Conspicuous Consumption 2

I'm currently in the US, in Virginia. I spent a few days with DSL and am now at my mother's house.

The trip between KSA and the east coast of the US is quite long, almost 20 hours of planes and airports. The 8-hour time difference is proving difficult to adjust to. I am never sleepy at the "right" time now!

Sadly, one of the main reasons I came home (it's a quick trip too--only 10 days on the ground) was to shop.

Not wanton, random shopping. No, I came with a list.

Ibuprofen. Who would have thought that ibuprofen was so hard to come by in the magic kingdom? I bought three 500-pill bottles of it. The more alert amongst you might wonder why I don't have a friend ship those over to me? Those kinds of items don't pass customs. You have to hand carry them in.

And shoes. All kinds of shoes--casual flats, dress shoes for pants and skirts, sandals, and sports shoes. Can't find shoes my size in Khobar. They are certainly available in Bahrain but that would take an entire day and the prices in Bahrain are totally crazy. Of course I know about Zappos. But depending on the brand and style, I can wear anything from a 9 1/2 to a 10 1/2. And their return policy? Doesn't apply for international locations. It is a $100 flat rate for me to ship anything back. Zappos is not a convenient solution for me while I am in KSA.

Dog toys. DSL loaded me up with a box full of toys and treats, and Julie in Nashville provided a toy and treat infusion last month, but I wanted to pick up a few more of Harry's favorites while I am here. Mimi has broader tastes in toys (e.g., ghastly chicken elf) so is easier to please but Harry loves his bear babies--loves'em to death, I'm afraid. The new one I brought over last October is now a stinky shapeless rag.

It looks like I might be teaching a dog training class on camp later this spring so I needed some supplies for that too. There are no pet stores in Khobar like we think of pet stores so if I want students to use nylon leashes instead of flexis (those horrible things are far too common on camp), I have to provide the leashes. They can't just pop 'round to the store and pick one up. More on this very interesting topic as it evolves!

I've been wrestling with the dog food problem. I had a kibble infusion at the end of November when a coworker brought back about 40 lbs in his luggage. And another friend who is visiting Canada has space and is bringing me another 40 lbs or so. But this is not a long term solution. I have considered having kibble shipped to me but I am afraid the cost might be too much. DSL suggested that I try making their food from scratch. I can certainly get cheap, good quality meat and bones, a variety of grains and fresh vegetables, etc. I can even get food processors and those kinds of appliances in KSA. While I still have a good supply of kibble, I think that I will give this a try.

My list seems pretty mundane, doesn't it? But the shopping frenzy isn't entirely unexpected. You have to live in KSA for a few months to figure out what you can live without, what you can find reasonable local substitutions for, and which items are simply unobtainable.