Last night, around 1am, I begged my brain to take a break so I could fall asleep (not that it worked)...instead, I lay there thinking about what my family and friends might be up to in the States. Then I thought...wow, it really is amazing just how much money we are saving living here in Saudi.
And I'm not talking just about the fact that our home and utilities are paid for...no, its everything else. You know, what you all call regular life...the kind of regular life that doesn't exist here.
Let me break it down:
~No movie theaters means no expensive movie dates.
~No bars...no tab.
~Won't be shelling out any cash for concert tickets.
~Can't catch a Broadway show here (or any other performance for that matter)
~Eating out is pretty mild...food is cheap and you can't blow your budget on fancy drinks or wine. (and we certainly don't have any Michelin star chefs working around here...so, no overpriced fancy meals)
~No such thing as Starbucks.
~We won't be attending any sporting events. (and we won't have to spend any money on expensive paraphernalia)
~No gambling. (that kinda speaks for itself)
~No worries about owning an expensive car...nobody here cares. And you only need one per family.
~No such thing as valet parking or paid parking lots.
~Don't have to worry about paying for activities for our kids: no sports, no dance, no swim lessons... (though, we do have equestrian but that's just for kids and men...women aren't allowed to ride, naturally.)
So, just keep in mind, that though you may feel envious of some of the trips I get to go on...those are just a few weeks out of the year. I still have to make it through my everyday "regular" life. Those trips are a reward for keeping myself sane on a daily basis. ;)
*Now, we do have some fun things here such as scuba and snorkeling and one of the most gorgeous sea's in which to do it in...plus the malls in Jeddah have quite a bit for kids to do in some of their huge play places, including a skating rink and roller coaster. The downside is that Jeddah is a 6 hour round trip from my home...it would be like trying to drive to from Vegas to Cali, hit up Disneyland and head back to Vegas all in one day.
*side note: In this post, I am speaking primarily about my town of Yanbu... I am not speaking for Jeddah and Riyadh since I do not live there on a daily basis.
And I'm not talking just about the fact that our home and utilities are paid for...no, its everything else. You know, what you all call regular life...the kind of regular life that doesn't exist here.
Let me break it down:
~No movie theaters means no expensive movie dates.
~No bars...no tab.
~Won't be shelling out any cash for concert tickets.
~Can't catch a Broadway show here (or any other performance for that matter)
~Eating out is pretty mild...food is cheap and you can't blow your budget on fancy drinks or wine. (and we certainly don't have any Michelin star chefs working around here...so, no overpriced fancy meals)
~No such thing as Starbucks.
~We won't be attending any sporting events. (and we won't have to spend any money on expensive paraphernalia)
~No gambling. (that kinda speaks for itself)
~No worries about owning an expensive car...nobody here cares. And you only need one per family.
~No such thing as valet parking or paid parking lots.
~Don't have to worry about paying for activities for our kids: no sports, no dance, no swim lessons... (though, we do have equestrian but that's just for kids and men...women aren't allowed to ride, naturally.)
So, just keep in mind, that though you may feel envious of some of the trips I get to go on...those are just a few weeks out of the year. I still have to make it through my everyday "regular" life. Those trips are a reward for keeping myself sane on a daily basis. ;)
*Now, we do have some fun things here such as scuba and snorkeling and one of the most gorgeous sea's in which to do it in...plus the malls in Jeddah have quite a bit for kids to do in some of their huge play places, including a skating rink and roller coaster. The downside is that Jeddah is a 6 hour round trip from my home...it would be like trying to drive to from Vegas to Cali, hit up Disneyland and head back to Vegas all in one day.
*side note: In this post, I am speaking primarily about my town of Yanbu... I am not speaking for Jeddah and Riyadh since I do not live there on a daily basis.
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