Jeddah Reads Campaign

In Jeddah, children often start school without the spoken language they need to thrive in education. If ignored, this gap in achievement will continue beyond education and into adulthood. In addition, many young adults are not encouraged to read and hold book discussions. Do you know of any public library in Jeddah (excluding university libraries) that aims to get Jeddah youth reading and thriving?

Jeddah Reads campaign is striving to achieve this goal. They wish to promote reading habits and encourage young persons to read and discuss books. A long term goal of their campaign is to encourage cafes, coffee shops and other public environments to include books of various genres in their shops. Consequently, the public would be encouraged to read more and organize literature-related events in the future, etc. 

Before launching their campaign, Jeddah Reads found that while the population of Jeddah was interested in reading, Jeddah and Saudis in general were not very open to a reading environment. More over, bookstores are not up to the task of providing books of diverse genres.  

Because reading can change everything, visit Jeddah Reads on Facebook, like their page, and share the love of reading! You can also connect with Jeddah Reads on Twitter or follow them @jeddahreads on Instagram.

Meet the Author of "Girl of the Book"

Like many women who relocated to Saudi Arabia under their husbands' sponsorship, Princila Murrell is one of those who sought to make a living by doing jobs out of her field of expertise. As you may already know, most female university graduates who come under the sponsorship of their husbands start off by looking for a teaching job, in most cases at an international school, before transitioning to a job that matches their education. Unfortunately, not everyone is so lucky and some women end up in jobs below their qualification level. 

Murrell believes that every expat woman should explore their skills and get the best out of it. She has, for example, been working as a freelance writer for several researchers in the Kingdom since 2009 and made the leap to indie author this year when she wrote her debut novel Girl of the Book. While the book has not yet been published, she has garnered some positive reviews from book bloggers and reviewers, some of which are presented below:

Editorial review on Amazon.com

Girl of the Book by Princila Murrell is a book about a young teenager, Courtney Parker. Her father has decided to accept a two-year contract in Saudi Arabia, which means uprooting the family from their hometown in South Africa. Courtney hates everything about her new environment. Everything feels foreign to her and she longs for her friends and school back home. Courtney's new school is full of cultural divides. She meets Lana and they forge a shaky friendship, but it's soon shattered when Courtney befriends a Muslim boy in her building, Nizar. All three find themselves faced with challenges of their heritage. Can they overcome their differences?

Murrell tells a very heartwarming story about the journey of fitting into a new life. Girl of the Book is a perfect way to start the conversation rolling about these difficult topics.--Readers' Favorite

Girl of the Book by Princila Murrell is an interesting and engaging story about a South African family that moves to Saudi Arabia for the father’s two-year work assignment. I was concerned that this would be a preachy book for kids about how all Muslims are wonderful and all Christians are intolerant and arrogant, but I was pleasantly surprised by a balanced story line with realistic characters that struggle with real life situations.

The new-girl-in-school problems found in many tween and teen books are magnified in this book. Despite her parents’ careful instructions, Courtney still manages to violate cultural rules regularly, even though she tries not to cause trouble. Many of her classmates at school don’t help--and even work to get her into more trouble. Two young people, a girl and a boy, are the only ones kind to her. Unfortunately, their kindness to Courtney causes them problems with some family members and classmates, too.

This was a wonderful book that respected both religious traditions while showing how difficult it can be for the two cultures to understand one another. There are no objectionable elements, so parents can confidently hand this excellent story to young readers, even very young children who read well above grade level.--Kimberly, Hog on Ice

Her book has also been featured on other blogs:

• A Girl and Her Kindle
• Land of Children's Books

Jeddah: Treasure Island Eid Festival

While I was looking for something fun to do this weekend with my family, I fell across the advert below and couldn't help spreading the word.

Are you bored from same Eid routine in KSA? Having the same places to go with nothing new? Same traffic difficulties and rush. Great News!!!!! Its not going to happen this Eid because Our FESTIVAL will not let you be bored thats our promise.

Treasure Island festival. To be held on Durrat Al Uroos from 2nd day of Eid till 11th day of Eid. Tickets available now. Book your tickets as this event has limited tickets. Daily gifts and luckydraw with a treasure hunt. Special surprise gifts for first 50 passes. Jet ski, banana boat, desert bikes, Segmented Shopping Arcade and a night to remember with most of National and International Artists. Have the best day with your family and friends at the best ambiance imaginable. Contact 0563235353 to get your tickets.

Join us on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/events/1559193150974115/?ref=22

In the poster, the organizers stated that the activities will run from the 2nd to the 11th of Shawwal. This corresponds to July 29 to August 7, 2014. Hope it's not to let to grab a ticket. Have fun!
 

Saudi Arabia: Showcase your Photography Skills and Win an iPad Air

I can't remember where I saw Fresh Ice Sticks on display, but I can remember my son was like, "Oh Mummy! Buy me one! Buy me One!", to which his dad said "No". At that time, we thought they were just like every other ice sticks that you could find on the market. It wasn't until today when I learned about the contest they were launching that I decided to find out about Freshi Ice Sticks. From what I read in this post, I would like to give it a try. If you haven't tasted Freshi Ice Sticks yet, here is the chance to try it and may be get an additional reward: win an iPad Air.

So what is the Freshi Ice Sticks contest about?

Courtesy of Freshi Ice Sticks

It is a photography contest, which is open to everybody. Participants are invited to visit any of their shops, where they can take the best shot of themselves or their child holding an Ice Stick and get a chance to win iPad Air.

How can you participate in the contest and win?

1. Visit any Freshi Ice Sticks branch.
2. Buy your favorite Ice Stick.
3. Show your Photography skills and take the best shot.

• Preferred: Picture of adult or kids holding the Ice Stick.

• Picture of Ice Sticks.

• Picture of display freezer.

• Picture of their shop.

4. Send your picture to Freshi Facebook page: open until 30th June 2014.
5. A panel of judges will choose the top 10 photos.
6. Winnerrs will be officially announced on 5th July 2014.
7. Decision of Freshi Ice Sticks will be final.

You can visit their Facebook page for more information.

Please note that all submitted pictures will become a property of Freshi Ice Sticks and they have the right to use them in advertisements, either in the form of print media or digital ads.

Saudi Arabia: Food at Your Doorstep

Yes, it's food at your doorstep. Gone are those days when you have to jump into the car, beat the traffic, and sometimes arrive only to find that you have to wait outside because the restaurant has closed its doors for prayers. With Hellofood around, it is easy to bring the restaurant into your living room. And the process is easy. Let me share my experience.

First, I registered on their Website. It was free. All I was required to do was write my first and last names, mobile number (including the country code), email address, and password. I wasn’t asked to provide credit card information or anything of the like. Next, I browsed the restaurants available for delivery in my area. Then I found a restaurant and selected the menu. I was amazed at how easy it was to browse and select the item that I wanted. A small box appeared on my pc screen (extreme right), displaying what I had ordered and the total cost. I didn't have to pay a riyal for delivery, as the restaurant mentioned on their landing page. I clicked on the order button, and within 5 minutes, my phone rang—it was someone from Hellofood. He asked my location and said the driver was going to call back when my order was ready. Waiting time over. Ring ring went my old mobile phone again. It was the driver calling to confirm my location. After a few minutes, my husband went out to meet him. Next thing I knew, my meal came in, neatly wrapped in a paper bag, and sat on my table. You can imagine what happened after that.

Indeed, Hellofood makes it easy to order food online. Registration is easy and clients pay cash on delivery. Clients pay a minimal fee for delivery, which varies from one restaurant to the other. A plus that comes with the whole service is that the Hellofood team is rapid, professional, and courteous. They make the process smooth and convenient for the client.

Hellofood has branches in five main cities, namely Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Al Khobar, and Dhahran. Popular restaurants, such as Pizza Hut, Tako Hut, Roma Way, Canton, etc, offer their services on the Hellofood Website. The restaurants specialize in a variety of cuisines, including Oriental, Indian, Japanese, American, and Italian cuisine, enough to satisfy the taste buds of the largely multicultural community in the above-mentioned cities.

The bottom line is, anyone who is looking for the next hot thing to explore, in terms of food, should try Hellofood. You won’t be disappointed.