Cleaning. I will admit I take advantage of the inexpensive labor force here and have a crew of three come clean my house every other week- top to bottom. Dust everything, wash the floors, vacuum the rugs, clean the bathrooms, and even wipe down my patio furniture and wash the patio tiles and front entry tiles. It is really nice and is less than $20. I bought a mop the first week I was here, used it once, and it has stood in the bathroom in the maid's room ever since. It was an off week for the cleaners so after my Saturday morning ritual of changing my sheets I found myself with the pledge and dust rag in hand making my way over all table and dresser surfaces. I even found myself organizing magazines in chronilogical order- all the Vogues together, the Economists, Bon Appetites... I've accumulated quite a collection in the year I've been here. Not quite as many as the stacks I put out for recycling on Boston but I'm well on my way.
While dusting I found an advertisment poster I bought at The Bombay Store in Mumbai last fall. I carry the measurements around with me saved in my blackberry but haven't been to IKEA since I was in Mumbai. So, to procrastinate Thursday away even more I called Paul and didn't have a hard time convincing him to share a taxi with me to Jeddah to go to IKEA. Just IKEA we promised- a quick trip. Of course no trip to Jeddah is quick. I have to say though that we timed it perfectly without much planning. Left at 4:30 so got to IKEA by 6 (had to drop off plates at the fish restaurant in Thuwal along the way). About 20 minutes in it was prayer time. Stores close at prayer time and only a few will actually let shoppers continue shopping. IKEA is one of them. So, you can't check out but you can continue shopping. And it is nice for those of us who don't participate in prayer time because the majority go to pray (yes there are prayer rooms for men and women in IKEA.) I made the mistake of going to use the restroom during prayer time. It is customary to wash your feet and hands and face before your pray so as a result the bathrooms are literally flooded. Picture me holding up my abaya so it doesn't drag in the water while rolling up my jeans so they don't touch the wet floor while I use the toilet. I know you are all laughing out loud!
Anyway, there was lots of success at IKEA. I got the frame and baskets for my magazines and computer cords which were on my list. And of course things I didn't even know I needed before I went to IKEA. A roasting pot with a lovely glass lid that doubles as a serving dish and a grill pan. Some candles and a glass water pitcher and serving trays! The only thing on my list that I didn't get is a microwave cart. I have two outlets on one wall in my kitchen that I cannot plug anything in because there is no counter close by. Where there is counter there is only one outlet so I can only plug one thing in at a time. I have a microwave but it is in my closet in its box still. I haven't owned a microwave since 1999 but every once in a while I think it would be nice to have one. And I do, I just don't have any place to put it. So I found one I liked but they only had the floor model. I was told I could talk with the manager about buying it but it was ten minutes before another prayer time and Paul and I didn't want to spend another 30 minutes in IKEA so we rushed to the checkout lines.
New kitchen cookware
Baskets for magazines and computer cords
Now for the funny part of the evening. So we get out of Jeddah before the Thursday traffic gets really bad. Back to campus and I am so excited to frame my poster, I get it all out on the floor and cut it to size and put it in the frame. I decide it would look best in my front hall on the wall oposite where you walk in the door. The colors look great with the carpet there. There were two landscape frames hanging there- issued art work. I took them off the wall and can you even imagine that the wall was painted AFTER the pictures were hung. Yes, the wall under the art was NOT painted. They painted AROUND the art- paint on the frames and everything!! So first thing Sunday morning I called maintainance to come paint my wall and hang my new art. I love it! And it reminds me of my weekend in Bombay when I walk downstairs in the morning or come in my front door.
Old artwork
Can you see how they didn't paint under the art??!
newly painted wall and artwork
closeup: it reads: Women are known to forget everything while shopping here. Starting with their men.
Friday was also a cooking day. I found large pasta shells when I was in Jeddah a couple of weekends ago and the market on campus has started to carry ricotta cheese so I made stuffed shells and tomato sauce with fresh basil. I also found a recipe for lamb tacos so I cooked the ground lamb and will try those tomorrow. And I made a new cookie bar- apricot squares. They are similar to my mom's lemon bars- shortbread bottom but the top is egg, brown sugar, dried apricots that have been soaked in boiling water and toasted almonds. I still have dried apricots that I brought back from Turkey. They got rave reviews from Yvette and Jeremy who came over for dinner and their daughter Sierra LOVED the stuffed shells (little girl from the beach a couple of weeks ago).
Apricot bars
Stuffed shells
And now you see it is Saturday night and I should be reading applications but I'm blogging and watching Evita. Hope you are all enjoying the weekend! Especially those of you who were out celebrating Eileen's birthday and calling me at 3:30 AM your time. I still can't believe Mary Beth was up at that hour!
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