Greetings from Lapland

This past week I've been having a blast with my family, it's holiday time here and we went to Lapland to enjoy the christmas time. Lapland is truly a wonderful place and I wanted to share with you 10 pictures I took there. You will notice there is not much sunshine and the images are blue, that is because the sun does not come up from the horizon for many hours during this time of the year near the arctic circle. It makes the place even more magical to me. 

Here we are going for a walk, my niece is pulling my daughter behind her in the sleigh.

This is what the locals traditionally wear, a fur coat and the typical Lapland style hat.

I love to look at all the different kind of shapes small trees take when they get covered with snow. This one is pretty clear to me, but what do you see sitting on the top?

The place we went to also has a ski resort but this time we didn't have much time for skiing.

Icicles on the edge of the cabin roof.

We went for a husky sleigh ride, it was fun and all the kids sat in the sleigh! My daughter was not scared at all even though the dogs were barking really loud. That's my girl!

A snow lantern I built outside the cabin, I put an electrical candle inside to prevent it from melting.

We saw lots of reindeer, these were on a farm and were quite tame but still very shy.

Christmas lights on a log cabin.

And finally, in this picture you will see how tough it is to push baby strollers in the snow, but nevertheless we Finns LOVE to walk outside and we always take the babies with us. They sleep so much better outside in the fresh air!

White Lies, Black Lies and Big Fat Liars

One thing I will never understand about Arab culture is telling lies. It's just so common in the Arab world for men to lie to their womenfolk. Men lie to their wives, to their mothers, sisters, and kids. Women are almost always the targets of these lies. The Arab man is the master of all types of lies.

I come from a culture of a respect for absolute honesty. Finns are the most honest people you will find on earth. We always top the corruption studies as the number one least corrupt country. Finns can leave their doors open and always return lost wallets, some with all the money in there. Even out politicians are honest (well ok not ALL)!

So the lying Arab male to me is like a red flag in front of my eyes and seeing this phenomenon makes smoke come out of my ears and nostrils!

What could be behind all this lying?

An Arab man is brought surrounded by liars. He will grow up seeing how his father lies to his own mother on a continuous basis without any consequences. Maybe his father took more wives and was dishonest with the first wife, and of course the second one. Nobody will know the truth except the men.

The boy adapts this seriously screwed-up model in his own life and applies to his wife and own children. Men are basically honest with each other, but with women for some reason they are not able to be truthful 100% of the time. Some not even 2% of the time it seems.

The Arab man will tell white lies to his wife all the time. Some are "innocent"and with no bad intentions, but lies nevertheless.  But even if the man supposedly sincerely (only an Arab man can lie sincerely) means good with his lie, it doesn't mean it is not going to hurt the recipient. White lies can also hurt the most.

Sometimes he will make black, ugly-ass lies to get himself out of trouble. We have a saying in Finland that is very fitting for the description "kuin koira veräjästä" meaning he will take the easy way out, or literally "escape like a dog from the back door". 

The sad thing is that being a big fat liar is a perfectly normal status for him. The Arab man does not even feel ashamed of lying. You will never find him apologizing or begging on his knees for the wife to forgive his idiotic actions even though that would be the right thing to do.

He thinks it's his birthright to lie to women.

Especially if it is to "protect" the woman.

A typical Arab guy will never tell his womenfolk the absolute truth about his financial situation. Arab men are experts at hiding assets and keeping purchases, loans or bankruptcy from the women of the family. Is it because they think women are too emotional to handle anything deemed serious? Do they view women as stupid and incapable of handling finances? Do they think telling women about finances will cause the poor women to faint or start ululating and pulling their hair out in shock of how lousily he has dealt with money?

Are Arab men really so dumb to think women don't have a clue? 

Well I have a newsflash for those dumb-asses out there: You are probably the one with only clues. Your wife most likely is the one with more sense and when it comes to money-issues if given a chance would excel you in them.

Men like this are simply weak and afraid of women. Afraid that they will be better and take control. 

The Arab man has to always be in control. His pride is too high for anything else. By lying he thinks takes control. But of course, he is wrong. This is the only conclusion I can make from this idiotic habit of compulsive lying. Or then they are just cowards. Too scared of the truth and rather hide behind ridiculous stories.

How does this happen, seriously I just don't get the mentality behind it. How does a man come to think it's better to lie to the wife than tell the truth? He will get caught someday anyways, so why not be honest from the beginning? Why take the extra drama and hurt feelings? Wouldn't it actually be easier on him to come forth with the truth right from the start?

So what if the woman gets hurt or upset from what he has to say? She will get a MILLION times more upset about the lie AND the action. If she were to know beforehand, she might get upset at first but at least being honest with her would lessen the hurt.

Why is it so common for Arab men to lie to women? Withholding the truth is just another form of lying! Also, how do women come to accept this, because it wouldn't be so common if more women viewed as unacceptable right?

P.S. please do not make a comment that not ALL Arab men are big fat liars because nowhere did I state that ok? Thank you.
P.P.S. I realize men lie all over the world, even Finnish men. No need to remind me of that, but the post is about this specific phenomenon.

Good Sides to Life in Saudi-Arabia

So it's time for Tuesday Ten again and I'm writing from Finland this time. The baby and I flew here for the holidays to spend some time with my family.
In Finland this time of year (and for a very long time) it gets really dark, murky and gloomy. I haven't even seen the sun for four days and I'm already feeling depressed and out of energy. Everything is so expensive and has a tax on it! Just travelling around the country to other cities costs me almost as much as international airfare. Trains, buses and gasoline are ridiculously expensive. I went for coffee and paid 24 euros (117SAR) for a sandwich, coffee and water!
I've only been here for few days but have started to appreciate some things we take for granted in Saudi-Arabia. So I thought I'd compile a list of ten things I like about living in Saudi.

1. The sun!
The sun shines by default everyday of the year. It's easy to be in a cheerful mood and to keep energy levels up with so much sunshine. No need for me or the baby to take vit D supplements since we can have it naturally from the sunlight, which is much better anyways! Another thing I enjoy is sunbathing!

2. Inexpensive food
Groceries are so much cheaper in Saudi than for example in Finland or most western countries. Everything except the imported stuff is affordable and good quality. There are countless restaurants to choose from and most are very reasonably priced and eating out won't make a huge cut in your budget.

3. The desert
I just love going to the desert and to experience the absolute silence that falls upon you out there. That is where your soul rests. There's always something interesting out there to find and explore and it's so easily accessible.

4. Mosques and athan
Every neighborhood has a mosque or two and they are all look different. It creates a peaceful atmosphere hearing the athan (call for prayer) throughout the day, even inside shops and at the hospital.

5. Tax-free income
This is definitely a big plus too with obvious benefits!

6. Untouched places
There are not many places left in the world where tourists can find themselves the only people around. Saudi has plenty of historic sites, nature reserves and other places around the country that remain unspoiled. Elsewhere in the world tourists pay $$$ to find such places.

7. Women Only
Sometimes it works for your advantage, especially at the airport! Enables faster security checks, passing men in queues and so on. Ladies branches of banks are a breeze and it's nice to go to the gym or swimming pool and know for sure there's no slimy men lurking around! Also I've noticed as a woman it's perfectly fine to jump the line if there's no female section, nobody will dare protest a woman walking straight up to the counter.

8. Cheap Travel
Travel around Saudi and around the Middle-East is affordable. In the Kingdom the roads are mostly in very good condition and the petrol is almost free making driving around the country easy. Domestic flights and flights to neighboring countries are cheap.

9. Red Sea
I don't live on the coast, but just being so close to the Red Sea and being able to go to the beach or diving so easily makes for one of life's little luxuries. The Saudi side of the coast is still mostly untouched by mass dive tourism and reefs remain healthy and rich in marine life unlike the neighboring Egypt side.

10. Lack of negative western influences
Not all western influence is negative but some I'm glad we don't have to deal with in Saudi! Nightclubs, casinos and bars, what good do they really do for society anyway? They only cause trouble, fights, loss of income, even divorces and one night stands among other things! At least in Saudi you don't have to worry about your spouse going to the nightclub, having a second living room in the pub or gambling all the family savings ;)

Also, seeing how some teenage schoolgirls here in Finland were dressed today totally shocked me. They were coming from school, dressed in miniskirts and skimpy outfits (I swear one did not have pants on, just sheer leggings and a T-shirt) in full make-up and false eyelashes. They looked more like working girls than young innocent 13-year olds to me. This makes me feel glad that my daughter won't be exposed to a culture that views this as acceptable and objectifies young girls in this manner.

Lessons Learned on the Saudi Roads

Let me tell you a story and a valuable learning experience from our Saudi Road trip.

So we were cruising on the highway in the rented SUV somewhere between Kharj and Wadi Al-Dawasir surrounded by literally NOTHING else than rocks. The scenery out there is just flat. Not even the random camels you often see roaming in the desert could be seen, let alone a twig. Just flatness. And rocks.

This sign indicates there would in fact be camels around but I think they just put it there for looks.

This was the most interesting scenery and the only pic I took for about 500km.

So back to the story, I was sitting in the backseat next to the baby who was playing with her toys in her car seat (or so I thought). I was pumping milk and had the lights off because in case some over enthusiastic idiot drove too close and got all excited from a glimpse of that glamorous sight (let me tell you there is nothing glamorous or exciting about pumping milk, but with Saudi guys, you never know). So in order to save time I figured I could just pump the milk and give it to her in a bottle instead of having to make another stop.

My mom and husband were listening to some weird radio program that sounded like it was being broadcast from outer space. It was the only channel available in English out there. I think it was the news but I could be wrong because like I said it sounded like it was coming from light years away. But anyways they had the volume so high I could not even hear the breast pump make the yatouhuuyatouhuuyatouhuu -sound.

Suddenly I realized the baby was making a gagging sound. Ok I was not so alarmed at first because my baby has some sort of obsession of sticking fingers in her mouth so far that it makes her gag. And she thinks it's funny! This baby does not have a sense of humor! I mean who does that anyways? And please don't tell me there's something called baby-bulimia because there's not. It's just her thing ok.

So I told her to stop (as if it helps) but it just got worse. I flipped the light on and saw she was really gagging on something this time. From this point on the story becomes a bit blurry in my mind.

I shouted to my husband to stop the car because the baby was choking and he braked so hard the car almost flipped. We stopped on the side of the highway where maniacs are speeding by at 200km/h. My husband and mom ran out of the car to her side and took her out of the car seat. Did I mention I was still attached to the breast pump? Oh and that mom was not wearing her abaya.

It was so dark they couldn't see clearly if there was anything in her mouth. I had taught my husband basic CPR skills in cases of emergency and stressed the importance of the "no blind sweeping" rule. I was so proud that he remembered it when he was forbidding mom from doing it! I saw the baby become increasingly red from gagging from her face at this point. Which could be seen as a good sign because at least there's still oxygen in her system.

The only thing I could think of was to get to her. So I just threw the bottles on the floor and got out of the car with my ta-tas peeking out of the abaya (which I only realized later).

I took the baby and automatically started doing what I had been practicing many times with a dummy in Life Support classes. Somehow time stopped and things slowed down like in the Matrix movies except that thankfully I didn't have to dodge any bullets. I was thinking to myself this is not happening. I am not going to let her choke here, in the middle of the desert! There is no time for an ambulance or even helicopter to reach us(and where the hell are we anyways, next to rock number 76,945,412?) I was determined to get the thing out of her.

Looking back I cannot believe how calm I was. I kept hitting her in the back to hope something would fly out but without avail. The baby was starting to get limp and blue and stopped gagging. So I decided to look once more in her mouth by shining the iPhone light in there. And lo and behold there it was. A piece of clear plastic stuck down her throat.

I managed to get it out and THANK GOD she started breathing normally again. The sneaky little bugger had reached out to a small plastic wrapper and started chewing on it. Despite the 100 toys I had given her to play with in the car seat. I mean who does that?

So what lessons can we learn from this story?
-Learn basic life support skills, and teach your partner and other family members too.
-While pumping breast milk in car in Saudi-Arabia, remember to close your abaya when finishing and getting out of the car
-That said don't pump milk in a car in Saudi-Arabia.
-Or rent a car with tinted back windows
-Always keep your iPhone charged
-Babies like to chew on plastic bags
-Babies like to play with anything ELSE than their own toys
-Always keep your baby in a car seat

-The scenery between Kharj and Wadi-Al-Dawasir is most likely the most BORING you will ever see.
-Saudi radio stations suck

Learn CPR:
http://globalcrisis.info/cpr.html#baby
Why you shouldn't blindly stick your fingers in your babies mouth:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1342520/pdf/jaccidem00006-0058.pdf

Ten Amazing Things from Finland

For Tuesday Ten here are 10 great things that come from tiny Finland with population of 5.3 million.

1. Sauna
All Finns love sauna! We have over 2 million saunas in Finland, that's on average one per household.
Health benefits of the sauna include: lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation, cleanses skin from toxins and impurities and blemishes, aids weight loss, relaxes muscles, decreases swelling and reduces stress.
Back in the day, Finnish women gave birth in the sauna!
http://finland.fi/public/default.aspx?contentid=160067&seeking

2. Nokia
Did you know that there is a town in Finland called Nokia and the mobile phone company started out as a woodmill in the 19th century? Nokia also produces raincoats, tyres and rubber boots!
http://www.about-nokia.com/history/pictures.php
Why Nokia is better than the iPhone: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-57332148-1/why-i-dont-want-an-iphone-anymore/


3. Xylitol
The amazing health discovery for dental health is a sweetener derived from the Finnish Birch trees.
Xylitol's health-promoting effects on teeth have been proven in many scientific studies. Xylitol cuts off acid attacks, prevents cavities, reduces the amount of plaque and prevents mothers infecting their children with caries. Xylitol also reduces children's ear infections."
http://www.foodforlife.fi/english/finnish-innovations/xylitol-combats-cavities

4. Angrybirds
Finnish invention Angrybirds are popular worldwide. But in Finland we even have Angrybirds evening gowns!
http://fashion.telegraph.co.uk/article/TMG8943600/Wife-of-Rovio-chief-wears-Angry-Birds-dress-to-the-Finnish-Palace.html

5. Education System
Not an innovation per se, but something to be very proud of! Countries all around the world (including very recently Saudi-Arabia) are trying to find out the secret to the success of Finland's education system which consistently tops OECD charts. Learn more from my previous post here:http://blueabaya.blogspot.com/2011/02/saudis-take-lessons-from-finnish.html
Interesting reads from other media:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/justin-snider/keys-to-finnish-education_b_836802.html
http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3749880

6. SMS
Well we have all loved and sometimes hated sending and receiving SMS. The Finnish man that invented it never earned a penny for his invention! This might give him something to be happy about: http://www.dfid.gov.uk/stories/case-studies/2010/last-night-an-sms-saved-my-lived/

7. Benecol
The miracle margarine that lowers your cholesterol is sold everywhere and recommended by physicians worldwide. Also available in Saudi-Arabia!
http://www.benecolphysicians.com/prodinfo/page.jhtml?id=benecolphysicians/faqs/faqs.inc

8. Santa Claus
The REAL Santa and his elves live in the arctic circle in Finland. The Santa Claus Village has a post office which receives millions of letters from all around the world. Each one will be replied to. It's not only children who write to Santa, sometimes he gets letters from adults seeking for advice in difficult life situations. Santa Claus could be called the world's most famous Goodwill Ambassador!
http://www.santaclausvillage.info/santa-claus/santa-claus-main-post-office/
http://www.santaclauslive.com/
http://www.santapark.com/

9. Ice Skates
Apparently us Finns have already been ice skating for about 5000 years! No wonder Finns have the best Ice Hockey Team in the world! World Champions 2011!
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/01/080104-first-skates.html

10. Salmiakki
Only Finns will agree: Salmiakki, also known as salty licorice is Finland's gift to the world! Check out this HILARIOUS blog called Salmiyuck! Adventures in Salmiakki, reviews of the endless world of wonderful salmiakki products. It is certainly an acquired taste ;)
http://www.salmiyuck.com/

Saudi-Arabia and Human Rights Violations

Today is the birthday of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights! 
The President of the Human Rights Commission of Saudi-Arabia, Dr. Bandar bin Mohammed Al-Aiban said in a statement today: "On the occasion of the World's Human Rights Day, the Kingdom continues to promote and protect the values and principles of human rights at all levels".
http://www.alriyadh.com/2011/12/10/article690376.html


That is a pretty bold statement coming from the representative of a country that basically violates the majority of the articles in the UNIVERSAL DECLARATION OF HUMAN RIGHTS.
http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml#a23
There are 30 articles on the declaration, adopted by the UN General Assembly on 10th December 1948. Here are the articles and some examples I added from recent news how human rights are violated in modern day Saudi-Arabia. Notice majority are concerning women.


Article 1.

• All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.  Men and women are not born with equal rights in Saudi-Arabia. The woman's rights will mostly be dependent on her male relatives decisions.

Article 2.

• Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status. Furthermore, no distinction shall be made on the basis of the political, jurisdictional or international status of the country or territory to which a person belongs, whether it be independent, trust, non-self-governing or under any other limitation of sovereignty.Race, colour, sex, language, religion, political opinion, national and social origin, property, and birth are all factors that determine the rights an individual has or does not have in Saudi-Arabia

Article 4.

• No one shall be held in slavery or servitude; slavery and the slave trade shall be prohibited in all their forms. Although slavery is officially abolished, some low wage workers and maids still live in slavery-like circumstances. http://www.migrant-rights.org/2010/11/19/indonesian-maid-tortured-in-saudi-arabia-another-beaten-to-death/

Article 5.

• No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment. Most sites revealing horror stories of torture in Saudi jails have been blocked from Saudi-Arabia (wonder why?). A British man tells of his torture experience from Saudi prison: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2005/may/10/alqaida.saudiarabia while an Indonesian maid was found to have 24 nails in her body: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-11094968

Article 7.

• All are equal before the law and are entitled without any discrimination to equal protection of the law. All are entitled to equal protection against any discrimination in violation of this Declaration and against any incitement to such discrimination. The Indonesian maid tortured by her employers received 670$ for damages while her Saudi employers were freed of all charges.  http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7415290.stm 

Article 9.

• No one shall be subjected to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile. Citizens are frequently arrested and detained for objectionable reasons. The latest case was the men arrested for filming a youtube video exposing poverty in Saudi-Arabia: http://saudijeans.org/2011/10/18/are-we-fine-two-saudi-men-arrested-over-youtube-video/

Article 10.

• Everyone is entitled in full equality to a fair and public hearing by an independent and impartial tribunal, in the determination of his rights and obligations and of any criminal charge against him. Women that protested peacefully outside the Ministry of Interior for demanding fair trials for their relatives were detained: http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/saudi-arabia-detains-women-protesters-2011-07-04

Article 11.

• Everyone charged with a penal offence has the right to be presumed innocent until proved guilty according to law in a public trial at which he has had all the guarantees necessary for his defence. Earlier this year a Sri Lankan maid was sentenced to death by beheading after an arbitrary and unfair trial, she was not provided a translator or lawyers in court. http://www.humanrights.asia/news/alrc-news/human-rights-council/hrc16/ALRC-CWS-16-14-2011

Article 12.

• No one shall be subjected to arbitrary interference with his privacy, family, home or correspondence, nor to attacks upon his honour and reputation. Everyone has the right to the protection of the law against such interference or attacks. The Commission for Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice repeatedly violates this clause, the latest news of Hai'a members humiliating and falsely accusing a female neurologist of illegitimate relations at her workplace emerged yesterday: http://arabnews.com/saudiarabia/article543932.ece Saudi religious police have known to physically assault citizens, even women. This woman was dragged out of the car, her veil ripped off by five members of Hai'a http://www.saudigazette.com.sa/index.cfm?method=home.regcon&contentID=20111011110339

Article 13.

• (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within the borders of each state. Women are not allowed to drive and hence move freely.
• (2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, and to return to his country. Women cannot leave the country without permission from their male guardian (mahram).

Article 15.

• (1) Everyone has the right to a nationality. Children born from Saudi women married to foreigners are not automatically granted nationality.

Article 16.

• (1) Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution. Saudi women cannot marry without permission from their guardians.  There are cases of "adhl"  where the male guardian refuses to give permission for the female relative to marry: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/40407940/ns/world_news-mideast_n_africa/t/saudi-women-sue-male-guardians-who-stop-marriage/#.TuOx-GPhdt                                                                                                                                                   Saudis are not allowed to marry foreign nationals without permission from Ministry of interior.
• (2) Marriage shall be entered into only with the free and full consent of the intending spouses. Child brides don't have much say in the matter: http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/nov/08/saudi-arabia-child-brides-marriage?INTCMP=ILCNETTXT3487

Article 18.

• Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance. The only acceptable religion in the Kingdom is Islam, any form of practicing other religions is seen proselytizing and punishable by law. Some critics of the strict Wahabi version of Islam have been accused and sentenced to jail for "insulting Islam":http://www.hrw.org/news/2008/05/12/saudi-arabia-stop-trials-insulting-islam

Article 19.

• Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers. A Saudi man named Khaled Aljuhainy went missing after he talked to the press on the planned "Day of Rage", he was the only person to show up and speak out. http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/1677/where-is-khaled-the-story-of-a-disappeared-critic

Article 20.

• (1) Everyone has the right to freedom of peaceful assembly and association. Any kind of public gatherings and assemblies are forbidden by law.

Article 21.

• (1) Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives. Saudi Arabia being an absolute monarchy, this is impossible. Most of the high ranking positions and ministries are occupied by royal family members.
• (2) Everyone has the right of equal access to public service in his country. Women are not allowed to enter governmental offices, some have women's sections with very limited services.
• (3) The will of the people shall be the basis of the authority of government; this will shall be expressed in periodic and genuine elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and shall be held by secret vote or by equivalent free voting procedures. The Only elections currently held in the Kingdom are the municipal elections which have been accused of being only cosmetic and not with real political influence.http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/?id=45819 Women will be allowed to participate in the next round 2015.

Article 23.

• (1) Everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to just and favourable conditions of work and to protection against unemployment. Women cannot work without permission from their male guardians and even if they have permission their employment options are limited to a few fields.
• (2) Everyone, without any discrimination, has the right to equal pay for equal work. Employees are paid according to their passport. For the same work an American will get paid 20,000 while an Asian colleague gets a mere 5000 for the exact same job.

Article 24.

• Everyone has the right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay. Foreign domestic workers like maids and drivers have no set working hours, days off or holidays, it is up to the employer to decide. There is no law to ensure workers are treated fairly.

Article 25.

• (1) Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. Saudi women cannot access medical services without the consent of their male guardians.

Article 26.

• (1) Everyone has the right to education. Education shall be free, at least in the elementary and fundamental stages. Elementary education shall be compulsory. Technical and professional education shall be made generally available and higher education shall be equally accessible to all on the basis of merit. Saudi women need the permission from their guardians to study.

That adds up to a whopping 20/30 violations. 

The President concluded that "the Kingdom will go ahead in the promotion and protection of human rights in accordance with the rules of Islamic Sharia and by continuing to make regulations and laws that contribute to the achievement of justice, equality and the protection and preservation of human rights."

All of the articles of the declaration for human rights are in accordance with Islam.
 How come Saudi-Arabia's Sharia law is not??


Because it's the culture, not the religion that is violating these rights!

Mom's Saudi Experience

So this Tuesday Ten I thought of posting ten things about my mother's stay in Saudi-Arabia. She was with us for about two months and we did so many things,visited so many places and met so many people! Here are some highlights of her visit...

Mom had her own bedroom in our house. She liked it a lot and it's bigger than her own bedroom back home. It seems so empty now.

On our roadtrip around Saudi mom and her granddaughter are watching the sunset at Abha mountains. The green scenery there amazed her.

This is from our last weekend in Saudi when it had rained and we found a small lake in the middle of the desert. Another strange experience for her.

From her first Hash walk in the desert, she climbed the red sand dune just like all her younger counterparts.

In Abha region we stopped to buy honey from this local salesman. She ended up buying  huge canister of that honey which was from Yemen.

A souvenir shop we found on our roadtrip. Mom bought replicas of houses of the Najran region. She was delighted to find the exact same ones to add to her collection that she bought on our trip to Yemen.

On Farasan Islands mom was in her element. She swam whenever she got the chance. The water was warm and lovely and there was no one else around.
We spent one night sleeping in the desert on Farasan Island. It was amazing.

We had so much fun at the women's souq in Najran. Here mom is trying on Bedouin niqabs.

The magnificent Empty Quarter, Rub al-Khali was simply breath taking and we agreed to return there one day.

Miss you, mom!

Saudi Hospitality

I experienced hands on the generous side of the Saudi people by having the chance to interact with many families through my work. At the hospital a patient would have their own private rooms and the average length of stay would be 8 days. A nurse typically works around 12 hours a day, on average 4-5 days a week. Also the system in Saudi is that a certain nurse is assigned to specific patients only (usually 2-4/shift) and the nurse therefore get lots of one on one time with their designated patients.

At first it was a strange system for me as a western nurse used to having the responsibility of up to 35 patients at a given shift. Then I saw the good side to it, getting to really know your patients and following their progress and treatment. This way their outcome will be better because the nurses can observe the patients closely and report changes to the doctors.

So having this close contact with the Saudi families gave me the chance to experience this amazing side to their culture which is hospitality and kindness to strangers.

I know some nurses who worked in Saudi or even the very same ward would not agree with me and might say Saudis are rude and arrogant. I think this has to do with personality and attitude. My approach is always open-minded and I would greet patients with a smile and "salaam aleikum". Even though I was not a Muslim at first, I thought it was polite and respectful to their culture and always generated a positive response.

We have a saying in Finland:
"Niin metsä vastaa kuin sinne huudetaan"
Which translates to something like "the forest will answer you in the same way as you shout into it" meaning basically that if you speak nicely you will spoken back to nicely, or on the other hand if you speak to someone with disrespect, you can't expect them to treat you with respect. Some expat nurses would always complain about how the Saudis are so rude. Perhaps a look into the mirror could solve this problem!

So that saying is what I like to go by. I think learning Arabic made a huge difference in communicating with the patients as well. They realized how much I respected them by making an effort to learn their language in order to be able to communicate better.

I would say in general, every patient of mine would offer something during their course of stay. Regardless of their background. The poorest sometimes were the most generous. It was touching how they would offer me from what little they had. I would of course refuse but they would literally stuff things in my pockets!

Typically people would give me chocolates, sweets or pastries they had in the room brought in by relatives or friends. On night shifts I would often be asked to join for some Arabic coffee, tea and dates. Some patients would give me juices, laban or water bottles. Basically anything they had to offer, they would give it. I would even be offered a plate of the food they were eating "to go" when I apologized I did not have time for dinner with them.

Many families would ask if I knew about Islam or wanted to learn about it. I would say I was interested and next time I saw them they would have a package ready for me full of booklets, small Qurans, prayer beads and the sorts. The best Quran I have was given to me by one of my favorite patients, an old Bedouin couple.It has both Arabic and English side by side, no distracting brackets and a brief explanation of the historical background of the events.

On occasions I received more elaborate gifts like jewelry, perfumes, bags and watches. A princess once bought me the same evening dress I saw her daughter wearing in her room during Eid time. I had admired how beautiful it was and she had sent someone to pick one up from the designer. Needles to say I was overwhelmed!

Generosity was extended to invitations as well, I have been invited to weddings and once to a royal wedding (sadly I couldn't attend because I was abroad at the time) to family dinners, farms and coffee shops. I only had a chance to go to a few but it was well worth it and the hospitality was abundant.

I think the most amazing act of generosity happened once with another princess patient. She asked me if I needed more books on Islam in my own language. I said I had never really found any books in Finnish but would love to have some. She had me write down what my language was and said would see what she could do. The next time I came to work, must have been the day after, she gave me a whole bagful of books about Islam in Finnish! There was eight different books and of each five copies so I could give to friends and family. To this day I don't get how she was able to obtain books in Finnish language in such a short time, in Saudi-Arabia!

Missing Mom and Motivation

We took mom to the airport today and the house has been feeling really empty. We all miss her already! Two months flew by so quick.. We kept ourselves busy and met many of my friends here in Riyadh. It was also my mother's last weekend in Saudi-Arabia so we wanted to do something special. Thursday we visited the old town of Raghba northwest of Riyadh. 

We walked around the ruins of the city and we climbed the watch tower which was a lot of fun, but also a claustrophobic experience! I had to literally squeeze myself through the last part. I have no idea how an adult man could have fit in there! Maybe they used a kid, or a midget :) It's unfortunate that many historical sites have been ruined by graffiti.

If you look carefully you can see mom waiving from one of the holes. This is where she turned back because she wasn't able to move in there anymore!

I was determined to reach the top. A mild panic ensued when I couldn't move at one point and there was absolutely no light coming into the staircase from the tiny windows. I was starting to envision in my head the fire squad being called to free the crazy lady that got stuck in the watch tower.

When people saw me up there they started honking their horns and some cars gathered to watch. I guess they  don't see ladies at the top too often. The visibility was perfect, no dust or hazyness after the rains.

Afterwards we drove around the desert looking for water after the rains, and managed to find a beautiful spot in the midst of the and dunes.

On friday we joined an expat gathering in the desert, the occasion, christmas celebrations! Mom said it was the strangest christmas party she ever went to.

A chorus of "angels" sang some christmas carols under a huge acacia tree. The songs echoed beautifully from the mountain.

The highlights of the evening were the fireworks and the bonfire. Lanterns were lit on the side of the mountain.

I'm glad we went because mom got to experience something so different and special on her last day. She also got a chance to do some off-road driving and we had so much fun we noticed only on the high-way that she had forgotten her abaya in the desert! Oh well, she doesn't need it anymore, at least for a while. She liked it here so much she wants to come back in April.

Another thing I have been missing lately is motivation. I think it might have started from this really nasty comment I got from a Muslim girl with a case of "holier than thou" attitude. Interestingly she has a blog about reviewing make-up and false eyelashes. This person had huge issues with what kind of Muslim I am and accused me of spreading fitna and being negative among other things. I was planning to just go ahead and publish it to expose her ignorance, but then I hesitated. I didn't publish her comment because it was a personal attack against me and I state clearly in the comment rules that such personal attacks will not be tolerated.

So that kind of took me into a slump and I didn't feel like posting anything lately. I felt like my blog is of no interest or benefit to anyone and nobody even reads it or comments because the posts are so dull and negative. I know might sound silly, but I do get those days when I truly think like this.

So after this depressive mood I was thrilled to meet a fan of my blog in person at this very desert gathering. It was a Canadian girl that had recently moved to Riyadh for work at the same hospital I used to work at. She had asked my Finnish friend if she knew who the author of Blue Abaya was and then my friend introduced us to each other.

Wow I was so flattered by her words, I still can't believe it! She said my blog helped her so much and she had been reading it for some while now. She thanked me for keeping it and encouraged me to write more. She was so sweet! She even said she told all her friends there's this amazing lady who keeps a blog about Saudi you have to read it!

So I want to personally thank you, dear fan in the desert for your encouraging words! Thank you for the inspiration! I wish you have an amazing time in Saudi-Arabia and make the best out of everything here :) If you need anything I will always be available to help out. Please don't hesitate to ask!

I also want to thank all my readers and "fans" out there for reading and commenting. I love comments! Please write more comments :) It really means a lot to me.

Blue Abaya is soon reaching 200 followers and I want to thank my readers by organizing a giveaway! I know my blog has a broad audience and it's hard to figure out what would be the best thing for the giveaway, any suggestions? Perhaps something specifically from Saudi? Lots of readers are coming for the first time to Saudi and need abayas so I was thinking a beautiful abaya might be one of the items, but what about those already in Saudi, or the male readers..hmm..

Stay tuned for more info!