I'm struggling to post at the moment and I chalk it all up to work and stress. As we wrap up our Ramadan program at work (I'm a teacher), I've also lost my voice. I have no other symptoms really, just no voice. Oh another note, the school I work for has renewed my contract for another year, and presented me with a certificate for ECE (Early Childhood Education) at 560 hours this year. 

As this week nears its end, I am prepping myself for my "teacher" summer and will be off until September. This will give me the opportunity to proactively plan and post new content consistently, iA. 

At work, we will be wrapping up the week with a "Color Run" tomorrow, a mock EID on Thursday and iftar Thursday evening with the team. 

My first year working in Saudi has been an amazing roller coaster of experiences. 

- American Hijabi

I've been MIA (missing in action) and now I'm back.

After starting my new job last September, my posts became few and far in between. I am now making a commitment to post at-least once a week, because I feel like I really need this outlet. My weekly post (maybe even more) will fall under my life here in Saudi or, my new category of Fitness and Nutrition. 

I am very excited to keep you updated and to let you in on what has been happening in my life. 

-American Hijabi

Ta’if is located a little over 2 hours southeast of Jeddah, and is reached by driving the Jeddah-Makkah highway. As one makes their way towards Ta’if, they are presented with two options; there is a route around the holy city of Makkah, being a requirement to take for non-Muslims and another directly through the city of Makkah, available for Muslims only. While there are the two options to reach the city of Ta’if, the route leading around Makkah, may add about 100km to the drive, it is far less congested.

Upon nearing the city of Ta’if, we are presented with a large mountain and road that seemingly disappears into the sky. Al Hada road has been reached, this road ascends over 1,800m or approx 6,000 feet into the sky toward the village town of Al Hada. There are many stories surrounding the road but, I would like to share the story that I’ve heard about how the road came to be…( I personally cannot speak to the credibility of this particular story but I like the aesthetic of it and found that it was too beautiful not to share )

    “ Several years ago when the city of Ta’if and the surrounding areas began to thrive economically, the Kingdom began to look for simpler ways in order reach the city, situated within the mountains. As the Kingdom began researching companies and interviewing developers for the Al Hada road, they were faced with consistent difficulty. Companies began stating that the road simply could not be built as the mountain was too steep and the old pedestrian pathways would simply not suit automobiles. Finally a local company was interviewed, the Saudi Bin Laden Company. They too faced an initial difficulty of mapping the road; they then decided that the best way to do so would be to use goats. They began from the top of the mountain and set the goats on their descent. As the goats made their way from the top of the mountain to the bottom, they were followed and thusly the road was mapped and later built.”

As the town of Al Hada is reached, the road becomes less hostile and a much easier drive; the word “Al Hada” translates to “tranquility”; and between the foliage, vegetation and mild temperatures; one begins to truly understand that the name is most appropriate. The actual city of Ta’if is quite developed but will not compare to the metropolitan sense of cities like Riyadh and Jeddah. 

As someone who lives in Jeddah give the proximity of the region, mild temperatures and rainfall, this area in the mountains is a great escape for the heat.

​- AH ​

I was recently asked what it was like to live in a society like Saudi Arabia where, there is gender segregation and well... shit is about to get real honest. Living in a gender segregated society is amazing, I love it. Now, we’re not talking about women not being able to drive right now, so push that out of your head for the next couple months; because worry not, I will write about that one! ​

The Fakieh Aquarium in Jeddah is the only aquarium within the kingdom, that is open to the public. The  impeccably designed aquarium is clean, and offers a glimpse life from bodies of water around the world. ​
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My visit to Fakieh Aquarium began with the dolphin and sea lion show, which was spectacular. While watching the dolphin and sea lion show, one can see an incredible link between the trainers and animals. The animals are phenomenal  with their abilities to follow command, jump through hoops and even dance. The show itself consists of 2 - 3 trainers at a time providing commands to 2 -4 dolphins, followed by 2 sea lions. The typical dolphin and sea lion show lasts about 45 minutes to  approx 1 hour, afterwards we made our way into the actual aquarium. ​

As soon as guests make entrance into the aquarium, one is provided with facts pertaining to sea life, primarily in the Red Sea. As a guest proceeds through the aquarium we are faced with over 200 species of sea life; each one more fascinating than next. With each exhibit, there are facts and an information placard on the wall for guests to read and become further educated on what exactly they’re looking at. As we make our way through the aquarium we can see everything from groupers and seahorses to jellyfish. One of the main attractions in the aquarium is a fully enclosed 360* degree walk-through that even includes more aggressive sea creatures like sharks. As the tour comes to an end there will be a retail shop waiting at the top, with gifts for everyone - children and adults alike. ​

When moving to Saudi Arabia, I knew that I would have a wedding more extrvagant that I could have possibly imagined. Weddings here are always extravagant because they act as a socio-economic status for families. In a sense, if you didn’t have a extravagant wedding, its almost like you never had a wedding. As my friend Asma stated, “They have to see it to believe it; if they don't see it, it didn't happen”, and while that is true - I was not expecting to have a wedding less than 10 days after I arrived. I must say that I was incredibly blessed when it came to the actual planning of my wedding as my sister-in-law had handled all major details. ​

​(Updated as of December 2016)
​Moving is always stressful on everyone, including our pets. Moving to Saudi Arabia with a dog is even more of a challenge as it is not exactly "canine friendly". Our dog Nino is the like a child to my husband and I - leaving him behind was not an option for us. There are some prior requirements when bringing a dog into Saudi Arabia including vaccinations, tests, certified documents, and a import permit. Saudi Arabia also maintains a "banned list", which can be found in the Facebook link provided at the bottom of this post.

Issued by Vet
• Rabies Vaccination (sticker from vile including batch number and manufacturer)
• DHC2PP
• ISO Compliant Chip
• Tests Confirming No Parasites/Infections
• Letter Signed by Vet (blue ink)
• USDA APHIS 7001 (Must state that "Guard Dog")
(Update as of December 2016 Saudi Arabia requires a country specific APHIS click here)

The rabies vaccination must be administered to the dog at least 30 days prior and no more than 6 months, and only 1 year vaccinations are accepted (no 2 or 3 year vaccinations). I had my vet, Dr. Christina Belew of the Union Hill Animal Hospital (Kansas City) sign all documents in blue ink, including all lab results.

The country specific USDA APHIS must be completed by a USDA certified vet and must be endorsed by the governing states USDA office. I personally drove 3hrs each way to ensure the endorsement was done in a timely manner, as it was only valid for 30days from the date of issue. Once the USDA office has completed their endorsement, the APHIS must be endorsed by the Saudi Arabian Embassy and US Department of State. Given that I resided in Missouri at the time and was still working, I was unable to personally take the documents to DC and therefore utilized a visa service (Click Here For TraVisa). The visa service was able to complete both endorsements and had returned my documents within 7 business days.

Once these documents are returned, you can now apply for the Saudi Import Permit. This is typically applied for through an agent in Saudi Arabia however, if you are importing a pet I suggest checking out the Facebook page "Pet Imports Saudi Arabia", which is ran by Joy Nueman. Joy has a great deal of experience when it comes to importing a pet into Saudi, she also has posted the contact information for the vets who can issue the Import Permit through each city. When applying for the import permit it is important to provide the Saudi Passport or visa issued, all of the previous documentation issued and endorsed in the US, along with a deed/home instruments (indicating that the home in Saudi is not an apartment), and we were also asked to provide a electricity bill (provided by my in-laws). If you are moving to Saudi Arabia on a expat on a Employment Visa, most companies will be willing to provide housing documentation; some may even apply for the permit for you - given this, I would advise inquiring with your employer directly. 

The import permit is only valid for 30 days but given the time length it takes to obtain the necessary paperwork, we only had about a week before our APHIS 7001 was set to expire and left just a few days after.

When importing a dog to any country, it is important to check with the airlines prior to booking to see what specific requirements is needed. My husband and I flew with Lufthansa, this airline only requires the same documentation as the country of import, and then of course a crate that is large enough for the dog to stand, sit, and lay down comfortably. The price to fly Nino from Chicago all the way to Dammam was only $200 USD. This price also included a stop at the "Pet Hotel" at the Frankfurt, Germany airport; where he was cleaned up, fed/watered, and allowed to stretch.

Due to some unforeseen issues with the vet in Saudi, my husband and I were not able to obtain permission to import Nino through Jeddah. We were able to obtain permission for Dammam; from here we shipped Nino on a domestic flight via cargo on Saudia Airlines, he did fly on the same flight as us and were able to retrieve him from the cargo pickup in Jeddah. 

Everything in total was approximately $1500 USD compared to the quote from a pet relocation company, which quoted me $5000 USD. 

I have heard that the process to import a cat is similar but still less restrictive. 

Note: If you do not typically crate your dog; it is highly suggested to get them used to the crate a few weeks prior to departure; put them in the crate and utilize positive reinforcements and rewards for the behavior. This is something new to them and the extensive travel can be extremely stressful on them. 

All information in the post is provided and to be utilized in good-faith, I will continue to update as new information becomes available.

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-American Hijabi