Day 1 -- a.m.

Day 1 in Riyadh feels like vacation. We're staying at a hotel, sleeping in a nice big hotel bed, clawing through our luggage trying to find just the perfect pair of socks..where did I pack them again? People are bringing us food, towels, and cleaning....somebody else is getting breakfast ready. So, how do I know I'm in KSA?

First: I noticed right away I was in KSA when I was getting dressed. What should I wear? I have to say, I was a little disappointed. All of these clothes and they are just going to be covered by the abaya anyway. In the end I picked a pair of white pants and a white top...things I have wanted to wear but have not wanted to get pawed by the sticky fingers of an almost 1 year old...thank goodness for abayas!!! I can already see that I need to have more than one....Souks here I come! Thank goodness I like to shop :-)

Second: I was again aware of my surroundings when we, the family, went down to the hotel dining room for breakfast. Just as we were to take our first step into the restaurant, it hit me again: really? abaya? I feel silly. Do I have to wear this? Am I doing this right? Maybe I don't need it here....in the hotel. What if all of the other women are in normal clothes? I still haven't seen enough women to know what I should be doing!

In actuality, I didn't have to worry about it because there wasn't a single woman in the restaurant. All men...western men, sitting alone, drinking their coffee, eating their breakfast, reading their papers.

Third: When we entered the restaurant, we were immediately shown to a room within the dining room with large doors (open) and large shutters (open). We were shown to a table in this small-ish room which because of the large openings to the main dining room felt like a cozy portion of the dining room. I didn't realize it at first but then I caught on...right, we're in the "family" section. If Henrik were alone, he would have been given a table within the main area of the dining room but we as a family were given a little bit more privacy.

Fourth: As we were finishing up our breakfast, a couple arrived and were shown to a table next to ours. Although I can not be sure that they were an Arabian couple they were muslim as she was wearing an abaya and hijab (head covering which sometimes---and in this case---covers the face from the bridge of the nose down). The waiter seated the couple closed that door, out to the main dining area, which was closest to their table. Additionally he brought out an accordian style partition to give them more privacy.

I suppose we all place differing value on our privacy!