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Tag Archives: Riyadh
Serendipity
Serendipity I liked the concept of arranged meetings for the purpose of evaluating potential marriage partners. Even though the meetings were stressful, they cut through a lot of crap that the American system of dating ensures before getting down to business. … Continue reading
Posted in Life, Memoir, Saudi Arabia
Tagged Cross-Cultural Communication, culture, marriage, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
19 Comments
I Looked for a Husband
I Looked for a Husband During my first year in Riyadh, I fell under the charm of an Egyptian man. We got engaged. I converted to Islam and expected him to fulfill his promise to marry me, but he took up … Continue reading
Reverse Culture Shock
Reverse Culture Shock {Also called “Reentry Shock”} A few days ago, my cousin paid me a compliment. She said,”I think your years in the Middle East have caused you to lose touch with mainstream America.” I had been worried that I had … Continue reading
Posted in Islam, Life, Memoir, Saudi Arabia, Travel
Tagged Arabic Language, covering, Cross-Cultural Communication, culture, customs, language, psychology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, society, Travel
16 Comments
Split Personality, or Double?
Split Personality, or Double? I stayed in Riyadh an entire year before returning to the States for a vacation. As the day of departure approached, time seemed to slow down; I was so eager not only to see my family … Continue reading
Posted in Islam, Life, Memoir, Saudi Arabia, Travel, Writing Memoir
Tagged culture, psychology, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, society, Travel
14 Comments
Christ Stopped at Eboli– The Arab Connection
Christ Stopped at Eboli– The Arab Connection Italian language is a big part of my life these days. My study of it originated in Riyadh, in 1992, after I returned from my first trip to Italy, where I met distant … Continue reading
Posted in Art and Literature, Italian, Life, Politics, Saudi Arabia, Travel
Tagged Cross-Cultural Communication, culture, customs, Islam, Italian, Italy, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Travel
12 Comments
Cabin Fever in Riyadh
Cabin Fever in Riyadh 0R Living in Riyadh Before the Internet My daughters have near-native fluency in English, but sometimes they ask me about phrases they’ve never heard, like “cabin fever”. Last week, one of them asked me about this … Continue reading
Posted in Family, Home Life, Islam, Life, Memoir, Saudi Arabia
Tagged culture, customs, Family, Islam, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, society
10 Comments
My Whiff of War
On the morning of Jan. 16, 1991, my phone rang. The light of dawn had not yet entered my bedroom window. I answered on the second ring, knowing what I’d hear. “The war has started! They’ve struck Baghdad!” The voice … Continue reading
Where is Your Husband?
Where is Your Husband? During the second year of my residence in Riyadh, I made friends with an American woman married to a Saudi. She invited me to her home, and I was thrilled. Finally! I’d get a chance to … Continue reading
Posted in Home Life, Islam, Life, Memoir, Saudi Arabia, Uncategorized, Writing Memoir
Tagged friendship, Islam, Memoir, Riyadh
21 Comments
A Walk on the Wild Side
Before I went to Saudi Arabia in 1986 to work at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital, I bought a small book of Arabic phrases. The language, with its strange guttural sounds not made in English, and its curvy script read … Continue reading
Walls
I squinted at white marble walls everywhere, as they reflected the brilliance of a Riyadh morning sun. Set at various angles, they somehow joined five separate buildings together in one geometrically shaped compound. Each building gave access to its … Continue reading
Posted in Saudi Arabia, Writing
Tagged Cross-Cultural Communication, culture, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, society, walls
6 Comments
Marahm 