any other gathering accompanied with music and loud sounds like "la la la la la" a sound they do with the tongue which I have not mastered yet lol and dancing not your typical jump around dancing more like belly dancing washing machine dancing (if you seen the movie Selena you'll know what I mean by Washing Machine dance).. as for me I didn't dance much I'm the type of person that is very shy and don't like the attention all on me so I just basically sat it out there wasn't much communication for me since majority of my family in laws don't speak English....

after the long period of dancing talking, drinking tea, "saudi coffee" listening to music we eventually gathered around the groom and the bride a lot of us wore niqab "full face cover" I wore it which I normally do not because when I go out of the house in Saudi I don't wear it but out of the respect of my sister in law and myself I wore it, the gathering around the Newly weds was rather beautiful they sit together and in exchange of rings "which normally done at the church in front of the priest" feeding each other sweets, cake and more music and lots of popping confetti and after that there where opening of presents, but I didn't stay up for the whole thing I was rather very sick so I had went to bed for the night pretty early but I honestly cried I love my sister in law and seen how happy she is and truly am so happy for her and wish nothing but the best for her and her new family.

From my first experience of Saudi weddings, I have to say I was rather touched it was very beautiful and I kind of slightly envy my sister in laws on how the wedding's are done and how different they are from American weddings I think if a lot of American girls seen the beauty of saving your self for your husband and what they have to look for there wedding night they maybe would wait I never really understood the real meaning of how important it was to wait to get married in Islam but I think the after seeing how important it is culturally and to see how everyone gathers and prepares for this special day I think is a reward within its self its really an experience that one would have to experience for themselves to understand how beautiful it is to wait for the love of your life to get married.....

for some of my readers wanting more description of the actual wedding out of the respect and privacy of my sister in law that is something I can not share so insha'allah (god willing) most of you will understand...

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