aussie hols...

We had planned our trip home to coincide with the summer holidays the boys had from school and to help break up the 8 week heat blast that is the relentless Riyadh summer. We had 10 days in Queensland to chill (literally) and take in the sights and wonders of the Gold Coast and all that the theme parks that it had to offer. Adam was not at all impressed with the sudden overnight 30'C drop in temperature and very poignantly announced to me one cool morning that he was not wearing long pants anymore as he was going to wear "short pants like I do in KAC" (the apartment complex we live call home in Riyadh) and nothing would change his mind! Matthew was keen to get into the pool and have a slash at the beach to show Auntie Sue his newly acquired swimming prowess...a bit hard to do when you get an attack of the 'freezies' despite the pool signage announcing that the pool was heated to a pleasant 26'C...yeah right!!! The boys got to meet their idol, Batman, at Movieworld and had their pic taken with him (and Robin)...they were sooooo excited to see him appear out of nowhere and then go up and stand right beside him...all their dreams came true in an instant and it was only Day 2 of our holiday! That moment took a lot of beating I can tell you. The superheroes were probably only just nudged out by seeing, playing with and being licked by Scampy (Ninny and Pa's dog) and they were bursting out of their skins with anticipation on the flight down to Melbourne to see him. Melbourne was cold to say the least! It took us several days to aclimatise with the heater on full blast most of the time. One of the things we enjoyed most was listening to the rain falling on the tin roof...something we don't hear much living in the desert. It was great to see those we could (unfortunately many had been struck down by the flu and were in self imposed isolation) and catch up on the past 12 months of everyone's lives since we left, but the time flew all too quickly and we were back on the plane before we knew what had hit us. Thirty five hours door to door on the return journey (with Warren and I lucky to have gotten 5 hours sleep between us the whole way) saw us sufficiently jetlagged just in time to go back to work again! We need another holiday!

summer freedom...

I never found the time to sit and make an entry into our blog for June...there was lots going on and I had the best of intentions and plenty to say, but no time to say it in!

In the past few weeks or so the boys have had a plethora of birthday parties to go to which has had them in a state of constant excitement every Thursday morning (the start of our weekend here). They've been to a 'super hero' party (complete with supersonic jumping castle), a 'make your own pizza' at Pizza Hut party (that was a big hit), a trip to the local zoo and next week the grand finale party is a...wait for it... a pool party!

End of June saw the boys finish up their first year at the Multinational School. We got good reports from the teachers with a few recommendations to work on over the summer...Matthew must listen to instructions more (hey, that would help at home too) and Adam has to practise sitting cross legged on the mat coz he takes up too much space during story time sitting with his legs out straight! Matthew will go into grade prep come September, along with many of his little friends, but most excitedly with Mahmoud...his best mate. Adam will move up to KG2 and have the same teacher again which is a real bonus. She was great with the kids and they all love her, so another year with Mrs. Cherene will be a bonus for him.

We've been a sickie household for the past 6-8 weeks with colds, ear infections, coughs and tonsillitis. The few sand storms we have had in Riyadh bring all kinds of nasty spores and bacteria in from the desert and as a result there has been a sharp increase in the amount of summer coughs and colds going around. It's never nice to be sick, but in 45'C heat it is particularly unpleasant!

In little over a week we will be on a plane to Dubai en route to Brisbane and Melbourne. Really feeling the need for a break...from work, but mostly just from Saudi, the restrictions, the stupidity and the relentless summer heat. The ex-pats here call Saudi 'The Magic Kingdom' and we all feel as if we are living in a fish bowl most of the time and there is a definite need to get out to recharge the batteries from time-to-time...not having been out since February has us feeling it big time now...aaghhh, can't wait to be on that plane! We have a lovely little apartment booked on the beach in the Gold Coast and Auntie Sue will come up an join us for some of the time we are there. We are planning to get a 'Super Pass' which gives 14 days unlimited entry in to Sea World, Dream World, Movie World and Wet 'n' Wild...reckon we will be in need of a holiday afterwards if we take that lot on everyday...but boy, the kids sure will have fun and some wonderful memories too! Not sure if we are ready to take on a chilly Melbourne winter (8'C the other day) but it will be good to see everyone again and catch up with the last 12 months of life since we left.

ahoy there...

For months the kids have been practising for their school concert and finally performance day dawned this morning and 'International Day' at the Riyadh Multinational School had arrived. Breakfast was gobbled down and teeth were brushed without complaint and we arrived at school in record time! The kids performed 4 songs all with an 'underwater' theme...'Three Little Fishies', 'Octopus's Garden", 'I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside' and 'In The Navy'. There were about 100 kindergarten, prep and grade 1 and 2 kids on stage (the stage was huge) all between the ages of 3 and 8 and they did a treat! And hats off to the teachers for managing such a big group and putting on a wonderful performance for all the mums and dads.

super heroes...

Our boys are growing up...Winnee the Pooh and Tigger are no longer idols in our boys' eyes. As if over night they are now into Power Rangers, Batman, Superman, Spiderman and the Incredible Hulk. They can't get enough of them and everything they do on a daily basis relates back to one or more of their Super Heroes. Last night Matthew ran into the loungeroom dressed as you see in the pics announcing to all within earshot 'I'm Underwear Guy' (set to save the world with a penlight torch, a magnifying glass and a cricket stump stuffed down his jocks). After I picked myself up off the floor from laughing so hard I had to grab the camera to immortalize the moment forever! His little side-kick calls himself 'Hoppy-Dance Man' and he was all too willing to make a pose or two for posterity as well. After a busy day swimming, saving lives and overcoming the forces of evil even our little super heroes needed a well earned rest as night fell over the desert!

go anzacs...

Today is ANZAC Day and strangely enough it always seems to have more signifance the further from Australia I live! It seems fitting that the Aussies should go into 'battle' today for a place in the Cricket World Cup final on such a day...perhaps the Diggers will look down kindly on their countrymen and give them a helping hand. Don't know what happened to the NZ part of ANZAC last night, just didn't have the fighting spirit when they needed it the most. They got a bit of a hiding from the Sri Lankan boys and now find themselves on a plane back home. I haven't had to work nights for nearly 6 weeks and the only 2 that I've had to do was last night and tonight...the very nights the world cup semi finals are on and I miss seeing them both. Bummer! Still I'm off for the final, so am sure to be glued to the box...kids permitting. The Aussie Embassy is having a dawn service today for April 25th and I will miss it this year unfortunately. Have been to a few services over the years there and it is really nice...and they always put on a good brekkie afterwards! The NZ Embassy is having an ANZAC night on Thursday night, so looking forward to partaking of a few cold beverages, catching up with friends and maybe having a game of 2-up...just need a barbie and a few flies and we could imagine we are at home!

just hanging out...

Not much new to write about this week really. Matthew and Adam are back at kindergarten now after mid term break and a few sick days. Their school is putting on an International Day on May 2nd and all the kids are performing something or other at the school concert. Our boys are in an 'underwater' production singing 'Octopus's Garden' with all the junior school kids...they couldn't believe Warren and I knew the words to the song when we started singing it one day...funny how kids think that mums and dads had no life prior to their existence!!! They have just over 10 weeks left of this school year and then summer holidays for 8 weeks. We have planned to escape the intense summer heat of Riyadh and will fly out to Queensland mid July for a bit of a family holiday on the Gold Coast and then head on down to Melbourne for 2 weeks after that...yikes a Melbourne winter might be a bit much to handle but it will be good to see a bit of rain and a great chance to catch up with friends and family. We fly into Tullamarine on July 30th and have rented a house in Moonee Ponds for our stay before we fly out to Dubai and then on to Riyadh on July 14th...a quick trip, but we have to be back for Matthew to start school on September 1st. In the meantime we are all enjoying life and just hanging out...Matthew with his mates Conor and Kian and Adam with his little girlfriend Zara!

al humdilallah...

We have broadband!!! At long last we have a (mostly) reliable high speed connection...well that is a relative term I guess, but atleast now I can upload my ramblings and photos to our blog page with out the connection timing out and sending my post into cyberspace. So my frustration with the internet in Saudi may soon be a thing of the past...enshallah anyway!

With the footy season starting up at home Warren has been able to listen to the last few games broadcast over the internet via the AFL web page...not as good as the real thing, or even close to Friday night footy on TV, but it is good to get a fix of footy none-the-less and hear some good aussie voices calling sport!

Still on the subject of sport, we are really enjoying watching the World Cup Cricket. The time difference from here to the West Indies means that we get to watch most of the second innings of every game when we get home from work. Exciting games like last night's one between Bangladesh and South Africa saw us go to bed at 0100, but we just couldn't turn the TV off...same with the game a few days back between Sri Lanka and England...it was a thriller. Tonight's game sees Australia line up against England, so we will do our best to get the kids settled to bed early so that we can lend our support to the baggy green.

family additions and subtractions...

Matthew has wanted a pet, particularly one that "sleeps in a basket" for quite some time...not a realistic option living on the second floor of an apartment building without a blade of grass in sight and nowhere to take a pet for a walk, not to mention where to find a vet if we needed one in a hurry. So a few weeks ago we relented and welcomed into our family a smallish sized fish tank with one gold and one black fantail gold fish. In keeping with the pirate theme of the fish tank the new pets were named Big Bad Bart (the black one) and Dangerous Dan (the gold one) and for all of a week they enjoyed their new home until one morning Dangerous Dan decided to go belly up and abandon ship! I wasn't quite ready for the whole death and dying talk with the kids, so our nanny replaced the absent fish while the kids were at kinder...trouble was Dangerous Dan had doubled in size overnight!!! Matthew asked lots of questions and can now go into great detail about why a fish dies and what happens to it when its had a ceremonious porcelain burial, but Adam kept telling everyone that "fishy got bigger coz he ate all his dinner!" Well over the ensuing weeks we have replaced both Dangerous Dan and Big Bad Bart a total of three times each...so if there is anyone out there that can tell us what we are doing wrong we are 'all ears'.

happy birthday...

March 19th saw Matthew's 5th birthday come and go...unbelievable that he is growing up so fast! He was so excited that his mum was coming to kinder to bring a birthday cake with candles to share with all his class mates...I don't know how the teacher managed to keep 34 kids quiet for the day, but they were all buzzing with anticipation when I arrived. Birthday dinner was pizza and icecream cake (oh, to be a kid again) and lots and lots of presents. The following Thursday morning (our weekend here) Matthew had a party with about 10 little friends at Toy Town...a great indoor fun park set up with rides and games and the use of a party room afterwards for a Maccas meal and birthday cake...and the best part for me was NO cleaning up afterwards! All Matthew wanted was a Superman cake, so that was the theme for the morning...superheroes everywhere with micro surges of testosterone and sugar pumping through their veins...much fun was had and the kids were all buggered by the end of the party and we all went home for a bit of a nap!

our first getaway...

We have looked forward to our holiday in Dubai for so long and now, sadly, it is almost over. We've had a wonderful time and the kids even more so. Dubai has changed sooooo much since we first came here 10 years ago...a little foresight and unlimited cash reserves has seen an oasis arise from desert sands. We decided to book ourselves a self contained 2 bedroom apartment rather than staying in a hotel (easier with kids) and the one we found down in the newly built Dubai marina is fantastic with wonderful views over the marina from one side of the building and sweeping views over the beach from the other. Two things on our list of 'must-do's' were to take the boys to Ski Dubai and to Wild Wadi Water World. It's bizarre to think that the first time Matthew and Adam ever saw or felt snow was in the middle east, but what a facility it was...built in the middle of a huge shopping mall there are 5 ski runs and a snow park for smaller kids, which is where we hung out and where the kids could ride tobogans, speed down a mini luge track, ride inflatable tyres down gentle slopes and play in an ice carving wonderland of mazes, sculptures and igloos...what kid wouldn't love that...and hey, we did too!!! Wild Wadi Water World was fun, but very expensive considering the kids are only 3 and 4. Admission prices were based on a child's height, not their age, and with our kids being so much taller than average we were up for 3 adult tickets before we started. Anyway we all had a very enjoyable day. I enjoyed a bit of shopping at Mall of the Emirates and Warren got into it too I must say. The kids did very well with lots of new books, toys and games which we now must find room for in the car on the trip home! One of the highlights of the trip for the kids was to ride a camel...perhaps a little touristy in that it was along Jumeriah Beach and not out in the deserts of Saudi Arabia where we see camels all the time, but never-the-less it was a memorable experience for them both. We have just one day left of our Gulf getaway now, so tomorrow we are planning a relaxing beach/pool day and an early night in preparation for our 15 hour road trip back to Riyadh...hopefully we won't have a 4 hour delay at the border this time!!!

four month update...

Well as most of you know we have a very slow and somewhat unreliable email server in Riyadh and I have tried many times to post to our blog page without success and have given up in frustration, hence only the one entry in 5 months...but we are currently on holiday in Dubai and the apartment we are staying in has high speed broadband and I am now in internet heaven!!!

So, where to begin our journey that is Saudi Arabia eh? I guess I should back it up a few months to just after our arrival...

Getting used to our new life took some adjusting...there was both Warren and I starting new jobs, me returning to full time paid employment, unrelenting hot summers of over 50'C for months on end, a different language to get used to and a new kindergarten for the boys with a new teacher and new friends to be made. After 6 months though it all seems 'normal' to us now. I don't even really miss driving all that much, wouldn't dream of leaving home without my abaya to cover my 'modesty', but I do occassionally wish I could get ham, bacon or proscuitto for that special recipe and a glass or two of vino for the chef wouldn't go astray once in a while either!!! But alas, this is the life we have chosen living in one of the strictest muslim countries in the world and no one is forcing us to stay there, but while we do we must abide by their rules.

Warren is enjoying his job as clinical instructor on the oncology ward. It's a busy 32 bed unit with patients coming from all over Saudi Arabia for treatment. He has lots of energy for teaching and lots of ideas for staff education on his ward. I started working on the haematolgy ward when I arrived at the hospital, but after 4 months I found it not to be exactly what I wanted to do with my career and I really wanted to work back in my specialty...bone marrow transplant. I put in for a transfer just before we left to go on hols and found out last week that my transfer was approved and I can start sometime around the middle of March...I am delighted!!! Both Matthew and Adam are in a combined kinder class for 3 and 4 year olds which has helped them settle in as they enjoying being together as well as enjoying making a few new friends along the way. Kids are so adaptable and they are having fun seeing and experiencing new things. So a quickie update then... in September the kids started kindergarten, in October Adam was spoiled rotten as he celebrated his 3rd birthday (and is very proud of himself when he tells everyone "I'm thalatha"...three in Arabic) and in November we jetted off to Jeddah for a long weekend getaway. We stayed in a lovely little spot on the Red Sea...friends that came along raved about the snorkling, but we just had a great time on the beach spending time with the kids playing in the water and building sand castles...they talk about it still! December rolled around as quick as it does elsewhere in the world and our Christmas tree came out and letters were written to Santa...we had to think quick and get very creative when Matthew started to ask how Santa knew he was no longer in Melbourne and why he didn't visit all kids in his class! January saw us celebrate Australia Day at a typical Aussie barbie with a great spread of food...Qld prawns and Gippsland lamb chops, but alas without the obligatory beer and wine...well, there was a little 'home-brew' but not always worth the effort! And now it is February and we are on a 10 day break in Dubai...but that will have to wait until my next post.

hit the ground running...

Time has just flown since arriving in Riyadh. I can't believe we have been here over 3 weeks already. The flight over was an experience and one that I do not care to repeat again in a hurry with 2 toddlers in tow. Matthew was great on board the flights...got right into his own personal TV and the Disney Channel, but poor Adam was a bit hysterical during take off, landing and for the time in between the two!

We have all settled into life here pretty well, but the pace has been hectic. Within a few days the kids started at the Multinational School 5 mornings a week and I've started back at full time work with a 3 week orientation to the inner workings of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital nursing department. Lots has changed since we were here before, so plenty to learn and unlearn as I go along. I will start my clinical orientation next week for about 2 weeks and then the 'floaties' come off and I am on my own!

Our nanny, Tess, arrived last week and the boys love her already. They can't wait for her to arrive in the mornings and they fight over who is going to hold her hand on the way to the school bus and who is going to colour with her or play play-do! They listen to her every word when she tells them to do stuff and they have been so well behaved when she is around...I LOVE IT!!! She is a calm and gentle person and we are very happy to have her look after our boys when we are at work.

Socially it is good to see that there is still plenty to do here. For the past few years since September 11th a lot of Westerners left the country and so the social aspect of life declined, but in recent months more and more Westerners have returned which is good to see. The Australian Embassy is hosting an AFL Grand Final evening here next weekend in their 'Coolabah Club' which we have been invited to attend. It'll be a great night out to watch the footy on a big screen and nice to have a bit of contact with home. They are also planning a dinner dance/ball for Melbourne Cup in November, so hopefully we can manage to get our name down for that one too!

I've been a bit slack on the computer for the past few weeks...sorry! We only have dial up here (sniff, no broadband) and it is sooooo slow and frustrating. If we can get a connection it keeps dropping out and timing out and I lose everything I have typed. For someone who was on email everyday at home keeping in touch I am having serious withdrawal here, but withdrawal symptoms are better than the frustration of what the above is causing me! I will perservere however and endeavour to post on our blog on a weekly basis from here on in (enshallah anyway!!!)

one more sleep...

Well 'bon voyage day' is almost here. Hard to believe really coz it seems forever ago that Warren left and yet we will be a family again in just over 48 hours!!! Our long awaited visas arrived today and our tickets were issued and delivered to our door...so nothing else left to get stressed about now :) The last of our cargo is being picked up in a couple of hours, so once I have published this post I will be packing up the pooter for shipping too...then just one or two more jobs to be done and we are almost ready. The kids have kinder tomorrow and then playgroup, so I am gonna try and run their little legs off all day so that they will be so exhausted once we get onboard the plane they will sleep the entire 14 hours to Dubai (that's my theory anyway!). We have 12 hour layover in Dubai, but Emirates give us a hotel room for the day. It has a pool which will really help to pass the time, so our bathers are already packed in the hand luggage! From there it is just a hop, skip and a jump to Riyadh and we get in just in time for the weekend...Thursday and Friday in that part of the world. Will write again from the sand box!

the wait is nearly over...

Good news at last! Our application for Saudi visas was approved yesterday and now the actual visas can be issued. All paperwork and passports will be sent to the Saudi Embassy in Canberra tomorrow and with any luck we will have them returned in a week or so. In the meantime we have flights booked for Thursday, August 31st which, if the paper trail runs smoothly, gives us a leaving date to work towards at long last. I can now plan the final stage of the packing up of our house, organise cleaning, sort out grocery shopping, finalise farewells and start to get excited. Yeah...can't wait...almost only 10 days to go!

waiting, waiting, waiting...

Still sitting in Melbourne awaiting our Saudi visas to be issued and processed and I am not doing it very patiently I am afraid. If we had to pack and be gone in 2 days I could do it, but it is the not knowing when we are leaving that I am finding the hardest. The house is packed up to a point, but the kids and I still have to live here for a while longer...so there are still 4 cups, 4 plates, 4 bowls, all our linen, a few toys and books gracing the place, but we are in limbo. I just wish we had a travel date. I have to start work on September 3rd, so it would be nice to have a week or so before hand to get over jet lag, settle the kids, get them organised to start preshool and kinder and used to their new surroundings in that time. In the meantime I am planning outings to the zoo, the park, indoor play centres, scienceworks, kinder and playgroup just to help the time pass more quickly. Hopefully the next 48 hours will bring us good news.

abode interior...

Thought I would post a few more pics of the inside of our apartment this time. Warren is feeling a bit lost in the place by himself and it's awfully quiet without the kids around he reckons, but he has managed to get a few plants to help brighten the place up a bit and our cargo should arrive by the end of the week, so having 'stuff' from home will help. I think that's one of the hardest things about moving to a new place...character has to develop over time in a place as a reflection of its occupants and is not something that can be rushed or purchased in an instant from Ikea!

the new digs...

It's almost a week since Warren's departure and so now it's a week closer to us leaving too...enshallah anyway!!! He has settled into our new apartment provided by the hospital, complete with new washer, dryer, stove, fridge and carpet!!! Not bad for rent free accomodation eh? The boys are very excited about having a pool and playground right outside their door...but note the lack of trees, grass and shade of any kind...I guess Saudi Arabia is not as sun safe as we are here in Australia!!! The best part for Warren and I about our accomodation is that it is only a 200m walk to our work which is important point to consider when you are out in 45'C heat...also won't need to buy a car straight away and can 'pop' home at lunch time to visit the kidlets when they get home from kindergarten.

up, up and away...

Well Warren has been gone a few days now and our house seems so empty without him around, but we are doing okay trying to keep busy...me packing up what's left of the household stuff and the kids trying just as quick to get into the boxes and unpack it all again!!! Hopefully our Saudi visas will come through in 2-3 weeks and we can join him in Riyadh by the end of the month...just as the long hot desert summer ends and a month of fasting/feasting and shopping bargains begin during the holy month of Ramadan.

computer withdrawal...

Gosh, I never realised how much I used our computer to stay in touch and as a research tool for just about everything until our computer had a major hissy fit 2 weeks ago and had to be sent away for an overhaul...still covered by an extended warranty we so fortuatously purchased (but never thought we would actually use)...but it was bloody annoying not having a computer in the house. Anyway, we got the darn thing back after a week or so only to find out that we couldn't get it up and running and the shop we got it from won't help us out...we have to do all the running around now to get it fixed. Just what we needed to add to our list of 'things to do' with Warren heading off to Saudi 2 weeks from tonight!!! Decided we needed a second computer anyway, so now we are proud parents to a bouncing toshiba laptop! It'll be great to take away with us and we bought a web cam too so we'll be able to stay in visual contact with everyone back home and elsewhere in the world...lotsa fun. Feeling a bit panicky now as Warren's departure date looms. Worried that we won't get everything done or will forget to do important stuff before he leaves. I still have 4 weeks after he goes before the kids and I hop on a plane to join him in Riyadh, but I still feel as thought we are making slow progress with packing up the house and getting all our affairs in order...you just accumulate so much sentimental 'junk' over time and it is sooooo hard to part with some of it. Sounds odd maybe, but moving is stressful even if it is for a positive outcome and was a decision we made together and are looking forward too. The kids seem excited, although they don't understand the magnitude of what we are about to do, but I have been buying a few colouring books, stickers and other activities to keep them amused on the 14 hour plane trip and they can't wait to get their hands on their little stash of goodies! Matthew tells everyone that we are going to 'Sawbi Aradia' and that it is really hot there and that he will be able to go swimming every day and that he will be able to wear his summer pj's and shorts and sandals and bathers and sun glasses all the time coz it's sooooo hot...oh, and he is inviting all his little friends and all the kids from kindergarten over to visit too...so cute!

last one coming up...

I have just handed in my resignation at work, so I guess this means we are really leaving! I am taking a couple of week's annual leave before Warren heads off which means that next Saturday is my last shift. My decision is a bitter sweet one...I am excited to be starting a new job but I feel really sad about leaving this one. I love working in palliative care and really like the ward I have been a part of for the last 2 years. It can sometimes be a sad place to work, but the team out at Broadmeadows Health Service PCU is a really dynamic one and they do such a fantastic job caring for patients and their families and friends that I feel priveliged to have been associated with them. My philosophy is that you cannot change the fact that if someone is seriously ill they are going to die, but you can change the way they die and change the experience that their loved ones have of the death process. I certainly hope there is a job open to go back to BHS PCU when we finish our contract in Saudi coz it'll be the only place I'll be applying. Keep up the good work guys!

ready, set...go

It seems like only a few weeks ago that we were driving home from our annual holiday in Merimbula chatting, as you do, about family, life and things in general, when the conversation turned to the possibility of doing another stint in Saudi. It was just a throw away comment really, but one phone call to the recruiters once we were back in Melbourne and a meeting with the international recruiter a few days later had the ball rolling very, very quickly!

So since then we have managed to do all our running around getting new passports organised, having medicals, signing contracts, getting copies of official documents, police checks and applying for visas all in a very short space of time. It was all a bit stressful and full-on, but we managed. We got confirmation today from the recruiting company that Warren will fly out on July 30th (yikes, that's in just under 5 weeks time) and I will fly out with the boys to join him in Riyadh around August 25th. It will be hard to be apart...we've never done it for more than a couple of nights since we met really. My biggest worry is not travelling half way around the world with the boys on my own (although that won't be easy), but rather how they will react to daddy being gone for more than an 8 hour work day!

The packing process and the packing up of our house has begun...gosh we have accumulated so much cr*p in 4 years I can't believe it. This is a good chance really to have a big clean out and get back to just the basics...so I really should get back to it and stop time wasting on the computer!!!