December 13, 2007

Bond of twins..SubhanAllah

As a mother of five sons I am well aware that all sorts of "waters" will be tested along this journey... Meaning kids (not only mine) will try new things weather it is good or bad for them.

About a month ago my youngest set of twins, Badir and Salman were caught doing something. This something I will not state here cause it is not the point of my post. Nothing bad, something just about every kid will do at some point.

For all of their lives we have referred to them as "the babies". Not only me and my husband but everyone around us. Why? Don't really know. If my mom was babysitting and she was telling me the events that happened she would say Khalid, Mohammed and Abdulla ate but the babies wouldn't.. Something along those lines! Usually if one did something then the other one would do the same.. So I guess it was always easier for us to just say the babies. In reality it was as if Khalid, Mohammed and Abdulla (Even though Mohammed and Abdulla are also twins) always had their own single identity. But Badir and Salman was group as "the babies" therefore in a sense meaning one.

MOOOOOOOM the babies won't get out of our room!!!!!!!!! I hear this daily!

Well it wasn't until we moved here to Saudi that someone finally said to us "THEY AREN'T BABIES, they are 8 year old boys!" (Thanks Nzinghas for breaking my heart). Truthfully we never even thought of it that way. And "the babies" never thought anything bad by us calling them it until the same EXACT person told them "tell your mom your NOT babies". After that they no longer wanted that name..*SIGH*

So fast forward three years, which bring us to 3 weeks ago. They got caught..... According to my husband they should be punished till they are 25 years old. Finally, after much hard debates out of me, we agreed that they were on punishment till the first of Jan. In my husband's heat of their intended 14 year punishment came alot of hurt. Not only was the nickname "the babies" just a nickname but it is something that was in the heart... I guess he thought his babies would never test such waters...Or any waters for that matter... Finally after I got him to realize they are just being normal kids looking to fit in with everyone around them.. Being half Saudi and half American with limited Arabic skills takes a toll on a kid. So they will look to fit in with the peers around them, looking to be accepted. (of course, not to mention my husband was in the second grade when he got caught doing the exact same thing!) When they were caught Badir stated that he was the one doing wrong and not Salman..He stuck with this story.... Salman argued that fact and said NO he had also done wrong, only he did it one time.. He stuck with this story..

So now fast forward to 3 weeks later, which would bring us to last night.. I work shifts which means I don't have every weekend off like my husband does.. This is one of the weekends that I have off. So my husband looking for me and him to just sit and talk with out anyone else adding to our conversation decides, to let them now be off of punishment.. So in the process of this he starts talking about what had happened. Badir stuck to his story that Salman was NOT involved.. And finally Salman said Badir was telling the truth. It was only Badir!

Outside they go...Coming to check in together ... Back out side and finally Salman comes in alone to get some water.. I tell him to come sit down I want to talk to him.. I asked him why would he lie and say he did something bad and get punished for something he didn't do....
He looked at me like I was insane and that I should have already known why he would do something like that..(truthfully, I should have known) Then he told me that it wasn't fair.. What isn't fair I asked. He said that if he got to go and play and not Badir.. Why, I ask... Because Badir is my twin and we are one person so if he is in trouble I have to stay with him... Of course I should have known.. Badir will be the one to test the waters and Salman will be the one there with him through the punishments. And also take the blame for something he didn't do, just to ensure he gets to stay with him. I tried my hardest to explain to him that just because they were twins doesn't mean they are one person and Badir would have to deal with punishments on his own.. Just as he would have to do it on his own if he does something bad... He wasn't having that, to him they are still one person. MashAllah

SubhanAllah the bond of twins...Even if it isn't always fair...

November 28, 2007

To the ER....demanding a miracle

In my last three and a half years working here in an ER in Saudi, I have seen a little of everything.. Things that would and possibly could make one go crazy..And other things that could melt ones heart, which would make up for the craziness one can feel at the end of a twelve hour shift.
Coming from America, one would be completely shocked at what they run to the ER for!!!
It wouldn't even be entertained in any ER in the states!
I have seen little kids walk around on broken legs... Parents saying the trauma happened a week ago and they just didn't want to come to the hospital.. And I have seen these exact same parents wake their children up in the middle of the night to rush them to the ER..For what?? A true emergency...Runny nose for one hour!
Child abuse is not something that is watched.. Of course there are plans trying to be put into the hospital but nothing really happens. Yup the mother who claimed she pulled the 1 and 1/2 year old kid's arm too hard and fast that resulted in a fracture, still went home with the baby and no one second guessed her.
The mentallity here is they all want a miracle...Air conditioners can cause all illnesses and antibiotics can cure almost anything..But they must work before the first dose is given..
And there is NO patient teaching going on from most of the doctors... I guess to them it doesn't matter cause the medical care is free therefore it is not like they would need to teach them something to help save them money in medical expenses, not to mention the whole miracle thing again.. If a cure doesn't happen right away then something must be wrong, no matter if you sit with them for an hour teaching them about antibiotics..
Here they give antibiotics sometimes in the powder form, for the patient to mix with water at home... I had a mother one night saying she brought the baby to the clinic the day before but the medicine wasn't working and his fever wouldn't go down.. The doctor asked her if she had the medicine and she said yes... Out comes the antibiotic, still in the powder form and out comes the tylenol in an unopened box!!! YUP MIGHT HELP TO ACTUALLY Give the medication! Wanting a miracle once again!
I work with mainly the bedouin population, So this is not to say ALL Saudi's are like this... Even though the majority of Saudis, uneducated or educated will tell you that if you have thrown up once, diarrhea once, or farted to loud then you should run to the ER cause something is surely wrong!
But I do have my little buddy Abdul Rahman (yup the patients seem to come to the ER over and over.we know alot by name and worry about them when we haven't seen them in a long time).. He is about 3 years old, has down syndrome (very common here). And since it is usually one of his siblings with the true emergencies (runny nose) he doesn't get any of the attention... And All he wants is for someone to take his temperature under his arm. He will sit there patiently in the chair and watch, without saying anything but he will stick his little hand under his arm trying to imitate taking a temperature... SO yup at any chance I get I will run to take his temperature.... Cause the Smile I get from him, makes me remember why I love being a nurse!!

November 12, 2007

I did it!!!

Ok well finally I did something yesterday that I have been saying I would do for a lonnngggg time..... I cut my hair!! Yippie!!! Or not yippie!!!


I had my friend make us appointments , As I knew I would NEVER do it. (toooo chicken!) So we go, the lady was working on her first and I am thinking ok I just want to run out of here...Then she comes to me, grabs my hair and seems to want to cry " I have been trying for years to get my hair this long" she is saying to me.. So I tell her how short to do it... She cuts it...Holds it in her hands then runs and wraps it up to give to me..(the saudi's are very strict about getting their hair back, as one may have the evil eye or black magic put on them).. I am sitting there holding this hair, looking at my friend and saying what the heck does she want me to do with this??? Did she mistake me for a saudi, with a perfect southern american drawl??


Only my husband knew I was going to get it done...So when the kids came home from school..4 of them "acted" like they liked it..And Abdulla, Mr Mutawa, says flat out he doesnt like it... Ouch.. So I know, just know hubby will like it, As I got it cut to where he said it was good...He walks in from work and looks at me with this huge FAKE smile and says "don't worry baby it will grow back, InshAllah" well hello can you translate that into direct english for me?? Or even direct arabic will work!!! Is that your way of kindly saying YOU HATE IT???


I did nothing with it other than cut the length... and no one likes it.. Can't say that I really do either but my gosh it is nice to just get a break from it for a while!!!


So yup, I did it!!

November 10, 2007

Bored Today

Ok So I am really bored today... Literally I haven't moved off this couch too many times today... Anyway I was looking at a blog and I seen this.. Thought in the middle of my boredom I would do it..

1.Pick out a scar you have, and explain how you got it?

I have a scar on my left hand from sweeping. One night I was sweeping the floor and the handle on the broom broke. It was one of those metal brooms. Being the obsessive person that I am I couldn't let it go unfinished. And I couldn't take all the kids with me to the store to buy a new one (hubby was out of town) So I tried to finish sweeping with it and the metal cut my hand... Didn't take the kids to the store but had to get them to my sister, As I needed to get sutures....

2. What does your phone look like?

My home phone is just a plain black thing...Only the kids usually use that
My cell phone is a pink Nokia N73

3.What is on the walls of your bedroom?

Nothing..

4. What is your current desktop picture?

A picture of some car that the kids like... My laptop but they change what they want

6. What do you want more than anything right now?

For my kids to actually listen to me without driving me insane first...Don't see that happening!

7. What time were you born?

At 8:44 in the evening... The reason I remember this is cause when my mom told me I was in primary school. School started at 8:45am so I always said I was born one minute before school except for at night... Yup I am crazy to remember things in such a way... That's how I made it through nursing school

8. Last person who made you cry?

A man that I seen on T.V. this morning that surprised his daughter by going into her class, she thought he was in Iraq still... That was so sweet

9. What is your favorite perfume/cologne? perfume?

Have to many to list here..Have a bad fear of smelling bad

10. What kind of hair/eye color do you like in the opposite sex?

Dark hair and big dark eyes.

11. What are you listening to?

Listening to the fan and somewhere in the back ground the kids are picking on each other

12. Do you get scared of the dark?

Nope

13. Do you like pain killers?

I just don't understand this question... Are they trying to ask if we are addicted to something??Why would one like pain killers??

14. Are you too shy to ask someone out?

Nope... I have no problem going to my husband saying hey take me for dinner and I need to go shopping!

15. If you could eat anything right now, what would it be?

Cheese

16. Who was the last person you made mad?

Person or people?? Well right now there are 5 people, that I call my kids that are making my blood pressure alittle high...

Who was the last person who made you smile?

My kids, in between trying to make me insane

17. Is anyone in love with you?

My husband better be or I will tie him by his little toes from the ceiling...

November 2, 2007

Kid in ME!!

The title will say it all..I am sure!

Alhamdulillah the last week or two here in Saudi, the weather has been beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. So it being the weekend we really didn't want to stay locked up in the house or inside somewhere.

*Light bulb comes on* in my head!!!

Let's go to the corniche (the sea front) and go to one of those amusement parks. Oh no, it is no Six Flags or Disney. The are more the size of the traveling fairs that you get in the states.. Maybe a little bigger and they don't travel. And NONE are anywhere within good standard range. But when this is what you have, why complain?? Just go and enjoy!!

I am so not going to lie here..It was simply my wanting to go there and play. Everyone else was just along for the ride! And in the process we would all have a great time. I only had my mind on one ride that I wanted to get on.. Then my "craving" would be cured.

It is within 20 minutes before prayer (everything shuts down at prayer), So I knew we would have to hurry to at least get two or three rides out of the way :)

The ride I want is closed....ufffffff!!!!

We walk and I find another ride, not one as scarey, but hopefully will get it out of my system.... Khalid was sick so he wasn't going on anything. I talk Mohammed and Abdulla into it. As Badir and Salman only had eyes to go on that huge slide thing...

We run up and get on our ride.. It is one big circle..you sit along the outside of the circle, it spins really fast, goes on its side alittle and gravity pulls you like crazy to the seat... The ride starts... Mohammed is on my right, almost immediately he has let his head lay back, so for the entire ride he is laughing telling me he can't move his neck. Abdulla is to my left laughing like crazy and making sure I am ok.. (he knows I have palpitations with my heart and he met a new boy who has had heart surgery. The boy told him if he ever went on a ride it could kill him) So he wants to make sure I will make it off the ride, alive.. But can't control his laughing.. After about 5 minutes I am wondering if the operator has forgotten about us...spinning and spinning and spinning... then he makes the ride jump...Oh yeah, I was threatening to kick his butt as soon as the ride stopped..Could be part of the reason for Abdulla's uncontrollable laugh.

In the far distance I can see my husband and other three kids laughing at us... Alhamdulillah I have a husband who encourages the kid in me.. May Allah reward him for his patience!!

Somewhere in all of this I am taken back by a couple sitting across from us... As the ride is spinning and gravity is kicking our butts. This lady's Abaya (over coat) is coming up. She has white jeans on so nothing is showing but she is making her husband keep pulling it down. I am amazed at him, MashAllah! Beat gravity for his wife..I am sure he is hurting today.. One thing that a big black abaya doesn't hide is a pregnancy.. You can see a pregnant woman from far away.. I would say that she was AT LEAST six months pregnant...ok so did the doctor forget to add in his patient teaching how you shouldn't ride a ride like this during pregnancy???

Anyway we had a great time...For the few short minutes that we had before they closed for prayer... Not to mention I felt like I wanted to throw up for the next two hours...

Alhamdulillah my craving was cured!

July 12, 2007

Setting up...Or trying too...

Just trying to set things up here.. trying would be the keyword in that statement!