Rebecca's Point of View: Hello from Saudi Arabia!  Our family safely arrived after 26 hours of travel and about 5 hours of sleep.  We flew directly to Dubai (14.5 hours), which is the fanciest airport we have ever seen!  There is so much money in Dubai, so they didn't hold back when designing the airport.  We then flew direct to Jeddah.  I was wondering when I should put on my Abaya, but once I realized we were the only Americans I felt the need to go change.  I felt so much more comfortable blending in with everyone else.  .

 I would suggest flying Emrites Airlines if you ever get a chance.  Especially if you have kids.  They gave the boys stuffed travel monsters, blankets, activity books, and special kid meals.  They also spoiled the adults with blankets, socks, a menu of food choices, pizza at midnight, and a constant check to see if everyone was comfortable.  I have never traveled for that length of time and would wear compression socks if I were to do it again.  My feet were so swollen that it hurt!  I should have tried to get up every hour and walk, but that was hard since Carter wanted to sleep on me.  We also had a selection of 1500 movies!  All 4 of us were content watching our own movie. 

We arrived at the Jeddah airport and were met by a government representative.  He was great!  He took us to the front of the line (which made many unhappy).  We had to get finger printed and then the custom's worker made us eat dates.  Dates are a common snack and three dates are consumed before the Ramadan fast begins each day at sunrise.  It was an odd experience, but I was doing whatever needed to get out of the airport.  No one was managing the luggage area, so we took our stuff and left the airport without further security.  None of our luggage was inspected, which was surprising! 

I have spent the last few days meeting all the new people that will be working in the school.  The school here is growing at a fast rate.  4 years ago there were 250 kids k-12 and now there are 1200!  Many new teachers have been hired to fill all of these classrooms.  Many of these teachers have come from other International schools and have heard great things about working for this school.  My eyes were watery when I entered the school.  It is everything a school should be!  It is so kid friendly.  The library was amazing!  There is an 8 lane pool that separates the k-2 building from the 3-5 building.  The students get 3 different water units during the school year.  The gym was wonderful and it had a stage for the drama class!  Music and drama are built together.  The teacher for this class is from South Africa and he has a background in Opera!  My name is already on my classroom door!  There are 6 third grade teachers and 4 of us our new!  All of our classrooms are together.  My room is only 4 years old and they were painting it!  It looks beautiful, but very small.  It is about 1/2 the size of the classroom back at home, but I will also have 1/2 the students.  Right next to my classroom is a large room that is shared by all third grade teachers.  I can't wait to get in there andnest!

Our home is quite large.  We have a lot of open space and my calves are tired from the stairs.  We have been doing a lot of walking around the house while we unpack.  I am trying to get the energy to mop because the floors are a little dusty.  I think I might call a maid service because it will take me a few hours. 

It is Ramadan here for another week.  This is a holiday that is celebrated by Muslims all over the world.  This country is the only country that is 100% Muslim and it is also the place where other Muslims must pilgrimage too once in a lifetime.  Mecca is a religious city that is closed to non-Muslims.  It is about 3 hours away and is the place where many Muslims are praying during Ramadan.  During Ramadan Muslims do not eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum from sun up to sun down. Once the sun goes down they party (eat) until about 3 in the morning.  Most stores are closed during the day during Ramadan, but open at sundown. 

The best part of being here is meeting so many people from around the world.  I already feel like we have made some lifelong friends.  Our section of the neighborhood is brand new, so everyone next to us is brand new.  Most of the house are still empty, but right next to us is a couple from Scotland.  A few houses down is a couple from New Zealand.  They have 3 children, so our boys have made friends already.  I love learning about where they have lived and what has brought them to international teaching.  Most have taught in several International schools all around the world.  

Today will be our first beach day.  We are waiting for Bryan and Cameron to wake up.  We all seem to be in a different place on this 10 hour time difference.  I will try to get pictures and post them soon. 

 
Carter's Point of View: My favorite thing is the Sport's Club because there is a bowling alley, climbing wall and a swimming pool.  I also like our house and my bedroom is my favorite place.