Musings On Monday, August 15

Why I came to Kuwait – Citizen of Wyoming or Citizen of the World?

We Wyomingites have always prided ourselves on being independent and doing things “our way,” as compared to the rest of the country. We know that Wyoming is one of the largest producers of energy in our country – oil, gas, and coal, to name a few – and that seems to give us an edge. It also makes us a bit insular and myopic. Please understand that I am speaking in generalities here; there are pockets of individuals who do not fit the descriptions that I am going to be talking about – to you all, I apologize – but I am going to write about my opinions and my feelings about Wyoming, the United States, and the world. If you disagree with my lumping people together or anything else I say, feel free to express yourself. Civil discourse is always welcome, if not highly encouraged!

In Wyoming, we toe the conservative line. Unfortunately, I took a road less traveled. As I’ve grown older, I have questioned my life and mores as a citizen of Wyoming and the United States more and more. And that is what this trip is all about. I want to find out things about myself. I want adventure. I want to travel and experience things that people in Wyoming disparage. I have always said that that people are just people, despite their nationality or ethnicity; they want the same things: to be happy, to raise their families, to drink clean water, to get up and go to work every day. The list goes on. This trip is going to either open my eyes and heart, proving that I am truly a citizen of the world, or it will close me down and prove that I am merely a citizen of Wyoming.


Trip Over

The trip over was very long. I left Casper Saturday at 6:30 am Saturday and arrived in Kuwait at 1:30 pm. Sunday. How is that, you ask? Did the trip really take 31 hours? No, it didn’t; it was actually 22 hours. Kuwait is nine hours ahead of us. Now, I am not a math whiz; I don’t want to have to mentally figure out this nine-hour time difference, so I use the computer! The clock on my computer will stay on MST so that I will always know what time it is at home…makes calling easier!

On the DC to Kuwait flight, I sat with a young girl (24) who was coming over to work for a contractor. She had been stationed in Kuwait as a Marine and had just got out in February. I had to laugh because she was a tiny, petite little thing (overkill, no??), so I asked her how she got along with all the big, burly men. She said that once she proved herself, then it was more of a joke = they would tease her about putting her in a pocket and carrying her around that way. She said that her backpack came way over her head, which you know created quite a picture in my head! LOL


First Monday in Kuwait

It’s now 4:30 am Kuwait time. I was beat so I went to bed at 9:00 and slept until 4:00 – that’s a good sleep for me. Prayer call came sometime around 3:15. I heard it, but went back to sleep. Nikki said that prayer call doesn’t bother her…she hears it and uses it as a snooze button. 4:30 am Monday in Kuwait is actually 7:30 pm Sunday in Wyoming.

I had a window seat on the plane, which gave me a great view of Kuwait City as we flew over it. The desert comes right down to the Arabian Gulf, which was a beautiful blue. The city was interesting because so much of it is high-rise buildings as compared to Denver, which has a distinct high-rise downtown surrounded by flat suburbs.

Yesterday when I arrived at the Kuwait International Airport, I was very confused. All signs were in Arabic with English underneath. The greeters at the immediate passenger unloading area were all from the large employers; no one was meeting me. I stumbled through the airport, asking people for help, going through the visa check point and making my way to the baggage area. There, a porter helped me with my bags, and I found the lounge where I was found by my “greeter,” the school business manager, Mr. Ashwan. At this point, I was feeling much better! The driver, Mr. ______________, chatted up a storm, which made me more comfortable. He told me that gas here costs about $1.00/gal. because gas is plentiful! He pointed out various things like how clean the city is (parts, anyway), how they are limited by lack of water (they use desalinization to refine salt water, is my understanding….more on this later), and told me a little about Ramadan (religious holiday).

I was met at the school by the welcoming committee, Sue and Nikki. Both are great visitors…just my kind of people! There were a few food items in my refrigerator and a case of water. The water was most appreciated because I didn’t want to use the bathroom on the plane so I didn’t drink much! Nikki is my next door neighbor. She has her 26-year-old son living with her. He is a computer geek, so he will keep our computers up and running! Sue has been teaching here six years (with a break after her first four years, then she came back), so she will be a fountain of information. I was one of the first to arrive, so I am anxiously awaiting our group breakfast this morning where I will meet several more of the new teachers.