Nzingha's Soapbox
N, I hope that you Mr. Man gets his approval to buy a house there so you can settle down and relax. Err, wait. We American wives never get to relax! You're right - the gulf chicks really know how to play the game...
I hope the soup recipe is healthy after the kabillion calorie recipe you put up for the pound cake. Such a cake would cost a few bucks to make back home, but here. HA. It set me back a couple five-ers! And shame on you, putting it up when a depressed, sad girl (who likes to eat her emotions away) is going through trying times! 
Yes it is too small for 10,inshallah you will be able to buy the villa soon. Hey what brand of vacuum is that?
UmMuhammad
salam
this is crazy. i really dont understand the way men think. i would not let my husband rent an apartment without me seeing it cause i know he would pick something that we either too small or just plain gross and run down.
thank God you will only be there on the weekends although weekends should be relaxing. i do hope inshAllah you guys get to buy a villa soon.
Thankfully your sense of humour remains intact. I would find it more comical in the telling if I weren't getting flashbacks.
I echo the villa wish, and the advice to train yourself to Saudi ladylike passivity for the next move.
L- I'm not moving again.. no sir ree bob not gonna happen. And that cake is soooo good who cares about calories or fat.. I'm a curves girl now I'll burn it off.
I think the cake is cheap here it is expensive there?? You should make a few and sell them in order to come out even at least. And I so hope your doing better.. we all have our moments, or days, or even weeks here in another land.
Um Muhammad- it is a Bernina a brand that also makes sewing machines that my mother loved. It was a raffle store prize for a quilt shop I'll never forget that day she won. It was like the biggest to do.. and I admit I love the vacuum as well.
Ilka- I saw it before he rented it.. I never gave my opinion other than turning my nose up and saying for the millionth time "its too small" but he set such an unrealistic budget (guess he had 80s rent prices in his head lol) that I kept him to it. especially when other apartments started going about double his set budget.
Good thing about the apartment, The veiled chef is moving on the floor above us. So we will have saturday lunches more regurally.
Chiara- who says that was humor??
I tell ya I'm doing nothing. I'm calling on the Saudi women to teach me how to do it. My Americaness will probably be pulling at me to take charge, do it right the first time and all but I am going to eat pound cake and watch the next time around.
Hello, Sardine! Pleased to meet you - what have you done with Nzingha?
Silliness aside, I cannot imagine trying to stuff 10 people into such a small apartment. Hopefully this crowding will help to convince Mr. Man to find another place quickly?
Bah - forget that last sentence. He's a man....
sew- sorry Nzingha is squashed at the end of the can!! Mr. Man likes it.. we were all sitting in our family area in our newly upholstered couch (another post) squashed like sardines, the kids all over the place, the maid squeezed in and the nanny in the kitchen looking on and he says "see this is what it is all about togetherness" mind you he is there only a few hours during the day inbetween the 'togetherness' that makes me seek out isolation in a loony bin somewhere.
salam
when i would go shopping for kids clothes or baby items i would tell my husband i found such and such and that it costs this much. he would always say that i am not shopping around and tell me to look at chinese made off brands...for baby items....i dont think so. he thought that there is no way a stroller could cost 1200 le here.
so, when we were in the mall i suggested we go to toys r us and other baby shops to price the things and then i showed him the chinese made off brands. #1 he could not believe that the baby items all costs around the same amount and that they were indeed the prices i told him they were and #2 he could not believe how awful and cheaply made the chinese made off brands were. i had to make him see it to believe it and now he does not argue with me as when i tell him the prices of baby items and childrens clothing.....mind u i wrote "not as much."
i tell you, men can really be annoying but that is just in their nature i guess. so, just enjoy ur time while at ur spacious house in bahrain. at least you have a friend so close to you which will make staying there tolerable.
oh yeah, you never put up the pics of the house in bahrain.
what did the kids say about the apt?
It may sound wonderful to adopt the ways of the Saudi women, but be prepared for the consequences. Things will not be packed to your specifications. More items will be misdirected. I tried one move with the help of well-meaning friends. Just the logistics of what goes where, what do you want to save, donate, etc., wore me to a frazzle. It is easier to do it yourself.......or not move. That's an even better plan. How about "If you want to move, we'll sell everything here. When we get there, we can buy everything to fit and be new in our new nest." LOL, in your dreams.
MAN....I feel for you and for ten people that place is cramped. What was Mr. Man thinking? Well, he will know when people are on top of one another. God I wish you the best!
Aaahhh! There is nothing worse than moving! Especially when you are crowded in from the get go. I feel your pain!
Janet- Mr. Man's brain isn't wired in full knowledge of our house hold items nor the affects of sitting my hyped up children in a small space for a prolonged time. Considering his reference he holds a belief that "it will fit" and the kids won't beat each other senseless.. or that I won't beat him senseless lol
Good luck though and he will see how cramped you guys are. Show us after pictures when everything is in place. And yes, you need a good rest. You are a Goddess! :^)
For your MIL snoring have your husband took her to any doctor to cure it?
Moving is always hard but your apartment is for weekends only so I guess your kids have more fun than you imagine. I remember fondly my European summer vacations where me and 5 siblings + 3 cousins shared 3 bedroom apartment with 4 adults and having a time of our lives. BTW we all kids sleep in one room so we all can chatter all night long. Kids are very adoptable and give them some credit they'll surprise you.
Janet- I'll take pics when I go back. Im skipping out this weekend and opting to stay in Bahrain with my boys.
Neena- My MIL swears she doesn't snore so hard to cure what she denies she does. And Jihad absolutely hates apartment living. While night time is ok as the place is small and he ventures off to sleep where ever he wants. It is the lack of outdoor availability he hates. He is too active to sit still in an aprtment every weekend. So we made a deal where me and the boys will stay in Bahrain on some weekends so he can play with his friends on the compound.
what is it about these arab women and their ability to get what they want?! we americans have to and are expected to do a lot more.. but i guess we asked for it, striving for that 'look at me and how independent i am'. i'm the same and my husband is very similar to your husband. when we moved to bahrain, he came way before me and left me in texas to pack the entire house, wait for the movers, everything... all the while having to rent a car many a day, walk to many places... just fun fun fun things... and i did it... but not w/out hating the fact that i agreed to do it.
can't imagine having a bedroom w/out a door. hope that turns out okay for you.
MIL probably hates that she has to room w/ the maid! unheard of for arab women!!!!
good luck.
um naief- Yea i was left behind to for several months. I had the twins and leyna who was born in Nov and we were moving in march. I spent several weeks visiting family friends until we finally took flight. It was interesting but the thing is and as I told him he is used to having it all done and it isn't lik that anymore. I'm not doing
a carpanter is supposed to make a door for us.. when ??? dunno
Yea and the MIL is not happy about sharing her room let alone w/ two of the household help I told her to get on her son about it
The left behind to pack (while in full career mode and transitions) by the company via hubby was one of the most stressful times in our relationship. Many, many thoughts of "husband disposal"
My head is spinning just reading this! The only thing I can say is hopefully you will only go through this once. When it is finally over and your living in your spacious villa (especially compared to this one) you will amaze yourself that you actually got through the chaos! Im cheering for you Nzingha! =)
Salaamu alaikum, Nzingha! Wow. MashaAllah, about your ability to be patient through all this! So you wouldn't want to move again, even if it was to a bigger place? And I'm curious...are you glad you took on all these moving challenges? Was it - or will it be, do you think - worth it to save those hours of driving every day? May Allah bless your family & make finishing up with this moving business easy on you! Ameen.
Umm Yehiya- Yes i'm glad that I made the move. Totally love my house in Bahrain,and that I don't worry everyday about my kiddos in the car driving over a bridge is a huge plus. Would prefer to get out to the movies more though as I do miss that from my days in the US.
Even the small apartment is better.. I hated the house in Oasis although big and spacious it had its own problems.
Inshallah next year Mariam will be going to the kids school. While they all get dropped off the same time between 7am and 7:30 am the pick up times would require me to live here.
Mariam 12:30 relase
Leyna 2pm release
Jihad and Hannah pm release
Yea I'll be mostly in the car but its ok.
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