Harraj

Buying from ukay-ukay (original second-hand clothings and home furnishings, accessories, etc.) has been a Filipino illness. My mom is a big ukay addict, buying clothes and shorts for us whenever she got extra money. No, sometimes she really allots money for ukay. For her, it is a lot better than buying local RTWs, whose quality is questionable. And buying signature clothes is very expensive either. I might have been influenced by mom because when I started to work, I became an ukay addict also.

At first, I thought that ukay is only in the Philippines, but my new friends in the Kingdom introduced me to harraj, Arabic term for ukay-ukay. I first learned about it when I was merely a month old in the Kingdom. That was the first time I went out of the city I'm living and travelled thirty minutes to go to Dammam, where the famous harraj place is. You can find everything there, from underwears (yes, underwears! eeewww!) to blouses and pants, gowns including wedding gowns, abayas, bags, bedsheets and comforters, curtains, footwears, sala sets, dining sets, electrical equipments such as television, vaccum cleaners, DVD players, cassettes, chandeliers, sewing machines, and anything you can imagine for a very low price.

With a lot to choose from, not to mention the length of travel spent plus my addiction to ukay, I was enthusiastic  pulling clothes from under the stacks of clothes. It takes a lot of patience and determination in order to select a still good and new one, which fits you, and that will pay off whenever you were able to find one. Aside from that, you will also find yourself being amused by the things you will see.

I once found a white duty shoe, which seems to be used only once by the previous owner because it really looks new, and to my disappointment,  it took me almost half an hour before giving up finding its pair.

Yesterday was the second time I went to harraj, now with the four of the Female Medical Ward staff. They invited me even I am not from their ward, and I feel honored of course. I was from night shift, and I haven't had a minute of nap. I felt the rush the moment I stepped out of the car we've used. We transferred from stacks of clothes to another. My older companions went straight to the curtain sections while me and ate Fam, who is only two to three years older than me were immersed on the clothes and bags.

Ate Fam with her chosen bags.

Yes, we've seated on the floor to be able to select properly.. :)

Looking at the backgrounds, we look like "basurera". If we will think about it, we really are, the only difference is we pay for the "basura" we've found.

Ate Mai and Ate Diony

Ate Mai.. Bags!!! 

Ate Andrea, bargaining for the lowest price.

Ate Diony and the stack of bags

When we thought we've already found enough and started to feel hungry, plus the sun is intensely hot, we decided to go home and eat lunch at one of Khobar's known Filipino restaurant.

After the "shopping". My eyes is dropping from absence of sleep for almost 24 hours.

Tadaaah! My finds.. :)

I found few dresses. Although I don't wear one, I'm wondering if I would be able to use it in the future.

Feeling full and contented, I slept the whole night.