Photos and a Few Thoughts, From Kuwait.

Thanksgiving.
Enjoyed celebrating Thanksgiving with some of my sweet, fun colleagues.

Good people, good food and games = smiles.

Two Monthly Book clubs. 

Participating in two clubs gets me reading books I may not otherwise choose to read on my own.

My apartment building's (I can go in my slippers!), last month's, book club read: City of Lies: Sex, Death, and the Search for Truth in Tehran. Yeah, I only made it half way. That was enough of those true stories for me.

This month's read: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. I know, we DO read a wide range of books. I've never read an Agatha Christie book.   

Heading to the in-my-apartment-building book club.

In the other club, last month, we read The Paradise Guest House, a novel that takes place in Bali, Indonesia. This month: The Snow Child by Ivey Eowyn.

Of course we eat at both meetings.

The Novelty of Running.

I'm still enjoying running. It still feels novel and like a major accomplishment. But, my sensitive knee, has been limiting me. 

In November, I ran my first 10K.

Really Random Stuff.

I am not creative enough to even try to tie this stuff together.

Tim Horton's now sets up a stand at our school every Thursday morning, before school!

I snapped this, from my window, at the end of September.

January 8th. I'm not thrilled.

Wherever they are, I love sunsets.

My school has an amazing canteen.
"I say cafeteria, you say canteen."
I eat these stuffed grape leaves a lot! 

Arabic.

This, beautiful, language is Arabic!

Graduation from another class.  I am still a beginning beginner though.
(You just don't need to see me that up close, again!)

How awesome is this. I haven't made the purchase, yet, though. Hmm...

Christmas.

Got to do a small service project with friends. The note below is in, beautiful, Sinhalese. A language spoken in Sri Lanka.

The things that amuse me. The tree in my classroom.

My adorable, not-so-secret, admirer.

Wrapping it Up.

I wish I was at Pizza Express now.
I ♥️ food pictures.

I'm Actually here: at the new Starbuck's, in my neighborhood.

Next up: Home for the Holidays. Nebraska.

My Nemesis, Holidays and Shopping

My Classroom Nemesis

Hate how I'm thinking about what I despise at this time of thanksgiving. Loom bands are not my friends. 

I cannot control the itsy-bitsy weapons. At first I found them annoying because students were always taking off the bracelets and playing with them. But my feelings have definitely escalated to a very intense dislike. Confiscating and throwing away the culprits doesn't help because they have so little value to the owners. Threatening to tell the vice principal in my toughest voice was my second tactical defense er... offense. I'm wondering how my behavioral reports listed as "Other: Repeatedly shooting loom bands" are being received.

Thankswhat?

Yes, we work on the American holiday of Thanksgiving at this American School.

A new restaurant in our vicinity that typically serves southern cuisine was offering a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Besides white or dark turkey and our 3 choices of sides, homemade stuffing was put on everyone's plate, but mine. I am pretty sure it was just an oversight, but I may not recover from the slight, until I make and eat my own. I would have asked for some, but it got busy and the owner and servers seemed overwhelmed. The meal also came with a choice of desert. I had a piece of amazing pecan pie. All in all, it was nice. It cost 35 dollars.

Black Friday Shopping

Black Friday is evidently not a thing here (since there is no Thanksgiving holiday that makes sense). Not that I did too much shopping on that day in the states anyway. I was typically content to be the designated babysitter/ sleeper.

This year, coincidentally, I did go shopping in Kuwait during America's Black Friday shopping.

Thus the previous logo quiz post.

Surprisingly Christmas-y 

Our school calendar calls our 2 week end-of-December break, Winter Break, but my students refer to Christmas often, Christmas trees are not uncommon and you can even buy nativity sets at Carrefour.  

Holiday and Christmas bazaars are common nowadays, as well. I bought these 2 at a bazaar today:

Staying Cool in Kuwait

I brought my own nativity set from Nebraska. I guess it's about time to put it and my little glass Christmas tree out. I actually have an artificial tree for my classroom (left by a former teacher), too.

Thankful

In an effort to end on a more positive note. This. A picture I snagged from my aunt, of yesterday's amazing Nebraskan sunset.

I know this view well. Breathtaking.

And this. From the only book, not in the bible, I have read 4 times. 

That would be Ann Voskamp's, One Thousand Gifts. Love it. Obviously.