The clock's ticking here, folks. The window of opportunity to fix the mess that has us leaving the country has closed. We've made our plans for the return trip, the dates are set, the flights booked, the house is packed up. On the plus side, the people moving into our villa are buying all the … Continue reading 5+5 = 10 Things to Do at Historical Diriyah
Category: Blog
Last Fling: A Week in Thailand
When you're about to be unemployed, and have an already-mostly-paid-for (nonrefundable) trip to Thailand in your pocket, you go. Or that's what we did, anyway. It's a four-time-zone trip from Riyadh. After we go home, it's an other-side-of-the-world trip. No-brainer. People go to Thailand for a variety of reasons. I'm quite sure the 75% unaccompanied … Continue reading Last Fling: A Week in Thailand
Leaving Oz
At face value, you have to wonder why Dorothy wanted to leave Oz. Kansas was gray and windy and ugly; Oz was technicolor and gorgeous and magical. To top it off, by the time she got to the capitol the witch was dead and she was being treated like royalty. Why on earth did she … Continue reading Leaving Oz
The Nose Knows
Here's something I can't capture in the blog: People around here smell WONDERFUL. Fragrance is a big deal in Arabian culture, and there's a smell about the place that hits you the instant you step off the plane. (Or maybe when you get on the plane, depending on the ethnic makeup of your fellow travelers.) … Continue reading The Nose Knows
To Grandmother’s House We Go: Touring a Traditional Arabian Village
My new favorite painting: I did it myself. Well, if you want to get technical, I took the picture myself: Then ran it through the Waterlogue app. So with a liberal definition of the word "paint," you could say I painted it myself. I didn't get to the place where I took the picture by … Continue reading To Grandmother’s House We Go: Touring a Traditional Arabian Village
Letter from Inside Saudi Arabia: Why I Live Here
I've been away for the last couple of months, helping my daughter in the U.S. welcome a new baby.I know, right? Pretty cute. Or at least the adults all think so. But Weird Overseas Granny moved in two days after Weird Small Baby moved in, and two days after that, Big Brother did this with … Continue reading Letter from Inside Saudi Arabia: Why I Live Here
Too Tender to Tease: The Case for Holding Religious Insults Back
In my last post I talked about why we should let religious insult go, rather than fight back. This week I want to flip the pancake over, and I'm going to invite my trio of grandbabies to help me: Two more are on the way. Five little cousins, all within two and a half years. … Continue reading Too Tender to Tease: The Case for Holding Religious Insults Back
Too Big to Hurt: The Case for Letting Religious Insults Go
I have heard the word "sarcastic" used to describe my sense of humor. Au contraire, I say. Sarcastic is saying the opposite of what you mean, as in "Now that was smart," meaning, "That was so stupid that saying it was stupid is stupid itself." I, on the other hand, am irreverent. Irreverent is thinking … Continue reading Too Big to Hurt: The Case for Letting Religious Insults Go
Finding Festive: Holidays in the Gulf
When it comes to celebrating the Christmas and New Year holidays in Saudi Arabia, an expat has two choices: Leave Stay and do something weird Last year we took Option 1 and went home, where we managed to get everybody in one spot for long enough to get a family picture. Out of about forty … Continue reading Finding Festive: Holidays in the Gulf
Saudi News Notes: Normal and True
Merry Christmas, y'all. I took the holiday off. And I meant to still be taking it. But then the news got the better of me, and I found myself at the mercy of a flowchart. Because, you see, this article appeared in today's edition of the Saudi Gazette: AND IT GETS BETTER. There is no … Continue reading Saudi News Notes: Normal and True
Margo Catts 