While I am waiting on my visa to arrive, I feel like everything is so temporary. I can’t make any solid, long term plans because I don’t know how long I have until I return back to KSA. The other day there was a really great sale on chicken at the grocery store and I debated buying multiple packs, but I though to myself ‘will we be here long enough to use it?’ (Spoiler alert- we totally would have been here long enough to use it.)

My husband has already went back, and honestly I thought that I’d already be back myself. As much as I love my country and want to live here, I was actually ready to go back and resume my normal routine and life there with my husband. When you are living a temporary lifestyle, it isn’t a lot of fun. “Can you come to this even next Tuesday?” I don’t know. “Are you going to be here for our friends party?” I don’t know. “Will we see you at the next girl scouts meeting?” Big surprise, I don’t know.

I am in a gross apartment in a not so nice neighborhood (think 24/7 parties, drug lords parking in the back lot, and the occasional prostitute.) because I couldn’t take a longer term lease with a nice apartment. I want to sell my car but don’t know a good time to sell it. Maybe I’ll need it for 2 more days, maybe I’ll need it for another month. Who knows? Obviously not my visa agents. I didn’t buy a blender. Blueberries here don’t cost $10 a pack and I didn’t even get to enjoy smoothies because I didn’t buy a blender because I didn’t think I’d be here long enough to invest the money into one. I totally could have used a blender.

As hard as it is, it really reminds me that the Quran says “everything is temporary.” Even if I was living here permanently, it would still be temporary. Nothing in our life is temporary, so I should just slow down and enjoy the time I have here. And maybe buy a blender.