End of the Year but not the end of Kuwait

Well, the end of the year came and went and I survived Kuwait and all of the American stereotypes, fears and propaganda that had been whispered in my ear before I left the states.  I had an amazing year filled with adventure, education, new encounters, and travel.  A lot of very rewarding work filled my days and gave me valuable lessons and experiences that will benefit me in my future endeavors. I worked along side coworkers that valued me as a person and were grateful for my knowledge of the English language and the position I held.  I worked with people and children that wanted what I had to offer and knew how to show their appreciation with love and respect.  I was asked to head up the Math Bowl Competition because they had faith that I would give it all I had and make it a success.  I was put on a committee with a team of leaders that worked tirelessly on accreditation. I was a part of the graduation committee that planned and organized an amazing 5th grade graduation ceremony.  I was asked to join the events planning committee.  I was even asked to lend my vocalistic style to an International Day event where I sang a solo in front of the school.  I was interviewed twice about why I like Kuwait and what I was doing there.  I was thanked time and time again by parents for the great job they thought I was doing. I was missed when I was out sick or on leave.  My birthday wasn't forgotten in the mad rush of daily life and on top of all of this, I was asked to return next year with a raise among other great benefits.  My answer was a resounding YES I will return as I accepted their offer with a roundtrip plane ticket to the states for summer vacation and a very nice summer vacation check.

In and Out

Well readers, I have been her for a little over 7 months and I have absolutely NO complaints.  Anything that I could have complained about I have gotten use to and is no longer and issue for me.  The one thing that I continually tell myself is that I am here in Kuwait for a specific purpose and nothing or no one except the Lord will deter me from that purpose.  Friends made have come and gone but the True friends that were suppose to remain, the ones that I have made have been with me and me with them for this entire ride. This includes friends back home in the States.  I am not saying that there was any type of battle or misunderstandings, I am simply saying that some people come into your life for a season and once that season has ended, sometimes so do the friendships. This is a lesson I learned long ago so I am not surprised, hurt or disappointed.  I pray that all of them past and present continue to thrive and be blessed. As for me, I am still very happy with my life and all who remain in it.  So now on to the more interesting stuff.  I haven't been blogging because I am living a very busy life of teaching, shopping, camping, traveling, lesson planning and eating in no particular order.
If I didn't mention it in my early posts, I teach a grade of 5th grade boys.  They are everything one would expect them to be at this age; rambunctious, mischievous and oh my word can they talk!  I actually think they are more talkative that any girl I've ever met.  But I love them all just as I would any other child that has been entrusted in my care.  I am a part of the Events Planning Committee and it keeps me busy with the yearly events to be carried out throughout the year.  The first set of photos you will see is a few of my boys celebrating International Day.  I chose to represent Jamaica.  I even taught them a song.  Another event we hosted was Book Week in Kuwait.  We were Snow White and the Seven (16) Dwarfs.  We then had National Day in Kuwait where my boys discussed buildings located in Kuwait and their architectural styles as well as the designers.  They were amazing! We've had a spelling bee and a clean Kuwait Day.  As I stated before, I've been a busy bee no pun intended I really have been. I sat as a bee judge.
When I am not judging Spelling Bees, encouraging my 5th graders to talk about architecture or dressing up as Snow White then I am shopping or eating out with my wonderful friends that started this journey with me.  We all teach at different schools but manage to hang out at least 2 to 3 times a month.  We have held each other up in time of crisis, given advice, talked on another off of ledges, and basically provided loving moral and spiritual and sometimes physical support.  I am a strong woman but I don't know what I would have done without some of them during my grandmother's passing (we'll get to that in another post).  Love you ladies to the moon and back.  The pictures will show McKeeta (Mamakeeta), Octavia (Lady), Pauline (Leenie), Samantha (Sam), Minnette, and Katrice.  We all stated this together back in the US.  I have also added a few pictures of my other desert family members that I have met along the way.  Noreen, Rasha, Zanib, Safaa, and a few others I've gotten close to.  It's all about holding one another up in good times and bad.  With this experience, you are either in or out.

Thanksgiving in Kuwait

Ok, to start off, one of my loved ones told me that I was being a little too long winded so I will cut to the chase and just say that Thanksgiving in Kuwait is nothing like Thanksgiving at home.  A big part of the holidays for me are the smells and late night conversations among family hanging out in our kitchen. It was family arriving from out of town.  I loved growing up as a child and smelling all of the food cooking in the middle of the night.  My mother, auntie and grandmother were always in the kitchen chatting and laughing away and those sounds and smells would lull me to sleep in anticipation for the next day. I can however thank God for my many blessings from where ever I am and so I do thank him for keeping me safe and for introducing me to some really great people.  Here is a photo collage I have to share of my holiday festivities with some co workers and friends. I hope you enjoyed your home cooked meals with loved ones!

A Day at the Beach in Kuwait

Groupme is a great way to interact and meet new people.  Before leaving the states I created a group called Kuwaiti Hopefuls 2015.  In that group I have made what I hope are some life long friendships. We went through the process of getting our documents together for the Kuwaiti government to approve our travel and residency.  What a long and unorganized process it was....We actually get together now that we are all here and laugh about it now but trust me when I say it was stressful and not funny at the time we were going through it.  The pictures below are just a few of us that met up at the Cheesecake Factory and then on to a beach for some fun in the sun.  Fully clothed is the only way to go to the public beaches for women in Kuwait.

Nothing Beats Good Old Southern Hospitality in Kuwait

Ok so for the first few days of traveling back and forth to school on the van my colleagues and I have laughed about this sign that reads:  The Southern Restaurant.  We made quite a few jokes about what type of cuisine they could possibly be serving there in the middle of Mahboula Kuwait.  Finally one day our Superintendent suggested that he would treat us if we came up with a date and a time so that we could all go and check it out. Needless to say for a free meal we came up with a date and time pretty quickly.  So off we all went walking one evening approximately 3 blocks down our busy street to try this restaurant we had been mocking for days.  When we stepped inside, the atmosphere was nice.  The place was very clean and moderately decorated with mason jars, quilts and coffee mugs printed with a stencil of the USA.  They had American country music playing in the background and we were promptly greeted by a young Asian woman.  dressed in black with a clean white apron.  She took our drink orders as we perused the menu.  Wow,  I was shocked to see chicken and waffles, NC barbecue chicken sliders, country fried chicken, baked macaroni and cheese, collard greens, fried hush puppies, sloppy joe sliders, meatloaf and even peach cobbler!  We were all floored!  We laughed about our misjudgment and the fact that we couldn't decide on what home cooked meal to try.   I think we ordered a little of everything so that everyone could try it all.  As we sat and talked about various things the aroma of the cooked food filled the air and for a brief moment it almost felt like home.  Our food arrived in a timely manner and we all dug in with enthusiasm as our mouths salivated over the piece of southern cuisine we had discovered here in the Middle Eastern territory of Kuwait.  We were not disappointed.  The food was excellent!  A little under seasoned but for our surroundings outside of that Southern Restaurant it was perfection. As we ate almost in silence our waitress was kind enough to give us the background on the owners.  They are half Kuwaiti/half American owners; one from North Carolina and the other originally from Kentucky.  This husband and wife duo decided to get together and open a restaurant that could remind expats of home.  I would say they have succeeded.  It was a great night out with my colleagues.  It was so great in fact that I suggested to my groupme group that we meet there for our first meeting.  We had great food, great conversation and laughs,  American music and a little bit of good old southern hospitality.