Weekend

My kids and I arrived here in KSA a month ago. On the contrary to the rest of the world, Middle East countries has Thursdays and Fridays as weekend instead of Saturdays and Sundays. With so much difference from Philippines, my kids are starting to get bored and had difficulty adjusting to Saudi Arabia’s means and ways. Stores and establishments has to close its doors four times during the day for prayer call excluding the fact that it will also close during siesta hours(1:00-4:00PM). Because of this, I find shopping in Saudi Arabia stressful instead of a pleasurable activity.

For a month now, we developed this routine of having Thursday morning as our shopping day, where we can do groceries and pick up stuff we need for the week. Thursdays- a day in a week when WCW is off from work and we can go all together shopping. Since women are not allowed unaccompanied by a man in the family outside the premises of the house and doesn’t have the privilege to drive  here in Saudi Arabia, our Thursday morning activity has become a day that we look forward to as our “outing” day.

We bribe our kids with cheap and affordable toys that wont hurt so much of our budget everytime we go out on Thursdays. We figured that with these little pleasures in boxes or vacuumed wrap with plastic and has a “MADE in CHINA” mark would somehow make their first visit to Saudi Arabia memorable and  hopefully also will make the place suck less.

I miss attending Sunday masses back home and surprisingly our kids did too. Every day seems like a groundhog day. It is always the same that sometimes you tend to forget what day of the week it is. The dullness of the place even made them kids miss school! It was  hell of a lot different during my stay years ago, as back then I was working.

Don’t get me wrong, no one has forced us to be here. We are currently in a situation in which we just have to do the best of what life has to offer,this one included. Positively, I see this as an experience that my kids will gain. To be able to live and follow other countries’ culture is a privilege that not most children has been given a chance to. Humans as we are, it is our nature to adapt. I am just thankful that I am with my family right now and that alone will make this vacation a beautiful one.

in a month

 

It has been a month since the last post and with this new entry, I am officially back. What have I been up to for the last few weeks?- a LOT.

If attendance for blog writers is a must, my excuse letter would go— Excuse my absence in the blogosphere due to the following reasons.—

 

- My daughter ranked Fifth Honorable on her Kindergarten Commencement Exercises making me an ultra proud mom and us a super happy parents!

Congratulations my baby Water! Keep up the good work!

- I always believe that chances are given anytime and that it is always never too late for anything and thus—I became a student driver and learned how to drive. My dear husband is my instructor- Right! He’s been told that he is crazy for doing it and not sending me to a driving school instead.

I know that I am a good student but that doesn’t guarantee that I am not allowed to snap at him when I panicked gets frustrated with all the driving instructions and it seems to be like most of the time. Ha! Ha!. I love you WCW, there will be less “tantrums” and I promise to get better behind the wheel. PROMISE!

-  Since kids are off from school and dear husband is home for a short vacation, we treat ourselves to a little outdoor adventure. We went to an old favorite field trip destination when I was small, it is one of Davao City’s landmark – the GAP FARMING. It brought back memories of my excitement as a little girl on a school field trip.  Among all those memories, the most significant was that my 8-year old birthday was celebrated here too.

 

our old photos at GAP FARMING

Latest GAP visit with the famous photo by the giant “KALABAW”

Our little adventure goes a bit extreme too as out highlight for the day became our last stop and that is ZIP LINING with my mom.

 

Extreme Zip Lining experience at Davao’s Zip City

 

- The HOLY WEEK is a significant, traditional and highly religious celebration that is practiced by the entire Roman Catholic population in the country, myself and my family included. As Husband dear’s short vacation is about to end, we offer the entire week to prayers. As the new fire and water continues to light the path of life and shower blessings to my family, we  lift our hands in thanksgiving on Sunday of Easter!

 

In a month of absence from blogosphere, I was able to give the keyboards of my laptop a vacation from my typing fingers. I had a month well spent with family bonding and holidays. I gained weight from all the meals and served food during celebrations and gatherings. I took lots of pictures to add to a fully loaded photo album of stories.

The month is over and everything is back to normal………