Zoe's Life

There are days when I am so amazed by the life of my little girl.  I weep over the things I know she's missing in the States around family and close friends, but yet what an amazing experience she will have growing up overseas, in a culture all of her own.  Yesterday we went to the park (as is our custom in the evenings), there were three Yemeni ladies there sitting on a bench together.  Yemeni ladies usually wear a full burqa and niqaab (they are dressed in complete black except for their eyes showing), and these ladies were no different.

(I did not take this picture, but simply googled one off the internet, but it was taken in our park)

Zoe has seen ladies dressed like this, but she has not had much close interaction with them before.  Zoe also can be a little stand-offish with everyone till she gets comfortable around them.  So, there we are sitting in the park, these ladies sitting across from us.  At first Zoe gives them a good stare, then she starts smiling and waving.  The ladies loved it.  Andrew took Zoe away for a few minutes to visit one of his friends.  While they were gone, one of the Yemeni ladies got up enough courage to come over and ask me if when they returned, they could take a picture of Zoe.  Of course I didn't care, as this is quite a common thing, people taking pictures of Zoe.  So, when they returned, I got Zoe and took her over to see the ladies.  One of them immediately jumped up and grabbed Zoe.  I was a little worried because usually when someone she doesn't know holds her she cries, but she didn't this time.  She wasn't extremely happy, but she looked at the camera and let them all hold her and kiss her.  I was definitely a proud mama.

On our way home from the park, we stopped by the fruit stand.

Just about every time we go, they give Zoe a banana.  Usually she plays shy and won't take the banana out of their hand (although she really wants it) so they end up just giving it to me, but yesterday she finally took it from them herself.  So, we finished our walk home, Zoe feeding herself a banana.

Freedom: Myth or Reality

Living overseas, especially in an Islamic Kingdom, has changed the way I look at our world.  We have lived here now for 2 and half, almost 3 years, and when I think back to America, I can't believe how much freedom we have.  I see daily on facebook and twitter, people posting articles and statuses about how as a nation we are loosing rights left and right.  It may be true, and I am 100% for our rights and freedoms, it is what makes us the United States of America.  We were founded by those fleeing the oppression of their native countries, seeking freedom.  But I have to ask the question, what are you doing with your freedom?

In the U.S., we have the freedom of speech.  We can say whatever we want about whoever we want.  We have the right to peacefully protest, to have marches, to start petitions.  We as normal people, through our State Reps, can actually change things if we are determined enough.  We can elect who we want to be in office.  Granted it may not always feel like we have a voice or a chance, but we do.  In the country we now live in, people are allowed to protest, if they contact the appropriate officials in advance and get permission.  Police will meet them at their designated location and make sure nothing gets out of hand.  If you say something bad about the King or the Prophet, you go to jail.  The people can get the opportunity to vote on their parliament, but the King can (and has) fired them all and set up a new parliament.  But the same people run again for election to Parliament, they pay off people for votes, and get elected into the same positions for their lifetime.  Regardless, the King does what he wants, and has the authority to do so, the average citizen has no ability whatsoever to instigate change.  Thankfully in our Kingdom, we really do have a good, kind King who listens to the people and what they want.  We are blessed to have a King who is looking out for the welfare of his people, and although it may not always be felt, a freedom is lacking.

In the U.S., we have the freedom of Religion.  We can believe anything we want, we can change around from religion to religion if we so desire, we can make up our own religion.  We can do it, and no one can stop us.  Here, we have freedom of religion as well.  You are free to be of whatever faith you were born.  Zoe is free to be a Christian because on her birth certificate it says she's a Christian and that's all she's free to be, well, except Muslim.

Now, here, we may live under a Monarchy and not have the voice or the freedoms from government that we have in the U.S., but the aspect of this country which really impedes upon a persons freedoms is the culture.  I have been talking a lot about this with my language tutors recently.  The difference between religion and culture.  While the religion between Christians and Muslims in my country is quite different, their culture is the same.  I have the freedom legally to walk outside dressed however I like, but if I go out in a mini skirt and a tube top, the culture is quickly going to catch up with me.  I will get harassed, probably grabbed and most likely propositioned.  Therefore, long sleeves, long pants/skirts and loose clothing it is.  I have the freedom legally to go out of the house by myself at any time of the day I want, but if I go out by myself after dark, the culture will quickly catch up with me.  I have the freedom to walk on the street with a man who is not my husband, but the culture will quickly catch up with me.  A girl has the freedom to have sex outside of marriage, but a male family member (brother or father) might abuse or kill her and he might go to prison for 6 months.  That's right folks, this is cultural not religious.

So, as I read tweets and status updates about people's unhappiness with political changes in the U.S., I challenge you to be thankful for the freedoms that you do have.  Put feet to your words and do something about those things you are unhappy about, because that is your right, your freedom, and you have the ability to make change.  Live life, take advantage of the freedoms you have.

On another note:  Happy Easter!  We are free to celebrate Easter, but if we do, we must celebrate on the day the King tells us to.  

Picture With Santa

Learning Arabic

Here's a short video of Zoe learning some Arabic.  Unfortunately you can't really hear her in the video, but you get the idea :)

Beach Weekend

Last weekend we headed down to our old city for a beach getaway.  We stayed at one of the nice hotels in the tourist area of town.  Even though we were at a tourist hotel, most of those tourists were from Saudi Arabia or other parts of our Country.  There were a few scattered Europeans, but for the most part, it wasn't quite the typical beach getaway we love and enjoy in the States.  We were also able to spend some time with some of our good friends from that town and enjoy a few meals together with them.

Andrew excited about being at the beach

When we go to hotel beaches I get to wear my swimsuit, but I usually wear leggings with it in an attempt to be more modest but still get some sun :)

Some ladies enjoying the pool

Andrew's best friend here came out and spent one day with us at the beach

Enjoying a refreshing Watermelon juice

We had a lot of fun!  We went sort of for Andrew's birthday which was yesterday and to see our friends as well as have some time relaxing :)

We celebrated Andrew's 29th Birthday at Fudrucker's with some friends

28 Weeks ~~ Already in my third trimester!!

Well, this was all a bit random, but I hope it got ya'll all caught up.  Happy 4th of July!!!

Easter in the Middle East

In our part of the world, things tend to move a bit slower.  That was my first thought when we showed up at a local church on Easter morning and they were just celebrating Palm Sunday.  In actuality that is not why they were a week behind our Western churches.  I remember growing up in Catholic School, there were several students in my class who were Greek Orthodox, and they always celebrated Easter a week after the rest of us.  Here in our current country, there are several varieties of Christian.  The King decided that he didn't want the Christians celebrating all their holidays on different days, so he made them all come to an agreement on holidays.  So, we celebrate the Eastern Easter and the Western Christmas.  It was really neat this year to be able to attend an Arab Church and see how believers here celebrate these holy days.  It was also very encouraging that we actually understood most of the Sermon in Arabic!

Happy Easter from the Middle East!

On another note:  We're having a baby girl!  It was very anti-climatic at the doctor's office when they told me she was a girl.  Partly because it's just not very Arab to hype something up and make a big deal about it, and partly because in their eyes, girls just aren't as good as boys.  But we're incredibly excited about our little girl!  Andrew was actually hoping the whole time that she would be a girl.

This past week I've really been able to feel her moving around in there.  I felt her some last week, but this week I am feeling her more and more.  It is exciting and surreal all at the same time :)  We can't wait till she gets here.  We plan on naming her Zoe Phyllis.  Zoe means life in Greek.  I have always loved this name, thinking if I had a little girl I wanted to name her Zoe in hopes that that she would bring life and joy to all those she comes in contact with.  Zoe is the Greek word used in John 14:6 where Jesus says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  Phyllis was my Grandma's name.  She passed away when I was 13 years old, but I was very close to her and she had an incredible impact on my life.  She loved the Lord, and even though she spent years battling cancer and continual pain, she always kept an optimistic view on life.  I can think of no better name than Phyllis for my little daughter.

Mothers and Olives

Well, since my last post about how much I look like my mother, I have accumulated a few more photos as proof.

This is my Mom, my Grandma and my Aunt Sharon

I look exactly like my Mom and my cousin Laura looks exactly like my Aunt Sharon!  What do you guys think?

On a different note:  I visited Andrew's friend's mom tonight.  We usually get together once a week.  I learned tonight that even though I have been here for almost a year and have gone on many visits in that time, I am still surprised by some of the things that happen on those visits.  This is my surprise from tonight:

That's right, a jinormous jar of olives!  I don't know how I end up bringing things like this home with me, but I do know that Andrew and I will be eating olives everyday for the next month :)

Praha

We kept ourselves very busy while we were in Prague.  Andrew spent most of his time in classes, but I was able to get out a lot and see most of the city.  All of the sites were incredible, rich with history that we just do not get to see much of in the States.  I am not going to lie, at many times throughout our trip, I was overwhelmed with all the green vegetation, cool air and even a few bouts of rain.  It was a huge difference from where we currently live, and it can easily overwhelm the senses.  Here are a few pictures to give you a brief overview of our trip:

These two pictures were taken from a Jewish cemetery in the center of Old City Prague, in what was the Jewish ghetto before World War II.  Years before the Nazi regime, they forced all the Jewish people to live in a ghetto with limited space.  Because of this, they were forced to burry their dead on top of each other, up to 10 or 12 graves on top of one another.  The Cemetery surface is at my estimation about 8 feet above the streets that surround it.

This famous clock tower is found in the heart of the old city square.  Tradition holds that the powers that be blinded the engineer of this clock so he could not recreate it for anyone else.  Then, being so depressed over the situation, he committed suicide at the place of this clock tower.

Prague's history is one of religious strife and blood.  This church seen here at the City Square, throughout history has changed between Catholic and Protestant and with each change, blood was shed by throwing people out of it's windows to their death below.

This Cathedral is found just inside of Prague Castle's gates.

A city landscape of Prague with the Vltava River running through the center.

The Dancing House

The famous Charles Bridge

About an hour outside of Prague is located the Bone Church.  This church is decorated with every bone from the human body, it is estimated there are about 40,000 to 70,000 bodies located within these walls.  Some traditions hold that a monk in medieval times went mad during the Black Plague and began this design of the church with the bodies of those who died during the Plague.

Here some local musicians preform on the Charles Bridge

What Not to Do

Last night I was down at a coffee shop with a friend and a lady there had a seizure.  The moments that followed should be recorded as "what not to do if someone has a seizure."  Thinking back to the experience, I should have taken charge of the situation, but for some reason I thought they would have a better idea of what to do.  Next time, I have told myself that I will respond quickly to such a situation.

We were just sitting and chatting and all of a sudden all the ladies at the table next to us jumped up.  I saw a hooka (argela or shisha) fall over, so I thought there might be a fire (it happens sometimes).  I never saw flames so my next thought went to, there was a child somewhere it shouldn't be.  Finally we realized it was a lady having a seizure.  The first thing they did was sit her up while she was still seizing and proceed to give her mouth to mouth.  The mouth to mouth quickly came to a halt as she began vomiting.  They continued to hold her in the upright position and throw bottles of water at her and run away screaming.  Finally, and surprisingly, she came to and they immediately stood her up to get into a chair.  Everyone left her alone at this point and she continued on with her evening as if nothing had happened.  When it came time for her to go home, yes, she drove herself.

The Rock

Here are a few pictures from a little weekend excursion we took.  We were very excited because now as residents we were able to get in for a little over a dollar, whereas non-residents (aka tourists) have to pay about an arm and a leg for the entrance fee.

I have been wanting to get a picture with one of the camel crossing signs, but it is difficult to get the bus driver or taxi driver to stop on the side of the road.  Since we rented a car for this trip, we were finally able to stop and snag a picture.

It was such a beautiful day for our excursion!  It even rained on us a little bit, but it was a welcomed rain in the desert.

Don't jump Drew!

Andrew ridding a camel

I tried to get a picture of myself on a camel, unfortunately I got none of the camel, oh well.  Also, notice the necklace I am wearing now.  I purchased this from a village lady.  It was advertised as camel bones, but I'm not entirely convinced.  Also I think she was impressed with my bargaining skills.

Dating

We live in a very interesting part of the world.  It is a place where traditional and conservative views are confronted daily with modern and western thinking.  I would say that for the most part in our country, people have arranged marriages.  This does not mean that the two getting married have no say in the matter, but simply that it is their families who arrange it.

I know of a girl here who is married to her first cousin.  A bit crazy for our thinking, but not unheard of here, and she was actually the one who suggested it.  Her cousin came to her father asking if he knew of any girls who might be good to marry.  Her father asked her if she had any friends who wanted to get married, and she suggested herself.  In this part of the world, you call any older woman your Aunt.  So when she talks about going to visit her mother-in-law, her Aunt, it always makes me chuckle a little because it really is her Aunt.

I have heard of other arranged marriages where the families arranged the couple, but before they were engaged, they got to meet together several times (under supervision) and have the final say of whether they wanted to marry or not.

I have another friend here, and have heard of others, who secretly dated before they got married.  He saw her working in a store and found out her family.  He was allowed to go on a few "dates" with her, but her brothers came along.   As she tells you her story, at this point she would lower her voice to tell you that she also would meet him a coffee shop sometimes without her brothers knowing.   Within the first five minutes of talking with my friend, she will tell you she married for love and would like to know if you too love your husband.

Andrew and I have a favorite restaurant here.  It is nicer than some, but still a lot of locals eat there (along with some tourists).  While there, I have seen what I believe to be two dates.  The girl arrives with two other girls (maybe sisters, maybe close friends),  usually the guy shows up a little bit later than the girls.  On the first date I saw, the girls waited till the guy got there, then moved to a table inside to give them some alone but supervised time.  On the second date, the girls all sat at the same table, but the two would occasionally take brief bathroom breaks together, to give them a moment alone.

How much different would the States be if we still held to a more conservative courtship?  I can't imagine only seeing the man I would marry only a couple of times before our wedding.  But at the same time, I see the value of protecting virtues and honor.

Hats

The part of the world that we live in is a mix of different cultures.  There are so many people who live in our city that are originally from surrounding countries.  I believe I heard somewhere that only about 30% of the population is originally from this country.  So, while the country that we currently live in is not all that conservative comparatively, those from surrounding countries bring in their more conservative traditions and attire.  We also live in a fairly touristy city.  Many people filter through daily from Europe, and they bring with them their liberal, scandalous for this culture, attire.  So where does that leave me?  What is considered conservative and modest in the States is okay for some of the cultures here, but not for others.

The major issue is the shabab, or young guys.  They are not used to seeing girls, so when they do they don't know how to handle themselves.  When I go out with Andrew, there is usually no problem except for a lot of staring, but when I go out with my girl friends, it can get a little more uncomfortable (don't worry, it's nothing too bad just lots of people staring and sometimes people saying things to us).  I would say that 95% of the local women all cover their heads with a hajab or head scarf.  All of those women are also Muslim.  Another American girl who lives here and I have been trying to figure out a way to dress modestly in this culture, but also not come across as being a Muslim.  Our new solution: hats!  We don't wear them all the time.  Mainly when we go into more conservative areas of town or go out in the evening together without our husbands.  We like to think we are invisible with our hats, unfortunately we are not, but I do think it helps a bit.

Well, all that ranting to say:  I am excited about the fact that I just ordered this

off of this Etsy shop yesterday!  I ordered the hat in gray and the flower in fuchsia.  I am very excited about it and can't wait till it comes in.  

Weekend Excursion

The great thing about the Middle East is that there are a lot of sites to see all in a fairly close area.  This weekend we were able to take a little trip and see some of those sites.  I have a friend whom I have not seen in three years, who has been in the area with her husband for the past two weeks.  I figured since she was so close, we ought to try to visit her.  We spent a couple of hours Thursday visiting with my old friend, then took the rest of the weekend to travel around and see the sites.  Here is a little of what we have to show for ourselves:

Our luxurious VIP bus ride

Mountain top overlooking Israel

Trying to find a restaurant by the Dead Sea

Overlooking the Dead Sea

Very steep mountain-side road we went up and down way too many times

Andrew floating in the Dead Sea

Old meets New at the Starbucks in the mall

Waiting in the bus station for our bus back home

The Watermelon Farm

At this phase in our language learning, we are using children's story books to help us learn Arabic.  Our language tutor reads us the story and then we either understand or gain new words from the story.

This is the last page of one of our most recent stories

Any ideas on what's going on?

The short version:  This little rabbit steals watermelons from a fox's garden.  The Mom tells the rabbit not to steal from the fox.  The fox tries to catch the rabbit but the rabbit escapes only loosing his tail.  He returns home with no tail and his mother's response is, "You deserved it."

Yes, that's right.  This is a children's story book.  Graphic picture of a little rabbit with oozing coming from where his tail should have been with his mother's response, "You deserved it."  I guess this story is followed up by the real life punishment of getting your hand chopped off if you are caught stealing.  I honestly don't know if they still chop off your hand if you are caught stealing.  I have not seen anyone walking around with a missing hand, but I do believe it is part of Islamic Law.

Parades

People here love to have parades!  I do not mean the kind we usually think of in the States with floats and balloons and such.  No, the people here simply all pile into their cars, drive around town honking their horns, with their lights on, the passengers hanging out the windows and the windshield wipers going (yes, in a country that does not get much rain you got to use them for something).  The people here use just about any excuse to have a parade, be it a wedding, winning a football (soccer) game, passing your test in school or just about anything else you can think of.

Lately we have been seeing a lot of parades with people carrying flags.  When we win a soccer game, people parade around with the flag, but these flags have been bigger than the ones they usually use for soccer, and they are not always our national flag.  We asked some friends and they told us it was for the king's birthday.  We didn't feel like this was a good answer because it is not the king's birthday now, and we figured that many people couldn't have gotten the date wrong.  We finally got another answer that seems to fit better.

With all the unrest going on in countries in this part of the world, people want to have parades to let the king know that they like him and they support him.  With all that we hear on the news, I am thankful to be living in a peaceful country.  A majority of the people are very happy and proud of the king.  Obviously everyone is not completely happy, but the issues that they have are not that big and are dealt with peacefully.

Our Street

We are constantly experiencing new and interesting things in our new life overseas.  Here are just a few of the new things we've gotten to experience this past week on our own street.

Yum yum fish head.  This is actually very surprising because 1) people here usually cook the head along with the fish and eat the whole thing and 2) we have about a million cats in our neighborhood and none of them had eaten this head yet.

For those of you who are wondering about the goat leg, yes, it is still laying in the street.  I have been meaning to take a new updated picture, but it's getting pretty gross so I decided it might not be a good idea.

Random handsome man standing in the street :)

I have just recently realized that I have not put a picture up of the outside of our apartment.  This is it.  We are on the second floor on the right, above the tin covering.

It is also my goal in the near future to make another video.  So, keep a look out :)

Stuffed Grape Leaves

Well, I am officially an Arab Chef.  Just kidding, but I did successfully learn how to make stuffed grape leaves today :)  I am pretty sure that I would be able to do it again without any supervision (maybe).  My best friend here came over this morning to teach me how to make them.  She is amazing and very patient.  Conveniently enough, she is also the one teaching us Arabic so it works out pretty well.

So, for these stuffed grape leaves, you will need:

 rice without peels (I never even knew peels was an option), 

grape leaves, 

salt and pepper, 

bouillon cube, 

cardamom, 

tomatoes, 

garlic and 

onion

About an hour before you are going to start stuffing the grape leaves, you need to soak the rice in water to make it soft.  After an hour or so, drain the rice.  Add salt and pepper to taste, one bouillon cube and some cardamom (and meat if you like) to the rice.  Mix it together well.  Grab a big bowl and soak the grape leaves in medium warm water to help make them softer.  

Next you begin stuffing the grape leaves.  Just put a little bit of the rice on the vein side of the leaf.  Fold over the bottom edges and begin rolling.

It takes some time, but it is actually pretty fun.  It helps if you lay out a few grape leaves before you start stuffing, that way the stuffing goes faster.

After you have stuffed and rolled, place them in a pressure cooker.  You will probably have a couple of layers, so between layers put slices of tomato, onion and garlic.

Once you have finished all the leaves, add another bouillon cube, 2 tbs of olive oil and water.  You want to put in enough water to cover the first layer, but not completely submerge the second layer.

Now I have never cooked with a pressure cooker before.  Apparently if you want to cook anything Arab, you will need a pressure cooker.  I borrowed my friends :)  The pressure cooker is quite fun, especially at the end when you get to take the little nob off the top and all the air shoots out the top!

Cook it on low for 10 minutes or so then turn up the heat and cook for about an hour.  Turn down the heat after an hour and cook for another 15 minutes.  If you do not have a pressure cooker you will cover the leaves entirely in water and cook for 2 hours.  Let the pot rest for 10 minutes or so on no heat before attempting to open.  

Yum Yum!  Delicious stuffed grape leaves.  You just dump them out of here into a bowl of your choosing.  Depending on how sour your leaves are, you may need to add lemon to make them more delicious.  We added lemon, because lemon makes everything more delicious according to my friend.

In the states when I have had stuffed grape leaves, they have been as an appetizer or salad, but according to my friend they eat them as a main dish.  I guess they would be satisfying enough if they had meat in them.

Its been a crazy busy day and weekend!  We've had fun and had lots of good food.  Thankfully all gluten free (I hope).  Today I actually forgot we were in another country or away from home.  It feels good to finally be fitting in and feeling at home here.