New Years Update

So it's the start of the new year. Things haven't changed much here. We still haven't been given internet. I went out and got my own connection. It is a bit expensive, but at least I have something to do now. The Wi-fi address I was picking up was becoming increasingly sporadic and I wanted to be able to keep in touch with those back home.

The P.O. box thing has also yet to materialize. I have come to the conclusion that this company, IGIT, promises a lot and delivers nothing. We still do not have a business center, to plan our classes or print off materials . It is just frustrating. So I have decided to look for employment elsewhere. Below is some emails that I have sent and received from my boss here is Jeddah. This is part of the reason why I am looking elsewhere. The communication between management and staff has a lot to be desired.

Ramia-
Here is a copy of the information that you requested at the meeting.
I hope this is everything you need.
(my C.V. and scans of my documents)
I also stopped by the post office and got the forms for the post
office boxes for mail.

Tim

(I received no response from this email. When I saw Ramia a few days later, I asked her about the post office box again. She said that she didn't need to respond to me because, I didn't say hi in my email. Something that is important as a mailing address deserves a response. It is the holidays, and people have been asking myself and other teachers here for our mailing address to send us cards, presents, or just mail in general. I have a 92 year old grandma, who can not write an email and sends me letters on a regular basis. It is difficult to speak with her on the phone, so I have been basically out of touch with her since coming here. A mailing address is extremely important for me in this manner. I am also continuing my degree by distance education. I have not been able to order my text books and materials needed because of having no mailing address.)

To: ramia.midani@igitgroup.org
Subject: Passport

Hello Ramia-

I was wondering when we will be getting our Icoma cards. Sorry about
the spelling there. Or if you have our passports still. I am going
to need to send money home soon and I gave out my last copy of my
passport and visa when I got my internet. So thus I was wondering
about the cards, and if you still have the passports. If you still
have the passports, could you please give me a copy of the photo page
and the visa page?

I was also wondering what is happening with the Post Office Box thing?
Has any movement been done on that?

Have a good weekend
Tim

Hello Tim,

I do appreciate the fact that you have finally understood that it is always
better in life to build Respectful
Relations with people around you . That is a great respect for your own self
in the first place .Your passport
has been sent to Riyadh so as to start iqama processes.I shall try to ask
for a copy of your passport to be sent
by e-mail from the main office in Riyadh but I cant promise you this because
your passport must be already sent
for iquama governmental offices.I surely hope that they have a copy of it
that they can send because its always
much better if you keep those with you. Concerning sending money home you
may send it in Wasels name because he
is the only person who has got iqama(I always do that myself).The last time
I sent money I sent it in the name
of the guy who works at western union and it was convenient enough.
As for the post office thing would it not be much nicer if u had said
.Please Ramia it would be nice of
You if u may have a look at the post office format ,as it would be more
convenient for all of us in case we have
One??I do not suppose that manners is something bad in life, and it is
always important to use the word please and thank
you ,and I am positive that the word manners is not strange for Westerns.
Actually I do use these words all the
time ,and I have always been respected for that ,and trust me Tim .You are
going to have a long career life and
respecting people around you would always reflect positively on you. You are
a teacher.I mean that it ought to be
the first lesson to teach to your students

Take care Tim
Regards
Ramia

Enough with the negativity. I am working now, or was working. I was substitute teaching for one of the teachers, who went back to the States for a couple of weeks to see his sick father. I was teaching level 3 students. The students are fun. They are good kids. Level 3 students are able to communicate and a have a decent grasp on English. That made the classes easy and fun to teach. But as of today, that is finished. Wendell, came back. That is the man that I was substituting for. So now, I am back to not working. Actually, I am waiting to hear what I will be doing next. There are about 2 weeks left in the semester of actual classes, so it might be a bit before I find out. I hope to find out something in the next couple of days.

I got paid this week. It was only 3 days late this time. So I went shopping. I bought myself a hooka, or shisha as it is called here. I have quit smoking cigarettes again. So this is my replacement for it. I was given 2 different types of tobacco with it, ice cream and I think blueberry. The blueberry flavor, I am just guessing on. That is sort of what it tastes like. The ice cream one is just weird. It tastes like vanilla ice cream. It is just a strange, strange taste. I don't know if I like it not.

Yesterday, I also purchased some sandals. They are the traditional style here and are actually quite nice looking. They cost me about $10. Not a bad price. They are comfortable. Today I went out and got fitted for a thobe. I don't know if that is the right spelling or not, but it is the traditional Saudi robe. It will be finished in about a week. I doubt I will wear it much, but it is a souvenir.

Some observations on Saudi dress. There a ton of ball gown shops here. I guess the women wear them to parties and weddings and the like. They are always busy. So there must be a lot of parties and weddings for the women to wear them at. It also could be that Saudis have more money than they know what to do with. Manual labor is not done by Saudis. They bring in people from other countries to do that work for them. Cabbies tend to be from Egypt or Pakistan. Cleaning people from Bangladesh and the Philippines. The shop keepers are Indian and Pakistanis. Most work here is done by males. The women that do work, usually only work with women. So I don't see them much. Actually the only women that I did see working was in the hospital, when I went in for my testing for my residency permit.

Christmas was spent at a Phillepeano restaurant. We ended up crashing their party. They were happy to have us and the food was good. Not the American traditional Christmas food. To me, it was just strange to eat for the holiday. I did end up winning a clock, which I have since given away. But it was nice to unwrap something for Christmas. New Years was spent with some of the teachers here. We just went to a Moroccan shisha place. Smoked some shisha and drank some tea. A relaxing new year. I was able to have a tasty beverage as well. A friend of mine, hooked me up with a little something something.
That is about all I have for now. Happy Holidays everyone!!!