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.

American Teacher in Kuwait: The Continuing Saga

August 27, 2012 - I have been back for two days already.

I arrived at the Kuwait Airport Friday night at 7:30.  The nicest thing happened when I got there....a call from one of my students, Sarah.  I said, "I have just now arrived and am still at the airport."  To which she replied, "I just had this 'feeling' and needed to call to see how you are doing."   What a sweetie and what a nice way to begin my new year.

Things went well in the airport and I was quickly into a cab...a fancier one than usual, but with a very nice, chatty Pakistani driver.  He told me how he appreciated teachers and respected them.  Then he said that his wife works at one of the Pakistani schools here and that his three daughters are in colleges around the world:  one in Australia, one in Pakistan, and I can't remember the other.  He has good English and probably is educated, yet works as a cab driver in Kuwait.  Something's wrong here.

My apartment was clean and tidy when I got here.  Bindu does such a nice job of taking care of me.   She even left me a gift...wall hangings from Sri Lanka.  

Everything is now unpacked and put away.  Saturday was spent socializing with friends the whole day and resting in between times.  As long as they came to me, I was happy.  I had no energy to do much of anything.

Back to school yesterday, Sunday.  The day was so broken up with small meetings that I didn't have much time to get things done, so most of the day was spent socializing.   Hmmm....it sounds like a recurring theme, doesn't it?   I had intended to go out and do some shopping in the neighborhood last night, but didn't get anything done.   I came home about 3:30, did a few little chores and then decided to watch a movie.  Well, I made it about 1/2 way through and then fell asleep.  I woke up long enough to turn off the TV and then laid down again at 5:30 and promptly resumed snoring.  At 8:35 I woke up again and could only make it as far as the bed.  I took off my clothes and crashed.   I did wake up at 3:30 this morning, but that's okay.  I got a good night's sleep and hopefully am all caught up on the jet lag and can get back on schedule.  I just hope that Sheila is not upset that I did not get her coffee from King's!!!

That's the report from my first two days back in Kuwait.  It's not too exciting, but it is wonderful to connect with my friends.   I can hardly wait to see Nikki and her new digs....and hear about her trip to Paris.   I am also needing to get in touch with Vicky and hear about her summer cruises.  I'm not going to say it's nice to be home, but it is nice to be here.


 

Kuwaiti Homes I Have Known (part 2)

One day Karen Ackerman and I were invited to tour Samir's house.  Samir is not a Kuwaiti, so cannot own one of these beauties, but he does live in one.  It was amazing.  These people really know how to spend their money.  This is the view of his neighbors across the street.  Yes, the tall building is a house:

Samir's landlord is very patriotic:

Here is the front porch:

And down the side yard:

The home is beautiful; easily the most beautifully decorated home I have ever seen.  And the first large, palatial home I've ever seen.   Here is one living room:

Here is another living area, a sunken conversation pit:

Multiple dining tables in the dining area:

And my favorite part:  the garden.  Kuwaitis enjoy a little slice of heaven in the big sandbox:

I didn't get photos of the rooftop patio where they have parties. Yes, parties.  With illegal alcohol even.  It's similar to our Prohibition.  When you are forced to go without something, you seem to want it more.  These people have access to all types of illegal products, if they have the money to purchase it.   I heard today that a single bottle of Carlsberg gets 10KD, which is equivalent to $35.00.   YIKES! 

I wish that the man who owns this house would marry me so that I can live here. 









Kuwaiti Homes I Have Known (part 1)

Last night, Thea Nixon and I visited the home of one of my students.   Sarah has been asking me for quite some time and it never has worked out, for one reason or another.   Last night, when Sheila Anderson couldn't accept the invitation, I asked Thea to go with me, because I didn't feel right going by myself.  Thea proved to be a most excellent companion for this particular excursion.

The first fun thing that happened was that Sarah and her driver picked us up at the accomodations at 4:15 in a Lexus, no less.  A friend of Sarah's, May, was also along for the ride.  May was my student last semester.  When we arrived at the house, the driver opened the automatic garage door, pulled in, let us out, and then backed out to park elsewhere.  Service to the door!!  Talk about being pampered!

Then, we entered the house and Sarah asked if we wanted to see some of the house.  Of course we did!  It was beautiful and so huge!  Here is a photo of one of the living rooms (yes, I said one -- there were multiple!):

This room was beautiful and full of this furniture.  It is old and the design is inset mother-of pearl.

Then Sarah showed us the diwaniya.  This is a large room with couches all around it where the men gather to eat, discuss, and generally make merry.  No women allowed.

We saw several more living areas and a kitchen, and then we saw the main kitchen.  Who knew that houses would have more than one kitchen?   I didn't, until I came here and saw these homes.  In addition to kitchens, there was a butler's pantry with a dumbwaiter, and then I saw a wet bar, but it was huge!

We had been invited to swim, jacuzzi, and eat, so Sarah then led us to the pool room.  There was a table set for us already:

I wish I had thought to take a photo of the lovely lunch we had.  Yes, lunch is late in the afternoon.  These are people of the night.  They tend to stay up to socialize and enjoy life during the cooler time of the day.  The school kids come home and take a short nap, then get up for lunch.  They then spend the evening studying, socializing, and shopping, then eat a dinner and go to bed in the wee hours of the morning.  Anyway, we were served a lovely salad with lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers in a light, sweet vinaigrette.  The main entre was machboos, or chicken with rice.  The rice is cooked with small currants, dal, and spices (one was a cinnamon stick).  It is served with various sauces of differing spicyness.   Yum!

Then we got on our swimming suits and enjoyed an evening swimming and sitting in the jacuzzi.  Hanging with teenagers made me feel like one again!   It was refreshing to see these girls letting their hair down -- literally.  Sarah usually keeps her hair in a bun at school!

The house was huge and beautiful.  Sarah was a marvelous little hostess.  Futoon joined us soon after lunch, so there were three of them.  We laughed and talked and generally just had a good time.  The evening ended with Turkish coffee with dates on the side.  I left a very happy teacher, and also with an invitation to visit the seaside chalet!