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Category Archives: Saudi Arabia
Of Rosewater and Perfume
Of Rosewater and Perfume When I first arrived in the Kingdom in 1986 (as a hospital worker), I was afraid to leave the hospital grounds, for fear of getting into trouble with the local culture and the dreaded mutawah. The first two … Continue reading
Ramadan, oh Ramadan!
Never do I miss my life in the Middle East more than in Ramadan! This year, for the first time, I have blogging buddies in various countries, who will help reinforce the spirit of Ramadan simply by contibuting to their … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Islam, Memoir, Saudi Arabia
11 Comments
Garbage Cats
Garbage Cats– that’s what we called them. The women who lived in the housing compounds at King Faisal Hospital and Research Center in the 1980’s called them garbage cats because they lurked around the big green dumpsters positioned along the … Continue reading
Do You Want to Know How I Got Rid of Them?
“Do You Want to Know How I Got Rid of Them?” At first, I tried chemicals. Raid was readily available at the corner convenience store, in several formulas aimed at various vermin. Cockroaches weren’t the only pests in the … Continue reading
Do You Want to Hear a Cockroach Story?
“Do you want to hear a cockroach story?” This is the way my friends and I would sometimes begin phone conversations. We were all Western women, stay-at-home moms married to Arabs. We were happy with our families and our status … Continue reading
Learning Tajweed, Part Five
Learning Tajweed, Part Five My tenacity brought a big blessing. I inserted myself firmly into that madrassa, never missing a day, and always fully prepared for the lesson. I was surprised to discover that most of the ladies had no … Continue reading
Posted in Arabic Language, Islam, Memoir, Saudi Arabia, Tajweed
Tagged Arabic Language, madrassa, Qur'an, Tajweed
13 Comments
Learning Tajweed, Part Four
Reinstated At home, we poured out the whole story to my husband, who then said,”I know the husband of the mudeera. I will go pray Isha with him and find out what’s going on.” He was gone longer than usual … Continue reading
Posted in Arabic Language, Memoir, Saudi Arabia, Tajweed
Tagged Arabic, madrassa, Qur'an, Tajweed
17 Comments
Learning Tajweed– Part Three
Kicked Out! I spent a fruitful term sitting in the circle with the “literate” ladies. We read, but the class focused on memorization. That was fine. I wanted more, however. I knew that tajweed had rules of its own apart … Continue reading
Posted in Arabic Language, Islam, Memoir, Saudi Arabia, Tajweed
Tagged Arabic, madrassa, Qur'an, Tajweed
11 Comments
Learning Tajweed, Part Two
The class met every weekday after Asr prayer til Maghreb. Basically, it was a memorization class. The teacher would recite a phrase, and we’d repeat it in unison. When her sensitive ear perceived improper pronunciation, the offender was singled … Continue reading
Posted in Arabic Language, Memoir, Saudi Arabia, Tajweed
Tagged Add new tag, Arabic, madrassa, Qur'an, Tajweed
15 Comments
Marahm 