Sum, Sum Summertime.

I'm having a hard time organizing my words of late. Let's blame it on jet lag. I have woke up at 3:30 am every morning since returning to the sand box. Regardless of when I go to sleep and if I take, or skip, my beloved naps.

So, instead of many words I am going to do another photo dump of sorts. 

-Today summertime.

-Tomorrow new-apartment/excited-to-be-back-stuff.

I already blogged about beautiful Budapest and Rome so I'll take off from there. 

California

California born, though not so-much raised, I do have a special connection with the place. My dad now lives in vacation paradise, so I am the lucky recipient of free room and board in this breathtaking location:

California allotted me much time for beauty hunting(above) and reflection(below). Here is a little scroll through some of the latter.

Colorado
Today was kinda representative of life...Who am I to see and experience so much beauty. Mom you were right, "Life is not fair." I don't deserve such goodness and beauty. Overwhelmed. God you are the best artist!

-Reflections as I drove through Colorado. After spending 2 weeks in California, a month in Nebraska, a week in Hungary and 3 days in Rome. #cannotbeleivethisismylife

Nebraska

I once said everyone needs to move away to see how much people love and appreciate them. But I am there again. Feeling blessed.

#internationalteachersmoveawayeveryyear

I need to go back to Kuwait so I stop spending so much money! I left with one large suitcase and I returned with 2 large suitcases and a carry-on. I think I bought 3 of every health and beauty product and clothing article I may not be able to get in Kuwait.

-My thoughts as I weighed, re-arranged and had to take things out of my overweight suitcases. 

#whathappenedtogetrichfastwantless

#whathappenedtolivesimplysoothrescansimplylive

I also brought back puzzles and games. Game nights, here I come!

Carried this heavy book around all summer and have yet to open it.  School starts here September 2nd.

Our state motto is "The Good Life". And that is true. A good life made up of good people and beautiful landscapes.

Describe Nebraska in one word? 
"All I got is, home."

Today was summertime.

Tomorrow will be new-apartment/excited-to-be-back-in-Kuwait-stuff.

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.

Speechless

The time has come. I don't have anything to say. I could tell you about the operatic Verdi Requiem I went to where I almost dozed off in the second row, since it started at my usual bedtime. And how I sat right behind the Danish ambassador. But as much as I know it was good quality, I still don't care for opera, so I can't gush about it. It was pretty cool to see the symphony up close like that though.

I could go on about how I'm really into this Iranian chicken at the moment. How that and my falafel pita sandwiches are just amazing. 

How I spent a lazy Saturday on the beach, reading in the sun. 

How as I write this, I am here and this is happening (I'm actually too lazy today to post the video but the fountain is synchronized to music.)

How I did find a beautiful place to walk that is 40 minutes one way. Now that is actually noteworthy. 

But none of it feels too exciting and all I really do is work, talk about work, think about work and dream about work.

Until next week. Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

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.

We Come from 6 Nations, We are Loud and We Talk a Lot.

Goals

I haven't been doing too well on my blog announced goals.  Visit 360 mall, Walk to the gulf from my apartment, and Workout 3 times a week- are still unmet. 

This week I have an excuse. Progress Reports happened. Friday was not a weekend day here, this week, either.

I did go to Marina mall and I watched the Giver. 

Did my grocery shopping at a grocery store within an even different new-to-me mall.

Felt strange taking my shopping cart up in the elevator.

Want to make pumpkin and leaf shaped sugar cookies for my class.
This new cookie sheet it too big for my oven, though.

Juice. It's cheap and there are so many varieties.

I got my passport back so I could travel during the upcoming break. So happy to have that option, but I don't think I'm going anywhere. I'd be going just to go, not because I feel like a new adventure yet.  

Things I've noticed
-No recycling options available. I've yet to hear of any place where I can take recycling. So I'm throwing away tin cans and plastic bottles and bags like its the 50's. It feels very wrong. 

- Golden Raisins are made from green grapes and they taste a little like crasins. My package says 'Fancy'.

-In Kuwait we use tissue as napkins. Like literally. The first day of school meetings, we used a box of tissue for napkins, at lunch, and I thought that is resourceful.  But it's normal.

A Small World

A student in the class next to me is from Nebraska. 

I ran into a Hungarian family on my Grand mosque tour last week.

Oh and for a tie in- As a Nebraskan drank her coffee at Kuwait's Marina mall Starbucks, she heard the song Budapest by George Ezra.

Coolest Starbucks wall. Ever.

School Stuff
I still get up work days at 3:10am and catch the 5:10am bus. I usually return home around 4pm.

Snapped this as I was waiting for the bus to leave in the morning.

We have two maids on our floor at school. They are there to clean the bathrooms and classrooms, as needed. They're wonderful. I find it interesting though that they douse the whole bathroom in water every morning. Then they squeegee it up.

People wear sunglasses here even inside. This makes it even harder to remember who is whose parent. Head coverings and sunglasses.

Broken Record

My kids are constantly starting their notebooks from the back.

Me- "When we are working in English, we start our notebooks from this side.(showing)"

I sound a bit like a broken record on many topics.

Me- "When you want to get the teacher's attention calmly raise your hands and...."  

Me- "1, 2, 3 eyes on me..." (Students-"1,2 eyes on you")

Daily Reflections

Sunday

Students- "It's picture day today? What!?" 

11 of them didn't realize it was picture day. Hmm. Is anybody reading my weekly newsletters?

Monday 

All 24 of my students have finally arrived back from summer break. We come from 6 nations, we are loud and we like to talk. A lot. 

At the end of the day, I have a throbbing so-tired-of-hearing-my-own-nagging headache. I decide I give this 2 years, and then I'll switch to learning support (aka smaller groups). 

Tuesday

Me- "It's a very exciting day today." drumroll... "It's the first day of fall!"- audible groans. They thought bobbing for apples sounded fun, though.

Wednesday

Me - "This is the best day ever, I love my job; my kids are angels and I got a new classroom rug(I'll have to take a picture)!" I decide I would do this for free.

Upcoming
No new goals for this week. Today, I am starting Arabic lessons.