Eid Mubarak: Homemade Arabic food

Happy EID Mubarak everyone. Luckily, I was able to spend the eve of EID at an Arabic household. What this means is that I had a yummy meal and some yummy arabic sweets.

Being my first meal with an arabic family, I had to post about my experience. Right away, upon walking into the house I was greeted by family members, kissing me on the cheeks and introducing themselves. Very overwhelming at first. I was told "in this household, you're family...don't be shy. EAT" Also known as, I had a full plate, but that wasn't enough. You must EAT, EAT, EAT! It was as though I was in a greek household. The mother telling me "habibti, eat...don't be shy around us...eat" "Wallah, you don't want soda? Wallah, just water?" The generosity and welcoming attitude was so fantastic. I've never sat through a meal and been so full--in such a good way.

After the meal, we gathered around and chatted. Mostly they had conversation in arabic and I tried to follow. Being told "We're are only speaking in arabic so you will learn. You must learn! :)" Which I really do want to learn, but it's SUCH a hard language. The sounds they can make are inconceivable by my American vocal cords. Ta'al -- a word I'll never be able to pronounce, meaning 'come here'.

And OF COURSE I got to have some Turkish Coffee (with no cream or sugar, like true Syrians drink it), the Lebanese add sugar. :P Followed by a huge gulp of water, the last sip is always like drinking a heavy, thick...sand? Yeah, sand. It is really tasty though, for those of you that like the taste of coffee...like a real taste of coffee.

The best part followed...the arabic sweets! His mom even gave me some date cookies to take home! So yummy. It's a cookie made out of dates (obviously). So cookies, chocolates, and more chocolates fill the households for EID. Happy EID to all. <3

Word of the day: ta'al (come here) --try and pronounce it.    Hint: ta-AH-a-le    make sure it's a soft L (aka tongue on roof). It's nearly impossible for Americans. 

More freedom than America?

More freedom than America: not something you'd imagine when hearing Kuwait, but in a lot of aspects it is.

I've already mentioned the driving here. The rules of driving are minimal, and it's actually quite nice. All cars have an alarm beep that sounds when traveling over 120kph, and there are traffic stops where it'll just take a picture of your car if you're going faster than that (and a ticket will be mailed). Something that is just known, and if you know where these cameras are then you're good.

Something I REALLY enjoy, especially being a woman, is the ability to get birth control with no prescription. This was far off from what I expected prior to arriving. My thoughts coming were that sex wasn't mentioned--it was haraam (sinful). But, actually it's quite the opposite here. Women are very open (with other women) about sex, keeping protected, and everything. It's just not something you share with the opposite gender.

And, on top of cheap birth control prescriptions is CHEAP ANTIBIOTICS. Which you also don't need a prescription for. You go into a pharmacy, ask to show you ___, ___, and ____. And you can CHOOSE your antibiotic. They'll even help you if you aren't sure what will be best for your symptoms.

Which brings me to yet another enjoyable thing--free healthcare. Sorry to those against it in America, but it really is a great thing. And just think, here the government pays them just for being Kuwaiti (so, sorry America, but you're way behind). So health care is free, and really cheap. For a visit to ANY doctor (dentist, regular, foot, back..) it's about 1kd. Equal to $3-$4 USD. It really makes you think...what's America doing wrong? Sure, Kuwait is allied and protected to the US due to it's oil, but the things that are available here are WAY different than America.

Gas--3-5KD to fill a HUMMER, a hummer! AKA $10-15USD for a HUGE truck. Hmmm...
Healthcare--1KD
"Prescriptions"--1KD

I feel more free here than America...I have more things accessible to me at my fingertips than I ever have before. Even alcohol (which is "illegal" to muslims).

Word of the day: Haraam (used to describe something that is bad or sinful to Islamic religion...sex, drugs, cheating on a test...etc)

Happy EID everyone! I'll be on break from Wednesday-Tuesday. And now I have my civil ID to travel. We'll see.

American Embassy Party: not so American

Last night I got an invite (FINALLY) to a party at the American Embassy. You must be on a list, turn over your passport number, no cellphones, no pictures. nothing.

So, we pile into the car at 7:45pm. Which I think is way too early to start partying, but I wasn't going to question it. Drove to the embassy and WOW, just wow.

Okay, so I'm going to walk you through the Embassy procedures. Because America, you're ridiculous. The visitor parking lot is oddly off to the side in some back-alley, hidden type of way. You walk through a gate (past 3 'guards' with their shoes off, watching TV and snacking--I feel safe, thanks). They don't even question you as you're walking on grounds. Then, you have to go to a teller--yes, like you're purchasing a movie ticket behind the glass wall. You give him your ID and he verifies you're on 'the list'. After about a 20 minute search for your name, because either he moves REALLY slow...or can't read. Who knows. He gives you a pass (to display) and you continue through a door. This small room is a one-at-a-time entry. You go in, they ask you "any alcohol on you? electronics?" Obviously, no. I read the 20 signs on the way in telling me not to bring anything. Then you pass through a metal detector...and continue on.

More twists and loops, this place is a maze. Thankfully there are practically guards leading you in the right directions. Just lurking in corners creepily as they watch you walk past....again, no questions of course--IDs displayed or not.

Finally, the marine bar. I'd say it most resembles a frat party than a bar. You must sign in (time and all). And there you go. Embassy party--in all it's glory. Most enjoyable part. I didn't meet any Americans there other than the ones I was with. Met a girl from spain, lebanon, all other gulf countries and kuwaiti's. REAL KUWAITIS., That was the most exciting part. Because it's rare to socialize with kuwaitis--they're upperclass (but then again, so are Americans here). And I met none-other-than the captain/chief/something high-up of the Kuwaiti Police. AKA he's a good wasta to have.

Word of the day: Wasta : meaning a person you know with connections. Can help you get out of trouble, find you parties, etc. A go-to person.

I love this country. Never a dull moment in Kuwait.

Kuwaiti Behavior

Today, in the staff room the other teachers were talking about Kuwaitis. None of the teachers are considered 'Kuwaitis', but from what they were telling me, neither are the Kuwaitis! Before Kuwait even existed, there were people here called Bedouins--which are very traditional, nomadic 'tribe'. As they became more non-nomadic, they needed more civilized people to help grow their country. So, Iraqis, Pakistanis, Jordanians, and many many other people from gulf countries began to reside in Kuwait. Therefore, became "Kuwaiti".

Except, once Kuwait became wealthy and free--those Kuwaitis rejected their origins of Iraq, Iran, Pakistan, etc. and only refer to themselves as Kuwaiti. All others' are considered 'poor' and 'worthless', even though that is their origin!

Because of ALL of this, Kuwaitis are deemed somehow more important than everyone else--which you can imagine leads to A LOT of special treatment. Something I've noticed, but didn't really put together until today.

Examples:
If a Kuwaiti student does something wrong, the punishment is less...especially if done to someone who isn't Kuwaiti.

If a Kuwaiti is flirting with a woman at the mall, and she isn't interested--the Egyptian guards blame the woman for looking to scandalous (even if she's fully veiled).

While driving, they can go anywhere and do anything without looking, by speeding...because if they were to get stopped, nothing would happen.

But the worst of all is the 'showing'. The materialism that Kuwaitis portray. The labels, cars, houses, and nannies. Everything needs to be the next best thing. THE ABSOLUTE WORST THING FOR A TEACHER. All of these kids are spoiled, rude, messy...they have NO independence. A nanny cleans for them, wipes them, gives them whatever they want.

So you can imagine the "miss miss miss miss MISS!" I hear ALL day. Because they don't care you're helping another student, or talking to a teacher. No, it has to be NOW. Right now.

**Side note of horror: Two of my boys got in a 'tiff', well apparently (as told to by my TA) they were telling each other in arabic that their dad has a big gun and will kill him...response "my dad has an even bigger gun and will kill you and your family"** They didn't get reprimanded for this...I mean, they are kuwaiti anyway.

360 Mall: family and wealthy friendly

Have you ever wanted to go shopping for your fancy items, but thought what will my maid and child do? Well, ponder no more. In Kuwait, there is a mall for that. The 360 Mall, with such a clever name being that it's a complete circle on the outside.

Expensive, designer shops are pronounced throughout this 3 1/2 story building. Bebe, Coach, Gucci, Burberry, Burberry kids, Juicy Couture, Armani Exchange...











The people I saw perusing through were wearing expensive designer clothes themselves. As were their kids. With maids following close behind holding babies, bags,... Some women with more than one maid. How rich can you be to have a maid for each child...and maybe even one for yourself.




What will your kids do while you're off shopping? How about bowling, an arcade, roller coaster, iMax theatre, jungle gym/zipline or even a 747 flight simulator ride?! Yes. This mall has all of those things. So your maid can wander off with your child so that you can shop in peace.

This mall is well-worth a visit.  

The Friday Market: Souk Al-Jouma

Souk Al-Jouma--household items section?

This was a trip for the books. If you're every in Kuwait, you must take a visit to Souk Al-Jouma (the friday market). Don't let the name fool you, it's open every day. My assumption is that most vendors are there on Fridays.










So, in the need of ANYTHING? Sewing machine, car engine, livestock,... couch?? If so, this is the place to go to practice bargaining skills (never ever pay what they price it as) and get items you need for a reasonable price. This is a GIANT flea market. For those living in or near NJ that have heard of Rices Flea Market--this is what I would compare it to. Except for it being more crowded with items...like the most random items in bulk. There was an entire carpet section (so I of course had to buy one for my living room).

The livestock section. Prior to entering, I was warned that what I was about to see is animal cruelty at its worst, and that I'd want to rescue (key word: rescue) everything. So, before even going past the door, I told myself that it wasn't real. If you are an animal lover like I, make yourself as naive and ignorant as possible before entering. Really. Once beyond the door, there were thousands of birds crowded into cages. Parrots, chickens, roosters, canaries, cockatiels...EVERY. TYPE. OF. BIRD. POSSIBLE. And apparently I only saw the front section, the "exotics" were in the back. 0_0 Next you go through a section of bunnies. BUNNIES. My heart melted. They were sooo small and piled on top of each other in cages.


















But the WORST and I mean the WORST were the puppies and dogs. (Thankfully didn't see the cats/kittens because everyone knows I WOULD have brought home all of them) The older dogs looked starved. Like watching a Sarah McLachlan commercial to save the animals. That was the hardest one to see. I wanted to snatch up all the dogs, knowing that the puppies would grow (if not bought) to be just like those older ones.

So, maybe avoid the livestock section, but still--if ever in Kuwait, take a trip to the friday market. Especially if you're moving here and want to refurnish your entire apartment/villa/house. Everything is in one place. From cleaning supplies--furniture--to animals.