Language classes

Ok so maybe it's time I learned a little Arabic. Who knows, it couldn't hurt could it?

There are a lot of people here who speak English well and some who only speak a very little bit of English, but I speak no Arabic and I am living in an Arab Country, so when someone doesn't clue me in to all of the details I might need to accomplish a particular task then I become frustrated. They speak English don't they? They should tell me everything I need to know ahead of time so that I won't encounter any potential problems. right? Wrong...

I find myself falling into this trap because there are so many people who speak English and there are signs and menus and information in English, but when something isn't spelled out for me then it is like someone else is falling short of the mark instead of me not being able to ask the right questions and to double check everything before I assume all is well.

Today, I take what I belive to be my residence card for Kuwait to the Western Union to wire some money home. The guy smiles and shows me his residence card which is different and tells me I need one like his. I don't know how to get one like his, and by the way, what is wrong with mine? He's pretty tolerant but tells me in his limited English that I have to come back and bring my passport with my work visa or wait until I get a card like his before I can wire money.

So I leave the mall trying to figure out what my id really is. For all I know it is an Insurance card or a fishing license or knows what, because it is all in Arabic and I can't read it.

You really find out what trouble making assumptions can get you into when language barriers are in place. Anyway, the guy at Western Union is probably still laughing because I show up with some ridiculous form of ID and think I am completely official and will be able to accomplish anything I wish to accomplish.

These are the trials and tribulations of living in another culture. Sometimes I am aghast at what I believe to be insensitivities on the part of someone else, but relizing that maybe I myself have been insensitive without even knowing it. I have had to reassess and realize just how grateful I am to that person who went out of his or her way to help me out when they didn't have to, or to the little girl in the mall who seemed to be interested in watching me and rewards me with a big smile amidst a sea of neutral expressions, and the young muslim, girl who strikes up a conversation with me to discover that we have very similar histories, and interests and values, or to the grandmother probably my age, playing with her grandchildren who connects and gives me a nod and a smile, and the cab driver from Bangladesh who tells you over and over America and Americans very good, very nice. You find that you become extremely grateful for these seemingly smallest gestures of kindness. You see you are a stranger in a strange land and it is very important to find the common threads that we share, and focus on experiences that make things ok.

It's probably not a bad thing to remember when people from other places come to my home and my country and they are at a loss for how to navigate the newness of an unfamiliar place with an unfamiliar language, and unfamiliar culture. A smile, a kind act are small gestures, but they have huge importance at least for me.

The Corniche

I caught a taxi to the Marina Mall. they have a skywalk that crosses over to the waterfront so I walked along the Corniche to the Scientific Center. It was quite a walk.

When I got there, there were a lot of locals enjoying it. They have several theatres with an Imax and an aquarium inside so it is a good family outing.

It was almost sunset, so it was a good time of day to take pictures. I wish I had a viewfinder because I think I could compose pictures a bit better than looking at the screen in the back.

More Heritage Souk Snaps

More Girgian Photos

Girgian

In the middle of Ramadan there is a celebration for the children called Girgian. Basically children go from house to house singing and collecting candy . They are dressed in costumes of their culture. It is a bit like Halloween without the ghouls and ghosts etc.

These are some pictures of the elementary kids at school dressed for Girgion.

The Iranian Market

My apartment with makeshift coffee table from tray purchased at the Friday Market. Flowering plant purchased at the Iranian Market.

Rosewood stool purchased at the Iranian Market. Made in India.

Indian Stall at the Iranian Market.

Indian Stall at the Iranian Market.

I went to the Iranian market yesterday. It is called this because there are several Iranian (Persian) carpet sellers there and also other Iranian shops inside. There are a lot of Indian shops as well.

I like to go there to buy plants because they are healthy and I haven't found aphids or bugs on them. There is an amazingly huge plant souk as well which is blocks and blocks and blocks of plants, but I think they often come with critters attached.

I have been adding plants to my apartment, because it is a nice way to feel nature when most of nature here is sand. I try to buy flowering plants because they do double duty. I have a gardenia and a jasmine and a gorgeous red one that I can't identify.

I also bought a couple of inexpensive but nice rosewood stools at one of the Indian stalls. The young guy I purchased them from has some very nice rosewood furniture. When I was ready to go since it is not a regular cab pick up site, he went out to the road and waved a cab down for me and loaded my purchases. He told me not to pay more than 2 KD. Some of the people are so nice and really watch out for you. One of the Indian tech guys at school also said he would come in to town and take me to some of the shops less expensively and help me purchase, because he said as an American and because of my hair color many will automatically charge me
more because in the past they are used to the Americans having money and they can get away with it. You would think they would want repeat business.

Funny signs

This is for my friend Vroni:

The men of Kuwait must be the best groomed men imaginable. There are two barber shops on every block. What I find amusing is that the men's barber shops and womens hair salons are almost all named "Saloons". I'm thinking that you might try this in the US Vroni as business might even grow. You could consider a happy hour cut OMG! Even more ironic: Alcohol is illegal here (another reason everyone leaves when they have a break)! Maybe saloon is a subliminal form of advertising:)
I will post pics later as I have them at school.
Next door there is a large building that had a sign depicting "The Blinds Association" I wasn't sure if it is for Blind Individuals or people who sell Blinds, anyway, they took the sign down in the middle of the night and changed it to the 'Blind Association" and then decorated it with various Christmas tree lights to make it more festive for the Blind People:)

Heritage Souk

Carpet Repair man sewing a hanging sleeve on a carpet in Heritage Souk

Repair man's toolbox

I went to the Heritage Souk (old souk) downtown. It is kind of interesting as there are lots of booths, stalls, shops with everything imaginable for sale. There are quite a few men who sell Iranian carpets, some gold, money changers, clothing, perfumeries with custom perfumes, incense in the form of wood chips.

Incense is kind of expensive as the best come from specific trees in specific areas. You find it mostly in the perfumeries. The economy of the Middle East in the very early cultures thousands of years ago subsisted and built wealthy economies based upon the incense trade. Even Biblically the three wise men in addition to gold gave Frankincense and Myrrh to baby Jesus. These were both very valuable types of incense. In ancient times any one of the gifts would have been worth a small fortune due to the rarity of the item and the expense to bring it such great distances.

Across from the Heritage souk is the textile souk which has it seems: hundreds of fabric shops and tailors. I don't know how they all stay in business.

Most of the men here wear dishdashahs the white or sometimes colored traditional shirt dress with the head scarf of white or checked: called the shumagg or ghutra. I forgot to check into the tagiyah which holds the guys hair in place underneath. It's like a white crocheted cap, and finally the Ogal which is a black band that fits around the top of the head to hold it all in place (They let me try one on)! I went to price them at the souk today and they are about 5 KD for the entire outfit not counting the roomy boxer shorts or long cotton underwear they apparently wear underneath. If you are Kuwaiti it is probably even less. So for guys to to be able to dress comfortably for about $15-$17 I would probably do the same.

Also, most of the women wear Abayahs, the black garment that covers head to toe. Some also cover their face completely. Underneath they often wear traditional Arab clothing which are gorgeous long dresses with long sleeves and elaborate decoration, but here the Kuwaitis are more likely wearing the latest styles from the expensive, International designer market under their Abayahs. The local malls abound with clothing from Western Countries. Some women only wear the Hejab which is a scarf like head covering that does not cover the face, several of the girls at school wear the Hejab, but not all. Most do keep arms and legs covered, but like everywhere there are exceptions. I'm thinking that the Abayah would be good for bad hair days which I seem to have a lot of here because of the heat and it is so expensive to get your hair done. It does make you wonder though why men get to wear white and women black...hmm...? Men do wear darker colors in the winter months when it gets really cold!! for example the 60's! Personally I am looking forward to some of those chilly months ahead.

Sept. 22,2009

This is the last day of Eid al-Fitr. At the end of Ramadan, Muslims observe a three-day celebration called Eid al-Fitr (the Festival of Fast-Breaking). On the day of Eid, Muslims gather early in the morning in outdoor locations or mosques to perform the Eid prayer. This consists of a sermon followed by a short congregational prayer. This was two days ago at about 5:00 am. The prayers were being sent over loud-speakers to the neighborhood. There were thousands of people congregated at the Green Mosque (the mosque in my neighborhood) and cars everywhere. There are probably thousands of mosques in Kuwait with the Grand Mosque downtown holding over 10,000 people. (I guess I am kind of getting used to the prayers over the loudspeakers since they take place five times a day with the earliest at 4:00am) and two taking place during the school day.

After the Eid prayer, Muslims usually scatter to visit various family and friends, give gifts and money (especially to children), and contact to distant relatives to give well-wishes for the holiday. As said, these activities traditionally continue for three days. In most Muslim countries, the entire 3-day period is an official government/school holiday. At my school we have the week off for a holiday, but many schools in town particularly the public schools won't even start until after Eid. Many people use this time to travel. Not many teachers around this week either. There are a lot of close travel destinations of which teachers and families take advantage. Many though travel to far destinations as well.

Eid follows Ramadan which in the Islam Religion is the holiest month of the year. During Ramadan, the ninth month of the Islamic calendar which is a lunar calendar, (because of this, Ramadan changes every year), Muslims from all continents unite in a time of fasting and spiritual reflection. The annual fast of Ramadan is considered one of the five "pillars" of Islam which identify whether one is a Muslim or not.

Muslims who are physically able are required to fast from food and drink and give up other negative behaviors such as smoking and temptations each day of the entire month, from sunrise to sunset. The evenings are spent enjoying family and community meals (Ishtar), engaging in prayer and spiritual reflection, and reading from the Qu'ran. Later they all go out at about 8:00 pm and the roads are packed and the malls are packed. Most of the stores during Ramadan are closed between about 1:00 pm and 8:00 pm, so getting things accomplished this month followed by Eid can be challenging. Most government offices, banks etc. are only open from about 9:00 am to noon or 1:00 when everyone else happens to be at work. Additionally all restaurants are closed all day until 6:30pm when the fast ends.

Most of the students at school were fasting as well except the younger kids, so it is a bit more challenging as a teacher because you know the students are not as focused on school since the fast obviously effects them.

In Kuwait it is illegal to eat or drink in public during the fasting hours even if you are not Muslim. I don't know if they enforce it but you can go to jail for a month or be charged 100KD about $340.00. This is not a Muslim rule, just a Kuwaiti law.

Already it is September 21st

I guess I am not keeping as current on this as I had planned.

It is still very hot here and some days very humid. I guess you get used to it a bit, or maybe it's just a matter of: What are you going to do about it? anyway it does hamper you a bit to get very adventurous because you just can't stay outside very long.

We have a week break from school and most of the staff left the country. I must admit I feel a bit like I am under house-arrest because I don't really know what to do. I painted my apartment the last three days and need to make a plan about when and where I can go. As I said Eid lasts three days, so I am not sure about when things are open still.

One of the guys here loaned me a bike so I went for a bike ride, but it is a bit sketchy unless you can wander to the Corniche. There is a nice path that travels along the coast. People looked at me like I had escaped the local mental hospital because it was well over 100 degrees. I have to admit I could see their point. I'm not much of a home-body and it is a bit difficult especially when I have to take a taxi anywhere that I want to go.

The picture of the new moon is the night that Ramadan started.

How many people have pudding named after them. According to one of my students there is apparently a juice as well. Anyway, they seem very familiar with my name.

Hard Rock Cafe on the coastline. I did get food poisoning eating sea food here, but everyone else was ok. They didn't have seafood.

The last building is my apartment building. I am the third floor apartment. The ground floor is floor 0 (makes sense). The apartments are pretty nice. They are completely concrete and tile. Probably not much need to get a smoke detector.

The first building is one that some of the expatriate workers live in. They have quite a story. I will go into that later. I think that the girl who cleans my room at school lives in this building. She is sharing 1 room with her mother and brother that is the size of my kitchen. They share the bath and kitchen with other apartments. They are charged 75 KD a month rent. She makes 75 KD a month pay for 5 and a half days a week. 1 KD equals about 3.4 US dollars. They save most of their money to send home to their families in their home countries since jobs are scarce. Obviously their homes are not very nice. Additionally, the Kuwaitis are tearing down all of the old and rebuilding with new, so I don't know where these people will be able to live when that happens because they won't be able to afford anything bigger or nicer.

Things can be pretty difficult here. Especially getting things done that you want or need fairly quickly. On the other hand I went to a small furniture maker across from school yesterday to ask him to make me a table base. I bought a large copper or brass tray at the friday market to use as a coffee table. Anyway, he called me at 9:00 am to let me know it is finished. I haven't seen it yet, but am keeping my fingers crossed.

Arrived in Kuwait on August 16th

I haven't done too much to keep this up, so I will try to do a better job.

I left a day late from Colorado and arrived here a day late which did create a bit of catching up. Having less time to overcome jet lag before jumping in to school was one of the most difficult.

Kuwait is an interesting place in many ways. I'd have to say though in two weeks of school I have yet to meet any Kuwaitis except for the students that I have in class. There are over 3 million people in this Country and two thirds of them are from other countries. The ex-patriate population are the workers here and are the ones you encounter daily when you purchase something, need a cab, look for services etc. It makes me wonder what would happen to Kuwait if all of the workers left.

Kuwait is one of the top 5 wealthiest countries in the World. They hold 10% of the oil reserves in the World as well. The most amazing thing is that it is only about 90 miles by 100 miles and with the money derived from oil going to the Kuwaiti citizens they are extremely wealthy. The Kuwaitis are the only ones who can own homes here which is not a very adequat description since they are more like villas and some like Palaces. Many Kuwaitis have more than one home and also have others in Paris, New York, Spain, London etc. The other day riding by some Kuwaiti homes I saw one being built in the style of south west adobe but it looked like an entire Pueblo and not just a single residence. All of the Expatriats must live in Apartments.

Kuwaitis are still very tied to their tribal system eventhough they are living in the 21st century and they have the ability to have anything they want or that is available there is still a bit of this Midieval, custom, culture driven society. They were originally a nomadic culture that has had an incredible amount of wealth fall into their laps and how they live is very interesting.

old news and new news

We sold the house and then had to find another and then move and then get packed and leave for Kuwait. That all happened about the last month before I left. Hectic was the word. We did find a small house over by Patty Jewett Golf Course which is really cute and has a beautiful yard. Ali and Rosie are living there.

I was supposed to leave Colorado on the 14th of August, but didn't get out until the 15th. That in itself was a little frantic as well. I flew Lufthansa from Denver to Frankfurt and then after a lengthy layover on to Kuwait.

Lufthansa is a very nice airline and the service is great. I didn't pay for the ticket, so of course I have no idea how much more it cost if any. I just found out yesterday that the owners of the school have a contract with Lufthansa to use them only and they then get a lot of extra perks for themselves. Makes sense now...

After arrival into Kuwait a day late travel glitches continued. I was missing one bag, and the wait time to report it was verrry long. Things in general take quite some time here to accomplish. It doesn't seem to bother the locals much, but if you are an impatient American who is used to getting things done in a predictable, timely manner, this probably isn't the place for you. One of the girls who lives on my floor said to take the K off of Kuwait and that pretty much sums it up. It is very interesting to observe the mechanics of how things work here. I sure haven't figured it out yet, but there is some order to it I guess.

Kuwait has over 3 million people and only about a third of the people are Kuwaiti. The other 2+million are ex-patriates from all over the world. I have met cab drivers, maids, sales staff, etc. and they are from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Phillipines, Nepal, Egypt, Lebanon, Yemen, ...The service is good, the people are friendly and the workers work very hard for small wages, but I guess it is a better opportunity than most had in their native countries.

The girl who cleans my room at school (there are many) is from India. The school pays her 75 Kuwaiti Dinar a month wage. She works 5 and a half days a week for 8 hours a day so she makes less than $1.50 per hour. She makes about $225.00 per month. She says she has to pay $119.00 per month to share a room, so she and the other maids work hard to try to find teachers and others to clean their apartments and do ironing, cooking etc. This means they work on their days off and into the evening. She is always pleasant and happy eventhough her husband and 7 year old daughter are still in India and she only gets to see them every two years. Her daughter said she would only let her mother come here if she would get her a computer. The mother asked her if she wanted gold or something else, and the daughter said no she only wanted a computer. The mom's name is Bharthi and it is difficult for her to even be allowed to purchase a computer here and they are much more expensive, so I would like to see if I can help get her one in the US that would be more affordable for her. She also wants a digital camera.

The other part of this: If you want to come to Kuwait and work here, you must find a local sponsor first. My sponsor is the school and it's owners. Bharthi had to go through a placement agency in India at an expense to her and she has to pay a Kuwaiti citizen $1700,00 US or 500KD up front to be able to come here to work. The Kuwaiti gives her nothing in return for that and she has to renew every year or two years depending upon her contract.

I am amazed that they can live on so little.

I will send pictures later.

I went to the Old Souk last Saturday and took a few pics which I will attach. One is of an older man in one of the carpet markets. The other is of some Afghanistan clothing that another vender was selling. It is incredibly ornate with beautiful beadwork, embroidery, coins etc. He sells them for $45 or $50 which is unbelievable to me just because of the cost of material let alone time and work put into these