Eid Al Adha

     Tomorrow is the first day of the three-day celebration of Eid Al Adha.  What does this mean to me?  Not really that much, especially spiritual-wise, but I do get a week of vacation time that just happens to correspond with Eid Al Adha.  A welcomed break from school, you can imagine.  I don't really know that much about it, so I won't try to share anything but the things that I actually do know.

     First, this Eid is related to the hajj.  I have seen photos of this majestic ceremony.

    Secondly, this is a time of giving.  Yesterday at school, the Arabic staff gave us a delicious lunch of fatayer, arayes, machboos, a sweet, and a drink.  I love being social over a nice meal.  Isn't that what life is all about?  When I thanked several teachers, they told me that this is their way of sharing their Eid with us as Eid is a time of giving.

     Thirdly, I know that the first day of Eid is fatteh (sp?), a fatted sheep is killed, rather like an offering.  One third of the meat is given away to others and the rest is cooked up for the fatteh feast.  I have been invited to the fatteh feast tomorrow at my friend Inas's house, which I am anticipating very much!

     This morning a pickup pulled up to the apartment building next door and unloaded 4 sheep.  The video I took is too big to upload to this blog, so here is a photo:

Closeup of Construction Practices in Kuwait

Watching construction of all kinds fascinates me, but mostly I love houses and buildings.  I blame it all on my dad; he was a carpenter.  I learned so much about construction by watching him building the houses in our neighborhood as I was growing up.  I saw everything from the excavation to the final finishing touches......and was able to learn by helping him.  

So now I am in Kuwait and seeing construction practices that I have never seen before and which would have my dad turning in his grave.   I want to share some of these things with you, because you never know:  some of you might even be as interested as I am!   I have taken many photos of buildings around here in their various stages, but nothing as complete as the process that is going on at the building next door.

Now keep in mind:  this is Kuwait, a third-world country with first-world money.  And one of the reasons that Kuwaitis are as rich as they are is that they find the cheapest labor they can find to do all the hard work.  These people come from many different countries to earn an honest living, but they are being taken advantage of and put in unsafe conditions just so that Kuwaitis can save a few bucks.  A sad situation, in my mind.

Anyway, to begin.  My story starts last April when I returned from my vacation with Grace in Cairo.  The building next door had a little accident with the brick facade falling off.   I posted a photo on Facebook about it.   There were bricks and debris all over the place over there; every day I would have to look out at it because my window overlooks the roof and the lobby area.  The debris took a little rest over the hot summer until this past week.  I have been photographing and videoing the repair process and that is what I am sharing with you.

One morning I looked out and saw a man digging through the debris and sorting out the salvageable bricks.   He picked out the reusable bricks and put them in his wheelbarrow and wheeled it over to the wall and then stacked the bricks next to the wall.   Here is the video:

Then another morning I saw they were building the scaffolding.  This was such an interesting process.....and very old fashioned.  When is the last time you saw old wood scaffolding that was lashed together with pieces of cloth?  

The next step was to get the bricks up on the scaffolding so they could begin the actual work:

Here is a video showing their manual labor as they are putting up the bricks:   Aw, too bad...the file is too big to upload.   I will have to learn to edit and cut it down to proper size.

Here is a video of them mixing the cement.   Is it any wonder that the bricks don't stay attached to the wall????   Damn.....too big, also.

Did you notice the workman wearing sandals?   There are no safety standards that have to be followed here.   Who cares if someone gets badly hurt?   Workmen are a dime a dozen....okay, a dinar a dozen....almost literally.   There are working people here who make $350-$400 a month and are expected to survive on that.

This was my documentary of the day.   Hope you enjoyed it.   I will get those videos fixed and attached as soon as possible.

Home - Summer 2014

Yes!   I'm finally home!  Grace, Alex, Cassi, and Jeramiah met me at the airport at 8 pm!!!   So happy to see them all, but missed the girls.  We went out for Mexican, since that is what I have been dreaming about.  A very nice homecoming indeed.

Yesterday morning I was awakened by Jill and Brian who had driven up from Laramie on their 34th anniversary!  I'm so glad they came!   We went to Tacos Mexico for lunch, stopped at Big Lots to check out their treasures, then joined Cassi and her mother for Cassi's wedding dress fitting.  Then we went out to Beth and Ed's to see Alex's new baby and Grandpa Richard.  After a long day of visiting in-laws and out-laws, the Blocks drove home.  They needed to get home to have a good rest since they planned to go to the Brooks' new home in Wellington to help them move.  A big day and a happy day for me!!!   I love my sister!!!


This morning I left the house at 5:30 for a walk down to the river.  The sky was overcast and so beautiful; rain was falling to the north, I could see and was hoping it would come our way.  The storm clouds were all shades of navy blue from dark to lightest gray.  There was a silver light shining through a hole in the clouds: the sun wanting to say "Good morning!"  I walked along the path next to the Three Crowns Golf Course and enjoyed the emerald greens.  Quite a few of the trees along the path have died and disappeared, but there were still caraganas, cottonwoods, and elms.  The variety of prairie grasses brought back memories of my childhood and our traipsing up to G-Hill or playing in Mrs. Dye's weeds.  The river was a bit low, but the best part was the white-tail doe on the little island near the bridge.  She was very aware of me, but wasn't afraid enough to run away.  It was only 54F which is only a few degrees warmer than the 50C that I left in Kuwait!  I love it!   

8/25/13 Powerwashing

08/25/2013   POWER WASHING

After my trip and overwhelmingly emotional day, I expected to sleep well the evening of the 24^th.   It was not to be.  I went to bed early, but then woke up at 10:15.  Got up and ate half a sandwich and had a cup of chamomile tea because my stomach was growling.  I thought the tea would help me sleep.   Back to sleep.  Awake at 2:30-ish.  Sleep.  Awake at 3:45 due to wake up call to prayer.  Sleep.  Alarm wakes me at 5:00.  Okay, I can tell it’s going to be a long day.

And it was.  Boring PD about ELL students.  Excited about shwaerma for lunch, but turns out they don’t make it until 4:00, so settled for a falafel sandwich.  Afternoon visiting with friends and PD on curriculum mapping.  Work in room.  What?  It’s 3:00?   YAY   I’m outta here!   At 5:15 I am going to go to Eric and Whitney’s party:  engagement and Whitney’s birthday. That should be fun!

I sit down on the couch with a book.  The next thing I know, I wake up and it’s dark.  It’s 7:00 p.m.   My book was on the floor, and I had covered myself with a blanket.   Boy, exhaustion took an iron hold on me.  I took my medicine and crawled into bed.  At 3:00 a.m. I woke, hearing a weird noise.  It sounded like rain…..but that can’t be…..can it???   I got up -- amazed that I had now slept about 11 hours – and looked out the window.  Raindrops???  Can it be?  Bathroom and a chance to really wake up….plus some light.  I saw some water leaking down the wall from the window corner.  WTF?  I look out again and finally it all becomes clear:   they are powerwashing our building at 3:00 in the morning!!!!  My bedroom window leaked on both corners and I had to clean it up. The bathroom window leaked and I had to clean it up.   The living room window leaked and I had to clean it up.  Sheeeeessshhhh!  Now, why on earth would they wait until the teachers are all back at work to powerwash the building in the middle of the night?  Why not do it a few days before we come back?

Now, things are becoming clear in my head.   God is giving me lessons to remind me that I must embrace the concept of suspending my common sense….because there is a completely different way of thinking that goes on here.  It’s a cultural thing and my American way of thinking just doesn’t fit here.  

8/24/13 My Dramatic Life

     I arrived back in Kuwait on the evening of August 23.  I was exhausted – exhausted, I say!   I ran into Patrick as we disembarked from the plane….he was only sitting three rows ahead of me, but we had no idea this was happening!  It was so nice to see a smiling familiar face after such a long trip.  I told him that Michelle was coming to pick me up, and she would take us home.  We got into the GCC line to go through the VISA process because there were no other people there, and we needed to be done.  The agent couldn’t speak much English and got us through in quick order.  My bags were 50# and 70#, so it was nice to have Patrick to help me, rather than paying a porter.

I knew that I had no keys to my apartment.  I had left them with Bob and Karen who were going to leave them in Michelle’s storage unit for her.  Through lots of texts between Karen, Michelle, and I, I knew that staying in my apartment that night was out of the question.  Michelle told me that she would stay at her sister Tammy’s house and I could have her apartment.   What a generous offer!  She got me settled into the apartment, gave me her key, and left for the night.

I had no telephone because I had either accidentally lost my SIM card or put it away for safe keeping somewhere so safe that it couldn't be found.  It must have been in the same place that my Kuwaiti cash was because I couldn’t find that, either.  

Tense change:  It’s now about 8:00 so I decide to go out to purchase a new SIM card so that I don't feel so isolated from the world.  As I am ready to leave, one of the guards tells me that there is a new gate key and gives me one.  Now I have two keys:  Michelle’s apartment key and the gate key.  I head down to bin Khaldoon and buy a SIM card.  Of course, I had forgotten my phone, but I knew how to install it into my phone.  How hard could it be?  Mission accomplished – or so I thought.

BED!  All I can think of now is having a nice, hot shower and getting into clean linens on Michelle’s bed.  I am a tired, dirty mess.  Getting back to the apartments, I discover the new key to the gate doesn’t work.  I ring the bell, and one of the guards comes to let me in.  When I say that my new key doesn’t work, he gives me a key and I give him a key back, then go up to Michelle’s.  When I get there, I discover that I have two gates keys!  I had given him back the wrong key!  Damn!   Down I go again.

In this short time, I discover that there is now no key to Michelle’s apartment and no one appears to understand anything that I am explaining.  One of the guards calls a friend who can speak both Arabic and English, but she wouldn’t listen to me.  He then calls Mr. Rashwan, our business manager, who comes to the school and gets an apartment key for the guard to let me into my apartment.  Never mind that my phone and carry-on bag with the keys to my large luggage (left in the foyer) are in Michelle’s apartment.   So I have nothing now but a SIM card, a gate key, and some money.  BUT I do get a hot shower and sleep in my own bed. 

The highlight of my evening was running into my good friend Tess as I was exploring the basement.  We made arrangements to go to breakfast and take a little walk around the neighborhood.

The next morning is Saturday.  Exhaustion is still my friend because I woke up at 3:30 listening to the wake up call to prayer….and yes, it did its job. I read in bed for awhile, hoping that I was still tired enough to go back to sleep, but no luck.  I decide to get ready for the day.  I have to wet my hair a bit and finger comb it due to lack of comb.  I dress in my dirty, smelly clothes and get ready to get Tess and get the day started.  Before I am ready to leave, I make a horrible discovery:  my passport is no longer in my wallet!!  OH NO!!

No passport.  In my tired delirium, I think back to the last time I had it:  the airport!   I must have been talking to Patrick (because we checked in together) and forgot it!  What a dumbhead!  I cannot think of anything but the bad ramifications this means.  I get Tess for our breakfast, and we decide to ask Samir to take me to the airport to see if I can’t retrieve it.  Good plan.  She has a meeting with him at 11:00 so I go over about 10:30 to wait for him.  My plan is to beg him to take me to the airport and help me retrieve it.  Since he speaks Arabic and English, it should be a piece of cake for him to help.

Now I have a plan; it’s time for breakfast.  We walk around the neighborhood and I introduce her to kanafe, Lebanon’s answer to sweet rolls…and one of my favorite treats.  We go to Caribou for coffee.  We visit the bakery and get some flaxseed bread, Egyptian bread, and my favorite little cookies (the top is covered in sesame seeds and the bottom in pistachios – YUM!).   Tess is scheduled to have a meeting at 11:00 at the school with Samir, so I arrive at 10:30, hoping to catch him.

When he finally shows up (late, as usual), Samir suggested that I go to Sawsan, the HR director, and tell her that I need her to find someone to take me to the airport.  Please please please!   She breaks down and arranges for Emad to take me.   We get to the airport, he drops me close to the place he says we need to be, and then goes to park.   I find the office, but the door is shut and locked.  Damn.  I wait and wait, until I see someone who looks like he might be able to help me.  He tells me that the office is closed because it is Saturday and they are only open Sunday through Thursday.  This makes sense because this is their workweek.  I finally see Emad and tell him and we go back to the school.

 In the afternoon, Michelle comes home and finds the note I left on her door:  no key.  She comes down to my apartment and we go to the guards.   She tries to explain the situation using a combination of English and Arabic, but no luck.  It’s about 3:30 or 4:00 and she runs to the school to catch Mr. Rashwan and get a key for her apartment.  Luckily, he was there to help her and now we’re happy as clams.  I retrieve my belongings and promise to get copies of the keys made because I know where there are several key places….plus, I owe her!!

I am now in bad shape.  I decide to read a little bit but am too tired.  So I lay down and think about a nap.  Soon after I doze off, there is a knock on the door:  Michelle.  Guess what!  She’s an angel on a mission:   she has my passport!!!   She found it on her couch!  How I ended up putting it there is anyone’s guess, but it probably had to do with my extreme exhaustion.   But I am one happy camper and life is looking up!!!

And that’s my first day back in Kuwait.

Egypt Serendipity

The strangest thing happened this morning.  Judy and I went to breakfast with one of Judy's friends, Marie.  At breakfast we talked up a storm about anything and everything.  Then I said something about Wyoming which made Marie perk up and ask, "What town are you from?"  

I answered, "Casper."

"I love Casper!!" she gushed.

Ugh.  Um....."How do you know Casper?"

"I'm from the Black Hills!" she said so happily.

"Well, I'm from the Black Hills, too.  I was born in Belle Fourche."

"My first teaching job was in Belle!"

And so it went.  She was raised in Rapid City, which is only a hop, skip,and a jump away from all the places that I love in the Black Hills.

Who would ever think that this type of coincidence would happen:   I travel a gazillion miles away from home only to run into someone from 'back home.'  

It happened when I first arrived in Kuwait and overheard a woman say that she was from South Dakota.  I went over to speak with her and then discovered that we had a lot in common.  The most serendipitous was that my new friend Karen once taught school in Philip, SD, where my dear friend, Beth, was raised.  As if that's not coincidental enough, it turns out that that Karen once taught Beth's sister!   Serendipity!!  

Now, when I hear that old saying, "It's a small world," I truly believe that it is!!!

Schools: Wyoming vs. Kuwait - My Experience

This entry has to begin with a disclaimer:   The following comments are the result of my own experiences in both Wyoming and Kuwait.  With all the money available in Kuwait, I find the school lacking in so many areas that I am used to.  Educators in Wyoming may not know how lucky they are to have the resources and tools that are available for them to do their jobs.  Universal American School is among the top three schools in Kuwait in regards to the fees that they charge for students.  They are also among the top three regarding the quality of education.  BUT with that said, they are sadly lacking in many areas when compared to Wyoming.  We are very lucky.

I was just thinking about the lack of a paper cutter in my room and how much time I waste while running down to the office to do simple chores.  It was that thought that incited me to write about the differences between my teaching experiences in Wyoming and here in Kuwait.

Here is my list of things lacking and how they compare:

1)  No help for IEP students.   UAS is not equipped to help IEP students, so it places a large burden on teachers.  The school supposedly is a college prep school and many of our students are never going to have the ability to attend college.   They would benefit from a school that is focused on providing the services that the student needs.  In the States, public schools have to take any and all students.  BUT there are programs to help them.  In WY, I had aides to help with classes with IEP students.  I had a special ed. department with teachers who were properly trained and who were so helpful to me when I had questions and problems and needed to discuss issues.

2) Lack of book sets.  In WY, there were books of all kinds available.   I could have all of my students reading the same book at the same time.  Here in Kuwait, I have several (not many) small sets of books that are strange, considering the culture.  And some previous teacher ordered a small number of Julius Caesar books, even though the play is in our textbook.  What a waste of money.  I could have my 10th graders reading Huckleberry Finn but that is a hard book for American kids to read, much less ESL students who don't even have knowledge of the historical background.

3)  Hard to get supplies.  For office supplies, I have to fill out a request for every little thing I need.  And all I can get is a small box of staples at any one time.  The secretary makes me count out the number of hanging file folders I can get....cannot just get a box at a time and use them.   I had to bring my own manila file folder labels because the school had none.  Am I the only teacher who reuses folders???   As for supplies such as posters, DVDs, and language resources, they are hard to get in Kuwait because they have to be ordered through an international ordering company and many of the suppliers don't play nice.   I was unable to get 6 Traits of Writing posters through one of the companies that I have done business with before because they don't send to the Middle East.  In WY, I received a budget and was able to order any items that I deemed needed.  If I needed 10 boxes of markers or colored pencils, I ordered them.  If I ran out of whiteboard markers, I went to the supply cupboard and got some.  So different.

4)  No printer in rooms.  I was spoiled by having a printer in my room in WY.  Here, it is not available unless we purchase our own.  That means that every piece of paper I print requires a trip to the office.  This is time consuming and also can disrupt class if a student needs a particular item.  On a positive note, I do get my exercise.  On a negative note, my shoes wear out faster! 

5) Lack of technology.  My computer is an old, recycled one from the middle school.  I am on my third monitor because the first two were older than Grace and were hard for me to look at for any length of time due to the "flickering" of the screen.  I am used to having a Smartboard or Promethean board and had converted many of my powerpoints to Promethean.  I do have a projector, so I can project information, but cannot do anything interactive.   I cannot even have my projector focused on the white board so we can write things because it is too hard to focus, so the maintenance men have it projecting on the wall near the ceiling.  We have no computer lab in the high school.  There are computers in the library, but not with student files, so all students have to have a flashdrive, but they don't usually have one available.  Plus, the computers are spread out all over the library, so it's hard for the teacher to keep an eye on what everyone is doing.  Students cannot use technology in our rooms because there is no wi-fi available. 

6)  No carpet.   Everything is marble: floors and walls halfway up.  Any noise echoes through the room horribly.  It's amazing how much sound is stifled by carpet.  Plus, I really like to have the ability for my students to be able to work in groups on the floor, if they choose.   In GHS, I supplied beanbags and pillows for the kids to sit on to do their silent reading.  The desks are uncomfortable old things and the students have to sit in them for 7 hours/day.

That's the end of my rant for the day.