I sit here patiently (by Harry)

The first month has passed and now that Jolie’ and Connor have their tickets booked I can somewhat relax and wait for them to get here. It has been a whirlwind of a month...everything from slugging through Saudi government holidays to getting their documents moving, to adjusting to the slow paced and boring life of Saudi Arabia.

During the first few days I quickly came to realize that Saudi Arabia was everything that I thought it would be; but months of planning, preparing, asking questions, answering questions, and discussing every detail could not compete with hours of travel and jet lag. More times than you can imagine I doubted my decisions that lead me here, but I was surrounded by plenty of guys that were thinking the same thing, and more importantly I had Jolie’ and my family keeping me grounded, supporting me 100%.

Being that our permanent housing isn’t ready yet I have moved a few times. My first two weeks were spent living the wonderful hotel life. I know some people don’t enjoy staying in hotels but it’s great to me...two meals cooked daily, room service a button away, free laundry service, and gym/beach facilities. I guess once Dow/Sadara saw the bill they decided it was time to move us all into the bachelors’ compound (Al Farooq), or as we affectionately call it Cell Block 10. At this point there are no amenities here except that they bus us to the gym.

Basically my day consists of waking up an hour early to Skype Jolie’ and Connor, going to work for 8 hours, going to the gym, coming home, taking a shower and going to bed. If that doesn’t sound exciting enough we have our weekly trip to the grocery store to look forward to. I joke, somewhat. I have been to some of the huge malls, there are tons of parks and beaches, and some very nice restaurants, but its either too hot right now or the Ramadan hours aren’t conducive to my sleep schedule.

During Ramadan, Muslims fast during the hours of daylight so a lot of businesses switch to late night hours of 9pm-3am. Fridays are considered the Muslim religion’s Sabbath so very few businesses are open. On Fridays the major activity for most of the guys here is laundry. I'm sure we will develop more activities when our wives and families get here, but for now we lead a very dull and mundane life.

Every day is a new adventure. It may not be exciting by back home standards, but when you calculate all the disconnects and new barriers it’s comical just to even try and figure out what time to go to the store.

I have a very strong family that supports my choice, but the true strength is in Jolie’. She and I made these decisions together, but she by far is invested the most. She resigned from a career where she had elevated herself beyond her limited time in the system. She chose willingly to bring the second of our most precious gifts into the world in a Middle Eastern country. I have asked her repeatedly if she would prefer to have the baby back home, but she insists she wants me there. I am humbled at her ability to keep me grounded and focused until she and Connor get here.

Please feel free to Facebook any questions you may have (it will give me something to do).

I miss everyone terribly, but I know Jolie’ and Connor will be here soon.