Friday Again.....Off for Good Buys

Today is supposedly my rest day but I need to buy some juices and fruits. So we decided to go out.

Outside HyperPanda during Salah

Manuj, our Indian Driver pick us at exactly 4pm. We arrived at Al Nakheel during Salah and the doors to HyperPanda were closed so we decided to stroll around the mall.

Most of the stores were closed as expected, a common view in Saudi during Salah. I took some pictures which apparently you can't see anything but closed stores and the black and white fashion.

I found one store that sells beautiful Abayas and I am eyeing one with the ethnic design. I have to come back to that store once I get my first salary.

We reached what seems like the food court and we saw McDonald's, KFC, Cinnabon, Herfy and Seattle's Best Coffee in one of the Kiosk. Life isn't that remote here anyway. Besides, Buraidah is already a City.

The ramp going to Al Nakheel Mall

At the Food court

Me and my daughter outside HyperPanda

Romel @ Pringles Section

Me and Denisse at Cheetos corner

waiting for counters to open

my daughter sitting in a corner
texting while mommy
queue at the counter

Our Final stop is HyperPanda to get some good buys and you will see more pictures coming as I show you some stuffs that I bought.. be ready and be patient :)

The scene at the cashier was the same. It was Salah again so we have to patiently wait until the counters are open.

I paid 197 SAR for my groceries, comparatively low than that of last week which was 733 SAR. For me it was quite reasonable, it was just roughly 2000 PHP. These are some of  the stuffs that I bought for 2000 php.

15 pcs of egg for 7SAR. In the Philippines, a dozen costs 67 pesos. I am amazed that eggs have expiry dates :)

Eggs with expiration date

2.95 SAR per kilo

A kilo of Oranges costs only 2.95 SAR and it is shockingly 30 php when converted.

The yellow plums, which is a first for me to see, cost 12SAR per kilo, red plums cost 2 SAR higher.

no they are not lemons..

French Feta Cheese

Hmm what else...yes the French Feta Cheese...imagine it is only 5.50 SAR. No kidding, 60 pesos for a French Feta Cheese?? . I don't understand why the Greeks love them it was too salty for me, so we put it in fresh salads and the pasta that I cooked.

Juice Concentrates

I also bought these juices that I got for only 7 SAR( Nadec Brand) and 8 SAR (Almarai Brand). In my home country, a liter is already 70-90 pesos and to think this is 1.75L each.

Full Cream Milk

Milk only costs 3 SAR ( 1L) 6 SAR (2L).

Yogurt is also cheap.

And cream cheese..oh yes the cream cheese :) A Philadelphia Cream Cheese ( 300g) costs 11 SAR and the President Cream Cheese ( 500g) costs 10 SAR. So which do you think I bought?

Yes I got the President's brand 

And lastly coffee and creamer, I was told coffee is expensive here since it is being imported. I got the Kruger brand which was on sale last Friday for 20 SAR and then this Friday came the Kruger Creamer for 10 SAR. For me the price is reasonable enough. My husband is a coffee lover and I know the price ranges of the best coffee brands in the Philippines. Kruger costs less than Nescafe Gold .

There are lots of stuffs too like the Baskin and Robins Ice Cream, chocolates ( incredibly cheap too) of course I got some Cadbury's and Twix for Denisse and sodas which is only 5SAR per 2.25L. I hope that my blood sugar won't rise beyond its limits in the next few months.

If only I can buy all the stuffs here and send it to the Philippines, I would. My next post would be about the life of other OFWs here and their sacrifices for their families or maybe my next stop...Jarir or Kubaib :). See you and happy reading.

Our First Day Out - HyperPanda in Al Nakheel Mall, Buraidah

It's Friday!!! and it's family day here in Saudi Arabia.

Today marked our first week (7th day). My daughter and I started dressing up at 315pm since the driver will pick us up at 4pm. We will go to HyperPanda at Al Nakheel to get some grocery stuffs and hopefully stroll around the place.

My daughter and I in our abayas

Dressing up has never been so exciting. In the Philippines, we used to go to grocery stores in slippers, shorts and shirt. Here, we need to alot time in putting up our cover ups. Abaya is easy to wear but the Tarha (head dress) needs art in putting. Thanks to my nurse Analiza who taught me the right way in putting up the Tarha.

My daughter is growing up so fast and I am so glad that she is as open minded as I am in embracing the Arabic culture. I never heard her complain and in fact she showed interest in what she was doing. I asked her if she wanted her face covered because young girls less than 16 may not cover their faces but she wanted to and besides she looked like a grown up already.
I was amazed when I asked her if she is ok and if she likes what she is wearing. She said " mafi mushkila" (no problem) that she like what she is wearing and covering her face is not an imposition it's her choice to be completely covered. Truly she is a grown up.

We arrived at a very nice grocery store. Al Nakheel is an upscale store similar to Shopwise in the Philippines. Only women, couples and families are allowed inside. Single men are not allowed unless they are with a family or with a couple. Kuya Manny, also working in the Hospital's Engineering/Maintenance Department together with my husband went with us.

People who live on the other part of the world often have misbeliefs about Saudi Arabia. Sometimes what one reads creates some fear among others. Now that I am here, I can say that there are a lot of misconceptions.

My Husband(L) and Kuya Manny(R)

I am in Al Qassim, the most strict province in KSA (so they say) and yet apart from being completely covered face down, I have not seen yet men being separated from women. Maybe because single men are not allowed to enter. So inside, all the women and the families mingle. Women and families are being given priority (being a woman is an advantage) I have never felt more secure while shopping. Here, I can leave my bag in the cart and check on stuffs without being paranoid that someone might take my bag (no one wants their hand to be cut off!).

I can even let my daughter off my site to check some stuffs that she wanted which we rarely do in the Philippines.

My daughter checking the yogurt section

Some of the prices were amazingly cheap compared in peso and since I'm a first timer I still have the habit of converting it.
Kuya Manny told me not to convert and just get what I need. He was right it is indeed time to buy stuffs that we rarely buy in the Philippines(either because it is not available or too expensive to include in the budget). Would you believe a half kilo of French Feta Cheese only cost 5 SAR? That's only 55PHP!!!

I got some good bargains and filled up my cart with what I think are wise buys ( Ok! Ok! I did buy some unnecessary things). I will make another post on the good stuffs that I bought.

As we go through some racks, some nurses saw us. Who says that  you cant be recognized in abaya? I can identify each one of them by looking in their eyes and the sound of their voices. One of the nurses said, "grabe dockie ang dami nyong binili"  looking at our overflowing cart. I said " its ok I think its just enough to feed 3 people for two weeks, hehehe "

I paid 733SAR for all the stuffs I bought and I felt its just the same as when I do groceries in the Philippines.

Now our kitchen is stuffed to last for 2 weeks or so.

Embracing the Saudia Culture

March 8,2013 5:25pm Qatar airways took off from Manila Philippines carrying 3 passengers who decided to face a new life in a new land.

My Pedia friend Dr. G. Ramirez and her husband send us off.  I never felt indifferent, it was just like any other travel we had together except that we are not on a leisure trip and not coming back soon.

Qatar Airways' Meal Serving

Glecy, my colleague told me that Qatar Airways serves delicious food. So I was anticipating and I wasn't disappointed, except that the dessert does not fit the menu. I am no food critic but I don't think that "Maja Blanca(coconut pudding)" fits a seafood and pasta entree (pan seared fillet of dory with chunky tomato sauce and penne pasta in herb cream sauce plus buttered vegetables). This was concluded with brewed coffee.

Boarding Gate 3 going to Gassim

We arrived in Qatar airport 10pm and we have to stay there for 3 hrs since the connecting flight is at 1:25am. Still the same no significant changes felt since Qatar is an open country.

Then as we near boarding time women wearing Abayas (black overcoats) with black Hijab/ Tarha ( the hair cover) and face cover came flooding in. We were not planning to change since we were advised that only in Gassim Airport that one needed to be in Abaya. However, it felt different when everyone is looking at you as if you are the odd one out. So, my daughter and I decided to change. After a few minutes we were already strutting Qatar airport clad in all black fashion ( this is optional for first timers, all one needed is an abaya and a tarha of any color will do). Abaya is available in the Philippines in Quiapo at a cheaper price but if you are not used to going to Quiapo you can get one from Greenhills at the price of 1500 php.

The travel to Gassim took 2 hours. We arrived at 3am, contrary to expected the line is not separated by gender, couples and families stay together. It was not very strict after all but be prepared to wait since Saudi nationals were given priority. After an hour at the immigration we were fetched by Al Flaiw Van driven by Khaleed a Saudi Citizen (Only employers are allowed to fetch at the airport).

Take note that when someone tries to help you on your bagagge(porters) say no if you don't want to pay 20SAR. Do not take their insistence as kindness. They will just grab your baggage.

The travel from Gassim airport to our flat took 30 minutes. The flat provided for us is fully furnished and the refrigerator was stocked. Insaallah! At least it contains the basic necessities to survive a day or two in a place where you don't know where the bakala (store) is.

We did a bit of unpacking then went off to sleep.We woke up at  9 am feeling dizzy and hungry. I prepared instant noodles which we brought from the Philippines and coffee. Good thing I also brought an electric kettle :)

Kabsa: Saudi's traditional dish

12nn ( 6 pm Philippine time ) our doorbell rang. It was Dra. Raquel, her husband Arthur and their son Sebastian. They brought our lunch courtesy of our employer it's a Kabsa ( Rice ,Pasta, Chicken )

I felt so comfortable and blessed to have an employer who knows the needs of the people. And so we had a hearty lunch.

I have to rest some more since I am anticipating that I might start clinic that afternoon eventhough I was praying that this day be spared.

My phone rang, it was my employer and he said he will pick me up at 3 pm so I prepared. He told me he will bring  me to Al Khabra Clinic. It was a Saturday and its the first day of the week in Saudi Arabia just like a Monday in any part of the world. My employer arrived at 3:15pm on board a White Tahoe. He introduced me to Analiza a nurse who will be my assigned nurse assistant and travel buddy to Al Khabra everyday.

The clinic was flooded with Men in White and Women in Black. I was not culture shocked, somehow I was expecting this. Buraidah is a very conservative city and Al Qassim is strict than Riyadh, Jeddah or Dammam. In any other place in Saudi, expats/foreigners/non muslims like me are not obliged to wear a face cover, just an abaya but here in Buraidah women are completely covered.

The clinic where I will stay is complete and with ultrasound. I can say doctors are very spoiled here, everything that you will need is anticipated and provided. The only challenge I will face is speaking the Arabic Language. So far having decided to go here seems to be a right choice.