I'm in the U.S. now, doing what both expats and a lot of Saudis treat as necessary: getting out of Saudi Arabia. I wasted no time beginning my Celebration of Swine: straight off the plane and into a sweet pork Mexican salad, followed by a ham dinner, followed by ham-and-bean soup the next day, followed … Continue reading Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
Category: Saudi culture
Modest Is…Oh, Come On
There can be mixed messages in Saudi Arabia about what is and isn't appropriate: That shot comes from my TV, where we're watching a show through our local satellite provider called "Wine-Quest," and yes, those are Arabic subtitles. In a country where alcohol is illegal. So illegal, in fact, that you can get a hefty … Continue reading Modest Is…Oh, Come On
Funny to You, Maybe
Every culture has its own taste in comedy. This may have come from an American movie, but Americans have never cared much for it. Instead, the French find Jerry Lewis HILARIOUS. A comedic genius! Americans are baffled. As they are at Japanese game shows: Lest you think I imagine Americans are above it all, let's … Continue reading Funny to You, Maybe
Saudi News Notes: The Twitter Tease
You know how doctors are figuring out how to use your own genetic material in therapies that target your specific ailment? Or horror movies where some weird power taps into your psyche to design the ultimate adversary for you? Here's my weakness: I have a hard time letting great stuff disappear into the ether. Check … Continue reading Saudi News Notes: The Twitter Tease
In Good Hands
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
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
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
Margo Catts 