preparing for Nepal

Today, we are getting ready for the second half of my winter break, where we'll spend about eight days in the country of Nepal. Chris just got home from work, so we are starting to get organized. Our flight for Kathmandu leaves this evening at 11:50pm our time, and we'll probably leave our flat at about 9:30. It doesn't take long to get to the airport.

I'm excited for this trip, and thankful that Chris' boss let him take this week off before his actual winter break starts. We plan to spend this much needed time away together by eating delicious dahls, trekking to Nagarkot, and flying around Mt. Everest. We don't have much else planned, and hopefully, we'll get to do those things!

Until the next update, Happy New Year!

caroling with friends at TLC

Merry Christmas 2012!

His power and glory evermore proclaim.

Those are the last words of of O Holy Night, one of my favorite Christmas carols. It has a charge, to proclaim or declare the power and glory of God.

 

I was just sitting here thinking that I ought to get some pictures of what our holiday looked like and came across this one. Every Christmas Eve, The Lighthouse Church in Kuwait hosts a bonfire and time of singing carols in one of its courtyards. One of the worship leaders and a few accompanying musicians stand on the steps outside one of the church buildings while others are gathered around the fire in many rows, 30 or 40 people deep, in all directions. Interspersed between the carols that everyone sings in English are presentations done by a few members of the various congregations that fall under the Lighthouse Church umbrella; Malayalum, German, Tagalog, Konkani, and Swahili are just a few of the other languages that we heard, all directed in praise to the King. What a proclamation of the power and glory of God, who is bringing people to himself from all over the world, including in Kuwait!

May we continue to tell of his goodness in our lives and in others.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to our loved ones near and far.

Stephanie & Chris

Christmas Concert 2012

finally got some Christmas decorations around the house.

saw another great AMG performance...featuring the Kuwait Flute Choir, including Chris Freeman

hot drinks, kettle corn, playing games, and laughing at our place afterwards.

priceless times.

the passing months

This year is going so fast!
As a teacher, I feel like there are 1,000 things my students need to know before their winter break, but I'm coming to grips with reality. It's not going to happen, and that's O.K.
I'm really excited that it's winter now, especially in Kuwait, where the temperatures are mild during the day and cool at night. This week, we've had temperatures comparable to Indiana in the evenings. We've enjoyed time with friends at outdoor venues, including our favorite place, UGrill. Usually, we just sit with tea or coffee and sheesha while overlooking the Gulf.

There's a lot to update you all on, but let me just throw out a few quick facts for inquiring minds:

- We're not coming to the States this winter, but we're traveling to Nepal after Christmas. We decided that it would be good to spend our actual anniversary and Christmas together. We're excited to do some hiking and sight-seeing in the mountains.

- We finished our half-marathon race. I was the last female competitor out of 30, but I finished the race and did it in less than 3 hours, which was my goal. That may seem really slow, but considering that the first time I ever ran was in April/May, I think that's pretty good. Chris finished in 2:28, and we were both somewhere in the middle of about 155 competitors.

- I'm really looking forward to our upcoming winter break, which is from December 20th to January 5th. It will be nice to get some time off from school and catch up on the stack of books I've been meaning to read before our travels.

The New Year and other random things

Well, here I am back in Kuwait and enjoying all of my own amenities again. I love visiting the States and being around many of my favorite people, but there's something to be said about not living in a suitcase.

I spent the New Year on three different airplanes. This time, my trip back went from Pittsburgh to Chicago, then Abu Dhabi, final destination Kuwait. I'm not sure why, but on my 2 hr. trip from Abu Dhabi to Kuwait, I was upgraded to Business Class. What a great surprise for a 2am flight! I left Christmas and the snow in Chicago, though I understand that the East Coast has actually become cold since I left.

at O'hare International

Since coming back, we've been tutoring students for exams a lot. Many of the American schools in Kuwait have their semester exams in the next week or two, and my bread-winner is out making the dough. That makes our schedules are a little more hectic than usual, but I like finding these little treats when that happens.

We also celebrated our friend Dina's second 29th birthday last week, at a Chinese restaurant called Tang Chao. It's near our house at the Holiday Inn complex, which I've been to twice in two weeks, the other time for a breakfast with my friend Anita. The buildings are less than a block away, but I really haven't had a reason for going there, so that makes three total times since moving here.

Me, Rasha, Dina, Shetha, Chris

When it rains here, it either pours or drips mud, and we've been having a lot of the pouring kind lately. It's the season for it, and it characteristically starts and stops somewhat suddenly. The heavy rains are usually thunderstorms, so sometimes we get to see some spectacular lightning shows. At any rate, it's enjoyable.

You know that song, "I'll be home for Christmas?"

So, I was in the USA with my family for Christmas, froze my butt off, watched my brother graduate from IUP, and spent time with lots of dear people. Even though I was there in what seemed like sub-arctic temperatures, I didn't take any pictures of the snow for my students! I did get some really cute pictures of my nephew and niece (3 and 1, respectively), but that's about all I took pictures of. I kept forgetting my camera when I wasn't at the house, so I guess that means I was too busy having fun!

Christmas time!

We have one week of school left before the "winter break," which everyone knows is for the western teachers to have Christmas and New Year's off of work. I put up a few little decorations in light of the season, and rearranged the sitting room while I was at it.