Saudi Arabia Revisited

 After writing about my encounter with the Holy Men, I was reminded of another story.

My husband's building was blown up during our time in Saudi. We lived on the compound (about 50 houses behind a 10 foot wall with a rec center and offices) directly behind the office building. BUT, we had just moved from a compound across town (much more in the desert). 

After the bombing, the compounds pretty much shut down. We were barricaded in and protected by Marines brought on shore for car search duty. Our children did not go to school.

 There was SO much gossip. "It had happened because the Christians gathered." "Another wave is going to hit." "No one understands how under threat we are." "Our children are safer in our houses then in the pods set up for school." "The other compound has abandoned us." "Our cars are targeted, they must be protected, don't go out without a full abaya or a full AK (we actually were not allowed guns at all)". 
There were SO many experts starting their idea of what was and was not safe. Water, food, play time, church, the list was endless. So were the rules. 

About two months into the mess we sprung free and went into the desert. With friends we camped, sang, hiked, played, drank...it was amazing. No one got hurt, or shot at, or killed (well, we did get stuck in a sand dune---but that was a challenge). 

We returned to the compound. We had changed but the anti "those who did not believe are evil" became even worse. We were shunned- especially by those who lived in our old compound. 
In Saudi you are not "allowed to leave the country" without permission of our government and theirs. No one had that permission.  So we returned to live the bunker mentality.

My husband's early retirement time came up. We had, fully, intended, to "stay in" for a few more years. Retire kindly. Move to our house and just love it. Instead I pushed. He put in the papers.
We left Saudi, much to many nashing teeth. We abandoned our dear friends who were not in the "permission window" to leave. They were there four more months and did some pretty harsh moves when the time came. I was never forgiven....

Go to today. We have lived the hard and harsh lock down. We went to Idaho. The air is clean- we laughed, we played, we hiked, we watched children go to school and others play soccer, we got up in the morning and ate breakfast- served by an overworked waitress because everyone else had gone back to work at higher paying jobs. 

We returned to reality that we were going back to lock down hell by boarding a plane- that was delayed for an hour so another plane could be returned because a screaming two year old refused to put on a mask. My husband's mask slipped below his nose when he nodded to sleep. The flight attendant woke him to harshly tell him to put his mask over his "NOSE and MOUTH!"
 One set of my grandchildren go to virtual school and then play for hours outside with neighborhood kids. The other set go virtual and then sit inside playing video games- no place to go or anything to do.
I got growled after entering the market with my mask in hand- the rain was so thick I could hardly see the building. My mask was SOAKED, but, like my veil, I put it on. 

The hospitalization of people is tiny. People socially distanced in Idaho, but did not get overly worried. There were many smiles (which we could see) everywhere.  There were 100 people in all of Idaho in the hospital for COVID related things while we were there. Currently there are 79 people in Delaware in the hospital with COVID related issues. 17 are critical. Less then 100 hospitalized  every day in September. Still- don't try to go the the shore without that mask on or someone WILL yell at you. 

It all moves my plans to move West closer and closer to NOW! I want those retirement papers in. I want out of here. Denying me the chance to do the only thing I moved here for- seeing my grandchildren makes me know that it is time to GO!  I live in the United States. I need to be able to move freely. Let the arrows begin. 

Really, I think all of the mask police need to move to one place- but who would be their servants???? Don't forget, to truly be a member of the mask police you cannot have any association with people who work outside of the house. You are exposed every single day. Or maybe that is another "do as I say , not as I do" occasion- like sending your kid to private school--or any school.