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.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
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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