It’s Ramadan, which means there is one major thing on everyone’s mind these days… FOOD! I know most of us, including myself, have been cooking at home a lot more since the COVID outbreak. And, while I am pretty good at cooking, sometimes I really just want to go out and eat something different….
Month: April 2020
Ramadan Fashion
One of the things I love about Ramadan in the Middle East is how everything become so traditional seemingly overnight. Shops adorn their walls with lanterns and stars, red streamers hanging from the rafters… But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that the one thing I love more than the decorations and lugamait is…
The Spoils of Teaching
“Miss, I am going to present about coffee now. Please, let me make you a cup. ” I smile and thank her profusely as she hands me the cup. Secretly, I am dreading it. I hate drinking coffee. It has the most disgusting flavor- bitter, with a strong after taste. Since moving to Saudi Arabia,…
Quarantine Baking
Since we are all practicing social distancing and self-isolation, many people are cooking more and more at home. Sure, restaurants are still open for delivery, but often they are SO busy it is hard to place an order. I personally am using this time to practice my cooking skills. One of my favorite things to…
Girls Only: Inside a Female Only Campus
One thing that often draws foreigners to Saudi Arabia is how secretive everything is. Until recently, there were no visitor visas issued so no tourists came here. Public photography wasn’t legal, so you didn’t see a lot of pictures from here. The culture in itself is also a bit private and secretive, so it’s not…
Columbus Zoo
While my blog is primarily dedicated to my life here in the MENA region, specifically Saudi Arabia where I live, I do frequently travel. I don’t always post about my travels outside KSA because I don’t want to detract away from the main focus of my blog, but this one is too freaking cool not…
Pandemic Party
If you follow me, you probably know that I had a baby recently. The timing was seriously perfect- I would give birth, start my maternity leave, recover for a few weeks, then go back to USA for a while. When my maternity leave ends, it will be Ramadan, then Eid, so I would be able…
Coronaviruses
Right now it seems that the world has been in a state of chaos ever since the Corona virus outbreak. Some countries are doing a great job and handling it well. Other countries seem to be struggling (looking at you, USA). One of the countries that is doing a fantastic job of keeping the number…
Diyala
When I first moved to Saudi, I had the intention of blogging frequently. I wanted to show people what life here was really like- no more stereotypes that everyone here is uneducated and lives in a tent, that everyone is a terrorist, that all women are just miserable baby makers. I wanted people in the…
Well-stocked West
We are in the middle of a pandemic. There is currently a COVID-19 outbreak worldwide. This corona-virus affects the respiratory system, making it hard to breathe. It is not a gastrointestinal illness, which begs the question, why is there no toilet paper in stock in the west? Actually, why can you not get anything in…
Social Distancing
Being a rather socially awkward adult, I am actually not having a problem with social distancing during this pandemic. I have my family at home with me, I see some of my friends on animal crossing, and I use facebook and whatsapp to talk to everyone else. My daughter, however, is having a more difficult…
Niqabi or not?
When I first came to Saudi back in 2015, it was almost like a whole different world. The kingdom was still a closed, almost secretive society. The Ha’ia roamed the streets, looking for people doing something they shouldn’t be doing. Women weren’t allowed to drive! It was a very strict place, and to top it…
Kendra in KSA 