'Back in Black': in Kuwait.

I arrived back in Kuwait two weeks ago from a lovely trip back home to America to visit my family. The flight had the most perfect 10 hours layover in London where I met up with a friend to sightsee.

We had both been there before, so we just wanted to go everywhere--not really go inside of anything. But, before we could go ANYWHERE. We had to deal with a horrific American Airlines/British Airways conundrum. Both of our flights (hers from Canada and mine from NY) took American Airlines to London and then were British Airways from London to Kuwait. Well, from the AA side, we were allowed 2 suitcases--free of charge to be transferred all the way to Kuwait. Except, when Georgia needed to get her boarding pass to Kuwait while in London, they told her that her bag limit was one, and she needed to pay.

Of course we were angry, because in Canada and the States the price for an extra bag was $50 but in London they wanted to charge 60pounds (120USD). WHAT? If we KNEW this, we would have paid for the bag in America. (Pretty much, apparently someone from American Airlines was like no no..it's fine, we just won't charge you--hmm, wonder why they went bankrupt--and British Airways was like WTF, why didnt they charge you? So we will charge you now).

After about an hour of talking to AA and BA, back and forth between customer service desks, British Airways overrided the system and let us print passes. After-all, it wasn't OUR fault someone in AA doesn't know how to do their job.

Finally starting our adventure, we took the tubes into Picadilly Circus/Trafalgar Square. They had the big tree from Sweden up just as they did in 2010 (the last time I was there).


Typical London weather, it was foggy-hazy-and-RAINY. :P We didn't mind though, we had boots and hats prepared for such inclement. After wandering around aimlessly, we stopped to see the Queens Guards. A must-do in London. Followed by; Tower Bridge, Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, Parliament, London Eye...etc. etc. With much time to spare, we took one last stop at Kings Cross Station to take a photo with the famous Harry-Potter-Platform 9 3/4 sign. Then, off to airport for--what ended up being--a MISERABLE flight back to Kuwait. Picture 20 babies crying, 2 brothers (whom HAD TO HAVE the window seat beside us) fighting over/jumping over the seats the whole time, while also kicking the back of my chair. Not even the sleeping pill I took could save me from the monsters on the plane. -_- People need to learn to discipline their children. We even asked if they wanted the aisle seat BECAUSE we planned on sleeping the WHOLE flight...but nope. Anyway, I'm back in Kuwait--back to routine--and back to dealing with more undisciplined children. <3

Unorganized Kindergarten Class Trip

In the states, one would think
'Okay, we're taking 5 year olds on a trip...let's plan this out, have a meeting about it, inform parents, etc'.
Here in Kuwait it's more
'Send letter home to parents only a week prior, don't inform teachers of anything, except all teachers to know what to do (even first year teachers), and go with it."

I had the most bi-polar first field trip experience of my life. We sent out fliers a week prior (this I was okay with), collected money (no problem), and I was fine until day-of...that's when surprises began happening. I arrived earlier than usual to prepare myself.
At 7:30, my HOD (head of department) comes in and says make sure the kids eat breakfast at 8, we leave at 8:30 (usually they eat at 9). Okay, so I have them write in their journals until then.
7:55--HOD says take them all to the bathroom as well before we leave. Does she realize it takes at least 30 minutes to eat, 15 for bathroom?! Okay, HURRY KIDS...line up! We'll take them to the bathroom first. Of course, the WHOLE KG department is taking their kids to the bathroom. I notice all other students wearing name tags. Wait, are my students supposed to have name-tags on?! No one told me this! Do I have any? My Teacher's Aide says we should have some in a drawer. She manages the class while I check. 9, we have 9 name tags and 20 students going! WTF? Why did NO ONE tell me we needed to make our own name tags. I borrow stickers from another teacher and quickly fill out the students name, KG2 Red, and school.

Okay, they've eaten...went to bathroom...and it's 8:45 with no word from anyone. Did the leave with out us? Another teacher walks by my room: They're waiting for you at the gate! Let's go! Really?! No one told me to head out yet...where to go..NOTHING! Okay, fine- i'll figure it out. Enas and I split the class in 2, I take 10 and she takes 10. We go outside to the buses and Enas is able to get on one bus. The driver attempts to split up my class into other buses. No way sir! I can't have 10 students with Enas and 10 split amongst other KG teachers, I would lose them all! He only speaks arabic, and Enas has to hop out of her bus again to load me and my class in our own.


We get to the IMAX theatre in Salmiya (my first time there, ever). We're in lines...somehow my class is in the front of all and enter in first. Having no idea what to do, they throw 3D glasses at us (remember: I wasn't told what the trip was, what we were doing, nothing) and we are hurried to our seats. Enas goes on one end, I go on the other with our kids in between. Then, the movie was in ARABIC. This is an ENGLISH school, an ENGLISH field trip yet the movie was in ARABIC. I sat there trying to understand what was going on while elephants and monkeys popped out at me in 3D.

Pointless, non-educational movie finished and we were off to lunch. Another hectic free-for-all. We finally maneuvered our class to seats and awaited their lunches. This was what their money went toward--I had 23 students pay for the trip, 20 show up...so boy was I surprised when they didn't have enough meals for my class because they gave "extras" (aka my students lunches) to maids. And then when I grabbed from other teachers extra-bins I got scoulded because those were for the maids. REALLY? My students have no food, but you're going to feed it to the maids who weren't even helping my class?! Give YOUR extra food to the maids. Not mine. I should technically have 23 meals, luckily I managed to find 20. UGH.

Finally, the nightmare trip was over and we were on our way home. Good things field trips for KG only happen once a year...I hope.

Birthday Weekend in Kuwait

My birthday was yesterday, December 2. Typically I celebrate my birthday day-of with family and friends, but being on a Sunday this year I celebrated for a whole weekend. On Thursday I had a gathering at my place, a few friends came over and we played cards (*cough* drank *cough*) and laughed until the wee hours of the morning.

The next day, my Canadian Chef friend here cooked me a dinner of my choice (lamb shepards pie) with a few close friends. The shepards pie was amazing, filled with carrots--peas--and tasty ground lamb and topped with mashed potatoes and cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about it. And afterwards, she brought out a cake and they all sang happy birthday. The cake, being the most thoughtful part of the meal. She recalled me telling her about an ice cream cake my mom makes me (ice cream with a rice krispie treat bottom) and attempted to recreate it. The result was perfection. Tasting just like my moms', I devoured my piece. 

And...on Sunday, my actual birthday, my Principal came into the room to have my students sing me happy birthday...my Assistant brought me a BURBERRY purse...and my boyfriend made me a recreation of my tattoo idea through 3Dart. I was truly blessed this year to have such close friends that wanted to make my birthday this year even better than any other.

Oh, and have I talked about how Kuwaiti Kindergarteners celebrate their birthdays? Well, they (meaning the parents) like to one-up one another. Meaning, if one student brings toys for all the kids then on their sons birthday they will bring 2 toys for each kid. This has resulted in for my 3 birthday celebration in class so far, my student dressed as Tom from Tom & Jerry--handed out goodie bags to everyone--brought in firecracker candles (which are apparently allowed)--and had a cake large enough to feed 75 kids. I'm concerned for the next birthday...I can't keep eating cake.

American Thanksgiving in Kuwait

On Thanksgiving Day (hmphh...the day I was supposed to be on a flight to Cairo), the teachers and I all gathered together to have a non-traditional-traditional Thanksgiving. What that means is that we at least attempted to get together and be thankful, but we didn't have a turkey...or pie...or mashed potatoes. Instead we had Lasagna (the most amazing home-made lasagna I've had in...hmm..maybe ever) followed by some cake.

I'm sure we would have attempted some turkey, or at least Cornish hens of sort, but our plan was to be in Cairo and celebrate Thanksgiving a week late. BUT due to a last minute plan change--we were eating lasagna and buying (not even baking) a cake. That's not to say it wasn't a very homey-welcoming feel. Being with people you've grown close to, all while they're feeling the same i'm-not-at-home-with-my-family attitude. It's sort of a blessing in disguise.

Oddly, our Canadian friend did the cooking (being the best chef in the group). I'm sad I wasn't home to share the holiday with family, but spending it with friends was a more than pleasant.

Kuwait: 'Winter Weather'

When you visit a desert, the last thing you would expect would be FREEZING COLD weather. However, the winters here in Kuwait are just that. Now, the temperature isn't what is considered cold--it's in the high 60's, low 70's. What's cold is the air. The air has this right-through-to-your-bones type of chill. Being very unprepared, I have been scrounging cheap stores for sweaters, scarves, and jackets.

When I was first told, "It get's cold here...sometimes in the 50's!" I literally laughed in their face with the response 'That's a typical winter for me in NJ/PA, if not COLDER!' But no...really, no. Look who is laughing now as I freeze my ass off in 60 degree weather saying 'WHY IS IT THIS COLD?!' Bundled up in a sweater, with a jacket, and still shivering at nighttime. That's when it's the worst--nighttime. The sun goes down, and the air (not even wind...just the air) is unbearably chilly.

Well, my thought is that it being so open and dry, that once the sun goes down--the cold comes out. Anyway, just take note that when locals tell you it gets cold, they aren't just being babies about the weather. It really does get cold. So prepare yourself.

Side note on weather: Winter also means more rain! I'm not sure why, but 'tis the season for rain. Now, the best part about rain in Kuwait is that people react to it similarly to snow in Nevada. People can no longer drive...walking is slippery...everyone is squeegy-ing floors (since everything is made of tile). It's a miraculous site. Even more beautiful is the rain itself. The sky gets gray, not black with clouds...just gray. The air becomes crisp with an aroma of moisture, that is rare to feel here. AND the thunder/lightning is unreal. It's loud, the bolts are clear and striking. It's a phenomenon worth traveling for. During a real thunderstorm, not just a rainfall, it's unbelievably gorgeous. I saw one storm while at a shisha place, and I tried to take pictures, but obviously the lightning was too fast to capture and other than that it was plain darkness. It's something that you can only experience in person, or VIA high-tech photo equipment that I cannot offer you pictures from. :P

Kuwait 50th Constitution Celebration: world-record fireworks

Seriously, how much better can it get than being in a country that breaks the Guinness Book of World Records for a fireworks display while you're in it?! Happy Constitution Day Kuwait, and thank you for the most beautiful display of fireworks seen across the gulf, EVER!

The Ministry set out and planned this most spectacular event costing nearly (possibly over) 4 MILLION KD. That's roughly 14,000,000 USD. The gulf road from Salmiya to Kuwait City was shut down all day (approx 4.5 KM), causing traffic beyond belief up the coast.

I decided to view the display in Salmiya (across the gulf water) rather than in Kuwait City. I assumed it would be less crowded and more visible. Which, yes...I was right. I had a perfect view, even being 10 minutes late to the show. No one obstructing my view and I was able to sit on a rock wall. The show continued for an HOUR and 15 minutes. Unbelievable. Non-stop fireworks from 8PM-9:15PM.

I think the best part of the commemoration was that afterwards, the Amir made an announcement for NO SCHOOL! Day off for me. :) Thank you, Amir. The announcement appears in text at the bottom of the news...I cannot read it either, but a friend texted it to me!

You can tell they like to party here based on the after-math of the commemoration. On our day off, the girls and I took a trip to Kuwait City (the host of the display) to find the streets FULL of trash, and NOTHING cleaned up. We giggled about how in the US, they would have had everything cleaned up by now. I should've taken more pictures, but I will describe for you the horror we saw. The ocean still had floating firework launches, speaker stands (containing expensive equipment) still stood, and garbage was piled EVERYWHERE. Come on Kuwait, stop napping--start respecting the environment!

only portion of the piles of trash...

Marine Birthday Bash: 237 years strong

First, I am sorry for such a long delay in posts. I've been so busy (in a good way) recently that I have had no time.

Now, each year the Marines world-wide gather--around the same day--to celebrate their annual birthday celebration. This is a ball that commemorates current, past, and future members of the United States marines. And I, for one, was lucky enough to get an invite!

November 2, 2012: the event was at the US Embassy, so no cell phones or electronics unless you have 'special privileges' such as living on base or high-rank. So, I have one picture. And it's only of me! Not even of me with the person that I went with. Though, we had something professional taken--and he's asked someone for copies, but nothing yet. When it arrives, I will share.

The night began with an open-bar, standing section (wearing high-heeled pumps was a poor life decision for me this night). The first hour was casual chit-chat, meet-ups, and free booze. No complaints from my end, other than the standing in high-heels for an hour! Seeing our US Marines geared up made me feel really patriotic; a feeling that is strangely a first for me. And I cannot forget to mention that I met the US Ambassador to Kuwait, Matthew Tueller. Really wish I could have gotten a picture with him.

Onwards to the ceremony, where appetizers of sashimi, shrimp, salad, and finger-sandwiches flooded our table. Oh, and wine! Cannot forget to mention the wine! White wine is very hard to come by here in Kuwait (hard to make at home?) so I of course made sure to have plenty. The marines really know how to put on a patriotic ceremony, let-me-tell-you. They began with a flag march, continued with depressing speeches, followed by a tear-jerking film, and finished off with a traditional cake cutting. The eldest marine cuts the first piece and give it to the youngest marine there. And then...the national anthem played. I actually placed my hand over my heart and sang along. If you know me, then you know that 1. I lip-sync everything (this I did not) and 2. I am in no way patriotic, in the traditional "American Pride" sense--so, this was a big moment for me.

After choking-up during their ceremony, I was glad for it to be over and time for dinner. The best food I've had so far in Kuwait. Seriously. They had lasagna to chicken marsala. I would even go as far to say that they had TOO many options. My plate was full--steak, pasta, fish, and potatoes. I feel full just thinking about it!

And then, as you probably expected, there was more drinking, dancing, and fun! It was a GREAT night--very memorable. I am very thankful to my friend, Jim, for inviting me. Now I can say that I've gone to a Marine Ball in KUWAIT. Once-in-a-lifetime-oppurtunity. Oh, and here's my boat gift. :D