I'll be back!

People often have an erroneous idea of what the expat life is like. It goes from the idea of a miserable, boring life, to one of a lazy, luxury, pampered life.

So where does the truth lie? 

Probably somewhere in between...

Sometimes it isn't any different than the life you had in your home country: sleep, work, eat, see some friends, just the regular routine.

Sometimes you feel lonely and you wish you were home, your expat country doesn't look so welcoming any more.

And sometimes you experience the true joy of being an expat, and it reminds you why you enjoy so much being away from home.  

Yesterday was one of those days...

I got up in the morning, took a taxi to go to my Arabic school. On the way I chatted with the orange-bearded Bangladeshi taxi driver (I should tell him that henna does not look good on white hair, especially if it's your beard you're dyeing!).

When I arrived at the school, one of the Saudi administrators invited me for an Arabic coffee with a piece of delicious cake, and then I wrote my final exam (which I aced by the way!). 

Back home, I had the most interesting chat with my South African neighbour, in particular about the Apartheid period in South Africa, and how the society has changed and is still changing regarding interracial relations. 

A couple of hours later I was at my Belgian neighbour's, helping her with a translation from Flemish to French.

That's the real magic of being an expat: you might be living in a quite ugly and boring Saudi town, many times it feels like you're travelling to many countries in the same day.

Speaking of travelling, I'm off to France tomorrow! I'll be spending Christmas and New Year's there with my family and I can't wait!

This lonely Christmas tree is waiting for more presents!
(Let's hope KLM doesn't lose my suitcases again!)

Happy holidays!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Obviously - and thankfully - I'm not referring to the weather but to the Christmas carol that I had the pleasure to hear in a shop in neighbouring Bahrain. 

Here in Saudi, there's absolutely no hint of Christmas anywhere: no Christmas songs (actually no music at all!) in the shops, no trees, no lights, no chocolate, nothing at all, except for some expat neighbours who have decorated their houses with smuggled tinsels and fairy lights.

In Bahrain Christmas is just another seasonal event, and although it's a discreet one, it was enough to lift our Christmas spirit!

I feel it in my fingers...

I feel it in my toes...

Christmas is all around me...

And so the feeling grows!

Fancy a good laugh at my expense? Keep reading! 

Now picture me on Friday night, coming back from abaya-free Bahrain, stopping at a mall in Al-Khobar (to exchange a clothing item, as usual, since we cannot try clothes on before buying them!), busy writing to a friend on her birthday, when I suddenly cried out: "no mames, mi abaya!" (which could be translated as: "no kidding, my abaya!"). I had indeed forgotten to put on my abaya before stepping out of the car! The minute I realized it I just felt sooo naked! Thanks God we had not entered the mall yet, but we were a good 100 meters away from the car. The worst part is, I was wearing a skirt, heels and a leather jacket... Although in Europe no one would actually have turned and looked at me, in KSA I was feeling like a woman of ill-repute! Thanks God I made it safely back to the car without any mutawa scolding me!