countdown begins

Well, I guess it's already started, but I'm counting down as I buzz about our flat packing and organizing.
You know you're a Kuwait expat when you tape your windows in June so the dust doesn't get in over the summer, even though it still does somehow. Yes, somehow. I leave in about 2.5 hours for the States with some friends that live in the same building, so I had better pack a suitcase now.

 1 day 'til Boston
5 days 'til Pittsburgh
15 days 'til Chris

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.

Jazz, Cats, and Look-alikes

Two Thursdays ago, I went to an Ahmadi Music Group concert featuring the singers themselves and a jazz band called the Kuwait Jazz Collective. I can't tell you how amazing it has been to see and hear such talent in a country that, as a whole, doesn't particularly value the arts. Chris has performed with them for a few of their events, which has been a special treat for both of us. The conductor, Richard Bushmann, is always cooking up something new. This particular concert featured the music of Duke Ellington. If you don't know much about him, you can take a look at his official website, presumably run by his estate. At the concert, the groups performed selections from Ellington's three "Sacred Concerts," which included themes from a lot of old spirituals, combined with the music styles uniquely Ellington.

On a somewhat related note, Chris and I occasionally see strangers throughout our travels that look like our friends from PA. It's weird when we do, because most of the people we interact with are not western and do not have European features, and most of our friends at home do. It's a funny surprise. At the concert the other night, there was an amazing alto soloist whose similarity in appearance to my friend Megan W. was uncanny. This "look-alike" surpassed the previous frontrunner, who was an Egyptian guy that looked like our friend Mike B...but surprisingly not like his brother.

Last week, Chris traveled with our friend, Kyle, to Thailand, Cambodia, and Vietnam. He came back probably more tired than when he left, but with a new appreciation for Southeast Asia. I'll post more on his vacation once I get more story details, but he said that the natural beauty of the area mixed with the present poverty and the history were very sobering things.

A number of schools had holidays at the end of the semester, so lots of people were out of Kuwait for the last two weeks. I volunteered to watch my friend's cat while she was gone, which was more than I bargained for. Rather than having to drive to her building everyday, I brought Meeshu to our place. He proved to be good company while Chris was gone, but also confirmed the fact that I will probably never own a cat. There are pigeons that sit on the outside of our windowsills, so I learned to clear all objects near them quickly, especially after one of my perfume bottles was knocked over and broken...

At school, I'm busy getting the students ready for the National and Liberation Day holidays. Our curriculum and activities focus on Kuwait's history and cultural heritage throughout the month of February in light of these events on the 25th and 26th of the month. Celebrations, decorations, and sales have been plentiful since this year's Parliamentary elections on February 2nd. Thursday was Sports Day for the elementary and early childhood students, so we spent the day at Yarmouk Sports Club in various competitions by grade levels. The kids had a blast as usual, but my voice is a little on the raspy side today. Next year, I need to remember my whistle!

Last night, we went to the American Embassy with some friends and heard the Volunteers of the The US Army Field Band. We loved being able to end the week with good music, good friends, good food and drinks, all set on a cool patio and lawn area. When we go there during this time of year, it reminds me of a cool summer evening at a pub at home.We've had a bit more dust, wind, and rain in the last few weeks, so my guess is that Spring is on its way to Kuwait. The mornings have been really hazy, so much that it's hard to tell where the sky ends and the water begins, but the temperature is perfect right now.

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!

Sandstorm of the Year

And, the Sandstorm of the Year award goes to March 25th's apocalyptic-looking storm, hitting the city around 5:40pm and dying out somewhere around 9pm. We happened to be driving to our friends' house for dinner, so we got to drive in it! Quite the adventure, it's a little like driving in a white-out...only dirtier.

driving on the freeway

by the sliding door, 1/4" sand/dust

cleaning in the aftermath

On a Dusty Day

This weekend, we had a nice little dust front come through. Because of this...



I did this...

Friday Night

Today was a typical Friday. We went to church in the morning, came home to relax, and then I started working on my year plan and lesson plans for the week. This evening, I went out with the other new teachers from my school to a restaurant called the Palm Palace, so named for the many trees and glass walls looking onto the courtyard. Even though I'd seen and heard about it, I had never been there. It's pretty close to home and has lovely Lebanese food, so Chris and I will definitely be returning for a date some time.

In more exciting news, Chris and I received our paperwork signed by our previous employer so that we can legally work at our new jobs here. We are totally amazed at how God has brought us through so many hoops, and *I think* there is just one left to go. Living long term in a foreign country is not really as difficult as we seem to make it, as long as you don't decide to switch jobs half-way through your contract. Apparently, people don't like that.

On a different note, we figured out why there are so many pigeons outside the kitchen and bathroom windows; one of the neighbors throws birdseed out for them. Twice a day, around the same hours, we hear this light trickle of matter cascading down over the side of the building. I don't know what floor it's coming from, but it's kind of funny to be able to tell the time by the sound of the birdseed. There's no hanging laundry out on the line...

The hot, hot weather is starting to subside, which means the beginning of the school year is right around the corner. I have Open House with parents from 9-12 on Sunday, and then the students come Monday. I'm not exactly ready, but I still have two days!

For those of you to whom I've promised pictures, there is a new album on my "Through Photos" link that include the last few weeks of summer. Be sure to check them out!

Love from Arabia,
Steph

Freezing at 20 degrees

I found a minute to collect my thoughts and type an entry, so I am sitting here with a cup of hot tea and in my favorite fleece pullover. "Stephanie," you may say, "Isn't it REALLY hot there?" Why, yes. Right now it's about 44 degrees Celsius outside, so about 110 Fahrenheit; however, our apartment is set at 20C (about 68F). Chris likes to keep it brisk, so I adjust accordingly :)

Though it took a few extra days than planned to arrive, we are in our Middle Eastern home and settling. While we had a two-day stay in Istanbul, we were able to experience some of the Ramadan festivities in the evenings. While we did get to eat things like falafel and hommos in the States, it just doesn't hold a candle to how the Turks and Arabs make it fresh.

We are in our new apartment and mostly organized, and this week was my first week back to school. For the time being, we are doing a lot of preparation for when the students start next Monday. We'll continue to have shortened days until Ramadan is over (9am-1pm with students), and then we'll resume the regular class schedule of 7:30am-3pm. When Chris and I first returned, we woke up at weird hours of the night due to jet lag, but I think we'll be adjusted to our regular sleeping schedule when by the time Eid comes, too.

So far, it has been pretty pleasant to be back. All of our paperwork to transfer to our new jobs seems to be in order and getting processed, for which we're very thankful. I have had the opportunity to talk with a lot of the new teachers that I'll be working with, who have all been extremely welcoming and interested in helping me with every dumb question I ask. There is a lot more diversity of teachers' nationalities at my new school, so I have some native Spanish speakers to practice with in my spare time! I think I've spent some part of each of the last five days with my best friend here, too, which definitely helps with the adjustment back to desert/city life.

I think it's going to be a good year.

The Rain Doesn't Cease

We arrived in Boston on Sunday, and except for a brief moment around 3pm today, it has not stopped raining. I would say that's somewhat ironic.

It's hard to write anything of quality on here due to an intense onset of laziness that some call "Vacation." I've been getting my regular nine hours of sleep in-between playing with my new camera, cooking, reading, and cuddling with Chris. (All of these activities are ideal on rainy days). We did get to visit with our friends Simon and Tiffani last night, who bought a new house this Spring and are expecting a baby in August. We always have a great time with them.

I finally posted our pictures from Istanbul. I know there are a lot, but there was a lot to see! It's a pretty amazing city that's so expansive, one would need more than a week to cover half of it. We were pleased to visit the parts that we did, and may take another look when we stop there on our way back to Arabia; however, I will not be eating the local food after having so much the first time. Enough is enough.

Home again, Home again, Jiggity Jig

We are back on the continental Unites States! We might not be at our brightest and best yet due to extensive traveling, but we're here, in one piece, and ate calzones from our favorite local pizzeria last night. Chris' mom is going to make her famous chimichangas for us tonight. We are blessed to have such easy lives...

We got into Logan Airport in Boston around 7pm yesterday, due to an extended delay during our transfer in Rome. We were awake for more than a whole day because of our early flight and the switch through time zones, and managed to stay awake until about 9pm EST last night. Something went terribly wrong with my ability to sleep anywhere, so I literally slept for 12 hours last night. So far, coming back seems to be a lot easier than going.

It's nice to be here in West Boylston, where the temperature is currently 58 degrees with drizzling rain. This morning was kind of like Christmas because Chris and I remembered that we had a number of things shipped here that we bought throughout the Spring. I've got a new camera and lots of books to pore over.

Let the Summer begin!

the sands recede

While visibility off of our balcony is slowly increasing, there's still a fair amount of dust floating around. My sinuses are not getting along nicely with this new season, so maybe it's not quite as good as a snow day. We had school today as usual, but there was a drop in student attendance; this is not a bad thing at the end of a long week.

Starting tonight, it's another full weekend. We have church home group this evening, and tomorrow morning, we go to the embassy church. In the afternoon, I have a softball game (at 2pm), and we're off to dinner with friends in the evening. Saturday morning, I have a student at 10am that I tutor regularly, and then it's a special surprise for Chris' birthday. At 5:oo, I'll be headed to worship team practice. Afterward, I'll just spend some relaxing time with my Valentine. It sounds crazy even typing all of this out, but we're just busy for a season.

Dust Storm

We've been living life at a faster pace these days, which I don't always like, but we are still doing well. Here is a picture of the latest event that has slowed us down a bit! Students were dismissed from school about half way through the day, and the teachers were allowed to leave after they were all gone. We made it home about 2.5 hours early, and there's a chance for no school tomorrow.

This is better than a snow day...

18 degrees

Hopefully, these pictures will make you feel warm inside, since it's only 18F in Indiana, PA. We are hanging out at a mild 65F here, with a low of 43.

Egypt
Jordan Plus

Happy New Year!