From Tennessee To Texas to Saudi Arabia

So I got a week off after working for a week. I went to work for one day last week, Thursday. Then the weekend.

I watched all of Peaky Blinders, tried to watch Ascension but quit, watched Wayward Pines and regretted it, then I got into the sports channels we have. There is always cricket, soccer, rugby or golf on. Usually 3 channels of cricket. MLB occasionally. The other night I saw a sport I had never even heard of – kabbadi. And not amateur kabbadi. This was honest to goodness Pro Kabbadi. I was rather entranced by it.

I made a trip to the mall and finally got to see the majority of the stores open. There are a lot of clothing stores, watches and perfume. There is a Sun and Sand Sports store, and I picked up 2 squash racquets and 2 squash balls. I spent some time hitting, and it’s quite different from racquetball. I’m still trying to reserve judgement at this point and hope to find someone that knows how to play. Watching youtube videos and playing are two totally different things. I visited Saco, which is basically a Super Ace Hardware. Lots of Ace branded tools and accessories, but also plenty of home furnishings and outdoor equipment. It’s kinda the catch-all store in the mall.

I’ve picked up a few things that seem to be very popular here, just based on shelf space. The first was “Spreadable Cream Cheese.” This stuff came in every jar size imaginable, and occupied at least 1/5th of an entire row. Meh. Nothing to write home about. Except I kinda just did write home about it. Anyway…

The second and more successful attempt was Halva. Or Halawa.

This stuff was pretty good. Tahini (sesame seed paste) and sugar. I ate some plain, but then had some with a few mandarin orange slices. It’s good, and I look forward to finding new ways to use it. Similar to a crumbly peanut butter texture.

Spent some time out on the basketball court. Definitely gonna need Cade here to give the Ketron name some respect on the courts. Pizza Hut pizza party tonight, every Monday. This will be the first time I’ve had food from back home. It’s been a steady diet of rice and chicken and fish and rice and rice and lamb.

Things will pick up here on the blog when I have my own wheels. I’ll be out and about and getting more pictures. Look forward to keeping everyone up to date. I should have the iqama within a few days, and the rental car will be the 3rd item on the list, after cell phone and bank account.