Suck it up and Deal With it!

After more than five years here in Saudi Arabia, transportation continues to be a major frustration for me.  As you all should know by now, women are not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia.  Many women here have drivers but I have not been so fortunate.  I must rely on my husband to take me places – shopping, the doctor, to visit friends, classes, etc.  

When I lived in the states before moving here in my mid-50s, I always had my own car and always drove myself wherever I needed to go.  Getting places was never the logistical nightmare for me that it is here in Saudi Arabia - and it also never really required advance planning on my part.  Here in KSA I need to arrange to go with another woman who has a driver or I need to make sure that my husband is available to take me places before I can confirm that I am going.  Plus I need to give him advance notice - because he hates spur-of-the-moment, last-minute plans.  And despite the fact that I tell him ahead of time and remind him several times, the night before I need to go somewhere he usually acts like it’s the first time he’s ever heard of it! 

Traffic congestion in Jeddah

Because getting around in Jeddah is difficult due to road construction everywhere and poor street planning, traffic in this city is usually quite congested - and the drivers are crazy, reckless, and inconsiderate.  For these reasons and many more – chief among them, that women must depend on men to drive them places - women are oftentimes delayed and late for appointments.  

My husband/my driver is a stickler when it comes to being on time and always has been.  Yesterday morning when he took me to the silk painting class, I was the first one to arrive – a good 15 minutes early.  I told him the class would be over at 11am.  One woman was late, so the class started late.  At 10:45am, I called my husband to tell him not to pick me up for at least another hour.  He wasn’t happy about it.  I hurried to finish my project but even at that, I didn’t get to the car until 12:15pm.  

More traffic congestion in Jeddah

Turns out he was extra grumpy because the car air conditioner had just stopped working, and he had some errands to run and instead he had to just sit there in the car waiting for me – plus my being so late from the class only added to his frustration.  He was fuming mad!   He told me that he just wasted a whole hour of his life sitting there waiting on me when he had so many other things he could have been doing.  It took him all afternoon before he cooled down enough to speak to me.  

Well, you know what?  Too bad.  HE’s the one who brought me to live in the only country in the world where women are not allowed to drive.  Transportation was NEVER a problem for me in my life until moving to Saudi Arabia.  It wasn’t MY fault he had to sit in the hot car waiting for me.  I see it as his choice.  We are living here because HE wants to, not me.  He knew what life would be like once we moved here.  My husband needs to just suck it up and deal with it.  

Rant over... 

P.S. - And if anyone wants to leave a comment saying why don't I just leave Saudi Arabia if I hate it so much here, save your breath.  I don't hate living here - but I DO hate having to depend on men to drive me around when I am perfectly capable of doing it myself.  

The Art of Silk Painting in Jeddah

This morning I attempted something new – the art of silk painting!   

I enrolled in a private class here in Jeddah given by a lovely lady named Q.   

Q has been doing silk painting since she was a teen.  

My first attempt at silk painting - by Susie of Arabia

I opted to draw my fish design freehand.

Silk painting by Farnaz

There were floral guides available that the other women used. 

Silk painting by Fariha

We learned a bit about the history of silk painting, tools and materials required, and then each of us made a hands on project that we took home with us, along with supplies provided by Q.  

Silk painting by Kathy

There were five students altogether and we had a great time.  The two hour class turned into three!

Silk painting by Ayesha

If you are interested in signing up for Q’s classes, check out her Facebook page.   These classes are for women only. 

Fakieh Aquarium

Fakieh Aquarium - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from Susie Khalil

Fakieh Aquarium - Jeddah, Saudi Arabia from Susie Khalil

Fakieh Aquarium is Jeddah's latest family entertainment facility and the first of its kind within the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.  It is absolutely beautiful, kept immaculately clean, and promises to be an outing for the family that is educational as well as fun.  

The aquarium opened in January to overwhelming crowds.  Located near Sari Street on Jeddah's Corniche, which runs north and south along the Red Sea coastline, the aquarium will eventually be home to more than 7000 different types of marine life, from sharks to dolphins to seals and  jellyfish.   The first thing one sees when approaching the facility from the north is the gorgeous colorful tile mosaic depicting underwater sea life on the side of the building.   

The viewing tanks are large and spectacular, furnished with mangroves and coral reefs native to the area.  The walk through tunnel tank is particularly outstanding.  It reminded me very much of the many times I have been snorkeling in the Red Sea.  I even saw some species that I’ve never seen while snorkeling.  Sadly many Saudis, in particular females, are never taught how to swim so they have never been able to snorkel and experience the wondrous beauty of the Red Sea.  Fakieh Aquarium gives them the opportunity to see the amazing sea life firsthand that had previously been outside their realm of possibilities.

We also took in the Dolphin Show while we were there.  It is performed four times daily.   For a school day, there was a fairly good crowd at the 1pm showing.   A restaurant on site is still under construction and will hopefully open in the near future.  

Admission tickets cost 50 riyals per person, and the Dolphin Show is another 50 riyals.  Children under 2 are admitted for free.  For one person, the price isn’t bad, but for large families, a trip to the aquarium can seem rather costly.  Occasionally a discounted rate of 30 riyals is offered on Fridays through Fakieh Aquarium's Facebook page.  Hours of operation are from 11am to 11pm Saturday through Thursday.  Friday hours are 1:30pm to 11pm.

I was a little miffed at the products for sale in the aquarium’s gift shop.  Most of them were just toys that can be bought anywhere else and didn’t really pertain at all to sea life.  I was particularly surprised to see the pillows bearing the image of a scantily clad Betty Boop on sale in the aquarium gift shop.  Seriously?  

Overall Fakieh Aquarium is impressive and I must commend them for a job well done.  The sea creatures appear well cared for, the staff is knowledgeable and friendly, and the facility itself is gorgeous. 

I hope you enjoy the above slideshow of my visit.  To see more photos taken by other visitors to the aquarium, please CLICK HERE.  

Enjoy this Saudi Gazette article:  Explore the wonders of the sea world at Fakieh Aquarium

Watery Wednesday

A Salute to the Future of Saudi Arabia

Once in a while I am given the opportunity to experience some pretty amazing things here in Jeddah .  When I was invited to be a judge for the senior girls’ graduation projects at Dar Al Fikr School, I had no idea how captivated I would be or how much I would genuinely enjoy myself.  It was such an inspiring and gratifying experience for me to see these talented young women with such poise, passion, determination, direction, and creativity.  I went to the school on two separate days and saw five girls’ presentations each day.   Their drive and motivation was mind blowing.  

This year marked the 12th annual senior graduation projects at Dar Al Fikr.  Students began thinking of ideas for their projects long before their senior year began.  Progress was checked along the way with deadlines to be met, corrections made, and guidance offered.   Girls were given the choice of making their presentations in either English or Arabic, whichever they were most comfortable with.  Of course I was there on days when presentations were made in English.  

Each girl took to the stage individually and made her presentation, describing how and why she chose her project, as well as obstacles she faced in accomplishing her goals and giving thanks and credit to those who inspired, assisted, and guided her.   Some presentations included photos or other visual items such as their products, samples of their work, and Power Point presentations.  Many students even enlisted the assistance of their fellow classmates to help with demonstrations.

The projects themselves varied widely in their themes and focus.   “SOS - Save our Smiles” was the name of Alanoud’s senior project.  Spurred on by the thought that Saudis don’t seem to smile enough, Alanoud organized not one, not two, but THREE events which focused on getting people to smile.  Not only that, she also coordinated her efforts with Destination Jeddah magazine, writing several articles about her idea and advertising her events in the process.  

One young woman named Lillian created her own line of jewelry which reflected her Saudi heritage and culture.  She worked with a local jeweler every step of the process and the results were magnificent.    

Lama created a whole line of innovative Saudi souvenirs and called it "A Piece of the Kingdom."  Surprisingly, souvenirs are quite difficult to find here in Jeddah, so there is a genuine need for this type of industry.  One of my favorites of Lama’s line combined the red and white checked man’s scarf with the embroidered cap worn under the scarf to make beautiful zippered bags. 

Madawi, another artistic and talented senior, painstakingly glued tiny beads onto selected areas of large black and white photos of the architecture of Makkah, creating a brilliant effect of beauty.  

Another inventive girl named Loulwah organized and conducted a spelling bee for elementary students from several local schools.  Spelling bees are not generally commonplace here in Saudi Arabia.  

Ghada, a senior with a special interest in medicine, blew me away with her senior project:  a medical game she invented and called “I’m No Doctor.”  She created a game board, game questions and rules in the hopes of empowering people with general knowledge about their own health.  

Raghad’s love for Japanese culture and language paved her path for her graduation project.  She created a guidebook and dictionary for fellow lovers of Japanese culture.   

Perhaps the most thoughtful and far reaching effort was put forth by Rola, a senior who wanted to do something that would benefit the lives of orphans in Jeddah.  Rola undertook a charitable project to transform an entire wing, including bedrooms and living space, of a local orphanage into a comfortable homey place for the orphanage’s youngest inhabitants, ranging from newborn to five years old.  You can read about her project in this Saudi Gazette article. 

Senior girl Ayah combined her passions for photography and history and went down to Al Balad, the old historic part of Jeddah, taking photos of the area.  She photo shopped them and presented her charming and lovely photos in an artful display.  

I wish I could have attended all of the days there were presentations that week.  Other projects included things like gourmet cooking, cake design, furniture design, poetry, painting, a historical novel about the life of one girl's grandfather, and several more creative ideas.

The judges’ panel was made up of school administrators, business women, former Dar Al Fikr students, and others.   After each girl’s presentation, the judges were allowed to make comments and ask questions.  Being able to think on their feet by answering the judges' questions was also considered in each girl's score.

I would like to thank Mrs. Baker for inviting me to be a judge at this amazing event.  It was truly an honor.  I cannot say enough how greatly impressed I was by these young women.  They are the future of Saudi Arabia - and that future is looking pretty darn bright.

Afghani and Turkish Souks of Jeddah

Jeddah afghani souk from Susie Khalil

Jeddah afghani souk from Susie Khalil

Special thanks to Alicia Ali and Nomad Tours for organizing this fantastic outing.