My Slice

To call my working environment disorganized would be an understatement.  Some folks get angry-- expectations of professionalism aren't met.  My approach-- as its been most of my life-- is laidback, and this continues to serve me well.  I’ve tried to resist the urge to expect much and have subsequently avoided many letdowns.  Most manage to get by, secure in the knowledge that the money they're making is at the very least proportional to the amount of discomfort and alienation one might feel being so far outside their comfort zone.  My comfort zone seems to stretch.   This is as much a product of my willingness to test its limits as it is of anything else, which thus far have yet to even be neared.

 My living environment is actually quite comfortable by any standard.  Having entered this arrangement with the awareness that I would not be living on a compound, but instead in a hotel or private apartment block, I have yet to be disappointed. I'm able to share in the daily interactions with the general population that those such as myself thrive on when attempting to take in as much of "the culture" as possible.  The street just outside my window offers anything that my daily life might require.  Fruit and vegetable shops, laundromats, supermarkets,  convenience stores, fast food and short-order restaurants, tailors', shoe and hardware stores, butchers' and bakeries.  Picture a broad avenue in Tempe or Reno without any separation between buildings.  Down the street a walk of about 20 minutes is a mall on par with any I've seen in Europe or the States.  My experience there warrants its own post, but for now it'll do to pass on that it was the similarities that struck me more than anything.  The only thing it lacked was the hoards of adolescents bouncing hormones off each other-- something you'd never find here in public.  The only thing that my neighborhood does lack is any semblance of green spaces for engaging in the type of sport that usually provide the only form of exercise I'm likely to get, but just as soon as I find one, you can bet that I'll be putting the Frisbee that I brought to good use in a weekly game of Ultimate with any colleagues or willing people off the street that I can find.

My flat is a spacious two bedroom/ two bath in a hotel with kitchen, large sitting area and the highest ceilings of any place I've ever lived.  While it lacks the services of what I thought when I heard "hotel", it makes up for its shortcomings with the knowledge that we won’t be bothered.  One bathroom is western with a hand held bidet that I'm already starting to prefer, although I can't help feeling that sense of panic when I've committed and suddenly realize there's no T.P..  The other bathroom offers a "squat toilet", as the holes in the ground with porcelain foot holds are lovingly referred.  While I'm told the body-positioning these conveniences require is actually advantageous, in at least this regard, I prefer my westernized comfort. The room is also equipped with satellite television which I am sad to say I find highly entertaining with its wide range of over 500 channels including more than a handful that play English-language movies.  My favorite channel though is without question Al-Jazeera English although MTV Lebanon ranks a close second.  Many channels are blocked either due to my hotel's unwillingness to pay for them, or because their content is deemed unsuitable for the Saudi public.  Fox News is among these for what I hope is the latter reason.  I'm also sad to say that ESPN America and Sky Sports are also blocked meaning that I was forced last night to watch my beloved Ducks on a shady internet stream that my netbook is ill-equipped to support.  (Beautiful job by the way, boys. Absolutely beautiful.)  I've recently been assigned a roommate who just so happens to have been born in Merrillville, Indiana which has led to me think that the frequency of occurrence of this whole "small world" thing has far surpassed intriguing...and  creepy...  and even expected, and has begun to border on annoying.  (Not really, but seriously, Merrillville!? That's nuts!).

The food has been nothing but great.  Besides the number of fresh and prepared short-order options there is a plethora of sit down joints in my neighborhood as well as that of my university that are flavorful and have yet to cause me any trouble.  The ethnicities of which vary from Turkish to Sudanese, Middle Eastern to Indian.  The owners and cooks never fail to pile your plate high with fresh Arabic bread and extra chilies on request, all for a the ridiculously modest price of 10-15 Saudi Riyals (about $3-4 US) and while it's possible to spend significantly more in much nicer establishments, I have yet to feel the need.  The produce offered is fresh, beautiful and delicious and as far as I can tell is all weighed together for one low price.  I'm not sure where it comes from but I have the distinct feeling that the words "carbon footprint" and "locavore" would be beyond hysterical to the average Saudi so I try not to pay this fact any mind.  I haven't cooked nearly as much as I would prefer for reasons just recently mentioned but I have the feeling that the sedentary nature of my lifestyle thus far will warrant the much healthier eating habits that only cooking for yourself can provide.  And I am very proud to say that I haven’t yet been into a Burger King, McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, Baskin Robbins, Hardees, or any other of the multitude of American fast food chains.…. except to a Domino’s-- and only once.  Just for a slice.