Festival days

I enjoy living in Saudi Arabia. It’s the very idea of it. I never thought in a billion years I’d end up in this part of the world much less call it home for four years, but here I am. Funny old life.

As with all my travels the main reason for my enjoyment is my interaction with people, it’s the humanity that draws me in and makes me smile and sigh and say yes, I am part of the human experience. I’m alive here and now, in this!

Recently I attended the 33rd annual Al-Janadriyah Festival. The festival features a variety of activities, sports, musical performances traditional arts and crafts, and is a showcase for government institutions and services, both Saudi and international.

Each province of the kingdom is represented with its own truly extravagant pavilion (think Epcot Center). I strolled through the pavilions looking at local arts and crafts as representatives eager to talk about the history and wonders of their particular region shared their wares. Without a word of English between us, my first purchase of the day was a pair of darling toy cars by a craftsman who makes all sorts of children’s toys out of date wood. The style of car is modeled on a 1930’s Nash and painted in the most beautiful rich reds blues and greens. Definitely destined for display on some child’s book shelf.

Food is plentiful and everything the kingdom has to offer is on display. I had no idea that the Al-Jouf region, sharing its international border with Jordan to the West, was a massive producer of olive oil. The Al-Jouf pavilion was corner to corner olive oil stands. Eager for samples, I enjoyed THE plumpest, juiciest most flavorful olive I’ve ever had! OMGEEE! Had the containers not been the size of a Mini Cooper, I definitely would have taken one home. Locate the holy grail of olive – tick!

Fun fact: in mid-2018, Al-Jouf Agriculture Development Company received a certificate of merit from the Guinness World Records as the largest modern olive farm in the world.

One of my goals this year is to do more culturally immersive activities. I hope you will join me on my tour of Saudi Arabia!