Making the Move

Anyone who has ever lived life at all knows that it comes with challenges. I've come to understand that the most important aspect of these challenges is not about the specific set of circumstances, but how we react to them. This is what shows who we are.

Yesterday, we were able to finish packing everything in our current apartment and move it to our new building. Thanks to the help of some of our friends, we did this pretty expeditiously. (I knew that feeding them and letting them play video games all the time would eventually pay off!) The new apartment is not only a bit bigger and closer to the sea, it's in a more residential area. We're hoping for a little less busyness, although I've heard that soccer matches in the area definitely break the silence. All things considered, the move was pretty easy, but tiring.

On a different note, we are having a bit of difficulty transitioning to our new jobs. Most of the problem lies with our current employer, so we are doing a lot of research and talking to folks whole are well-versed in these types of situations. We have wonderful friends and a good network of knowledgeable people who are helping us make some decisions. This experience certainly falls under the "adventure" category of living in a foreign country, although I wouldn't rank it the same as going to Egypt.

It's sometimes difficult to trust that every trial appointed to us is good for us, but we have seen glimpses of God's mercy throughout. We just ask for your prayers! Wisdom, faith, patience, and favor are all things that we need...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

The 10th floor

Our HUGE bed
We have a dresser and two wardrobes
the white aparatus on the wall is a water filter
the stove and into the laundry room (where the refrigerator is)
Our friend T McK adorns the fridge
Bathroom- still needs a shower curtain
Living room and balcony complete with Chris on the computer
Our windows are reflective to keep the sun out during the day. I'm standing about 3 feet away from the balcony doors looking "in."
The view by day with the city center in the distance
The view at night; I'll try to get some better shots.

In Kuwait

By my best count, I think we arrived in Kuwait at 2:40am local time, Saturday. I guess that makes today Day 3? This has already turned out to be quite an adventure, starting with our luggage being lost, supposedly sent to Addis Ababa (spelling check, please). Thankfully, we received it yesterday afternoon, and now have more than two changes of clothes each.

Given the tough time getting here, we are loving everything so far. It's hot. And when I say hot, I mean it hurts to open your eyes sometimes because the air automatically dries them out. We aren't outside that much though, and everything here is air-conditioned, from the apartment, to taxis, to the supermarket. Yesterday I did a load of laundry (we have our own machines), and the dryer just didn't seem to be doing the job. So, I put the clothes over the rail on the balcony, waited for about 10 minutes, and presto! Completely dry.

We have a new friend, too. He's a recent graduate from Detroit and will teach English with us at the school. He lives just a few floors up from us, so the three of us went out to supper last night at a place called the Fish Market. There, you walk along a counter that has fresh fish, pick one out, and they cook it for you however you like. I can't even remember the names of the fish, but we had Thai noodles and saffron rice along with it- a very satisfying meal.

We've also made it to the supermarket. Our new favorite buy is flatbread, costing a mere 50fils per pack of five (that's about 20cents per pack). We also stocked up on known favorites like eggs, apples, hummus, rice, and onions, and picked a few new things to try. Something we really like is called Labneh, a yogurty/pungent spread that's like cream cheese. Something we don't care for too much is called Halawa, a sweet, sesame base spread that you are supposed to use on toast. I don't care for it at all, but Chris thinks that it tastes like a cross between fluffer nutter and peanut butter. I don't taste either.

At the school, we just took a basic tour of where everything is. The campus takes up an entire block, so I can count on getting lost once or twice when I have to navigate it on my own. We are about to go on a downtown adventure, though I'm not quite sure where yet. We'll see!

+Photo by creativesam

In Dubai

I guess we're finally in the Middle East. Our plane trip from NYC to Dubai was about 12 hours, although getting on that flight was quite a challenge. It's about 10:30pm in Dubai, one hour behind Kuwait time, and we arrived about an hour ago. Here are some of the "boring" details.

Our first flight from Pitt to NYC was canceled due to weather, but not until after 11pm. The airline gave us a hotel voucher, but sent us to a hotel that was already booked solid. We headed across the street and did end up staying in a nice room, not going to bed until about 1:30am EST. Yesterday (Was it yesterday? I'm a bit lost.), we took the 6:15am out of Pitt, which didn't actually leave until 9:30am. Needless to say, we missed our 11:00am connection in NYC, but after the re-booking process, we got to spend the day with our great friends Erin and Megan, who live in Manhattan. We didn't have to be back at the airport until about 9pm EST, so we spent the majority of the day hanging out in Chinatown and being pampered by Erin; at that point, we really needed it.

We caught the NYC to Dubai flight last evening at 11pm EST. The Emirates flight was the best international flight I've ever taken; it provided good food and services, I watched Nim's Island, 21, Prince Caspian, and I am Legend, and slept for about six hours. Chris did not really sleep. We didn't sit right next to each other, but in the same row with two seats and an aisle between us. We could call each other on the in-flight phone and occasionally make faces, so I was grateful. I shared an end row with a girl whose parents are from Afghanistan, but they have lived in Dubai for the last 12 years. Each summer, they travel to the States to visit extended family for a few months. It was cool to get some insider commentary on the Middle East.

We leave Dubai at 1am here, and are to be in Kuwait at 2:30. Once the welcome service helps us with our visa, etc., our school's van driver will take us to our apartment. I'm really excited to sleep and shower!

We'll try to update again soon.
Were in good Hands.
Love to all,
Steph