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.
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).
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.
Baking in a Foreign Country. You convert grams to cups and meticulously measure. You use foresight to buy and bring a Fahrenheit temperature gauge from America. Your experience warned you that your foreign oven will either have a Celsius gauge or, more likely, no way to measure how hot it is. And still they don't turn out. Those chocolate chip cookies you wanted to make for your book club are just okay, even though you spring for the brand name chips, the expensive butter and the rare, and thus, pricey brown sugar. Is it because the oven heats differently, because of the strong molasses aroma of the sugar, or maybe quality and price of butter don't match? Who knows. I sure don't. As a baker I hate extending energy and not getting perfection. In that regard, my book club baking was a fail. Baking in a foreign land.
Book Club.
Book Club was great though. I squeaked through it and had to call in sick the next day but that was not a result of the meeting or the baking. (And we did eat all the cookies.)
Next month we are reading:
I've never heard of it, but I'm up for it.
In March it will be:
Calling in Sick/ Teaching without a Voice.
At the end of the day, my patience is thin and student's attention is waning. I had laid out his 2 choices, 1) stop blurting during the lesson or 2) continue to blurt. If he did the first he could remain in class, the second would result in leaving. He chose the latter so I told him go sit with the class across the hall. He began to argue, so, in my most serious do-NOT-argue-with-me voice I said "Go!" What came out was a chipmunk chirp. Everyone was quiet but, I couldn't help breaking into a smile and so the entire class fell into hysteria. Minus my 2 sensitive children who were telling everyone, "It's not nice to laugh at the teacher." They were also the ones who offered to read for me, asked if I needed water, and looked intently concerned the entire day. The poor choice making boy left the class and I called in sick the next morning.
Free Medicine
Here when I send a child to the nurse, (I have to write a very specific pass EVERY time, but I digress,) the children actually get medicine provided by the school. *Bonus. So do I. I got some awesome, numbing cough drops which I was too lazy and cheap to get for myself. Snow Day. I pinned this to my Middle East Pinterest board way back thinking, funny. Though applicable for Nebraska, it's ironic for Kuwait.
But in the middle of winter, in Kuwait, I did just receive 2 unexpected days off. It will never have a cute poster on Pinterest though. "Due to the Saudi king's unfortunate death there will be no school for students and faculty..."
A little more about that here: The King of Saudi Arabia, King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz, died Friday at the age of 90 from a lung infection. Many Arab nations, including Kuwait, announced a period of mourning. All government ministries have shut down for three days. The king was an ally during the Gulf war. His brother, in his late 70's and also reportedly not of the best health, is the new king. I read an article reporting that no policies or political changes are expected to take place in the kingdom. Buying an Abaya. Because of the above, my planned Old Kuwait City tour was also a cancelled this weekend. Boo. Instead I went to a Souk(market) and purchased an abaya, hijab and nicab, all in black. An abaya is the long sleeved, loose fitting dress women often wear outside over their clothes. The hijab is the scarf you use to cover your head and the niqab is the square that goes across your face, only showing your eyes. All three pieces are sold separately. At least, that was the case in the ones I purchased. I've heard it is wise just to have one in case of an emergency.
Do you know how to wear a hijab? Well if you are curious, check out this video:
Send me a picture if you try it out. :)
About the above picture: I have never seen a burqa here. Chadors are rare. Hijabs are the most common, but Niqabs (worn with the hijab) is also quite common, though I've never personally talked to anyone with one on.
Biweekly.
I have been grappling with the idea of only publishing my blog every other week, or biweekly. Because I just don't have many novel things to share anymore. I then wondered, Biweekly? Wait, does that mean once every two weeks or twice a week? There is a big difference between those.
Quick Google search reveals:
adjective & adverb
1. appearing or taking place every two weeks or twice a week. For example, "a biweekly bulletin".
Well. That clears things right up.
Regardless, I'm planning to publish every other week from now on.
Blame it on the Culture Shock. Being outside, in my neighborhood, just makes me grumpy. Why the garbage? Why the noise, people, the chaos? Why the stares!?
Routine. I've slid into a bit of a monotonous after-school routine. It involves television, ordering food, my couch and my treadmill. I wish I was picking up my guitar more often and ordering out a bit less but, for now, it's working for me.
After winter break, I decided I needed to make a couple changes. I now sleep in. Until 4:00 am. So I'm sleeping 50 minutes a day later than the first part of the school year. Because of this, I catch the second bus provided by the school. They actually provide 4 every morning just for us. One at 5:15 am(the one I used to catch), one at 5:45 am and two at 6:00 am. I also try my best to catch the 3:00 pm bus home. VPNs are Awesome. If they had VPNs when I lived overseas before, I didn't know it. I bought one. It convinces nbc.com, hulu.com, etc. that I am in America. Did you know those sites don't work outside of America? How else am I going to show my hometown pride by watching The Blacklist. The creator is from my hometown and, last I heard, still living there.
Travel Plans I have a couple upcoming trips planned. I'll embark on a weekend getaway to Dubai, United Arab Emirates, in March. I've also signed up for some pretty extravagant April travel, in India. Going to see the Taj Mahal. I spent time in India back in 2009 but I was only in the south. This 7 day luxury vacation will be vastly different than that 7 week service trip.
One of the things that got me on the plane headed back to Kuwait and responsibility was knowing my destination was warmer. It was over 70 degrees Fahrenheit in Kuwait during winter break and for the first few days I was back. But right now my neck and head are bundled up in an attempt to stay warm in my apartment. The high tomorrow is only 59 degrees Fahrenheit. There is central heating in my apartment but it's not working. I need to get someone up here to fix it. It is 60.8 degrees in my apartment according to my thermostat and I'm c-c-cold.
Not me, but pretty similar.
NOT ME, in any way.
Culture shock I think I am past the honeymoon phase of culture shock in Kuwait. Things don't seem as exciting as when I first arrived. Since a few things are ruffling my feathers; getting under my skin; rubbing me the wrong way, I will steer clear of sharing too much, Kuwait, this week.
Looks like it may get worst if this graph is accurate.
Very relevant for short term trips
Book Club There is a new book club in our community. I am hosting the first meeting. We are reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed. You know the movie that just came out with Reese Witherspoon- that book. Here is the way we are running it: since I volunteered to host this month, I get to pick the book we read, come up with a few questions and invite the members to my apartment for the meeting. We read the book before we meet. Next month we repeat with a new host and book. I'm curious how many of those initially interested will turn out. It is understandably hard to read during the school year for a lot of teachers. Secret Group We have a secret group for our community where we share info, ask questions about the city/ school and sell/buy things. I asked if anyone would be interested in selling a treadmill. I knew it was the worst time to ask, at the beginning of the year, with New Year's resolutions and such. But I got one! I guess it is a gift to myself for Christmas. Let's not point out the many other things I could consider gifts to myself including trips to Hungary and The Czech Republic. (Why do I always want to say The Czech Republic?)
Random picture. See the Egyptian pillow cases?
Gift from a student. Love how colorful they are.
My spare bedroom with my treadmill.
Trying to use the panorama to capture the teeny room.
BTW, no closets thus the wardrobes.
Gifts This was a week of gifts. I got some more extravagant chocolate, Turkish delight and homemade Christmas cookies(from Nebraska!). They were late Christmas(my sister and her family and my grandpa) and New Years gifts(I think) from students. The Fitbit I got from my sister, came the day after I bought my treadmill. It's a tiny pedometer that counts the steps you walk. What a great match. So, now I can go walking in Kuwait. I could also RUN on it, but...
