How NOT to Die of Boredom on a Staycation in Kuwait.

How to Survive Another Kuwaiti Staycation.

1.) Be as dramatic as possible.

1.) Spend as much time outside as possible. Outside cafes. Walk to the beach. Walk on the beach. 

2.) Go to a new mall. That really is the main source of entertainment here. Good thing I saved one for just such an occasion.

3.) Go to a movie you know little about, on a whim. Then, regret it because of its assault of blood and gore (The Kingsman).

4.) Compulsively study Arabic on Memrise.

5.) Buy new digital music, learn to play a few songs.



6.) Read a few books.


7.) Go to a new church. Enjoy their worship.

8.) Indulge in a beverage and a treat at a coffeehouse, everyday.

9.) Do NOT add up the how much you have wasted on taxis and empty calories. 

10.) Write an additional blog post that no one should waste their time reading.  

Habits I Gained When I Moved to Kuwait.

1.) Consumer 'O Garbage.

I throw all of my garbage in the garbage can, which adds up at an alarming rate with the thick packaging they use at grocery stores and the fancy to-go containers I get with all my food deliveries. I always said recycling is something you can do for no cost and with minimal effort, but which feels so rewarding. There is nowhere to recycle in Kuwait, that I know of, so I've gotten where I don't even feel too guilty about it. I used to be such a sorter of trash and advocate of recycling.

2.) Food Delivery Orderer.

The first habit leads quite nicely into my next new practice. I regularly order food. It is fairly reasonably priced and simple to do. Maybe too simple, because the cost and the calories still add up. With a few taps on my iPad I can place my order and charge my credit card. One element of effort has recently been added to the mix. I now have to go downstairs to the front of my apartment to pick up my food order. This added security measure, calls for enough added exertion of energy that it has deter me from ordering a couple of times.

3.) Couch Potato.

I now lay comatose on the couch much more than pre-Kuwait. I am currently feeling lost as all the CIA shows I can stream, have been viewed. I rarely watched any TV before the move to Kuwait. The change is in part because this is teaching year number 1. Period. But additionally, my limited introvert's energy is depleted by the end of the day. I spend my words for the day on my students which leaves me a drained zombie. Nevertheless, I miss that self-righteous feeling I got from not having television as my norm.

Urban dictionary says a couch potato is a lazy person who does nothing but sit on the couch and watch television (see also sofa spud)

4.) I'm a Shut-In.  

shut-in
        noun:  1. One confined to one's home, as from illness.
Yep.

I'm allergic to stares and garbage.

I am being a bit dramatic, but even though the weather is at a near perfect 70 degrees fahrenheit this time of the year in Kuwait, I don't go outside. I don't want to revisit my walking woes but I'm thankful for my lifesaver-of-a treadmill. I made a point of getting out all most year-round in the (sometimes bitterly cold) Midwest, so making a habitual practice of staying inside is no small thing. I crave nature (Cottonwoods and sunsets) even tame nature (paved paths, flower gardens- any greenery!), but... My allergies are intense. 

Late Night Society.

People here go out at night. I can't tell you first hand that even children are still out at 11pm because I have not adopted this habit, but I hear things. Still a morning person here! On the weekend, in the mornings the malls are deserted, but watch out! by 4 pm everything is packed and the traffic is jammed. 
So, if Kuwait is a late night society. Why do we start school at 7 am? Very. Good. Question. (Yes, my students are often sleepy.)

Power Outages. 

Last Saturday night, the power went out in 80% of Kuwait for a couple of hours. The Kuwait Times reported the outage, "disrupted traffic, left people stuck in elevators and on Ferris wheels". I was at home and thought briefly about weather my food would defrost before falling to sleep. Thankfully, it was back on when I woke up, and my food was frozen solid. Oddly enough, the power went out country wide almost exactly a year prior, which makes my mind scramble for some sort of conspiracy theory. Hmm...?

Friendship Day. 

Valentine's Day is taboo here. Actually to be specific it is banned due to its non-Muslim roots. Though most don't- Think. Saint .Valentine. You know, the Roman priest who fought for the common people's right to be married- way back when. Valentine's Day has almost entirely lost its religious implications in this modern day though. So maybe they are actually banning the celebration of romantic love. Either way, we are not allowed to celebrate it at school. We had "Friendship Day". There were not any Valentines passed out. We celebrated Friendship Day by wearing red and pink and the student council sold roses. Insert shoulder shrug. Oddly, we can celebrate Christmas in Kuwait and in our classrooms.  

Sandstorm.

My experience in dust storms, thus far on this middle eastern journey, had been more of a dust fog; a recess cancelling, hair and skin coating rare occurrence. It had definitely been more mild than I expected. This past weekend though, there was an actual sandstorm. I was safely tucked away inside, but the videos and images I have seen, are awesome. Er... I mean scary.

National Day. 

"No other country is obsessed with their flag, like America." A foreign friend told me that many years ago, and it has always stayed with me. The idea was confirmed by others over the years. I believe they found this to be prideful and presumptuous of America. And I can understand that view. But those people have not been to Kuwait. This country is flag happy year round. And next weekend is their National holiday! So... wow. I love that they are proud of their country. The amount of flashy black, red, green and white gear currently in stores is impressive. I have my I love Kuwait baseball hat ready to wear to school and my classroom is boldly laced with mini flags (a student brought in some decorations).

Something a Little Different

You Don't Know if You Don't Ask.

Was celebrating the birthday of a friend, this week, at The Cheesecake Factory.  The server went to ask the manager if they had any free birthday deserts, per our request. He came to our table to tell us "no, but since you asked, okay". We got three huge deserts. Free!

Free Books and Movies.

The combination of the transient teacher population and pirated movie venders, create this: 

It's dusty and disorganized.  And just when you think you made out with a couple of treasures, you realize the DVD box is empty. But free is free.

I am about ready to dive in again to update my Chuck love. 

Arabic.  

I have resumed my Arabic lessons. I graduated from the Primer course to the Basic course.  Both are fancy ways to say Beginner level classes. 

My Thoughts About Arabic: 

Okay I get it. Arabic is written from left to right and each of the 27 characters represents one sound. okay, it's annoying but, I understand I have to know the initial, middle and ending ways to write each letter because many characters change their shape is they are connected to preceding or folowing letters. But WHY. Why do I have to pronounce characters that are not written and how? HOW am I suppose to instinctively know what the vowel vocalizations are when nobody actually adds them?

Sticky Fingers.
Someone in my class has sticky fingers.  Luckily nothing of great value has been taken, but candy, boxes of pencils, a gallon bag of glue sticks, my tape dispenser (they were very intrigued with it. ?) and most recently, one child's new Trash Pack collection have been lifted from my classroom.

Fads.

In the short 5 months we have been in school, I have seen 4 big fads pass through the student body.  The students are required to wear uniforms, so I am only referring to toy fads. It seems like I see a new item and then within two weeks, everyone has them. Here are the 4 prominent fads, in order of appearance. 

Loom Bands

Thinking Putty

Tiny magnets.  In my opinion, these should be outlawed. The boys are constantly making beards or nose rings which require one magnet in the mouth or nose.  Not safe. NOT SAFE. They have been outlawed from my class. 

Are these in America, too?

Something a Little Different.

Visited a Kuwaiti version of a farmer's market this weekend, Qout Market. It was on a rooftop of a downtown building.

Winter has Passed.

Yep. I guess we experienced a mild winter this year. And I guess it is now over. Sweet.

I am dubious that this was accurate.  On average it has been getting to around 77- 80 degrees fahrenheit.