One Year in the Desert

2020. What a year it has been. Not only has it been the year of Covid and lockdown but it's been our first year as a family with three young kids in Saudi Arabia. That's right, one year ago on a chilly December day we packed a taxi to the roof with suitcases, car seats and a buggy and piled in our three kids and our shattered selves. We held back tears as our lovely neighbours came outside to wave us off. The kids were well prepared for their new life. They had seen videos of their house and my husband had told them stories of malls and beaches and sand and sun and heat. I was excited. I loved to travel but in that instant I was mostly concerned with getting through the two hour drive to the airport without any kids vomiting or needing to pee. It was a huge move. Saying goodbye to family and friends had been hard but arriving in Saudi Arabia for the second time, it felt like home.

Our house was huge compared to our teeny house in the UK. The kids spent forever getting lost and exploring and playing hide and seek and eventually we took our exploring outside. We found parks and play areas, coffee shops and roads that were lined with beautiful trees and flowers. We went further still to malls and beaches and just when we were ready to start school and find some friends, lock down happened.

We suspected it would happen but still we weren't prepared for how sudden and how strict. We hardly knew a single soul and strict curfews now made it impossible to meet anyone else. The heat meant that even the garden was out of bounds and leaving the country was impossible due to complete border closure. Things eased of course but the kids spent 6 months inside the house and 9 months without playing on a play area! We worried about getting food since we didn't have a car yet and online shopping was difficult for a while due to increased demand. It was tough. I missed home. Eventually we were able to travel and when it felt safe enough, I took a break back to the UK to sort out some things that I had left behind and to see family. It was a flying visit but much needed.

We came back with a renewed sense of energy and gratitude for being able to live in such a beautiful and safe country. It was safe enough now for trips out to the beach and the desert and we made the most of exploring our local area and the vast scenery that made social distancing easy peasy.

As our one year anniversary passed I remembered a prayer I once prayed a long, long time ago; that one day I would get married and would live in the sun and raise kids by the beach. That one day I would have lots of adventures and meet wonderful people and see beautiful scenes. Despite this year not being the year I had planned, although its been tragic and scary at times, I am thankful that I am together with my family and that we are all well and happy and living in the sun by the sea, having lots of adventures and finally meeting lots of wonderful people too!