... at least I was enjoying an Indiana August until I boarded my one way train back to hell.

I am being dramatic.  It's not that bad.  But the heat this time of year does make one question...

I would certainly say that a snowball has as little chance surviving in Saudi summer as anywhere else.  And my cool, calm collectedness is no different.  When the temp is soaring above a hundred and there is nary a tree-shaded spot in sight, it is easy to lose your mind.  Or at the very least, your temper.  And I must say that over the past four years of living here, my temper seems to have grown unusually shorter. Is it a direct correlation with the heat or is it a shortening of telomeres thanks to ungodly amounts of solar radiation or is it just a result of the reigning ridiculosity?  Hard to say really.  

But luckily for me, and those that have to deal with me, my days here are numbered.  I am back for only a week or two, inshallah.  I have umpteen million documents to get signed before I can secure my get-out-of-hell-free card and be on my way.  To fly back across the world, never to return.  Because that is how things work in this country.  You need a visa to get in, and you need a visa to get out.  Once I obtain the later, the former will be voided.  I will exit Bab Makkah and the doors will close behind me.  The life that I have known for the majority of my adulthood will be over.  The town that I called home will be lost to me.  The friends that I have made, I might never see again.  

And myself.  The child that I was when I first entered this foreign land and the person that I have become as I depart, will say goodbye.  I will load up my trinkets and baubles, sunspots and arabic phrases, my abayas, my oud and my memories, good and bad.  My baggage and I will leave knowing that this strange place has altered the course of my life in such a profound way.  It brought me my husband and travel.  It taught me about cultures very different from my own.  It showed me that persistence and boldness can be useful but also dangerous.  It gave me the opportunity to explore the wonders of the sea.  It taught me that right and wrong are hard to define.  It showed me the quick power of monarchy.  And it taught me that no matter where you go, make friends and wear sunscreen.  

Looking back on these photos from last weekend has made me think about several things.

First, I think that I am wearing zip-off pants in at least 80% of the photos on this blog.  That is eh'em a little bit embarrassing.  Though I will say, that if you're gonna be outside and you don't know if its going be hot or cold, go with the convertible pant.  Shorts and full length all in one.  Efficiency at its finest.  I might have a secret crush on utilitarian wear...

Second, I really don't want to live near an active volcano.  The one shown in these photos last went off in (I think) the 1200s.  Over 1,000 years later and there's still hardly a damn thing there.  Liquid hot magma don't lie.

Last, its funny how in just a span of one week, life can be so drastically different.  Where last weekend I was hopping over Earth's ephemeral crust, huffing and puffing and stubbing my toes, today I am lounging, listening to some folk tunes and baking up a storm.  Different days, different adventures.  I've gotta remember that when things seem scary or dull, overwhelming or boring, something new will soon come knockin' on the door.

I hope you enjoy the rest of the week, I sure am!

Mordor.  No really.

The place looks like Mount Doom, or maybe Mars, and it is certainly many miles from the Shire.  It is formidable both from the areal view and at ground level.  There are hardly any green things growing, just the occasional masochistic daisies, and the ground is crunchy hard lava waiting to collapse on you should you happen to walk over a once forgotten terrestrial lair.  The lava comes in two forms.  Smoothish ribbons that you can picture flowing at thousands of degrees, red hot, covering anything in their path.  And then there is the other stuff.  The sharp knives of pumice that perhaps cooled faster (or is it slower, I don't know my geology that well) and these guys, they are out to get you.  You should avoid them at all costs, walk around these ominous patches, take a detour if you must, sharp rocks are not your friend.  

First a uni-cat and now camels, I couldn't give you megafauna any more charismatic.  We just got back from a weekend camping in the desert.  Its always good to get out of town for a little while and be reminded of how soft your bed is in comparison to packed sand.  We summited another volcano, though, and managed to find both cold weather, rain, and a standing body of water so it was a pretty successful trip.

Hope you're enjoying the weekend :)

Around here, the end of January brings the end of a month of crazy classes, community outreach, and not-enough-time-for-research.  During the month of January, my university holds the Winter Enrichment Program which is like a mini-term used to "broaden our horizons."  I took classes like Lab to Film: Storytelling in Science, Improvisation for Beginners, Animation through 3D Motion Capture, and  I also attended lectures by some interesting people such as Mike Horn, Jorge Cham, and the CEO of Aramco.  Now, whether or not my critical thinking skills were really enhance or not is yet to be determined, but getting paid to learn about random stuff for a month is not a bad gig.

One community outreach project that my lab hosted during WEP was Meet Your Red Sea Friends.  My supervisor gave a short lecture about coral reefs, complete with clips from Finding Nemo, and then we had visual and touch displays for the community to come and see creatures gathered from the Red Sea. Minus the logistics of getting animals and water from the sea to an auditorium, it was a good time.

But speaking of the sea and such, today I am headed on a boat for the next two and a half weeks!  We are cruisin' down to the southern Red Sea to collect some data and hopefully not get too seasick.  I might have a few posts lined up while I'm gone, but other than that, I'll see you in 18 days!

Photos in this post were taken by the ever-talented Tane Sinclair-Taylor.

and then we made it!  To the top of the white volcano!  We planted a Polish flag on the desolate moonscape and joked about how if I had done so with my country's flag, well, that would just be so typically American.  

We were tired when we made it to the top (how did we all climb Kilimanjaro??).  We had hiked for over an hour and a half across rough terrain in the hot, desert sun.  The summiting was steep with loose gravel, threatening a fall.  But we made it and the view at the top was spectacular and worth the effort.  There was a sunken crater on one side, and on the other, prehistoric panorama for as far as the eye could see.  We did not linger long, though, just enough time to snap a few photos and gulp our remaining stashes of water.  We knew that the sun was setting and it was a long hike back to our camp. But just how long the return would be, we did not know...

Autumn in the Kingdom

Things don't change a whole lot around here.  Forget about senescence and crisp breezes, we're lucky if Fall brings three clouds to the sky.  Twelve months a year, the camels somehow manage to pluck cryptic leaves from the spiney acacia trees.  The approach of winter means nothing to them.  No matter the season, or lack thereof, Arabia as I know it remains rocky and barren yet still wild.  Wild in its isolation and severity.

A few weekends ago for Saudi National Day vacation, we took a trip into the desert.  Once you get off of the highway, just past Medina, the lava fields await.  The road signs disappear and you're left with only GPS coordinates to guide you.  The drive over the once-flowing igneous rock was not easy.  We thought more than once that we would certainly have to use the spare as well as the patch kit but luckily, we made it through.  We found ourselves a nice little tree to park under, and decided to take advantage of the remaining daylight hours for a hike.  Our quest was to summit one of the two dormant volcanoes that had erupted some one thousand years ago....

oh, hey there

and a belated Happy Independence Day to you too.  It was seriously, the most uneventful United Statesian Day yet.  We were moving.  Again.  Long story, but after work on the 4th of July, we spent the next six hours moving stuff, lots of stuff.  

In the last few weeks, though, we have had some sweet adventures around the great land that is Saudi.  We had a Caveman Party (hence the excessive facial hair) and then the next day we got the great idea to go for a sunset hike.  We somehow forgot that it is 100+ degrees outside (45+ celsius) until after the sun goes down.  It was a sweaty affair.  Good times with good friends doing crazy things.

I am still working on finishing posts on Istanbul, so stay tuned, more to come on that trip and other adventures!

big news

Guess what?  Today, I'm sleepin' in!

But you might say, its a Saturday, the start of the work week in Saudi Arabia?
well, the King just changed it.  From this point forward, weekend in the
Kingdom is Friday - Saturday, not Thursday - Friday.  Pretty weird, right?
After 3 years of living here, I had just finally adjusted to the Thurs - Fri
weekend, and then they go and change it!  Snap your fingers, law is made.
Imagine if President Obama one day said, Guys, I'm changing the weekend.
I do not think it would go over very well and most certainly would take years
to go into effect.

But I'm stoked!  Not only do I get a three-day weekend, but also it is going to
be a lot easier to communicate with family/ friends back at home.  This is also
going to be great for businesses (and universities) in the Kingdom that work with
people on other sides of the world!  the times they are a changin'  

local eatery

Not too long ago, we had some visitors here so we thought we would take them out for a special treat.  In the village that is next to our university there is a restaurant on main street that has delicious fish.  The restaurant is called, Fish on Main Street.  Folks are very creative here.

The food is great, though.  For six of us, we got three fish, rice, bread, salads, and kunafa to share.  You can sit outside, propped up on pillows, at a low table, and relax on a cool winter evening.  

sandstorms

So, I get a lot of questions from people about sandstorms.  I don't know what they are like in other deserted areas, but where I live, they are nothing like what you see in Mission Impossible.  We had one just last week (ie photo above) and they are not so nice, but its not like a sand tornado is chasing you.  Everything just feels hot and dry, and windy and the visibility is really poor.  That's it.  Not so scary :)

Valentines Day Adventure: Finale

Perhaps this is not as exciting for the rest of you that don't live in the desert, but our Valentines Day Adventure ended with the discovery of fresh water!  in Saudi Arabia!!  On one side of the dam it is bone dry, nothingness.  On the other side, is an oasis, a reservoir, birds soaring overhead, a gentle breeze rippling the water.  The water that is not salty.  It took all my willpower (and the knowledge that I might be shot) not to jump in for a swim.  I bet it is cool and clear and who knows what kind of fish there are down there?