A Trip to the Fish Market

One of the benefits to living overseas is the opportunity to experience some aspects of daily life of the local culture. We live in Eastern Saudi Arabia on the Arabian Gulf (otherwise known as the Persian Gulf). Right now is shrimp season so we've been a few times to the local fish market to purchase shrimp. I love shrimp and order it whenever possible in a restaurant, but I had never cooked it before. You can find anything on the Internet, so we found a few recipes and have had fun (and delicious meals) experimenting in the kitchen. This is how we spent the morning last Thursday - the weekend.

This is an open market - meaning that literally, the doors and windows are open. With the outside temperature at 40 celsius / 105 fahrenheit, it keeps boys busy hauling in wheelbarrows full of ice.

The fish mongers were very proud to display their wares to me...and they all wanted to have their picture taken...with their fish.

Of course shrimp is what we went for. Brian bargained with the vendor and got a good deal (since we are proving to be good customers). Yesterday we purchased 15kg of shrimp to freeze since the shrimp season is winding down.

Bargaining for the best shrimp - quality and size, at the best price is part of the experience. Once purchased, we hired young men to shuck our 15 kg of shrimp. We froze bags for future dinners and then Brian will have the pleasure of de-veining them later. Lucky him!

I made friends with this fish-monger. He was a good sport about having his picture taken, as were all the men working and shopping there. (I was the only woman in sight). I loved his outfit - traditional Saudi clothing but gum boots in place of sandals. He was fast at his trade.

Here is one of our newly-discovered favourite recipes:



Shrimp Pasta:
1 lb shrimp - peeled & deveined
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp Tabasco sauce
1 Tbsp garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup tomato - diced
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 cup green onions - chopped
3 cups chicken broth
1 lb vermicelli or linguini
1/2 cup parmesan cheese - grated
In a non-stick frying pan, saute the onion in olive oil for approximately 4 minutes. Add garlic & stir. Add thyme, cayenne, peppers and basil. Cook on low for 5 minutes more. Add everything else except pasta, shrimp & cheese. Cook over low heat for about 30 minutes or until liquid is reduced. In another frying pan, saute the shrimp in some butter and garlic until three-quarters cooked. Add onion & garlic mixture and cook an additional 2 minutes. Add cooked pasta and toss well with grated cheese. Serve hot in a shallow bowl.

You're all invited for dinner!!!

Happy Birthday Allison

Then & Now

It was 27 years ago today that you finally decided to arrive - almost 3 weeks late! I had gone to the hospital the day before to be induced (again) and this time they didn't send me home when you were still stubborn about not coming into this world. They sent your father home to sleep though - to two anxiously waiting grandmas-to-be....and told me to get some sleep. Ha! I was too excited, and anxious. Finally the next day at 2:22pm you made your appearance.

People told us your full head of jet-black hair would fall out, but it never did. We were told your bright blue eyes would likely change colour, but they remained vibrant. Friends console new Moms for lack of sleep with the night-time feedings, but you slept through the night the first night home and every night thereafter. You were a beautiful baby and I loved being a new mother. Everywhere we went, strangers used to stop me to comment on how beautiful you were.

Now here you are 27 years later. It was your hair that changed colour, your eyes are still a crystal blue, and you occassionally wake up in the night (but that's because you're the Mom). When we are together strangers don't stop to tell me how beautiful you are...but they would if they really knew you. Your beauty is in your character, as well as your looks. I'm so very proud of you, just as I always have been. I'm grateful to be your Mom.

Happy Birthday Allison!

Memories to Memoirs

Yesterday I gave a presentation at the Dhahran Women's Group titled Memories to Memoirs. The DWG is the oldest interest group in our community, 62 years old, and many of the other community organizations, such as quilt guild and Adult Education, are spinoffs from it. It is an active organization focused on meeting the needs of women through interest groups, social, educational & cultural activities, outings and much more. At the weekly Monday morning meetings we have cultural presentations, cooking demonstrations, and speakers on a wide variety of topics. Our members represent over 50 countries!

Last fall I gave a presentation on beginning genealogy titled "Discover Your Roots" and enough interest followed that we formed a genealogy interest group which met twice a month. In the presentation yesterday I shared a variety of creative ways to record our life stories in the categories of written, oral, with photos and multi-media. It was well received and I enjoyed doing it. Next month I'll help to organize the Newcomers morning for those ladies who have recently arrived here and have lots of questions.

Hot & Humid

Often we are asked about the weather here in Saudi Arabia. And of course the obvious answer is that it's hot, but the humidity factor might surprise you. Yesterday morning I was at the gym and noticed several buckets and bunches of paper towels strategically placed around the exercise equipment. Well it hasn't come close to raining here in over 6 months, but yet the ceiling was leaking! The problem - condensation!

I came home to do a little research and I think you'll find this interesting. But first, I took a few photos of our windows to show the condensation effects we experience in the summer heat.

The following paragraphs attempt to explain the type of heat we experience here.

Heat index

Heat index combines air temperature and relative humidity in an attempt to determine the human-perceived equivalent temperature — how hot it feels. This is like “wind-chill index” which combines air temperature and wind speed.

The human body normally cools itself by sweating, which evaporates and carries heat away from the body. However, when the relative humidity is high, evaporation is reduced, so cooling is diminished. Measurements have been taken based on how hot subjects feel for a given temperature and humidity, allowing an index to be made which corresponds to a temperature and humidity combination, called heat index.

At temperatures above 20 °C (68 °F), perceived temperature (heat index) is greatly influenced by relative humidity. However, relative humidity decreases as temperature rises, but increases as temperature falls.

For those of us living in Dhahran, this makes the question of “How hot is it?” a very complicated question.

Climate of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
From Wikipedia

Dhahran’s climate is characterized by extremely hot, humid summers, and cool winters. Temperatures can rise to more than 50 °C (120 °F) in the summer, coupled with extreme humidity (85-100 per cent), given the city’s proximity to the Persian Gulf. Dhahran holds the record for the highest dew point ever recorded in the world. On July 8th, 2003 the dew point was 95 °F (35 °C). The air temperature at the time was 108 °F (42 °C) giving a heat index of 172 °F (78 °C). It also holds the record for the highest temperature recorded in the country - 124 °F (51 °C). In winter, the temperature rarely falls below 2 °C (36 °F) or 3 °C (37 °F), with rain falling mostly between the months of November and May. The Shamal winds usually blow across the city in the early months of the summer, bringing dust storms that can reduce visibility to a few metres. These winds can last for up to three months.

Science Experiment

Scientific Question: How hot is hot?

Hypothesis: It's very hot!.

Data Collection & Observation: (in fehrenheit and celcius , so all our friends can comprehend)

Notice the difference the humidity makes - the increase from actual temperature to what it feels like!

Conclusion: Dhahran is Extremely Hot!

So there's the in-depth answer to what is the weather like here....But don't forget to carry a sweater because the air-conditioning is also extreme!

Our Home

So I've decided it's time to join my blogging family. (You're next David.) I'll start with sharing a bit about where we live. It's called Dhahran, Saudi Arabia - that's in the Eastern Province, located on the Arabian Gulf (or the Persian Gulf as you may know it).

These are typical streets on our compound. It's truly an oasis in the desert.

Below is our street, just in front of our house.

Dhahran is a self-contained town of about 10,000 people. Inside the outer security gates is the outer core where you find the offices, community centre, grocery store, laundromats, fire station, hospital and clinics, etc. Inside another set of ring of security gates are the residential areas with schools, and recreational facilities, including softball and soccer fields, horseback riding areas, swimming pools and an 18-hole golf course. There are two areas - Main Camp and The Hills. We live in The Hills, but don't be confused, it's really lower elevation than Main Camp.

Here is our house. There are several styles of housing and each family is assigned a house based on family size, not position in the company. We live in an adobe. Because David was here and Jennifer still counted in the official family status, we have a 3-bedroom home and are very comfortable. People paint and decorate to customize their homes.

But this is the heart of the home for me. Brian calls it 'Command Central' - my office. It's located in the kitchen area so I'm close to everything I need - kitchen, laundry and computer. It's where I spend most of my time.