...arrived back safe and sound on friday at 9:40 a.m....briana and i kissed the floor in the airport when we got out of the plane...so good to be HOME...o canada, my home and native land....no place like HOME!!
...there's nothing like seeing the smiling faces of my beautiful daughter and cute, cuddly grandson...what a sight for sore, tired eyes!!...with flowers for me...how thoughtful...
..met briana's parents, john and colleen and brother travis...lovely people...colleen had some flowers for me too...thanks colleen...really want to get to know you better...hopefully over the holidays...
...shawna, noah and i left the airport and proceeded to do some christmas shopping...yes i had flown for 14.5 hours but you know me...energy to burn...got keep on the move....shopping, lunch and then back to their house to get sorted out...received some beautiful flowers from michael in england...thank you michael...you are so thoughtful!!...
...there is still snow but the weather is pretty mild, although it is a lot colder than kuwait!!...hopefully the snow will stay for christmas...
...got to see my lovable son-in-law timmy briefly and then shawna and i went to a concert that she was singing in with her friend jacob moon in kitchener...it was a christmas concert with some old and new songs....shawna sang one of my favourite christmas songs 'breath of heaven'...she has the voice of an angel...yes, i am prejudiced but it is TRUE!!...a wonderful start to the christmas season for me...I LOVE CHRISTMAS...everything about it...food, family, friends but most of all the real meaning and reason for the season... celebrating the birth of Christ!!
...saturday was spent with jo-anne...starting with breakfast at (not tiffany's)the jitterbug cafe in waterdown with the 'gang'...it was val's birthday...happy birthday val...had baby noah with me...proud gammy had to show him off...he is such a good, happy baby...cooing, smiling and rocking in his little chair...love you noah!!...then on to a pedicure and reflexology at agnes'....ahhhhh....heaven!!...then a little shopping...picked up a rental car...then back to shawna's to pick up some clothes for overnight at jo-anne and andrew's...played euchre with patty, stacey and jo-anne...fun!!
...sunday was church at tapestry....good to see the folks there....baby noah was dedicated to God (like a baby baptism)on sunday...howard, anne, great grandma and great grandpa baer, nancy, keith and paquita were all there to witness this important event in little noah's life...he was so good...
...went to have my hair trimmed and see adorable lisa...my hairstylist...great job as always lisa...then over to milestone's for lunch with the family...shawna was terribly sick so had to go home and couldn't do lunch with us...we miss you sweetie!!...then on to my nail appointment...so good to have them done at a place where they know what they are doing...
...stopped in for a drink with my tenant and to get caught up with him...he is still as gorgeous as ever...john stamos look alike!!..
...went back to get more clothes for overnight at nancy's...delicious dinner and chat with nancy, stew and nancy's dad, jerry...i was bagged...and went to bed fairly early...sorry nance...but you know me by now!!! :)...
...which brings me up to date on my journey home...today will take me to orangeville to see carolyn, joanne and steve...to get carolyn's key so i can get the rest of my things from her garage....onward and forward....
...stand by....
Monday, December 24, 2007
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
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One more sleep.....
...until i wing my way westward to HOME SWEET HOME!!!!...i am ecstatic as you can imagine...sure hope there is still some snow when i get there...so looking forward to a white christmas...in anticipation for that...i am going to watch "white christmas" starring bing crosby and danny kaye....a movie classic...
...last night found me at the home of my wonderful superintendent...gwen...along with 2 other great colleagues from school...we had a tasty potluck meal of home made lentil soup (thanks shirley...FANTASTIC!), traditional kuwaiti tapas (appetizers...finger foods...thanks gwen...YUMMY!) and fresh fruit salad...including raspberries...WOW!...and pecan tarts...there goes my diet...(thanks brenda...DELISH!!)...i brought drinks....NON-ALCOHOLIC, of course (boring!!)...here we are...look up!! :)
...today is catch up on some school work and get ready for next semester...laundry...packing...seeing some friends...
...tomorrow will be last minute odds and ends...may even have time to catch some rays...yes, it still is warm enough to get some rays in a protected area...HOPEFULLY!!...
...can't wait to see many friends and family members when i get home...especially my precious little grandson, noah....gammy is coming home mister noah!!
...see you soon....
Friday, December 14, 2007
Christmas is coming....and I am going HOME!!
...as you can imagine....i am ecstatic about going home for Christmas...can hardly wait to see the smiling faces of my daughter, son-in-law and hold my precious little grandson in my arms...all will be well then!!!
...time has flown again...never did get my 'stolen' binder back but did manage to ask the students for the classwork and homework that i had marked and had to re-quiz them (much to their chagrin)so managed to get my marks in...albeit late...
..as of today, dec. 13, we only have 2 more teaching days which will basically be a write off...the kids are already 'wrangy' (how do you spell that word??)...can hardly wait...these months have flown by thankfully and i hope that the rest of the year after christmas will do likewise...
...the weather continues to be fairly mild during the day...about mid 20's i would suspect...lovely...still warm enough to be in the sun which is where i hope to be tomorrow...FANTASTIC!!...it will be enough to come home to the cold and snow...hope we have a white christmas...nothing like it!!...then come back to more temperate conditions...
..a funny little anecdote...one of my girls who gives me a hard time in class told me she loved me the other day...so i thanked her and told her she smelled nice and asked what kind of perfume she was wearing...she said givenchy...so i said i liked it so she said she would bring me some the next day...AND SHE DID!!!...one of my other students gave me perfume a month or so ago too because she said i told her i liked it...don't remember...there are some perks of the job!!...now if they would only throw MONEY!!...tee, hee!!
...as of next week at this time, i will be at the airport with a few of the other canucks who are going home and we will be waiting for our united airlines plane to take us to washington, d.c. and then on to toronto...can harldy wait...7 more sleeps..sooooo looking forward to seeing many of you when i am there...
...time to get some beauty sleep....zzzzzzz
...time has flown again...never did get my 'stolen' binder back but did manage to ask the students for the classwork and homework that i had marked and had to re-quiz them (much to their chagrin)so managed to get my marks in...albeit late...
..as of today, dec. 13, we only have 2 more teaching days which will basically be a write off...the kids are already 'wrangy' (how do you spell that word??)...can hardly wait...these months have flown by thankfully and i hope that the rest of the year after christmas will do likewise...
...the weather continues to be fairly mild during the day...about mid 20's i would suspect...lovely...still warm enough to be in the sun which is where i hope to be tomorrow...FANTASTIC!!...it will be enough to come home to the cold and snow...hope we have a white christmas...nothing like it!!...then come back to more temperate conditions...
..a funny little anecdote...one of my girls who gives me a hard time in class told me she loved me the other day...so i thanked her and told her she smelled nice and asked what kind of perfume she was wearing...she said givenchy...so i said i liked it so she said she would bring me some the next day...AND SHE DID!!!...one of my other students gave me perfume a month or so ago too because she said i told her i liked it...don't remember...there are some perks of the job!!...now if they would only throw MONEY!!...tee, hee!!
...as of next week at this time, i will be at the airport with a few of the other canucks who are going home and we will be waiting for our united airlines plane to take us to washington, d.c. and then on to toronto...can harldy wait...7 more sleeps..sooooo looking forward to seeing many of you when i am there...
...time to get some beauty sleep....zzzzzzz
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Time Flies......
....wish I could say 'when you're having fun'...BUT....
...lots has happened since i came back from jordan at eid...have met more people...americans, brits, south africans to name a few...all wonderful people who have contributed much to my life here in kuwait....
the weather has cooled down gradually but even friday, november 30, i was sitting in the sun and swimming....FANTASTIC!!!...one good thing about being here is the weather...
...school continues to be a challenge...especially some of the girls but i have grown to love them anyway....my strategy is to talk as little as possible and to have them do cooperative learning (group work) which is supposed to be a great way for them to learn...where there's a will, there's a way...
...about 10 days ago, i went to a fancy ball put on by the south african engineering society...it was so much fun and the venue was decorated in black and white...hence the name of the ball was 'the zebra ball'...danced my feet off!!!....wish there was more opportunity to do that!!
...i have joined a teacher's volleyball league on sunday nights....it's been quite a while since i have played volleyball....(was on the university volleyball team 35 years ago....man how time flies!!!)...so that is fun...and last week, at school i played on the teacher's team at school for the pep rally AND...we beat both the junior varsity and the varsity teams.....WHEWHOOOOOOO FOR THE TEACHERS!!! WE ROCK!!!!..
...can hardly believe it is only 19 more days until i will be home for christmas...so excited...hope to see many of you when i return....will try to get a party happening and will let you know...
...'things' have happened which are leading me to pursue teaching in a spanish speaking country...many of you know that has been the desire of my heart for a long time so i am going down that road to see where it leads...will keep you informed...
...a little bit of bad news....someone stole my binder the other day that had all my marks, comments about kids, etc.....pretty much my LIFE and i was supposed to be doing marks this weekend...today i have to read the kids the 'riot act' to see if i can get it returned....c'est la vie!!!
...well, i must run to start the 'riot act' with my first class....oh, joy, oh bliss!!
...later....
...lots has happened since i came back from jordan at eid...have met more people...americans, brits, south africans to name a few...all wonderful people who have contributed much to my life here in kuwait....
the weather has cooled down gradually but even friday, november 30, i was sitting in the sun and swimming....FANTASTIC!!!...one good thing about being here is the weather...
...school continues to be a challenge...especially some of the girls but i have grown to love them anyway....my strategy is to talk as little as possible and to have them do cooperative learning (group work) which is supposed to be a great way for them to learn...where there's a will, there's a way...
...about 10 days ago, i went to a fancy ball put on by the south african engineering society...it was so much fun and the venue was decorated in black and white...hence the name of the ball was 'the zebra ball'...danced my feet off!!!....wish there was more opportunity to do that!!
...i have joined a teacher's volleyball league on sunday nights....it's been quite a while since i have played volleyball....(was on the university volleyball team 35 years ago....man how time flies!!!)...so that is fun...and last week, at school i played on the teacher's team at school for the pep rally AND...we beat both the junior varsity and the varsity teams.....WHEWHOOOOOOO FOR THE TEACHERS!!! WE ROCK!!!!..
...can hardly believe it is only 19 more days until i will be home for christmas...so excited...hope to see many of you when i return....will try to get a party happening and will let you know...
...'things' have happened which are leading me to pursue teaching in a spanish speaking country...many of you know that has been the desire of my heart for a long time so i am going down that road to see where it leads...will keep you informed...
...a little bit of bad news....someone stole my binder the other day that had all my marks, comments about kids, etc.....pretty much my LIFE and i was supposed to be doing marks this weekend...today i have to read the kids the 'riot act' to see if i can get it returned....c'est la vie!!!
...well, i must run to start the 'riot act' with my first class....oh, joy, oh bliss!!
...later....
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Final thoughts
...although i am back in kuwait (back to school today - sunday), i wanted to finish off with some thoughts of my trip to jordan...
...the last day was spent having lunch at a lovely outdoor cafe that was part of the dana reserve...an organization that tries to promote and conserve the areas and artifacts of the reserve...the cafe overlooked the city of amman and serves only healthy alternative meals... i had a wonderful salad with strawberries and walnuts in a honey mustard dressing...i had dessert too (of course) but being at a natural health food restaurant, it left something to be desired as you can imagine...
...after lunch, i spent some more money buying some crafts from the gift shop at the reserve...all of which came from artifacts from the area made by bedouins...beautiful and not exhorbitantly priced...nice souvenirs...
...haitham drove briana, christina and i around a bit more...we were told that the best place to get dead sea products was at safeway, yes, the grocery store...as far as price goes so of course, we went there...we all bought a few things...we had stopped at a 'factory' in macaba and were told that they had the best prices for the dead sea products...NOT SO MUCH...anyway, safeway got some of our last jordanian money...
...our final stop was at a cafe that we had gone to a few nights earlier...we sat inside at first and then outside overlooking the street below to people watch and drink some shay (pronounced shy...translated tea)...and of course we ate pizza...i know, crazy...but yummy!!...
...back to the toledo hotel where we had a day room until check out at 11 p.m. to make our way to the airport...arriving at the airport, we were informed that we had to wait until 1:30 a.m. to check in...so we sat around and chatted and ate junk food until that time...check in and boarding were uneventful...and then we were on the plane winging our way back to kuwait...it was bitter sweet to say good-bye to haitham...he had been a breath of fresh air on our trip and SO INFORMATIVE...what a wonderful young man!!...
...we arrived on time in kuwait, got our bags and a taxi back to our building...what a contrast to go from one relatively liberal middle eastern country to a very strict one...the contrast in topography was also very evident...jordan has such a mix of mountains, desert, trees, water, etc. whereas kuwait is very flat and mostly desert with the gulf as only one highlight...BUT for now it is 'home' and i use that term VERY loosely...that's all for now...will try to upload some pictures soon...tata for now...
...the last day was spent having lunch at a lovely outdoor cafe that was part of the dana reserve...an organization that tries to promote and conserve the areas and artifacts of the reserve...the cafe overlooked the city of amman and serves only healthy alternative meals... i had a wonderful salad with strawberries and walnuts in a honey mustard dressing...i had dessert too (of course) but being at a natural health food restaurant, it left something to be desired as you can imagine...
...after lunch, i spent some more money buying some crafts from the gift shop at the reserve...all of which came from artifacts from the area made by bedouins...beautiful and not exhorbitantly priced...nice souvenirs...
...haitham drove briana, christina and i around a bit more...we were told that the best place to get dead sea products was at safeway, yes, the grocery store...as far as price goes so of course, we went there...we all bought a few things...we had stopped at a 'factory' in macaba and were told that they had the best prices for the dead sea products...NOT SO MUCH...anyway, safeway got some of our last jordanian money...
...our final stop was at a cafe that we had gone to a few nights earlier...we sat inside at first and then outside overlooking the street below to people watch and drink some shay (pronounced shy...translated tea)...and of course we ate pizza...i know, crazy...but yummy!!...
...back to the toledo hotel where we had a day room until check out at 11 p.m. to make our way to the airport...arriving at the airport, we were informed that we had to wait until 1:30 a.m. to check in...so we sat around and chatted and ate junk food until that time...check in and boarding were uneventful...and then we were on the plane winging our way back to kuwait...it was bitter sweet to say good-bye to haitham...he had been a breath of fresh air on our trip and SO INFORMATIVE...what a wonderful young man!!...
...we arrived on time in kuwait, got our bags and a taxi back to our building...what a contrast to go from one relatively liberal middle eastern country to a very strict one...the contrast in topography was also very evident...jordan has such a mix of mountains, desert, trees, water, etc. whereas kuwait is very flat and mostly desert with the gulf as only one highlight...BUT for now it is 'home' and i use that term VERY loosely...that's all for now...will try to upload some pictures soon...tata for now...
Friday, October 19, 2007
Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea cont'd
...the second day in petra was for me an r & r day...lounging by the pool (wonderful) but then plans changed...our jordanian guide, haitham, decided that we needed to experience an overnight in the desert...wadi rum...so briana and i (up for yet another jordanian adventure) trundled off to the desert...these mountains are really interesting because they are not full of trees and rocks like in the rockies but are just mounds of hardened sand with all kinds of shapes, nooks and crannies carved into them...
...we arrived at our desert camp 'palm camp' at about 4 in the afternoon...these camp is run by bedouins and is a series of tents, some made out of goat's hair, some canvas, some palm leaves...we were in a canvas tent...there was a large lounging area that had 'couches' of some sort with pillows and other types of arm rests (somewhat reminiscent of the roman times where they lounged around...only we had no one to feed us grapes, the eating area was also in a big tent which was covered and had sides but the one side was open...there were tables and chairs but very rustic...
...we lounged around for a while and then haitham arranged for us to take a jeep (which actually turned out to be a pick up truck where we sat on a bench in the back) out to see the sunset...the sand was very red in places and we tried climbing up the side of one of the mountains about knee deep in sand...my knees didn't last long so i let the 'younguns' go for it and then took pictures of haitham as he rolled down the hill...boys will be boys!!...we saw the sun set with its reflection of the red sand...beautiful and then sat on a sand dune listening to the quiet...very peaceful and serene...our truck driver, i found out after having a little conversation with him (translated by haitham) was a 17 year old bedouin named absalom...i asked him if he had a girlfriend but he just smiled and said he was looking for a foreigner to be his wife...i asked him if he would like to move away from wadi rum and again with his smiling face, he answered that it was his destiny to be there and he accepted that...i asked him many more questions, one of which was whether or not he goes to school...the answer NO...another was what does he eat...his family eats dates, camels milk and bread...everyday, every meal!!!...seems pretty boring to me but he said it was a very healthy diet and one he likes...he likes driving the truck for the foreigners and he seems pretty happy with his simple existence...we should all live such a simple life!!...after driving up and down a few more dunes, we returned to get ready for dinner...
...dinner consisted of meat that was cooked underground on a grate inside a large can and then covered with sand...very interesting and very delicious...the remainder of the meal consisted of rice, vegetables, and hummous...i didn't mention but haitham got us an incredible deal for this trip...15 jordanian dinars...about equivalent to $22 canadian...everything we did on that trip was a 'deal' thanks to haitham and his contacts...
...after dinner we sat over in the lounge area and chatted until about midnight...night time in the camp was especially lovely because they had lights in various holes in the mountains that looked like stars...so beautiful...just before midnight, we were given an oil lamp and told that the lights would be going out soon...when that happened it was VERY DARK but the stars were magnificent...reminiscent of being in northern ontario...something you miss out on in the city...
...sleeping there was a little difficult because there were dogs barking, tent noises and just a slight eery feeling of being out in the wild...however, i did sleep for a while until nature called and i had to step outside the tent and....well you know...
...in the morning, we climbed one of the smaller mountains by the camp and then went for a walk...not many places to go in the desert...after a short walk, i returned to sit in the lounge area and do some crosswords and enjoy the peace and tranquility...we had some lunch and then our driver (a colleague of haitham's) came to drive us to the dead sea...
...that drive turned out to be extended as haitham thought we should stop by aquaba on the red sea to see the beach...he pointed out that from that vantage point we could see israel and egypt side by side...the whole arab/jewish conflict is so evident even though jordan is neutral and tries to be friends with all nations...their late king hussein was a champion for peace while he was alive...
...somehow, again through haitham's negotiations, we ended up on a glass bottom boat, driven by a small, weathered, chain-smoking jordanian who had the brownest teeth i have ever seen (what teeth he had left)...unfortunately, our short time in aquaba turned into about 2.5 hours because we kept going out farther and farther to try to see some fish in this glass bottomed boat...unsuccessful...but we did manage to get drenched on the way back because the sea was quite rough...this was such a 'male/female' conflict...each time we got hit with a wave, haitham was in gales of laughter and briana and i were cowering in the middle of the boat grimacing as we sat covered in salty sea water...the 'captain' was apologetic but we knew he had no control over the waves...finally we arrived back at the dock and we continued on our way to the dead sea...which took about another 3 hours...i was so bored by the time we got to the marriott but chocked it up to 'another jordanian adventure'...
...the marriott was AMAZING...gorgeous hotel with 3 pools overlooking the dead sea...the other ladies had got there about 4 hours ahead of us so they had already been floating in the sea as well as had booked some spa appointments for the next day...the spa was a little bit of heaven with wonderful therapeutic smells that caressed your senses on entering the place...i booked a dead sea mud wrap envelopment... i was really looking forward to that new experience...
...we all ate dinner together at an italian restaurant...good but not exceptional...and after walking around the grounds for a while, headed to bed...i was exhausted from all the sea wind and water from earlier on...sleep came quickly and was welcomed...
...next morning (wednesday)we had a breakfast buffet and then took a van ride to mount nebo (site of where moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness foreshadowing christ on the cross - very inspiring)...we went into a church there and witnessed a mass being held in french, i lit a candle in memory of mom and other departed friends and relatives, took some pictures and tried not to get blown off the mountain...incredible gale force winds up there that day...next stop was macaba where the others were interested in seeing the mosaics for which the area is famous...i bought a few things at one of the little shops and then we continued on to our last stop which was the original site of Jesus' baptism...that was really interesting and reminded me of a song that i used to sing entitled, "i walked today where Jesus walked'...such a meaningful place to be for Christians...it made me want, even more, to go to the holy land...something which will have to be done AFTER my time in kuwait because i couldn't get back into kuwait if i had been to israel...on maps in kuwait, israel is blacked out as if it doesn't exist...hmmmm!!...
...getting back to the site of the baptism...the original site was a big empty hole because the river jordan is dried up there but we were taken to the current site and saw the river there...it still is as dirty as the Bible talks about it...across the banks of the Jordan we could see israel...so near and yet so far...someday i will go there...
...after returning to the hotel, we went for a float in the dead sea...the lowest point on earth...343 metres below sea level...the amount of salt in the sea is incredible and not something you want to get in your eyes or mouth...VERY SALTY...very hard to not float...lots of fun...at one point we floated over to some stairs where they had a huge pot of mud which of course we applied to our bodies...we looked like dark green monsters...and, yes, we took pictures...
...briana, christina and i had a snack, then some ice cream and then i went to the spa for my mud treatment...a new favourite spa treatment for me...it was so relaxing...i first was scrubbed with olive oil and salt to exfoliate, then showered, then had the mud applied all over including my face...then i was wrapped in plastic and heated blankets and then left to rest for about 15 minutes...wonderful...
...briana and i went back into amman to experience some jordanian night life with our jordanian guide...fun...but the reality of our vacation coming to an end was beginning to hit home...
...must sign off for now but will continue later...
...we arrived at our desert camp 'palm camp' at about 4 in the afternoon...these camp is run by bedouins and is a series of tents, some made out of goat's hair, some canvas, some palm leaves...we were in a canvas tent...there was a large lounging area that had 'couches' of some sort with pillows and other types of arm rests (somewhat reminiscent of the roman times where they lounged around...only we had no one to feed us grapes, the eating area was also in a big tent which was covered and had sides but the one side was open...there were tables and chairs but very rustic...
...we lounged around for a while and then haitham arranged for us to take a jeep (which actually turned out to be a pick up truck where we sat on a bench in the back) out to see the sunset...the sand was very red in places and we tried climbing up the side of one of the mountains about knee deep in sand...my knees didn't last long so i let the 'younguns' go for it and then took pictures of haitham as he rolled down the hill...boys will be boys!!...we saw the sun set with its reflection of the red sand...beautiful and then sat on a sand dune listening to the quiet...very peaceful and serene...our truck driver, i found out after having a little conversation with him (translated by haitham) was a 17 year old bedouin named absalom...i asked him if he had a girlfriend but he just smiled and said he was looking for a foreigner to be his wife...i asked him if he would like to move away from wadi rum and again with his smiling face, he answered that it was his destiny to be there and he accepted that...i asked him many more questions, one of which was whether or not he goes to school...the answer NO...another was what does he eat...his family eats dates, camels milk and bread...everyday, every meal!!!...seems pretty boring to me but he said it was a very healthy diet and one he likes...he likes driving the truck for the foreigners and he seems pretty happy with his simple existence...we should all live such a simple life!!...after driving up and down a few more dunes, we returned to get ready for dinner...
...dinner consisted of meat that was cooked underground on a grate inside a large can and then covered with sand...very interesting and very delicious...the remainder of the meal consisted of rice, vegetables, and hummous...i didn't mention but haitham got us an incredible deal for this trip...15 jordanian dinars...about equivalent to $22 canadian...everything we did on that trip was a 'deal' thanks to haitham and his contacts...
...after dinner we sat over in the lounge area and chatted until about midnight...night time in the camp was especially lovely because they had lights in various holes in the mountains that looked like stars...so beautiful...just before midnight, we were given an oil lamp and told that the lights would be going out soon...when that happened it was VERY DARK but the stars were magnificent...reminiscent of being in northern ontario...something you miss out on in the city...
...sleeping there was a little difficult because there were dogs barking, tent noises and just a slight eery feeling of being out in the wild...however, i did sleep for a while until nature called and i had to step outside the tent and....well you know...
...in the morning, we climbed one of the smaller mountains by the camp and then went for a walk...not many places to go in the desert...after a short walk, i returned to sit in the lounge area and do some crosswords and enjoy the peace and tranquility...we had some lunch and then our driver (a colleague of haitham's) came to drive us to the dead sea...
...that drive turned out to be extended as haitham thought we should stop by aquaba on the red sea to see the beach...he pointed out that from that vantage point we could see israel and egypt side by side...the whole arab/jewish conflict is so evident even though jordan is neutral and tries to be friends with all nations...their late king hussein was a champion for peace while he was alive...
...somehow, again through haitham's negotiations, we ended up on a glass bottom boat, driven by a small, weathered, chain-smoking jordanian who had the brownest teeth i have ever seen (what teeth he had left)...unfortunately, our short time in aquaba turned into about 2.5 hours because we kept going out farther and farther to try to see some fish in this glass bottomed boat...unsuccessful...but we did manage to get drenched on the way back because the sea was quite rough...this was such a 'male/female' conflict...each time we got hit with a wave, haitham was in gales of laughter and briana and i were cowering in the middle of the boat grimacing as we sat covered in salty sea water...the 'captain' was apologetic but we knew he had no control over the waves...finally we arrived back at the dock and we continued on our way to the dead sea...which took about another 3 hours...i was so bored by the time we got to the marriott but chocked it up to 'another jordanian adventure'...
...the marriott was AMAZING...gorgeous hotel with 3 pools overlooking the dead sea...the other ladies had got there about 4 hours ahead of us so they had already been floating in the sea as well as had booked some spa appointments for the next day...the spa was a little bit of heaven with wonderful therapeutic smells that caressed your senses on entering the place...i booked a dead sea mud wrap envelopment... i was really looking forward to that new experience...
...we all ate dinner together at an italian restaurant...good but not exceptional...and after walking around the grounds for a while, headed to bed...i was exhausted from all the sea wind and water from earlier on...sleep came quickly and was welcomed...
...next morning (wednesday)we had a breakfast buffet and then took a van ride to mount nebo (site of where moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness foreshadowing christ on the cross - very inspiring)...we went into a church there and witnessed a mass being held in french, i lit a candle in memory of mom and other departed friends and relatives, took some pictures and tried not to get blown off the mountain...incredible gale force winds up there that day...next stop was macaba where the others were interested in seeing the mosaics for which the area is famous...i bought a few things at one of the little shops and then we continued on to our last stop which was the original site of Jesus' baptism...that was really interesting and reminded me of a song that i used to sing entitled, "i walked today where Jesus walked'...such a meaningful place to be for Christians...it made me want, even more, to go to the holy land...something which will have to be done AFTER my time in kuwait because i couldn't get back into kuwait if i had been to israel...on maps in kuwait, israel is blacked out as if it doesn't exist...hmmmm!!...
...getting back to the site of the baptism...the original site was a big empty hole because the river jordan is dried up there but we were taken to the current site and saw the river there...it still is as dirty as the Bible talks about it...across the banks of the Jordan we could see israel...so near and yet so far...someday i will go there...
...after returning to the hotel, we went for a float in the dead sea...the lowest point on earth...343 metres below sea level...the amount of salt in the sea is incredible and not something you want to get in your eyes or mouth...VERY SALTY...very hard to not float...lots of fun...at one point we floated over to some stairs where they had a huge pot of mud which of course we applied to our bodies...we looked like dark green monsters...and, yes, we took pictures...
...briana, christina and i had a snack, then some ice cream and then i went to the spa for my mud treatment...a new favourite spa treatment for me...it was so relaxing...i first was scrubbed with olive oil and salt to exfoliate, then showered, then had the mud applied all over including my face...then i was wrapped in plastic and heated blankets and then left to rest for about 15 minutes...wonderful...
...briana and i went back into amman to experience some jordanian night life with our jordanian guide...fun...but the reality of our vacation coming to an end was beginning to hit home...
...must sign off for now but will continue later...
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Petra, Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea
...much to tell and not much time to tell it....
...our time in petra was amazing...took a guide who was very enthusiastic (a bedouin who is an archaeologist)...he told us all about the history of the place as well as some of his opinions about some of the restoration of the place...for those of you who don't know, petra is one of the 7 wonders of the world (i believe)...lot of natural wonder as well as some carvings right into the (sand) rocks...these rock formations are incredible...eons of years have etched various designs and formations into the rocks...we walked for about 2 kms. and finally reached the 'treasury' which is the famous location from the indiana jones movies...when you first approach it, you just see a slight peek of the salmon coloured building...as you get through the crevice of rock you come into a huge clearing and looming high above about 40 storeys is the famous structure...as an aside, when we reached that area, i was having a severe allergic reaction...either to the camels, horses, donkeys or just the incredible amount of very fine sand that was blowing up with the pitter patter of hooves...anyway, one of my comrades had some advil with antihistamine in them so i took a couple and within a half hour or so i was beginning to feel somewhat relieved of the congested, asthmatic symptoms i had been experiencing....phewwwww!!..this didn't of course stop me from getting on a camel and having a little walk around the area in front of the treasury...interesting animals who bray when disgruntled...they have the cutest lips!!...
...the walk through this interesting phenomenon was filled with many different sites...amphitheatre on one side, monuments to the gods on another, a mix of the natural (God) wonders and man made wonders...as i mentioned our guide, naef, was incredibly knowledgable and interesting...we were asked many times along the way if we wanted a donkey or camel ride but we politely declined...we are canadians and can tough it out!!...after about 3 hours or so, our guided tour came to an end and we said good bye to naef...some of the ladies decided to continue on UP to the monastery and to see other parts of the site...we were told you need about 3 or more days to really do the site justice...briana and i decided it was more important for us to go back and lie by the pool for some r & r... and that's what we did...the setting of the crowne plaza hotel where we were staying was the best thing about the hotel...it has, as its backdrop, these sandrock mountains looming large out of the desert...they are really hard to describe but somewhat remind me of mounds of ice cream all one on top of the other or on the other hand maybe brain matter all convoluted...ok, i admit my descriptions aren't the greatest when it comes to these mountains...i am speechless...hard for me to be but nevertheless true...
...i again have run out of time and have to go to have my dead sea mud wrap envelopment...so will have to continue next time which will probably be when i get back to kuwait...it won't be the same writing about it when i am no longer there but c'est la vie...stay tuned...
...our time in petra was amazing...took a guide who was very enthusiastic (a bedouin who is an archaeologist)...he told us all about the history of the place as well as some of his opinions about some of the restoration of the place...for those of you who don't know, petra is one of the 7 wonders of the world (i believe)...lot of natural wonder as well as some carvings right into the (sand) rocks...these rock formations are incredible...eons of years have etched various designs and formations into the rocks...we walked for about 2 kms. and finally reached the 'treasury' which is the famous location from the indiana jones movies...when you first approach it, you just see a slight peek of the salmon coloured building...as you get through the crevice of rock you come into a huge clearing and looming high above about 40 storeys is the famous structure...as an aside, when we reached that area, i was having a severe allergic reaction...either to the camels, horses, donkeys or just the incredible amount of very fine sand that was blowing up with the pitter patter of hooves...anyway, one of my comrades had some advil with antihistamine in them so i took a couple and within a half hour or so i was beginning to feel somewhat relieved of the congested, asthmatic symptoms i had been experiencing....phewwwww!!..this didn't of course stop me from getting on a camel and having a little walk around the area in front of the treasury...interesting animals who bray when disgruntled...they have the cutest lips!!...
...the walk through this interesting phenomenon was filled with many different sites...amphitheatre on one side, monuments to the gods on another, a mix of the natural (God) wonders and man made wonders...as i mentioned our guide, naef, was incredibly knowledgable and interesting...we were asked many times along the way if we wanted a donkey or camel ride but we politely declined...we are canadians and can tough it out!!...after about 3 hours or so, our guided tour came to an end and we said good bye to naef...some of the ladies decided to continue on UP to the monastery and to see other parts of the site...we were told you need about 3 or more days to really do the site justice...briana and i decided it was more important for us to go back and lie by the pool for some r & r... and that's what we did...the setting of the crowne plaza hotel where we were staying was the best thing about the hotel...it has, as its backdrop, these sandrock mountains looming large out of the desert...they are really hard to describe but somewhat remind me of mounds of ice cream all one on top of the other or on the other hand maybe brain matter all convoluted...ok, i admit my descriptions aren't the greatest when it comes to these mountains...i am speechless...hard for me to be but nevertheless true...
...i again have run out of time and have to go to have my dead sea mud wrap envelopment...so will have to continue next time which will probably be when i get back to kuwait...it won't be the same writing about it when i am no longer there but c'est la vie...stay tuned...
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Petra
don't have much time to write....only 1 computer here at the crowne plaza for EVERYONE'S use....can you say 'get into the 21st century'...
...sunday night i found my way up on to the roof garden terrace at the movenpick just before sunset...it was beautiful...so i sat there, had a drink and did my crosswords...it was LOVELY...briana and christina joined me later and we had dinner there...a piece of heaven...later we went out to check out the shops but i must say most of the stuff is kind of 'junky'...back to the hotel, where we bought some vases with incredible sand designs in them...this guy at the movenpick was extremely talented...
...time for bed and after chatting for a while, it was lights out..
...monday morning after breakfast buffet, we 'walked' our suitcases up the hill to the crowne plaza...i helped one of the other ladies by pulling her suitcase up the hill as well as carry my backpack...yikes...shouldn't have brought a backpack...
...gotta run for breakfast...ttyl....
...sunday night i found my way up on to the roof garden terrace at the movenpick just before sunset...it was beautiful...so i sat there, had a drink and did my crosswords...it was LOVELY...briana and christina joined me later and we had dinner there...a piece of heaven...later we went out to check out the shops but i must say most of the stuff is kind of 'junky'...back to the hotel, where we bought some vases with incredible sand designs in them...this guy at the movenpick was extremely talented...
...time for bed and after chatting for a while, it was lights out..
...monday morning after breakfast buffet, we 'walked' our suitcases up the hill to the crowne plaza...i helped one of the other ladies by pulling her suitcase up the hill as well as carry my backpack...yikes...shouldn't have brought a backpack...
...gotta run for breakfast...ttyl....
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Night 2 and Day 3
...after our day trip to Jerash...we went back to the hotel for a nap...then Briana, Christina and I headed off with our Jordanian guide to see more of the sites which included a tour of the (late) King Hussein's Automobile Museum...unbelievable the amount of money in that museum on things that rust...of course they all were in mint condition...cars, motorcycles, amphibians, etc., etc.,...you name it and there was one of those there...cars that he bought, were given to him, etc.,...he had a need for speed so there were lots of sports cars there too...very interesting...Haitham spoke very highly of the late HRH...indicating that the Jordanian people really loved and respected him...apparently, one day before HRH's death he changed the law that once said that the new King had to be a full blooded Jordanian...however, he wanted his son, whose mother is British, to become King so he changed the law and it was so...probably to the chagrin of the son who had thought for 20 years that he would become king...ah, the life of the royals!!...
...after the car museum,we went to an amusement park...along with, it seemed, all of Amman, mostly young men...Haitham and his friend Ibraihim were very careful to keep themselves between us and the locals...it was really quite sweet...seemed like we were celebrities with body guards...in fact, at one point, to avoid having to wait in a horrendously long line to get on a ride (that I was sure was going to make me sick), Haitham told the gate keeper that he had 3 foreigners from the Canadian embassy with him...that's called 'wasta' so we got to move ahead in the line...it only worked the one time though...all good things must come to an end!! :)...we finally tired of the tremendous crowd and left in haste...traffic everywhere but Haitham is quite the driver and we managed to avert any traffic jams and accidents too thankfully...then it was on to the next destination...
...that was a little hole in the wall 'bakery' of sorts where the man was making fresh bread (croissant shaped) covered with sesame seeds...Ibraihim bought several, accompanied with hard boiled eggs and cheese which we were told to cut up and put in the middle of the bread along with salt, and some kind of spice and hot sauce if preferred (me, not so much)...DELICIOUS...we drank some very sweet tea as well, which was also YUMMY!!...
...next stop....gocarting....that was a BLAST FROM THE PAST...haven't been in a go-cart for years....managed to do 13 laps without wiping out but without winning any medals either...it was a lot of fun...to quote Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man", "I am an excellent driver!!"...
...by this time, christina was ready to call it a night so we dropped her off...next stop was to see Haitham's cafe that he and his partner are renovating...it will be lovely when finished...it will be an artistic gallery, music haven and cafe...very progressive...after that we went to a traditional cafe that had been fashioned after the old style ones (although Haitham said that the old fashioned stairs and builing were repros of what used to be)...the night was passing by and our last stop was for ice cream before being dropped off at our hotel...to catch a few winks before getting up to leave for Petra...
...we boarded a van at 7 a.m. which drove us to Karak which was old ruins of (darned if i can remember)...very interesting with lots of nooks and crannies to peer through and take great pictures...we met up with a few girls who we finally found out that they were from china (took a while for me to make them understand i was asking them where they were from)...they wanted to have their pictures taken with Briana, christina and me...very cute...reminded me of being in korea...
...after 1.5 hours there, we boarded the van again for another 2 hour ride to finally arrive at the Movenpick hotel in Petra...our rooms weren't ready so we had lunch in the restaurant...very swiss hotel...nicer than the toledo in amman...finally got into our room and i made my way to the pool while briana and christina settled down for a nap...not much sun and a little cool by the pool so i headed back in to try to nap...not very successful so that's how i ended up here writing on my blog...travelling is great but this trip is very different...i think because i am feeling out of it being the oldest member of the group...oh, well, something i have to deal with...
...not sure what is in store for this evening but we have no jordanian guide to show up around so we will have to make our own kind of music...strike up the band....
...after the car museum,we went to an amusement park...along with, it seemed, all of Amman, mostly young men...Haitham and his friend Ibraihim were very careful to keep themselves between us and the locals...it was really quite sweet...seemed like we were celebrities with body guards...in fact, at one point, to avoid having to wait in a horrendously long line to get on a ride (that I was sure was going to make me sick), Haitham told the gate keeper that he had 3 foreigners from the Canadian embassy with him...that's called 'wasta' so we got to move ahead in the line...it only worked the one time though...all good things must come to an end!! :)...we finally tired of the tremendous crowd and left in haste...traffic everywhere but Haitham is quite the driver and we managed to avert any traffic jams and accidents too thankfully...then it was on to the next destination...
...that was a little hole in the wall 'bakery' of sorts where the man was making fresh bread (croissant shaped) covered with sesame seeds...Ibraihim bought several, accompanied with hard boiled eggs and cheese which we were told to cut up and put in the middle of the bread along with salt, and some kind of spice and hot sauce if preferred (me, not so much)...DELICIOUS...we drank some very sweet tea as well, which was also YUMMY!!...
...next stop....gocarting....that was a BLAST FROM THE PAST...haven't been in a go-cart for years....managed to do 13 laps without wiping out but without winning any medals either...it was a lot of fun...to quote Dustin Hoffman in "Rain Man", "I am an excellent driver!!"...
...by this time, christina was ready to call it a night so we dropped her off...next stop was to see Haitham's cafe that he and his partner are renovating...it will be lovely when finished...it will be an artistic gallery, music haven and cafe...very progressive...after that we went to a traditional cafe that had been fashioned after the old style ones (although Haitham said that the old fashioned stairs and builing were repros of what used to be)...the night was passing by and our last stop was for ice cream before being dropped off at our hotel...to catch a few winks before getting up to leave for Petra...
...we boarded a van at 7 a.m. which drove us to Karak which was old ruins of (darned if i can remember)...very interesting with lots of nooks and crannies to peer through and take great pictures...we met up with a few girls who we finally found out that they were from china (took a while for me to make them understand i was asking them where they were from)...they wanted to have their pictures taken with Briana, christina and me...very cute...reminded me of being in korea...
...after 1.5 hours there, we boarded the van again for another 2 hour ride to finally arrive at the Movenpick hotel in Petra...our rooms weren't ready so we had lunch in the restaurant...very swiss hotel...nicer than the toledo in amman...finally got into our room and i made my way to the pool while briana and christina settled down for a nap...not much sun and a little cool by the pool so i headed back in to try to nap...not very successful so that's how i ended up here writing on my blog...travelling is great but this trip is very different...i think because i am feeling out of it being the oldest member of the group...oh, well, something i have to deal with...
...not sure what is in store for this evening but we have no jordanian guide to show up around so we will have to make our own kind of music...strike up the band....
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Day 1 and Day 2 Jordan
...after breakfast yesterday (Friday), christina, briana and i went back to our room to get ready...the other 5 ladies were ready ahead of us and decided to strike out on their own which left us to figure out where we were going...after asking at the front desk what was open (and were informed that nothing was open because it was eid),we set out on foot to see some of the old part of Amman...
...pretty dismal surroundings...lots of young boys wandering the street...we walked around for a while (i'm not loving it at this point), then got some lunch...pretty good shwarma and pickled veggies ?? and ice cream, then tried to get a cab back to our hotel (and were warned not to pay more than 1 Jordanian Dinar)but alas...couln't get a cab...either they drove on by not interested, stopped and wanted to charge too much or stopped and didn't seem to know where our hotel was...go figure...so in my 'quiet', unobtrusive way, i was complaining to the girls about our lack of luck in hailing a cab...lo and behold an 'angel' came by, heard our dilemma and offered to drive us to the hotel...chuckling as we got in because he said the hotel was very close...we explained that we had just 'got off the boat' as it were and he said 'no problem'...HE was a 25 year old, gorgeous (ok, i'm old but i'm not blind) jordanian man who had come to rescue us...he drove us to our hotel and asked if we wanted him to show us around later in the day...christina and briana were very happy because as i mentioned, he was very cute and very charming and nice...we found out that he is a sports tv presenter...his name is haitham...so we decided that he would come back for us about 7....
...after arriving back at the hotel, we had a snooze and then got up to get ready...it was unfortunate that the other girls had not been with us but they had their own fun shopping (at the few shops that were open) and seeing some of the old city..
...true to his word, haitham returned to pick us up at 7 and drove us all around the old and new parts of amman...showed us where he was born, the soon to be finished cafe that he and a friend were renovating and took us to one of his favourite restaurants with a roof top patio where almost everyone was smoking sheesha (sp?)a water infused, heated, fruit flavored tobacco kind of substance...very big in the middle east...thank goodness it doesn't smell like regular tobacco....they don't have any smoking bans in this part of the world...that was a lovely way to spend the evening....after playing silly games of 'truth or dare'...we left and haitham dropped us off at our hotel... promising to take us around again tonight...
...this morning after breakfast all 8 of us boarded a van to jarash to see roman ruins of a time long ago...very interesting and the other 7 were really into the 4 hours that we spent there...i was good for about the first hour and a half and then the same question remains....'why did they have to ruin it??'...ok, i'm being facetious but i feel the same way about ruins as i do about cathedrals, mosques, buddhist temples, etc.....ENOUGHT ALREADY...anyway, after having lunch and shopping in the little shops (i always feel somewhat assaulted in those little souvenir shops...too much haggling), we boarded the van again to return to the hotel...after another little snooze, christina, briana and i are again being chauffered around by haitham...this time we may take in some go-karting and not sure what else...it is so great to have a local to take us around because we get to go to places that we wouldn't normally see or know about...anyway, will tell you more about our adventure later....
...pretty dismal surroundings...lots of young boys wandering the street...we walked around for a while (i'm not loving it at this point), then got some lunch...pretty good shwarma and pickled veggies ?? and ice cream, then tried to get a cab back to our hotel (and were warned not to pay more than 1 Jordanian Dinar)but alas...couln't get a cab...either they drove on by not interested, stopped and wanted to charge too much or stopped and didn't seem to know where our hotel was...go figure...so in my 'quiet', unobtrusive way, i was complaining to the girls about our lack of luck in hailing a cab...lo and behold an 'angel' came by, heard our dilemma and offered to drive us to the hotel...chuckling as we got in because he said the hotel was very close...we explained that we had just 'got off the boat' as it were and he said 'no problem'...HE was a 25 year old, gorgeous (ok, i'm old but i'm not blind) jordanian man who had come to rescue us...he drove us to our hotel and asked if we wanted him to show us around later in the day...christina and briana were very happy because as i mentioned, he was very cute and very charming and nice...we found out that he is a sports tv presenter...his name is haitham...so we decided that he would come back for us about 7....
...after arriving back at the hotel, we had a snooze and then got up to get ready...it was unfortunate that the other girls had not been with us but they had their own fun shopping (at the few shops that were open) and seeing some of the old city..
...true to his word, haitham returned to pick us up at 7 and drove us all around the old and new parts of amman...showed us where he was born, the soon to be finished cafe that he and a friend were renovating and took us to one of his favourite restaurants with a roof top patio where almost everyone was smoking sheesha (sp?)a water infused, heated, fruit flavored tobacco kind of substance...very big in the middle east...thank goodness it doesn't smell like regular tobacco....they don't have any smoking bans in this part of the world...that was a lovely way to spend the evening....after playing silly games of 'truth or dare'...we left and haitham dropped us off at our hotel... promising to take us around again tonight...
...this morning after breakfast all 8 of us boarded a van to jarash to see roman ruins of a time long ago...very interesting and the other 7 were really into the 4 hours that we spent there...i was good for about the first hour and a half and then the same question remains....'why did they have to ruin it??'...ok, i'm being facetious but i feel the same way about ruins as i do about cathedrals, mosques, buddhist temples, etc.....ENOUGHT ALREADY...anyway, after having lunch and shopping in the little shops (i always feel somewhat assaulted in those little souvenir shops...too much haggling), we boarded the van again to return to the hotel...after another little snooze, christina, briana and i are again being chauffered around by haitham...this time we may take in some go-karting and not sure what else...it is so great to have a local to take us around because we get to go to places that we wouldn't normally see or know about...anyway, will tell you more about our adventure later....
Friday, October 12, 2007
The River Jordan...
....yesterday was a LONNNGGGGG day...the students were hyper (even more so than usual!!) and i was EXHAUSTED by the end of it...got home, went for a pedicure (scary salon...:( and then left for the airport around 7 p.m....traffic is CRAZY at that time of night because everyone is going home to EAT after fasting all day...normal crazy drivers are even crazier...oh, speaking of crazy drivers, one of our bus drivers, who drives us to school, slammed into the back of a car on our way to school the other morning (he has a 'NEED FOR SPEED')...no big deal to them, he got out, there was a policeman there and since there was no damage, everyone just went on their way...one of the girls sitting in front of me FLEW out of her chair and banged her knee and a couple of others hit their arms on the seat in front of them...just another day at the office here...:(
...i digress...back to my Jordanian story...we arrived at the Kuwaiti airport with lots of time to spare...it wasn't as NUTSO at the airport as we were told it would be...after getting checked in and 'chowing down', we sat and waited to board...uneventful flight...i was 'bagged' and slept most of the way (2 hours or so)..on arrival, payed for a Jordanian visa and found ourluggage (which had all been dumped in a pile)...we set off to find our ground transportation to our hotel...true to their word, the vans were on their way...got loaded into 2 vans and we were off to the 'Toledo Hotel'...
...on the way, we saw a VERY serious accident...someone had driven into a tree...BAD SCENE...ambulances and gawkers everywhere...in spite of breakneck speed by our drivers, we made it safely to our destination...
...arrived at the hotel about 3:30 a.m....not too coherent...DEAD WOMAN WALKING...so didn't take in much of the surroundings...AND...it was nighttime...
...thought i might not be able to sleep but after playing my little solitaire game for a few minutes...i was into the LAND of NOD....YEAH!!!....no trouble sleeping when i don't have to worry about lesson planning and behaviour problems!!!...i am in one of the 'non-snoring' rooms with Briana and Christina (our 'token' american...stuck with 7 canucks...go canada go!!)...the room is basic with 3 single beds...it feels somewhat 'cave-like'??...bed is firm, pillow too flat...but i am 'wiped'....zzzzzzzzzz...
..this morning we had the breakfast buffet...not stellar but enough to sustain us for the beginning of our adventure...
...that's all for now...getting ready to EXPLORE Amman...sun is shining...there are even TREES here... not just palm trees...briana is VERY EXCITED about TREES??!!...
...stay tuned...
...i digress...back to my Jordanian story...we arrived at the Kuwaiti airport with lots of time to spare...it wasn't as NUTSO at the airport as we were told it would be...after getting checked in and 'chowing down', we sat and waited to board...uneventful flight...i was 'bagged' and slept most of the way (2 hours or so)..on arrival, payed for a Jordanian visa and found ourluggage (which had all been dumped in a pile)...we set off to find our ground transportation to our hotel...true to their word, the vans were on their way...got loaded into 2 vans and we were off to the 'Toledo Hotel'...
...on the way, we saw a VERY serious accident...someone had driven into a tree...BAD SCENE...ambulances and gawkers everywhere...in spite of breakneck speed by our drivers, we made it safely to our destination...
...arrived at the hotel about 3:30 a.m....not too coherent...DEAD WOMAN WALKING...so didn't take in much of the surroundings...AND...it was nighttime...
...thought i might not be able to sleep but after playing my little solitaire game for a few minutes...i was into the LAND of NOD....YEAH!!!....no trouble sleeping when i don't have to worry about lesson planning and behaviour problems!!!...i am in one of the 'non-snoring' rooms with Briana and Christina (our 'token' american...stuck with 7 canucks...go canada go!!)...the room is basic with 3 single beds...it feels somewhat 'cave-like'??...bed is firm, pillow too flat...but i am 'wiped'....zzzzzzzzzz...
..this morning we had the breakfast buffet...not stellar but enough to sustain us for the beginning of our adventure...
...that's all for now...getting ready to EXPLORE Amman...sun is shining...there are even TREES here... not just palm trees...briana is VERY EXCITED about TREES??!!...
...stay tuned...
Monday, October 8, 2007
Happy Thanksgiving!!
thanksgiving is coming to kuwait...even though we can't talk about it in school...3 of the creative teachers in our building have organized a full course turkey dinner tonight in the foyer of the building....YEAH!!...turkey, cranberries, mashed potatoes, salads, buns, drinks (non-alcoholic, of course) and desserts...can't wait..it will be a little touch of canada...(homesick for sure!!)
just as a little aside...and a break through for me...one of my very talkative, 'off-task' grade 10's was speaking in arabic today and when i looked at her with disapproval, she asked me if i knew what she was saying....i replied that i didn't...so she said she told the others that i was the best grade 10 teacher at the school...i told her i was touched but wasn't sure i believed her...one of the other students in the class said that's what she had said....even if she was lying...i CHOOSE to believe her...i need some good news...since most of the time i want to scream!!...
3 more days and then i am off to jordan for 9 days...may not be able to use the internet when i am away but will do my best...not sure whether my cell phone will work either
ciao for now!!!
just as a little aside...and a break through for me...one of my very talkative, 'off-task' grade 10's was speaking in arabic today and when i looked at her with disapproval, she asked me if i knew what she was saying....i replied that i didn't...so she said she told the others that i was the best grade 10 teacher at the school...i told her i was touched but wasn't sure i believed her...one of the other students in the class said that's what she had said....even if she was lying...i CHOOSE to believe her...i need some good news...since most of the time i want to scream!!...
3 more days and then i am off to jordan for 9 days...may not be able to use the internet when i am away but will do my best...not sure whether my cell phone will work either
ciao for now!!!
Tuesday, October 2, 2007
Gergiyan...Hallowe'en
Sorry it's been some time since i have written...sometimes i just don't have the energy...anyway, last thursday we had gergiyan...which the students tell us is somewhat equivalent to our hallowe'en (although we have been instructed that we are not allowed to talk about or celebrate hallowe'en in the school??...go figure!!)...many of the students came dressed up in their finest dira'as (sp) (traditional clothing) and brought mega doses of candy!!...my students told me they get sick on candy during this time...it is actually 3 days...so much for the apparent fast they are on for the month...very strange rules about fasting...so, i wore a simple dira'a, as did many of the teachers, just to try to be in the spirit of the time...i even got some candy from a few students (that surprised me!!)...some of the students suggested that i go to people's houses and ask for candy...yah, NO!!...so that was a touch of kuwaiti culture...
this week has been progress reports...YEAH!!!...checklist and comments for 80 students...i am making my quizzes and tests SO EASY just so that they all can pass...otherwise if they fail, I have to bell curve the marks because basically everyone passes here...REALLY BAD!!
..i am currently in the staff room and listening to various comments from the other teachers and chuckling about some of the questions the students ask...e.g. can i write in pencil for my quiz....what part of NO do you not understand...one of the middle schoo ENGLISH teacher's had someone ask her today what language she should write her class notes in....why not try SWAHILI!!...there are many more...but i have to go to yet another stellar class....later!!
this week has been progress reports...YEAH!!!...checklist and comments for 80 students...i am making my quizzes and tests SO EASY just so that they all can pass...otherwise if they fail, I have to bell curve the marks because basically everyone passes here...REALLY BAD!!
..i am currently in the staff room and listening to various comments from the other teachers and chuckling about some of the questions the students ask...e.g. can i write in pencil for my quiz....what part of NO do you not understand...one of the middle schoo ENGLISH teacher's had someone ask her today what language she should write her class notes in....why not try SWAHILI!!...there are many more...but i have to go to yet another stellar class....later!!
Saturday, September 22, 2007
Day from hell....
I have always considered myself fairly engaging and persuasive but it seems that 2 of my grade 10 classes don't share the same sentiment about Miss Heather...the one class is completely apathetic about school in general...one comment "i wish the school would burn down"...there was a ringleader prima donna in that class who takes delight in stirring up the rest of the girls and totally undermining the teacher's authority...nothing fazes this kid....marks lost, detentions, etc....the guidance counsellor switched her to the afternoon class and within 30 seconds of being in that class, 4 of the other girls banded with her to be totally belligerant and refused to stay on task and refused to stay for a detention...the counsellor assures me she will talk to them and to their parents...I AM TOO OLD FOR THIS!!...i really feel sorry for the lovely girls who are trying to pay attention and learn something...time will tell whether or not i will survive...
on a more pleasant note, i made the decision to join the hilton resort...which is the only place where i feel at peace...i better not quit because i spent a considerable amount to be a member...thanks to 3 of my colleagues, i will be able to get a ride to and from the resort...i am somewhat tied to their schedule but i can also take a taxi sometimes....
all i can say is..."stop the world, i want to get off!!"
on a more pleasant note, i made the decision to join the hilton resort...which is the only place where i feel at peace...i better not quit because i spent a considerable amount to be a member...thanks to 3 of my colleagues, i will be able to get a ride to and from the resort...i am somewhat tied to their schedule but i can also take a taxi sometimes....
all i can say is..."stop the world, i want to get off!!"
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Good and not-so-good news...
...it was just announced the other day that we will have 9 days off after ramadan finishes...so oct.12 - 20....YIPPEE!!...next decision is where to go...a few of the girls are going to jordan and i was going to join them but they had problems getting their flight tickets booked online...so are having to wait to get that sorted out...i really just want to go to a resort and rest for the 9 days...guess since i am over here i should do the tourist thing...i can't believe my level of indecision here....normally i am very decisive, especially where travelling is concerned but...i am lucky if i can decided what underwear to wear each day...WHAT IS THE MATTER WITH ME??...it probably doesn't help that i am experiencing severe insomnia...am able to sleep right after school for a nice nap but when it's time to go to bed, i can usually go off to sleep but don't sleep for more than 2 - 3 hours at a time and tonight...haven't really slept at all...i lie in bed thinking about everything i have to do...which brings me to the not-so-good news...just found out today that i will be observed by the acting principal for the high school...next wednesday...a normal 'school system' procedure but nerve wracking all the same...have a pre-observation meeting with her today...maybe that's why i can't sleep??...also, every night between 3 - 4 a.m. there is the call to prayer which is a droning 'song-like' utterance...it seems to be right around the time that i wake up...is there a connection???...MAYBE!!
...don't get me wrong, there are good times too...the other teachers are great and i have made some nice friends...although i must admit...i feel like a 'den mother'...my own self labelling i guess...most nights everyone is very busy marking, lesson planning, etc...there is a large 'newbie' population at AAG, i.e. new to AAG, so everyone has their work cut out for them...ahhhh...the life of a teacher...it is confirmed in my mind why i did not go into teaching after i graduated from university...i love to teach but there is 'teaching' and then there is 'behaviour modificationing' (pardon the slang)...
oh, another piece of 'good' news...NOT...i just found out that one of my students got the grade 9 english teacher fired last year because the teacher reprimanded her...yes, toto, we are no longer in kansas...kids and parents have POWER here...NICE!!...
well on that happy note, i will watch some tv since sleep is evading me...take good care...
...don't get me wrong, there are good times too...the other teachers are great and i have made some nice friends...although i must admit...i feel like a 'den mother'...my own self labelling i guess...most nights everyone is very busy marking, lesson planning, etc...there is a large 'newbie' population at AAG, i.e. new to AAG, so everyone has their work cut out for them...ahhhh...the life of a teacher...it is confirmed in my mind why i did not go into teaching after i graduated from university...i love to teach but there is 'teaching' and then there is 'behaviour modificationing' (pardon the slang)...
oh, another piece of 'good' news...NOT...i just found out that one of my students got the grade 9 english teacher fired last year because the teacher reprimanded her...yes, toto, we are no longer in kansas...kids and parents have POWER here...NICE!!...
well on that happy note, i will watch some tv since sleep is evading me...take good care...
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Ramadan....
Ramadan (the month long fasting period for Muslims) began Thursday, September 13. They are never sure the exact date of start and finish because it is dependent on the moon?? What this means for us at the American Academy for Girls in Kuwait is that the school day is shortened from 7:30 - 2:30 to 9:00 to 1:00, the girls get progressively more tired, apathetic and demotivated (I'm not sure how that is possible since, in a lot of cases, there is not a lot of motivation or interest in school anyway!!) This should be an interesting month!!...then we have a few days off. It will be a shock to get back to normal school hours...getting up at 5 a.m....good thing I'm a morning person!!
This past weekend was very enjoyable as Michael jetted his way over from England for the weekend. In typical Michael Woodhall fashion we proceeded to do and see as much as possible in the shortest time possible...we managed to see virtually the whole country on Saturday by taking a taxi ride up to the Iraq border (he tried to cross it on foot but was prohibited by the guards!!)then down to the south almost to the Saudi border. The journey was miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles....of desert...EXTREMEY HOT AND DUSTY!! In the north, we saw remnants of the Iraqi conflict with Kuwait including demolished buildings, power towers, etc. Towards the south, there were many Bedouin (Bedouins are basically homeless tent dwellers in the desert)tents where we were able to see and take pictures of camels. By the end of the 7 hour taxi ride besides having a 'numb bum', it had gotten pretty boring...miles and miles....you get the picture!!
Last Friday, my superintendent, Gwen, took us as her guests to the Hilton and we enjoyed a few hours of R and R in the sun, sea and pool. In the evening we feasted on the extravagant offerings of a traditional Iftar (breaking the fast) dinner at the Hilton. My friend, Shawna, accompanied us (as did Gwen for the meal)and we had a lovely relaxing day and evening. On the way home, Gwen drove us to see a mall that was beautifully lit up with dancing pools, etc.
Sunday,I was back in school, and Michael called to see if he could meet with the British Ambassador. He was on his way to Dubai so was unavailable. We spent another few hours at one of the other resorts called the Palms and then went to a Thai restaurant The Blue Elephant back at the Hilton.
Michael whirled his way back home on Monday and called to say he had arrived safely...the amazing flying world...the world is really small.
I continue to try to understand the girls, their culture, their behaviour (due to extreme wealth and overindulgence)and try to impart some knowledge and wisdom to them...MAJOR CHALLENGE!! I pride myself on not being a quitter but I have to admit, I DO feel like quitting many days...we shall overcome...or die trying!! :)
Have to run to get ready for yet another day....
This past weekend was very enjoyable as Michael jetted his way over from England for the weekend. In typical Michael Woodhall fashion we proceeded to do and see as much as possible in the shortest time possible...we managed to see virtually the whole country on Saturday by taking a taxi ride up to the Iraq border (he tried to cross it on foot but was prohibited by the guards!!)then down to the south almost to the Saudi border. The journey was miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles....of desert...EXTREMEY HOT AND DUSTY!! In the north, we saw remnants of the Iraqi conflict with Kuwait including demolished buildings, power towers, etc. Towards the south, there were many Bedouin (Bedouins are basically homeless tent dwellers in the desert)tents where we were able to see and take pictures of camels. By the end of the 7 hour taxi ride besides having a 'numb bum', it had gotten pretty boring...miles and miles....you get the picture!!
Last Friday, my superintendent, Gwen, took us as her guests to the Hilton and we enjoyed a few hours of R and R in the sun, sea and pool. In the evening we feasted on the extravagant offerings of a traditional Iftar (breaking the fast) dinner at the Hilton. My friend, Shawna, accompanied us (as did Gwen for the meal)and we had a lovely relaxing day and evening. On the way home, Gwen drove us to see a mall that was beautifully lit up with dancing pools, etc.
Sunday,I was back in school, and Michael called to see if he could meet with the British Ambassador. He was on his way to Dubai so was unavailable. We spent another few hours at one of the other resorts called the Palms and then went to a Thai restaurant The Blue Elephant back at the Hilton.
Michael whirled his way back home on Monday and called to say he had arrived safely...the amazing flying world...the world is really small.
I continue to try to understand the girls, their culture, their behaviour (due to extreme wealth and overindulgence)and try to impart some knowledge and wisdom to them...MAJOR CHALLENGE!! I pride myself on not being a quitter but I have to admit, I DO feel like quitting many days...we shall overcome...or die trying!! :)
Have to run to get ready for yet another day....
Monday, September 10, 2007
Sleepless in Kuwait
Normally I am not the best sleeper in the world....unless of course you sit me down after a meal or drinks and then I can 'saw logs' with the best of them...some of my friends know that 'glazed over look I get mid sentence before I nod off' only too well:)...however, since just before school started, i am lucky to get 3 or 3.5 hours a night...too much on my mind, too much new protocol to digest, regurgitate and start again...do i sound a little bitter...lol...maybe somewhat...many of us here are feeling quite overloaded...to give an example of what we are up against...we do not have access to a photocopier...if we want photocopying done, we have to have it in to the photocopy 'guy' up to 4 (school) days before we need it...can you say 'super organization needed'??...so if you decide something isn't working in your class and need to change gears and want to make some last minute copies...NO CAN DO!!...that's just ONE of the many frustrating things to deal with...but as 'they' say "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger"...hmmmm...
my last entry indicated that we were going to the Crowne Plaza hotel...that we did and spent a very leisurely 1/2 day using the fitness facilities (which were incredibly HIGH TECH...mind boggling for this brain!!), enjoying an amazing breakfast buffet and, my favourite, lounging by the lovely pool...unfortunately for them,it looks like NONE of us will be joining primarily because it is just too far from where we live and most of us don't have cars...too bad, so sad...
i have become buddies with a young woman from B.C. whose name, coincidently, is Shawna...she and i went down to the JW Marriott hotel on saturday to check out the amazingly expensive...chanel, louis vitton, etc., etc stores....she's a 'high maintenance' girl and loves the finer, expensive things in life...but only occasionally splurges!!...not I on the other hand...too rich for my blood...much to shawna's chagrin, the stores were closed as stores do here in kuwait for a 3 or 4 hour period...kind of like a siesta but i think here it's more for praying purposes...shawna was so disappointed...i assured her we would come again...lol
yesterday...sunday...which is our first day of the school week, we were 'back in the saddle' again...gearing up for ramadan...some of my students were telling me that they love ramadan...in spite of having to fast from sun up to sun down...they were describing the vast array of food that they eat in the evenings...school days are shortened...9 - 1 for them...which they LOVE (so do we!!)...after school they go home and sleep (so as not to eat, i guess) and prepare for their GINORMOUS meal and festivities in the evening...it would be interesting to be invited to one of these feasts but not sure that will ever happen....
life in kuwait is definitely interesting...that's all i can say...
later....
my last entry indicated that we were going to the Crowne Plaza hotel...that we did and spent a very leisurely 1/2 day using the fitness facilities (which were incredibly HIGH TECH...mind boggling for this brain!!), enjoying an amazing breakfast buffet and, my favourite, lounging by the lovely pool...unfortunately for them,it looks like NONE of us will be joining primarily because it is just too far from where we live and most of us don't have cars...too bad, so sad...
i have become buddies with a young woman from B.C. whose name, coincidently, is Shawna...she and i went down to the JW Marriott hotel on saturday to check out the amazingly expensive...chanel, louis vitton, etc., etc stores....she's a 'high maintenance' girl and loves the finer, expensive things in life...but only occasionally splurges!!...not I on the other hand...too rich for my blood...much to shawna's chagrin, the stores were closed as stores do here in kuwait for a 3 or 4 hour period...kind of like a siesta but i think here it's more for praying purposes...shawna was so disappointed...i assured her we would come again...lol
yesterday...sunday...which is our first day of the school week, we were 'back in the saddle' again...gearing up for ramadan...some of my students were telling me that they love ramadan...in spite of having to fast from sun up to sun down...they were describing the vast array of food that they eat in the evenings...school days are shortened...9 - 1 for them...which they LOVE (so do we!!)...after school they go home and sleep (so as not to eat, i guess) and prepare for their GINORMOUS meal and festivities in the evening...it would be interesting to be invited to one of these feasts but not sure that will ever happen....
life in kuwait is definitely interesting...that's all i can say...
later....
Thursday, September 6, 2007
Time Passages
Time flies when you are having FUN...so they say...whomever 'they' are!! Since my last entry, I have been to the Evangelical Church of Kuwait (which was great to be in a Muslim country and yet be able to worship freely), have started school (which has been a shock to the system...to say the least) and am gearing up for the most sacred time in the Muslim calendar...Ramadan. The dates for Ramadan are different every year depending on the moon, apparently. I don't understand it and I don't think others do either. During that month, school days are shortened from 7:30 - 2:30 to 9:00 - 1:00 and those who are Muslim are not allowed to eat, drink, smoke, etc., between sunrise and sundown. They don't expect us as foreigners to adhere to the fast but we are asked to not eat or drink in front of the students. Should be interesting.
So far there has not been a lot to do around here except shop and eat...not a good combination for a shopaholic or eataholic. Tomorrow we are being driven to the Crowne Plaza hotel to check out the facilities...guess they are trying to woo us there to work out etc....but it is too far from our building.
It's been a long week and I need to get some sleep so...I bid you adieu.
So far there has not been a lot to do around here except shop and eat...not a good combination for a shopaholic or eataholic. Tomorrow we are being driven to the Crowne Plaza hotel to check out the facilities...guess they are trying to woo us there to work out etc....but it is too far from our building.
It's been a long week and I need to get some sleep so...I bid you adieu.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
What Was I Thinking?
Those of you who know me, know that I have a lot of confidence...maybe too much sometimes....well, let me tell you...my confidence is taking a beating here...why you ask?...it's probably just 'fear of the unknown' (that's what I am hoping)and the fact that we are in 'information overload' right now...I have never been in a high school system AND not in a foreign country that has so many rules, regulations, censorship, etc. (we're also told that parents sometimes come in screaming if they are upset about something....oh GREAT!!)...this is all making me a little crazy!! Anyway, as I have put up on my wall in my classroom as our Quote of the Week, "If it is to be, it is up to ME!! I will survive!!
This is a long week-end for us since the whole country is changing over to Friday/Saturday as the week-end to try to keep up with the rest of the world. Today is a time for a much needed massage...YEAH!!...some things never change. LOL It is still extremely HOT...and very humid some days...95%...we are told that the heat will diminish somewhat by the middle to end of September and that we will still be swimming by Hallowe'en and some even say Christmas...I'll drink to that!!...oh, no I won't...can't do that here!! Too bad, so sad!! Not a problem really!!
Well, must go do the mundane things of life...laundry!!
Will try to upload pics soon.
Catch ya later.
This is a long week-end for us since the whole country is changing over to Friday/Saturday as the week-end to try to keep up with the rest of the world. Today is a time for a much needed massage...YEAH!!...some things never change. LOL It is still extremely HOT...and very humid some days...95%...we are told that the heat will diminish somewhat by the middle to end of September and that we will still be swimming by Hallowe'en and some even say Christmas...I'll drink to that!!...oh, no I won't...can't do that here!! Too bad, so sad!! Not a problem really!!
Well, must go do the mundane things of life...laundry!!
Will try to upload pics soon.
Catch ya later.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
The Postman Cometh...
Whatever that means???...for me it means 'D-day' is approaching...that is the first day of school!! Lesson plans, red-tape, rules, regulations, etc.....can't go into detail cause you never know who is reading this but suffice it to say that...we're no longer in Kansas...if you catch my drift!!
There is a young woman here from Texas who has been sent to be my school saviour...so to speak. She has taught English for 8 years, has written curriculum, etc., etc. and she is taking me under her wing...thank the Good Lord!! There's way more to this than I imagined. My hat is off to teachers!! BRAVO!!
We had a lovely walk along the Gulf last night after dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe...the humidity was 95% so we were quite damp when we arrived back at the 'ranch'. Par for the course here at this time of year.
Sorry if I am a little inconsistent writing on this BLOG but right now everything is quite overwhelming, trying to get school going...hopefully it will get easier.
Stay tuned...
There is a young woman here from Texas who has been sent to be my school saviour...so to speak. She has taught English for 8 years, has written curriculum, etc., etc. and she is taking me under her wing...thank the Good Lord!! There's way more to this than I imagined. My hat is off to teachers!! BRAVO!!
We had a lovely walk along the Gulf last night after dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe...the humidity was 95% so we were quite damp when we arrived back at the 'ranch'. Par for the course here at this time of year.
Sorry if I am a little inconsistent writing on this BLOG but right now everything is quite overwhelming, trying to get school going...hopefully it will get easier.
Stay tuned...
Day at the beach.....and other things!!
Actually that is a misnomer...it was more like a couple of hours at the beach....can you say HOT, HOT, HOT!! Yowza!! Had to wear flip flops to the water...oh, yah and the water....was about 100 degrees...not what you would call refreshing!! However it was cooler in the water than lying in the sun!! Now I know what my son-in-law Timmy means when he calls me (and Shawna) a lizard. Anyway,the only thing to do after being in the heat was to go home and have a nap!! Tough life I know. That was Friday...daytime...Friday evening we went to...I'm ashamed to say...Burger King for supper.
Saturday was our first day at school with all the teachers...100+ women teahers in a confined space....very noisy. It was great to see all the friendly faces...foreign and Kuwaiti teachers.
More to come....
Saturday was our first day at school with all the teachers...100+ women teahers in a confined space....very noisy. It was great to see all the friendly faces...foreign and Kuwaiti teachers.
More to come....
Thursday, August 23, 2007
And the beat goes on...
A few days have passed and life in Kuwait is rolling along. Since Monday, we have had orientation everyday with various and sundry activities.
Yesterday, (Wednesday) we were out of the school going to get finger printed, HIV tested and chest Xrays. It was a whole day of "hurry up and wait"....kind of like working in television. As women (and maybe more specifically, foreign women), we were moved to the front of the lines (hooray...seems strange in this male dominated culture but nevertheless true!!).
When we first arrived at the finger printing place, we were told we had to come back on Saturday. That was not going to fly with us and our Egyptian guide, Hassan, (who is a big cuddly bear of a man - he's wonderful)told us to beg and plead to get taken in then and NOW. So...what did we do....we sent our smallest, cutest, youngest woman to "work her magic" as I told her. Touchdown...6 points for Katelyn and the foreign ladies, 0 for the Kuwaiti officials!! Way to go Katelyn.
I had never been fingerprinted before so that was interesting. A little tip which we were given (in case you have to be fp'd sometime) is to put cream on your hands before you hit the ink and it will come off easier....TRUE...it worked!!
After leaving there, we went on the get some blood taken to be tested for HIV (apparently, our test from Canada, which they required before we set foot in the country, was not good enough) Anyway, it was a little more painful than the one we had done the day before for blood typing but we all survived.
On to chest Xray department. We all filed into a room and were told we had to remove our necklaces and bras so.,..being dutiful, law abiding Canadians, we all did the inconspicuous removal of the bra without removing our outer clothes (you know the drill ladies??) That finished the legal portion of our duties. Now we have to wait a month or so to get our permanent residence cards so we can travel around, get a licence (if wanted) etc.
Today, we spent 2 hours in the tremendous heat at an outdoor market...everything from carpets to cleaning supplies and everything in between. We were told by Hassan that it was Friday market on Thursday...not sure what that means but anyway we went. Those of you who love the Winners, flea market, etc. experience...would love this place. Me....not so much. We consumed a lot of water. Very hot!!
After leaving the market our van took us out for lunch (paid for by the school or Hassan??) at a Kuwaiti restaurant and we had some special chicken dish including AMAZING pita bread, hummous, spicy veggies and, of course, FRENCH FRIES...go figure...guess they want us to feel at home...too funny!!
The next stop was the apartments for a little siesta and then another trip to the Avenues Mall...shop til you drop...Hassan says that all there is to do here is SHOP and EAT!!! Sounds good except for the poundage that I am trying to lose. Maybe I can sweat it off....if only that was possible. Speaking of sweating it off...the biggest debate now is which work out facilities to join...the Holiday Inn which is within walking distance with adequate work out facilities or the Hilton which is apparently resort like with private beach, etc. but is about 20 minutes to half hour away. Oh, what a terrible dilemma to be in....lol!! Too bad all of life isn't that simple!!
Well, I need a little snooze....stay tuned!!
Yesterday, (Wednesday) we were out of the school going to get finger printed, HIV tested and chest Xrays. It was a whole day of "hurry up and wait"....kind of like working in television. As women (and maybe more specifically, foreign women), we were moved to the front of the lines (hooray...seems strange in this male dominated culture but nevertheless true!!).
When we first arrived at the finger printing place, we were told we had to come back on Saturday. That was not going to fly with us and our Egyptian guide, Hassan, (who is a big cuddly bear of a man - he's wonderful)told us to beg and plead to get taken in then and NOW. So...what did we do....we sent our smallest, cutest, youngest woman to "work her magic" as I told her. Touchdown...6 points for Katelyn and the foreign ladies, 0 for the Kuwaiti officials!! Way to go Katelyn.
I had never been fingerprinted before so that was interesting. A little tip which we were given (in case you have to be fp'd sometime) is to put cream on your hands before you hit the ink and it will come off easier....TRUE...it worked!!
After leaving there, we went on the get some blood taken to be tested for HIV (apparently, our test from Canada, which they required before we set foot in the country, was not good enough) Anyway, it was a little more painful than the one we had done the day before for blood typing but we all survived.
On to chest Xray department. We all filed into a room and were told we had to remove our necklaces and bras so.,..being dutiful, law abiding Canadians, we all did the inconspicuous removal of the bra without removing our outer clothes (you know the drill ladies??) That finished the legal portion of our duties. Now we have to wait a month or so to get our permanent residence cards so we can travel around, get a licence (if wanted) etc.
Today, we spent 2 hours in the tremendous heat at an outdoor market...everything from carpets to cleaning supplies and everything in between. We were told by Hassan that it was Friday market on Thursday...not sure what that means but anyway we went. Those of you who love the Winners, flea market, etc. experience...would love this place. Me....not so much. We consumed a lot of water. Very hot!!
After leaving the market our van took us out for lunch (paid for by the school or Hassan??) at a Kuwaiti restaurant and we had some special chicken dish including AMAZING pita bread, hummous, spicy veggies and, of course, FRENCH FRIES...go figure...guess they want us to feel at home...too funny!!
The next stop was the apartments for a little siesta and then another trip to the Avenues Mall...shop til you drop...Hassan says that all there is to do here is SHOP and EAT!!! Sounds good except for the poundage that I am trying to lose. Maybe I can sweat it off....if only that was possible. Speaking of sweating it off...the biggest debate now is which work out facilities to join...the Holiday Inn which is within walking distance with adequate work out facilities or the Hilton which is apparently resort like with private beach, etc. but is about 20 minutes to half hour away. Oh, what a terrible dilemma to be in....lol!! Too bad all of life isn't that simple!!
Well, I need a little snooze....stay tuned!!
Monday, August 20, 2007
Koo8watcher in Kuwait
The day had FINALLY arrived for me to head to the airport in Toronto to wing my way eastward to Kuwait where I would spend the next 10 months teaching Grade 10 English to Kuwaiti girls at the American Academy for Girls....that day was Friday, August 17.
My email confirmation from the school said I was to fly on Lufthansa at 10:05 p.m. from Toronto to Frankfurt, Germany with a 1.5 hour stopover there and then on to Kuwait. I should have known when we (Shawna, Tim, Noah and I) showed up at the airport and couldn't find the correct check in point that this was not going to be smooth sailing...or should I say flying!!
After several inquiries to various and sundry people, it was established that:
1. I was actually flying Air Canada to Frankfurt and then Lufthansa from there AND(here's the 'kicker!!)
2. I was scheduled to fly out SATURDAY, AUGUST 18th NOT Friday, August 17th...
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!! I wasn't so worried about myself (although I was scheduled to be in Kuwait at 7:35 p.m. Saturday night to be picked up by people from the school) but Lindsay had arranged to come to visit and was to meet me in the airport in Kuwait so....I tried begging, crying and pleading and FINALLY got a seat on what was supposed to be an overbooked flight. Phewwww!! My bags were on their way to Kuwait and so was I....or so I thought but when I got to the gate at the Toronto terminal, I discovered that I only had a boarding pass from Toronto to Frankfort. I was assured by the ground flight attendant that I could get one for the final leg of the journey in Frankfurt...best laid plans of mice and men....having made the 7 hour flight to Frankfurt, disembarking and knowing that my bags were on their way to Kuwait, I was informed that there was little chance that I would get on the continuing leg as the flight was overbooked and...low and behold, I was on a waiting list....all news to me. Thank goodnes for people who don't show up for their flight, for whatever reason, because it allowed me to squeeze on the plane....did I tell you I had to ride on the wings??!!...kidding but you can imagine my relief to be finally on the final leg.
Just to backtrack...it was so wonderful to spend a little more time with Shawna, Tim and Noah over the last few days of my time at home. I was so thankful that they could come to see me off at the airport. Needless to say, I shed some tears when it was finally time to say farewell and kiss them all good bye for 4 months. I will come home for Christmas so that is great!! Also, thank goodness for the internet and web cams!!
Now back to the flight...uneventful on both legs...safe arrival and friendly faces, including Lindsay's (but her bag did not arrive from her flight which arrived 2 hours previous to mine)at the Kuwait airport.
We got to my 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment in the building where all the foreign teachers live...very ceramic, very sparsely furnished but just great for my purposes for the next 10 months.
Got to bed about 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning and was up at 6:30 a.m. to get ready for orientation at the school. Met most of the 'new hires' in the lobby of our building and we set out in our van for the school.
We were welcomed by the superintendant Gwen and the other administration people, were introduced to Kuwaiti life (religion, political system, culture, education, etc) and had a tour of the school including seeing our specific classrooms. The school is air conditioned but it can be 'hit and miss' we were informed depending where your classroom is. Oh, did I mention the heat...about 45 degrees during the hottest part of the day? Not as humid as was told...they obviously don't live in Southern Ontario!!
Most of the buildings are very square, light coloured and made of ceramics...very dusty on the streets, not much greenery around but lots of great palm trees....love the palms.
Have already had some great Mid Eastern food...shwarmas, shish kabobs, etc. YUM!!
Slowly my apartment is getting outfitted...some things by the school people and some by myself. We were given 120 Kuwaiti Dinair (about $450 CDN) to get us started...'a-shopping' we will go...we hit IKEA and a mall last night...today during orientation, we went to a teacher's store to get some classroom supplies...we also had our pictures taken for various and sundry needs and blood taken. Although we were required to have a physical and tests for Hep B, C and HIV, we still go through a battery of tests here too....c'est la vie!!
Well...that's it for now...will go to my first 'get to know the other teachers' party tonight...should be fun....
Life in Kuwait has begun!!! Lead on McDuff!!
Stay tuned....
My email confirmation from the school said I was to fly on Lufthansa at 10:05 p.m. from Toronto to Frankfurt, Germany with a 1.5 hour stopover there and then on to Kuwait. I should have known when we (Shawna, Tim, Noah and I) showed up at the airport and couldn't find the correct check in point that this was not going to be smooth sailing...or should I say flying!!
After several inquiries to various and sundry people, it was established that:
1. I was actually flying Air Canada to Frankfurt and then Lufthansa from there AND(here's the 'kicker!!)
2. I was scheduled to fly out SATURDAY, AUGUST 18th NOT Friday, August 17th...
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM!! I wasn't so worried about myself (although I was scheduled to be in Kuwait at 7:35 p.m. Saturday night to be picked up by people from the school) but Lindsay had arranged to come to visit and was to meet me in the airport in Kuwait so....I tried begging, crying and pleading and FINALLY got a seat on what was supposed to be an overbooked flight. Phewwww!! My bags were on their way to Kuwait and so was I....or so I thought but when I got to the gate at the Toronto terminal, I discovered that I only had a boarding pass from Toronto to Frankfort. I was assured by the ground flight attendant that I could get one for the final leg of the journey in Frankfurt...best laid plans of mice and men....having made the 7 hour flight to Frankfurt, disembarking and knowing that my bags were on their way to Kuwait, I was informed that there was little chance that I would get on the continuing leg as the flight was overbooked and...low and behold, I was on a waiting list....all news to me. Thank goodnes for people who don't show up for their flight, for whatever reason, because it allowed me to squeeze on the plane....did I tell you I had to ride on the wings??!!...kidding but you can imagine my relief to be finally on the final leg.
Just to backtrack...it was so wonderful to spend a little more time with Shawna, Tim and Noah over the last few days of my time at home. I was so thankful that they could come to see me off at the airport. Needless to say, I shed some tears when it was finally time to say farewell and kiss them all good bye for 4 months. I will come home for Christmas so that is great!! Also, thank goodness for the internet and web cams!!
Now back to the flight...uneventful on both legs...safe arrival and friendly faces, including Lindsay's (but her bag did not arrive from her flight which arrived 2 hours previous to mine)at the Kuwait airport.
We got to my 2 bedroom/2 bathroom apartment in the building where all the foreign teachers live...very ceramic, very sparsely furnished but just great for my purposes for the next 10 months.
Got to bed about 2:30 a.m. Sunday morning and was up at 6:30 a.m. to get ready for orientation at the school. Met most of the 'new hires' in the lobby of our building and we set out in our van for the school.
We were welcomed by the superintendant Gwen and the other administration people, were introduced to Kuwaiti life (religion, political system, culture, education, etc) and had a tour of the school including seeing our specific classrooms. The school is air conditioned but it can be 'hit and miss' we were informed depending where your classroom is. Oh, did I mention the heat...about 45 degrees during the hottest part of the day? Not as humid as was told...they obviously don't live in Southern Ontario!!
Most of the buildings are very square, light coloured and made of ceramics...very dusty on the streets, not much greenery around but lots of great palm trees....love the palms.
Have already had some great Mid Eastern food...shwarmas, shish kabobs, etc. YUM!!
Slowly my apartment is getting outfitted...some things by the school people and some by myself. We were given 120 Kuwaiti Dinair (about $450 CDN) to get us started...'a-shopping' we will go...we hit IKEA and a mall last night...today during orientation, we went to a teacher's store to get some classroom supplies...we also had our pictures taken for various and sundry needs and blood taken. Although we were required to have a physical and tests for Hep B, C and HIV, we still go through a battery of tests here too....c'est la vie!!
Well...that's it for now...will go to my first 'get to know the other teachers' party tonight...should be fun....
Life in Kuwait has begun!!! Lead on McDuff!!
Stay tuned....
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