UNEXPECTED

There are still things that surprise me here in Saudi Arabia - things that are totally unexpected. One would think that nothing would surprise me any more at my age.

Many people would be surprised to learn that Saudi women 

like to wear bright colors and prints at home.

 Sorry I haven't been visiting blogs - I'm busy packing to leave by the end of this month. I'll no longer be living here in Saudi Arabia and will just return in the future for short visits. So I'll be discontinuing my regular blogging soon.  

I've really enjoyed making friends all over the world through blogging and would like to thank you for your interest and questions about the country I have called home for the past 15 years.  It's been quite an adventure!  Much love and best wishes to you all! 

WEEKEND ROUNDUP - LETTER "U"

STARTS WITH "U" - UNUSUAL - MACHINE GUN KEYCHAINS AT A 5 RIYAL STORE

"UNDER" AN UMBRELLA - VENDORS IN THE SUN

A FAVORITE - "UNEXPECTED" IN A LINGERIE SHOP

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LINKING TO - THE WEEKEND ROUNDUP

FRIDAY BLISS

 

A TRIP TO THE 5 RIYAL STORE

WE WENT TO THIS 5 RIYAL STORE NORTH OF JEDDAH.  5 RIYALS = $1.25 US

I ALWAYS LOOK FOR PRODUCTS WITH ARABIC WRITING ON THEM.  PILLBOXES IN ARABIC

WE GOT THIS KIND

COFFEE MUGS WITH ARABIC SCRIPT

THIS WAS A SURPRISE FIND I COULDN'T RESIST.  

I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A HIPPIE!

LINKING TO -  OUR WORLD TUESDAY

TUESDAY'S TREASURES

MY CORNER OF THE WORLD

SOUVENIRS

ALL SEASONS

PICTORIAL TUESDAY

 

Random Misspellings

Just some random misspellings I've seen recently here in Jeddah -
on cookie labels in a supermarket ...

on a business "opening" sign ...

and on a "refreshing" moist towelette given to me in a restaurant.

Saudi Arabia - Winter Decor

I'm always surprised when I see items like these in shops here in Saudi Arabia...

Misspellings and Awkward Grammar in Saudi Arabia

Having had Miss Mahoney, the best ever English teacher in middle school, plus being married to an English major, I am very attuned to misspellings and grammatical errors that I see here on menus, signs, and products.  This post contains a few photos of English missteps that I found amusing. 

Aside from never before seeing baby eels sold in a jar,  I chuckled when I noticed that this product label actually misspelled the main ingredient of "eels" as "ells."

This t-shirt sported a very awkward sounding phrase - "You don't yourself have to prove" - which sounded like something Yoda from Star Wars would say...

Below is a case of bad spelling on the actual sign for the business, where "Shoes" is spelled as "Shose."  It bothered my husband so much that he went inside to point it out to the manager, who was already aware of the faux pas.

Saudi Arabia - The Unexpected

Saudi Arabia is a dry country - and by that I mean alchohol is strictly forbidden by law.  That's why it's always surprising to come across products such as this - a set of glass beer mugs, with graphics on the packaging clearly showing bubbly golden colored beer with a foam head.  The set of two mugs can be yours for the low low price of only 5 riyals, which is about $1.25 US. 

I thought this would be a good post for today since it is my birthday.  Cheers! 

Saudi Arabia Interior Store Sign

Well, they managed to spell the word "section" correctly 2 out of 3 times on this sign inside a big department store in Jeddah...

Laugh

Sometimes I'm still taken aback by the odd things I see here in Saudi Arabia after being here for 10 years already.  I had to do a double take when I saw this black and white striped pre-teen jumpsuit in a big department store - but if you look closely, the pretty red rose patch on the top actually says "Love Kills."  Why on earth would someone make a garment for tweens that says "Love Kills"?  I definitely thought it was a pretty good laugh.

City Daily Photo is an online community of photo bloggers that share images of life in their cities around the world.  The first of every month is Theme Day for City Daily Photo bloggers.  This month's theme is "Laugh."

Please visit the City Daily Photo portal to view other participants' entries for today's theme day.

Jeddah Building with Plant Wall

Jeddah has some very interesting architecture, ranging from ultra modern glass buildings of unusual shapes to very European style to elegant and classic.  I have to admit I've never before seen a building like this one anywhere else, with a large vertical garden of shrubs and grasses planted on the front side of the structure.  I think it's pretty fascinating.

Odd Business Name - for Saudi Arabia

Scotch & Soda has been in business since 1985 and is a clothing chain with over 160 stores worldwide. Headquartered in Amsterdam, their quality clothing can be found in major department stores and independent shops as well as online.

With alcohol strictly forbidden in this country, it's a little jarring to see a shop with this name here in Saudi Arabia.  

OurWorld: In the Driver's Seat

While women won't be officially allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia until June of this year, men and underage boys continue to get away with unsafe and illegal driving habits.  In Saudi Arabia it is not unusual to see toddlers sitting on Dad's lap while he's driving, or boys too young to get a driver's license behind the wheel.  Does Dad realize that any small impact will release the safety airbag and his child will likely be killed by that? I do hope that once women actually do start driving here that these shocking and foolish habits will disappear.



Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.   

Our World: Saudi Arabia - Unexpected

Although I've lived in Saudi Arabia for 9 years now, there are still many things that seem contrary to the culture or the religion, or certainly to the reputation of this ultra religious country.  I think I would probably be miffed if I saw this display in a mall shop's window in the USA, but to see it in Saudi Arabia was, well,  jaw-dropping.

 

Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Jeddah Unusual Entrance

I see some rather strange looking structures at times here in Jeddah and today's post features one of them.  I really don't believe this unusual structure actually leads to anything.  Maybe it's a small storage room or something.  I just don't know.  

Jeddah Villa: Unusual Architecture

This is a villa in Jeddah with very unusual architectural details.  From the outer gate to the two story entryway, I don't think I have ever seen another design like this one.  

Our World: Incense Burner and Cannons

An unlikely pairing of an oversized incense burner and a pair of cannons decorate the sidewalk outside a local business in Jeddah.




Be sure to visit OUR WORLD TUESDAY, where family-friendly bloggers share a unique glimpse into what life is like all around our ever-amazing planet.

Half a Car on a Truck

This was rather a weird site on the streets of Jeddah one day...

Saudi Arabia: Outside Prayer Area

The presence of Islam is felt everywhere in this country.  People of other religions are not allowed to openly practice their religions.  To say that there are mosques on every street corner might be exaggerating slightly, but not much.  Even out in the middle of nowhere, there are places provided for Muslims to worship.  This little place for prayer has no walls or roof and a dirt floor.  It is completely out in the open and in the middle of nowhere.  There are many similar structures in underdeveloped areas of Saudi Arabia. 

Jeddah: Mechanical Bull

A mechanical bull is not something one might expect to see in a place like Saudi Arabia.  But this one exists in the Iceland Mall on the corner of Sultan and Batterjee Streets.  I've never seen it in operation though...

Baby in the Window

I love taking photos of doors here in Jeddah, so oftentimes as we are zooming by in the car I just point my camera out the car window and click away.  It's not until I get home and put the photos up on the computer screen that I discover what surprising images I may have captured.  This was one of them.  The diapered baby standing in the window of this apartment building was a total surprise.