Foreign hospital. It's right up there with "foreign prison" on the list of places Americans don't want to find themselves. Despite the way colossal screw-ups and failures happen as much in our own medical system as others, we continue to believe that when trouble hits abroad, you don't want to be treated by anybody else. … Continue reading In Good Hands
Category: Foreign Girl
Living abroad is humbling, maddening, exciting, puzzling, and a privilege every day.
Coins in the Fountain
A slope beyond the back fence of my home in Denver has housed, for many years, a family of foxes. (Literal foxes, not pretty girls from the 1970s.) Or at least, that's my best guess of what was going on. Foxes all look alike to me, so I don't know whether the place was available … Continue reading Coins in the Fountain
Desert Duds: A Primer on Saudi Dress
In the U.S., the stock phrase trotted out anytime you need to remind people that deep down, kings and criminals and dishwashers and billionaires are really all just the same, is "We all put our pants on one leg at a time." Oops. Kinda hard to sell the idea that it's a small, small world … Continue reading Desert Duds: A Primer on Saudi Dress
Camel Kisses
A friend recently posted this on his college daughter's Facebook timeline: I know, right? It's DARLING. I couldn't resist chiming in: They don't actually start out like that, either. That was a picture of an alpaca. Camels start out more like this: Still cute, but not a face that's going to take over Facebook. Being … Continue reading Camel Kisses
The Rule of Three: What We Do All Day
A friend asked me this week what I do all day. Surely, she said, you can't go out shopping or travel ALL the time, so...what gives? I, the expat wife barred from having a day job, came here carrying lots of ideas of things to do to fill the time. Subscriptions to Netflix, Hulu, Amazon … Continue reading The Rule of Three: What We Do All Day
Farther Than It Seems
When I'm traveling, I generally consider it a compliment when people take me for something other than an American. I do love my people, but bless us, we have a terrible reputation as travelers. Loud voices, loud clothes, loud annoyance when things turn out to be not like America. (On the plus side, we also … Continue reading Farther Than It Seems
We’re Not in Kansas Anymore
Saudi Arabia is a country full of expatriates. I come from the United States, a country full of immigrants. How great is that? I should feel right at home. But there's a big difference between an immigrant and an expatriate. In Saudi Arabia, there is no path to citizenship for foreigners. The only way to … Continue reading We’re Not in Kansas Anymore
I Feel Pretty II: Return to the Princess Souk
Entertainment, in Saudi Arabia, can be tough to come by. Your free time options are a) stay home, b) eat, and c) go shopping. Staying home is great, and we have a lot of fun with friends here on the compound. But no matter where you live, you don't want to spend your entire life … Continue reading I Feel Pretty II: Return to the Princess Souk
Saudi Newspaper Notes: Fatwa Edition
Rules can be problematic. No sooner have you made one than some loophole appears that you never thought of. A technicality. A weird application. A four-year-old. Consider, for example, something as simple as "No cookies before dinner." Aha! You didn't say WHICH dinner. I ate dinner yesterday. Gimme a cookie. This is a persistent problem … Continue reading Saudi Newspaper Notes: Fatwa Edition
Dear Mom (and P.S. Abdullah): Life in a Saudi Arabian Compound
Being back in the U.S. in December and January, among American friends and family, highlighted how far beyond a Westerner's comprehension the idea of living in Saudi Arabia really is. A monarchy? Islamic law? Separate treatment for men and women? Living in a walled compound? To someone who hasn't been here, there's no frame of … Continue reading Dear Mom (and P.S. Abdullah): Life in a Saudi Arabian Compound
Margo Catts 