Free movement from 9am to 5pm extended until May 22nd. Now all gatherings are prohibited in Aramco communities. Gatherings of 5 people used to be allowed. May 22nd to May 27th is the Eid holiday and I’ll be off work. During the holiday, it will be 24 hour curfew with no freedom of movement.
For the past 8 weeks, Charlotte and I have had 3 activities. (1)Wait around until 9am to take dog on a walk. (2) At 4pm, my work ends so we immediately go outside to walk dog until 5pm, lingering outside until a few minutes before 5pm. At 4Pm, sidewalks are filled with people walking, jogging, biking. Kids are riding bikes all over the place. At 5pm it is a ghost town, quiet, not at person to be seen.
Charlotte and I bring the chicken and the lamb. We bring the dog for entertainment. Gustav and the other guys at the BBQ have been here 6 months alone without their families. There is still no timetable for when their families will be able to move to Saudi Arabia.
(3) The third activity was BBQ South African style. We have a group of 5 who would gather to BBQ chicken and lamb. This is a 4 to 5 hour event. Our friend Gustav is from South Africa and loves grilling out. He always refers to it as BBQ. He is very particular about the process. He only uses lump charcoal, never Propane or charcoal briquettes. The meat is always marinated before hand and during cooking. The marinade is homemade. Grilled cheese is made on the grill as a side for the meal.
We have been doing a BBQ nearly every weekend. Now all group gatherings are banned along with BBQ.
Matthew of Arabia 