Friday, June 6, 2008
Of KG JItters, Ramadhan and Aqiqah in Riyadh
[classof72] Of KG Jitters, Ramadhan and Aqiqah in Riyadh
From:zahid aziz (zaziz@hotmail.com)
Sent:Thursday, September 06, 2007 7:45:09 AM
Reply-to:classof72@yahoogroups.com
To: classof72@yahoogroups.com
Assalamu ‘Alaikum,
Life goes on in the expat city of Riyadh. September is just about the month when things start to cool down in the temperate climates but in Riyadh it is still nice and warm at a midday temperature of 37C. Talk is it’s still hot compared to last year. Mind you there is no real autumn here to ease you into the cold season. Cool season arrives in November and by mid December you start searching for the winter woolies.
Went to an Aqiqah gathering at a mini compound housing Malay expats last night. The house of Azman Syukri the Telco expat, to be exact Compounds are a sort of gated community housing expats mainly westerners here in Riyadh. Many Malaysians who are given housing allowances by their employers prefer to live in apartment blocks especially where they take up the entire or majority of apartments. This means they are able to pocket much of the housing allowance meant for them to live in compounds and use it for frequent trips back home or just add to their savings. This compound housed 7-8 Malay telco expats attached to Saudi Telecom, Nokia and the like. It seems our community is getting bigger and bigger, many arrivals in 2006 and also many this year. It also seems the season for arrival of Malaysian Riyadh babies, 3 or 4 this month alone and many more in the waiting list.Of particular mentioned is baby son to MACOBA junior, Nik Ameer of SABIC. Perhaps something to do with the meat diet of lahm baqr(beef kebab) or roast dujaj (chicken) which seems to be to be the staple diet here in the Saudi lunch cuisine. Although Tongkat Ali and certain Malaysian lady equivalent drinks are not unfamiliar on the shelves of some hypermarkets in Riyadh.
Much talk is about sending kids to schools or kindergartens. School terms start in September and mom and dads start comparing notes as to which school to send their kids to. Expats cannot enroll their children in National Schools so they are confined to international schools. Many of these schools are run by other non-Saudi Arabs who also have to send their kids to international schools. Joined the school going crowd this year enrolling daughters Nur Adlin in KG2 and Nur Adila in KG1 at an International School run by Lebanese. KG2 or Kindergarten 2 is for 5 year olds and KG1 is for 4 year olds. So far so good the two daughters are primed and ready to start school this Saturday, only mom and dad are worried and nervous, the two princesses never having parted from Mama and Papa all their lives. Two year old Zahir is also excited, demanding to have every bag, every pencil and every sharpener bought for the two elder sisters. So far the Spiderman pull bag has quieten him down a little, all set to enroll at AlMama International School at home. Just as well as Tuition fees are not cheap here, wife says the KG fees per child here are at least twice her University fees in Malaysia. So happy to hear 2 other Malaysian families are enrolling their kids in the same school, Nur Adila at least will have a Malay friend in KG1 the son of Azmil, another telco expat. If there are any enterprising educationist businessmen in Malaysia interested, time is about right to start a Malaysian International School here in Riyadh. Pak Duta, Dato’ Ismail Ibrahim who was also present at the Aqiqah has promised to help anyone interested.
Ramadhan is also just round the corner, one week to be exact. Things get happily topsy turvy here in Ramadhan, school hours are shorter by half hour each morning and noon whilst dad’s working hours are 10 to 4. Breaking of fast starts at 6 pm in early Ramadhan coming down to 5.30 pm just before Syawal. Fajr starts at 4am extending to 4.30am end of month. Talking about Syawal many families are already excited at the thought of going home for Eid Holidays. As usual Eid is a 10 day public holiday for whole of KSA. Adding a few days leave before and a week after plus weekends n all adds up to quite a substantial time at home for many Malaysian expat families. Those that just arrived this year are looking forward to experience first Eid away from home, spending a few days in Madinah and the rest of Eid holidays in Makkah. Reminds me of last year when we spent Eid holidays in KSA, last 5 days of Ramadhan in Madinah and first 5 days of Syawal in Makkah. Was in Masjid Nabi when they made the Eid Announcement ; when I heard the congregation cheering happily I duly went back to the hotel and reported to the wife that Eid is tomorrow. Later that night we were surprised to hear Saudi TV announce that Eid will be day after tomorrow. Only then I realized I made the typical true blue Malaysian mistake. I assumed the congregation’s cheers were for Eid when it was for another day of Ramadhan in Masjid Nabi! Well what do I know, back home we all cheer when its Raya tomorrow, right? It was then I resolved to enroll soon for Arabic classes.
So pleased to hear that one family who just arrived this year was also from our residential area in Klang Valley, sort of orang sekampong. Taught Rosman about Google planet search if he really misses and wants to see satellite pictures of his home in BJ. Cautioned him of not making the same mistake of assuming the pictures are live. Only after the white car in the middle of the road near my office in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng did not moved for 3 weeks that I realized the satellite pictures are still pictures and not live. Live ones apparently are available with payment. There are so far about 47 of us who have registered in Melayu Riyadh email group. It is sort of Classof72 email group but for Malay expats in Riyadh. Many good tips about easing the expat life in Riyadh; where to find tauhu and tempe in Batha, the Chow kit of Riyadh, and suchlikes. Many more new arrivals are expected soon so we expect this email group to get bigger and bigger each month.
Selamat menyambut Ramadhan dari Zahid dan famili diperantauan. May each Ramadhan be a better one for us than the last.
Wassalam,
Hj Muhammad Zahid
From:zahid aziz (zaziz@hotmail.com)
Sent:Thursday, September 06, 2007 7:45:09 AM
Reply-to:classof72@yahoogroups.com
To: classof72@yahoogroups.com
Assalamu ‘Alaikum,
Life goes on in the expat city of Riyadh. September is just about the month when things start to cool down in the temperate climates but in Riyadh it is still nice and warm at a midday temperature of 37C. Talk is it’s still hot compared to last year. Mind you there is no real autumn here to ease you into the cold season. Cool season arrives in November and by mid December you start searching for the winter woolies.
Went to an Aqiqah gathering at a mini compound housing Malay expats last night. The house of Azman Syukri the Telco expat, to be exact Compounds are a sort of gated community housing expats mainly westerners here in Riyadh. Many Malaysians who are given housing allowances by their employers prefer to live in apartment blocks especially where they take up the entire or majority of apartments. This means they are able to pocket much of the housing allowance meant for them to live in compounds and use it for frequent trips back home or just add to their savings. This compound housed 7-8 Malay telco expats attached to Saudi Telecom, Nokia and the like. It seems our community is getting bigger and bigger, many arrivals in 2006 and also many this year. It also seems the season for arrival of Malaysian Riyadh babies, 3 or 4 this month alone and many more in the waiting list.Of particular mentioned is baby son to MACOBA junior, Nik Ameer of SABIC. Perhaps something to do with the meat diet of lahm baqr(beef kebab) or roast dujaj (chicken) which seems to be to be the staple diet here in the Saudi lunch cuisine. Although Tongkat Ali and certain Malaysian lady equivalent drinks are not unfamiliar on the shelves of some hypermarkets in Riyadh.
Much talk is about sending kids to schools or kindergartens. School terms start in September and mom and dads start comparing notes as to which school to send their kids to. Expats cannot enroll their children in National Schools so they are confined to international schools. Many of these schools are run by other non-Saudi Arabs who also have to send their kids to international schools. Joined the school going crowd this year enrolling daughters Nur Adlin in KG2 and Nur Adila in KG1 at an International School run by Lebanese. KG2 or Kindergarten 2 is for 5 year olds and KG1 is for 4 year olds. So far so good the two daughters are primed and ready to start school this Saturday, only mom and dad are worried and nervous, the two princesses never having parted from Mama and Papa all their lives. Two year old Zahir is also excited, demanding to have every bag, every pencil and every sharpener bought for the two elder sisters. So far the Spiderman pull bag has quieten him down a little, all set to enroll at AlMama International School at home. Just as well as Tuition fees are not cheap here, wife says the KG fees per child here are at least twice her University fees in Malaysia. So happy to hear 2 other Malaysian families are enrolling their kids in the same school, Nur Adila at least will have a Malay friend in KG1 the son of Azmil, another telco expat. If there are any enterprising educationist businessmen in Malaysia interested, time is about right to start a Malaysian International School here in Riyadh. Pak Duta, Dato’ Ismail Ibrahim who was also present at the Aqiqah has promised to help anyone interested.
Ramadhan is also just round the corner, one week to be exact. Things get happily topsy turvy here in Ramadhan, school hours are shorter by half hour each morning and noon whilst dad’s working hours are 10 to 4. Breaking of fast starts at 6 pm in early Ramadhan coming down to 5.30 pm just before Syawal. Fajr starts at 4am extending to 4.30am end of month. Talking about Syawal many families are already excited at the thought of going home for Eid Holidays. As usual Eid is a 10 day public holiday for whole of KSA. Adding a few days leave before and a week after plus weekends n all adds up to quite a substantial time at home for many Malaysian expat families. Those that just arrived this year are looking forward to experience first Eid away from home, spending a few days in Madinah and the rest of Eid holidays in Makkah. Reminds me of last year when we spent Eid holidays in KSA, last 5 days of Ramadhan in Madinah and first 5 days of Syawal in Makkah. Was in Masjid Nabi when they made the Eid Announcement ; when I heard the congregation cheering happily I duly went back to the hotel and reported to the wife that Eid is tomorrow. Later that night we were surprised to hear Saudi TV announce that Eid will be day after tomorrow. Only then I realized I made the typical true blue Malaysian mistake. I assumed the congregation’s cheers were for Eid when it was for another day of Ramadhan in Masjid Nabi! Well what do I know, back home we all cheer when its Raya tomorrow, right? It was then I resolved to enroll soon for Arabic classes.
So pleased to hear that one family who just arrived this year was also from our residential area in Klang Valley, sort of orang sekampong. Taught Rosman about Google planet search if he really misses and wants to see satellite pictures of his home in BJ. Cautioned him of not making the same mistake of assuming the pictures are live. Only after the white car in the middle of the road near my office in Jalan Yap Kwan Seng did not moved for 3 weeks that I realized the satellite pictures are still pictures and not live. Live ones apparently are available with payment. There are so far about 47 of us who have registered in Melayu Riyadh email group. It is sort of Classof72 email group but for Malay expats in Riyadh. Many good tips about easing the expat life in Riyadh; where to find tauhu and tempe in Batha, the Chow kit of Riyadh, and suchlikes. Many more new arrivals are expected soon so we expect this email group to get bigger and bigger each month.
Selamat menyambut Ramadhan dari Zahid dan famili diperantauan. May each Ramadhan be a better one for us than the last.
Wassalam,
Hj Muhammad Zahid
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