We broke out of our weekend routine today by going with a group of other teachers down to the Chevron compound which is technically in a no-man's land in Saudi Arabia. As many of the kids there go to our school, they invited the teachers for a day at the beach. I am so glad we decided to go. For one, it was nice to completely forego any clothing restrictions. Secondly, it was amazing to swim in clean clear warm water, the clearest we have seen in this area. The sand was amazingly soft although too hot to walk on except down by the water. Temperatures topped out at 110F and Russ took the water temp at 86. however there were plenty of shade tents, although we spent a good amount of time in the water.
Our hosts were gracious and personable. We had a full barbeque with plenty of cold drinks. There were kayaks, snorkeling equipment for people wanting to go out to the small reef, and jetskis. I discovered that trying to waterski behind a wave runner is infinitely more difficult than going behind a boat. But Russ and I took out one of the wave runners to the sand bar and had a blast.
We walked the beach, collected shells and sand dollars, and lounged around with friends. It was maybe our most "normal" day here. We can't wait to go the Cape when we get home.
Back in the city earlier this week, I discovered Sears thanks to my friend Stephanie who has been raving about it for weeks. Not the Craftsman store we know back home by a long shot. I finally found a place here to buy clothes. It is just like a super TJ Maxx with brands, sizes, and prices familiar to what I'd find in the US. I found a few cute tops to revitalize my tired wardrobe and then went back with Maria another day and found a pair of sandals.
We are using the new Weber grills downstairs that the Residents' Association just purchased. While it's been hot during the day, it is quite pleasant outside and with the end of the school year quickly approaching, it really feels like summer.
Saturday, May 19, 2012
Friday, May 11, 2012
The social scene
(or more aptly, "what I have been eating lately")
Since it has been a month since my last post, I figured I was long overdue to write another. Since we returned from South Africa, there has been an increasingly steady stream of activities and things to do on the weekends.
A nice change.
It started when we set sail from Kuwait City with a group of friends on an Arab dhow one Thursday evening. The dust in the air was heavy which made for an eerie horizon as the sun tried to glow though the thick clouds. The spread of food was lavish - smoked salmon, shrimp, grilled chicken and steak, and a plethora of salads. The drinks flowed freely but rarely in excess; it seems everywhere we go, people bring a discreet flask or water bottle of their favorite booze to add to whatever mixers are available. Another evening, the owner of the school threw a party to resemble a wedding reception. This was to mark the end of our superintendent's tenure as he will be leaving shortly for a position in the States. In the courtyard of our apartment complex, there were round tables with ecru damask tablecloths and covered chairs. The expansive Lebanese banquet was presented with white glove service and the evening was rounded out with a DJ and dancing going into the wee hours. A rare opportunity to dress up.
Thursday is our Friday and there is a Chili's restaurant close by. A couple of times a few of us have stopped off for a happy hour of sorts. Unlimited chips and salsa is always a good way to start the weekend and somehow feels normal for this strange place we live in.
We do have friends outside of school and "the complex". Zehra works at the US Embassy in the visa office and Theo teaches at another school in the City. She has some outrageous stories about denying visas for Kuwaitis. We met them through our friend Aaron and we enjoyed having them over to dinner another weekend. I really do enjoy cooking for other people; we had tamale pie for which we even had leftovers. Previously, Zehra had invited us to an Embassy happy hour and we hope to see them again soon.
Where there is activity there is always food. It also seems as though we will either have people over once a week to eat with us or go over to someone else's place. Living in such close proximity to each other makes this easier and with such spontaneity. We have made some good friends here, truly a saving grace for us. Easily, we eat Lebanese fare two to three times a week - arabic bread, homemade hommos, a variety of olives, baba gannoush, fattoush salad, tabouleh, fava beans - that I know I will dearly miss over the summer.
Of course there is still the Hilton, although it has gotten too hot to walk there in the afternoons and evenings. Lying by the pool in the shade is still quite enjoyable and with the longer days, I find I have more energy to work out. We have moved into that part of the year where the air conditioning is on all the time as the temperatures easily go over 100 each day. The evenings are quite pleasant and I hope we will sit outside more (if the dust cooperates by just settling down)
Maria and I have done a fair amount of shopping, namely to the purse souq, where high quality knock-off bags proliferate. Most of the time, it is just fun to look. There are also fabric, jewelry, and furniture souqs or markets.
Tonight is game night over at Nancy's featuring a potluck, and tomorrow we might close out the weekend with a small barbeque. Best to also plan to go to the gym and work some of this off!
Since it has been a month since my last post, I figured I was long overdue to write another. Since we returned from South Africa, there has been an increasingly steady stream of activities and things to do on the weekends.
A nice change.
It started when we set sail from Kuwait City with a group of friends on an Arab dhow one Thursday evening. The dust in the air was heavy which made for an eerie horizon as the sun tried to glow though the thick clouds. The spread of food was lavish - smoked salmon, shrimp, grilled chicken and steak, and a plethora of salads. The drinks flowed freely but rarely in excess; it seems everywhere we go, people bring a discreet flask or water bottle of their favorite booze to add to whatever mixers are available. Another evening, the owner of the school threw a party to resemble a wedding reception. This was to mark the end of our superintendent's tenure as he will be leaving shortly for a position in the States. In the courtyard of our apartment complex, there were round tables with ecru damask tablecloths and covered chairs. The expansive Lebanese banquet was presented with white glove service and the evening was rounded out with a DJ and dancing going into the wee hours. A rare opportunity to dress up.
Thursday is our Friday and there is a Chili's restaurant close by. A couple of times a few of us have stopped off for a happy hour of sorts. Unlimited chips and salsa is always a good way to start the weekend and somehow feels normal for this strange place we live in.
We do have friends outside of school and "the complex". Zehra works at the US Embassy in the visa office and Theo teaches at another school in the City. She has some outrageous stories about denying visas for Kuwaitis. We met them through our friend Aaron and we enjoyed having them over to dinner another weekend. I really do enjoy cooking for other people; we had tamale pie for which we even had leftovers. Previously, Zehra had invited us to an Embassy happy hour and we hope to see them again soon.
Where there is activity there is always food. It also seems as though we will either have people over once a week to eat with us or go over to someone else's place. Living in such close proximity to each other makes this easier and with such spontaneity. We have made some good friends here, truly a saving grace for us. Easily, we eat Lebanese fare two to three times a week - arabic bread, homemade hommos, a variety of olives, baba gannoush, fattoush salad, tabouleh, fava beans - that I know I will dearly miss over the summer.
Of course there is still the Hilton, although it has gotten too hot to walk there in the afternoons and evenings. Lying by the pool in the shade is still quite enjoyable and with the longer days, I find I have more energy to work out. We have moved into that part of the year where the air conditioning is on all the time as the temperatures easily go over 100 each day. The evenings are quite pleasant and I hope we will sit outside more (if the dust cooperates by just settling down)
Maria and I have done a fair amount of shopping, namely to the purse souq, where high quality knock-off bags proliferate. Most of the time, it is just fun to look. There are also fabric, jewelry, and furniture souqs or markets.
Tonight is game night over at Nancy's featuring a potluck, and tomorrow we might close out the weekend with a small barbeque. Best to also plan to go to the gym and work some of this off!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)