Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house not a creature is stirring...because it is 4:30 am and everyone should be sleeping. I cannot. I think the jetlag has subsided and I am getting plenty of rest but somehow deep slumber alludes me.
Christmas cliches and songs fill my head. I cannot get that particular James Taylor stanza out after waking up to a lovely snow yesterday morning - "the Berkshires seemed dreamlike on account of that frosting". It felt like Christmas two days early already as we all ate breakfast in front of the large picture window looking up at Day Mountain. Russ and I took the day to drive over to Northampton and Hadley, gasping in wonder at the barren tree silhouettes sparkling with new snow. We like that drive regardless of the season, but it was worth it yesterday just for the drive.
Abruptly, the whiteness ended on the east end of Goshen as we descended into the valley and we were greeted with green grass. Our bliss subsided when we pulled into the Whole Foods parking lot which is when I realized that it was indeed the day before Christmas Eve. Crowded, frenzied, and a little pushy. We scooped up what we needed to and prepared ourselves for Trader Joe's, which was more of the same, but people seemed to be in a friendlier mood. We picked up appetizers for the weekend, treats to take back to Kuwait, and a few staple items for friends there. We also bought up tuna steaks and edamame for last night which is a favorite go-to dinner and not one we have enjoyed in Kuwait.
A quick stop at the area's best Sally Army store netted a few cool weather clothing necessities before heading to lunch at the Brewery in Northampton (Joe's was closed). Mussels, toasted bread, and beer made the perfect lunch. We absolutely cannot eat enough seafood while we are here, and frankly cannot drink too much beer. I never knew how much I enjoyed it until it was not available anymore.
We are enjoying our time here which is going by amazingly quick. We are very much home at 10 School Street where Liz, Fred, and the kids have taken us in. We appreciate the everyday life of just being in a very comfy, familiar space. We have been able to keep up with our workouts at the CRA which feels great. Some highlights from this first week - having lunch with Heather at Kripalu, tea with Karen, Alexis and other friends from LMMHS, talking with Lynn, watching the Patriots, going to see our former pastor at his church in Northampton - a church with an outstanding organ and choral program, and listening to Russ' mom's band concert. It was good to see Steve and Maria and we'll catch up with the kids soon. There has been much Christmas cheer to go around.
We have seen wildly varying temperatures from below freezing to mid-40's and with the right clothes on, we are slowly adjusting to the dramatic temperature change. It is downright chilly. The snow from yesterday has already melted but the temperatures are dropping again for the weekend.
The tree is decorated. Sue and Lily are coming in sometime today. The clan is preparing to gather with undoubtedly massive amounts of good food. Everyone has a song on their lips, and Christmas is about to happen.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Christmas in Kuwait
Even though the Mahboula sand will never replace a White Christmas, no evening is ever a Silent Night, and you can't even mention where The Little Town of Bethlehem is located, Christmas does indeed happen here in Kuwait.
Maria, Erin and I went to an excellent Christmas concert on Friday night. The Almahdi community choir boasted seventy members and invited the audience to join them in singing their hearts out on several holiday favorites. Wonderful way to get into the season.
There is plenty of festive comfort food around. We had Justin and Sarah over for tortilla soup a few nights ago, and Nancy joined us this past weekend for pesto pasta. Bowls of Lebanese staples make their way into any sort of impromptu gatherings. Others will stop by for snacks, conversation, and goodbyes during the week.
An interesting tradition here at the high school. Not only do the plates of cookies, cakes, and baklava make their rounds, but people in the many different admin offices buy platters of food (Arabic pizza, sandwiches, the delicious Lebenese fatoora, puff pastries) and then share with the other offices. So my lunches have been covered for well over a week without even being asked. I just stopped bringing food in because I know something will show up late morning. Gaining weight in December seems to be a global issue, not constrained to just the United States.
Not exactly Christmas related, but our Arabic class had our test outing recently where we had to practice what we knew. The inflection really makes a difference; I knew what I was saying but Arabic speakers seemed to have a difficult time understanding me. Oh well, I was not alone, and it was an enjoyable evening nonetheless as we ate, shopped, bargained, and negotiated taxis. Hasan our teacher showed us the expensive incense and perfume shop where I would have never gone in on my own.
Russ went to a white elephant party on Friday and scored a really nice Starbucks mug and chocolate. I also have had a wonderful Secret Santa who surprised me with a Yankee Candle, Godiva, and organic granola over the last ten days.
I got my hair cut and nails done this past week. I always feel infinitely more put together after a treatment. Thai Lanna is the teacher go-to place. Julie went with me for the first visit and Maria came along on the second. Maria is great to call up and ask "wanna go?'. She also helped me pick out Secret Santa gifts and small baubles for some of the kids in our building.
Ok, so this is hardly Christmas, but it does show some of the trappings. We are looking forward to flying out on Friday morning and being home later that evening. And there might even be snow!
Maria, Erin and I went to an excellent Christmas concert on Friday night. The Almahdi community choir boasted seventy members and invited the audience to join them in singing their hearts out on several holiday favorites. Wonderful way to get into the season.
There is plenty of festive comfort food around. We had Justin and Sarah over for tortilla soup a few nights ago, and Nancy joined us this past weekend for pesto pasta. Bowls of Lebanese staples make their way into any sort of impromptu gatherings. Others will stop by for snacks, conversation, and goodbyes during the week.
An interesting tradition here at the high school. Not only do the plates of cookies, cakes, and baklava make their rounds, but people in the many different admin offices buy platters of food (Arabic pizza, sandwiches, the delicious Lebenese fatoora, puff pastries) and then share with the other offices. So my lunches have been covered for well over a week without even being asked. I just stopped bringing food in because I know something will show up late morning. Gaining weight in December seems to be a global issue, not constrained to just the United States.
Not exactly Christmas related, but our Arabic class had our test outing recently where we had to practice what we knew. The inflection really makes a difference; I knew what I was saying but Arabic speakers seemed to have a difficult time understanding me. Oh well, I was not alone, and it was an enjoyable evening nonetheless as we ate, shopped, bargained, and negotiated taxis. Hasan our teacher showed us the expensive incense and perfume shop where I would have never gone in on my own.
Russ went to a white elephant party on Friday and scored a really nice Starbucks mug and chocolate. I also have had a wonderful Secret Santa who surprised me with a Yankee Candle, Godiva, and organic granola over the last ten days.
I got my hair cut and nails done this past week. I always feel infinitely more put together after a treatment. Thai Lanna is the teacher go-to place. Julie went with me for the first visit and Maria came along on the second. Maria is great to call up and ask "wanna go?'. She also helped me pick out Secret Santa gifts and small baubles for some of the kids in our building.
Ok, so this is hardly Christmas, but it does show some of the trappings. We are looking forward to flying out on Friday morning and being home later that evening. And there might even be snow!
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
A few of my favorite things
We were listening to The Messiah as we went to bed last night. Russ fell asleep immediately, but I listened to the entire Part I. In doing so, I got more and more excited for Christmas; I could not fall asleep. I really love this time of year. Over the weekend, we watched "Sound of Music" which was equally enjoyable. Hence, a "few of my favorite things" at the moment.
Right when we get home, I turn on the Christmas lights, and start streaming the music as loud as either of us can stand it. I have instrumental Christmas music streaming all day at work too.
I love making these gluten-free pumpkin muffins with ground oat flour. They take about 30 minutes total and the ingredients are always on hand. Russ loves them too, and I just added dark chocolate chips which makes the recipe perfect.
Curried roasted cauliflower and lentil soup are some of our go-to cold weather comfort foods when we are not eating Lebanese food. We could definitely live on the warm chewy Arabic bread alone, but not if I do not want to gain weight.
There are these Arabic cookies with date paste and cardamon that are so delicious. They are hard to find, which is probably a good thing.
I picked up a milk frother at Ikea and that is the weekend morning treat in my tea, along with reading the International Herald Tribune.
I feel like I have said this a hundred times already but it is such an integral part of my life. The gym and yoga are my physical and mental outlets, and I look forward to them each week. I may actually be in the best shape of my life presently, and I feel strong.
One cannot underestimate what a manicure and pedicure can do for one's state of mind. I always feel much more put together. Ditto on having someone else blow your hair out.
I enjoy our moss green walls in the apartment. It is a much softer and comfortable place to live in now. Yankee candles somehow make the room warmer too.
While some things are new discoveries, none of these are Kuwait-specific, so I will take the ideas with me when we leave and add them to my rather long list.
Right when we get home, I turn on the Christmas lights, and start streaming the music as loud as either of us can stand it. I have instrumental Christmas music streaming all day at work too.
I love making these gluten-free pumpkin muffins with ground oat flour. They take about 30 minutes total and the ingredients are always on hand. Russ loves them too, and I just added dark chocolate chips which makes the recipe perfect.
Curried roasted cauliflower and lentil soup are some of our go-to cold weather comfort foods when we are not eating Lebanese food. We could definitely live on the warm chewy Arabic bread alone, but not if I do not want to gain weight.
There are these Arabic cookies with date paste and cardamon that are so delicious. They are hard to find, which is probably a good thing.
I picked up a milk frother at Ikea and that is the weekend morning treat in my tea, along with reading the International Herald Tribune.
I feel like I have said this a hundred times already but it is such an integral part of my life. The gym and yoga are my physical and mental outlets, and I look forward to them each week. I may actually be in the best shape of my life presently, and I feel strong.
One cannot underestimate what a manicure and pedicure can do for one's state of mind. I always feel much more put together. Ditto on having someone else blow your hair out.
I enjoy our moss green walls in the apartment. It is a much softer and comfortable place to live in now. Yankee candles somehow make the room warmer too.
While some things are new discoveries, none of these are Kuwait-specific, so I will take the ideas with me when we leave and add them to my rather long list.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Into the old city
There are no photos from today. I purposely left my camera at home when my friend Stephanie invited me to go to the older part of the city where the traditional souks (markets) are located. She left hers behind too, and there were a couple of times when we wished we had them. No matter how great they are for future memories, we reminded ourselves that something always gets lost in the present as soon as a camera comes out. Or at least that made us feel better in the moment.
Steph has lived in Kuwait before, so she is a wonderful person to ask questions. She has also lived in Syria and Libya, before being evacuated and forced to leave her whole life behind. I enjoy her company a great deal - she is funny, insightful and wise. We are both about the same age too, which doesn't always matter, but sometimes is the right connection.
To say this is the old part of the city needs to be put in context. Nothing much is truly old as most everything was bombed during the war, but even before that was maybe only in existence for 25 to 50 years. Old seems to refer more to a more traditional way of doing things.
We meandered through hallways with lamb carcasses hanging and bulging fruit displays. I admired rosy red pomegranates the size of grapefruit and oohed over the citrus selection. We talked in our broken Arabic with an Iranian man who gave us a date tasting, pointing out the subtle differences between dates grown in Saudi, Iran, and Kuwait. We bought a kilo for one dinar ($3.50). The figurative icing on the cake was when he brought out his homemade tahini and dipped the matured sweet Iranian dates into it. That was a slice of heaven and so I bought that too. He kept asking us to take his picture. That does not happen much here, eliciting a moment of regret.
We transversed further into the unmarked passages, passing finely woven carpets and colorful prayer beads. Steph explained that if one can afford it, the beads should be amber, that one knows it is the real deal because of the heat the beads create when fingering them, and that there are many different shades ranging from pale yellow to sienna orange to brown. They were out of my price range for today. Also beyond my pocketbook were the gold shops (which may actually always be out of reach)and the custom perfumeries.
We reached the far boundary of the market which spans blocks to find the Afghan quarter, and spent quite a bit of time talking with a Hazara man who sold us some beautiful tapestries. He was glad when we told him we were from America; America had been good to the minority Hazara people. His Pakistani neighbor tempted us with some beaded work. As I will most likely never make it to Afghanistan or Pakistan, these seemed like incredibly good buys. We also found some lovely scarves from Kashmir, much like the pashima shawls found on the streets of Manhatten but with much more depth and interesting patterns.
We broke for a late lunch at a large communal eating area that has several kitchens cooking for particular tables. It is hard to go wrong with kebabs, soft warm bread, hummus and salad. A beer would have been nice too, but not possible.
So many photos filling my head - the colors, smells, people, and music of this wonderful place. It was a good place to practice my Arabic, of which I have a bit lax lately. I think it was one of my favorite afternoons since arriving in Kuwait, one for the environment, but also for the company.
Steph has lived in Kuwait before, so she is a wonderful person to ask questions. She has also lived in Syria and Libya, before being evacuated and forced to leave her whole life behind. I enjoy her company a great deal - she is funny, insightful and wise. We are both about the same age too, which doesn't always matter, but sometimes is the right connection.
To say this is the old part of the city needs to be put in context. Nothing much is truly old as most everything was bombed during the war, but even before that was maybe only in existence for 25 to 50 years. Old seems to refer more to a more traditional way of doing things.
We meandered through hallways with lamb carcasses hanging and bulging fruit displays. I admired rosy red pomegranates the size of grapefruit and oohed over the citrus selection. We talked in our broken Arabic with an Iranian man who gave us a date tasting, pointing out the subtle differences between dates grown in Saudi, Iran, and Kuwait. We bought a kilo for one dinar ($3.50). The figurative icing on the cake was when he brought out his homemade tahini and dipped the matured sweet Iranian dates into it. That was a slice of heaven and so I bought that too. He kept asking us to take his picture. That does not happen much here, eliciting a moment of regret.
We transversed further into the unmarked passages, passing finely woven carpets and colorful prayer beads. Steph explained that if one can afford it, the beads should be amber, that one knows it is the real deal because of the heat the beads create when fingering them, and that there are many different shades ranging from pale yellow to sienna orange to brown. They were out of my price range for today. Also beyond my pocketbook were the gold shops (which may actually always be out of reach)and the custom perfumeries.
We reached the far boundary of the market which spans blocks to find the Afghan quarter, and spent quite a bit of time talking with a Hazara man who sold us some beautiful tapestries. He was glad when we told him we were from America; America had been good to the minority Hazara people. His Pakistani neighbor tempted us with some beaded work. As I will most likely never make it to Afghanistan or Pakistan, these seemed like incredibly good buys. We also found some lovely scarves from Kashmir, much like the pashima shawls found on the streets of Manhatten but with much more depth and interesting patterns.
We broke for a late lunch at a large communal eating area that has several kitchens cooking for particular tables. It is hard to go wrong with kebabs, soft warm bread, hummus and salad. A beer would have been nice too, but not possible.
So many photos filling my head - the colors, smells, people, and music of this wonderful place. It was a good place to practice my Arabic, of which I have a bit lax lately. I think it was one of my favorite afternoons since arriving in Kuwait, one for the environment, but also for the company.
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Freezing is a relative thing
It was absolutely freezing today. The funny thing is that is was only in the low 60s. Oh boy, wait until I get back to Dalton next month. At the risk of sounding melodramatic, I am not sure that I will make it. Kuwait may have ruined cold weather for me for a long time, but even Russ is chilly. It doesn't help that the past eighteen months have essentially been summer-like conditions for me.
Inside our apartment, it is cozy with a balsam fir Yankee Candle burning and a twinkling Christmas tree. Every day, I come home and start streaming Christmas music for a few hours. We have been working our way through Thanksgiving leftovers, one of the things I truly enjoy. I bought a couple of chickens and roasted more vegetables. Then we will work to clear out the rest of the freezer and refrigerator before we fly out on December 16. The other thing that hasn't changed is that there are many holiday treats trickling into our office every day.
Yesterday there was a citywide emergency drill, run much like a school fire drill. With the Gulf war just twenty years past, the government still practices if there needs to be an evacuation. We were told to ignore it in school, but it was quite disruptive with loud wailing sirens surrounding us for the better part of an hour. It's quieter today but one never knows what will happen.
Inside our apartment, it is cozy with a balsam fir Yankee Candle burning and a twinkling Christmas tree. Every day, I come home and start streaming Christmas music for a few hours. We have been working our way through Thanksgiving leftovers, one of the things I truly enjoy. I bought a couple of chickens and roasted more vegetables. Then we will work to clear out the rest of the freezer and refrigerator before we fly out on December 16. The other thing that hasn't changed is that there are many holiday treats trickling into our office every day.
Yesterday there was a citywide emergency drill, run much like a school fire drill. With the Gulf war just twenty years past, the government still practices if there needs to be an evacuation. We were told to ignore it in school, but it was quite disruptive with loud wailing sirens surrounding us for the better part of an hour. It's quieter today but one never knows what will happen.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
Our "Black Saturday"
With a long weekend, it almost feels like Thanksgiving back home. The Kuwaiti government gave the country the day off today because the Islamic New Year was yesterday. No one much celebrates it, but just having a day off is good enough for me.
Russ and I started off the weekend by walking the beach at the Hilton and collecting shells. It is one of my most favorite activities, and I am glad he is feeling better and up to doing things like that.
Just because we are in a Muslim country does not mean that we can't celebrate Christmas, for a couple of reasons. One, there are so many Western ex-pats and stores, it would seem impossible not to. Two, Muslims recognize Jesus as a prophet so it's not like mentioning Him is taboo, plus there is religious freedom that neighboring Saudi forbids. So Christmas music playing in a store is not a surprise (although not too common either) and there are plenty of fake trees with trimmings for sale. What we do not see (nor do we miss) are brash decorations splattered everywhere proclaiming "Merry Christmas." It's much more subtle.
Shopping is a huge pasttime for Kuwaitis, and every weekend the malls are crowded by noontime. So this particular weekend after American Thanksgiving is not any different than any other weekend since we have been here. The Marslanders offered us their car yesterday (which is another thing I am adding to the last post of things for which I am thankful). It turned out to be a full day of shopping. First Maria and I went to what is supposed to be the best bazaar of the season at the British School of Kuwait. It was awesome. There were a lot of handmade items, books, jewelry, decorations, clothes, and Christmas items. We each pretty much finished our Christmas shopping. Then we picked up Russ at school where he was trying to get a few things ready for Monday before we went to the Avenues mall. Maria met up with another friend, and Russ and I went to Carrefour to buy a space heater and a few other odds and ends. Then we drove over to Ace Hardware and picked up some things for two of Russ' lighting projects. For as much as he does not like shopping, he could spend hours in a hardware store (we were there for over an hour and left only because I was really hungry). We went back to the mall, stopped for something to eat at Ikea and then finished up our shopping day there buying a few more things for the apartment and Christmas decorations. We unloaded everything at home in the late afternoon and then set up our Christmas tree and stockings. We only have three weeks before we head home and I love this time of year, so every day counts.
Today we put up the seven foot paper tree on the wall in the hallway outside our apartment and decorated it with cutouts, while streaming holiday music. That actually took most of the morning before Russ went to another hardware store with Justin, and I went to the gym where I watched the first half of the USC/UCLA game. Now we are settling into our routine of getting things ready for school tomorrow. It was a great weekend, even more relaxing than the Eid break, and full of good cheer.
Russ and I started off the weekend by walking the beach at the Hilton and collecting shells. It is one of my most favorite activities, and I am glad he is feeling better and up to doing things like that.
Just because we are in a Muslim country does not mean that we can't celebrate Christmas, for a couple of reasons. One, there are so many Western ex-pats and stores, it would seem impossible not to. Two, Muslims recognize Jesus as a prophet so it's not like mentioning Him is taboo, plus there is religious freedom that neighboring Saudi forbids. So Christmas music playing in a store is not a surprise (although not too common either) and there are plenty of fake trees with trimmings for sale. What we do not see (nor do we miss) are brash decorations splattered everywhere proclaiming "Merry Christmas." It's much more subtle.
Shopping is a huge pasttime for Kuwaitis, and every weekend the malls are crowded by noontime. So this particular weekend after American Thanksgiving is not any different than any other weekend since we have been here. The Marslanders offered us their car yesterday (which is another thing I am adding to the last post of things for which I am thankful). It turned out to be a full day of shopping. First Maria and I went to what is supposed to be the best bazaar of the season at the British School of Kuwait. It was awesome. There were a lot of handmade items, books, jewelry, decorations, clothes, and Christmas items. We each pretty much finished our Christmas shopping. Then we picked up Russ at school where he was trying to get a few things ready for Monday before we went to the Avenues mall. Maria met up with another friend, and Russ and I went to Carrefour to buy a space heater and a few other odds and ends. Then we drove over to Ace Hardware and picked up some things for two of Russ' lighting projects. For as much as he does not like shopping, he could spend hours in a hardware store (we were there for over an hour and left only because I was really hungry). We went back to the mall, stopped for something to eat at Ikea and then finished up our shopping day there buying a few more things for the apartment and Christmas decorations. We unloaded everything at home in the late afternoon and then set up our Christmas tree and stockings. We only have three weeks before we head home and I love this time of year, so every day counts.
Today we put up the seven foot paper tree on the wall in the hallway outside our apartment and decorated it with cutouts, while streaming holiday music. That actually took most of the morning before Russ went to another hardware store with Justin, and I went to the gym where I watched the first half of the USC/UCLA game. Now we are settling into our routine of getting things ready for school tomorrow. It was a great weekend, even more relaxing than the Eid break, and full of good cheer.
Friday, November 25, 2011
O give thanks
I love the festivities of Thanksgiving, for being able to reflect on my blessings. Here are a few from the past three months in Kuwait:
I am thankful for Russ who takes care of me whether I need it or not. He makes me laugh. He brings balance. He has turned our apartment into a home.
I am so glad to have yoga class once a week. Tuesday evenings are blissful, and a lot of hard work (but in the best possible way). I am glad we have space to host it here, and it is a good group of women. Russ rigged the shower so that it no longer leaks everywhere and I take a twenty minute steambath when we are finished. It is always my best night of sleep.
I am grateful for a friendly work environment at ASK. I enjoy my coworkers Nancy and Nadia quite a bit, and things seem to go as smooth as they can during the course of a week. Overall, a fairly nice place to work. It is also great having student aides, who are not only a bright spot in my day, but incredibly helpful.
It is good to have friends here - Maria is someone I can easily call up anytime to talk with or do something, and there are a few other people as well I can count on. Russ also has made some solid friendships. There is a much larger group whom we often see socially - a really fabulous group to be around.
I am so glad that we have skype to regularly talk with family and friends. Our internet is reliable and has been an invaluable link.
Margaret comes in once a week to clean our place. I am immensely grateful for her and the work that she does.
We have a comfortable apartment in which to live, and have been able to find most anything in the stores. This surprised me initially, but just about everything can be found for a price. We have organic produce, free-range chickens, heart-healthy foods, and more.
Speaking of food, I was pleased with the side dishes we made, each with a distinctly Middle Eastern flavor - couscous salad with pecans and dried cranberries for our office potluck on Wednesday, roasted curried cauliflower with chickpeas and spiced lemony brussel spouts with pistachios for Thanksgiving dinner last night. We have another potluck tonight down in the complex but I think I will just bring green beans we got from the farmer's market (a farmer's market was the last thing I expected to find in Kuwait but I am very thankful for that too).
We had to work yesterday, but Russ prepped all of the veggies, so there was no rush. We stopped over at Sarah and Justin's for hors d'oevers before joining the science department at Nancy's for dinner. Russ pulled out his Thanksgiving trivia for the group, with a nod to his Uncle Don's long-standing tradition. Most of them were Canadians and we had a good laugh through the whole thing.
I am incredibly thankful that we are in a three-day weekend. The Government announced earlier this week that because the Islamic New Year falls on a Saturday, the next day should be a day off! And we don't have to make up the school day at the end, unlike snow days.
Despite small annoyances and complaints, life is good here and we have much for which to give thanks.
I am thankful for Russ who takes care of me whether I need it or not. He makes me laugh. He brings balance. He has turned our apartment into a home.
I am so glad to have yoga class once a week. Tuesday evenings are blissful, and a lot of hard work (but in the best possible way). I am glad we have space to host it here, and it is a good group of women. Russ rigged the shower so that it no longer leaks everywhere and I take a twenty minute steambath when we are finished. It is always my best night of sleep.
I am grateful for a friendly work environment at ASK. I enjoy my coworkers Nancy and Nadia quite a bit, and things seem to go as smooth as they can during the course of a week. Overall, a fairly nice place to work. It is also great having student aides, who are not only a bright spot in my day, but incredibly helpful.
It is good to have friends here - Maria is someone I can easily call up anytime to talk with or do something, and there are a few other people as well I can count on. Russ also has made some solid friendships. There is a much larger group whom we often see socially - a really fabulous group to be around.
I am so glad that we have skype to regularly talk with family and friends. Our internet is reliable and has been an invaluable link.
Margaret comes in once a week to clean our place. I am immensely grateful for her and the work that she does.
We have a comfortable apartment in which to live, and have been able to find most anything in the stores. This surprised me initially, but just about everything can be found for a price. We have organic produce, free-range chickens, heart-healthy foods, and more.
Speaking of food, I was pleased with the side dishes we made, each with a distinctly Middle Eastern flavor - couscous salad with pecans and dried cranberries for our office potluck on Wednesday, roasted curried cauliflower with chickpeas and spiced lemony brussel spouts with pistachios for Thanksgiving dinner last night. We have another potluck tonight down in the complex but I think I will just bring green beans we got from the farmer's market (a farmer's market was the last thing I expected to find in Kuwait but I am very thankful for that too).
We had to work yesterday, but Russ prepped all of the veggies, so there was no rush. We stopped over at Sarah and Justin's for hors d'oevers before joining the science department at Nancy's for dinner. Russ pulled out his Thanksgiving trivia for the group, with a nod to his Uncle Don's long-standing tradition. Most of them were Canadians and we had a good laugh through the whole thing.
I am incredibly thankful that we are in a three-day weekend. The Government announced earlier this week that because the Islamic New Year falls on a Saturday, the next day should be a day off! And we don't have to make up the school day at the end, unlike snow days.
Despite small annoyances and complaints, life is good here and we have much for which to give thanks.
Saturday, November 12, 2011
How I spent the November Eid
Over the past nine days, I did a few other things beside paint our apartment and hang out in the hospital. It was a great week to discover some new things about where we live and also chill out.
Russ and I went shopping and out to lunch a few times. I have not known him to be such a shopper, but he has been determined to make our place more comfortable. Indirect lighting, softer wall colors, photos all help.
Maria and I found Abaya "Barbie" dolls at the schmancy Sultan center in Salmiya. We each picked up a couple of the dolls in their black gowns, head wraps, and henna'ed hands. I am going to dress my girls in really racy clothes underneath (from the US Barbie collection).
The Iranian souk (market) was a bit of a disappointment. Gorgeous handwoven carpets but otherwise basically a bunch of imported junk from China.
On the other hand, Maria and I had lunch at the marina one day which was so incredibly lovely. It felt like Southern Cal in the winter. Warm sun, cool breeze. We walked the boardwalk after that. This morning we walked the boardwalk which is a ten minute taxi drive down the road from the apartment. I would never go in the water here as you can see an oil sheen on the surface, but there is still something magical about sand and sea.
Speaking of oil, I filled up our friend's Pajero for only USD 12 (that is 85 a gallon)! Disgusting but true. Driving around, I found that most drivers are either completely crazy or incredibly brave. Driving is quite aggressive here, like I have experienced nowhere else - Traffic in LA and NY is quite tame compared to the road chaos and rage.
Sarah organized yoga night for five women this past Tuesday, and it will happen every week at our place since we have such a cavernous space and no kids. A wonderful way to unwind; too bad it's only once a week. But then there is the Hilton too.
Our hard cider is in the last stage of development. We filtered and bottled a small batch today and it should be ready to drink by Thanksgiving.
I got caught up on a number of logistical things - banking, uploading photos, updating our budget, rearranging the apartment, and hanging photos. Also finished off another book and a few Oprah mags. I feel remarkably ready to head back into our regimented school routine tomorrow.
Russ and I went shopping and out to lunch a few times. I have not known him to be such a shopper, but he has been determined to make our place more comfortable. Indirect lighting, softer wall colors, photos all help.
Maria and I found Abaya "Barbie" dolls at the schmancy Sultan center in Salmiya. We each picked up a couple of the dolls in their black gowns, head wraps, and henna'ed hands. I am going to dress my girls in really racy clothes underneath (from the US Barbie collection).
The Iranian souk (market) was a bit of a disappointment. Gorgeous handwoven carpets but otherwise basically a bunch of imported junk from China.
On the other hand, Maria and I had lunch at the marina one day which was so incredibly lovely. It felt like Southern Cal in the winter. Warm sun, cool breeze. We walked the boardwalk after that. This morning we walked the boardwalk which is a ten minute taxi drive down the road from the apartment. I would never go in the water here as you can see an oil sheen on the surface, but there is still something magical about sand and sea.
Speaking of oil, I filled up our friend's Pajero for only USD 12 (that is 85 a gallon)! Disgusting but true. Driving around, I found that most drivers are either completely crazy or incredibly brave. Driving is quite aggressive here, like I have experienced nowhere else - Traffic in LA and NY is quite tame compared to the road chaos and rage.
Sarah organized yoga night for five women this past Tuesday, and it will happen every week at our place since we have such a cavernous space and no kids. A wonderful way to unwind; too bad it's only once a week. But then there is the Hilton too.
Our hard cider is in the last stage of development. We filtered and bottled a small batch today and it should be ready to drink by Thanksgiving.
I got caught up on a number of logistical things - banking, uploading photos, updating our budget, rearranging the apartment, and hanging photos. Also finished off another book and a few Oprah mags. I feel remarkably ready to head back into our regimented school routine tomorrow.
Wednesday, November 9, 2011
A kinder, gentler health care system
Russ' heart has been healthy since we left the US. He has had some other unrelated pain though and we have been able to address that here. It's been a great introduction to the healthcare system. There are basically two levels of care like most elsewhere in the world - government and then private hospitals. As residents, we have access to the government hospitals, same as Kuwaiti citizens and we hear that the level of technology is high. We also have private insurance, a UK program with regional headquarters in Dubai. It provides coverage anywhere in the world if we travel, which of course we could have really used six months ago.
We have seen four doctors here at three different hospitals for this condition, with each doctor and facility improving as we went along. The doctor whom Russ is seeing now has trained in the States and is the best in his field in Kuwait.
The private hospitals seem to be part mall and part high-rise hotel. One hospital had high-end boutiques, marble floors, chandeliers, a swanky cafe, and spa. Russ had a minor day surgery today but they insisted he spend the night, and there is a bed for me as well. The one-patient room has a large flat-screen television, wifi, fridge, a large fruit gift basket, full bathroom and two couches. This is one of the basic rooms; the suite down the hall is more five-star.
Some other observations:
There are bags of baby carrots at every nurses' station for anyone to take; they make a nice snack.
Russ has only ever been known as Mr. Rosel at any facility; his surname is not used. In fact on his civil ID, his name in Arabic reads Rosel Bredford even though they got that information from his American passport. I am Mrs. Rosel. Similarly, we call our doctor Dr. Abdullah instead of by his last name and the nursing staff knows who we mean.
The pre-op procedure last week was the most thorough I have ever experienced. Russ met with an anesthesiologist, cardiologist, and pharmacist; he had bloodwork, an ecg, and a chest xray done as well. It took four hours to go through everything but we had a nurse who stayed by our sides as she took us all over the hospital.
There is only valet parking, and bellboy service up to our seventh-floor room. Russ checked in to his room immediately upon arrival this morning.
The doctor has called us twice at home before the procedure to answer questions; we were also able to reach him on his cell phone. So far the followup has been excellent.
Needless to say, I have been impressed. Who knew that Kuwait was a medical tourism destination?
We have seen four doctors here at three different hospitals for this condition, with each doctor and facility improving as we went along. The doctor whom Russ is seeing now has trained in the States and is the best in his field in Kuwait.
The private hospitals seem to be part mall and part high-rise hotel. One hospital had high-end boutiques, marble floors, chandeliers, a swanky cafe, and spa. Russ had a minor day surgery today but they insisted he spend the night, and there is a bed for me as well. The one-patient room has a large flat-screen television, wifi, fridge, a large fruit gift basket, full bathroom and two couches. This is one of the basic rooms; the suite down the hall is more five-star.
Some other observations:
There are bags of baby carrots at every nurses' station for anyone to take; they make a nice snack.
Russ has only ever been known as Mr. Rosel at any facility; his surname is not used. In fact on his civil ID, his name in Arabic reads Rosel Bredford even though they got that information from his American passport. I am Mrs. Rosel. Similarly, we call our doctor Dr. Abdullah instead of by his last name and the nursing staff knows who we mean.
The pre-op procedure last week was the most thorough I have ever experienced. Russ met with an anesthesiologist, cardiologist, and pharmacist; he had bloodwork, an ecg, and a chest xray done as well. It took four hours to go through everything but we had a nurse who stayed by our sides as she took us all over the hospital.
There is only valet parking, and bellboy service up to our seventh-floor room. Russ checked in to his room immediately upon arrival this morning.
The doctor has called us twice at home before the procedure to answer questions; we were also able to reach him on his cell phone. So far the followup has been excellent.
Needless to say, I have been impressed. Who knew that Kuwait was a medical tourism destination?
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Rainy day weekend
We are technically in the rainy season - Kuwaitis call it al-Wassam (there are fourteen distinct seasons which frankly I need to see to believe). What this actually means is that it may drizzle for ten minutes each day. It does not wash the dust away; it actually hits the ground already dirty from the dust particles in the air. The upside to this is that it is cooler, there is often a cloud cover for most of the day, and it feels like it is going to rain.
Our last day of school was on Thursday and we woke up Friday morning in a state of bliss, with nothing to do and nine days ahead of much the same. First order of business after we puttered around for four hours, read the International Herald Tribune (which is widely available and devoured), and cleaned up a bit was to head to the hardware store. There are two here - Ace and True Value. I knew where the latter one was located, and Sarah and Justin loaned us their car. It's incredibly nice when there is a lot of shopping to have a car instead of relying on taxis. We relished the freedom and because it was Friday, the traffic was light. We bought paint, rope for a clothesline in the spare room, drill bits, plumbing pieces, and tile glue. I think this may have been the highlight of Russ' time here in Kuwait. He loves projects and we now have four or five to work on.
We then headed to the Lulu hypermarket and stocked up on groceries for at least three weeks. Nice to have that out of the way. The store was stocked with all sorts of niceties because our school holiday is coinciding with Eid al-Adha (or "Festival of Sacrifice" which comes roughly two and quarter months after Eid il-Fitr and Ramadan). There were all sorts of sweet cakes and fruit platters; sales were plentiful.
Yesterday we painted the apartment after doing mounds of laundry in the morning. The one color we miss the most here is green and we found a lovely shade of moss that toned down the gold drapes and sofas in the room. It feels very comfortable now. Because we sponge painted, we were able to finish virtually the whole apartment in an afternoon. We listened to Prairie Home Companion and several cds, and it felt like a rainy afternoon.
Emboldened by the success of yesterday's painting which brought rave reviews from the neighbors, Russ went out with Justin, Harvey, and John to the ACE hardware store. His mission: paint for the kitchen. We are calling it cabernet to perhaps soften the effect, but it is essentially a bright purple kitchen. We kept thinking it would get better the more of the room we did. We'll probably get used to it soon. Russ did find this particular hardware store better stocked than True Value and picked up even more odds and ends, which helps him to feel more at home.
In between all of these home projects, we are working out at our respective gyms (although I was so sore from painting yesterday I just sat in the jacuzzi). Tonight we are going to a potluck downstairs at Gloria and John's place and we might catch a NFL game at Rob's later.
Our last day of school was on Thursday and we woke up Friday morning in a state of bliss, with nothing to do and nine days ahead of much the same. First order of business after we puttered around for four hours, read the International Herald Tribune (which is widely available and devoured), and cleaned up a bit was to head to the hardware store. There are two here - Ace and True Value. I knew where the latter one was located, and Sarah and Justin loaned us their car. It's incredibly nice when there is a lot of shopping to have a car instead of relying on taxis. We relished the freedom and because it was Friday, the traffic was light. We bought paint, rope for a clothesline in the spare room, drill bits, plumbing pieces, and tile glue. I think this may have been the highlight of Russ' time here in Kuwait. He loves projects and we now have four or five to work on.
We then headed to the Lulu hypermarket and stocked up on groceries for at least three weeks. Nice to have that out of the way. The store was stocked with all sorts of niceties because our school holiday is coinciding with Eid al-Adha (or "Festival of Sacrifice" which comes roughly two and quarter months after Eid il-Fitr and Ramadan). There were all sorts of sweet cakes and fruit platters; sales were plentiful.
Yesterday we painted the apartment after doing mounds of laundry in the morning. The one color we miss the most here is green and we found a lovely shade of moss that toned down the gold drapes and sofas in the room. It feels very comfortable now. Because we sponge painted, we were able to finish virtually the whole apartment in an afternoon. We listened to Prairie Home Companion and several cds, and it felt like a rainy afternoon.
Emboldened by the success of yesterday's painting which brought rave reviews from the neighbors, Russ went out with Justin, Harvey, and John to the ACE hardware store. His mission: paint for the kitchen. We are calling it cabernet to perhaps soften the effect, but it is essentially a bright purple kitchen. We kept thinking it would get better the more of the room we did. We'll probably get used to it soon. Russ did find this particular hardware store better stocked than True Value and picked up even more odds and ends, which helps him to feel more at home.
In between all of these home projects, we are working out at our respective gyms (although I was so sore from painting yesterday I just sat in the jacuzzi). Tonight we are going to a potluck downstairs at Gloria and John's place and we might catch a NFL game at Rob's later.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Out of the ordinary
We deviate from our "Groundhog Day" schedule occasionally, most often on the weekends. For example, Melissa and I went to the AWARE center (http://www.aware.com.kw)last Friday to find a wonderful blend of crafts - some local and other imported, food, and art. We ate falafel and sesame cake, each found a silk skirt, and got henna tattoos on our hands. Maria and I heard about a textile bazaar this Saturday that we will check out at the Sadu House textile museum. 'Tis the bazaar season, much like at home.
Also last weekend, Sarah and I went to volunteer at Operation Hope (http://www.operation-hope-kuwait.com/), an organization that works with domestic workers. Because she has a car we were able to bring bags of clothes to the women's shelter at the Filipino embassy. Hope to get into a routine of doing this once a month. They will be opening a thrift store up soon as well. Recycling is almost non-existent here, so this is really venturing into untested waters.
This weekend is all about Halloween. The elementary kids have been parading around the middle and high school in costume today and the high school students will have their chance on Halloween. We've decorated our entryway at home with large paper pumpkins, and we be putting goody bags together as the kids from the complex will be trick-or-treating Monday night. There are a couple of parties that we will probably duck into for a little bit. It's also a big schoolwork weekend as grades are due next week.
During the week, it's a little harder to change up the schedule. Every now and then, we go downstairs to Rob's to watch a Sunday afternoon NFL game. It starts at 8:00 Sunday night, so we really only watch the first quarter before trodding off to sleep.
This past Monday afternoon after we got back from the gym, Maria and I had a happy hour of sorts in the apartment. We have built quite a cabinet of drink offerings, and it was nice to "go out" even if we were staying in.
When we don't have a lot of school work in the evening, we try to visit people in the complex. It helps to get out of the apartment, and we have met some really incredibly nice folks. This week we stopped in to see Nancy, who is one of Russ' science colleagues. She's from Chicago, a few years older than us, and incredibly positive. Chris and Christy are from Sasketchewan; she's a nurse and he teaches middle school. Chris is quite the experimental brewmaster and showed us this week how to make hard cider. Sean and Melissa are incredibly warm and open people who host the Arabic lessons every week. The are down-to-earth and very funny. Sarah and Justin give us a ride to church, and had us over for breakfast last weekend. They've been on the international school circuit for a while, and both their kids were born abroad.
Last night we did our grocery shopping on the way home so that frees up the weekend tremendously with one less chore. This morning we took the 6:15 bus to work which was almost decadent. We had more time at home to putter around; I actually had time for a cup of tea (which I normally refuse to have unless I have the time to drink it leisurely). We did not have as much time at school to get ready before the day started, but it's kind of a catch-up day anyway. I've already accomplished a lot which is a great feeling. Just five more school days until the holiday.
Also last weekend, Sarah and I went to volunteer at Operation Hope (http://www.operation-hope-kuwait.com/), an organization that works with domestic workers. Because she has a car we were able to bring bags of clothes to the women's shelter at the Filipino embassy. Hope to get into a routine of doing this once a month. They will be opening a thrift store up soon as well. Recycling is almost non-existent here, so this is really venturing into untested waters.
This weekend is all about Halloween. The elementary kids have been parading around the middle and high school in costume today and the high school students will have their chance on Halloween. We've decorated our entryway at home with large paper pumpkins, and we be putting goody bags together as the kids from the complex will be trick-or-treating Monday night. There are a couple of parties that we will probably duck into for a little bit. It's also a big schoolwork weekend as grades are due next week.
During the week, it's a little harder to change up the schedule. Every now and then, we go downstairs to Rob's to watch a Sunday afternoon NFL game. It starts at 8:00 Sunday night, so we really only watch the first quarter before trodding off to sleep.
This past Monday afternoon after we got back from the gym, Maria and I had a happy hour of sorts in the apartment. We have built quite a cabinet of drink offerings, and it was nice to "go out" even if we were staying in.
When we don't have a lot of school work in the evening, we try to visit people in the complex. It helps to get out of the apartment, and we have met some really incredibly nice folks. This week we stopped in to see Nancy, who is one of Russ' science colleagues. She's from Chicago, a few years older than us, and incredibly positive. Chris and Christy are from Sasketchewan; she's a nurse and he teaches middle school. Chris is quite the experimental brewmaster and showed us this week how to make hard cider. Sean and Melissa are incredibly warm and open people who host the Arabic lessons every week. The are down-to-earth and very funny. Sarah and Justin give us a ride to church, and had us over for breakfast last weekend. They've been on the international school circuit for a while, and both their kids were born abroad.
Last night we did our grocery shopping on the way home so that frees up the weekend tremendously with one less chore. This morning we took the 6:15 bus to work which was almost decadent. We had more time at home to putter around; I actually had time for a cup of tea (which I normally refuse to have unless I have the time to drink it leisurely). We did not have as much time at school to get ready before the day started, but it's kind of a catch-up day anyway. I've already accomplished a lot which is a great feeling. Just five more school days until the holiday.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Groundhog day
Russ and I watched this movie last weekend and laughed about how it mirrors our life here. During the week, our daily routine is exactly the same with little deviation: we rise early, go to work, then the gym, and have a few hours in the evening together. Herein lies the paradox - the days are incredibly long but go by amazingly quickly. It is hard to believe that we have been here two months, that there are thirteen days to go until our first holiday break, and then only a few weeks after that until we fly home. Unfortunately, the weekend hours fly by as quickly as the work days.
I find myself nostalgic for Africa. As the weather cools down, it is the same morning crispness that we found in Namibia and Botswana at this time of year as it is starting to warm up. I am not sure what exactly I miss; it is more of a general sense of longing to be there. We live Africa vicariously now through friends who will soon be traveling there; through Cheryl and Brent who asked us for housing recommendations in Maputo, through Amy and Rob who want to traverse Kruger next summer, through Sophie who is keen to hike Mount Kilamanjaro.
It's undoubtedly much cooler at home now too and the rallying cry among American ex-pats here is "bring us more pumpkin!" Last week at Lulu, I found canned pumpkin pie mix which I normally would not buy, but it brings back the seasonal comfort that we are craving. Pumpkins are hard to find here but every so often we see butternut squash.
We have found two decent suppliers of table wine - one red and one white. Not bad for home vinting. And we will try our hand in making hard cider this weekend.
I find myself nostalgic for Africa. As the weather cools down, it is the same morning crispness that we found in Namibia and Botswana at this time of year as it is starting to warm up. I am not sure what exactly I miss; it is more of a general sense of longing to be there. We live Africa vicariously now through friends who will soon be traveling there; through Cheryl and Brent who asked us for housing recommendations in Maputo, through Amy and Rob who want to traverse Kruger next summer, through Sophie who is keen to hike Mount Kilamanjaro.
It's undoubtedly much cooler at home now too and the rallying cry among American ex-pats here is "bring us more pumpkin!" Last week at Lulu, I found canned pumpkin pie mix which I normally would not buy, but it brings back the seasonal comfort that we are craving. Pumpkins are hard to find here but every so often we see butternut squash.
We have found two decent suppliers of table wine - one red and one white. Not bad for home vinting. And we will try our hand in making hard cider this weekend.
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Lost in translation
Today, Hasan, our Arabic teacher, shared the following slogan from Saudi Airlines - "Seventy years of progress and no change". Right. Learning the language is slow but steady. Every once in a while I have great opportunity to practice it. I feel if I can be fluent in the basics, it will go a long way. On the other hand, I am eating quite well. Today we had Turkish coffee and Syrian helow (sweets). I probably gain a pound a week from our lesson time, which creates more motivation to go to the Hilton.
Randomly during the week, we got the word that our phone lines had been reconnected. So now we have free landline service but out of habit still use our cell phones most of the time.
Russ has been putting our insurance to the test, and so far it's passing. He is getting great care checking in with a couple of doctors. Our latest visit took us to Al- Sabat Hospital, which resembled a sparkling mall with its marble floors, glitzy boutiques, sparkling escalators, and charming cafe. They even had a day spa there. Boy, I was thinking - when can I check in?
In this artistically devoid city, there was an exhibit by self-taught artist Matt Lamb at the American University of Kuwait after school on Thursday. A few of us went over to check it out and then got something to eat at a nearby Lebanese restaurant. The weather was pleasant with a slight breeze and so we sat outside on comfortable sofas, smoked sheesha (water pipe), and dug into a spread of olives, breads, hummus, lemon potatoes, falafel, and fried halloumi cheese. It was a nice way to start the weekend.
Thursday was a big day to eat. The Senior class had their annual breakfast, which I mistakenly assumed would be a donut bonanza. It was catered by three different companies - Johnny Rockets provided a full American breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon (beef of course), pancakes, maple syrup, and hash browns. Another group supplied falafel and chicken wraps made to order over a hot grill. Still there was another table with sweet cakes, Arabic coffee, tea, and juices. The students sat in the courtyard and were served by waitresses while a DJ played in the background. It was quite the early morning party which seemed to disrupt most of the school for the first period but was totally acceptable. I was completely blown away by the extravagance of it all.
It wouldn't be the weekend without at least one day at the Hilton. The weather is still quite warm, and so after a yoga class and treadmill session this morning, I started another book - Age of Iron by JM Coetzee - out by the pool. I am getting more reading done here than I ever expected.
Randomly during the week, we got the word that our phone lines had been reconnected. So now we have free landline service but out of habit still use our cell phones most of the time.
Russ has been putting our insurance to the test, and so far it's passing. He is getting great care checking in with a couple of doctors. Our latest visit took us to Al- Sabat Hospital, which resembled a sparkling mall with its marble floors, glitzy boutiques, sparkling escalators, and charming cafe. They even had a day spa there. Boy, I was thinking - when can I check in?
In this artistically devoid city, there was an exhibit by self-taught artist Matt Lamb at the American University of Kuwait after school on Thursday. A few of us went over to check it out and then got something to eat at a nearby Lebanese restaurant. The weather was pleasant with a slight breeze and so we sat outside on comfortable sofas, smoked sheesha (water pipe), and dug into a spread of olives, breads, hummus, lemon potatoes, falafel, and fried halloumi cheese. It was a nice way to start the weekend.
Thursday was a big day to eat. The Senior class had their annual breakfast, which I mistakenly assumed would be a donut bonanza. It was catered by three different companies - Johnny Rockets provided a full American breakfast of eggs, sausage, bacon (beef of course), pancakes, maple syrup, and hash browns. Another group supplied falafel and chicken wraps made to order over a hot grill. Still there was another table with sweet cakes, Arabic coffee, tea, and juices. The students sat in the courtyard and were served by waitresses while a DJ played in the background. It was quite the early morning party which seemed to disrupt most of the school for the first period but was totally acceptable. I was completely blown away by the extravagance of it all.
It wouldn't be the weekend without at least one day at the Hilton. The weather is still quite warm, and so after a yoga class and treadmill session this morning, I started another book - Age of Iron by JM Coetzee - out by the pool. I am getting more reading done here than I ever expected.
Saturday, October 8, 2011
A change of pace
My weekend started a day early. Kind of. I did not go into work on Thursday because I took online courses for four hours each on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights. They were live sessions from NY, so went from 6 to 10 pm. It made for late nights (we are usually in bed by 8:45), but I negotiated flex time so had all of Thursday free when everyone was back at school. I slept in, read the NY Times over a cup and half of tea, and then went to a Zumba class at the Hilton with Christie. She is a RN from Canada, whose husband teaches at the school. She is frustrated looking for work, and it reminded me of where I was a year ago in Botswana. Then I came back, watched a (guilty pleasure) episode of Big Love (from the DVD library downstairs) and ate a big bowl of cereal. Later, I visited Sarah, a part-time teacher who is home every other day to be with her toddler daughter. She and her husband Justin have been teaching overseas for a while. They invited us to their church on Friday morning which was also a new addition to how we spend our weekend time. The church was in a residential area, in fact in a redesigned house space.
Yesterday morning was the church service; today was the Grand Mosque. Melissa and Sean organized the tour, and I was not about to pass it up. At last, something cultural to do in Kuwait that does not involve shopping. The tour was run by an English woman who has lived in Kuwait for over twenty year and is naturally a Muslim. The mosque was quite gracious in dressing us in black abayas and offering us tea before the ninety-minute tour of the world's seventh largest mosque. The space was cavernous with rays of natural light pouring through. We got the Islam 101 introduction and also some local culture information which was quite interesting.
The online courses were better than expected, as most trainings I go to are completely boring. But this was so hands-on, it was stimulating and exciting. I am learning a new program - Naviance - which will greatly ease the college application process.
There are a lot of US and Canadian colleges coming through school last week and in the upcoming weeks. They really woo the students, not to mention the counselors. I have already been invited to an all-expense paid college tour in Italy and Switzerland; sadly the timing is horrible, right in the middle of the college application season so I will not be able to go. I've been given nice fountain pens a silver plated business card holder, and a few other nice things of use. A step up from the pennants and coffee cups I collected at Lenox. It's a rich ground for the colleges; Kuwait and the Middle East is swarming with students who do not need financial aid and who are hungry to go to the West.
Grocery shopping today, Arabic lessons, getting everything ready to go back to work tomorrow. Finishing out my comp time, I will just go in for the morning and then have the afternoon off, which should make things a lot easier for the next week.
Yesterday morning was the church service; today was the Grand Mosque. Melissa and Sean organized the tour, and I was not about to pass it up. At last, something cultural to do in Kuwait that does not involve shopping. The tour was run by an English woman who has lived in Kuwait for over twenty year and is naturally a Muslim. The mosque was quite gracious in dressing us in black abayas and offering us tea before the ninety-minute tour of the world's seventh largest mosque. The space was cavernous with rays of natural light pouring through. We got the Islam 101 introduction and also some local culture information which was quite interesting.
The online courses were better than expected, as most trainings I go to are completely boring. But this was so hands-on, it was stimulating and exciting. I am learning a new program - Naviance - which will greatly ease the college application process.
There are a lot of US and Canadian colleges coming through school last week and in the upcoming weeks. They really woo the students, not to mention the counselors. I have already been invited to an all-expense paid college tour in Italy and Switzerland; sadly the timing is horrible, right in the middle of the college application season so I will not be able to go. I've been given nice fountain pens a silver plated business card holder, and a few other nice things of use. A step up from the pennants and coffee cups I collected at Lenox. It's a rich ground for the colleges; Kuwait and the Middle East is swarming with students who do not need financial aid and who are hungry to go to the West.
Grocery shopping today, Arabic lessons, getting everything ready to go back to work tomorrow. Finishing out my comp time, I will just go in for the morning and then have the afternoon off, which should make things a lot easier for the next week.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Krispy kremes and baklava
Much like any other school, the front office becomes a catch-all for all sorts of treats. As the students get to know me more, they are bringing by snacks on a regular basis. Krispy Kreme donuts are a huge phenomenon here; in fact I had two last week which is kind of my yearly limit. Last week, a student brought Russ traditional Kuwaiti chicken and rice, which was mostly white rice, but it was the thought that counted. Makes going to the gym a little more of an incentive (Maria and I went for an extended session today). For anyone who thought we were wasting away on rabbit food, rest assured, we are keeping some padding on, me probably more so. Russ looks great - he has slimmed down and is nicely toned.
Yesterday was my first Arabic lesson. There is a group of nine of us who have hired Hasan,a Syrian student who is working on his MBA. We are his first class, so it is a learning curve for all of us. Big lesson with words all sounding the same - tamam means perfect, haman is a pigeon, and hamman (pronounced with two m's) means toilet. I am pretty sure I will be asking someone for a pigeon with a desperate look on my face in the near future. He started with the alphabet, which was a good way to overwhelm us. We told him that we would like to talk taxi, talk shopkeeper, talk restaurant. We will meet for the next four weeks and then he will test us by taking us to the streets. He also introduced us to Syrian desserts much like baklava, dripping in butter and honey, so between that and the donuts, it's been quite a week.
I miss intelligent female conversation, and so invited some friends over to talk about "The Help" last night, drink non-alcoholic wine, and order take-out (chicken wings, onion rings, and caesar salad delivered to our door within twenty minutes). There were ten of us and while the conversation started off with tips on smuggling "real" (as opposed to nasty homebrew) alcohol into the country, it soon turned into a thoughtful discussion about the "help" in this country. Much like in the book, the Indian and Asian nannies and housecleaners are not well-treated, and at the same time, many of them are completely endeared by the children they essentially raise. The money they earn here then goes back to their families in their home countries. That is a sobering thought - to raise some one else's children while being treated like second-class citizens in order to give your own kids a better life.
We bought our air tickets home for the two-week December break and the time will undoubtedly go by quickly. Before that however, our next holiday will be at the beginning of November.
Every weekend we do laundry but can do only small batches at one time because we don't have any hanging space, just a couple of drying racks in the spare bedroom. It is impossible until the weather cools down to get any cold water out of the taps because the water in the roof tanks heat up so incredibly. I have learned the hard way why some clothes insist on being washed in cold. Sigh. Whites look great though!
Yesterday was my first Arabic lesson. There is a group of nine of us who have hired Hasan,a Syrian student who is working on his MBA. We are his first class, so it is a learning curve for all of us. Big lesson with words all sounding the same - tamam means perfect, haman is a pigeon, and hamman (pronounced with two m's) means toilet. I am pretty sure I will be asking someone for a pigeon with a desperate look on my face in the near future. He started with the alphabet, which was a good way to overwhelm us. We told him that we would like to talk taxi, talk shopkeeper, talk restaurant. We will meet for the next four weeks and then he will test us by taking us to the streets. He also introduced us to Syrian desserts much like baklava, dripping in butter and honey, so between that and the donuts, it's been quite a week.
I miss intelligent female conversation, and so invited some friends over to talk about "The Help" last night, drink non-alcoholic wine, and order take-out (chicken wings, onion rings, and caesar salad delivered to our door within twenty minutes). There were ten of us and while the conversation started off with tips on smuggling "real" (as opposed to nasty homebrew) alcohol into the country, it soon turned into a thoughtful discussion about the "help" in this country. Much like in the book, the Indian and Asian nannies and housecleaners are not well-treated, and at the same time, many of them are completely endeared by the children they essentially raise. The money they earn here then goes back to their families in their home countries. That is a sobering thought - to raise some one else's children while being treated like second-class citizens in order to give your own kids a better life.
We bought our air tickets home for the two-week December break and the time will undoubtedly go by quickly. Before that however, our next holiday will be at the beginning of November.
Every weekend we do laundry but can do only small batches at one time because we don't have any hanging space, just a couple of drying racks in the spare bedroom. It is impossible until the weather cools down to get any cold water out of the taps because the water in the roof tanks heat up so incredibly. I have learned the hard way why some clothes insist on being washed in cold. Sigh. Whites look great though!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Losing our sense of time
Our month here in Kuwait has been a blur. One day is indistinguishable from the next and it is hard to think of the date and day of the week. What changes is that on Friday and Saturday we are completely unstructured, which is absolutely blissful.
Last Friday, Maria and I spent six hours at the Avenues mall, which is maybe the nicest mall I have been to. We did not want to rush and see what was available there. While there is a more high-end mall nearby, this was a nice mix of boutiques and everyday American mall stores like Gap, Payless, and American Eagle. The building itself is aesthetically pleasing with natural light and sparkling floors. We did some window shopping and also picked up a few work clothes on the sale racks at H&M and some household items from Ikea. Brunch at Le Pain Quotidien, an organic French cafe, was the highlight of the day with omelets, mesculen, fresh bread, and delicious preserves. Shopping is a major pasttime for Kuwaitis; for us it was enjoyable to take our time doing not much of anything.
There were a couple of parties Friday night that we attended. The one by the pool resembled a college frat party with poor-tasting homebrews. The one upstairs in our building was at Cheryl and Brent's apartment. Cheryl is a science colleague of Russ'. Nice music, great mix of people, tasty eats and surprisingly good wine and date rum punch. They also had the Rugby World Cup on. I met a guy from Bloemfontein, South Africa who is attached to one of the teachers here; both of us did not expect to be speaking Afrikaans in Kuwait which was a pretty wild concept. We are blessed by working and living with some amazing people who are also a lot of fun.
We can't help but sleep in to 6:30 or 7:00 on these more carefree weekend mornings, and then putter around for a couple of hours. Our school week is so busy. Traffic has been bad in the mornings and afternoons so our commute is often stretched to 45 minutes each way some days. The school days pass quickly as there is much to be done.
The grass is not always greener (especially when there isn't any growing). I have come to realize that I had a pretty good gig at Lenox High School. At ASK, it is becoming more and more apparent that we are working for the machine. I am a body to fill an office, expected to do my job well, but there is a sense in the high school that no one much cares who we are or how we are doing. That being said, I do enjoy the students and I appreciate our free time away from the school. We are blessed by working and living with some amazing people who are also a lot of fun. It is certainly an interesting place to live, and we will be able to start saving.
Last Friday, Maria and I spent six hours at the Avenues mall, which is maybe the nicest mall I have been to. We did not want to rush and see what was available there. While there is a more high-end mall nearby, this was a nice mix of boutiques and everyday American mall stores like Gap, Payless, and American Eagle. The building itself is aesthetically pleasing with natural light and sparkling floors. We did some window shopping and also picked up a few work clothes on the sale racks at H&M and some household items from Ikea. Brunch at Le Pain Quotidien, an organic French cafe, was the highlight of the day with omelets, mesculen, fresh bread, and delicious preserves. Shopping is a major pasttime for Kuwaitis; for us it was enjoyable to take our time doing not much of anything.
There were a couple of parties Friday night that we attended. The one by the pool resembled a college frat party with poor-tasting homebrews. The one upstairs in our building was at Cheryl and Brent's apartment. Cheryl is a science colleague of Russ'. Nice music, great mix of people, tasty eats and surprisingly good wine and date rum punch. They also had the Rugby World Cup on. I met a guy from Bloemfontein, South Africa who is attached to one of the teachers here; both of us did not expect to be speaking Afrikaans in Kuwait which was a pretty wild concept. We are blessed by working and living with some amazing people who are also a lot of fun.
We can't help but sleep in to 6:30 or 7:00 on these more carefree weekend mornings, and then putter around for a couple of hours. Our school week is so busy. Traffic has been bad in the mornings and afternoons so our commute is often stretched to 45 minutes each way some days. The school days pass quickly as there is much to be done.
The grass is not always greener (especially when there isn't any growing). I have come to realize that I had a pretty good gig at Lenox High School. At ASK, it is becoming more and more apparent that we are working for the machine. I am a body to fill an office, expected to do my job well, but there is a sense in the high school that no one much cares who we are or how we are doing. That being said, I do enjoy the students and I appreciate our free time away from the school. We are blessed by working and living with some amazing people who are also a lot of fun. It is certainly an interesting place to live, and we will be able to start saving.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Wasta
We were warned about wasta from the very beginning. Wasta is influence and that's worth as much as money here, if not more. Wasta is "I know this person who knows that person, and that is why I am important" or "I am related to the doctor who treats the emir's sister". "I am Kuwaiti and will therefore get what I want". I am pretty sure Kuwaiti wasta only extends to within this country, although one could probably find it all over the world. I have not seen it at school yet, but know it exists because of the stories.
Yesterday, forty-four teachers were hurried from school onto two busses to drive across town to be the first ones in line for fingerprinting which needs to happen to send our information to interpol and then process our civil id's. We were indeed the first and filed into chairs at the head of the room. The office was due to open at 4 pm, we were there at 3:00 just to be on the safe side.
It was not too much longer than the room filled up. Slowly we watched one Kuwaiti after another walk in with their workers and go right to the head of the line. The person helping us through the residency process, Adam, is great but Egyptian, so there is no wasta to be had on our part.
5:00, 6:00 roll by and nothing, although Adam is starting to get agitated, which actually is the wrong thing to do in this situation. They ignored him and we continued to wait. The mood of the group was great though - people went out and bought sodas and snacks, and it resembled a cocktail party except for the desperate condition of the building and the lack of alcohol. Around 6:45, we started to move. The attendant grabbed each hand with his own grimy claw and pressed it down on pieces of paper. I am pretty sure I had some smudged prints, but he didn't seem to mind. Who knows if it will actually go to interpol anyway?
We finally got home around 8 pm, ate a snack, and crashed. This should be the last step in the process, but one never knows.
Tomorrow is the start of the weekend. It is amazing how quickly time flies. Some highlights of the week:
We got our first paycheck, and we were reimbursed for shipping costs.
Russ won the football pool, which ended up being like USD 70.
We discovered 6alabet, which is a food delivery service that rivals NYC (www.6alabet.com, type in Mahboulah for our neighborhood). They even deliver ice cream which I think is a fantastic idea.
One of the teachers mentioned to me today that she loves how I dress, and I thought boy, it's just a Goodwill wardrobe I built over the summer, but it was the same feeling one gets with a really good hair day. A couple of the students commented yesterday that they liked my blouse, which always makes me feel young and somehow cool.
Today, there are clouds in the sky with some humidity. It's not going to rain, but it's nice to feel a change in the weather.
With money in our pockets again, we will be upgrading our internet service this weekend at the apartment which will help to normalize things.
Yesterday, forty-four teachers were hurried from school onto two busses to drive across town to be the first ones in line for fingerprinting which needs to happen to send our information to interpol and then process our civil id's. We were indeed the first and filed into chairs at the head of the room. The office was due to open at 4 pm, we were there at 3:00 just to be on the safe side.
It was not too much longer than the room filled up. Slowly we watched one Kuwaiti after another walk in with their workers and go right to the head of the line. The person helping us through the residency process, Adam, is great but Egyptian, so there is no wasta to be had on our part.
5:00, 6:00 roll by and nothing, although Adam is starting to get agitated, which actually is the wrong thing to do in this situation. They ignored him and we continued to wait. The mood of the group was great though - people went out and bought sodas and snacks, and it resembled a cocktail party except for the desperate condition of the building and the lack of alcohol. Around 6:45, we started to move. The attendant grabbed each hand with his own grimy claw and pressed it down on pieces of paper. I am pretty sure I had some smudged prints, but he didn't seem to mind. Who knows if it will actually go to interpol anyway?
We finally got home around 8 pm, ate a snack, and crashed. This should be the last step in the process, but one never knows.
Tomorrow is the start of the weekend. It is amazing how quickly time flies. Some highlights of the week:
We got our first paycheck, and we were reimbursed for shipping costs.
Russ won the football pool, which ended up being like USD 70.
We discovered 6alabet, which is a food delivery service that rivals NYC (www.6alabet.com, type in Mahboulah for our neighborhood). They even deliver ice cream which I think is a fantastic idea.
One of the teachers mentioned to me today that she loves how I dress, and I thought boy, it's just a Goodwill wardrobe I built over the summer, but it was the same feeling one gets with a really good hair day. A couple of the students commented yesterday that they liked my blouse, which always makes me feel young and somehow cool.
Today, there are clouds in the sky with some humidity. It's not going to rain, but it's nice to feel a change in the weather.
With money in our pockets again, we will be upgrading our internet service this weekend at the apartment which will help to normalize things.
Saturday, September 17, 2011
What I learned today
I spent a good amount of time reading the senior bios over the weekend and a few items caught my attention:
Regardless of where they are from, most if not all of the students have traveled extensively and have lived in many different, interesting places around the world. 90% can speak at least two languages, and several speak three or four.
As you might imagine, American students are not homogenous. Many of the Americans and Canadians at the school speak Arabic at home or have hard-to-pronounce names.
Again no surprise, banned books are some of their favorites (there is government censorship). The Hunger Games is popular.
While many students will hope to study in the US, I have students interested in Canada, Australia, Europe, UK, Japan, and the middle east. For the last five geographical areas, I have absolutely no idea so am up on a steep learning curve already.
Money is not an issue. During a meeting on Thursday to discuss the redecoration of the senior lounge, students were offering to bring in new furniture, an air conditioner, a refrigerator, and paint. If they want something in or for school, cash will not be a problem.
Other things that I realized:
Always always make a backup of important documents right after you create them. Russ just lost several physics papers when the flashdrive burned out. We do have an external harddrive for this reason (it happened to us before) but he waited too long. Boy, he has been living the life of Job lately with one setback after another.
Knowing Hindi, Urdu, or Bengali seems to be as important as Arabic to try and get things done. I went to three stores before ending up at the right one this morning because of difficulties with English. Quite unfortunately, I do not see myself learning much of any of them.
The call to prayer at 4 am can sometimes be spooky and wake me up from a dead sleep.
It's easy to see why ex-pats make their own moonshine here. There really is nothing else to do sometimes.
I cannot drink enough water to stay hydrated.
Kuwaiti food in and of itself does not exist. It is a mix from other countries, namely Lebanon and Syria, both of which is very good. We eat it about every other day, partly because it is heart-healthy but just so easy to pick up delicious ready-made dishes at the supermarket.
Free time goes by too quickly here. The ten hours we are gone for school is much too long.
Having internet in our apartment is marvelous.
When the wind blows, in comes the fine layer of dust. The building is curved but (I imagine) to save money they put in straight windows, so there are all kinds of cracks. That is enough to drive someone crazy. Stay tuned.
Despite being told that bamboo was extremely resistant and keeping it in the right conditions, I have still managed to kill it. I realize I am best off with artificial foliage. Sigh.
Regardless of where they are from, most if not all of the students have traveled extensively and have lived in many different, interesting places around the world. 90% can speak at least two languages, and several speak three or four.
As you might imagine, American students are not homogenous. Many of the Americans and Canadians at the school speak Arabic at home or have hard-to-pronounce names.
Again no surprise, banned books are some of their favorites (there is government censorship). The Hunger Games is popular.
While many students will hope to study in the US, I have students interested in Canada, Australia, Europe, UK, Japan, and the middle east. For the last five geographical areas, I have absolutely no idea so am up on a steep learning curve already.
Money is not an issue. During a meeting on Thursday to discuss the redecoration of the senior lounge, students were offering to bring in new furniture, an air conditioner, a refrigerator, and paint. If they want something in or for school, cash will not be a problem.
Other things that I realized:
Always always make a backup of important documents right after you create them. Russ just lost several physics papers when the flashdrive burned out. We do have an external harddrive for this reason (it happened to us before) but he waited too long. Boy, he has been living the life of Job lately with one setback after another.
Knowing Hindi, Urdu, or Bengali seems to be as important as Arabic to try and get things done. I went to three stores before ending up at the right one this morning because of difficulties with English. Quite unfortunately, I do not see myself learning much of any of them.
The call to prayer at 4 am can sometimes be spooky and wake me up from a dead sleep.
It's easy to see why ex-pats make their own moonshine here. There really is nothing else to do sometimes.
I cannot drink enough water to stay hydrated.
Kuwaiti food in and of itself does not exist. It is a mix from other countries, namely Lebanon and Syria, both of which is very good. We eat it about every other day, partly because it is heart-healthy but just so easy to pick up delicious ready-made dishes at the supermarket.
Free time goes by too quickly here. The ten hours we are gone for school is much too long.
Having internet in our apartment is marvelous.
When the wind blows, in comes the fine layer of dust. The building is curved but (I imagine) to save money they put in straight windows, so there are all kinds of cracks. That is enough to drive someone crazy. Stay tuned.
Despite being told that bamboo was extremely resistant and keeping it in the right conditions, I have still managed to kill it. I realize I am best off with artificial foliage. Sigh.
Friday, September 16, 2011
Hydro therapy
As if to purge ourselves from the heat and dust, Maria and I checked into the Hilton spa this afternoon to detox from the mental and physical demands of the week. Let me just say, I could become quite used to this.
We stepped into a large effervescent pool - a Turkish bath - reminiscent of the Caribbean both in color and temperature. As the jets swirled around us, we were brought lemon water in glasses the same color as the pool. A light flower aroma therapy was present in the air. On the weekends, it is open to men and women, and it felt like we were in a Russian immigrant community with large people in small bathing suits. I do not think there were any Russians actually, mostly men and women from the region seeking the respite of the Hilton where social rules are relaxed.
After we stepped out of the pool, we wrapped ourselves in warm towels completely and laid on chaise lounges. After an hour or so, we went into the steam room, the marbled jacuzzi, and then back on the lounges. It was invigorating and completely relaxing at the same time. Even though Russ is not a member, he could come on a guest pass whenever he wanted for a small fee.
Maria and I joked about at some point bringing our cameras and taking photos of everything because it is so schmancy. The thick Egyptian towels are just so heavy; a simple shower feels luxurious.
Tomorrow we will probably go back to our regular gym routine but this was divine. We could do both but probably only have time on the weekends. We are quickly finding out that this is a place to work and save money, but there is not much time for anything else.
Last night, Russ and I slept for ten hours after watching Napolean Dynamite and eating take-out. Just needed to catch up on our sleep and mental energy.
This morning, we had Shawn and Melissa over from Toronto for tea and conversation. They last taught in Korea and have so much young energy. Melissa loves to cook and is mostly vegetarian like us, so we are often trade recipe ideas. Then we decided to make a run to the Lulu Hypermarket. It is the only place I have been able to find almond butter and I bought every jar they had (four). What we have not been able to find is ground cinnamon though! We are rationing the small bottle we brought along. There is such a large olive selection, that every time I am there I try a new one out. This week it is Egyptian olives which are a pale yellow and more mild than the salty black Lebanese ones. I may start taste testing dates soon too.
I have gotten to know one of taxi drivers - Shahul - well, and call him regularly. That way we get a regular rate and he is on time for us. Taxi fares range from USD 4 to 12 for most places. His English isn't great, but he has a swell smile and drives safely (which cannot be said of most people here).
We stepped into a large effervescent pool - a Turkish bath - reminiscent of the Caribbean both in color and temperature. As the jets swirled around us, we were brought lemon water in glasses the same color as the pool. A light flower aroma therapy was present in the air. On the weekends, it is open to men and women, and it felt like we were in a Russian immigrant community with large people in small bathing suits. I do not think there were any Russians actually, mostly men and women from the region seeking the respite of the Hilton where social rules are relaxed.
After we stepped out of the pool, we wrapped ourselves in warm towels completely and laid on chaise lounges. After an hour or so, we went into the steam room, the marbled jacuzzi, and then back on the lounges. It was invigorating and completely relaxing at the same time. Even though Russ is not a member, he could come on a guest pass whenever he wanted for a small fee.
Maria and I joked about at some point bringing our cameras and taking photos of everything because it is so schmancy. The thick Egyptian towels are just so heavy; a simple shower feels luxurious.
Tomorrow we will probably go back to our regular gym routine but this was divine. We could do both but probably only have time on the weekends. We are quickly finding out that this is a place to work and save money, but there is not much time for anything else.
Last night, Russ and I slept for ten hours after watching Napolean Dynamite and eating take-out. Just needed to catch up on our sleep and mental energy.
This morning, we had Shawn and Melissa over from Toronto for tea and conversation. They last taught in Korea and have so much young energy. Melissa loves to cook and is mostly vegetarian like us, so we are often trade recipe ideas. Then we decided to make a run to the Lulu Hypermarket. It is the only place I have been able to find almond butter and I bought every jar they had (four). What we have not been able to find is ground cinnamon though! We are rationing the small bottle we brought along. There is such a large olive selection, that every time I am there I try a new one out. This week it is Egyptian olives which are a pale yellow and more mild than the salty black Lebanese ones. I may start taste testing dates soon too.
I have gotten to know one of taxi drivers - Shahul - well, and call him regularly. That way we get a regular rate and he is on time for us. Taxi fares range from USD 4 to 12 for most places. His English isn't great, but he has a swell smile and drives safely (which cannot be said of most people here).
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Eyes wide open
Having visited all of the junior and senior English classes (with roughly 280 students) to introduce myself, and having met individually with dozens of students in this first week and half, I have already come to some conclusions:
The previous ratio of students (40% American, 40% Kuwaiti, 20% other) is totally inaccurate from what we were previously told. My co-worker Nancy says it is more like 50% Kuwaiti and 50% other including Americans. This senior class is about 90% Kuwaiti however.
Many of them are children of incredible privilege. All Kuwaitis are promised jobs, so there is not a huge emphasis on college. One student told me that he wanted to go to law school but also wanted to drop an academic course for PE. With a 1.5 gpa, I told him it would be impossible to enter a four-year university. He replied that if it didn't work out, it was ok, because he really wanted to take gym. This is not uncommon. Obviously, there are some bright motivated students who will be applying early decision to selective colleges, but its rather the exception with this particular class.
95% of them (even the boy stuck in detention for two days) turned in their senior bio's to me on time though. Many of them have lovely personalities and seem eager to please.
I love working with the young women who yearn to go the US to study and live outside the confines of their culture. They are utterly delightful.
Coming back for a semester after graduation to finish up credits is not uncommon.
Many students plan on going to community college in the States which is definitely more realistic for many of them.
Arguing is part of the culture here I'm told, although they never see it as something negative. So far, I have kept my cool.
In the end, many of them are like teenagers the world over. Same goes for helicopter parents.
Tutoring is lucrative here. It is not uncommon to make USD 80 an hour for simple high school homework help. And the family's driver will pick you up and drop you off, often with dinner. We have been told some teachers double their salary this way, but it is incomprehensible to us to take on that much.
Faculty meetings are as boring and unproductive as I remember in the States. But the food served during these meetings is terrific so that counts for something.
Other things I've noticed:
My hair loves this super-dry weather. It can lay totally straight without much fussing, which is a very good thing.
Waking up before the sunrise is quite amazing. Today we watched the near full moon set while eating breakfast.
40 degrees Celsius today felt pleasant; it was a "cool day". I think this climate is going to forever spoil me for summers back in the Berkshires.
I really don't like averting my eyes in deference to Arab men, so we will see how long that lasts.
It helpful to read a book on the long ride to and from work. I just started "The Help", and I think some of us may begin a book club over it.
Takeout can sometimes be the very best thing in the world.
The previous ratio of students (40% American, 40% Kuwaiti, 20% other) is totally inaccurate from what we were previously told. My co-worker Nancy says it is more like 50% Kuwaiti and 50% other including Americans. This senior class is about 90% Kuwaiti however.
Many of them are children of incredible privilege. All Kuwaitis are promised jobs, so there is not a huge emphasis on college. One student told me that he wanted to go to law school but also wanted to drop an academic course for PE. With a 1.5 gpa, I told him it would be impossible to enter a four-year university. He replied that if it didn't work out, it was ok, because he really wanted to take gym. This is not uncommon. Obviously, there are some bright motivated students who will be applying early decision to selective colleges, but its rather the exception with this particular class.
95% of them (even the boy stuck in detention for two days) turned in their senior bio's to me on time though. Many of them have lovely personalities and seem eager to please.
I love working with the young women who yearn to go the US to study and live outside the confines of their culture. They are utterly delightful.
Coming back for a semester after graduation to finish up credits is not uncommon.
Many students plan on going to community college in the States which is definitely more realistic for many of them.
Arguing is part of the culture here I'm told, although they never see it as something negative. So far, I have kept my cool.
In the end, many of them are like teenagers the world over. Same goes for helicopter parents.
Tutoring is lucrative here. It is not uncommon to make USD 80 an hour for simple high school homework help. And the family's driver will pick you up and drop you off, often with dinner. We have been told some teachers double their salary this way, but it is incomprehensible to us to take on that much.
Faculty meetings are as boring and unproductive as I remember in the States. But the food served during these meetings is terrific so that counts for something.
Other things I've noticed:
My hair loves this super-dry weather. It can lay totally straight without much fussing, which is a very good thing.
Waking up before the sunrise is quite amazing. Today we watched the near full moon set while eating breakfast.
40 degrees Celsius today felt pleasant; it was a "cool day". I think this climate is going to forever spoil me for summers back in the Berkshires.
I really don't like averting my eyes in deference to Arab men, so we will see how long that lasts.
It helpful to read a book on the long ride to and from work. I just started "The Help", and I think some of us may begin a book club over it.
Takeout can sometimes be the very best thing in the world.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
The end of a very long day
I am finally at home after a very long day of standing in line. Even though we already did our extensive bloodwork and chest xrays in the US, we went through the entire process again at the Ministry of Health.
To start things off, the two buses designated to transport forty-eight of us were an hour and half late in picking us up at 6:00 am, but we did not know when it would arrive so we waited in the hot sun (it seems like the temperatures rise as soon as the sun comes up). When we did arrive at the first office, men and women were segregated and each group went to the head of their respective lines, ahead of dozens of other people already waiting there, simply because we are Americans and they are (mostly) from the Indian sub-continent region. It's an uncomfortable feeling of privilege.
The privilege ended when the women were bussed to a separate building on the other side of town where females could be screened separately. This was completely chaotic from the minute we walked in the door with what seemed to be an United Nations conglomerate of people from twenty different countries. Fortunately, we had a representative from the school who could speak Arabic. We waited in one room, standing room only. Then we were moved to another so-called line in small groups. That's when the herd mentality and pushing began. Kuwaiti women in abayas forced their way to the front, with hardly an "excuse me". It was more "I'm Kuwaiti" which translates "I'm first". Then the hordes of other people started making a loud commotion. A group of six of us had snuck in just before the door was locked behind us, but then it was still another hour before we took off our bras, donned gowns, and went into the completely unprotected xray room (no lead aprons, multiple people in the room). This may be a so-called first-world country but I've been told it has a third-world (or to be pc,developing country) mentality in many areas.
The men by this time had long returned to school. We were not finished until the end of the school day but the bus brought us back to school anyway. We were given the ok to leave but had to battle the traffic of cars waiting to pick up students. Not many parents pick up their children but rather send their drivers who created a parking lot out of city streets surrounding the school.
Luckily, three of us found a taxi but then dealt with traffic on the highway home. I met with a woman who will be our new maid, and then waited outside for the school bus to arrive to take us to the Hilton. That bus was thirty minutes late and what I am coming to realize is that Kuwaiti time is not a whole different than Africa time. Things will always take much longer than we think. It was ok though; I got through about half of a book I started reading.
We had a light meal of hummus, baba gannoush, pita, and veggies for dinner. It's not even 7:30 now and I am ready to crash. A quick peak at my school email showed 42 messages waiting for my attention tomorrow morning. I am glad to have the Hilton to unwind.
To start things off, the two buses designated to transport forty-eight of us were an hour and half late in picking us up at 6:00 am, but we did not know when it would arrive so we waited in the hot sun (it seems like the temperatures rise as soon as the sun comes up). When we did arrive at the first office, men and women were segregated and each group went to the head of their respective lines, ahead of dozens of other people already waiting there, simply because we are Americans and they are (mostly) from the Indian sub-continent region. It's an uncomfortable feeling of privilege.
The privilege ended when the women were bussed to a separate building on the other side of town where females could be screened separately. This was completely chaotic from the minute we walked in the door with what seemed to be an United Nations conglomerate of people from twenty different countries. Fortunately, we had a representative from the school who could speak Arabic. We waited in one room, standing room only. Then we were moved to another so-called line in small groups. That's when the herd mentality and pushing began. Kuwaiti women in abayas forced their way to the front, with hardly an "excuse me". It was more "I'm Kuwaiti" which translates "I'm first". Then the hordes of other people started making a loud commotion. A group of six of us had snuck in just before the door was locked behind us, but then it was still another hour before we took off our bras, donned gowns, and went into the completely unprotected xray room (no lead aprons, multiple people in the room). This may be a so-called first-world country but I've been told it has a third-world (or to be pc,developing country) mentality in many areas.
The men by this time had long returned to school. We were not finished until the end of the school day but the bus brought us back to school anyway. We were given the ok to leave but had to battle the traffic of cars waiting to pick up students. Not many parents pick up their children but rather send their drivers who created a parking lot out of city streets surrounding the school.
Luckily, three of us found a taxi but then dealt with traffic on the highway home. I met with a woman who will be our new maid, and then waited outside for the school bus to arrive to take us to the Hilton. That bus was thirty minutes late and what I am coming to realize is that Kuwaiti time is not a whole different than Africa time. Things will always take much longer than we think. It was ok though; I got through about half of a book I started reading.
We had a light meal of hummus, baba gannoush, pita, and veggies for dinner. It's not even 7:30 now and I am ready to crash. A quick peak at my school email showed 42 messages waiting for my attention tomorrow morning. I am glad to have the Hilton to unwind.
Saturday, September 10, 2011
It's a wonderful world
Every Thursday at 1:55 pm, Dr. Mitchell (Bernie), the superintendent, gives his end-of-the-week announcement and then plays Louis Armstrong for a few minutes. I have to say, at some point the song will probably drive me nuts, but in this first crazy busy week, it was a blissful way to end the day. The students were quick to leave and there was a good forty-five minutes to close things out before heading home.
The bus made a quick stop at the local supermarket on the way home. This was another Sultan Center located close to school (nothing in this heat is within walking distance). What I am discovering is that some items are not available consistently. For example, I have not found almond butter since our first shopping trip. I did however find canned pumpkin, and what people told me was that I got lucky. Items like that will come and go without notice so buy a couple if you like what you see. The other lucky find was there was a “farmer’s market” section in the store with locally grown produce. I found a whole flat of beautiful butter lettuce for only a couple dollars, and was able to share with our neighbors. We are enjoying the salad mix quite a bit.
The complex had a bbq Thursday night down at the pool, although it was too hot to grill. We were fine to graze on salads and other cold dishes. It’s really a nice eclectic group of people, a mix of families, couples, and singles mostly from the US and Canada.
Yesterday, I went over to the Friday Market with a few people. This was an amazing shopping experience (except I was resigned to just looking until payday next week). There were a dozen outside covered pavilions, each about the size of a football field. One pavilion had bedding, another had furniture, another had rugs and curtains, another had clothes (which assuaged my doubt that there wouldn’t be any second hand stores). It was phenomenal and something I would like to spend more time at. We also went over the plant souk where I did buy a couple of plants to hopefully fill in our apartment. We miss having green living things around us.
Later in the day, Russ and I went over to the Hilton to walk at the beach. It is a good four kilometer loop that gives us something somewhat pleasant to look at. We then used the internet for about an hour. We are trying out a new internet service here at the apartment, 3G technology sharing with another apartment. So far so good.
After spending the morning today prepping food for the week and puttering around the apartment, I went back to the Hilton with my friend Maria for our workout. Maria is about my age from Nova Scotia. She is easy to shop with and we're on the same workout philosophy. Even though I am friendly with a lot of other people, it's great having someone (other than Russ) to call up and hang out with.
The bus made a quick stop at the local supermarket on the way home. This was another Sultan Center located close to school (nothing in this heat is within walking distance). What I am discovering is that some items are not available consistently. For example, I have not found almond butter since our first shopping trip. I did however find canned pumpkin, and what people told me was that I got lucky. Items like that will come and go without notice so buy a couple if you like what you see. The other lucky find was there was a “farmer’s market” section in the store with locally grown produce. I found a whole flat of beautiful butter lettuce for only a couple dollars, and was able to share with our neighbors. We are enjoying the salad mix quite a bit.
The complex had a bbq Thursday night down at the pool, although it was too hot to grill. We were fine to graze on salads and other cold dishes. It’s really a nice eclectic group of people, a mix of families, couples, and singles mostly from the US and Canada.
Yesterday, I went over to the Friday Market with a few people. This was an amazing shopping experience (except I was resigned to just looking until payday next week). There were a dozen outside covered pavilions, each about the size of a football field. One pavilion had bedding, another had furniture, another had rugs and curtains, another had clothes (which assuaged my doubt that there wouldn’t be any second hand stores). It was phenomenal and something I would like to spend more time at. We also went over the plant souk where I did buy a couple of plants to hopefully fill in our apartment. We miss having green living things around us.
Later in the day, Russ and I went over to the Hilton to walk at the beach. It is a good four kilometer loop that gives us something somewhat pleasant to look at. We then used the internet for about an hour. We are trying out a new internet service here at the apartment, 3G technology sharing with another apartment. So far so good.
After spending the morning today prepping food for the week and puttering around the apartment, I went back to the Hilton with my friend Maria for our workout. Maria is about my age from Nova Scotia. She is easy to shop with and we're on the same workout philosophy. Even though I am friendly with a lot of other people, it's great having someone (other than Russ) to call up and hang out with.
Monday, September 5, 2011
A good decision
After three days of hoofing it around the track at our complex, doing stairs at the Annex (singles building in which the stairs are cooler than our building) and jump rope, I broke down and joined the Hilton. Even thought I enjoyed the company of three other women, the pervasive dust, smell of sewage, and the heat (even after the sun goes down, it’s incredibly hot with only about 15% humidity), made me stop and ask “Why am I putting myself through this?” Life is too short to be miserable. Instead, the school bus dropped me and three other teachers off at the Hilton, where I had a locker to store my things, towels to shower, and satellite television while I walked on the treadmill. In fact, I watched the Colbert Report and Martha Stewart, which gave me enough tv for the day. One of the best things was that I could exercise in shorts and a tank top and nobody cares. Even more than the physical workout, it was a complete de-stressor from the day.
Russ discovered a great find at his gym - there is a healthy affordable take-out restaurant on the top floor. So he can put in a request for dinner when he goes in and then pick it up when he heads out. Not something we will do every day but a nice option when both of us are to tired to cook. Tandoori chicken wraps sound good for tonight!
The days end up being extremely long and then very short. The long part is getting up at 5:00 am to catch the 5:45 bus and only returning at 3:30 (we decided the 5:15 bus was too early). School happens between 7 am and 2 pm, but the half hour commute each way stretches things out. Between 3:30 and 9:00 is our free time, where two and half hours at the gym (including transport to get to and from there) only leaves three hours to do everything else, which includes at least an hour to prep for the next day. For the time being, we will be going to bed on the early side.
We have little sense of time. The work week is Sunday through Thursday, and we are a bit robotic in just waking up, getting on the bus, and going to school regardless of what day it is. One thing about getting up early is that it is cooler. However, BBC world weather predicted that Kuwait will be the hottest inhabited place on the planet today. There is a huge difference between the 41 degrees Celsius yesterday and the 48 it will reach later on.
The school has a doctor and he re-wrote all of Russ’ prescriptions today, called them into the pharmacy which then delivered. Unfortunately, the insurance does not cover Crestor so we are paying market value for that, but not on anything else. He has an appointment with a doctor tomorrow at 6:30 pm (like everything else here, doctors keep late office hours). Taking time off from work seems to be frowned upon so there are these helpful accomodations.
Russ has a great schedule, with a large break around lunch time that serves as his planning time. We eat lunch together every day. Never thought we could work at the same school but we actually rarely see each other. I am on the second floor and he is on the fourth at the opposite end. We have different friends on the bus ride and then our own workout times, so it feels balanced. I enjoy my co-workers but just found out that one of them will be leaving in the next few weeks, which will totally complicate my life as I work with 150 seniors to get into college over the next four month. Oh, and the assistant principal goes on maternity leave next month so things should be very very interesting.
I could be stressed out with this recent news, but we are trying hard to take things one day at time, and it feels pretty good. Tomorrow's worries are not today's concerns because there is enough going on today.
Russ discovered a great find at his gym - there is a healthy affordable take-out restaurant on the top floor. So he can put in a request for dinner when he goes in and then pick it up when he heads out. Not something we will do every day but a nice option when both of us are to tired to cook. Tandoori chicken wraps sound good for tonight!
The days end up being extremely long and then very short. The long part is getting up at 5:00 am to catch the 5:45 bus and only returning at 3:30 (we decided the 5:15 bus was too early). School happens between 7 am and 2 pm, but the half hour commute each way stretches things out. Between 3:30 and 9:00 is our free time, where two and half hours at the gym (including transport to get to and from there) only leaves three hours to do everything else, which includes at least an hour to prep for the next day. For the time being, we will be going to bed on the early side.
We have little sense of time. The work week is Sunday through Thursday, and we are a bit robotic in just waking up, getting on the bus, and going to school regardless of what day it is. One thing about getting up early is that it is cooler. However, BBC world weather predicted that Kuwait will be the hottest inhabited place on the planet today. There is a huge difference between the 41 degrees Celsius yesterday and the 48 it will reach later on.
The school has a doctor and he re-wrote all of Russ’ prescriptions today, called them into the pharmacy which then delivered. Unfortunately, the insurance does not cover Crestor so we are paying market value for that, but not on anything else. He has an appointment with a doctor tomorrow at 6:30 pm (like everything else here, doctors keep late office hours). Taking time off from work seems to be frowned upon so there are these helpful accomodations.
Russ has a great schedule, with a large break around lunch time that serves as his planning time. We eat lunch together every day. Never thought we could work at the same school but we actually rarely see each other. I am on the second floor and he is on the fourth at the opposite end. We have different friends on the bus ride and then our own workout times, so it feels balanced. I enjoy my co-workers but just found out that one of them will be leaving in the next few weeks, which will totally complicate my life as I work with 150 seniors to get into college over the next four month. Oh, and the assistant principal goes on maternity leave next month so things should be very very interesting.
I could be stressed out with this recent news, but we are trying hard to take things one day at time, and it feels pretty good. Tomorrow's worries are not today's concerns because there is enough going on today.
Sunday, September 4, 2011
Ready or not
Russ thinks we live in India (or Bangladesh). I am pretty sure this is better than a lot of India. As the city grows, there is more and more construction, and we are right in the middle of it. Towers and buildings around us were not here two years ago. Our apartment complex is modern, but to step outside is to step into another world in this new country we’re in. A block away, there is open sewage. There is trash strewn about the shifting sand dunes that moves with the construction activity. And everyone we see on the streets in this part of town seems to be from the Indian sub-continent. All of the small businesses are operated by them which provide basic grocery and takeout services nearly eighteen hours a day. With a twenty minute walk or five minute taxi ride away however, we are back in Kuwait.
School starts in two days, but students have been on campus to fix their schedules or test in. Today is Chevron day, when all the new American students take placement tests. Tomorrow is new student orientation. Work has most definitely begun! Fortunately, I am familiar with the scheduling software.
There are three buses that leave the complex in the morning - 5:15, 5:45, and 6:15. School starts at 7:00 and continues until 2:00 (teachers must stay until at least 2:30). Buses then return at 3:00, 3:45, and 4:15. This seems to make for a long work day with not much free time if we plan on getting up at 4:30 am every day!
Russ started going to the “Platinum” gym about a half mile away. It is fully equipped, and the jacuzzi is also quite relaxing for him. I am debating between a DIY routine here at the complex and joining the Hilton where I would team up with another teacher.
Last night, there was an organized trip to the Heritage Souk in the center of Kuwait City. We found street after street of stalls selling perfumes, fabrics, gold jewelry and bling, tailoring services, and food. There were also clothes. What I have found interesting both in the souks and the malls is the availability of scantily covered clothes, which must be what women wear either under their abayas or in the comfort of their homes. A lot of it is kind of over-the-top glitzy, but some of it is quite fashionable. Even if a woman does not wear the abaya,she is most likely wearing pants and long sleeves. It does not seem to matter that both of these can be super tight-fitting.
I think I brought over the right amount of school clothes. But I did not anticipate workout and especially just casual going out clothes. It looks like a lot of laundry or finding a few things here.
School starts in two days, but students have been on campus to fix their schedules or test in. Today is Chevron day, when all the new American students take placement tests. Tomorrow is new student orientation. Work has most definitely begun! Fortunately, I am familiar with the scheduling software.
There are three buses that leave the complex in the morning - 5:15, 5:45, and 6:15. School starts at 7:00 and continues until 2:00 (teachers must stay until at least 2:30). Buses then return at 3:00, 3:45, and 4:15. This seems to make for a long work day with not much free time if we plan on getting up at 4:30 am every day!
Russ started going to the “Platinum” gym about a half mile away. It is fully equipped, and the jacuzzi is also quite relaxing for him. I am debating between a DIY routine here at the complex and joining the Hilton where I would team up with another teacher.
Last night, there was an organized trip to the Heritage Souk in the center of Kuwait City. We found street after street of stalls selling perfumes, fabrics, gold jewelry and bling, tailoring services, and food. There were also clothes. What I have found interesting both in the souks and the malls is the availability of scantily covered clothes, which must be what women wear either under their abayas or in the comfort of their homes. A lot of it is kind of over-the-top glitzy, but some of it is quite fashionable. Even if a woman does not wear the abaya,she is most likely wearing pants and long sleeves. It does not seem to matter that both of these can be super tight-fitting.
I think I brought over the right amount of school clothes. But I did not anticipate workout and especially just casual going out clothes. It looks like a lot of laundry or finding a few things here.
Friday, September 2, 2011
A few observations
Within this five day holiday, we have managed to unpack everything and start putting things up on the walls. Our ginormous penthouse on the fourteenth floor is starting to feel more like a home. I am pretty sure it has more square footage than the Old Windsor Road house.
There was an arranged shopping trip so I went to another grocery store, The Sultan Center, which was right on the water. While no longer overwhelmed, I am continually surprised at the availability of things. Most anything can be found for a price. While there are local staples like produce, dairy, and meat, most everything else is imported from the US, Australia, and Germany (I love their design items). So items like toiletries are imported and there is not a local equivalent like we found in Southern Africa. USD 4 for Gillette deodorant, USD 7.50 for a medium Jergens lotion, $8 for a small bottle of Pantene shampoo. While most produce is reasonable, I did see a pint of raspberries for USD 9!
Pleasant surprises included finding almond butter, refried beans, soy milk, and delicious whole wheat bread. What I have been unable to find is: canned pumpkin, black beans, pretzels, and corn tortillas (but even Pittsfield did not have corn tortillas ten years ago). This is all ok, because to make up for it, I have found readily made baba gannoush, fava beans, and an expansive array of spices, olives, nuts, and dried fruit. The non-alcholic beer is from Germany and is quite good. Every trip to the supermarket is like going into an international store back home, because of the diverse mix of Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians, Philipinos, Europeans, and Americans who live here.
There is a nearby market - a bakala - about a block away which like a Seven Eleven but better stocked. In fact, it more closely resembles a corner market in New York. Especially when I look out our windows at night, it feels like we live in the city, with its’ twinkling lights, our taxi runs, central air and heat, and un-air conditioned elevators taking us hundreds of feet into the air. On the other hand, there is not nearly the bustle of a real city because we live on the outskirts.
Mahboulah is the name of the neighborhood we live in, which was recently turned into a major construction site. The phone lines were dug up in the spring, and we may never have landline service again. There are mounds of sand everywhere and sewage pops up in places (not close to where we live but we can see it from the apartment). No Kuwaiti’s live out here; our neighborhood is filled with workers from the Sub-continent and Southeast Asia region. They regularly play cricket in the late afternoon.
There are lots of little restaurants within walking distance and every place delivers. We are close to shopping centers by taxi, and there seems to be a Starbucks on most corners.
It’s easy to tell who the Kuwaiti’s are - the men are almost always dressed in dishdashahs and the women are usually covered in some way. Not all Kuwaiti’s are dressed this way, but they are the only ones who will dress like this. which seems to convey a status. There are obviously Muslims from other Arab countries, like taxi drivers, who most often wear Western clothes.
From what I can tell, Kuwaiti’s never work in any kind of retail or manual labor situation. Their positions, if they do work, seem to be relegated to upper professional work.
Unlike Southern Africa where we greeted everyone when we walked past them and sometime got involved in lengthy conversations, I divert my eyes with men and there is no greeting even between them and Russ. The school environment is different where everyone is friendly.
There was an arranged shopping trip so I went to another grocery store, The Sultan Center, which was right on the water. While no longer overwhelmed, I am continually surprised at the availability of things. Most anything can be found for a price. While there are local staples like produce, dairy, and meat, most everything else is imported from the US, Australia, and Germany (I love their design items). So items like toiletries are imported and there is not a local equivalent like we found in Southern Africa. USD 4 for Gillette deodorant, USD 7.50 for a medium Jergens lotion, $8 for a small bottle of Pantene shampoo. While most produce is reasonable, I did see a pint of raspberries for USD 9!
Pleasant surprises included finding almond butter, refried beans, soy milk, and delicious whole wheat bread. What I have been unable to find is: canned pumpkin, black beans, pretzels, and corn tortillas (but even Pittsfield did not have corn tortillas ten years ago). This is all ok, because to make up for it, I have found readily made baba gannoush, fava beans, and an expansive array of spices, olives, nuts, and dried fruit. The non-alcholic beer is from Germany and is quite good. Every trip to the supermarket is like going into an international store back home, because of the diverse mix of Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians, Philipinos, Europeans, and Americans who live here.
There is a nearby market - a bakala - about a block away which like a Seven Eleven but better stocked. In fact, it more closely resembles a corner market in New York. Especially when I look out our windows at night, it feels like we live in the city, with its’ twinkling lights, our taxi runs, central air and heat, and un-air conditioned elevators taking us hundreds of feet into the air. On the other hand, there is not nearly the bustle of a real city because we live on the outskirts.
Mahboulah is the name of the neighborhood we live in, which was recently turned into a major construction site. The phone lines were dug up in the spring, and we may never have landline service again. There are mounds of sand everywhere and sewage pops up in places (not close to where we live but we can see it from the apartment). No Kuwaiti’s live out here; our neighborhood is filled with workers from the Sub-continent and Southeast Asia region. They regularly play cricket in the late afternoon.
There are lots of little restaurants within walking distance and every place delivers. We are close to shopping centers by taxi, and there seems to be a Starbucks on most corners.
It’s easy to tell who the Kuwaiti’s are - the men are almost always dressed in dishdashahs and the women are usually covered in some way. Not all Kuwaiti’s are dressed this way, but they are the only ones who will dress like this. which seems to convey a status. There are obviously Muslims from other Arab countries, like taxi drivers, who most often wear Western clothes.
From what I can tell, Kuwaiti’s never work in any kind of retail or manual labor situation. Their positions, if they do work, seem to be relegated to upper professional work.
Unlike Southern Africa where we greeted everyone when we walked past them and sometime got involved in lengthy conversations, I divert my eyes with men and there is no greeting even between them and Russ. The school environment is different where everyone is friendly.
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
A day of rest
Yesterday was the first day I had a chance to breathe. After only going to sleep after 1 am, I slept in until 9 am. Russ went in to school to get started on some work. I first met with Mira, who will help us with cleaning. She will come in once a week to clean the floors, windows, dust and do all the ironing. This will cost USD 500 a month, which I think is definitely well worth it.
I feel obliged to mention the cost of things. Kuwait is an extraordinarily expensive country. Yet, because we are not paying for rent, insurance, utilities, and largely transportation, it seems like an affordable place to live.
Later in the morning, I went with my new friend Maria to the Hilton to check out their workout facility and spa. They also have private access to the beach. Unbelievable opulence. It is close to our house but it is also extremely expensive to buy a membership which I think we will pass on for now.
We are looking to join a gym. Another option is the men's only facility two blocks away from our apartment. That would be a good choice for Russ and much cheaper than the Hilton. We just discovered that the Annex (small apartment building for singles outside of our complex but closeby) has stairs with air conditioning, so that is one cardio option. We also found a more pleasant paved place to work - there is a loop around our building that equals a quarter of a mile, so we can do laps. I would be happy to stick with these options as I like to be more outside than in when working out. There is also our pool which we have been in every night (when the temperatures are still 105 degrees). Rumor is that one of the teachers knows how to teach water aerobics so that would be good, but we can also do some resistance training on our own.
I did a load of laundry yesterday and could not get the water to drain. Turned out there was a blockage of lint and sludge. It was disgusting to clean out as it spewed all over the laundry room, but now things are running smoothly. I really do not like hanging things to dry inside, but don't have much a choice. Some of the other teachers are buying dryers.
The apartment is looking more settled and I will post photos to this blog soon. Cannot wait for Mira to clean the floors so we can lay the carpets down.
We have met some current teachers who live in our building. Harvey and Nancy are our mentors and they have been great, along with their three boys. They have a car so we stocked up on groceries, and Harvey helped with the washing machine fiasco. They are keen brewers. They buy cases of non-alcoholic beer, then add bread yeast and sugar before bottling, and then drinking in about a month. to let it ferment. They also make sherry.
Last night, we went with a science colleague of Russ' - Jeff from Manitoba Canada - to eat out. There were many people celebrating the Eid, so the restaurants were advertising specials. We ended up going for sushi which was excellent. The fish was high quality, which is exactly what you want when you are eating it raw. You also pay for that, which we did, about USD 35 each. This was not a fancy place, just the price to pay for eating out well here.
Today, I came in to work to get some things done. Much like at home, it is hard to get anything done without interruption. I am starting from scratch on many things, and having to learn what the process is here in other areas. I love my new co-worker Nancy. Originally from Lebanon, she works also as a guidance counselor in the high school. Our office is with the principal and assistant principal, which is very different for me (good and bad cops all together). Hope it is not a micro-managing situation, although I like both of them a great deal. There are two other guidance counselors - one for middle school and another for elementary - but I never see them because they are in their own wings of the school.
We will stay home tomorrow and maybe the next day to enjoy the down time before all faculty returns on Sunday.
I feel obliged to mention the cost of things. Kuwait is an extraordinarily expensive country. Yet, because we are not paying for rent, insurance, utilities, and largely transportation, it seems like an affordable place to live.
Later in the morning, I went with my new friend Maria to the Hilton to check out their workout facility and spa. They also have private access to the beach. Unbelievable opulence. It is close to our house but it is also extremely expensive to buy a membership which I think we will pass on for now.
We are looking to join a gym. Another option is the men's only facility two blocks away from our apartment. That would be a good choice for Russ and much cheaper than the Hilton. We just discovered that the Annex (small apartment building for singles outside of our complex but closeby) has stairs with air conditioning, so that is one cardio option. We also found a more pleasant paved place to work - there is a loop around our building that equals a quarter of a mile, so we can do laps. I would be happy to stick with these options as I like to be more outside than in when working out. There is also our pool which we have been in every night (when the temperatures are still 105 degrees). Rumor is that one of the teachers knows how to teach water aerobics so that would be good, but we can also do some resistance training on our own.
I did a load of laundry yesterday and could not get the water to drain. Turned out there was a blockage of lint and sludge. It was disgusting to clean out as it spewed all over the laundry room, but now things are running smoothly. I really do not like hanging things to dry inside, but don't have much a choice. Some of the other teachers are buying dryers.
The apartment is looking more settled and I will post photos to this blog soon. Cannot wait for Mira to clean the floors so we can lay the carpets down.
We have met some current teachers who live in our building. Harvey and Nancy are our mentors and they have been great, along with their three boys. They have a car so we stocked up on groceries, and Harvey helped with the washing machine fiasco. They are keen brewers. They buy cases of non-alcoholic beer, then add bread yeast and sugar before bottling, and then drinking in about a month. to let it ferment. They also make sherry.
Last night, we went with a science colleague of Russ' - Jeff from Manitoba Canada - to eat out. There were many people celebrating the Eid, so the restaurants were advertising specials. We ended up going for sushi which was excellent. The fish was high quality, which is exactly what you want when you are eating it raw. You also pay for that, which we did, about USD 35 each. This was not a fancy place, just the price to pay for eating out well here.
Today, I came in to work to get some things done. Much like at home, it is hard to get anything done without interruption. I am starting from scratch on many things, and having to learn what the process is here in other areas. I love my new co-worker Nancy. Originally from Lebanon, she works also as a guidance counselor in the high school. Our office is with the principal and assistant principal, which is very different for me (good and bad cops all together). Hope it is not a micro-managing situation, although I like both of them a great deal. There are two other guidance counselors - one for middle school and another for elementary - but I never see them because they are in their own wings of the school.
We will stay home tomorrow and maybe the next day to enjoy the down time before all faculty returns on Sunday.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Breaking the fast
Last night was the first opportunity to "break the fast" even though we are not fasting. The school took us to what they said was the best Lebanese restaurant in the city - Mais Al Ghanim - and I won't argue. We arrived at 6:10 and were invited to sit down at long tables which were already filled with bowls of food, and pitchers of yogurt and fruit drinks. Because the call to prayer had not yet ended, we sat and looked at each other and the food on the table. Once it ended at 6:14 (official sunset time), then everyone started in on the feast.
The first course delivered bowls of salad, hummus, baba gannoush, tabbouleh, raita, and of course warm pitas. To drink, there was a tart yogurt, a sweet apricot juice, or a flat Dr. Pepper-tasting concoction. This of course would have been enough for a meal. In the next course, skewered lamb, beef, and grilled chicken were served with french fries. To drink, fresh kiwi, strawberry, apple, and lemon mint juices were served. I could drink gallons of the lemonade. Lastly, dessert consisted of yummy, sticky, deep-fried, cheese and honey pastries along with a fruit platter and strong Arabic coffee or tea was served. Needless to say, I was still full this morning. (We still haven't found an exercise outlet either).
Today is the end of Ramadan and tomorrow is the start of Eid Al-Fitr. The goal is to read through the entire Quran during five daily calls to prayer (which sometimes come in the middle of the night (there is a mosque nearby that I have sometimes woken up to in the predawn hour). For the past month, Muslims have abstained from smoking, drinking, and eating from sunrise to sunset. Then, they then gorge themselves when the sun goes down but who among us can blame them? I am pretty sure I could not fast from food for twelve hours, let alone not drinking water and especially in this climate.
Breaking the fast is a time to get together with family and friends and whether it is at home or in public, the visiting goes on quite late. As a result, working hours are shortened, and shops and restaurants are often open until the wee hours of the morning.
We have the next five days off before faculty reconvenes on Sunday. We will undoubtedly be going in to school to work on our own, but we are looking forward to the unscheduled time.
The first course delivered bowls of salad, hummus, baba gannoush, tabbouleh, raita, and of course warm pitas. To drink, there was a tart yogurt, a sweet apricot juice, or a flat Dr. Pepper-tasting concoction. This of course would have been enough for a meal. In the next course, skewered lamb, beef, and grilled chicken were served with french fries. To drink, fresh kiwi, strawberry, apple, and lemon mint juices were served. I could drink gallons of the lemonade. Lastly, dessert consisted of yummy, sticky, deep-fried, cheese and honey pastries along with a fruit platter and strong Arabic coffee or tea was served. Needless to say, I was still full this morning. (We still haven't found an exercise outlet either).
Today is the end of Ramadan and tomorrow is the start of Eid Al-Fitr. The goal is to read through the entire Quran during five daily calls to prayer (which sometimes come in the middle of the night (there is a mosque nearby that I have sometimes woken up to in the predawn hour). For the past month, Muslims have abstained from smoking, drinking, and eating from sunrise to sunset. Then, they then gorge themselves when the sun goes down but who among us can blame them? I am pretty sure I could not fast from food for twelve hours, let alone not drinking water and especially in this climate.
Breaking the fast is a time to get together with family and friends and whether it is at home or in public, the visiting goes on quite late. As a result, working hours are shortened, and shops and restaurants are often open until the wee hours of the morning.
We have the next five days off before faculty reconvenes on Sunday. We will undoubtedly be going in to school to work on our own, but we are looking forward to the unscheduled time.
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Head in a jar
I am not sure whether it is jet lag or just going non-stop. We have been trying not to nap during the day, but end up only going to bed around midnight and getting up at 7 am. I am exhausted, but so is most everyone else. We have today and tomorrow at school, and then the Eid holiday, which we are desperately looking forward to.
The Avenues Mall was quite an experience. We arrived there at 7:30 pm and the stores were just opening, only to close around 2 am. The restaurants had been open since just after 6 when the sun set. There were men in white dishdashahs and white headdresses, women in black abayas, or otherwise extremely dressed up. The kids also were very dressed up. The mood was a festive one, reminiscent of Christmases back home, with sales and specials abounding. It was a very glitzy place with all of the shops in any upscale US mall. Our first stop was Carrefour, a French-based superstore with groceries, electronics, housewares, and clothing. We got a cell-phone and lots of little household goods. Then Maria (a good shopper who also lived in Namibia in 2000 as a VSO volunteer) and I raced over to Ikea since we were on a time limit. Russ stayed home and finished unpacking. We could have been in any IKEA in the world, although I noticed that the prices were quite a bit higher than in the US. I found some things that we needed and also a few decorations to make the apartment seem more homey. Ikea is so great for design ideas, but we did not even make it through the whole store before we had to get back on the bus (the school rented a flat bed truck to bring all of our purchases back.) One Kuwaiti dinar is about 3.6 US dollars, so it is not hard to blow $100 just at one store.
The traffic going back home at 11:00 pm was insane. Everyone was out and it seemed more like a parking lot than anything else. Apparently speeding is quite a problem here and there are many fender benders. I don't think we will be getting a car; the taxi's seem safe and are a reasonable way to get around.
The Avenues Mall was quite an experience. We arrived there at 7:30 pm and the stores were just opening, only to close around 2 am. The restaurants had been open since just after 6 when the sun set. There were men in white dishdashahs and white headdresses, women in black abayas, or otherwise extremely dressed up. The kids also were very dressed up. The mood was a festive one, reminiscent of Christmases back home, with sales and specials abounding. It was a very glitzy place with all of the shops in any upscale US mall. Our first stop was Carrefour, a French-based superstore with groceries, electronics, housewares, and clothing. We got a cell-phone and lots of little household goods. Then Maria (a good shopper who also lived in Namibia in 2000 as a VSO volunteer) and I raced over to Ikea since we were on a time limit. Russ stayed home and finished unpacking. We could have been in any IKEA in the world, although I noticed that the prices were quite a bit higher than in the US. I found some things that we needed and also a few decorations to make the apartment seem more homey. Ikea is so great for design ideas, but we did not even make it through the whole store before we had to get back on the bus (the school rented a flat bed truck to bring all of our purchases back.) One Kuwaiti dinar is about 3.6 US dollars, so it is not hard to blow $100 just at one store.
The traffic going back home at 11:00 pm was insane. Everyone was out and it seemed more like a parking lot than anything else. Apparently speeding is quite a problem here and there are many fender benders. I don't think we will be getting a car; the taxi's seem safe and are a reasonable way to get around.
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Peace Corps dejavu
I am living the Peace Corps training from fifteen years ago all over again. Our entire day is super structured: the bus leaves the housing complex at 8:15 for the thirty minute drive to the school. I go down early to get a seat next to someone who I know is a nice person; Russ and I try to mix up the seating, so we are not always together. We are in sessions from 9:00 to 2:00 with a short lunch break and then we come home for a couple of hours before another outing. Last night, it was a progressive dinner of sorts at the building where the superintendent and principals live - it is on the Gulf Road right across from the water, and these apartments are gorgeous. There is a high standard of living here. Our housing complex is further inland, literally in the middle of new construction and sand dunes.
In terms of jet lag, most other people seem to be coping fine. A lot of them are in their twenties, again reminding me of Peace Corps, and can not only stay up late, but imbibe quite a lot. Yes, there was homebrew at the party last night. People are very creative in making their own spirits - date rum seems to be the drink of choice. Me, I am not even drinking enough water so am staying clear of the science experiments.
There are quite a few single people, and they have their own building, which feels strange to be segregated like that. Russ and I are in the "family" building which is why our apartment is so ginormous. It looks like a place for a family of eight or nine. Most of the teachers are from the US, followed closely by Canadians, who generally as a group, are some of the nicest people we've met. Many of them have taught in China and southeast Asia previously. It will be interesting to see how relationships develop once school starts.
Later today we are going to the largest mall in the country, The Avenues. Shopping is a huge activity and with Ramadan, the stores open up late, say from 5 pm to 2 am. There are supposedly lots of sales, similar to what we might find around Christmas. Ikea is there, as well as another well-stocked grocery store, two or three large electronics stores, dozens of boutique shops, and who knows what else.
Russ has been a big help in getting everything unpacked. We are moving things around, seeing what works, and are toying with the idea of painting the cream-colored walls that seems to be the color of everything in the country.
We are "working" through Monday and then have five days off for the Eid holiday. We will probably come in to school one of those days to get things set up. I can't possibly think of downloading and uploading photos until then. It's just been a whirlwind of activity.
In terms of jet lag, most other people seem to be coping fine. A lot of them are in their twenties, again reminding me of Peace Corps, and can not only stay up late, but imbibe quite a lot. Yes, there was homebrew at the party last night. People are very creative in making their own spirits - date rum seems to be the drink of choice. Me, I am not even drinking enough water so am staying clear of the science experiments.
There are quite a few single people, and they have their own building, which feels strange to be segregated like that. Russ and I are in the "family" building which is why our apartment is so ginormous. It looks like a place for a family of eight or nine. Most of the teachers are from the US, followed closely by Canadians, who generally as a group, are some of the nicest people we've met. Many of them have taught in China and southeast Asia previously. It will be interesting to see how relationships develop once school starts.
Later today we are going to the largest mall in the country, The Avenues. Shopping is a huge activity and with Ramadan, the stores open up late, say from 5 pm to 2 am. There are supposedly lots of sales, similar to what we might find around Christmas. Ikea is there, as well as another well-stocked grocery store, two or three large electronics stores, dozens of boutique shops, and who knows what else.
Russ has been a big help in getting everything unpacked. We are moving things around, seeing what works, and are toying with the idea of painting the cream-colored walls that seems to be the color of everything in the country.
We are "working" through Monday and then have five days off for the Eid holiday. We will probably come in to school one of those days to get things set up. I can't possibly think of downloading and uploading photos until then. It's just been a whirlwind of activity.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Not having to live on bread alone
Grocery shopping yesterday was an amazing experience, one that completely overwhelmed me but that I also can't stop thinking about. The new teachers went to the Lulu Hypermart, which is by far the best stocked store I have ever been, putting to rest the fear that we will starve in the desert. There was one aisle just for yogurt - Greek, Lebanese, Turkish, French, goat milk, to name a few. And there are non-fat options that are absolutely delicious. There were five aisles of imported and local produce, including organic. I found avocados, several types of lettuce, heirloom tomatoes, shitake mushrooms, and peaches.
I could find just about anything I was looking for. Much of it is imported from outside the region, but specialties like olives, oil, nuts, and yogurt are local. There are lots of vegetarian options and foods from all over the world. We will be able to keep our heart healthy diet, while being constantly tempted with rich desserts. Some items were much cheaper than in the States - a whole pound of Lebonese olives was $1.50; a can of Coke was 25 cents, two Norwegian salmon fillets were $5.00. Other things, specifically American brands, were more expensive. Still others were priced exactly right.
A most pleasant surprise - the woman Russ replaced as physics teacher left us an entire apartment of furniture, appliances, and novelties. We got a television, microwave, carpets, and lamps. So last night, we did not get the chance to unpack our own boxes (all survived the TSA and the flights), but did get to move these wonderful gifts from the 13th floor in the singles building to the 14th floor of the families building which is where we live (its funny how it is segregated like that). Fortunately, there is an elevator and some other teachers pitched in to help us. It seemed like good karma, having left so many of our belongings in Botswana, and we are so thankful.
Tonight, a dinner at the admin apartments, but I will have to beg off a nap first!
I could find just about anything I was looking for. Much of it is imported from outside the region, but specialties like olives, oil, nuts, and yogurt are local. There are lots of vegetarian options and foods from all over the world. We will be able to keep our heart healthy diet, while being constantly tempted with rich desserts. Some items were much cheaper than in the States - a whole pound of Lebonese olives was $1.50; a can of Coke was 25 cents, two Norwegian salmon fillets were $5.00. Other things, specifically American brands, were more expensive. Still others were priced exactly right.
A most pleasant surprise - the woman Russ replaced as physics teacher left us an entire apartment of furniture, appliances, and novelties. We got a television, microwave, carpets, and lamps. So last night, we did not get the chance to unpack our own boxes (all survived the TSA and the flights), but did get to move these wonderful gifts from the 13th floor in the singles building to the 14th floor of the families building which is where we live (its funny how it is segregated like that). Fortunately, there is an elevator and some other teachers pitched in to help us. It seemed like good karma, having left so many of our belongings in Botswana, and we are so thankful.
Tonight, a dinner at the admin apartments, but I will have to beg off a nap first!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
40 at 12
Yes, it was forty degrees celsius when we exited the airport at midnight. That translates into the nineties fahrenheit. I like the heat, but this is a bit much. The windows of the bus we took were hot even though we were air-conditioned. True to what we were promised, everything is air-conditioned, and it is quite comfortable. (The air con at home always seemed too cold).
The airport was overwhelming sensual. Bright neon lights and glitzy boutiques were everywhere. There were several fast food and other dining options. It was crowded, partly because of people waiting to pick up travelers, partly though it seemed like the airport was a place to celebrate the end of the daily fast. As we drove across town, it was like being in Las Vegas - everything was bustling and open. I don't think it is like that all the time, but is absolutely surreal to step into.
We were dropped off at our apartment and our luggage was delivered shortly thereafter. Our new apartment is palatial. I am not kidding - the square footage is more than our home in Dalton. We are on the fourteenth floor, and it is quite pretty at night. In the morning, the view is nothing but sand dunes (not like in Namibia) and beige-colored buildings. There is a lot of construction going on. The apartment has high ceilings and large windows. We have three bathrooms, one bedroom, a laundry room, an open living/dining room setup, and about about four empty rooms that could be anything. THere is lots of closet space. The place has obviously been left vacant all summer - it is so dirty, and there is a fine layer of dust on every surface. We could smell the dust. Will be looking for a housekeeper soon.
The school is taking good care of us. We are at the school now after breakfast at one of the teacher's apartments. It is a broad orientation today, and we will go grocery shopping later on. I could sleep a lot more. We have two more days of school work, and then four days off to settle in during the Eid holiday before getting our classrooms and offices ready.
Very hung over with jet lag, but we are doing well. Glad to be here. Fun meeting other people. Hope to use the internet here again.
The airport was overwhelming sensual. Bright neon lights and glitzy boutiques were everywhere. There were several fast food and other dining options. It was crowded, partly because of people waiting to pick up travelers, partly though it seemed like the airport was a place to celebrate the end of the daily fast. As we drove across town, it was like being in Las Vegas - everything was bustling and open. I don't think it is like that all the time, but is absolutely surreal to step into.
We were dropped off at our apartment and our luggage was delivered shortly thereafter. Our new apartment is palatial. I am not kidding - the square footage is more than our home in Dalton. We are on the fourteenth floor, and it is quite pretty at night. In the morning, the view is nothing but sand dunes (not like in Namibia) and beige-colored buildings. There is a lot of construction going on. The apartment has high ceilings and large windows. We have three bathrooms, one bedroom, a laundry room, an open living/dining room setup, and about about four empty rooms that could be anything. THere is lots of closet space. The place has obviously been left vacant all summer - it is so dirty, and there is a fine layer of dust on every surface. We could smell the dust. Will be looking for a housekeeper soon.
The school is taking good care of us. We are at the school now after breakfast at one of the teacher's apartments. It is a broad orientation today, and we will go grocery shopping later on. I could sleep a lot more. We have two more days of school work, and then four days off to settle in during the Eid holiday before getting our classrooms and offices ready.
Very hung over with jet lag, but we are doing well. Glad to be here. Fun meeting other people. Hope to use the internet here again.
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
I heart Lufthansa
Oh, I love the Germans and was reminded how much I enjoy flying Lufthansa. There was a time when I frequently flew the Windhoek-Frankfurt-Los Angeles corridor and so was able to take advantage of airport lounges and business class upgrades. Going back to economy was not too difficult this time around as it was a relatively empty flight and Russ and I each had a row to ourselves. Here is what makes a difference - feather pillows with cotton cases, excellent food (we preordered special low-fat meal and were rewarded with salmon, julienned vegetables, and a leafy salad) and overall efficiency.
Walking onto one of their planes resembled entering the United Nations, causing one to wonder if Frankfurt was indeed the center of the universe. Once we arrived, the airport bustled with people seemingly dispersing to all corners of the earth. It still smelled the same as I remembered, like freshly baked bread but without the stale cigarettes (it is remarkably smoke-free until you step outside where travelers and employees alike are furtively lighting up).
We discovered one of the best ideas ever - if you have comfortable yet empty hotel rooms, why not rent them out for the day to bleary-eyed travelers for half the cost of an overnight room? We are currently at the Carat Hotel, a four-star establishment with a large fluffy bed, hot water, satellite television, and free internet. We managed to sleep four more hours, shower twice, and just relax before heading back to the terminal for the last segment of our trip. Brilliant and the best part of this twenty-six hour odyssey.
Of of the most startling moments came right at the beginning. As we were waiting in Hartford, the ground started to sway. I immediately thought it was an earthquake but logic prevailed "earthquakes don't happen here in New England." They may not, but the ripple effect did, as we learned of the 5.8 quake centered in Richmond, VA. So an earthquake and tornado warning within two days - what could possibly happen next?
Walking onto one of their planes resembled entering the United Nations, causing one to wonder if Frankfurt was indeed the center of the universe. Once we arrived, the airport bustled with people seemingly dispersing to all corners of the earth. It still smelled the same as I remembered, like freshly baked bread but without the stale cigarettes (it is remarkably smoke-free until you step outside where travelers and employees alike are furtively lighting up).
We discovered one of the best ideas ever - if you have comfortable yet empty hotel rooms, why not rent them out for the day to bleary-eyed travelers for half the cost of an overnight room? We are currently at the Carat Hotel, a four-star establishment with a large fluffy bed, hot water, satellite television, and free internet. We managed to sleep four more hours, shower twice, and just relax before heading back to the terminal for the last segment of our trip. Brilliant and the best part of this twenty-six hour odyssey.
Of of the most startling moments came right at the beginning. As we were waiting in Hartford, the ground started to sway. I immediately thought it was an earthquake but logic prevailed "earthquakes don't happen here in New England." They may not, but the ripple effect did, as we learned of the 5.8 quake centered in Richmond, VA. So an earthquake and tornado warning within two days - what could possibly happen next?
Monday, August 22, 2011
Butterflies abounding
I woke up this morning with a knot of excitement all bound up in my core. Actually, it's more a combination of anticipation, nervousness,and keeping a running list of the last little things to do all straight in my head.
It's been a whirlwind of medical appointments in the past two weeks, mostly to reassure ourselves. Russ really does have a clean bill of health with his heart. I can't wait until he does another lipid profile in December as I am convinced his numbers will be better with all of the changes he has made.
Our last week in the Berkshires has felt like fall. I haven't been in the pool for a couple of weeks, and the leaves are slowly starting to change. After a wicked fierce storm blew through Dalton last night, it was downright sweatshirt-weather this morning. Not for long though as low temperatures in Kuwait are still in the 90's.
Much to the dismay of our nieces and nephews, school starts in Berkshire County next week. On the other hand, we will have two weeks in Kuwait before the students arrive, which I think is a nice amount of time to settle in. Normally, I would be prepping now for the hectic fall schedule, but because I am still unsure of what their process is, I will wait until we get there. Then it will be like going zero to eighty in no time dealing with 140 college-bound seniors.
We jump from Bradley airport in Hartford tomorrow to clear skies at Dulles, before overnighting to Frankfurt. I am extremely happy to have found a hotel we will spend the day at before we fly to Kuwait in the late afternoon. We are told there will be school people to pick us and our eight pieces of luggage up and transport us to our new home. I love the sense of order and efficiency already.
It's been a whirlwind of medical appointments in the past two weeks, mostly to reassure ourselves. Russ really does have a clean bill of health with his heart. I can't wait until he does another lipid profile in December as I am convinced his numbers will be better with all of the changes he has made.
Our last week in the Berkshires has felt like fall. I haven't been in the pool for a couple of weeks, and the leaves are slowly starting to change. After a wicked fierce storm blew through Dalton last night, it was downright sweatshirt-weather this morning. Not for long though as low temperatures in Kuwait are still in the 90's.
Much to the dismay of our nieces and nephews, school starts in Berkshire County next week. On the other hand, we will have two weeks in Kuwait before the students arrive, which I think is a nice amount of time to settle in. Normally, I would be prepping now for the hectic fall schedule, but because I am still unsure of what their process is, I will wait until we get there. Then it will be like going zero to eighty in no time dealing with 140 college-bound seniors.
We jump from Bradley airport in Hartford tomorrow to clear skies at Dulles, before overnighting to Frankfurt. I am extremely happy to have found a hotel we will spend the day at before we fly to Kuwait in the late afternoon. We are told there will be school people to pick us and our eight pieces of luggage up and transport us to our new home. I love the sense of order and efficiency already.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
The agony and ecstasy (both finished this week)
Thankfully, the agony part is over. We finally have passports in hand after a lengthy and expensive process. After waiting a month for the US State Department to return our authenticated police reports without response, I resent them to a courier in DC who walked them into the office and returned them to me within two days. Boy, that is the business to be in, with couriers theoretically making over $60 an hour per document to travel over to the office and wait in line in your stead. The next business day after I received the couried copies, the originals came from the State Department but who knew that would happen? Here's the really amazing part of the story though: the police reports along with our medical reports, more money and paperwork was sent to the Kuwait Embassy last Friday and our passports came back to us on Tuesday! With stories of the Embassy taking two to three weeks to process applications, I was expecting to get our visas the day before our flight. So from a paperwork perspective, we are cleared to go and the bane of my summer is now a thing of the past.
Another agony that we are seemingly done with is the pain Russ has dealt with for most of the summer. His situation appears to have healed and we are immensely grateful for that.
Other remarkable things that happened this week - our friend Al found us some super strong boxes to take as excess baggage. I can't underscore how valuable it is to find the right box. We moved in with Fred, Liz, and the kids for our last two weeks, and we are really enjoying their company. I am weary however of living out of a suitcase and look forward to settling in at our new apartment.
The most wonderful event of the week was the spa day that Russ gave me on Tuesday. I drove over to Northampton which is one of my favorite places in Western Massachusetts, and I rarely if ever need an excuse to go. For five hours, someone else took exclusive care of me, my face, feet, hands and hair. Utter bliss. I especially love the plum-colored nail polish. I should schedule it again for when we return in December. I brought over a smoothie concoction that I was quite pleased with - a peach, yogurt, soy milk, basil, and kale. I have been experimenting with different combinations including avocado, berries, and coconut. The basil is a nice touch.
I turn 43 on Sunday and, even given the strain of the past four months, still feel remarkably on the young side for which I am thankful. I think part of this is that I am trying to keep up with Russ' exercise routine. We are both probably in the best shape of recent history.
Another agony that we are seemingly done with is the pain Russ has dealt with for most of the summer. His situation appears to have healed and we are immensely grateful for that.
Other remarkable things that happened this week - our friend Al found us some super strong boxes to take as excess baggage. I can't underscore how valuable it is to find the right box. We moved in with Fred, Liz, and the kids for our last two weeks, and we are really enjoying their company. I am weary however of living out of a suitcase and look forward to settling in at our new apartment.
The most wonderful event of the week was the spa day that Russ gave me on Tuesday. I drove over to Northampton which is one of my favorite places in Western Massachusetts, and I rarely if ever need an excuse to go. For five hours, someone else took exclusive care of me, my face, feet, hands and hair. Utter bliss. I especially love the plum-colored nail polish. I should schedule it again for when we return in December. I brought over a smoothie concoction that I was quite pleased with - a peach, yogurt, soy milk, basil, and kale. I have been experimenting with different combinations including avocado, berries, and coconut. The basil is a nice touch.
I turn 43 on Sunday and, even given the strain of the past four months, still feel remarkably on the young side for which I am thankful. I think part of this is that I am trying to keep up with Russ' exercise routine. We are both probably in the best shape of recent history.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
In due process
The go-around this summer is not nearly as frenetic as last year. One thing is we have a lot less stuff to pack up. I did go into the room in our house last night for a couple of hours where the last of our earthly possessions are stored. There is a lot more than meets the eye when it comes to small things and clothes, even though I left at least half a dozen boxes of clothing in Botswana, most of which I cannot even remember. Word to the wise: don't be afraid to clean out your closets.
I needed to pick out a few key winter clothes, hats, shoes, and jackets. We've been warned by people from Wisconsin and Colorado it won't be as frigid as in New England, but still cold enough. I also found a pine-scented Yankee Candle that will remind us of home. Overall, after moving several items out of the room and then stacking them back in, it was a successful venture.
We have taken over different corners of Fred and Carol's house as we try to organize and pack. There are a few different to-do lists, two laptops, a master calendar, random piles of papers scattered around, and a mound of new sheets and towels to wash. They are completely gracious about it, but I wish things were a little more orderly.
We are having an eerie dejavu of the visa process in Botswana, but this time thanks to the US government. Before we enter Kuwait, we need to have our work permits in hand. The Kuwait embassy will issue those when we send them seven pieces of information. We have six ready to go, with the missing one spending the past three weeks at the US State Department. This guilty item is a police clearance letter which had to be "authenticated" at the state level followed by the national level. It should have been here by now. Had I known about courier services in DC, I would have obviously done that, but now that it is completely out of our hands, we rely on faith that this will indeed happen. Worse case scenario would be that the papers take a really long time to come back to us and we don't have the visa on August 23, in which case we change our flights. That in itself is not a bad thing, but we were hoping for as much time as possible in Kuwait to acclimate before school starts instead of having to race and catch up after the fact, which has been modus operandi for the past four months. Sigh.
So in this time of waiting, we are trying to enjoy the simple joys of summer: swimming, walking, relaxed conversations with people, fresh salads and fruit, grilled fish, warm sunshine and cool breezes. It's my most favorite time of year.
I needed to pick out a few key winter clothes, hats, shoes, and jackets. We've been warned by people from Wisconsin and Colorado it won't be as frigid as in New England, but still cold enough. I also found a pine-scented Yankee Candle that will remind us of home. Overall, after moving several items out of the room and then stacking them back in, it was a successful venture.
We have taken over different corners of Fred and Carol's house as we try to organize and pack. There are a few different to-do lists, two laptops, a master calendar, random piles of papers scattered around, and a mound of new sheets and towels to wash. They are completely gracious about it, but I wish things were a little more orderly.
We are having an eerie dejavu of the visa process in Botswana, but this time thanks to the US government. Before we enter Kuwait, we need to have our work permits in hand. The Kuwait embassy will issue those when we send them seven pieces of information. We have six ready to go, with the missing one spending the past three weeks at the US State Department. This guilty item is a police clearance letter which had to be "authenticated" at the state level followed by the national level. It should have been here by now. Had I known about courier services in DC, I would have obviously done that, but now that it is completely out of our hands, we rely on faith that this will indeed happen. Worse case scenario would be that the papers take a really long time to come back to us and we don't have the visa on August 23, in which case we change our flights. That in itself is not a bad thing, but we were hoping for as much time as possible in Kuwait to acclimate before school starts instead of having to race and catch up after the fact, which has been modus operandi for the past four months. Sigh.
So in this time of waiting, we are trying to enjoy the simple joys of summer: swimming, walking, relaxed conversations with people, fresh salads and fruit, grilled fish, warm sunshine and cool breezes. It's my most favorite time of year.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
33 days to lift-off
Blog number one about Kuwait. Makes sense to start with answering questions that may (or may not) be on everyone's minds about our upcoming tour in Kuwait. Keep in mind, my points of reference are limited to what we have read and from what people have told us. I am pretty sure some of this will change once we actually get over there.
Restrictions
Everyone wants to know how Muslim this country is. Primarily Sunni, the culture seems tolerant of other religions. That being said, there will be certain sensitivities to observe, like covering our knees and shoulders (much more for me, but also for Russ). Sandals are not a problem, and I do not need to cover my head. Not obvious eating in public during the fasting month of Ramadan which will still be in effect for our first week. (I see several granola bars stashed in my purse for which I can be quite discreet). No pork or alcohol is allowed, not even vanilla extract. No nutmeg either as it is considered an aphrodisiac, which is actually something to think about.
The Arab Spring
Pretty low on the revolution radar. Government is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, with an emir running the show. Things seem to run smoothly, and people appear to be satisfied, except for the tiny Bidun minority, who have been disenfranchised. Freedom of speech and other liberties remain to be seen, but overall it seems to be more liberal than its neighbors.
Our jobs
This is an American School which is similar to an International School but has an American curriculum. The school year starts in September and ends in June. On a two-year contract, for the first year, we will be coming back to the US in December during the holidays. That makes it a four month stint, followed by five and half months before the school sends us home for the summer (because of the heat). No snow days to make up. It is a massive school, with about 1800 students, K through 12. Russ will be teaching physics to small classes, and I will be the guidance counselor for 140 seniors (and then about the same number of juniors). The day is set up into four 90-minute classes, of which Russ will teach three, then alternating with four more classes the next day. the student population is 40% Kuwaiti, 30% American (embassy, military, oil), and 30% other nationalities.
Housing
We have a sunset-side fourteenth floor furnished apartment in a complex owned by the school. All of our neighbors are teachers. Thankfully there is a pool. Apparently, the complex hosts several activities - book clubs, bbq's, and other social events. The teachers come from all over the world, but I think the majority are from the US and Canada. I am pretty sure we can dress in whatever we like inside the walls.
Kuwait City
Of the three million residents in the country, two thirds are ex-pats, which makes for a very westernized city. Old world souks (outdoor markets) collide with high-end malls. There is an indoor ice skating rink, beaches (only the private one at the Hilton will allow western bathing suits), and workout gyms.
In terms of weather, it's hot (yes, a dry heat, like an oven). Currently, the average high is 118 F and the low is 91. I did not think it was possible to live in a place hotter than Namibia, but they are promising air conditioning everywhere we go. The heat stays until November when it slowly drops into freezing temps for a few months and then starts warming up again.
The US dollar is surprisingly strong against the dinar, which is a nice change from everywhere else in the world. We have been told that the cost of living is much like Manhattan.
Preparations
Crazy amount of things to do, but it is still not the summer of 2010 as we prepared to go to Botswana. Criminal background checks authenticated at the state and national level, and an obscene amount of lab tests are what we are working on now. Oh, and we need to buy clothes, sheets, and towels since we sold about everything we had in Botswana. We are also making sure that Russ is ready to go with supplements, meds, and certain food items (which we have been told are mostly available over there, but I don't want to start off scrambling).
This is just the beginning, so stay tuned!
Restrictions
Everyone wants to know how Muslim this country is. Primarily Sunni, the culture seems tolerant of other religions. That being said, there will be certain sensitivities to observe, like covering our knees and shoulders (much more for me, but also for Russ). Sandals are not a problem, and I do not need to cover my head. Not obvious eating in public during the fasting month of Ramadan which will still be in effect for our first week. (I see several granola bars stashed in my purse for which I can be quite discreet). No pork or alcohol is allowed, not even vanilla extract. No nutmeg either as it is considered an aphrodisiac, which is actually something to think about.
The Arab Spring
Pretty low on the revolution radar. Government is a parliamentary constitutional monarchy, with an emir running the show. Things seem to run smoothly, and people appear to be satisfied, except for the tiny Bidun minority, who have been disenfranchised. Freedom of speech and other liberties remain to be seen, but overall it seems to be more liberal than its neighbors.
Our jobs
This is an American School which is similar to an International School but has an American curriculum. The school year starts in September and ends in June. On a two-year contract, for the first year, we will be coming back to the US in December during the holidays. That makes it a four month stint, followed by five and half months before the school sends us home for the summer (because of the heat). No snow days to make up. It is a massive school, with about 1800 students, K through 12. Russ will be teaching physics to small classes, and I will be the guidance counselor for 140 seniors (and then about the same number of juniors). The day is set up into four 90-minute classes, of which Russ will teach three, then alternating with four more classes the next day. the student population is 40% Kuwaiti, 30% American (embassy, military, oil), and 30% other nationalities.
Housing
We have a sunset-side fourteenth floor furnished apartment in a complex owned by the school. All of our neighbors are teachers. Thankfully there is a pool. Apparently, the complex hosts several activities - book clubs, bbq's, and other social events. The teachers come from all over the world, but I think the majority are from the US and Canada. I am pretty sure we can dress in whatever we like inside the walls.
Kuwait City
Of the three million residents in the country, two thirds are ex-pats, which makes for a very westernized city. Old world souks (outdoor markets) collide with high-end malls. There is an indoor ice skating rink, beaches (only the private one at the Hilton will allow western bathing suits), and workout gyms.
In terms of weather, it's hot (yes, a dry heat, like an oven). Currently, the average high is 118 F and the low is 91. I did not think it was possible to live in a place hotter than Namibia, but they are promising air conditioning everywhere we go. The heat stays until November when it slowly drops into freezing temps for a few months and then starts warming up again.
The US dollar is surprisingly strong against the dinar, which is a nice change from everywhere else in the world. We have been told that the cost of living is much like Manhattan.
Preparations
Crazy amount of things to do, but it is still not the summer of 2010 as we prepared to go to Botswana. Criminal background checks authenticated at the state and national level, and an obscene amount of lab tests are what we are working on now. Oh, and we need to buy clothes, sheets, and towels since we sold about everything we had in Botswana. We are also making sure that Russ is ready to go with supplements, meds, and certain food items (which we have been told are mostly available over there, but I don't want to start off scrambling).
This is just the beginning, so stay tuned!
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