The trip that started out in Gray, Tennessee has passed through Knoxville, Lake Jackson, Kingsport and Lake Jackson Part Deux. We traveled from SPS to UT to Dow to Eastman and back to Dow. We had 3 join us at various locations throughout the journey. One in Gray, the second in Knoxville, and the final one was our native Texan. He was our anchor baby, the one who made it feel like we had a legitimate claim to call Texas home.
We wanted to see the world…to leave East Tennessee for lands unknown. That is what lead us to Texas. Tumbleweeds, Lonesome Dove and 10 gallon hats. Instead we found sprawling oaks, Gators and trucks. We fell in love with Lake Jackson, a community that was basically a company town even 75 years after they built the place. We made new friends, found new vacation spots and spent a lot of our time focusing on each other.
Then the hitchhikers grew up. Well, they’re still growing up, but every parent knows the feel of looking up one day and wondering when the first words turn into the first steps, followed by the first day of kindergarten and then unexpectedly the last dance recital, the first born becoming the first high school graduate. We then realized there was plenty of world left to see, and we wanted everyone to be a part of it.
It’s a long process to get a job in Saudi Arabia. The family discussions happened well before the move becomes a reality. There was grown up talk, wondering how the kids would react. Then there was the decision to test the waters. Submitting application after application. Finally having a recruiter contact you with an opportunity that was everything you were looking for. Interviewing. Offering. Then having the family discussion. Accepting. Then the real work began.
Arabic is a tough language to learn. According to some, second only to Mandarin. A new alphabet that must be learned before vocabulary is even considered. The reams of documents to collect and submit to the recruiter never seemed to shrink, and then one day we realized we were down to the last document. Things got real, real fast. Trepidation was the word of the day. Were we really considering moving the whole family to the Middle East? Absolutely.
From Tennessee To Texas to Saudi Arabia 