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".