My Eid al-Adha Stay-cation

It has been a while since my last posting so this one is going to be long. Get your popcorn ready!!

Since my last posting, I've been able to actually be a tourist in Kuwait and see a few sights. Instead of leaving the country during my first Eid al-Adha holiday, I decided to do a stay-cation. For those that don't know what a stay-cation is, it's a vacation spent at home and involving day trips to local attractions. 

Oh let me explain what Eid al-Adha is. Eid al-Adha, also called Feast of the Sacrifice, is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to honor the willingness of the prophet Abraham to sacrifice his young first-born son Ishmael as an act of submission to God's command and his son's acceptance to being sacrificed, before God intervened to provide Abraham with a ram to sacrifice instead. Affluent Muslims who can afford sacrifice their best halal domestic animals as a symbol of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his only son. The meat from the sacrificed animal is divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbors; and the other third is given to the poor and needy. The regular charitable practices of the Muslim community are demonstrated during Eid al-Adha by concerted efforts to see that no impoverished person is left without an opportunity to partake in the sacrificial meal during these days. 

It was a true culture shock to see trucks full of sheep or rams on the road headed to various households. All I could think was poor little baby sheep. 

The school's elementary students did an awesome job depicting the annual Hajj.

Now to my stay-cation!!! I checked into Hotel Ibis in Kuwait City so that I could be close to the two things I love about the city, the seaside and the architecture. 

The skyline is beautiful at night. Below are pictures from one of the many malls in the city. I truly believe this country has more malls than any place I've ever traveled to. 

Me and a few other teachers took a guided tour of the Grand Mosque of Kuwait. The art and woodwork inside the Mosque is beautiful. The pictures that I took provides no justice for them. The calligraphy art pieces are very intricate and has great meaning. There are no images or statues inside a mosque. They are decorated with patterns and words from the Qu'ran, hence the calligraphy. 

 Yes, I had to wear a hijab while touring the Mosque. I thought it was going to be heavy and hot but it was actually rather cool and free flowing.

 The picture below is the Prophet Muhommad's name using calligraphy.

  "Bismillah Allahu Arbar" meaning God is the Greatest. This one was my favorite of them all.

 A minaret is a tall tower the muezzen climbs to call the Muslims to prayer.

During my stay-cation, I took a ride to Failaka Island. 

 Failaka Island is an island of Kuwait that was attacked by Iraq during Desert Storm. There is an area of the island that is left in ruins with a few of our tanks and other machinery.

 Here is a bank that was attacked and robbed during the attack. Kuwait had to change their official currency because so much of their money was stolen by Iraqi Troops.

 Beautiful sunset view from the island. It was so impressive in person. We were able to see the skyline eclipsing the sun as it set. Priceless if I say so myself.

Thank you for taking the time to read about my adventures in Kuwait. Please feel free to post a comment in the section below. Hopefully there isn't a huge gap in between my next posting. 

As-salamu alaykum

Church in Kuwait

So, I went to my first of many church services in Kuwait. It was far from what I expected. For all my Memphis folks, it was like a scaled down version of a service at Life Church.
They have multiple services and locations. They even have a little area for youth services.

The Kuwaiti Praise and Worship Team were on it. They had the monitors with the words scrolling on it, dude in the back was rocking on the Bass, and the drums reminded me of Brother Scott (congrats on the wedding).

I went looking for a word from God and I did receive it. The congregation was mostly American teachers from a few of the schools in Kuwait. I was amazed at the number of Kuwaiti Christians in attendance. The pastor and his wife are from Virginia and she enjoyed talking to me and the girls from North Carolina because we were probably the only ones who understood her southern accent.

No matter where I go to church, there is always something that stands out or make me laugh and I found it at Lighthouse. There were two Kuwaiti men sitting behind us during service that had some golden voices. I wanted to turn around and just stare at them. Those baritones were lifting their voices to the high heavens. It made me chuckle at bit.

I look forward to attending the Harvest Festival in November and worshiping with them again.

Until next time...

KL

Kuwait Quirks

A quirk is defined as a peculiarity of behavior; an idiosyncrasy, an unpredictable or unaccountable act or event. This country has many!!!

1. No tissue in the public restrooms. If there is tissue, it's one big roll on the wall outside of the stalls. Don't be in a rush to go cause you gotta stop and grab some tissue or you will be in TROUBLE. 

2. Speaking of tissue: don't put it in the toilet when you are done. Apparently their sewage system isn't quite ready for tissue yet. WTF!!!! I keep forgetting. Oh and why is there no Cottonelle over here? I don't think I can get use to not having Cottonelle. I was told that I am an official "Bougie A$$" Hey I like what I like. 

3. (Ladies Only) They don't sell tampons with applicators. Again, WTF!!! You would have to go to the pharmacy and get them. With that being said, why is there a huge section of "liners" and a small shelf for DIY tampons?  

4. Tattooed eyebrows are a big thing here. I've never seen so many perfect thick black eyebrows in my life. These women don't play when it comes to their faces. I didn't think they would be as fashionable as they are and I'm talking High Fashion honey. Don't let the hijabs fool you.

5. Traffic signs are merely a suggestion. Today the cab driver was driving into one way traffic to merge onto the highway. I was so scared I let out a silent scream. I think Kuwait holds the world record for most accidents. I will not attempt to drive while I am here. 

6. Hygiene is another unpredictable event here. Umm, you never know what you are going to get standing next to someone. And they are not afraid of germs by any means. I had to make my students stop sharing food because they are so gross with it. I couldn't look at them touch and share food another day. 
Today I was in the meat department about to get a cut of beef and the butcher let out the loudest sneeze without attempting to cover anything. The spirit of  Suzanne got in me but the Lord held my tongue. My co-worker and I looked at each other  like "I know he just didn't do that?" We went straight pass his nasty meat section. 

I've been here close to a month and these few things stood out rather quickly. There will be more to come as I explore more of this sandy nation.

P.S. If you want to send a care package, you know what to put in it based on this post. No DIY Tampons Please!!!!

Terms and Conditions

If you have every downloaded or purchased just about anything you have come across the dreaded "Terms and Conditions". We all check the box that says we agree blah blah blah but we never read it. Well I sat down and read the terms and conditions from my new handbook and a few stood out.

DON'T DO IT

Please don't feed any cats you find on campus...really don't feed the cats but what about the dogs.
We are a GUM FREE CAMPUS...so you saying I can't chew gum at all, not even on my break.
Please don't accept gifts over 15KD ($55.00). Teachers may accept small gifts, chocolates, flowers, etc. but are not permitted to accept expensive gift... by small gifts, do you mean small in size or price. What if they get me something large but was on sale? I can't stop a parent from getting me a small pair of Chanel earrings because I taught their child how to read and add. I have already been offered to go shopping with a couple of parents. I tried to turn them down but they insisted, I didn't want to be rude.
Don't give test copies to students in return for financial benefits...the kids are richer than the teachers and will make sure we are well aware of that fact. What I look like giving my 3rd graders a printout of an alphabet chart in exchange for a few bucks? Guess that rule applies to high school teachers.

The other terms and conditions were typical rules to go by when working with students but those listed above just had to be addressed.

I'm still working on my "First Week of School" posting. I hope this one tides you over until then.

K.L.

First day of school

It's Sunday September 16th and I'm up at 4:00 A.M. preparing for my first day of school. You read that correct, Sunday. Their work week is Sun through Thurs. Things shut down on Friday and Saturday.
Now it's not like I've never taught before but I'm in another country with a different set of rules and regulations.
In essence, I'm teaching the same type of class I taught in America for three years but their definition of low function is a little bit different from ours. I didn't get a chance to see their files but I can only imagine what I will see in just a few hours. 

Finally, I have arrived in Kuwait!!!

WOW, this long process is 99% over. Yes I said 99% because now I have issue with my NOC but more on that later.
My first impression of the country, other than the stereotypical thoughts, is it's nicer than I expected. Yes it's hot, windy, and extremely busy here. I didn't expect for so much to be going on at all hours of the night and day.

 I flew Etihad Airlines. If you ever get to fly to the Middle East you MUST fly with them. Nicest flight ever and the First and Business Class Pods are NICE!!!!

 This is the view from my apartment. I don't have any curtains yet so all of the sunlight is getting in. We are living far away from the city center and Dasman, so it seems no matter where I live I'm a suburban girl.

 The picture above is my view from work. The school is right across the street from the Gulf. That's an added bonus.

My living quarters are decent but lack that home feeling, nothing a trip to the supermarket can't fix.

 The classrooms in my building are very similar to typical American classes, they are just missing the technology we take for granted. I walked in and the first thing I noticed was the one computer on my desk and no projector. The projector was 80% of my teaching in American since we didn't have textbooks I would just go to Google and show the kids what I was talking about.  

My class is similar to the class I taught in America. It's a self-contained low level class. I currently have 5 students on my roll, more are expected to come as the week goes on. I'm learning that no matter where you go parents will register their children when they feel like it.

The school is a mixture of a few old buildings with newer ones connected.

If I knew then...

Why didn't anyone tell me that getting there was going to cost me an arm, leg, and a pint of blood?
Oh my word, I'm glad I had a few coins stashed away or I would be still here. I guess if I want to see the world I need to pay a small fee. The paperwork process is nothing to bat an eye at either. As I type this I'm waiting for that to end. I still don't have a flight scheduled for that very reason.

Oh, now I have to tell everyone I'm leaving. Facebook won't reach everyone because not everyone has it, shocker I know. Not to mention I'm still teaching while I'm here. Somebody has to make the money to pay for all these shots and overnight mailing.

What was I thinking?!?!?

If all things work out properly, in a few weeks, I will be packing my life and moving to another country for a year. I've accepted a teaching position in the Middle East and I've been having mixed feelings about it since June. By now, I could have had my house packed and my ticket in hand but I hesitated for a few reasons. Now I'm rushing to get things done. I am still working at my home school as if nothing will change for me.

I'm overwhelmed with the amount of paperwork and money it takes to travel overseas. I wish I had known how much I needed just to visit the doctor and get a health certificate. That was a shock to me and my bank account. Since I waited til the last minute to get things done, I'm not sure if I will be able to leave when scheduled. My emotions are all over the place! I'm excited, nervous, scared, and whatever other emotions one can have when on the verge of taking a major step in their live.

As my journey progresses I'll keep whoever reads this updated and from time to time ask for prayers and words of encouragement. Maybe even a care package or two.

When I finish my paperwork I will let you know.

K.L.