an unusual week

I'm currently in the second day of my three-day vacation this week, which has been relaxing and eventful at the same time.

On the way home from work on Monday, excited about the 5-day weekend I was about to begin, Emily and I were hit by another car. Our scenario was not unlike many others in Kuwait, two foreigners in a small to medium-sized vehicle, generally obeying all traffic laws and courtesies of the road, when along comes a young Kuwaiti guy with a blackberry, an agenda, and a giant car. A Cadillac Escalade, to be precise. Here's some of the damage:

Driver's side rear (you can't see the loose things underneath...)

Driver's side front

Thankfully, neither of us are badly hurt, and we weren't hit again when the Escalade pushed us into other busy lanes of traffic.

We always get beautiful sunsets here, especially in the winter time. Often, the sun looks huge compared to what it looks like in most parts of the States, which is mystifying to me. Maybe one of you science types can explain that. You can't quite see the shape of the sun here, but this was a rare and gorgeous cloudy afternoon.

Yesterday, Chris and I drove down south to Mahboula to meet our friend Rasha for lunch. Afterward, we just drove around because we didn't have anywhere in particular to go. She suggested a little cafe to us, and we laughed when we found it, because we had never actually seen a "Nestle Toll House" cafe before. The coffee was good, and needless to say, the cookie was delicious. Generally, I'm not one for cookies, but who could resist? Besides Chris?

And, there were these cool, potted cacti outside. They looked a little out of place for Kuwait, but cute.

They just started publicity for the Parliamentary elections coming up here in Kuwait. In all of the neighborhoods, there are giant tents that come alive around 8pm at night, places for people to drink tea and "meet and greet" those running for seats. Sometimes I wonder why they have elections, because people always vote for family members or people from the same "clans." Since we don't vote, we westerners judge who has the best billboards with the nicest pictures. Here are a few samples:

This morning, I was walking outside when I spotted this guy in one of the car lots near our house. If I had a Ford Edsel, I don't think I would let it sit outside exposed to the elements, considering that they were only manufactured during a three or four year time period in the 1950s.

Well, those are my days off so far. We'll see what this evening and tomorrow bring!

What's going on in Egypt?

Do you have 15 minutes or so?

We've been watching the situation in Egpyt a lot on the news, as well as reading various articles on the country's current predicament. We also have some first-hand information on what the political climate is like there from our friend's parents (who are Egyptians living in Kuwait, but had traveled to their house there recently), and we will hopefully have more information soon from our friends that are traveling there. You've probably seen things in the news, too, so what do I have to say about the situation? It's complicated.

Thanks to the 22words blog, I found an easy-to-read article that is pretty understandable; it will give the basic facts about why there are tens of thousands (if not millions) protesting in Egypt: A Short Primer on Egypt Now

Now, what's the U.S. stance on the Egyptian "revolution?" I think that varies according to who's talking, and even with President Obama, it's ambiguous. Generally, one would think that the U.S. would support a new regime of democracy and push away from the current tyranny, sort of like what has taken place in Iraq; however, because of America's interests in the Middle East (especially its relations with Israel), it looks like the U.S. supports the current leader, Mubarak, who just about everyone in Egypt hates.

Egypt is one of the only countries in the Middle East that recognizes Israel as a country. All of the Gulf states (including Kuwait) consider that area Palestine, and support the Palestinian government. If Egypt were to appoint new leadership, the U.S. has no guarantee that the new government would be pro-Israeli, or at least remain neutral, potentially costing the U.S. one of its footholds in the Middle East. Also, if the U.S. is seen as supporting the the president-dictator (now age 83), it speaks against all of our cries for democracy and human rights. If we push for Mubarak to stay, we are essentially speaking against the Egyptian people, and probably angering the other Arab states. That, I think, would be a bad move for America.

Generally speaking, this revolution is about domestic affairs- people's rights to low-cost food, jobs, and less police corruption. I don't think those are terrible things, so you can probably guess where my opinion sits. I might not have quite the scope of information that a foreign policy analyst does, but I can say that living here has certainly shaped my point of view on things!

Caution: The following video contains violence, some swearing, and people in peril.