3 months in SaudiArabia: what i miss most!

3 months! Wow! I remember penning down, I mean typing my blog at the beginning of this trip. Times goes! Yes indeed! And now am on my way out for holidays. i am done with the mighty 90 days probation! This was a period they challenged us, checkedoff our skills, pressured our small heads with unnecessary information and you were not allowed to leave the Kingdom! By the way, i have no understanding why its a Kingdom. Whwn i think of Kingdom! Saudi doesnt come to mind. There's something about feeling stuck once you are told you can't get out!  but the conditions are done and as agreed! I can now jet out and in as I please!

Feb 2015: taking on the journey.

Well.., what did I miss most? Like I even have to ask! When you live in such a country, governed by strict Islamic law and where women have to be under male figures, you bow..I mean, even when you want to remove your own uterus! You cannot do it until your husband grants you permission!and the sad thing is the women here don't take it as the outside world tries to fight for them! 95% believe it is for their best interests and protection  and they will fight you trying to tell them otherwise! That's a blog for another day.!

They say, the simple things in life are free! Break a leg on the person who said that because I have sadly come to accept that in a place like this, those simple things will cost you, could cost you even your life or freedom if you have any..

Jogging/cycling outside outside

As I watch men jogging in the streets, foreigners I mean, Saudi men have no interest in being fit! I miss to jog, to wear my shorts, rock my headphones and hit down 10kms around the city! I can only run indoors here, or take a taxi to diplomatic quarters and run there! I miss the feeling of whatever I feel when I run outside without care. i miss running past and smiling to other runners, my legs miss hitting the ground with thud and bouncing forward. I miss our bike rides through the forest.

Dining and wining

I miss to dine in style, and feel the taste of wine with my food. I miss the well decorated tables that call you out to enjoy them. I miss to sit with my love, my friends and dine away filling the house or restaurants with laughter. I want to sit on the terrace, stretch out my legs, face the skies and gulp down my beer! Do not take wine stores open till 11 for granted because where I am, they are closed 24 hours, they do not exist! I envy you. I miss cafe's along busy streets, the kind you order tea,coffee and a carrot cake and sit busy in a corner reading your book or blogging on your ipad or simply looking outside and judging everyone that passes by depending on how they are dressed, how the walk and how tired they look.

Patient care

I miss the care that has for many years seen me smile at work, that has made me feel like I have a purpose and not just passing by! am yet to figure out what care i am giving now.

Civilization

This must be the biggest thing I miss, I want to bring out my identity, to show what excludes me from the crowd! Walking around all covered and looking like everyone else is not motivating to rise above! I want to wear my skirt how I like it, i want my face to shine bright in the sun. I miss characters, walking past people who look like they had been dipped in paint! I miss to walk past teenagers dancing by the railway station. I miss to see lovers holding hands, quick pecks to the cheek. I missletting down my rooftop and driving around as wind blows through, oh how i miss being at the back of the wheel. I miss walking carelessly down the street without thinking of female curfews. i miss sitting in the park. i miss people who think twice, i dont know if you feel me but am nowhere near civilization.

Healthy animals
I beyond most miss my cats, i miss to pet them and have them squeeze between us to sleep. i miss walking around and people are walking their dogs or cats. i miss to see healthy happy animals, the camels are not doing it for me, i feel so sorry for them.

I am soon on holiday and my heart is bursting out with joy. I say thanks to you, for holding my hand, i mean ear on the phone. I say thanks to you for reading my blog and sending encouraging comments, i say thankyou for the new people i have met who have made life bearable. 3 months down! 9 to go!!!