It's E Break

Language Learning

I started a Primer Arabic class. It's the class before Beginners. Lol. So, I got my first back to front book, wrote my notes from right to left, learned 5 letters and 2 phrases including their appropriate replies. I'm taking the classes at the AWARE, Advocates for Western Arab Relations, center. I also picked up this watercolor, on a whim.

#firstdaymomento

We meet once a week for 6 weeks, but not this week. 

Staycation

It's E break or Eid. There are a few Eids, this one is Eid Al-Adha and it is a remembering/ celebrating of Abraham's willingness to, and God's provision of, a sacrifice.  I hear, it's one of the most important religious holidays.

 

I'm still feeling good about not going anywhere for break. I didn't feel like going anywhere else right now. I'm tired and I already booked my Budapest and Prague trip for December. Most of the other new teachers are having fun in Dubai, right now, though.

New Things

Food

Halloumi, cheese you can grill, is awesome. Halloumi, hummus and falafel are on my current food favs list. Yogurt, too. Thick, plain yogurt is common and inexpensive here. Tried Hawala, but it is not on that list.

Sometimes I just buy things because they seem weird. 

Hair

I got my first hair cut in Kuwait. It's hard for me to say what I want ina  hair cut anywhere, so to someone who speaks broken English, or probably more accurately just English from an Asian country, it's even more difficult. Long story short, it's fine, it's just hair.  

There is an upscale salon close to our apartment that is 20 KD for a haircut, which is 70 dollars. Most of the new teachers have just went there. Many have said that's about what they pay in the states. Well, I go to the cheap haircutting chains and pay around 15 dollars, so to me it seems steep to spend that much on my hair.  I went somewhere else and paid 3 KD. Though I paid 2 KD for a taxi ride and 1 KD for a tip.  All and all, I paid 6 KD, or 21 dollars (each Kuwaiti Dinar is worth $3.50). 

Recycling

It's ironic because I don't know of anywhere I can take things to be recycled, but I visited this park made of recycled stuff.

Tree love. My hometown is the Sandhill crane capital of the world, says one sign.
But, maybe this is a flamingo. Which would make more sense, for Kuwait.

Movie theater, mini soda cans, and a Toll House cafe.

Things I miss

Walking

Before I came, I was worried of feeling isolated because the norm for me is to go places alone and to walk outside... alone. Well I can go places alone and I don't feel too isolated because I can schedule a driver, or call one and they'll pick me up in 20 minutes. But, I do miss my walks! It's not like you can't walk to places but, you walk on garbage sprinkled sand (there are no sidewalks in our neighborhood), I get stared at and undoubtedly one of the many clusters of foreign men will try to talk to me. I've also been hearing safety warnings from different taxi drivers. Not to mention it is still over 100 degrees every day. :(

Maybe I'll get a treadmill. It won't be the same, but it would be something. If I wait, I can buy a cheap one from a teacher who is leaving. 

Fall

I miss trees and grass and fresh cool air. And I know it's fall, my favorite time of the year, in much of the world right now. Technically it is fall here, too.

Fall in Kuwait does not look like this.

Or this.

These sum up my fall, so far.

School

School has been in session for 23 days. 

After break, there will be 47.5 more school days until Christmas break (minus an in-service and parent teacher conferences). Kind of wish I hadn't figured that out. Those are kind of depressing numbers.

We Like Each Other

I still spend too much time waiting for my class to get quiet, but we like each other, we have fun and we learn stuff.