It doesn't rain very often in Saudi Arabia - didn't know if y'all were aware of that or not, so I thought I'd mention it! Today's forecast was unexceptional - 86 degrees F, 15 mph winds, 10% sky cover, 0% chance of precipitation. That no precipitation part is usually a pretty safe bet.
But this morning there were some lovely high, wispy clouds, and this afternoon it clouded up, as it sometimes does. Still doesn't usually portend anything except some clouds. This evening I went to the mall to pick something up, and watched what had to be a thundercloud on the horizon build and grow, then split. The sunlight was amazing as it spilled around the edges in bright shafts - wish I had a picture but I was on a bus at the time.
The mall shuts down at prayer time (more on that in a future post), or at least, all the stores MUST close so the men can go pray. I don't mean that in any disrespectful way. I honestly don't know if any of the women go to pray or not. There are prayer rooms for men all over the place, but if there are also some for women they are well-hidden. Mostly the women congregate on benches and talk and/or watch the kids until the shops reopen.
So tonight, since I had my shopping done and had another 45 minutes to wait for the bus back to Aramco, I walked around the mall - on the outside, of course. It was well into twilight, but I could see a rain shaft off in the distance in the direction of where the storm cloud had been before. I thought it was very lucky for someone to be getting that much rain today, since we are getting into the part of the year where it may only rain once or twice again before summer arrives.
As I approached the bus stop I felt a few unmistakable drops of rain on my head! I spent the next 10 minutes waiting for the bus standing next to the shelter where all the women were hiding from the rain! It wasn't heavy, barely a sprinkle, but it felt delightful out in the open with a lovely breeze blowing. Not something I expected here, and I stood there and smiled for 10 minutes! By the time I got back to camp I was dry.
So, while I'm on the subject of praying at the mall, I must share a photo I took last week. Again, I mean no disrespect, but only offer this for cultural familiarization. Before going in to pray, men must wash their feet - as you may expect, sandals are very popular here. Adjacent to each prayer room is a foot washing room, with walls lined with foot-level basins and water taps for washing the feet. What else is usually associated with washing up in the mall? Here, this should explain:
But this morning there were some lovely high, wispy clouds, and this afternoon it clouded up, as it sometimes does. Still doesn't usually portend anything except some clouds. This evening I went to the mall to pick something up, and watched what had to be a thundercloud on the horizon build and grow, then split. The sunlight was amazing as it spilled around the edges in bright shafts - wish I had a picture but I was on a bus at the time.
The mall shuts down at prayer time (more on that in a future post), or at least, all the stores MUST close so the men can go pray. I don't mean that in any disrespectful way. I honestly don't know if any of the women go to pray or not. There are prayer rooms for men all over the place, but if there are also some for women they are well-hidden. Mostly the women congregate on benches and talk and/or watch the kids until the shops reopen.
So tonight, since I had my shopping done and had another 45 minutes to wait for the bus back to Aramco, I walked around the mall - on the outside, of course. It was well into twilight, but I could see a rain shaft off in the distance in the direction of where the storm cloud had been before. I thought it was very lucky for someone to be getting that much rain today, since we are getting into the part of the year where it may only rain once or twice again before summer arrives.
As I approached the bus stop I felt a few unmistakable drops of rain on my head! I spent the next 10 minutes waiting for the bus standing next to the shelter where all the women were hiding from the rain! It wasn't heavy, barely a sprinkle, but it felt delightful out in the open with a lovely breeze blowing. Not something I expected here, and I stood there and smiled for 10 minutes! By the time I got back to camp I was dry.
So, while I'm on the subject of praying at the mall, I must share a photo I took last week. Again, I mean no disrespect, but only offer this for cultural familiarization. Before going in to pray, men must wash their feet - as you may expect, sandals are very popular here. Adjacent to each prayer room is a foot washing room, with walls lined with foot-level basins and water taps for washing the feet. What else is usually associated with washing up in the mall? Here, this should explain:
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