Time to update and crazy taxi drivers

Ok, so I got away from posting to this blog for a very long time. I apologize to those who were faithfully following me here. I can make the excuse that I was busy with school, I can say that I began using facebook to post to because so many people were on that it became a convenient way to stay in touch with many people, and all would be true, but whatever my reason, I have decided that I will try again and attempt to be a bit more consistent. Partly, because I think about experiences and then I forget about them later, and this is a good way to keep track and take notes.

My daughter Elaine says it is also a good way for her to know about what is happening and follow me because the pictures and posts give her a better idea of my life here, so Elaine, this is for you, and for everyone else who has commented that I have neglected my blog.

I returened to Kuwait on September 2, 2010. I left the US on the 1st. Returning was quite different than the first time I arrived. To be honest, I hadn't really expected for there to be a big culture shock for me the first time I came, because I had travelled quite a bit, but from the moment I stepped off the plane it was very different from my past experiences and it was a challenge I am the first to admit. This year, the familiarity made it so much easier from arrival in the airport, to school, to knowing people here, to knowing where I lived and seeing friends and familiar faces.

The weather of course is the same "hot", the dust and sand are the same "dusty and sandy", the school is the same, my classes are mostly the same, but I have many more 9th grade and many fewer older students.

The taxis are the same and the drivers are the same. Most taxis that I take on "the run" are usually run down, decorated with some individual (sometimes ornate) expression of the driver and generally reflects whatever country he is from. They seem to have a common theme and are usually questionable as to: Will they make it to their destination? So far (since I have been here) I have had drivers from Yemen, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, Indonesia and the Philippines. Most are nice, but occasionally you meet one who is very cranky. Good thing I don't understand their language at times. I had one taxi driver yelling at me all the way from one of the outlying malls to near my apartment. I finally talked him in to stopping and I walked the rest of the way. He was giving me a headache. If you find a driver you like, it is best to keep their number and use them whenever you can. The driving habits of some are crazy even on the Kuwait driving scale which has it's own system of degrees of craziness. One of my friends says that when you take a random taxi you better start praying!

As crazy as the driving is here, I don't see a lot of road rage, and there does seem to be some method to the madness. They understand the system and they all follow the same unspoken rules (for the most part). They would all be issued tickets at home. Your sense of normal completely changes.

more to come...

Thanksgiving Maidan Hawalli, Kuwait 2009

Sorry that this post is out of sequence. I saved it as a draft and not a post when I originally wrote it...

The weather is colder here and it does rain. The rain however is dirty water and leaves everything coated in a dingy brown. I was very excited the first time it rained until I discovered this. I think that if the rain cleanses the air that way then my respiratory system must be subjected to some pretty aweful air quality. Dust from the sands and pollution from the cars (yes, they still drive all the SUV's and gas guzzlers here) makes a significan impact. I had heard that Kuwait has the largest carbon footprint of all Countries. I wouldn't be surprised. It is a very small country with a very large population and an even larger automobile population.

Kuwaiti culture is very curious and surprising to me. I really didn't know what to expect before I came and I'm not even sure if words could adequately explain it. My "Western View" has trouble interpreting it because while parts are very Western in appearance, other parts are so foreign to me that I have difficulty maneuvering through what seems to be acceptable practice. I have to continually remind myself  "This is not the US" and that I should not have expectations that I would have in the US.

I went to Dubai last weekend and voluteered at the Race to Dubai Golf Tournament just for a change of pace. It was a pleasant enough, experience. I was surrounded by Europeans and Americans and I felt like I was picked up and plopped down into a different culture or Country altogether. It didn't give me much time to explore Dubai, but in my journeys around the city I was certainly struck by the vastness of the incomplete and seemingly vacant construction  and road projects everywhere.  The hundreds of monolithic towers that have construction cranes sprouting out of their innards that are vacant shells with "To Let" signs posted everywhere. Business are vying for your foreign currency. I myself didn't have much to contribute. I returned to Kuwait to see the press release stories of the financial crisis in Dubai and how it was hitting financial markets around the World. It was fairly obvious to anyone passing by, so I was surprised that this was such a shock. I guess workers there have returned home in droves. I was told by one cab driver that a year ago it would have been difficult to find a hotel room for any price or a taxi to go anywhere. I learned to maneuver fairly easily while I was there as I relied a lot upon the very nice metro system they have, however many of the metro stations are not completed either.

I didn't really take many photos because Dubai reminds me of a giant "Movie Set" I was wanting something more authentic and real and to me it is the prototype for "the tallest", "the biggest" "the grandest"... I guess I have to go to Oman or Syria or Jordan for "Authentic" I have been told, or to Abu Dabi for culture and art. Dubai is a place to see in the same vein that Las Vegas is a place to see.

Friday Dec 4th

I just got back from brunch. We went to a restaurant called Sass at the Radison. It is extremely nice. It is close to the Embassy and a place where a lot of business and government travellers stay, so there is quite a bit of security.

A group of us go to various restaurants on Fridays each week and it is a nice way to start out the weekend which for us is Friday and Saturday. We do it European style in that we usually spend a few to several hours just talking, asking questions, and sharing experiences, stories etc. I really look forward to it each week. I like that there are veteran teachers who can give you a sense of balance and insight into what you might be going through personally with the culture shock, teaching challenges etc.

Now I am back at my apartment and while I have tons of school work I could be doing, I have decided that I should not be giving all of my time to the school and that I need to indulge myself in my little piece of life that goes on. My apartment can be very isolating also, so I am up for some sort of outing and adventure. I am not sure where I will end up, but feel the need to get out.

The weather while it is changing and too cold for the natives is very enjoyable and pleasant to me. I like that I can get out and walk. I like the feel of the brisk air. It is a good time to explore, because you can actually be outside for lengthy amounts of time. I do miss the change of seasons. Indian Summer in Colorado is usually gorgeous. We had quite a lot of rain last week. I was talking to our High School Counselor who has been here for 16 years? He said he had never seen it rain like that. The first few days it rains mud because it is cleaning the air of the dust, and pollution. After that if it rains long enough there is some clean rain that comes down. Initially It's like muddy backsplash on your windshields and windows. If you wear dark clothing and you are caught in the rain, you have dirty spots all over your clothing when it dries.

More later. My neighbor and I are off to the "Friday Market".

Decorating Ideas

In an earlier post I mentioned some of the less common furniture and clothing styles that you find in various locations. So to all of my decorating divas out there: Yes, you Joyce! I thought I would share these with you just for inspiration.

Ready for the weekend...

The ladies above are friends of mine from school. From left Tehmina a Pakistani American. She is a US Citizen and has lived in the US for the last 30 years. The lady in the center is Nazren and she is an Iranian American, and the younger girl to the right is Sasha and she is from Minnesota. They are all very nice ladies and a lot of fun!

The work weeks here are Sunday through Thursday and I still really have a hard time with that. I'm always on the wrong day

We had professional learning days the last two days, and they are all the same the world over apparently. My goal is to get what I can out of them. My problem at this point is that it is usually too much information, and I am still trying to digest all of the newness of everything else.

I have been putting in some heafty days and usually don't get home until the evening and work at home until about 10:00. It's a good thing I don't have a tv, or I would probably get less done. My goal is to get things under control now so I don't get back-logged the entire year. Good luck right? Anyway, I try to keep some balance.

A group of us went to the Aware Center last night. It is a non-profit organization that has the goal of promoting positive relations between Westerners and Arabs by organizing social activities and information services related to Arab and Islamic culture. It was started by a woman and her husband . She is American turned Muslim and he is a Kuwaiti Muslim. The Aware Center hosts tours and arabic classes and trips etc. I'd kind of like to go to the camel races just to say I went. While I was there, I was talking to some of the women volunteers and it is interesting because you can ask them questions that you wouldn't just go up and ask someone else.

We got to play dress-up. Yes it was me in the photos, and yes I was smiling. Let me tell you, I am happy that I am not a native of some of these countries. I wouldn't do well with the clothing! I could be a woman in black in this climate for about 2 seconds. In a way though I see why they choose to dress the way they do. No plastic surgery, who cares what you are wearing, bad hair day, put on a few pounds? and sometimes anonymity is nice. From what I can find out, the Abaya and the clothing style has nothing to do with Islam. There is nothing in the Quran that says women must dress this way. It does say they expect women and men to both dress modestly. It is strictly representative of their culture. I believe it's roots are actually in early Byzantine, Christian culture. The traditional dress of nuns of course is very similar.

Muslim women from different parts of the world dress according to the culture in their countries.

One of the girls there was telling me that the sign of beauty in the Arab culture is in the eyes. Maybe that is why that is all some of them choose to show publicly. She was also showing us a lot of the natural cosmetics and natural applications used for various things such as deodorant, shampoo, toothbrushes, hair color, coloring for the eyes etc. It was really interesting. They have had thousands of years to be able to discover these uses from a fairly limited environment.

Time Flys When You Are Having Fun!

October 13, 2009

Obviously since I haven't posted for awhile I am either lazy or busy. Rest assured that I am busy! It's pretty hard to get homesick because you have so much that you have to accomplish here at the school, but then when you have a break from school and nothing planned that's when time seems to drag.
It has been a chilly 100 degrees here all week. It is weird because you do get acclimated. It really does feel cooler to me from the insane temps a month ago. I haven't been checking the weather much but I looked today and I was surprised that the temps were still that high! My kids at school ask me to turn the ac off because they're freezing!
More later

I am into my second week back at school

Ramadan is over, Eid is over and now we are back in school until Thanksgiving. Here of course it is some other holiday, but it works out for everyone. The school and work weeks are Sunday-Thursday which takes some getting used to. I am glad to be back at work, because I had too much time on my hands the days we were off. If I had known of other opportunities I am sure I could have filled my days in more interesting ways.

The head of my department who is going on his 8th year here and another lady teacher going on her third year and myself went to four different furniture stores/antique markets on Saturday. We had a really good time.

The things in these stores were really nice and more ethnic. It is fun to see things that are not common at home. I really enjoy looking through the stores and markets that carry items from Iran, Turkey, Morocco, Tibet, India, Afghanistan, etc. While everyone else is at the malls I enjoy looking at things that someone mady by hand. Some of these items are really remarkable!

On the other hand I have also seen some very uncommon furniture, clothing and fabrics at some of the shops and the friday market. I personally find them unfathomable, but someone must buy them or they wouldn't sell them. I will try to include some photos. They look like something out of "Alice in Wonderland".

The girl in the photo is from Africa. I have forgotten her name, but I thought she was really pretty and had an interesting hair style. She of course is trying to get a visa and find her way to the US so she can join up with her brother, but it is very difficult for immigrants to get visas. I guess that is why so many come illegally.