A.M or P.M?

I went to the dentist yesterday. It was the second visit of many to come.  I will spare you the details.

 On my way out, I was given the appointment slip for my next visit. It had a date for next week and:

9:45 PM

I pointed out the time period error to the receptionist, who simply said “that’s not an error. Your appointment is in the evening”

It really shouldn’t have come as a surprise to me, especially after I heard that a judge had granted a father weekly visitation rights to see his children, who live with their mother, from 2 in the afternoon to 2 in the morning … the children are under 10 years old.  

During Ramadan, the month of fasting, one can schedule a doctor’s appointments for 1:00 am.

So, if you are in Saudi, especially in Jeddah, always confirm if the appointment is am or pm!

A Birthday in Saudi

Last weekend was my birthday.

My son-in-law took us to dinner to one of the many American chain restaurants found in Jeddah. Our booth was stationed next to John Lennon’s framed photo.

It was all wonderful until the one candle  cake showed up  and  followed by a group of  Filipino waiters rapping Happy Birthday to me….  I wonder what was going in their heads when they noticed the birthday “girl” was a grandmother over 60? Perhaps they were thinking they were better off singing oldies style.

 I suspect my daughters were behind the stunt because they couldn’t stop laughing during the performance. It’s a proud moment for every mother when her children get a kick of embarrassing their poor mom.  

 We skipped desert and made our way home to have some real authentic German Kässekuchen.