Chocolate bar!

Another Saturday, the dawning of a new work week at ASK. I had a fun weekend!

Wednesday night I went shopping with some friends. I got two new shirts (since we got paid on Tuesday) and we had a nice snack at the mall. The Al Kout mall, which is about a 20 minute walk from home, is new and very clean. It is right on the water and is thus gorgeous- lots of coffee shops and restaurants lined up along the boardwalk. It is two separate, symmetrical buildings, one housing a large grocery store, small food (dates, honey, organic, etc.) shops and a covered fresh fruit, vegetable and fish market. The other side houses a movie theatre, shops of all sorts and cafes. Lovely. There are fountains outside between the buildings and about a 500 metre outdoor distance between the two places.

Wedensday night there was all sorts of crazy security and we couldn't walk between the two buildings thus had to go the whole way around. There was a huge private party for someone (royalty, not sure) and they were, on our way out at 10:00pm, showing the start of the performance on a projector screes outside the mall. Kuwait, where nothing makes sense. Let's have a huge private party at the courtyard between the two areas of the new mall. Right, then. It was interesting anyway.

Thursday morning I went to yoga class then lazed around before going to THE CHOCOLATE BAR with some friends. The Chocolate Bar is a magical place with heaps of desserts mostly containing (quelle surprise) chocolate. It was fabulous. My friend and music colleague Katie and I shared molten dark chocolate cake which is much like eating warm brownie batter...mmmmm and a "banoffee"- combination of banana, toffee and chocolate. It was very sweet and not as palatable but still good. Some of our friends got an amazing raspberry sorbet and chocolate ice cream parfait smothered with raspberry and hot fudge sauce. Delicious! Then we bought a cappuccino machine for the music department.

Thursday night was the Irish Society party. It was just a big party in a hotel ballroom. There was a fantastic buffet, dancing to recorded music (mostly 1980s) and to a live band (mostly very horrible) and a great deal of contraban smuggled in. Silly me but when I think Irish party I think Ceildi...Irish dancing, Irish music (guitar, fiddle, flute, bodhran) people of all ages, soda bread. Not this party. It was much like a classed up small town wedding- in a nice hall with tasteful decor. People having a nice time and enjoying pleasantries with friends and acquaitances and new friends, excess comsumption of contraban... And the night ends with several new friends leaving together and a few scattered tables of folks unsure of what to do next so they linger on even when the music has ended.

Upon returning home, there was still a huge party going on at our apartment complex although it was dying down some by 2:00am. I ended up staying awake until 3:30am, which if you've read last week's blog, will recall is when I usually awaken. But I feel fine!

Friday was the usual yoga practice, music theatre rehearsal, grocery shopping, relaxing and going to bed early. My friend Chad picked up my clothes from the tailor and so now I have 2 new skirts (lovely) and two pairs of lounging pants of the same fabric. The entire cost for this endeavour (fabric, tailoring 4 articles of clothing including lining the skirts) was only 20 dinar, about $75 Canadian. Nice.

This morning I was up early to make lunch, do yoga and go swimming at school. It's been a good day. After 5th grade music, I made the inaugural cappuccinos (or is it cappuccini?). They turned out quite well (yummy). We have way too much fun in the music department. It's like a music geek's dream come true. I love it!

So here's to chocolate, "cappu" and another great week of wonderful students and amazing colleagues.

Peace and happiness,
R