Let's learn some ARABIC

I have been meaning to write this post for a long time but some how never got around it and today while I was going through our archive I saw this blog entry written a few years back by my sister, and I thought its about time that I update you about it a little bit.
        
               No.... I wasn't going to say "Hooooorayy" we are fluent Arabic speaker now. Sadly we are still at "Maafi Arabi" phase   :( ... We had listed some reasons for not being able to learn the Arabic language like not having an Arabic speaking social circle or knowing that your own language (Urdu) or English language can get the work done when needed.

               But now since I have been working among mainly Arab speaking people, what can be the reason for not being able to speak? Well one reason that I had narrowed down to was where can I go and learn. At work place we use English as our mode of communication and you need to have some foundation before you start absorbing the language from your surroundings. You may find many places around Jeddah to learn English language but you wouldn't find many places advertised to teach Arabic language. Sadly that was my case too. I couldn't find a place where I could go and learn the vocabulary and phrases for my daily activities. Where I can learn the street Arabic more than the classical one!!

            Well, Alhamdulillah I am happy to say that I finally did find one class. It was recommended by a friend of mine via Facebook. Its called ICTA (I can talk Arabic). It is situated on King's road (Tareeq Malik) near Saudi Hollandi bank.

 They have an amazing programme that allows people to start learning from the very first class. It doesn't matter if you know any Arabic, or have some basic or more then basic Arabic language knowledge. They cover for all. They have an amazing team of teachers who have very interactive and creative ways of teaching that allows you to engage with people as soon as you leave the classroom. They focus on subjects like school, hospital, restaurant, shopping things that as an expatriate you need to know to function well in your new setting and be able to communicate well when required. They provide you with all the materials needed in an extremely homey environment that you forget you are in a class setting. It feels more like having a fun learning evening at your friends house.

Another amazing aspect about this class is the other students you get to meet. Even though Jeddah holds so many people from different nationalities, if you are not living in one of the compound setting you rarely get to enjoy the cosmopolitan feel of the city. But in this class you get to meet people from almost all continents except afcourse from Antarctica ;) or maybe who knows someone might have visited it too. You would have teachers, housewives, grandmothers, professors, nurses all coming together sharing their knowledge as well as there experiences with the city and the language.
 
ICTA doesn't only have an Arabic conversational class but also give grammar, Qur'an (tajweed) class and also have a book club. You can find more information about them on there website and join them on there Facebook to keep yourself updated with there classes and programmes.

Another interesting feature of this class is that you may pay for the whole session that usually runs between 7 to 8 sessions or if you aren't sure about making such a commitment you may also pay per class. But beware its usually hard not to come back to such fun and enjoyable class. And if not for the class, then you might come back for the tasty treats you get to enjoy after every class ;). The whole session then ends with an evening of activities or presentations where we are encouraged to exercise all that we learned in the classes during the weeks.

                          

Two more places that I came across for learning Arabic while on my search was a morning class in IEF. You may find more details by contacting them on there Facebook

Also classes are provided at Jeddah cultural exchange center but for men. Contact them via here

Some other places to read about ICTA would be here and here

I would highly recommend you guys to try any of these places to learn the language. Its a rare opportunity that few of us get to learn, live and enjoy different culture from our own and language plays an important part in understanding a new culture. I would also hope and wish that programmes  like  ICTA can be operated across Saudi Arabia so that expatriates get to learn the language and be able to participate more in the development of the country and also enjoy their stay more in this unique country including my sis.!! Best of luck in finding something for yourself...

Out and about: Hop, Hop , Hopping

Even though it hasn't been long since the other sister has visited Jeddah but the number of new delicatessen have surely increased here that I wanted her to try. Especially the ones that I knew haven't opened up in Khobar and might take some time to pop up in the food scene there. But taking her to all these places meant we had to have abundance of days and money and that hasn't happened for a long time now :(

So it was time for "RESTAURANT HOPpING". Like most Jeddawian had gone berserk over the opening of Le Mall plaza with its 6 renowned restaurant, I was one of them too. But sadly after trying them all, I was from the group who couldn't really understand the whole hype about them. I liked few more than the others but definitely none of these places are on my "ooh I am craving...." list. So I came up with a small list of food items that I enjoyed the most on my visits to these restaurants.

Our restaurant hopping began on Tuesday around 4.00pm. Perfect day and time to avoid any crowd and queuing up. We went to Texas Roadhouse where I love the  complementary freshly baked warm sweet buns which are served when we are seated. We ordered rattle snake bite for our starter. The mix of melted cheese with the jalapeño kick do wonders in your mouth. It was  followed by delicious half portion of ribs. Many times I have heard people using the phrase "the meat just falls off the bone", I know what they mean now :). For the kids we had ordered crispy chicken basket. Even though my nephew said it tasted good, I know it would never be asked by me again. Side note: their service is impeccable.

After paying our bill we hopped to Shake Shack for some shake time. I had enjoyed a black and white shake with my colleagues when I was checking the place the 1st time. I tried there burger meal too but didn't  really enjoyed the burger but I knew I had to bring my sister to enjoy this creamy yummy velvety shake. And so we did!!!

Finally it was the last course turn. And we know which place had to be tried for it so we head over to "The cheese cake factory". They have quite a variety of cheesecakes let me tell you. Its always overwhelming for me when I have a long list to choose from. But we had a dear friend with us whose love of chocolate helped us to make the decision quicker and we welcomed chocolate raspberry cheese cake to our table.  The cheesecake was rich, creamy and tangy. Loved it.

There were more restaurants to hop on to but our tummies were full and wallets empty. But I loved this idea of restaurant hopping. It gave us a chance of trying out different places and food in a short amount of time. We would love to get suggestions from you guys, tell us your favorite items from different restaurants, and next time we go restaurant hopping we would love to try them.

 Enjoy.

What is a DESI??

As we published our blog on Facebook and were talking about it among our friends  we came across a question regarding our title, "Desi's in the Arab Land". Frankly speaking , to my naïve mind it never occurred that the term desi would not be comprehended by many. Yes in my mind, as the world knows the Chinese, Japanese, Koreans etc to be Asian they knew us brown skin people to be desi's. But I was kinda wrong. Sorry. So here is a better introduction :)

According to Wikipedia "the word 'desi' evolved from the Sanskrit term 'desha', meaning country. With time its usage shifted more towards referring to people, cultures, and products of a specific region .
Desi  is a Sanskrit term for the people, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent or South Asia and, increasingly, for their diaspora. Desi nations include India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Nepal and Maldives".

Urban dictionary:

Word derived from Sanskrit. Means "one from our country"; a national opposed to a foreign. Usually refers to people from India, Pakistan, & Bangladesh.

For Indians/Pakistanis/Bengalis abroad, it has become a term that mainly identifies another fellow Indian/Pakistani/Bengali

Another meaning of desi according to oxford dictionary is "Un adultered or pure" as in desi ghee.

But for us DESI means everything home. The sounds, the faces, the voices, the smells, the taste. Its everything desi, pure. Don't get me wrong the sights, sounds and smells of KSA shouts home for us too. We are a confused species of desi, that call two places there home..... confused yet proud ;)

So, in honour of the desi in us we are going to start Desi Corner on our blog. In here we will attempt in our very small way to show you what desi is. Be Warned its going to be colorful!!!

 

 
source:here

Out And About: Jeddah And Sail Island

 

Whenever we are in Jeddah, we have a list of some must visit places. Sail Island is one of those places. We have been going there for a couple of years now and my kids haven't gotten bored of this one yet. My elder one who is 6yrs, have been coming here for the past 4yrs and the new addition  enjoyed it alot as well.

 

Sail island is on the corniche, just behind the cars stuck in the block roundabout. Its just before Balejio, and after Attallah happy land. If you cross the happy land you will its sails at the far back toward the sea. Hope it helps.

 

Anyhow, its a paid entrance, 50sr for adults and 40sr for kids. But the adults tickets can be redeemed for the food inside.

 

When we came to Jeddah this time around I was assuming as its a bit chilly we would not be making this trip, but Jeddah proved me wrong. After having a lovely lovely, breezy last week of February, bam out came the sun and the heat was, I wouldn't say blast on, but enough to make a trip for a swim.

 

Jeddah's weather being Jeddah's weather, the day we decided to go to sail island, the sun didn't show up. But it was ok so we went along. We went there around 4pm so there was nobody but us and a friend's family we invited there. Having Sail Island all to ourselves is a rare happening.Its a big place but it is normally full in the summers.We would not recommend going there in the holiday season cause its jammed pack then. Its hard to get a seat even though they have ALOT of seating area.

The timing is from 4pm-10pm.

 

 

They have 3 pools for different age groups, ranging from 1 1/2-12. The water is clean and they have many kinds of play things for the kids there. They have life guards there as well. They have one for the little ones and one for the older kids. They don't let the parents or helper get into the water. So if your little ones  are clingy attention seekers yelling look at me have a little separation anxiety like mine you would be walking around the pool a lot.

 

 

 

Ususally they don't allow to take photograph, mostly because to protect the children I think, but cause there were no other kids that day. They didn't stop us from taking theses ones. They ask the kids to be in proper swimming attire and no diapers. You can find swimming diapers for the little ones from BOOTS in Jeddah. The island has a lot of seating area, a shop, banquet area, a sand pit, prayer area and a place where you can shower off your kids once they are done playing in the pools.

 



The restaurant serves a wide variety of food and drinks. They even serve Sheeha which I am skeptical about cause this place is solely made for kids and with kids running around and having Sheesha's all over the place, accidents are just waiting to happen. And even though they have life guards there for the kids, they don't have a doctor or someone who can give first aid. My suggestion would be to chuck the sheesha out and get a doctor in the house.

 

 But all in all its a place we will keep on going to for a long long time. Cause my kids love going there. Its a fun place for families, for girlfriends to take there kids to, sit back and relax (just keep an eye on the sheehas) and  let the kids have some fun. Hope you will give it a try and love it as much as we did. Do share your stories with us.

 

Out And About: Jeddah's Fashion Scene

Here is a  quick post about an Abaya exhibition being held at Libra boutique located at Abdul Maqsoud Khoja road, across Munch bakery, Al Rowda district.

 We learnt about it via Destination Jeddah's page on Facebook, since they are the sponsors of the event. You can read the detailed review of the exhibition with the intro to the designers here. The event is called "Abayah Fashion Days" . It was launched in the first week of February and the exhibition continues till March 21st.

 Our love for Abayah's and especially less conventional style one's might be evident for you through some of our previous posts, so visiting this place was a must for us. The boutique, owned by Rana Ismail, showcases the work of 12 local and international designers. The layout of the boutique was very welcoming and had some very interesting displays. The collections varies from everyday Abayas to more of some formal looking Abayas thus, allowing you to shop under one roof.

 

In addition to the Abayas, the boutique offered some casual to semi formal clothing attire as well. Accessories including bracelets, wrist bands, hair bands , rings,jeweled collars, beautiful long necklaces and shoes that were quite different and bold in their designs. The boutique also housed some designer lamps. Pretty.

The boutique has a little restaurant at the top floor as well. The sales assistant was helpful and not nagging at all, a very big plus in us desi's book. 

If you are looking for some statement fashion pieces to go in your wardrobe for the coming season you know where to head now!!

As they are designer everything, they did had a hefty price tag with them. But dont be discouraged by that If thats not your cup of tea. Show up and support the fashion scene in Jeddah. Its a part of our education. Be inspired by the work of others. Get ideas of what's In and what's not and most Importantly SHOW YOUR SUPPORT.

Enjoy.

Eating Out: CooKShop, Jeddah

Ok people, its been a long time since a restaurant review has been done in the blog. You might be seeing a couple of them making their way in this month or so. As the sisters are together we are hoping around some of the new places popping up on Jeddah's long list of amazing eateries.

So, the first place we went is the CookShop. CookShop is originally a Turkish restaurant. But don't get fooled by that cause its menu has a wide variety of food from Istanbul kebab to grilled salmon on Asian noodles (which we highly recommend). The restaurant is located at the end of Tahlia street, Astra Center. It is situated at the back nestled among many other eateries. On entering we were greeted by what looked like the owner of the restaurant. On our first visit I thought that was a mere coincidence but, it happened every time we went there. It gave us the feeling of how committed they were to the restaurant. The restaurant itself is decorated in a very modern yet homey style. We loved how they paired the hard wood dinning tables with mismatched upholstered chairs. The little nick nacks on the shelves, the mirrors, the glass floors added to the simple beauty of the place.

They have a wide variety of food selection. Salads, soups, appetizer, mains, desserts and drinks. We loved the way they had their menu. Their menu had little trivia info about little things like the origin of dinning tables and kitchen appliances etc. It was fun to read and  a good time pass until the delicious food arrived. The taste is great and price is reasonable. Match made in heaven for the desi's in the Arab land. One more thing that they had which was interesting was that they were asking for new recipes from their customers which on testing can be added to their official menu. So all the budding cooks, here's your chance.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CookShop recently launched their breakfast menu as well and sadly as much as we love the restaurant and their food, we were not big fans of their breakfast. It offers a reasonable variety of omelets and toasts and two breakfast platters but for us it just wasn't the same or up to the mark as the rest of their menu.

 



One more thing we want to add. We love the team they have. Yes, we said LOVE and we mean it. Why we love them you ask? When we first went to the restaurant my daughter got a little sick. By little sick I mean vomiting on everything sick. The food attendants their never flinched but rushed to help us. Even knocking the hell of the men W.C door cause somebody was in there and my daughter was out there vomiting. They were so helpful I could not thank them enough.

Hope you will give the restaurant a try and love it as much as we did. Its already our go to place.

You can find a map to CookShop from Jeddahfood.

 

Out And About: Jeddah, Creativity is contagious, pass it on :)

If only I could get this creativity bug too, I can be one very happy gal. Ever since I was young, I have always been drawn to art and creative media in different shape and form. Even studied it for an year in my college time, but sadly till to this day I probably can't even draw to save my life :(

Knowing my limitations I moved on to appreciating and enjoying other people's creativity. I think art is an incredible medium which sadly gets neglected or not even considered when we are thinking about our own or our children's future occupation. It has way more option comparing to the science subjects.

Its a medium that can evoke many different feelings, emotions and reactions in different people. Art is quite a personal subject where each person may look at the creation in there own light.

Before this day I wasn't able to enjoy my art appreciation hobby in Jeddah due to not knowing much about Saudi artists or art galleries here. But then behold, JAW happened this year. JAW stand for Jeddah art week. If you live in Jeddah I am pretty sure you must have come across there advertisement on the roads, on social medias and newspapers. Its there 2nd year promoting art of Saudi as well as non Saudi artists, which I highly applaud. To know more about it you may check there website.

The main events have been finished but the exhibitions are still around for a few months. I recently checked two of the galleries exhibiting some of Saudi artists work. One gallery is in Gold Moor centre situated next to Souq Al Shatee and the other one called Ayyam gallery is on the 3rd floor of Bougainvillea center, next to Stars Avenue mall. Below are few of the pictures that I liked in the exhibitions. The pictures do no justice so I would highly recommend to take some time out in your evening and check these places.

AYYAM GALLERY

This was one of my favorite in Ayyam gallery. Its one good recycling art piece. Look closer and you would know that this art piece has been achieved by using your kitchen essentials, " colanders and drainers". Never in the world would I have imagined to turn my colander into such mesmerizing art piece.

21,39 GOLD MOOR CENTER

This exhibition was the bigger one of the two. It had many more pieces. We really enjoyed this exhibit. On entering the exhibit we were presented two really nicely printed coffee table books with the artworks displayed in the exhibition and excerpts written by the artist themselves .The artist explained their art and a little about themselves. We actually bumped into one of the curator of the exhibition, which was a really nice and informative coincidence. She was friendly and answered any of the queries we had about the pieces displayed. To know the full details about the exhibition and the people behind, do pay a visit to their website. It has info about their other projects and upcoming events as well, including a really nice info about the exhibits name 21,39. The exhibitions are a really nice place for an evening out with your kids too.  

Some of the pieces from the exhibit 21,39.

This one was one of my favorite at the 21,39 exhibition. Its been created by PVC duct tape. Even my nephew was attracted to this piece a lot and has requested  his mother if they can do something similar with the duct tape. I will be waiting for his master piece now.

Ever thought of displaying your not so good looking pots, here is a chance to get inspired ;)

Another one of my favorite piece. The colors, the architectural design was just very alluring.

Hope this post makes you curious enough to go and visit these places and enjoy the cultural experience our Jeddah is offering us right now. The exhibition at Ayyam gallery ends on 28th of February and the exhibition at Gold Moor center ends around 4th of April.