R.I.P Edwin Callwood

September 4, 1948 to December 7, 2011

      My good friend, Edwin Callwood who reigns from St Croix, UVI passed on December 6, 2011. He was 63 years old. 

      I spoke with Edwin before I left for Saudi in September and he and I would occasionally drop each other a line on Facebook. Just little notes to brighten each other’s day. I went to visit Edwin a little under 2 years ago. I had never been to been to the U.S. Virgin Islands, so I jumped at the chance to not only visit with my friend but also explore the islands of St. Thomas and St. Croix. Edwin was a gracious host. He loves his homeland so he was just as excited as I to explore some of the places, I know, he has frequented a hundred times. I stayed at a nice beach spot called Bolongo Beach Resort located right on the water. Edwin picked me up every morning and off we went to take in the sights. Some of the places we visited in St. Thomas was Coral World Ocean Park, Magen Bay and Verandas which is a karaoke spot where I and the local girls sang all the top 70’s song until 3 am, while Edwin gloated and told all of his acquaintances, “…that is my friend Gina from Florida!”

      I experienced my first seaplane ride with Edwin which flew us from Charlotte Amalie to St. Croix where Edwin’s home is located. What an exciting 20 minute ride!  The sight s we visited in St Croix was Point Udell (breath-taking), Columbus Landing, Customs House and the Weight House. We stopped at a roadside restaurant called The Lobster Reef. We ate fish and fries and they had this wall where you could write your name and where you reign. I wrote “Gina C, 4/29/09, South Pasadena, FL”.

      Before I departed to go home, I asked Edwin to take me to the Veteran Affairs in St. Thomas so I could meet some of my colleagues. At the time I was working at the Veteran Affairs at Bay Pines, Florida. Edwin made my trip one to remember for years!

      I keep thinking how we talk to our friends and family all the time but we hardly tell them how much we love and appreciate them. Edwin always told me. He asked me to come “down” before I took off for Saudi Arabia, but I told him I was running short of time and had a lot of last minutes things to do before I left to go to Saudi Arabia for a year, but I would not leave U.S. soil without calling him. I promised him that I would stay in touch and we did. But you just never know when that last time will be to speak to someone, or tell them how  you feel …….I love and miss you Edwin!

All the best,
GMarie

A Day at the Races

December 22, 2011     

      The Morale Welfare Recreation (MWR) on base sponsored a “Day at the Races”. Racing is held at The King Abdulaziz Track, which accommodates 5,000 folks, is located near the King Khalid International Airport in Riyadh.  The racing runs from September until April and races are normally held on Fridays. Horseracing is a recreation in Saudi Arabia that is also part of the Kingdom’s culture. A major event held in February is the King’s Cup.

      Our entrance fee to the racetrack included a buffet that (140 Riyals, $37.33) had enough varieties of foods to suit every pallet, such as Kapsa (chicken and rice), lamb, hummus (garbanzo beans mixed with garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, paprika and parsley), several types and cold salads, and dates.

      We didn’t place actual bets on the races but we just gambled amongst each other. I won one race of the eleven that ran. Picture-taking is not allowed in some areas of Riyadh. Whether it was allowed in front of the gates of the racetrack, I did not know until I took a few “shots” and was chased away by security!  No national incident to report, but just another nice outing in the “Kingdom”, …..Riyadh Saudi Arabia.

All the best,
GMarie

My 1st Golf Lesson

December 16, 2011     

 I had my first golf lesson today. My instructor is from Korea and his name is Ivan. I initially started receiving instruction from my co-worker Jay on the driving range. I heard he was a pretty good golfer (72) so I asked him if he didn’t mind teaching me how to hit the ball properly and teach me the game. A month later, I finally had my first lesson with Ivan, and he realized that he didn’t have to start from “ground zero” with me.

      Ivan told me that my first lesson would be boring because all we would be working on is how to properly hold the golf club, the proper way to stand and swinging of the club. He started me with the 8 club.  The first order of business was, Ivan watched me hit a few balls while he took pictures. He then loaded the pictures to a computer program. With this program, my picture and golf actions were matched against a professional model. My instructor was busy studying my form by making lines and measuring degrees against my form and the professional model. Once this analysis was completed, my instructor told me, through his interpreter, that he did not care right now if I can hit the ball or not. He said my form is more important and that is what we would work on. He said, that it was more important to start off doing what was right in order to end up with a good result; proper hitting of the ball.

      Everything Ivan taught me and demonstrated was a repetition of what Jay had showed me and made more sense and came together at my first lesson. My instruction went on for an hour and then he checked on me periodically while I hit balls on my own for another hour. When I did hit the ball straight and at least 100 yards, he would yell, “LPGA!” Ivan recently won first place in a golf tournament here! He is the best of the best here in Riyadh and I am fortunate to have him as my instructor.

All the best,
GMarie

Ablah’s Birthday

December 14, 2011     

     Today is Ablah’s birthday! I asked Ablah if she could visit anywhere in the United States where would she like to go. She responded, with a big smile, Disney World! She said it is probably just a dream and she would have to save up for such a trip. So since we couldn’t get Ablah to Disney any time soon, I decided to bring Disney to her. For her birthday I order her a stuffed Mickey and Minnie straight from Orlando, Florida! As you know from my recent blogs, that Ablah loves chocolate, so I shipped some Godiva chocolate in for her as well. Bvlgari is her and mine favorite scent, so we got her the newest, Jasmin Noir. You would have thought that Ablah had died and went to heaven when she opened her gift at work….she couldn’t wait to open everything at her party. She was like a kid in a candy story when she saw Mickey and Minnie holding her Godiva chocolate! This moment was priceless!

      I called a friend of mine, Ray, to drive me to Ablah’s house later for her party. I told him that this was not a request…. There were so many people at her house and everyone was very nice to me. Ablah’s Mom, made sure I was accommodated and in every picture. The food was very tasty and plentiful as well as the aqawa coffee which was excellent! I felt so welcome in her home and was the envy of office who wondered why they have never been invited!

Happy Birthday, Ablah and many, many more to come!

All the best,
GMarie

Holiday Festival

December 8, 2011
     
      I know it has been awhile since I wrote…my last blog being when I visited the candy and cigar shop (Dec 1). I have taken up golf, which is another blog in itself.
The command had our annual holiday party. The festivities was held at the on-base facility where we eat most of our meal, if you do not feel like cooking something at your villa. We were served by the staff, a meal that consisted of a turkey dinner with all of the trimmings. Of course Santa “came through” with his bag of gifts that was raffled off. The gifts were pretty decent; someone even won a 50 inch television!

      The music was provided by a local DJ who spun records that was appreciated by all whether your favorite was rock, country or hip hop. You know in order to break the ice and get folks on the floor; you have to put on a “line dancing” songs like “Cha Cha Slide, Electric Slide or Wobble. After that, you can’t keep people off of the floor and have to remind them that “this is the last song!’.I enjoyed myself and look forward to the New Years Eve Party in a few weeks.

All the best,
GMarie

Le Gourmet

December 1, 2011     

     My co-workers Abhah and JW (Jay) have birthdays coming up this month. Ablah’s birthday is on the 14^th and Jay’s is on the 9^th of December.  Ablah has an awfully big vice which is chocolate.  Jay, on the other hand, loves a good cigar. I was with a group of folks who was on an outing and we were going to visit a few a few souqs (markets) in Riyadh. The last stop on our tour through downtown Riyadh was a place called Le Gourmet. Located on Prince Sultan bin Abul Aziz Street in Riyadh Saudi Arabia,  Le Gourmet which opened in 1978, is a reputed quality French pastry business based in Saudi Arabia.

      This lovely store offers variety of fruits, vegetables, cheeses, caviar, smoked salmon and the best looking pastries that are too pretty to eat!  They also offer the finest Cuban cigars. Unlike the United States, it is not illegal to purchase Cuban cigars in the “Kingdom”. Al Zawwak, the owner, was born in Riyadh but calls Canada his home. After trying a few samples of chocolate, I asked Al to select the best for Ablah, box them and don it with a ribbon. He then took me into the cigar room and he helped me select some “Cubans” for Jay. He said he did not know which friend would be happier with their gift. And you know…..Al was right. They were both ecstatic!

All the best,
GMarie