The one roller coaster in the amusement park. I didn't ride any of the rides because they cost extra.
A view of the "lake" inside the amusement park, where you can ride paddle boats. And no, this is not me in the picture. It is one of the other teachers.
Here I am, with the "lake" behind me. It was pretty late at night, but the lights were so bright that it seemed almost like the daytime.
I couldn't resist taking a picture of this bumper car ride called "New York". A small reminder of home :)
Now to more recent news. This whole week we have been hard at work getting our classrooms somewhat presentable for the investors to see. Last night and the night before, the investors of the new building came to see the finished building and meet us. The first night, all of the men came. We were basically wallflowers that night since we were women. We observed them tour the building and eat, and were able to eat in the back of the room with our heads covered.
The next night was much different. The wives and sisters of the investors came this night with their children and nannies. The children were super excited to see the building, and I was even able to meet one of my students. He was very active, constantly running around. I've got my work cut out for me.
We were thrilled to finally meet some of the students and give the ladies a personal tour of the building. Afterwards, at about 10:30pm, we joined the wives and sisters (the children went home with their nannies) for a nice dinner at the Hilton hotel. This family is a very wealthy family, so I expected it to be a posh dinner where we had to be super polite. It ended up being a delicious buffet, and all of the ladies seemed very nice and down to earth. Most of them were mothers with kids at the school, and they seemed like any other mother. The whole experience was a lot less intimidating than I expected. I think it has something to do with the Saudi hospitality that is ingrained in every Saudi citizen. This is probably the most welcoming city I've ever been to. The ladies wanted to take us out to dinner so that we would "feel supported and welcomed" by their family.
After dinner, they let us ride back to the compound in their personal limo. Maybe that will give you a small sense of their wealth. We were thrilled and couldn't resist taking pictures.
The limo we rode in back to the compound.
The teachers crammed in for the experience. Notice the champagne glasses. Not sure what they use them for since alcohol is forbidden.
A view from the other end of the limo. I'm in the back of the picture.
This week has been a whirlwind of activity. My classroom is somewhat set up. When I finish, I will take pictures and post them.
A random tidbit: While I was typing this blog entry, a man selling DVD's came to my door. I bought: G-Force (to remind me of Annie), The International, Star Trek (an amazing movie worth owning), Knowing (which I desperately wanted to see before I left the States but never did), and Imagine That (which looked like a cute movie).
What to lift up to our Father:
* All of the teachers and administration as we have one more week to prepare for our students. Ask for strength to get everything ready in time, and rejuvenation before our students come so we aren't totally exhausted.
* Ask that our Father will help me connect with other believers.
Becca, I love you and I love seeing all of your pictures. I'm guessing that school starts for you tomorrow/today or in the very near future, which is crazy since we've been at school for about two months and are already having midterms.
ReplyDeleteThe cultural aspects of your new life seem exciting. They're like the things you read about but never think they'll ever happen to you. Well what do you know? You're right in the middle of it. (Specific reference to your "wallfloweredness")
Father loves you and so do I :)
-Tay