Yanbu Flower Festival - March 2014

Hello family and friends,

     Well, where to begin. It has been a while since my last update, so I will do my best to catch you all up quickly. Since I last wrote, I went home to Florida in late October to get my work visa. Brenda and I took a week and spent it in Asheville, NC. We stayed overnight in Savannah, GA and walked around downtown a bit before hitting the road towards NC. When booking our trip we found this great lttle hidden gem called Willow Winds of Asheville. We had a wonderful cabin right near the Blue Ridge Parkway and the hiking trail called Sea to Mountain trail. We visited and did many interesting things, like gem mining, horseback riding at the Biltmore Estate, a behind the scenes Architectural tour of the Biltmore Estate, and cappped the trip off by visiting the Omni Grove Park Inn for snacks...and so Brenda could try and catch a glimpse of Sarah Palin, who by the way was there celebrating Billy Grahams 95th birthday bash. We were sad to leave Asheville and very much look forward to a return trip in the near future.
     After leaving North Carolina, we made our way to Jacksonville, Florida to pick up our little man for a week with us at Universal Parks in Orlando, Florida. We had booked a room at the Hard Rock Resort on the property and spent several days in all of the parks and enjoying a few of the rides. I'm pretty sure Brandon enjoyed it all more than we did, but hey, it was all about him. We spent our last day at the hotel and rented a cabana by the pool for the day. It was a nice relaxing day!
     Once back home from all the relaxing trips, it was time to start packing for Saudi. Our trips and packing for Saudi was overshadowed by the death of a family member. Our sweetest and loving cat Zinnie had been having seizures and we made the tough decision that any parent hates to make. She had a bad seizure Saturday morning and we took her to the vet, said our goodbyes and held her while she went to sleep one last time. Hardest thing in the world but she isnt in pain anymore and she lived a full life, 20 years to be exact. Loved her to peices...whew! Enough of that.
     So not a whole lot has been going on here since I returned to Saudi. Winters to say the least are non existent. I put a light jacket on twice. I've enjoyed fishing and snorkling on the Red Sea. There are some of the most beautiful coral systems here and I look forward to taking some underwater photos and posting here soon.
    So now for the title of this blog. The Yanbu Flower Fesitval for 2014 started a few days ago. I had a chance to go by today after work and take a few photos. Here's a link for a story from The Pennisula Times. www.peninsulatimes.org 
     My photos are below for your enjoyment, until next time.

 

 

The Sacrifice

Where to begin...this journey, unlike many others, has a great reward and many sacrifices that I wanted to share.

"The Great Reward"

In two years time I will have earned six plus years worth of my previous salary. I will have gained valuable overseas work experience and best of all, Brenda and I will be completely out of debt. 

Now we have all heard that there's no such thing as a "get rich quick" scheme. We have to work hard and if we follow some basic rules of managing the money that God so graciously allows us to manage, then we have a future that will be rich indeed. The legacy I want to leave my children is one of learning from their mistakes. Because my mistakes are exactly that, mine. They will make their own and by Gods good grace learn from them. I want to leave an example of how I humbled myself before Him, allowed the biblically based financial teachings of one Mr. Dave Ramsey to penetrate my stubbornness and heart. I wanted and desired to have a life without chains. Sure I was free of the chains of death and sin by Christ's death and blood on the cross. But I was a slave to debt and it was my time to break free. It was my time to stand up and shout no more, it was my time to say I will lead my family out of this bondage and teach my children to do the same. To cherish the freedom from sin and death and not become slaves to the things of this world. I will, I will, I will!

This journey is not a get rich quick one at all. Sure it's only two years, but this note today is about the sacrifice required during those two years that define the journey. 

"The Sacrifice"

The most obvious thing is that I had to move over seven thousand miles away. Why, because that is where the job was. The distance is one thing, but thank God for modern technology. We have Skype, email, Facebook, and many other ways to stay in touch and see each other to ease the weight on the heart from the distance. The sacrifice is that the Internet here is sketchy and unreliable. I spent my first two months unable to Skype with Brenda until I found a service provider that so far has been a cut above the rest. The other sacrifice is that friends and family will pass away. Birthdays, anniversaries, and holidays will come and go. The holidays will be hard because they don't celebrate as we do in the US. The weather here is tolerable so not a big sacrifice there. The road driving conditions are horrible and the drivers are rude, inconsiderate, and downright unsafe to say the least. The biggest sacrifice is the time away from my wife. She is my best friend and we, for the most part, did everything together and wanted to be at each other's side. She brightened my days and I know that her being in my life was and is truly a miracle. True love does exist and I am a better man because of her faith in God. It is her that I miss the most. It is my love for her that brought me here. It is the hope of a better future for her and my children that continues to give me strength. 

No great reward ever comes without sacrifice. Our Lord and Savior is the perfect example of this. He paid the ultimate sacrifice so that we, through faith, could receive that reward. My sacrifice is small in comparison and I am thankful for the opportunity and privilege to be living it. 

Remember, in order to live like nobody else, we must first choose to live like nobody else. The road to freedom isn't easy, but once we are through the dark, we will bask in the light. 

Monday-Six plus Weeks in KSA, Ramadan

This past month has proved to be challenging. Mainly because from the first week of July through the end if the first week of August it is Ramadan. What is Ramadan you ask, well the following is from Wikipedia...

Ramadan (Arabic: رمضان Ramaḍān, IPA: [rɑmɑˈdˤɑːn];^[variations] Persian: رمضانRamazān; Urdu: رمضان Ramzān; Turkish: Ramazan) is the ninth month of the Islamic calendar;^[1] Muslims worldwide observe this as a month of fasting.^[2][3] This annual observance is regarded as one of the Five Pillars of Islam.^[4] The month lasts 29–30 days based on the visual sightings of the crescent moon, according to numerous biographical accounts compiled in the hadiths.^[5][6] The word Ramadan comes from the Arabic root ramiḍa or ar-ramaḍ, which means scorching heat or dryness.^[7] Fasting isfard "obligatory" for adult Muslims, except those who are ill, traveling, pregnant,breastfeeding, diabetic or going through menstrual bleeding.^[8]

While fasting from dawn until sunset, Muslims refrain from consuming food, drinking liquids, smoking, and engaging in sexual relations; in some interpretations they also refrain from swearing. Food and drink is served daily, before sunrise and after sunset.^[9][10] According to Islam, the thawab (rewards) of fasting are many, but in this month they are believed to be multiplied.^[11] Fasting for Muslims during Ramadan typically includes the increased offering of salat (prayers) and recitation of theQuran.^[12]

That my friends was the official definition. I will take a moment to give you the real world, or should I say here in KSA definition. Shops, grocery stores, gas stations, banks and pretty much all businesses are open for only a few hours in the mornings of weekdays Saturday through Thursday. They all close at 12:00 pm for the remainder of the day and do not open again until late into the evening. Late by the way, is 10:30 pm and they are usually open until 03:30 am for business and or shopping to be done. This for a Westerner can prove quite the challenge; you must carefully plan your shopping and other business needs for the month. The majority of my grocery shopping has been done on either Thursday or Friday nights around midnight. 

Now for me, and my wife Brenda can attest to this, I am a 9:00 pm, winding down, ready for bed kind of man. This schedule has totally disrupted my routine, but thank The Lord it's almost over. It's also only been disruptive one day a week because I plan my shopping night the day before my weekend so I at least have the opportunity to sleep in the next day. 

Enough about that subject. I am still praying and hoping that in the next week or two I will receive notification from HR to return to the US for my work visa processing. Of course it's just my luck that now we are In a travel alert status to and from the Mid-East and Northern Africa regions. Thanks Al-Qaeda. With that said, I most likely wont receive any notification until after this alert is lifted. I ask for all of your prayers to continue for me and I appreciate all of the prayers thus far. 

Take care my friends.

Until next time,

Larry

Happy 7 Year's Anniversary

     Let me preface this by saying, I never knew what a real marriage was. I came from parents who had their fair share of divorces and even a few other people's share as well. I failed miserably at love, relationships, and marriage. Why, because I was not yet a man in the sense of maturity and knowing what true love is. True love is loving and meeting the needs of your mate with no regard or thought of what's in it for me. It's being happy, sad, angry, frustrated, and at your wits end; but knowing in all of that, your love will persevere. It's taking the good with the bad and not complaining over the bad and being thankful for the good. It's laying down one's life for his friend, it's conquering all because that's what love does, and love is the greatest of all the fruits of the spirit. 

     So here we are, many thousands of miles apart, and my love for you has grown stronger with each passing day. The sacrifice we are making now, matters little when we have a vision of our future and God guiding and directing our paths. You and I have so much to look forward to after these two short years are through. And I am so looking forward to the next seven years with you and more as we live debt free and blessed beyond what we deserve. 

     With all of that being said, I love you more than you could ever imagine. I love your smile; especially how excited you get when talking to me on Skype. I love that you saw the better man in me and I love that you encourage me to continue growing as a husband, father and as a Godly man. I love the beauty of you both inside and out. Mostly, I love that you love me in spite of my faults. 

     Happy anniversary Mrs. Brenda Hersey. I miss you deeply. You are my lobster, my world, and my love. Talk to you later tonight on Skype. 

Always and forever yours,

Friday-Three Weeks in KSA

    Well here I am, three weeks down and heading into week four. Life here can be challenging to say the least. Internet service is not the best and trial and error is the best course to find a service that you are happy with. I currently have Mobily which is 4G, but the only available top speed or Mbps is 4. That's right folks I said 4 Mbps. So you can imagine my frustration when attempting to stream a movie. Buffering, buffering, buffering, and more buffering. You are lucky to get through a 2 hour movie in under 3 hours. I found a Internet service through Saudi Telecom or STC that offers 100 Mbps and plan to give it a try tomorrow. I'm praying it provides me with what I need for entertainment since the local television is mostly Arabic, did I mention I don't speak Arabic. Any-who, they do offer a provider that gives you premium channels in English for a premium price. I think I'll just stick to streaming. 

    On the other side of things, the weather here is extremely hot, like the last few days its been between 108 and 113 degrees with humidity making it feel like 121 to 127 degrees. Every afternoon comes with storms. Now hold on, these aren't the storms you are thinking of. No, not thunder, lightning, and wonderful, wet, cool rain. These are sand storms, dry, dusty, and will peel the flesh off your skin if exposed too long. If you need exfoliating every day, then this is the place for you. 

    The above picture says it all, this was a milder area we passed through on our way to the big town of Jeddah for some shopping and fun. Lots of pretty desert scenery and the occasional camel or two makes for a interesting ride. I'll post pictures of camels later. It was hard to take while speeding by at speeds in excess of 120 km/h, you do the math. I think we were at speeds of 160 km/h most of the trip. Just so you know, 120 km/h is the max speed, there is no minimum, anywhere. School zones, residential areas, wherever. If you can hit it, you can drive it without being stopped. Stopping at stop signs is purely suggestive and red lights are ran frequently. One must pause for a second longer to make sure there are no oncoming cars approaching your intersection fast. This would work great if you didn't have another car attached to your bumper and blowing the horn the second the light turns green, it's the weirdest thing, they love their horns here. Btw, these are all men drivers too, Lol!

    With all of that said, I have made a few good friends here and we spend most of our time off hanging out or shopping together. There's a group of guys from the Philippines that I hang with. All married with  wives and children back home so we all have this in common. Here's a photo of three of us, my new kaibigans or friends in Jeddah at the Mall of Arabia. Wonderful mall by the way, tons of shops and very good people watching. 

    Towards the end of this past week I developed a bad sinus infection and slight cold. The good news is all you have to do here if its minor issues is go to the local pharmacy, because they don't carry medicine of any kind in the stores, and tell them what's wrong. They give you the meds. you need and you pay for it. No doctor visit or prescription required. I am day two into my antibiotics and I'm hoping to feel better with these two days of rest soon. I honestly believe it was my old flat they had me in. The A/C didn't work well, the flat had a musky odor to it, and because of the A/C issue it was a balmy 86 degrees all the time. My new flat is much nicer, on the second floor which means less stairs to climb, especially when bringing home groceries. There is an elevator system in the building, but it doesn't work. Fire alarm system is inoperable as well. So yes, there are some challenges with the living situation. But overall, very comfortable, I have a decent sized kitchen, bath, large living/dining area, and huge master bedroom with king sized bed. Here's a photo of the bedroom and furniture. 

    Well, I hope everyone is well back in the States. Take care my friends and I will talk to you all again soon. I am living like nobody else, so later, I can live like nobody else. 

Love you all, 

Larry

Sunday-Two Days in KSA

First let me preface this by saying what a long trip over. Total flight time with layovers was over 27 hours and I had been awake for the majority of that time. Sure, I tried to sleep on the plane; but with the occasional turbulence and screaming or crying children plus the fact that at nearly 6'2" I am in coach the entire Trans Atlantic flight and domestic flight from Jeddah to Yanbu. 

So last night I broke down and took a Advil PM to assit my body, or should I say trick it into sleep. After all at 10 PM here it's only 3 PM back in good ole Florida. So you can imagine the internal clock struggle taking place. With that said I awoke this morning rested and feeling a little better about the day I was getting ready to face at work. That's right I said work. Sat is my Mon while here in KSA and that is going to take some getting used to as well. 

Today was a good day at work. I supervised the pouring of 104 cubic meters of concrete for the foundations of the building A at the new Saudi Arabia Men's University. It was 38 degrees Celsius or 101 for us Fahrenheit folks. Dry heat here, so not unbearable, but I have to contend with a lot, and I mean a lot of dust and afternoon sand storms. Looks like I need to invest in some Under Armour hoods to block out that dust; silica kills you know. 

T-20 Hours and Counting

Well folks it's about that time. As the title states, it is less than 24 hours away from my flight out of the Sunshine state with a 7 hour layover in DC. Then at 6:00 PM EST, I board Saudi Air and begin the trek over to Jeddah Saudi Arabia. I have a 5 hour layover in Jeddah then board my final flight aborad Saudi Air to Yanbu. I arrive in Yanbu at 8:05 local time or 1:05 PM EST on Friday the 21st of June.
The photo above by the way, is the seat I have to rough it in during my flight over to Jeddah from DC. Should make for an interesting night.