Well me and the kids made it back to Canada , it only took 2 flights , 5 meals , 2 charges on the iPad , 5 movies , 2 bags of m&ms’s , 2 gameboys , 4 suitcase , 3 kids and 1 tired momma . But we did it smooth sailing for the most part but us and our stuff all made it to Calgary where it was a balmy 5 degrees!!! I walked out of the airport after being that person who unpacked half her suitcase dressing my children and myself in jackets and pants! and i thought i was going to freeze to death! Shocking right i’m Canadian through and through i have been in more cold weather than a lot of people out there but i swear it was truly cold!! But jokes aside it was wonderful ! i got out the door and there was my family !! even my sweet little niece who is almost 2 seemed actually excited to see us! what a good feeling . So we loaded up my world in to 2 cars and off we went to the free world , and it was so weird it was like i had never left ! everything looked the same , felt the same ….like it was frozen in time ! My sister drove me to get the first thing i needed , A slurpee now i know this may be shocking I live in a place where it is above 20 most days of the year and they do not have slurries’ its crazy right!! but i walk in to the store , elbows and knees showing for the world to see get my item , from the clean counter smile and talk to the man at the till and go back like it was totally normal , and all i can think is , this is so weird!!! now i am defiantly no cultural or travel pro by any means but i just felt so lost! and it stayed like that for days after arriving back “home” every time i would go out i just felt so strange like all the people around me were so undeserving of the lifestyle they were living , listening to the radio and people talking about the small stuff in life , that i have not though about in months , celebrity gossip and the style of shoes , these things that i didn’t even realize had left my vocabulary! I officially had culture Shock , yet again another myth that i thought people used as an excuse . but nope it’s really and it’s really hard!
Over the next couple days we enjoyed the small stuff with my family ,shopping and going to the movie , and even just me driving the car , or my kids playing out side in the back yard.All these things that we have not done like this in a very long time. Although Driving was like riding a bike , except i swear my break from behind the wheel ..I feel i have gotten better with time :) But it all seems so surreal , and the whole time change and holy day difference is throwing me for a major loop while trying to talk to Brandt on the phone . It doesn't’ help either that saudi is not seeming to be the best place right now , bad things are happening all around there and it makes it hard to think about going back …but #adventure..right? on a positive note i was talking to friend and she was wondering what kind of things i’ll be taking back with me so i thought this might be a fun one for all you to see….So it has been about 2 weeks and i have done A LOT of shopping , And bear in mind overtime i go into a store there is the hoarding side of me that comes out and i think ..” i do not know when/if i will find this again “ “ better stalk up”
3 bags wine gums , 3 bags super nibs , popcorn seasoning , 500 bottle Ibuprofen , Tampons, Clothing for my kids , clothing and more clothing for me , Hair color , hair product , nail polish ,Coconut extract , hand sanitizer,Simulated bacon bits ,shampoo ,6 container of Crystal light , giant bag of mini eggs ,2 bags norwex laundry soap , veggie green powder , vitamins , caffeine , ephedrine , girl guid cookies , oatmeal , hidden valley ranch powder , face lotion , Tupperware , place matts , new shoes for the kids , hot glue sticks , needle for my sewing machine , white thread , curtains , floss , electric toothbrush , Chocolate covered coffee beans , 4 gameboy games ,2 playstation games , yarn for crocheting , velcro , hinges , curtains , books , duple , lego , sticker books
So as you can tell there are a few things that most people rush to the store to grab that i am stalk piling and taking with me across the world. You can understand my hoarding mentality now i’m sure .
And here is the list of things i am really enjoying that i took for granted before moving…Internet! cable tv , local news that’s not all about war , water i can drink from the tap , A washing machine that holds more than 2 pairs or jeans , having all the stores at our finger tips , Clean public washrooms ( don’t even ask ! somethings are to much for writing about) wearing what i want , talking to people in public , clean streets , sleeping with out melatonin assistance , and not that i took this for granted but Friends , I always had my job and clients to keep me social and sane but now i truly enjoy and appreciate have friends to hang out with and just chat about the small stuff and not talking about security and depressing things . This brings me to another myth i need to squash , a bunch of people here have asked me if there are many friendly people in our tower ? And i feel bad i don’t say more about them!! They are my rock in this life , there are so many amazing people at the tower with us all living the same life as us and sometimes i’m down they bring me back and sometimes they are down and we strive to do the same . It’s a very tight little community as i think any small town is , and that is exactly what we all are.. however as we are all from very different places ..translation is needed A LOT!! Me and my Aussie and Welsh friend can be chatting and we have to stop every couple mins for translation ….make sure we are saying the same things , i can’t tell the difference between an insult, complement or food item! it’s really comedic i swear i need to start writing some of them down cause they are rich! In light of the list of things to be greatfull i should say the things that i am greatfull for in Saudi ...MY HUSBAND it has been almost 3 weeks and i really miss my partner in Crime:( , The weather and sunshine , pool only and elevator ride away , kids going to school:) it is spring break after all and kids in school no matter what country is a good thing , and did i mention the weather:)
Everything aside , its has been great to be home , when i first got here it was HARD and I was down and struggling with a balance , but i feel like after having a break from Reality i’m ready to go back and conquer our #saudiadventure . things can only get better from here , as i say every time but it’s true we re on the up and up!!!hopefuly next blog post will be a big one.....?? now if i can pack all of my new items in the the suitcases and get them and me and the kids back to the country we currently reside in , through customs ,and from the airport , it will be a successful trip …then 10/11 more weeks until we are back in the land of the free and Cold ….To enjoy some good old down time , and an adult only trip to you guessed it Disney world!! Until next time ......#blessings are trying to make a come back :)
This is like the only one worth posting the rest are of the kids...it's a mom thing right:) But they did enjoy the tidbits! they truly recognized all the "Canadian " things they didn't before . When we went to bulk barn on the first day back kayden was having quite the moment noticing all the maple leafs all over the store. I was proud that he recognized it as a symbol of canada ..proud moment.
