Happy Unofficial New Year

September is here and what a month it is. I always consider the start of September to be the start of my year here in Saudi. Like an unofficial new year! Do you feel that way too? Let me explain...

• It is the end of summer and a time when many of us have returned from a long trip to our home countries or abroad.

• It is the time that our children get back to school and we can get back to doing whatever it is we do best.

• It is a time when we tend to make renewed goals and start new things.

• It is a time when we can start getting out more, going on outdoor adventures as the heat fades.

For me, it is a very exciting time of year and my mind starts working overtime with all the fun stuff I want to do in Saudi Arabia this year.

Part of the reason I feel this way is that the sacrifice we make when moving to a new country to live and work is that we really don't know how much time we will be allowed to stay. I feel very blessed to have this opportunity to live in another country and I want to make the most of it. When the time comes to leave I really want to have taken a lot more away from working in Saudi than better financial stability and quality of life. I'm a traveler at heart and I want to be able to say that I have seen this beautiful country, not just the flashy malls and amazing restaurants but I want to experience all the culture and natural places to visit too.

Because life is short and my time here as an ex-pat isn't guaranteed.

This year, it will be three years since we moved here and in that time we have traveled quite extensively as a family. Exploring all of the Eastern Province where we live of course and road tripping as a family around and beyond Saudi.

Our adventures over the last couple of years have taken us to many beautiful places within Saudi Arabia. To recap; Al ula, Umluj, Al Wajh, Wadi Disah, Yanbu, Medina, Makkah, Taif, Jeddah, KAEC, AlHasa, Jubail, and of course Khobar are among my favorites. This spring we took our first road trip out of Saudi, from our home in Dhahran, across the UAE where we experienced five of the seven emirates; Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ras al Khaimah, Fujairah and Sharjah.

This year is a very exciting year for me. My kids are getting older, they don't need me as much and it is time for me to take some time for myself. This year I will be going on some different kinds of adventures insha'Allah. As well as family days out I'll be doing more traveling with friends around Saudi by plane and train to gain a different perspective from road tripping.

I also plan to do some more travel further afield to find the best destinations that are easy and affordable for vacations from Saudi.

Aside from travel activities, my other intentions this year are to really knuckle down and learn Arabic, work on getting my book published and start a new writing project. I'm also thinking about kicking off some kind of regular meet-up in the Khobar area for women since I get a lot of messages from people who are new here and would like to connect with others. I would love to hear your personal goals for the year ahead as well as any topics you would like me to cover in my blog or places you would like me to visit. Whether you have lived here for a long time, have just arrived, or are planning to visit Saudi soon, I look forward to connecting with you more this year as we go on our Saudi adventures. Happy unofficial new year everybody! Let's make it amazing!

I write monthly blog posts to inspire you to get out and see more of Saudi. Make sure you subscribe so that you don't miss out on this year's adventures and keep in touch with me on TikTok and Instagram where I share my weekly activities and day-to-day thoughts on my life here.