The other day while walking around the mall with my husband, he got a craving for something sweet. While standing in line and waiting for him to buy some desserts, I happened to spy something I’ve never seen before- chocolate baklava. I’m usually not a huge fan of sweet foods like baklava, but I do…
Tag: expat
Bird Paradise Bahrain
On my last vacation to Bahrain, I stumbled upon a new favorite place- Alazizia Birds Kingdom. Many of the places I have visited in the MENA region that have animals haven’t really taken good care of the animals (with the exception of NOFA), so I was a bit skeptical about going to the Bird Kingdom…
Dahlia
Whenever I see someone I haven’t seen in a while, I’m always greeted with a “I noticed you’ve stopped blogging.” And, in my awkward state, I always groan “yeahhhhh” awkwardly in reply. Not totally because they are right and I have stopped blogging, but mostly because I am surprised anyone at all reads my blog….
Barefoot on a summer night
It can only be described as the perfect evening as I am sitting around with my loved ones, laughing and enjoying ourselves the same as we did in old times, before everyone got busy and wrapped up in their own lives. Everyone is so jovial, content just to be in each other’s company. I’d forgotten I…
What no one tells you about being an expat
When I was still new a co-worker invited me to an event under the notion that I wasn’t Muslim. As soon as she realized I was Muslim she basically gave me the ultimatum of taking my hijab off (not that eloquently- she told me to ask my husband if I could take it off, as if its his decision) or not coming at all. Clearly I chose the latter.
What’s really under the abaya?
If you ask anyone to describe what a Saudi woman wears, most likely they will say a long, black garment. Technically, that answer is correct. Saudi women are required to wear an abaya, or robe-like garment when they are in public. With that being said, just because women wear abayas in public, doesn’t mean that they aren’t…
Why do you blog?
Recently I received a message from a former professor I had in my undergraduate career at Marshall University. He informed me that he would be teaching a class in the spring semester focusing on blogging and other forms of social media, and asked me to write a few words about what I do and why…
Presentation day
I always love it when my students have a presentation. It’s so amazing to watch them progress in their language abilities and come out of their shell. Their progression is made better by their visual aids- FOOD! That’s right, every presentation yields enough food to feed us for a week. No matter what their topic is,…
Typical Thursday
What’s one of the best things about Saudi Arabia? Going for a walk in a park and finding a camel, of course!
Vlog – Weekend in Riyadh: Part Two
I finally finished part two of my Weekend in Riyadh vlog. To view part one, click here.
Oppressed or Overdressed: Fashionable abayas
Saudi Arabia in the past was a very common place to see women dressed in all black everything, from head to toe, revealing only their eyes. Some places of Saudi Arabia still have strict cultural norms requiring women to wear the niqab (think piece of fabric covering the face) to feel comfortable. However, now that…
Home spicy Home
Eating habits really are a weird thing sometimes. When I am home all I want is to try something new and interesting. Give me any ethnic food! I would love to eat Indian cuisine one day, Lebanese the next, followed by Chinese. Now that I live in Riyadh it is totally different and my friend…
Kendra in KSA 