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| Not too big, and not too small...just nice ~! |
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| Front view, with the mosque a short walk away~! |
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| Main living room~! |
Ahlan wasahlan!
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| dining area...ready to entertain~! |
To our guests from near and far. It will be our pleasure to host our friends and guests, and now that we no longer live in a compound, we can receive drop-in guests without the hassle of going through security check points. We are now living like locals - free and easy.
Okey, I will share some of the 'teething' problems we have to face (and faced them patiently we did!)
...On our first night in this new house, the water supply was disrupted! The taps went dry. If we were living in the compound, all we needed to do was to dial the maintenance office number!
Now on our own, we didn't know what to do.
So we packed our towels, a few blankets and pillows and drove back to the empty house we have just left behind.
We have now resolved the water problem, after a Saudi friend helped us to get a tanker to deliver water and also a technician to repair the water pump motor!
...On the second day, there was water pouring from the AC in the master bedroom. The condensor went awry. Again, we called one of our Saudi friends and asked for his help to call an AC technician!
...On the third day while I was at work 200km away from home, my wife Lil called to report she was locked outside the house. When we were living in the compound, she had done that many times but she just walked to the reception to get a spare key. Now? It meant that she had to call one of our Saudi friends (yet again) to find a locksmith!
Those were three examples. There have been a few more! By far, dry tap was our biggest challenge.
Upon reflection, I am inclined to believe that the reason I have taken a long time before feeling comfortable living as a local, is because I need to know that I have local Saudi friends who I can call upon for help should something go wrong.
Now, we know we have such friends.
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| Spacious kitchen~! |
It has taken us more than five years living in Saudi before we are confident to live independently on our own. After one week outside, and even after having gone through some of the teething problems, I only wish, on hind sight, that we have taken this decision much sooner.
Okey, I will share some of the 'teething' problems we have to face (and faced them patiently we did!)
...On our first night in this new house, the water supply was disrupted! The taps went dry. If we were living in the compound, all we needed to do was to dial the maintenance office number!
Now on our own, we didn't know what to do.
So we packed our towels, a few blankets and pillows and drove back to the empty house we have just left behind.
We have now resolved the water problem, after a Saudi friend helped us to get a tanker to deliver water and also a technician to repair the water pump motor!
...On the second day, there was water pouring from the AC in the master bedroom. The condensor went awry. Again, we called one of our Saudi friends and asked for his help to call an AC technician!
...On the third day while I was at work 200km away from home, my wife Lil called to report she was locked outside the house. When we were living in the compound, she had done that many times but she just walked to the reception to get a spare key. Now? It meant that she had to call one of our Saudi friends (yet again) to find a locksmith!
Those were three examples. There have been a few more! By far, dry tap was our biggest challenge.
Upon reflection, I am inclined to believe that the reason I have taken a long time before feeling comfortable living as a local, is because I need to know that I have local Saudi friends who I can call upon for help should something go wrong.
Now, we know we have such friends.
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| One of my favourite paintings - at the entrance~! |
Salam Pak Pin and Kak Lil.. it is indeed a beautiful house. And having a mosque within walking distance is a bonus.
ReplyDeleteIndeed, the painting at the entrance is a magnificent piece..beli kat mana and artwork siapa?
ReplyDeleteCongrats Pp and Aishah..Happy new abode!
Sheikh Ariffin,
ReplyDeleteYes now you are a local. I presume you must be speaking the local language like a local too. Nice villa you have there.
Mudah-mudahan saya akan mendapat jemputanNya lagi...supaya dapat saya singgah ke rumah baru ini....dapat makan udang sedap, dapat makan aiskrim, dapat makan macam2.....dan dapat jumpa Pp dan ahli keluarga sekali dan berkali-kali lagi, di Saudi....
ReplyDelete..salam mr. payne..in many ways, I envy you..but then I realised we all have our lil corner on this earth..where we plant our feet and shoulder the sky..nice place, mr payne..be seeing ya...insyaAllah..:)
ReplyDeleteirene :-) salam kembali. yes, and it is a unique mosque...it is shaped like a cone. I will post a picture of the mosque soon.
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mamasita :-) oh, painting itu di beli di arts exhibition di dubai.
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pak zawi :)
ReplyDeletehehehe...saya beluum belajar cakap arab like a local. my sons can do better than me sbb mereka ada arabic language lesson di sekolah.
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Suria:-) Ameeen kepada doa suria dan inshaallaah kita dapat bertemu lagi...you have my open invitation~!
pak mat :-) inshaallah, saya tunggu ketibaan pak mat, dan semoga segala urusan dan perjalanan nanti di permudahkan Allah.
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