Christmas and NY in Saudi/Bahrain

Helllooo - here we are in a new decade and a new year. I am quite freeked out really as it doesn't seem 2 minutes since the year 2000 and we were in Bahrain then and coming back ove the causeway at 3am in the morning, wondering if anything would still be working as everyone was saying all the computers, etc, wouldnt be able to cope with the new date change! What a load of rubbish that was!

Being back in Saudi has taken me some time to adjust to after being at home for so long I must admit, and its only this week that I have begun to feel back to normal... the first week I was back I threw myself into fitness every week - running, spin and at the gym, practising for my personal training, then my ankle went and now I have my shin split injury back, so I am a bit annoyed to say the least. Am still training of course!!!

Christmas Eve we just stayed in - I had a few friends round for drinks - Liss and Andy drove up from Riyadh too - it was a nice, if not quiet night. Up early for Bahrain and Jim's the next day. It was good fun over there - the Secret Santa was a laugh, but to be honest, just another drunken day in Bahrain... its difficult for it to feel like Christmas when it is sunny outside really and you are not with your family... But it was ok. I stayed over at Darron's and was in bed for 8pm - up at 5am though the next day for work. That seriously was quite rubbish, I must admit - everyone you spoke to was on a downer having to work Boxing Day - and to top it off, one of the guys I work with upset me so much that I ended up walking out of work at 2pm! I was covering for my colleague for the week and basically wasn't aware of one of the systems she uses so he decided to haul me up in front of the GM to tell me off - even though it wasn't my fault. Not a great thing to happen at all - but its in the past now and he did apologise too.. Oh yes, I also did a Jingle Bell Run (before my legs went) - that was good fun - running around the best decorated houses on camp and singing carols - ran around 5K too! We all wore bells and flashing lights - great atmosphere!! There were numerous drinks do's going on on camp too.

PAWS continues to cause me some concern. Basically, we aren't recognised in Saudi as in Muslim religion you are not supposed to harm an animal and some locals see sterilizing cats and dogs, to keep their numbers down, as causing them pain. Anyway, so we are kinda underground but have become an umbrella group of the Women's Group on Aramco so we can use their facilities. There is a kennel club on camp too but they don't like us much - thats a long running feud apparently that goes back years so thats why we come under the Women's Group, not kennel club.

So, we hold garage sales that fetch in around 1,000 pounds a month - and now they have stopped us holding garage sales because some of the self directed groups dont like it we get priority over rooms when they struggle to book - its all a load of coblers really and childish, school yard politics, but we have now lost 3k pounds by not having garage sales and its really frustrating. I have had a meeting with the Manager of recreation (who book the rooms out) and he has decided it would be easier to become affiliated with the kennel club - however that doesn't solve the problem of the garage sales - and we have stuff piling up to sell!!! I am busy organising two socials tho in the meantime - a race night and band night, so that will bring in a bit of cash. Sorry thats a long story, but this company sucks at times!!

No news on houses - I bid and didn't get one - so that is starting to do my head in again. 2 years now stuck in student accommodation - what else can I do - I have been to the top and although the lists are out more frequently, it still isn't great... the next option is to storm housing I guess with as many of the girls as I can get!

New Year was eventful - went over on the Weds night to Bahrain - stayed with the girls in an apartment that night - with Breige, Tracy and Clodagh, Breige's mate from Abu Dhabi. Went to the Hard Rock for some food - just got out the car and got harrassed by some locals, one of them pinched my backside and subsequently got my handbag around his head - they should know better than to mess with me. Met up with a few more friends later and then me and Clodagh got a cab back around 11.30 and the driver was trying to rip us off - he wanted 8 quid for a 2 min taxi ride - we were arguing like mad and he was going to call the police etc... in the end I told him to get lost and I'd report him to the police for trying to rip us off - remember - don't mess with Jill!!

So, NYE was quite nice - had my done in the morning and then met up with Darron, picked up my bag and got ready at his then met up with friends at Camelots. We had lobster to eat - totally gorgeous. Later we went to The Dublin pub - great atmosphere and lots of our friends there - managed to stay out until 2am! It was raining really bad when we came out and we got soaked!!

NYDay was fine - felt ok and we ventured out later and went to see Sherlock Holmes at the flics which was really good. Just stayed in and chilled the rest of day really....

Anyway, that was it really - NY and Christmas for you.

Its already been an eventful year so far, following this weekend's madness - but you will have to wait to hear about that in my next blog!!!

Write soon - I am so busy with PAWS and revising at the moment, that I will do my best to stay in touch individually - but you know where I am if you want to write!!

Jill

xxxx