I stayed in the waiting room. DH had a local anesthetic and actually watched the procedure being performed. It was pretty quick. Ew. Afterwards, he drove 1 hour to my grandmother's house for a spaghetti dinner. He was a bit sore after the local wore off, but no issues otherwise.

I was an international student and I also dated one. :D My kids are expats, so anyone they date will probably be international. That being said, if they are in the 15-18 range and the other party is only here on a year long student exchange I would be worried about "heartbreak" when their time together inevitably comes to a close. I would also be concerned about the possibility that the other party is out for a good time rather than a genuine relationship. If they are older, like college, then I wouldn't care. I'd be excited about the possibility of going to a wedding in another country. :D

FLIPPING PING PONG. I couldn't have gotten hurt from something brag worthy, like roller derby. Nope it is ping pong that I get an injury from. Yesterday I'm playing the tamest ping pong game ever with DH and I feel a pop in my lower back. Instant agony. I can barely walk. Can't sleep - got maybe 4 hours last night. Hurts to sit, to stand, to do anything other than lie in the fetal position. Garf. Fingers crossed it will go away in a few days and I don't have to visit the doctor.

If they are being given a cash allowance to ship a cargo container, then books is a great idea. Books are much more expensive in the ME and many you just can't get. If they are travelling light or paying for their own boxes, then I wouldn't get much because it will be a pain to bring it over. If you are close to them, you could always start up a savings account or education savings plan, and contribute to that on birthdays and other holidays that require gifts. If they stay in the KSA long enough you are going to have this problem repeatedly.

No, but I have done a lot of other things that would have many gasping about how horrible a parent I am, some of the them intentional, so I'm not one to throw stones.

Boring is relative. I don't consider my life boring. I travel a lot and I've spent 13ish years living abroad. I try new foods. I foster cats. I once slapped a racoon in the face with the butt of a C7 rifle, though I've tried not to make a habit of that. I work at a library part time. I join clubs. I try to say yes to opportunities that present themselves, even if I am scared to put myself out there. On the other hand, I spend hours a day sitting around doing almost nothing, playing video games, or reading. My life isn't the only kind of interesting. My SIL is always up for a different kind of adventure than I am - canning, learning to sew/weave/spin wool, volunteering at her kid's school, cooking crazy amazing dishes, performing acts of gardening wizardry that defy my understanding. She's got this large-ish circle of friends with whom she plans bbqs and movie dates. She's got a closeness and intimacy that I often find myself wishing I could have. She never travels further than a few hours from her house, yet I believe she has a life that is far from boring.

I usually peel beforehand. Quick and easy. I wear gloves to avoid the stain if I think I am going some where in the next day or two, otherwise I get stained and don't think twice about it. I usually roast beets - cut them up into cubes with an equal amount of sweet potatoes and a coarsely chopped onion. Toss in a little bit of olive oil and roast. Quick, easy, nutritious.

Disgusting.

Slightly OT, but I watched You've Got Mail last night for the first time in years as a result of this thread. It has, weirdly, always been one of the only rom/com type movies that I've liked. But upon rewatching for the 10th time, I realized that both main characters are having emotional affairs. Maybe it never bothered me when I watched it years ago because meeting people online wasn't as big of a thing as it is now. Darn these changing times - it took the shine off my movie!

I have seen the original movie several times but wouldn't have picked the line out. It was only because of the other movie that I remember it.

DH gets 24 business days off (almost 5 weeks I guess). He also banks time off in lieu on weeks that he has to work through the weekend or on public holidays. Vacation days are use it or lose it - we have to use all of them each year because there is no financial bonus to working them. In Canada you could take money for unused vacation days at the end of the year, but not here. Then we get national holidays (usually 8-9). Many employers will also give off christmas and easter without actually having the employees take the time off. In Ramadan there are reduced working hours, so everyone only has to be at work 6 hours a day, and any extra time at work can be put towards additional vacation days. Sick days, I don't know how many we are allowed by law since I do not think my DH has ever taken one. I think the law here is 15 calendar days of sick leave at full wage. He doesn't view sick leave as vacation. I'm surprised how many people use sick days and vacation days interchangeably.

Well, my degree wasn't worth it financially because I never got employment from it. I had a baby seven days after I graduated. I worked for a few years after that in an unrelated field, then stopped working to homeschool. But I do not regret it because after student debt forgiveness and part time work my total amount owing was only 10k, and who knows if I will use it in the future? My spouse's degree was definitely worth it. He managed to work part time at a grocery store and ran a couple somewhat profitable websites at the same time, so his tuition (which would have cost about just over 3k each year) was paid for through his earnings, as were his living expenses. So he came out of it with a degree and no debt, and a bit of cash in the bank. This degree allowed him to get a job abroad. He is now getting a Master's degree in Ireland, which will cost about 8k euro for the complete program. And the only reason he has to pay that much is because he isn't an EU resident/citizen. It would be much cheaper if he were Irish. At this point we can afford to pay for that without going into debt, and it will remove barriers to employment in the united states and parts of Asia should we decide to move there when we are tired of living in the middle east. It will also make it more likely that he will be promoted down the line. So, this is worth it for us although it may not pay off financially right away. I know this isn't what the thread is about, but education should be available to more people than just the wealthy, and people shouldn't have to get into life altering debt just to get a degree. US universities and colleges are crazy expensive compared to Canada and Europe.

Now vows here. But then again I didn't care so much for a wedding at all and I'm not big on ceremony. Been married almost 9 years.

ABC. Didn't change mine because my name has history and is special to me. It is a part of my identity. DH and I also have the same first name and I didn't want to further confuse things. I jokingly tried to get him to change his to mine but he wouldn't, it was almost like the entire idea was preposterous. One kid has my last name, the other has his. Both kids like to argue who got the better name. :D

Considering at this point Syria is just as much a proxy war as a civil war.. other countries have an obligation to deal with the consequences since military action and the funneling of funds and arms from other nations to both assad regime and rebel forces have allowed the conflict to get to the point it is now. This is just as much assad vs rebels as it is Iran, Hezbollah, Russia vs Saudi, Qatar, US, Turkey, Eu.... And then you have to ask how much are outside forces responsible for the mess in Iraq, and what role the destabilization of that country played in the creation ISIS, and what effect that has had on the current refugee crisis in Syria. Any additional 'stepping in' in the form or military action or aid given to one side in this conflict is going to be met with increased foreign funds from other sides.

Shower rod or towel rods here. I also wound't be beyond draping them over a piece of furniture if I knew that it wouldn't be damaged by the moisture (glass table or metal chairs..)

I once ate a block of baker's chocolate out of desperation. It wasn't even brand name.

What you are saying isn't accurate. The UAE has given hundreds of millions towards the refugee camps: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/syria/10570726/Syria-crisis-how-does-Britains-aid-donation-compare.html http://www.philanthropyage.org/2014/11/23/uae-funds-third-healthcare-syrian-refugee-camps/ http://www.thenational.ae/uae/uae-aid-for-syrian-refugees-passes-dh134bn This isn't including private donations. Additionally, they've been bombing ISIS strongholds for months: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/News/middle-east/2015/02/10/UAE-fighter-planes-bomb-ISIS-targets-and-return-to-their-bases-in-Jordan.html Whether military action is helpful or not is up for debate. Considering there are only two million emiratis in the UAE, that is a lot of effort. Most of the Gulf countries have an expatriate work force that out numbers nationals. The number of foreign residents in most GCC nations is far higher per capita than in most western countries. Most have no social safety net set up for non-citizens, as non-citizens do not pay income taxes or VAT. Most gulf countries also prohibit obtaining citizenship via naturalization and don't allow dual citizenship. It isn't stress or fatigue - allowing immigration would require a complete redesign of how the country operates. It is a really complex issue. What the UAE can be criticized for is making it much harder for Syrians to obtain residency and visit visas into the country. Really, there isn't a good excuse for this since there are stories of people who have legitimate reasons to be here - students, family etc. being denied because of their passports. I get that they are worried about radicalization from extremists, but if they can come here as students or be sponsored by family, why deny? Regarding refugees, UAE is in a position where if it starts recognizing the legitimacy of political refugees, then it might have big chunks of its migrant workforce (which makes up 80%+ of the population) start doing the same and attempting to stay here permanently. Is this a good enough excuse to not take in Syrian refugees? I don't know, I feel like if the will was there, they could make it happen and at least take in a limited number of refugees on a long term basis without giving them citizenship.

I'm with you on Disney - took the kids when in Paris and it was a bit meh. I know it is not supposed to be as good as the American locations. It was more entertaining to the kids than some of the museums I took them too, but based on how much people love Disney I thought it would be more interesting than it was. My oldest would be fine never travelling again. She is so friend (and self) centered right now that if you asked her if she wanted to do a sleepover with X or a week in Rome/Thailand/Camping, she would pick the sleepover every time. If given her way she'd have a friend living with her at all times lol. I figure when she is older she will better appreciate the opportunities she's had.

I went to Paris for two weeks in May. We went there because DH was sent there for work, but so it wasn't a vacation for him. With no work obligations and not to visit family... we went to Vietnam for two weeks in February.

All of the above, except maybe self care, alcohol, and physical presents. Travel is my priority. I would like a new kitchen since my cabinet doors keep falling off. However, I rent and I'm not going to do improvements on my landlord's property when all he will do is turn around and raise the rent. I don't know if maybe that means my house isn't actually a priority to me. :confused1:

This was several years ago - We gave ours liquid metacam. Unfortunately the metacam gave her bellyaches and eventually refused it completely. :/

I am shipping my cousin out (Toronto to Dubai). I know her well and she is a teacher, so bonus points because she will be used to handling kids. Flight cost was about what I posted. She arrives in two days. I'm freaking out about it and can't shake the feeling of guilt at spending so much on something just for me. Getting a nanny was so tempting because it was cheaper and she would be familiar with the currency and country, but ... if she ditched the kids, hurt them, invited people over, or stole stuff from me while I was in another country I'd never forgive myself. I would have spent my whole trip worrying. It was tempting to just cancel, then I wouldn't have the stress of trying to organize stuff on short notice for my kids and cousin. But my spouse encouraged me to go, as the trip is for a friend's wedding, and how often will I be invited to an Indian wedding in India? Could be once in a lifetime.

Nanny would be about $600 and a flight is probably going to run me about $1400. Assuming we could get back a portion of my flights, cancellation of my trip would mean I've wasted about $1000, possibly more. This is a silly whine and not important compared to what many are going through, but it kept me up all night last night and I'm feeling pathetic today. It is also the first time ever that I would be travelling alone so I was kinda hoping things would go more smoothly than this.

I don't post much, I mostly just lurk lately. But here is my vent because I don't really have too many people to talk to about this. I am going by myself on a 9 day trip to India next week. I've been planning to go since last year and I'm really excited about it. I booked tickets (partially non-refundable), put a deposit on the hotel room (non refundable), paid for the tours/hotel/transport in the second city (non-refundable), got my shots and got my visa (non-refundable). Yesterday my husband's company decides to send him to a nearby country for three weeks, leaving me without childcare... despite asking months ago if he could work from home the week I am gone. Despite his work saying this wouldn't be an issue. But his work comes first. He will come home weekends. :( :( :( So now I have to either cancel my trip and lose the deposits, pay to fly a relative out to watch the kids, or hire a nanny I've only met a couple times to come and live in my house and watch my kids for the better part of 10 days. Option three is the easiest but also the one my conscience is telling me I shouldn't even consider, I mean, leaving kids with someone I barely know while I'm in another country. She is a lovely person but watching the kids for a few hours is different than for days. But flying a relative out is expensive, especially last minute flights. My mother and cousin both jumped on the chance to fly out. I really don't wanna cancel. I have to decide what to do today.