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		Kalima Shahada
 
  
  Joined: 11 Sep 2009 Posts: 198 Location: I live in a house,  but my home is in the stable.
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				 Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:19 pm    Post subject:  | 
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	  | johnslat wrote: | 
	 
	
	  Dear Kalima Shahada,
 
 
I spent five years in Jeddah. Patience and a sense of humor seemed as essential there as they did during my fourteen years in Riyadh.
 
 
But that was a while back, so maybe it's changed by now. For your sake, I certainly hope that's the case.
 
 
Regards,
 
John | 
	 
 
Insha�Allah and thanks for the sentiment, John.  Only thing is, I doubt if they�ve changed Jeddah and definitely not for my sake.        
 
 
So, I�ll pack my patience and sense of humor between my DVDS such as The English Patient and Plains Trains and Automobiles.  I�m off to the store now.  Hey, Saudi doesn�t care about pirated �?  Last time I took them through the checkpoints and airports, they didn�t care.  I don�t know if they�ve changed or if it was my wasta last time or if they just didn�t bother to check.  Who knows? | 
			 
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		johnslat
 
  
  Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 13859 Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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				 Posted: Thu Oct 08, 2009 8:49 pm    Post subject:  | 
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				Dear Kalima Shahada.
 
Thanks for being patient with me, and for having that sense of humor. I'd say your DVDs should be safe, pirated or not - unless, of course, you're carrying one that the Customs guy has always wanted to own.    
 
 
Regards,
 
John | 
			 
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		lucreziaborgia
 
 
  Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 177
 
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				 Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 3:57 am    Post subject:  | 
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				I need to top Lizziebennet's avatar so now  that I know  I have 'got the numbers', I will spend my remaining few days in Hanoi thinking about this.  Actually, I think Trapezius has the best avatar. I [i]love it and have shown it my students who also love it.
 
At times, we have watched go through its thing over and over again. I never get bored with it. 
 
I am having an Abaya made here. My laundry man is making it for 180,000 VND (USD $11). The cotton is very fine hence a little see- through. Not terrifically so; but a little. I am wondering if this is perhaps somewhat risque. Another thing to ponder while I await my return to Melbourne to get my Iqama process processed. I am using an agent as I can't cope with the stress of it!
 
I' m going to start learning Arabic while I'm in Melbourne and ask an IT savvy friend to help me that avatar.
 
Watch out Lizziebennet! | 
			 
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		svatopluk
 
 
  Joined: 16 Sep 2009 Posts: 81
 
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				 Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 1:19 pm    Post subject:  | 
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	  | lucreziaborgia wrote: | 
	 
	
	  |  I am having an Abaya made here. My laundry man is making it for 180,000 VND (USD $11). The cotton is very fine hence a little see- through. Not terrifically so; but a little. I am wondering if this is perhaps somewhat risque. Watch out Lizziebennet! | 
	 
 
 
 
No problem at all. Why not go out in it completely naked underneath, especially in the summer? You'll get a round of applause. | 
			 
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		lucreziaborgia
 
 
  Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 177
 
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				 Posted: Fri Oct 09, 2009 5:34 pm    Post subject:  | 
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				| Svatopluk Darling! It's just not my style. | 
			 
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		Mia Xanthi
 
  
  Joined: 13 Mar 2008 Posts: 955 Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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				 Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 12:59 am    Post subject:  | 
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	  | I am having an Abaya made here. My laundry man is making it for 180,000 VND (USD $11). The cotton is very fine hence a little see- through. Not terrifically so; but a little. I am wondering if this is perhaps somewhat risque. | 
	 
 
 
 
How could you go wrong with an $11 hand-made cotton abaya?  I think you are wise for getting one made in cotton before coming.  
 
 
Of course, if you do want to walk around naked underneath it (as we all do constantly, svatopluk         ) you'll just have to buy a second one that is opaque polyester.  And it won't wrinkle like the cotton one. | 
			 
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		veiledsentiments
 
  
  Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA
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				 Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 2:41 am    Post subject:  | 
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				Hey Mia... 
 
 
Have you ever seen a cotton abaya?  Of course I was never in Saudi where we strange foreigners might have tried wearing them.  It was only the locals... and they were always that rather heavy satin-ish synthetic looking material.  I don't recall ever seeing one that was see-through.  Have you?
 
 
VS | 
			 
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		lucreziaborgia
 
 
  Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 177
 
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				 Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 3:31 am    Post subject:  | 
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				| O! dear boys and girls! Settle down! I described my Hanoi made Abaya as being slightly 'see-through'.  I will wear a black silk business suit underneath on arrival.  My only concession to cheekiness will be a pair of twinkly, bejewelled flat slippers purchased  in Hanoi. I refuse to wear polyester under any circumstances. It offends my skin + my sensibilities. As I am totally over lush silk, I am looking forward to wearing cool enabling cotton. | 
			 
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		lucreziaborgia
 
 
  Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 177
 
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				 Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 6:03 am    Post subject:  | 
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				I have just returned from collecting my Abaya from my laundry man. Joy! He made me 2!  Now, I have 2 cotton Abayas. How's that for indulgence! And, you can't see a skerrick of flesh or anything through either, for that matter! I am now going top get a T-shirt with HCM's famous adage printed on the front in VNmese and English:'Khong co gi quy hon tu do'  and another with a risible question: 'What the Pho?'
 
Methinks both for compound wearing only. | 
			 
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		007
 
  
  Joined: 30 Oct 2006 Posts: 2684 Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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				 Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:36 am    Post subject:  | 
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	  | lucreziaborgia wrote: | 
	 
	
	  I am now going top get a T-shirt with HCM's famous adage printed on the front in VNmese and English:'Khong co gi quy hon tu do'  and another with a risible question: 'What the Pho?'
 
Methinks both for compound wearing only. | 
	 
 
 
.. and do not forget to print the picture of Hồ Ch� Minh on the back of the T-shirt with his name written in Arabic (Sheikh Ho Chi )   | 
			 
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		lucreziaborgia
 
 
  Joined: 19 May 2009 Posts: 177
 
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				 Posted: Sat Oct 10, 2009 9:48 am    Post subject:  | 
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				| That's not on my 'To Do' list. Strange that. | 
			 
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		The Lathe of Heaven
 
  
  Joined: 02 Sep 2009 Posts: 162 Location: drifting from dream to dream from future to future
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				 Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 6:24 am    Post subject:  | 
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	  | johnslat wrote: | 
	 
	
	  Dear Kalima Shahada.
 
Thanks for being patient with me, and for having that sense of humor. I'd say your DVDs should be safe, pirated or not - unless, of course, you're carrying one that the Customs guy has always wanted to own.    
 
 
Regards,
 
John | 
	 
 
 
Dear John,
 
 
We seemed to slip through the customs at Riyadh very swiftly.  The official looked at our passports our bourding passes then gave us a stamp and off we went.
 
 
TLOH | 
			 
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		johnslat
 
  
  Joined: 21 Jan 2003 Posts: 13859 Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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				 Posted: Mon Oct 12, 2009 2:39 pm    Post subject:  | 
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				Dear LofH,
 
Very glad to hear that. As so often happens, realization doesn't match anticipation - a fact of life that has both its upside (as in your case) and its downside.
 
Regards,
 
John | 
			 
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		The Lathe of Heaven
 
  
  Joined: 02 Sep 2009 Posts: 162 Location: drifting from dream to dream from future to future
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				 Posted: Fri Oct 16, 2009 6:07 am    Post subject:  | 
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				I had a CD case full of CDs and a external hard drive full of movies.  No thing happen ed at all.  Just that terrible airport (Riyadh) that was punishment enough.
 
 
TLOH | 
			 
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		Never Ceased To Be Amazed
 
  
  Joined: 22 Oct 2004 Posts: 3500 Location: Shhh...don't talk to me...I'm playin' dead...
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				 Posted: Fri Oct 23, 2009 9:57 am    Post subject:  | 
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	  | johnslat wrote: | 
	 
	
	  Dear Kalima Shahada.
 
Thanks for being patient with me, and for having that sense of humor. I'd say your DVDs should be safe, pirated or not - unless, of course, you're carrying one that the Customs guy has always wanted to own.    
 
 
Regards,
 
John | 
	 
 
 
 
Reminds ME of the time that I was either coming or going thru jeddah, when the customs officer happened upon my airline playing card collection (anyone out there remember when airlines used to give out playing cards for free on long-haul flights?). As he was sifting through the cards, he flashed upon a Korean Airlines (I had about a dozen) pack and muttered something about them being "harram". I immediately offered the pack in his hand to him...he smiled, slipped them into his pocket and motioned for me to move along...simpletons...all of 'em...
 
 
NCTBA | 
			 
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