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susie's big adventure
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Documenting an American woman's move to her husband's native Saudi Arabia in a post 9/11 world
Recent Posts Tagged With 'family'
Western Wife, Saudi Husband
As a result of my last post “Dear Susie…” another Western woman married to a Saudi has given me permission to share her recent emails to me with you. I found it distressing to know that after close to two decades in the Kingdom, she is still...
Dear Susie ...
I hope you don’t mind me emailing you, but I wanted your opinion about my situation. I am a 28-year-old American woman and I met a Saudi guy I really like. The problem is he wants to go back to Jeddah once he's done studying here in the US and he...
Divorce Saudi-Style
Divorce is one of those things, like many in Saudi Arabia, which is exceedingly easy for men to obtain, but quite difficult for women to achieve. When a Saudi man wants a divorce, all he is required to do is to simply say “I divorce you” three t...
A Child\'s Custody
When divorce is involved, in the vast majority of child custody cases in the Middle East, custody of the children is almost always granted to the father. But what about when divorce is not the issue, but instead the father dies? One would think that ...
Where is the HONOR?
Noor Almaleki was a beautiful 20-year-old woman who always had a thousand watt smile on her face. She had high hopes for her future, wanted to get a college education and have a career. But that was not to be. Noor was of Iraqi descent but was raised...
My Perfect Wedding
When I was a young girl, I never really dreamed about having a big church wedding like many girls do. I don't know why. Maybe it was because I was never a real frilly girlie-girl, growing up as the only girl in a household of four lively brothers. ...
The Stoning of Soraya M
The Stoning of Soraya M is a powerful movie based on a best-selling book that leaves the viewer in utter disbelief that something like this true story could actually happen in real life. That supposedly pious men can get away with such barbaric beha...
Captain Kabob Interviewed on American Bedu
My 16 year old son Adam, whose alter-ego is Captain Kabob, has been interviewed by my friend and fellow blogger Carol, over at American Bedu. Carol's blog is amazing. It is your virtual "Everything You Wanted to Know About Saudi Arabia, But Were Afra...
UPDATE: CoolRed and the Gang
IT'S GOOD NEWS, FOLKS! Blogger CoolRed and her children are on their way to the United States, according to the blog Future Husbands and Wives of Saudis.Thanks to the help of many generous donors during this Ramadan season, CoolRed raised the funds n...
Ramadan Kareem
Ramadan will be starting very soon. That's the month out of every year when all Muslims fast from sunrise until sundown. Because it is so difficult to fast during the daytime in the extreme heat of Saudi Arabia, many people here reverse their days ...
The Things We Do For Love
A few short days ago, I was sitting outside on the deck of my brother's home in America's lovely Pacific Northwest enjoying the cool summer breeze caressing my face. His home has a beautiful view of the shimmering blue waters of Colvos Passage and be...
From Hugging to a Handshake to Hello
When I first arrived in Saudi Arabia in October of 2007, I met many of my husband's family for the first time. There were many nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles to meet, and honestly I still don't think I have met even half of my husband's e...
Under the Sea Restaurant
I recently had the pleasure of enjoying dinner at the Under the Sea Restaurant in Jeddah. I was part of a group of about 25 ex-pat wives and we were treated to a special buffet dinner which is available for groups only. The Under the Sea Restaurant i...
That Old Black Magic
Magic carpet rides. Open Sesame! Genies that appear in a puff of smoke to grant you three wishes when you rub the magic lamp. Abra Cadabra! These thoughts conjure up images of the exotic lands of Arabia. Despite all those childhood visions I had of ...
Widowed in Saudi Arabia, Part 4
This is Part 4 of a 4-part series. Click here for Part 1. It’s not easy being married to someone from a totally different country, culture, and religion. And it’s certainly not easy to leave your family behind and move to your spouse's homeland...
Widowed in Saudi Arabia, Part 3
This is Part 3 of a 4-part series. Click here for Part 1. Asima’s husband had been happiest at home in their garden, so she and her children planted a tree in their courtyard in his honor, so the children could remember him in the peaceful place t...
Widowed in Saudi Arabia, Part 2
This is Part 2 of a 4-part series. Click here for Part 1. The night that Abdul died, Asima left the hospital with her kids after a particularly horrifying episode their dad had from the side effects of his treatment. The following morning, Abdul...
Widowed in Saudi Arabia - Part 1
This is Part 1 of a 4-part series.This is the true story of a young British woman who fell in love and got married to the man of her dreams, only to have her dreams shattered into an unimaginable nightmare when she became widowed in Saudi Arabia. H...
Riding Horses in Arabia
Although there are many things that women cannot do here in Saudi Arabia, horseback riding is not one of them. Private equestrian centers are places where women are free to take off their abayas and uncover their hair. I would imagine that this is ...
Still She Smiles
We first saw her at Burger King. She was sitting alone at a table in the family section, with no family in sight. We sat down at the table right next to her. We smiled at each other and she chomped a tiny mouthful of her giant Whopper sandwich which...
Shopping Malls of Jeddah
One of the few things that women can do here in Saudi Arabia outside the home is shop. Consequently Jeddah is bursting at the seams with the newest craze in the whole shopping experience: "destination malls." Saudi Arabia is a shopper's paradise. ...
Hot Flashes
It's the middle of January and I'm still hot. Not as hot as spring, summer, or fall, that's for sure, but I just don't find the weather in the winter as cool here in Jeddah as everyone else seems to. Maybe it's just that the older I get the less tole...
Talking to a Wall
Hubby just got back from a trip he took with his brother "A" up to a small town in northern Saudi Arabia about 800 km away from Jeddah called Diba or Duba, or something like that. Trying to get information out of my husband - a man of very few words ...
Celebrity Sighting and Cultural Clash
We rolled into Madinah just as the sun was setting. I immediately liked the place. For some reason I just felt comfortable there. I loved the drive there - the farther we got from Jeddah, the more mountainous the terrain became. Groves of date pa...
Like a Sister
My sister-in-law H is really good about including me in her plans. Spunky H is married to one of Adnan's brothers. She drags me along to most of her activities, like weddings, her family's get togethers, shopping, and other outings. And I must adm...
Weekend Getaway on the Red Sea
Last month we took a lovely weekend getaway out of town for my birthday, for three days and two nights, in a beautiful resort on the Red Sea north of Jeddah in an area called Obhur. (Weekends here in Saudi Arabia fall on Thursday and Friday). Our v...
Update: Family in Crisis
Several months ago, I wrote about the family that I tutor. The mother of the family had left the home - she and her husband were apparently having some marital problems. The five daughters were obviously upset as their world was turned upside down ...
