It’s hard to pinpoint the origin of our move here. Did it start back when I signed up for my university’s pilot Intro to Arabic course as a senior? 📝 Or when Sean befriended Saudi classmates in his pharmacy program? Or was it when I played the part of a Saudi bride in a mock wedding for the ‘International Day’ at my grad school? 👸🏼 Or when we took a trip to Morocco early in our marriage and fell deeper in love with Arab culture? 🕌
With hindsight, it’s clear that God was planting little seeds in our lives that eventually blossomed into us hopping on a plane in September 2017 bound for a country we held dear to our hearts but had never set foot in before. ✈️ I had accepted a job teaching English at King Abdulaziz University and we had faith Sean would find a pharmacy position somewhere (he did a couple months later). We were both ready for an adventure outside of the US and Saudi was appealing – the climate, the Red Sea, immersion in Arabic, and the excitement of being in a country inaccessible to tourists at the time.
Though it was hard to say goodbye to family (and our adorable puppy), we knew it was the right move and we embarked without a return date in mind. Two and a half years later, we’re still discovering new things about Saudi and ourselves and we’re thankful we took the leap.
This photo was taken on our first visit to Al Balad – the “old town” of Jeddah. It reminds me that we’re all on a pilgrimage in our lives, and though we wish God would give us clear signposts to make the journey easier, we just have to trust Him in the unknown and He will take us places beyond our wildest dreams. ✨
