An Innate Longing for Beauty

Recently our family returned from a wonderfully refreshing vacation to South Africa. This was not the kind of vacation where we got to spend long mornings sleeping in, long hours chatting over coffee, or long hours reading a book on the beach. It was also not refreshing in the sense that it was intellectually stimulating, although I did learn a good bit about the history of Cape Town. Moreover, we didn't pack our trip with a flurry of entertainment. And, yet, in a deep, hard to describe way, it was refreshing.

What made it so? Jeff and I often talk of our longing to experience natural beauty. This appetite for beauty is so deeply embedded in our hearts that when we are deprived of it for a period of time our souls become restless. I will be the first to say Saudi has its charms and beauty, and I look forward to discovering more of these. However, the dispensation of beauty across the globe is not equal. And, part of the charm of desert beauty is that it is long sought after and easily missed.

The Cape Town peninsula was richly adorned in beauty. Some of my notes from the trip follow.

     Right now I am sitting on our front porch in Simonstown overlooking False Bay, trying to appreciate in every detail the beauty before me. South Africa is an over-indulgent feast to the eyes. The flora is abundant and richly colorful. I'm not sure I've experienced a place so diversely colorful! There are flowering bushes of every color (oranges, yellows, pinks, reds, blues, purples) and flowers as big as melons and as small as snowflakes. There are flowers shaped as fountains, fireworks, foxtails, paintbrushes, duster brushes, woody tulips, and so many others that there isn't time enough to describe them. I don't know the names so I am reduced to childlike descriptions in order to lock the look of this place into my mind. Even the rocks add color - red, grey, brown. And there is some kind of lichen that reflects brilliant orange. A series of mountain ridges slope down to the shore all along the bay, like giants sleeping, waiting for some approaching great event. This one to my left reminds me of Elephant Butte, but green and with a vast ocean before it. We've seen small glimpses of the fauna: baboon, bontebok, turtle, lizard, ostrich, hummingbird, sun-bird, whale, and of course, penguin.
     Yesterday we rose early and drove to the Cape of Storms/Cape of Good Hope. Both names tell so much of the story of the cape. What a rugged and beautiful place! We made our way through the park in an unhurried way marveling at the seemingly endless gorgeous vistas. This one on the Indian side, that one on the Atlantic, this one with a piece of both impressive oceans. We eventually made it to the lighthouse, rode the funicular train up the backside of the peak, and hiked up the final stairs to the precarious top. What an awe-inspiring moment to look over the very tip of Africa to the turbulent sea below. The wind was so powerful I was afraid Ellen would be blown clean off the continent, much as Eustace was blown into Narnia. Over five hundred years ago Vasco da Gama successfully made it around the cape and continued on to India. The road was paved for him by scores of shipwrecks in the stormy two ocean waters. We spent the day driving the park, picnicking along the shores and watching for wildlife. 

C.S. Lewis speaks about the compelling nature of beauty. But he warns that our love of beauty (as of all good things) can turn into an idol, if we don't seek the One behind the beauty.

Listen to this quote from The Weight of Glory:

"The books or the music [or the scenic views in Cape Town] in which we thought the beauty was located will betray us if we trust to them; it was not in them, it only came through them, and what came through them was longing. These things--the beauty, the memory of our own past--are good images of what we really desire; but if they are mistaken for the thing itself they turn into dumb idols, breaking the hearts of their worshipers. For they are not the thing itself; they are only the scent of a flower we have not found, the echo of a tune we have not hear, news from a country we have never yet visited."


If the vibrant colors of the fynbos (wild bush), the shapeliness of the cliffs and the loveliness of the Cape Town shores are enough to wow my heart. How much more the God whose mind created them in all their detail and glorious grandeur! And that "something" that stirs in our hearts as we marvel is our very longing for Him.

I wish I could have had long conversations with God on the beach. Instead the reality was often an exclamation of "Wow, this is so beautiful" along cries of "Benjamin's about to fall off that cliff!" So I will just have to be content with being a passing observer of how the heavens and the earth declare the glory of God in South Africa. This was enough. And, it was wonderfully refreshing!

Ramadan: Joining an Iftar

Through much of the month of July, we are surrounded by the observance of Ramadan. In the KSA fasting restrictions are strictly enforced, which means no eating or drinking between dawn and dusk, even for non-muslims. Thankfully this excludes young children, so when Benjamin was fussing around the grocery store for a cracker, I was able to oblige him (though I felt bad for all the hungry people watching). This is the time that Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Koran to Muhammad. It is a time of heightened devotion and reflection. Many shops and business have shortened hours and no restaurants are open before the final prayers of the day.

While we recognized that this would be the case in Saudi, we neglected to consider the implications of this for our trip to Bahrain. We assumed the freedom to eat during the day would be greater, and it was; however, we had a heck of a time finding places to eat during the day. Thankfully, our western style hotel restaurant was open 24 hours a day. Our first evening we joined an iftar (breaking of the fast dinner) in a tent along the beach. As you can imagine this was quite a spread - I wish I could have taken a picture. I did pass on the pot with the sheep skull in it (Jeff said it was tasty!), but the rest was wonderfully delicious - roasted meats, dozens of salads and spreads, fresh fruit and pastries.

The iftar meal begins with dates, which are a local point of pride. Dates have been farmed in Arabia since ancient times. There are more varieties than I can count, in colors ranging from brown to red to yellow to orange. The dates are ripe from June - August depending on the variety. When they are ready to be cut, a strong farmer climbs the trunk with a knife in hand and chops down a large clump. No easy task in the hottest months of the year! There is a date souk (market) in Riyadh that I have yet to explore. The dates in the photograph below were brilliantly orange. Trees can be seen all over the city now heavily laden with fruit.

This is what much of the drive to Bahrain looks like.

Qal'at al Bahrain

Last weekend we broke away from Riyadh for a fun time in beautiful Bahrain. Our favorite part of the trip was a visit to a 16th century Portuguese fort (Qal'at al-Bahrain). Actually, the fort is layered on centuries of civilizations, starting as the capital of a Dilmun civilization, (mentioned in the Epic of Gilgamesh). Archeologists love it because it is a classic example of a tell, a mound showing layers of development over time. Archeologists have identified at least seven civilizations including Sumerian, Greek, Portuguese, and Arabic. 

The fort shows three distinct phases of development. The last and most apparent developments were added in the 16th century to protect the Portuguese from possible future attacks from the Ottoman Turks. The Turks attacked just before the additions were made and were forced back across the land.

The fort was originally developed to protect settlers from attacks from the sea. However, over time the bay became too shallow for large vessels to enter so additions were added to protect from land attacks. The fort includes rooms for canons, a large courtyard, a moat (never filled with water), and a couple of madbasa (rooms for the development of date syrup).

Most fascinating for the kids and me was the strategic trading location of the fort, as we have just begun reading stories of the Age of Exploration starting in the 15th century. Dates and pearls would have been important goods from the region. 

The Persian Gulf is gorgeous. I don't know if you can see how many shades of blue are present in the photographs, but I counted at least five. 

The day was incredibly hot. While we are currently in Ramadan, there are not the strict rules in Bahrain that there are in Saudi. We were able to drink and douse ourselves with water along the way.

Living Under the Abaya - Part I

Driving to a friends home last evening, with my abaya draped over my shoulders and my exposed knees peeking out before the air-conditioning vent, I had a renewed sense of just how restricting this place is for women. I saw a picture the other day on the news of a Saudi woman getting rescued from a flooding car in full abaya and head-covering. (This was from a winter story of sudden rainfall.) If you are a Saudi woman, there are few to no occasions that are safe to go unshrouded. Even life-threatening emergencies are not reasons to uncover. The weird thing is that many women don't think like American women (imagine that!). Many Saudi women are extremely conservative themselves - they have no desire to uncover, or drive, or push the social norms. Their religion and cultural/tribal norms teach that following God and protecting their family honor demands these practices. How does wearing the abaya do this? I'm learning more about this so look for a follow up post.

Saudi women can take off their abayas in their homes if they are with close family or female friends. However, with extended family or male guests they remain shrouded and often segregated. Even going to open the door for a female friend, where you may be observed by curious neighbors, is an occasion to cover.

We are the lucky few -- living on the DQ (diplomatic quarter) is like living in another country. I wore my shorts and tank top up to the swimming pool the other day. Jeff and I walk down the street holding hands. I run the wadi trail in comfortable exercise clothes. We are free to be seen, to express our personalities and emotions publically, to have ideas and opinions, to live full lives.

Even more than this, we are spiritually free. Free to follow a God who knows exactly what we are. This is Yahweh, who created us whole - body, soul and mind and intended us to live rich lives in relationship with Him. However, He sees us fully and knows what we are capable of doing in the darkness of our hearts. This God wants our heart's affection, but will not coerce, restrict, or squash us in order to win us. This God (if we let Him pursue us) gives us a new heart, new desires, and the power to live a good life. When we are made new in Him, we don't have to create rule upon rule upon rule in order to live safely in His blessing. When His favor comes to us through the work of his Son there is nothing we can do to lose it.

Why I Love A Saudi Floor Plan

We have grown to love the floor plan of our home. The homes in Riyadh are designed to facilitate the separation of sexes. While our DQ (diplomatic quarter) home is more open and less parceled up than a home in the city, it carries some distinctively Saudi features. Sliding wooden doors allow for easy closing off of the front of the home. In theory Jeff could have a male friend over, they could chat in the front sitting room and eat a separate dinner in the dining room without ever seeing me. We have several Western friends who live according to these social rules. In a lot of ways it makes life easier for the woman of the house. When her husband is entertaining, she can continue to take care of business in the back of the home or she can relax and not worry about the condition of the back rooms or her personal presentability. In other words the kitchen can be a wreck and she can wear yoga pants all day. It doesn't matter.

Our purpose in liking the floor plan is different - we homeschool. In the front of the house we can maintain a certain atmosphere of scholarship, creativity, productivity, discourse, while the back of the house provides a place to play, cook, do laundry, be entertained. While schooling the older kids in the morning, my boisterous toddler can play, dance, growl, and wrestle in the back (which is exactly what he needs) without disturbing our thoughtful environment (which is exactly what we need).

As an aside, there are several other fascinating features of Saudi homes to note. Many homes have separate entrances for men and women. Also, many have maid or driver quarters, as foreign household help is extremely common here. Many have private courtyards with high walls for privacy and many have roof-top terraces for enjoying the cooler evening air.

It can be hard to move into a home that you have never seen before. We weren't sure how this home would or wouldn't meet our needs, but God has given us a good home. We are content and ready to welcome any adventurous friends who'd like to visit!

Kingdom Tower Skybridge at Dusk

Last Friday evening we went on a family outing to the top of the Kingdom Tower Skybridge, (think Space Needle remolded into a bridge shape). On a clear day the Skybridge affords fabulous views of the city. I walked away with a deeper sense of the vastness of Riyadh. Thanks to some extremely long wait times in line, we hit the top just as the last vestiges of daylight were fading. It was worth the wait!

Impressive!

Yep! Past dinner time! Dad has the hard job!

Extremely Private or Cooped Up

The weather has turned hot in Riyadh with daily temperatures exceeding 100'F. This translates into more time indoors and less motivation to go out. On a positive note, this means that Jeff will be taking over the grocery shopping soon, as I can hardly stand to be out in my abaya. In the last two weeks I've had to cancel a number of outings due to miscalculated scheduling (failure to plan according to business "family hours"), family sickness (the children have been sick for a week now - NO, it is not MERS!), and single parenthood (Jeff's been traveling). I begin to understand why Saudi families stay indoors so much. However, they are certainly more adapted to the heat. They frequently picnic at parks as the sun is going down and typically stay up much later in the evenings. On a recent evening Jeff observed scores of Saudis picnicking along the highway as he was driving back from the airport. Apparently, this is a common gathering place until early hours of the morning. Early kid bedtimes are so deeply ingrained in me that I'm not sure I can make this "desert adaptation." However, it is only May and we need to get outside, so perhaps we will learn to make some exceptions.

Saudi people are extremely private. Driving down a city street, one will observe only a handful of Saudi men, and more rarely a Saudi woman. Houses come with high concrete walls and few windows. I wonder...what do the Saudi women do in their houses all day. Sleep? Watch T.V? Visit with neighbors? I know it must vary. But it is a mystery to me now.

I'm thankful for our industrious home. My kids are amazing at finding projects. As I write Elijah is planting watermelon seeds and Ellen is creating little chicks to put inside her plastic Easter eggs. I'm thankful for homeschooling and all the various ideas that our curriculum presents to us. I often hear Ellen playfully playing with words, as Eugene Field did when he was young. And, I love how Elijah's mind latches onto some idea for a project and he looks for ways to execute it. Yesterday we began a unit on knot tying and spent several minutes brainstorming how knots were used in ancient times. Five minutes after the lesson Elijah was creating a zip-cord across the living room! Kids are amazing and very entertaining.

Masmak Fortress

Stay tuned for Benjamin's First Haircut...oh so cute!

A Truly Gritty Day

Wednesday we experienced our first massive Arabian sandstorm. I've never seen the sky this color - It was truly brown and completely veiled the sun. You could taste dirt in the air. During the evening we welcomed the relief of a lengthy thunder and lightening storm. The rain fell as enormous mud drops. I spent an hour the next day hosing off  the thick coating of dirt on our front patio.

An Unexpected Meeting

Last weekend Elijah had an unexpected opportunity to meet President Obama. He told me he knew it was going to be a good day when he woke up to scrambled eggs. (We had to get up very early - the logistics of getting to the same room as the president were quite extensive.) These are the things Elijah highlighted for the day: 1) shuttled to the very grand, Ritz Carlton Hotel, 2) saw John Kerry 10 feet away say a few words to the new ambassador then climb into his motorpool vehicle, 3) heard the president address the embassy families, 4) said "hello" and shook President Obama's hand, 5) spent the afternoon at a favorite park, 6) had fish and chips at Outback Steakhouse. What more could a 7 year old want in a day!

Ellen was there too! What was a thrilling morning for her brother was a heavily disappointing morning for Ellen. She turns 6 three weeks too late! It was a hard life lesson for her.

Nature Study in the Diplomatic Quarter

In 1989 the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh was selected for the Aga Khan Award for architecture. What was once barren, flat desert land along the Wadi Hanifa was transformed into a beautiful neighborhood of embassies, gardens, and homes. Tens of thousands of cubic meters of earth and rock were moved to recreate the space. Gardens were carefully planned with native plants of the Arabian peninsula. What a real pleasure to live here!

I can literally walk two blocks behind my home to a sandy road that twists and turns, climbs and falls, as it circles the compound. Morning runs take me past acacia, sagebrush, bougainvillea, jujube trees, etc. and scenic views of the wadi. For my NM friends, wadi is just the Arabic name for arroyo, a large dry canyon that acts as a funnel to channel any rain to fertile date tree farms below.

The Arabian peninsula has several north-south veins of wadis and escarpments. Riyadh (which incidentally means "garden" in Arabic) is situated on one of the largest wadis in the country, the Wadi Hanifa, and it runs along the largest escarpment, the Tuwaiq Escarpment. Both are surprisingly beautiful land features in the midst of a dry, barren land.

Here are some shots of a recent nature walk I took with the kids along the wadi. I will try to name what I can--although I may get some things wrong and need to correct myself later on.

Looking down into the wadi

Sweet little companions

Under the Jujubes

Gorgeous Agaves!

Two varieties of Aloes--flowering!

 Some kind of thistle

Waterfall in the desert!

Sketching...

So thankful for beautiful things to admire. God is good.

Quad-Biking Outside Riyadh - Yee-Haw!

This morning before the break of dawn we drug the kids out of bed and threw them on a bus heading for the Red Sands near Al Musahmiyah. Some new South African friends had invited us to join them for quad-biking on the dunes. What a blast! Check out some of our photos. Ellen proved to be a real speed demon. Elijah tried out his own bike but preferred to sit with his dad. Jeff managed to stay upright. Thank you, God! Even Benjamin and I gave it a go!

The color of the sand reminds me of the Great Sand Dunes of Colorado.

Other shots from the journey. What a beautiful drive through the Tuwaiq Escarpment! As you drive out of Riyadh the land appears flat as far as the eye can see. Suddenly, the land drops away on either side as you cross through the Escarpment. Quite Stunning!

The Dirah Souq

Today I took the kids to the Dirah Souq, a market where scarves, carpets, jewelry, and trinkets are sold. Most of the goods are imported from India, Pakistan, Afganistan, Central Asia, etc. However, local  artifcats can be found. In fact, I came home with a couple of beautifully embroidered clothes, stitched together locally (or so the vender told me). It was fun to walk around and see what was on display! I'm sorry I haven't got brave enough to pull out my camera in places like this, but here's some of my treasures.

The vendors spoke very good English and were polite. Not at all pushy. One of the salesmen even brought me a cup of coffee after I made my purchase. He told me repeatedly that he liked America and that he was giving me a good discount:) 

I got several questions about Benjamin - he certainly is a curiousity here. When I tell people that he is my son, they usually look confused and I believe assume that I have had several husbands. I always try to immediately correct them, saying that Benjamin's parents couldn't take care of him, so we took him into our family. Adoption does not happen in Saudi Arabia, but I believe it is considered a virtue to care for orphans. 

The Dirah Souq has two interesting attractions. One is a small castle, which apparently is sometimes open. I have yet to figure out when things are open or closed around here! The other attraction is "Chop-Chop Square." Though my first thought was that I was entering a livestock butching zone, I was informed by a friend that this is where crimial executions used to take place - beheadings! Wow! Hard to imagine! Sometimes it feels almost normal here...and then Chop-Chop Square!

A Lovely Neighborhood

The Diplomatic Quarter is surprisingly green and colorful. One of our chief concerns coming here was that we might be starved for beauty. Over the course of the last four years in Virginia, we had grown to love its many parks and trails, having favorite groves and riverside haunts. So what kind of beauty is there in the middle of Arabia? Well, we are determined to find out over the next few years! But starting close to home, the DQ is lovely. 

I'll try to learn what I can about the vegetation here - I thought it may be similar in some ways to NM, although I've seen some very different plants from the American SW. We have a date tree in our front yard, certainly a predominant tree of the city, not just the DQ. We thought they were just palm trees, until one day Benjamin brought us one of their seeds, saying "Cookie." Also, there are many varieties of Acacia trees, some with the cutest little yellow pom-pom flowers. If you see anything you recognize in the photographs, let me know what it is!

More on playgrounds another day...

Settling in

We've spent much of the past weeks settling into our home.  Lots of trips to stores for food and stuff around the house. It's a mixture of excitement and tedium. We've been reminded of how we're created with a deep instinct for making order out of disorder and putting down roots.  At a few moments, the trips have been lessons that heaven is the heart's deepest longing and our true home. (As an aside, if you want to read a good book on heaven, try Peter Kreeft's Heaven, The heart's deepest longing.)

J