Today we were told our working hours for Ramadam which this year in Saudi Arabia is from Tuesday 9th July to 7th August (30 days). The dates are always set by the new moon and is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar and is a period of prayer, fasting, charity-giving and self-accountability for Muslims . So our hours are from 12pm to 3pm and then 8pm to 1am (8 hours with a 5 hour gap in the middle). At first I thought this was crazy but after I'd thought about it for a while the more I thought it would be ok. The hardest bit will be that we will not be able to venture anywhere in our 5 hours break as most places will be closed (restaurants, supermarkets and any other establishment that sells food) and also there will be lots of prayer so the chances of places being open when we are free is nil!!! So my plan is to stock up on food and enjoy a bit of sunshine during our 5 hour break.....I was going to try and fast like the Muslims but they are not even allowed water and what they tend to do is eat as much as they can between 6.30pm and 4am before they start the fast and then stay in bed most of the next day so they are not tempted to eat.......I see this as cheating but who am I to say if this is cheating or not? The idea of Ramadam is to feel like the needy do, the ones who have no food or home comforts but if you eat like pigs whilst you are awake then surely this defeats the object?.......One lesson I am learning while being here is not to stress about stuff, just accept it as it is and just go along with it. The more we fight against stuff, the more we stress ourselves. The girls are wanting to go and speak to the boss to say they don't want to work a split shift but I ask not to be included as we could make it worse for ourselves and plus we haven't even tried her first proposal yet!!! At the end of the day, we have to work 8 hours and fit in with Ramadam and the clients' needs (it is unlikely that there will be anyone in the gym for the 3 hours we have to do in the morning as most will still be in bed and also if they can't drink water till 6.30pm in the evening, they will find it difficult to even function let alone do a class). The girls agree to trial it for a week and if it doesn't work for them, then go and speak with Hanan and ask if it is possible to change it. As Non-Muslims (this applies in Saudi Arabia, UAE, Qatar, Bahrain have different rules)http://www.dlapiper.com/files/Publication/2cde821c-0999-49a7-a472-7b198caeb169/Presentation/PublicationAttachment/588752a7-2159-4538-8938-7da1610c0faa/DLA_Piper_Middle_East_Be_Alert_Ramadan.pdf
we have to work 8 hours per day, 6 days a week (no different to a normal week) in Ramadam, where as Muslims only have to work 5 because they are fasting and have to spend a lot of time in prayer. This doesn't seem right as they do not respect any of our holidays here like easter and Christmas but yet when Muslims live on our country they can take prayer times, wear the head covering and also have the benefits of our holidays otherwise we are classed as discriminating against them yet here we have to live by there rules......something doesn't seem quite right here......is our government too soft? or should we follow this countries lead?
I have been reading a book by Paola Coehlo (I have read a lot since being here) called Aleph which is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet and has the same meaning as Qi (chi). If you have not read any of his books it is a must and he takes you on a spiritual journey, you almost feel he is writing the book for you and the quotes are heart felt. This one was for me, I'm sure, "being alone makes you more vulnerable but it makes you more open too"
Last month I applied for a job at Saudi Aramco (Arab/American Oil Company). A friend of mine in England gave me the contact details of her friend Jill who worked for the company in Dharhan. Jill has been here 5 years but is leaving in July to go back to England to live with her boyfriend. Anyway, Jill has been great, even though I have never met her, I feel like I know her.....this is also what the book I am reading is about. Jill has given me advice on stuff and also tried to help me get my CV looked at for a position with the company but as always with this country things take for ever and when I applied it stated if I had not heard anything within 3 months then I had not been successful and they would put my CV on file!!! I applied for a post as the holidays and the salaries are very good and to be honest to earn that sort of money at home (tax free) is impossible, so I thought it was worth a try. Also for me the country seems to be drawing me in to explore more. I said to my mum....I question what it is I am searching for, Solitude, escape, experience, money???? I am not sure which one it is but all I can say is that I feel very settled (for now). Steven seems to be doing ok at home. He seems to be putting all his efforts into cycling and work. He doesn't say he is missing me so maybe he is discovering more about himself and enjoying being alone. We haven't had a Face Time conversation for a month now since him saying he wasn't going to collect me from the airport. Two ladies who come to the spa talk about many years they have spent albeit intermittently apart from their husbands and how it works well when they are apart but how difficult it is when they come back together. This is what I am feeling about going home in 8 weeks. How will it feel? At the moment Steven feels like a stranger. I am nervous about how awkward it is going to feel, about it feeling different, I feel like I don't want to go back home but as I said earlier I am not going to let it stress me "what will be will be" and at the end of the day it needs to feel different as it wasn't working the way it was.
One decision I have made, and I rarely make a snap decision, I ponder them for weeks and do the pro's and con's list, is that after this year my fitness teaching days will end. To be honest, the intensity and the amount of classes we are asked to do here has taken all the enjoyment out of why I like doing it. So regardless of whether I come home or not.....my fitness teaching shoes will be hung up and I will move onto the next chapter in my life with regard to work. By no means does this mean that I am hanging my shoes up all together, of course I will still exercise for myself as this is what drives me and makes me want to get out of bed in a morning.
we have to work 8 hours per day, 6 days a week (no different to a normal week) in Ramadam, where as Muslims only have to work 5 because they are fasting and have to spend a lot of time in prayer. This doesn't seem right as they do not respect any of our holidays here like easter and Christmas but yet when Muslims live on our country they can take prayer times, wear the head covering and also have the benefits of our holidays otherwise we are classed as discriminating against them yet here we have to live by there rules......something doesn't seem quite right here......is our government too soft? or should we follow this countries lead?
I have been reading a book by Paola Coehlo (I have read a lot since being here) called Aleph which is the first letter of the Arabic alphabet and has the same meaning as Qi (chi). If you have not read any of his books it is a must and he takes you on a spiritual journey, you almost feel he is writing the book for you and the quotes are heart felt. This one was for me, I'm sure, "being alone makes you more vulnerable but it makes you more open too"
Last month I applied for a job at Saudi Aramco (Arab/American Oil Company). A friend of mine in England gave me the contact details of her friend Jill who worked for the company in Dharhan. Jill has been here 5 years but is leaving in July to go back to England to live with her boyfriend. Anyway, Jill has been great, even though I have never met her, I feel like I know her.....this is also what the book I am reading is about. Jill has given me advice on stuff and also tried to help me get my CV looked at for a position with the company but as always with this country things take for ever and when I applied it stated if I had not heard anything within 3 months then I had not been successful and they would put my CV on file!!! I applied for a post as the holidays and the salaries are very good and to be honest to earn that sort of money at home (tax free) is impossible, so I thought it was worth a try. Also for me the country seems to be drawing me in to explore more. I said to my mum....I question what it is I am searching for, Solitude, escape, experience, money???? I am not sure which one it is but all I can say is that I feel very settled (for now). Steven seems to be doing ok at home. He seems to be putting all his efforts into cycling and work. He doesn't say he is missing me so maybe he is discovering more about himself and enjoying being alone. We haven't had a Face Time conversation for a month now since him saying he wasn't going to collect me from the airport. Two ladies who come to the spa talk about many years they have spent albeit intermittently apart from their husbands and how it works well when they are apart but how difficult it is when they come back together. This is what I am feeling about going home in 8 weeks. How will it feel? At the moment Steven feels like a stranger. I am nervous about how awkward it is going to feel, about it feeling different, I feel like I don't want to go back home but as I said earlier I am not going to let it stress me "what will be will be" and at the end of the day it needs to feel different as it wasn't working the way it was.
One decision I have made, and I rarely make a snap decision, I ponder them for weeks and do the pro's and con's list, is that after this year my fitness teaching days will end. To be honest, the intensity and the amount of classes we are asked to do here has taken all the enjoyment out of why I like doing it. So regardless of whether I come home or not.....my fitness teaching shoes will be hung up and I will move onto the next chapter in my life with regard to work. By no means does this mean that I am hanging my shoes up all together, of course I will still exercise for myself as this is what drives me and makes me want to get out of bed in a morning.
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