Well guys, I moved!
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| Me in my new place! |
Long story short is living on a compound is very expensive, and the housing allowance from my company no longer covers it. That means that we are out on the town! All of the teachers (there are about seven of us) are now living out in the city just like locals. It is closer to the school, but we are now subject to all of the rules and regulations that apply to Saudis. Whenever I walk out of my apartment, I have to be wearing my abaya (robe). No gym, no mini market - however, our driver Khalid is wonderful and lives close by, so he'll take us where we need to go. The freedom of the compound and easy access to the gym are definitely something I'll miss, but I can adjust.
The transition was no piece of cake - finding a place, weighing pros and cons, and moving in - none of which went smoothly. I've had a couple meltdowns along the way. However, we are here now and working out the issues! One day at a time. I feel blessed to have people helping me and being with me through this transition, and I'm starting to make my new apartment feel like home, even though when I first got here I had no idea where to start.
We rented the apartments unfurnished (meaning no A/C, no furniture, no appliances). So it has definitely been a lot of work getting everything together. I appreciate our driver Khalid so much, and of course my mom and dad (Mr. Fix-it)!
Here are some photos to illustrate...I am not posting the ones from when we first saw the place. Not worth seeing, as the apartments were still under construction. Now, they are "finished," but I remember my dad's first comment when we walked into what would be my new bedroom: "This room isn't...square." And it's true! Nothing is square or level or neatly done (paint on the tile and door frames, etc.), but it is inhabitable now, and I'm so much more grateful for things that I usually take for granted!
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| Outside our building (it's the one on the left) |
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| Cool front door - there's a plus! The stairs go up to our hallway, where there is another locked door (so we basically have one whole floor of the building, which is three apartments). |
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| The Eastern version of a shower is just a shower head mounted on the wall. Bathrooms here are "wet rooms." We were lucky to get more than a hole in the floor though! Very thankful. Always having flip flops/shower shoes and a squeegee in the bathroom is very necessary. No more bath mats! |
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| This is my storage closet off the main hallway in my apartment. It has no ceiling. Looks like a prison on one hand, but it's also kinda cool, especially during the winter with the breeze. |
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| I may have a roommate soon, and her bedroom/bathroom is separate from mine. We also got a washer/dryer that is all one machine!! So crazy. You put your clothes in, add detergent, configure the settings, then push start, and the clothes come out dry! I may have to separate clothes a lot more than I used to, but it's exciting! The machines are made in Korea. |
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| My kitchen from the living/dining area |
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| My room! A work in progress. |
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| The living/dining area with a tiny tiny window. Carpet to come. |
So that's my major update! What a crazy week and a half it has been, but I'm starting to make it feel more like home here, and it's just temporary.
With a thankful heart,
Courtney
