Welcome! Thank you for joining me on my journey from type-A investment banker to a housewife in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I hope you find this blog entertaining and informative and don't mind my ramblings too much! :)
So where to begin? I have now been in the Kingdom for almost a week now and I think I finally have adjusted to the time. The first few days have been mostly a jet-lag filled daze filled with watching bad-tv, unpacking, napping and settling in.
This journey of ours (my husband R and mine) began about 6 months ago when R was approved to come on assignment to the Kingdom (I somehow love referring to it as the Kingdom, but the country can also be referred to as Saudi, Saudi Arabia, KSA, or SA). At that time, the entire notion of packing up our lives and moving to another country seemed romantic, adventurous, exciting, and exactly what we needed in our lives. This was a time when R was commuting 3 hours a day (driving) and was constantly in a state of pure exhaustion and I was working long hours while also taking care of our beloved dog Aloo, and maintain some semblance of a household. We always wanted to live abroad, especially while we were young and full of wonder. My bank life would never have afforded me that type of opportunity and luckily R's career depended on experience outside the office. So we said yes!
And so it began - the three months of pure agony - R was in the Kingdom working non-stop and I was in Charlotte - working and trying to "shut down our US operations". The pains of loneliness during that time are impossible to forget. However, there were plenty of things on my to-do list to keep me occupied - including packing, cleaning, donating, and spending time with some of the best friends I've made in my life.
And now we are here, living in a villa bigger than I could have ever imagined, in a compound so beautifully maintained that any ounce of desert has completely disappeared. Who knew palm trees were so abundant in this arid climate? :)
My experience here will be completely different than R's. R will be working, interacting with other expats and locals. Here in the Kingdom, women are not allowed to drive, must wear an abaya, and are treated as the property of their husbands, fathers, or brothers. My life will be mostly on the compound surrounded by other expat wives. I've already met women from all around the world (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Canada, US, Pakistan, South Africa, etc) and it has already been a very eye-opening life experience.
I suppose I should clarify the name of my blog, I will not be in a burqa, but rather an abaya (which is more like a black robe that you wear over your clothes, but my head is not required to be covered). I couldn't pass up the alliteration of banker and burqa, banker and abaya didn't have the same ring to it.
Thanks for reading and joining me on this adventure!
Shukran,
M
So where to begin? I have now been in the Kingdom for almost a week now and I think I finally have adjusted to the time. The first few days have been mostly a jet-lag filled daze filled with watching bad-tv, unpacking, napping and settling in.
This journey of ours (my husband R and mine) began about 6 months ago when R was approved to come on assignment to the Kingdom (I somehow love referring to it as the Kingdom, but the country can also be referred to as Saudi, Saudi Arabia, KSA, or SA). At that time, the entire notion of packing up our lives and moving to another country seemed romantic, adventurous, exciting, and exactly what we needed in our lives. This was a time when R was commuting 3 hours a day (driving) and was constantly in a state of pure exhaustion and I was working long hours while also taking care of our beloved dog Aloo, and maintain some semblance of a household. We always wanted to live abroad, especially while we were young and full of wonder. My bank life would never have afforded me that type of opportunity and luckily R's career depended on experience outside the office. So we said yes!
And so it began - the three months of pure agony - R was in the Kingdom working non-stop and I was in Charlotte - working and trying to "shut down our US operations". The pains of loneliness during that time are impossible to forget. However, there were plenty of things on my to-do list to keep me occupied - including packing, cleaning, donating, and spending time with some of the best friends I've made in my life.
And now we are here, living in a villa bigger than I could have ever imagined, in a compound so beautifully maintained that any ounce of desert has completely disappeared. Who knew palm trees were so abundant in this arid climate? :)
My experience here will be completely different than R's. R will be working, interacting with other expats and locals. Here in the Kingdom, women are not allowed to drive, must wear an abaya, and are treated as the property of their husbands, fathers, or brothers. My life will be mostly on the compound surrounded by other expat wives. I've already met women from all around the world (Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Canada, US, Pakistan, South Africa, etc) and it has already been a very eye-opening life experience.
I suppose I should clarify the name of my blog, I will not be in a burqa, but rather an abaya (which is more like a black robe that you wear over your clothes, but my head is not required to be covered). I couldn't pass up the alliteration of banker and burqa, banker and abaya didn't have the same ring to it.
Thanks for reading and joining me on this adventure!
Shukran,
M
Best of luck on your journey. Can't wait to hear all about it!
ReplyDeleteDid you get to take Aloo??