Birthday

Wednesday 17th July

Am I really 46?!!!! (not till the 21st) I don't think I feel it, even though I am not really sure what 46 is meant to feel like.  The only signs are when I look in the mirror and see lines and the grey hair but I manage to keep the latter under control....NICE AND EASY!!!
It's Wednesday 17th July and Val and I are invited to Fahl compound to meet Fadi and Miguel for lunch during our 5 hour break (3pm to 8pm).  Lunch! yes, I know its Ramadan and eating is not allowed until 6.45pm...you can even be arrested if you are seen chewing gum but within the confines of your home, in the compound etc as long as you are a non-muslim you can eat during fasting hours. Fahl compound is full to bursting with non-muslims so eating is allowed.  Fadi informed me that men cannot even have sex with their wives during these hours...... he never said they couldn't have sex with anyone else's wife though....joke!!!
The meal we have was typically Arabic/Lebanese and very nice.  I have been pretty adventurous with food whilst being here and have tried many different types of cuisine (Steven won't believe this bit as he thinks I can only survive on chocolate!!).  Then to my surprise, Val has been plotting secretly, I am presented with a birthday cake and gifts.  I was not expecting this, I thought we were just going for lunch....I am overwhelmed.  The guys have been so kind to us since we have been here.  I suddenly feel a tinge of sadness that I am not going to see them again.  Its amazing how quickly in just four months I have a new life, new friends and new experiences, all of which I won't forget.  I am hoping that we will keep in touch and who knows one day meet again.

Friday 19th July

The weather has been very windy and dusty again today to the point that we all have sore eyes. Many Saudi's suffer from respiratory problems due to the weather.   There is sand everywhere, even the pool is full of sand.  It's definitely not the kind of weather you want to sit out in unless you want to look like a sandcastle!!  I spent most of my day off, cleaning and resisting the urge to start packing my bags for my return home.  Three weeks prior to departure is way to early.  Tonight we are going to TGI Fridays, Kedi, May and myself.  Val wasn't feeling up to it and Lore had already paid for a ticket (200 riyals) to go to a compound party.  I still refuse to pay to go to one of these parties as the ones I have attended have been totally rubbish.  Anyway, we arrange to go out at 6.45pm just after the fourth prayer (you can eat at this time as it symbolises the end of the fast) and before the fifth prayer at 8.30pm.  All restaurants are closed during fasting time during Ramadan.
We have a lovely evening , the food is great and we finish it off with a trip to the shopping mall for a little retail therapy.  The only thing that spoils it is the bloody mutawa following you and telling you to cover your hair "Woman!!! cover your hair"  They even follow you into shops and harass you.

Friday 21st July

12am (I hour to go at work) and the girls surprise me with a birthday cake and the "Happy Birthday" song.  I feel very lucky.  I am going to miss these girls.  I know I say it a lot but I have spent the last four months with them, morning, noon and night.....Steven calls me to wish me happy birthday and I sleep feeling happy.

6pm....still on the 21st I speak with my mum, Charlotte and Hannah and some friends.  I may be 4000 miles away but I feel very close to everyone.  It is true when they say people can feel lonely even when they are in a relationship or have their family and friends close to them but for me right now I don't feel lonely I feel in a good place with myself, my feeling and my emotions.  I am ready to go home to see everyone and I know it's going to take a while to adjust but I feel ready.

Let me get you up to date with Lore before I go.  She is still in the accommodation waiting to fly back to England on the 2nd August.  She still has not been given an exit visa or her passport.  She has been offered the job starting in September in Al Khobar but has also been a very busy girl researching gyms and spas in Riyadh, sending her CV and attending interviews.  On the up shot of this she has been offered two more jobs and is also waiting on the response of a third.  So she has options.  The salaries and packages offered at the other spas are pretty much the same as here but on the plus side, they don't have Hanan for a manager.  Lore said they appeared to be very different and one of the companies had an English Manager.  She did say that when she told them her reasons for leaving Yibreen Spa, they were appalled at what had been happening . So whatever happens, Lore is coming back to Riyadh in september (when she has decided which offer she will accept).  She should feel proud of herself because even when the chips were down she never gave in.  She told me that if I felt I wanted to return that I would easily get a job at any of the spas or gyms in Riyadh (they love English Instructor) as now they were replacing all freelance instructors and employing full timers due to the iqama situation.  For now I just want to go home but I know the door is open for me if I want to come back.  You can only plan what happens in your life to a certain extent.....like what time you get up and what you eat for lunch but the rest of it....well!!!! so just try and live it and enjoy!! 

 

Ten Observations

1. Everywhere you go in Riyadh involves a U turn
2. Muttawa are a pain in the arse
3. Three kisses on one cheek is an acceptable greeting
4. You can't kiss a man in public.....unless you are another man
5. Eating, drinking and sex are not allowed during fasting hours
6. Riyadh is just busy roads full of restaurants and shopping malls
7. Dreary in Saudi means its still boiling hot but you can't see the sun for dust
8. Taxi Drivers haven't got a clue where anything is
9. Panda is a chain of supermarkets
10. Ghada, Wafa, Zana and Johara are very common women's names

Water Man

Water and Riyadh don't seem to go together but today's water saga was a little bit different to the previous ones.
Val and I were getting ready to go to meet some friends for lunch at Fahl compound.......  I know it was a work day but during Ramadam we get a five hour break before shift two and as much as it sounds lovely.....it has put a huge strain on all the instructors, we have all been exhausted and some nights not getting to sleep till around 4am.  I have even managed to over lay on one occasion......start time at 12pm and the girls ring me at 12.20pm to see if I was ok....that's how tired I feel.....Anyway back to the water story.
I hear Val talking to someone in the living area and don't recognise the voice but do recognise it is that of an Indian Man.  Val calls me and I go out to see what she needs......who is this strange man and how did he get into the accommodation?  The only time we see a man in our accommodation is when he comes to fix the air conditioning (quite often) and he is always accompanied by two cleaning ladies.  So the strange Indian man in our accommodation starts to become slightly worrying.  It appears that the strange man has got through security to see if we need to buy some water (we buy large bottles to save us carrying it from the supermarket).  The man is trying to hold Val's hand and then he tries to pull her towards him to, what looks like, kiss her on the cheek.  Val quickly pulls away and looks grateful that I have appeared.  I tell the man to get us two bottles of water and Val goes off to her room to get some money.  When the man returns he then attempts to take me by the hand and then proceeds to tell me he loves me......His age, around 55, his ethnicity, Indian, his height, around 5ft 5", his smell, definitely Putrid!!!!! with a capital P.  I give him the money and ask him politely to leave but at this point he is pretending that he doesn't understand a word I am saying.  He uses hand gestures which suggest he would like a drink of water so I respond with hand gestures comprising of two fingers that suggest he best leave and then point towards the door.  He decides it is not time to leave and starts to head toward Valentina's room......now I raise my voice a little and suggest he leaves before I give him a kick in the nuts!!!
Val appears a little shell shocked by what has just happened as she was the first to encounter him and was praying that I heard her call me when he tried to kiss her.  We decide to mention this to the security guard on our way out and he immediately picks up the phone and calls the Indian Water Delivery Man.  The security guard is shouting and it appears that he is telling the water man not to do this again.  I am just thankful that Val nor I were alone in the accommodation as who knows what would have occurred.
We were informed that we could have reported said man to the police firstly because it was Ramadam and any sexual intentions towards women are definitely not allowed and this would have made his punishment ten fold and secondly he could have been charged with harassment.
So we have drinking water in our accommodation albeit it a little eventful, the accommodation smells rancid but the lesson learnt for today is if they are 5ft 5" their nuts are well in range of a size 5 shoe!!

Ramadam

Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic lunar calendar, commemorates the revelation of the Quran by Allah to the Prophet Mohammed, and is celebrated by Muslims all over the world who, from sunrise to sunset for 30 days straight, refrain from eating, drinking, smoking, arguing, cursing, and sexual activity......I've been doing most of this since I got here, even though my fasting once a week for 24 hours is a little different to theirs for 14 hours with no water and I must admit to a bit of cursing but the rest I can say I've managed to sustain from.
Ramadam was due to start on Tuesday 9th July but it can only begin when certain men in high places....and I don't mean Allah, see the new moon, so everyone sits and waits with baited breath for them to tell them after the fifth prayer if it is the start.  However, tonight the weather was dreary (Saudi term for when you can't see the moon because its either too dusty or cloudy, but mainly its due to the dust and sand flying around that stops you seeing it.) So the moon was not visible on the 9th so Ramadam now officially starts on the 10th July and lasts for 30 days.
Day one and the gym seems quiet and you can sense that the Muslim girls that work here who are about to embark on their 30 day fast are feeling a little anxious at the thought even though they have done it every year since puberty (that determines when you start fasting).  Mona told me that the day before she starts fasting she always feels like she should eat as much as possible as she fears the hunger and the dehydration (the latter being the worst part).  Most of the rich Saudis who don't work, turn their night into day and visa versa so they really don't feel the true meaning of hunger or thirst as they are in bed for most of the day and get up just before the fast breaks.  The fast is broken after the fourth prayer (around 6.45pm) with a few dates and milk or juice and is called  Iftar and then a lot of time is spent in prayer and then they eat a very large traditional Saudi meal, Suhoor which is the last meal before sunrise.  So the fast basically lasts from 3.30am to 6.30pm the following day (around 14 hours).  I think the worst thing is that they can't drink anything and it doesn't help when its 50 degrees outside and you can't even have a sip of water.
Over the next 7 days I am surprised to see we have clients coming to the gym in the morning even though some of them look very tired, to attend mainly pilates or abs.  A few girls have been in and done some running on the treadmill but to be honest in the first three hours of our shift it has been pretty quiet.  However, they seem to appear out of the woodwork when it comes to the evening and it has totally took me by surprise at how many girls are prepared to come to spinning at 12am before the gym closes at 1am......All the instructors are struggling to get into the new working hours....12pm to 3pm and then 8pm to 1am.....its so hard to sleep and so most nights it 4am before we manage it and then you feel a bit like death warmed up for the first half of your shift in the morning.  We have a lovely break at 3pm when we tend to go to the pool for an hour when the gym closes at 4pm and before the sun goes down at around 6pm (even though it hasn't been possible for a few days as it is so dusty and sandy that you can't even see the sun.  In England I guess we would call this overcast (dreary) and then after this nice break when you feel like you should be going to bed or relaxing we then hit round two, the second shift at 8pm and to be honest it is busy so if you are even thinking of feeling tired, you better forget it.  So 3 more weeks of this to go and then it will be time for me to come home.
I'll just fill you in with the Lore saga before I go as I think it is finally over after much to...ing and fro....ing but to cut a long story short.  Hanan has to pay Lore everything, holiday pay, two months salary and her flights home because Lore has actually in no way breached her contract, it was just Hanan trying to pull a fast one and deduct as much money as possible form her.  This has been a very tough time for Lore as she literally had no money and nowhere to go but hats off to her for pulling herself together and not letting this woman walk all over her.  Lore said the lesson she learnt from this was not to be afraid to stand up for herself especially when she knows she is being treated unfairly......

Resignation

As we are getting closer to going home, I decide to go to see the boss about her deducting our salaries for our flights home in August and back in September.  The employer is supposed to pay all flights but Hanan wanted a guarantee that  we would return so said she would be deducting them from our August salary.  She also said she would not be paying us the final two weeks of our salary as they fell into the following months salary. (fair enough, even though I don't agree with the flight deductions but nothing we could do about it.)
I sat in my room that night still feeling a little confused (doesn't take much) about the deductions and didn't think it was fair she was doing this so I sent Hanan an email asking if she could take the £550 from the final two weeks salary that we wouldn't be getting till our return and not the salary we would get on August 1st....not that I needed it as I have been saving like a trouper but my thoughts were if I don't come back in September  I would sooner be £700 down and not £1250.  She sent a blunt email back saying she wanted a meeting with us all to clarify this.
In the meantime, Lore is not further forward. The Embassy said they can't help her with the salary, only thing they could do was to send Hanan a letter asking her to release Lore's passport.  So at this moment in time Lore is still not allowed to work and still has not been given her salary, passport or exit visa.  Mysti posted on her facebook wall about a Saudi Princess who had just been arrested for literally enslaving a Kenyan woman http://www.africanglobe.net/africa/saudi-royal-princess-charged-enslaving-kenyan-woman/ worth a read if you have time.....but it highlights that these type of things are still happening.....the passports, the pay.
So two days later we go for our meeting with Hanan and as always I end up sitting the closest to her!!!  Anyway, I start by asking her to explain to us why the deductions come out of the August salary and not the final two weeks pay....I am not going to go into everything that was said in the meeting but what I can tell you is that about five minutes in I hear her say "I need you to tell me if you are not coming back so I don't waste time and money sorting your iqama"  My mouth opens and out pops "I'm not coming back" then for a split second the room goes quiet.  She replies, well I think she does but I a cannot hear anything as I am still in shock at what has just come out of my mouth.  So again the conversation goes on and by this time her voice has raised a few decibels and she is now somewhere in between talking and shouting about god knows what as my ears are still not working correctly since I last opened my mouth and then I hear again something about not coming back and once again my mouth opens and I say "I'm not coming back"...."Ok" she says, "tell me what date you want to work to either 25th July (salary cut of date) or 8th August" which is the planned finished date before we fly home.  I tell her I will put it in writing....Then she launches into a verbal attack on Valentina as she mentions feeling unsettled about the Lore situation. "Well!!!"  Hanan is now registering on the richter scale as she starts to shake and shout even louder.  "I'm glad you brought that up, let's get it all out in the open".  She then proceeds to shout the Loretta story......after about 10 minutes it becomes a little calmer and we recap over what has been said......the only thing I can hear is my head telling me "I think you have just resigned"!!!
So this is where things are at the moment:

• I am not coming back
• We are being deducted on 1st Aug for 2 flights home and back
• Our 12 months contract has suddenly turned into 13 as she informs us that the holiday month doesn't count!!
• Iqama's are being started for those who are returning in September
• Lore is being ignored and still not being paid

But then there is a big turn around!!!!! she must have had a change of heart! Honestly, my head is spinning.  I just want all this drama and shit to be over. First it's this and then it's that.  I won't go over the events of the next few days in detail or this blog will be longer than a hockey player's sock, but this is now what is happening.....don't hold your breath though as it may all have changed by the next blog:

I am being paid up to the 7th August and I am also getting some holiday pro-rata based on the months I have worked here.  This also applies to Kedi, Val and May Ann

My contract is being left open.  Hanan wants me to come back and has asked that I think it over during my holiday and let her know if I change my mind.  She also said that even if I change my mind three month's down the line she will still have me back.....I am very flattered by this. Lore is going to get paid for July, even though she has not worked it (not Lore's choice as Hanan banned her from the spa) and she is also getting paid for  the August holiday....I think Lore's threats of going to the Labour Office to report Hanan have finally paid off or maybe this woman has decided to try the nice approach now that Ramadam is here and Muslims are supposed to show kindness, forgiveness, empathy etc etc.... or maybe she has realised we are well within our rights to be paid and this is in line with the Saudi Law......All this shit is really getting us all down now and it is starting to give me a headache or is it the sandstorms and change in the weather that's been giving me the headache....It is starting to get hotter and drier.  It is definitely summer in Saudi.

 

Foot Loose

I wish my foot was loose.  I woke this morning unable to move my big toes.  Goodness knows why.  It didn't hurt last night and unless I'd been doing ballet in my sleep, could find no reason why.  Anyway, onward and upward.  I teach 2 spin, 1 swimming lesson, 1 body balance class a private session and it seems to hold out.  Hopefully it will feel better in the morning.......I spend the whole night tossing and turning the pain is so bad and it is spreading, now its even hurting under my foot, in my ankle and the side of my foot has swollen to 3 times the normal size.  I get up in the morning and can't even put my foot to the floor.  I get dressed and attempt to put my trainers on.....there is no way that this is going to happen unless I break my big toe or cut my trainers and I don't fancy doing either to be honest.  So I hobble off to work in my flip flops.  If I don't go to work, I don't get paid and will need a Drs note.  We still don't have medical insurance so there is no way I am paying to see a Dr for a note that says my foot is swollen when it is plain to see just by looking at it. I speak with Mona (Receptionist) and ask to cancel the classes which involve me jumping or having to wear my training shoe and keep the ones where I can just instruct....spin, abs, gym circuits.
May Anne goes off to the chemist to get me some anti-inflammatories and comes back with them and a course of antibiotics......this is the third lot of antibiotics in 3 months (note to self must get Steven to order me some probiotics when I get home to put some good bacteria back).  The chemist suggested to May that I take them in case it was a bite and there was some infection.  At this moment in time, I will take anything if it gets rid of the pain and gives me a normal size foot back.  Val kindly massages it for me.  I love these girls, not just today, obviously for taking care of me but everyday as we have become a little family and take care of each other.
Five days later........I have my foot back :).  No idea what caused it but I am back to wearing two shoes.

All Change Part 3

Told you there was going to be a part 3 and I can feel that this is not quite the end......

Today was pay day.  Edgar is a Filipino guy who does the spa's accounts.  He comes in a few times a week and just by looking at him you can tell that if Hanan says "Jump", he says "How high?"  So at 5pm I go to collect my salary and Lore follows swiftly after.  I go back to the gym to start my next class and then I hear Lore, crying and shouting very loudly...."The F******* Bitch... We all rush to her to find out what is wrong.  Hanan conveniently left early today, obviously to avoid this as when Lore went to collect her salary, Edgar informed her that she didn't have one.  Hanan has said that she didn't/won't complete her contract going by the date that Lore had put on her letter (this is bullshit to be honest as Lore's contract finishes on the 6th of September and due to a forced one month's holiday would not return till the 8th September which is 2 days after her contract ends.)  so her contract will already be finished whilst she is back in England on her holiday.  Lore gave two months notice instead of one so that Hanan had plenty of time to find someone to replace her.......So Hanan deducted the cost of iqama, her return flight ticket home etc....all of this should be included in our employment package but every time when someone leaves she finds away to deduct money (we are convinced that she is putting said monies in her back pocket) and so Lore is left with no salary for the month....To cut a very long story short and because I don't know the exact facts of the story, Lore tried to call Hanan who didn't pick up. Lore refused to teach another class till this was all sorted.  Hanan turned up to speak to Lore (who was in the shower at the time Hanan was knocking on her door so didn't answer).  Hanan went to Reception to tell the Receptionist to contact Lore and inform her that she was not allowed back to work in the spa and was to leave the accommodation in August when her flight was booked.  What is wrong with this crazy place/woman.  Surely when Lore gave Hanan her letter of resignation it would have been much easier to explain to Lore the exact date she was expected to work to in order to qualify for her holiday pay / return flight home / iqama fees etc but no she has to use the power trick and say that she hasn't completed her contract (which is not true) so she has deducted everything.  I could tell you a lot more but this would probably confuse the story.  So the next step for Lore, we are not sure.  We know she has five options:

a) email Hanan asking for a meeting with her to sort out this mess
b) telephone the princess who owns the spa (a client has given her the contact number) and tell her everything
c) go to the British Embassy and tell them everything
d) get the hell out as fast as she can and don't look back
e) all of the above

All of this is so unsettling but one thing is for certain..... I will not be returning in September!!!!  Well I say that and then the same day all this kicks off I receive an email from Jill in Dharhan to let me know that there is a family run office in Jeddah looking for a PA (my previous job...well almost, Data Services Manager but close enough.....doesn't really matter in Saudi....Jill told me you can just lie!!)  My mind shifts from going home to suddenly going to Jeddah even though my head is telling me to not even think about staying a minute longer than necessary.  I send Karen (the lady from the agency) an email explaining my current situation here in Riyadh, my plans for going home unless I am offered something that is too good an opportunity to miss.  I receive an email back asking for my CV and that she will be in touch in due course when she knows more about the position.  Am I crazy????? The same day I receive a message from a friend asking if I will be staying home in September as a gym I had worked for previously wanted me to teach a few classes for them on a Sunday morning.  This is followed by two or three messages from people asking when I would be coming back and if I would be starting up my massage clinic on my return as they wanted to book in.  Now my head is spinning around like you can't imagine.  I know its late but I call Steven to tell him all this.  He reassures me and tells me not to worry or do anything about any of the above just yet....spend a little time thinking it over before I make a decision.
At least I know I have options and my heart will steer my in the right direction, but tonight I just want my normal life back with Steven, the girls, my parents, family and friends....I think the universe is trying to tell me something.

All Change Part 2

There are going to be a few more of the All change blogs as I can't keep up with them. I write a week behind so as I am writing this one, things have already changed but I can't do part 3 without part 2.

So Amera (hairdresser from the spa) has left.  Her notice was cut short by the boss, It went from the end of July, to the end of June and then she was given just 2 days to clear her things from the accommodation (so she never even made it to the end of June)  The boss stopped talking to her and transferred all of her clients and appointments to a new hairdresser that has just been recruited.  Amera was told that she would not be paid her final salary until her iqama (residency card) has been to Amera's brothers sponsorship so that the spa was no longer responsible for her.  This girl had been here 11 years and was treated like this....what chance do we stand?
Lore's plans have changed slightly.  She handed in her notice (well not really notice but a letter informing Hanan that she didn't wish to renew her contract for another year) and all went well (from what we can gather).  Hanan asked if there was anything that would make Lore stay......more money, an extra day off? but to be honest when you are not happy working in a place more money and an extra day off won't make a difference to how you feel about the place.  However, (all change again)  her relationship with Emad is over.  She said he was too possessive and was already insisting that she do as she was told and that she wasn't really allowed to do anything without his permission (Muslim men for you!!).  Anyway, this has paved the way for her admirer, who must now be jumping for joy.  She still plans to move to Al Khobar so hopefully it will all work out for the best for her.
Kedi, Val and myself were called to Hanan's office. We were expecting a telling off for not wearing our abaya when we came from the accommodation to the spa today.  Let me try and explain how far it is from the accommodation to the spa.  From the accommodation to the first gate is around 20 steps, high walls and not visible to the outside world.  The for the next 10 steps the path is concealed by a green hedge, albeit it a little withered and sparse due to the extreme heat and then you have three steps to take where there is no hedge and no wall and is visible to any driver that might be dropping his client off at the gym......other than that you still cannot be seen by anyone that is not actually on the spa drive at that exact time that you take those three steps.  Now these 3 steps are very important let me tell you.....if you are seen walking these 3 steps showing a shoulder or an ankle then you are in the office faster than you can say "Jack Robinson".  So this is what happened.  We are called in to see Hanan and then the praise sandwich begins with Hanan talking about Ramadam working hours and that we shouldn't worry about anything.  She tells us that the gym will probably be quiet and when we don't have classes that we can relax and in our break we can sit by the pool (now you're talking) and even though it is a 1am finish, there will be 11 hours albeit it sleeping time before we have to return to work......and then she gets to the real reason why we are there.  "Who took the three steps of doom (she didn't say exactly that, but this was what she was referring to) not wearing an abaya at lunchtime today?"  "Hands up" I say "that was me"  I had forgotten something so I quickly ran back to collect it.  I only passed that way once as I chose an alternative route on the way back and she didn't see me.....She informs us that it was not only me once but Val, twice and then Dindo's wife came out in her ripped pyjamas.  Hanan was having a meeting in the office with a Prince, who witnessed all of this.  Well, I almost wet myself trying to hold in the giggles.  So like good girls we agreed not to take the three steps ever again without wearing our abaya!!!!!
Hanan seems to be very nice at the moment but we know that she just wants a full team of instructors back in September.  I am still not sure what I am going to do but I am waiting, like I say every time, to see how I feel about things when I go home in August.  This last week I have missed being with Steven and my family.  Talking of Steven, he is currently on a short break with some of our friends for a 40th celebration.  This was planned before I left for Saudi in March, so I feel a tinge of sadness that I'm not there.  He has been keeping in regular contact though to let me know what he is up to and reassuring me that all is well.....This is nice, I feel like I have my Steven back.