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.
Thursday, August 30, 2007
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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