It's nice to have some demands on my time and some things that really MUST be done rather than just things I'd LIKE to do! Not just to fill time, but to make a contribution, to meet other gals and to develop friendships --I've started teaching English students, already.
We have two classes, Levels 1 and 2, with a few gals in each class. Chinese, many South Americans, a Russian, Indonesians, ... fun! I'll pick up some of their words here and there, too, I hope! No Arabic-speakers, yet. Hope to get some, though. So far, the students' commitment levels are very high and they want to recruit some more students.
In the "I'd like to" category -- I'm crocheting a throw blanket. The ACs (air conditioners) make things quite chilly when they're on and you're in the direct line of their fans. But when they're off, it swiftly gets too hot. So, a nearby blankie is the best solution. I found pale blue yarn in a terrific yarn/fabric/craft shop last week. The quality is nothing great, equal to Red Heart, I suppose. But it's filling time, it gives me some goals for the day, and it will meet a need when I'm done with the project. By the time it's done, I hope our shipment will have arrived. In it is a whole lot more yarn that I'll put to use right away for another necessary item that is temperature-related -- socks/footies. The marble floors retain the cold air wonderfully. Too well, actually. So my feet need to be toastier. The problem I foresee with wearing socks is that it will turn the marble floors into a skating rink. Should add to the excitement around here, though!
There's another rather strange way that time flies around here. The weekly rhythm has not really set in, yet. I've heard from others that it never really does. We are soooooo used to "our" weekend -- Saturday and Sunday. And we still are linked to it via TV and contact with family and friends. So, even though Saturdays and Sundays are work days, here, they don't fully feel like work days. Watching weekend sports on FOX Sports probably contributes heavily to that. And Thursdays and Fridays are real weekend days. Even though Jim continues working on those days (as always!) ... his schedule is lighter, he works from home, and we mix it up with outings and fun activities. So that leaves Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday as "real" work days. And when it's Wednesday, it's always a shock that we're back to the weekend, again! Some who have been here much longer say that they still are shocked when it's already Wednesday again! All good! I do love this kind of time to fly!
Add to that, the fact that I arrived during the month of Ramadan. And that was followed by the week of Eid ul Fitr. And then we had Saudi National Day. It's no wonder I don't have a sense of rhythm, yet! We've not had a "regular" week!
Going shopping on the ladies' bus fills time. It's an almost-three-hour trek to get to one shop 'cuz the bus route includes a few drop off and pick up points. Women can't drive. Jim has a company car which enables us to get out together in the evenings. But if I want to shop during the daytime I have to use one of the buses that our company provides for the women. It involves a dreadfully complicated sign-up system with lots of room for disasters and squabbles and such. It's nice to have the buses available, at least. But I don't think I'll use them that often.
It's not really filling time ... it's more like killing time. And time doesn't fly when its dead!
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