A new record

Today, for the first time in my four years of teaching, I am taking a sick day. I am not even really sick any more. Last week I felt as though I’d been hit by a truck and earlier this week I was coughing so much that I woke myself up at night, so finally I decided to take the day to rest. The thing was that I always felt okay in the mornings but by the time noon rolled around I was about ready to throw in the towel. My poor 6th graders asked why I even came to school if I was so sick (after I coughed for a couple minutes in frot of them and was ultra grumpy). The only way I made it through yesterday was by knowing today I would stay home, finish reading Oryx and Crake, eat whenever and whatever I wanted, do laundry and sleep as much as I could.

Later this afternoon, I will still go to my SCUBA class.

I am using my computer on a friend’s internet connection. My computer is still set to Saskatchewan time, 5:46AM. So there you are, just waking up or waking up soon and for me, it is nearly 3pm. It will be a tough adjustment when I get home but I figure by then I will again be so sleep deprived that I can konk out as soon as the lights go down.

I cannot remember if I have recommended the movie SYRIANA to you, but it is an excellent insight into the Gulf states and social norms. If you have a chance, please watch it, or when I get home we can do a big showing of it and I can offer a few personal insights and comparisons to Kuwait.

That is all I have to offer to you today. Have a nice rest of the week and write soon.

A Few of My Favourite Places

I hope any of my loyal blog reading friends are not disappointed by my lack of loyalty in writing. I cannot even explain how busy I have been with work and travel (I know, whoa is me). Fortunately a major bout of frustration and homesickness has passed, leaving me feeling again that I am home in a global sense of the word. We certainly could have a philosophical discussion of what home is, but I'll leave that for late nights at the pub or in a tent this summer.

My most recent travels have taken me twice to Jordan, once on Spring Break and once for an Arts Festival. Jordan is my new favourite place as each time I go somewhere it becomes my favourite place. Jordan, for those of you not into Middle Eastern geography, is the home of Petra (think Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade). Jordan is also home to biblical sites such as Mount Nebo (where Moses saw the land God had given his people), Bethany (Jesus' Baptism Site)and the Dead Sea. In addition to the historical sites, the landscape is among the most lovely I have seen. Rugged mountains, fertile valleys, incredible rock formations and vividly coloured sands only begin to describe Jordan.

The people are definitely the most friendly I have met. Almost every Jordanian is eager to welcome tourists to the country. The other thing about Jordan is nothing is ever a problem. Sure, you may have to look dejected for a moment or two and wait around for ten minutes, but problems are always solved. Need an example? My colleague needed to iron her pants at the hotel in Petra. We went to reception to ask for an iron and the man at the front desk said she could put her clothes in the laudry service and they would do it for her. This wasn't going to work as she wanted her pants straight away and does not like other people to iron her pants. So another staff member came up to the desk and after a brief interaction and a quick phone call, they said "okay, no problem." 10 minutes later an iron was delivered to the room.

Moving on to the point...if you never go anywhere else in your lifetime, go to Jordan. When we were out in the desert sleeping in a goat hair tent, hanging out with bedouins and other tourists, I again realized how grateful I am for this life and these opportunities. While climbing large rocks in barefeet I again felt so vital. I am also experiencing constant reinforcement of the universal language of kindness, compassion and love of life.

My friends and I also visited a Nature Reserve where Italian film crews are building movie sets. We walked down into the canyon and had tea with some young bedouin goatherds. While sitting with these boys, along came an entire military unit from the Jordan University. They were walking up the canyon to the town. We were welcomed by every group of charming young men as they came by us. It was most entertaining. Somewhat less entertaining was the walk back up the canyon...as I have grown up in Saskatchewan I have never quite mastered walking up mountains...and Kuwait is even flatter than Saskatchewan. Nonetheless, we did make it to the top and were quite pleased with ourselves in the end. That night in Petra, we celebrated with a lovely local wine.

Now, back in Kuwait... I volunteered at the Terry Fox Run on Friday. Wednesday night I went to an outdoor live jazz performance. It was fantastic to hear live music! I am taking a SCUBA diving class that starts tonight and will conduct the final band concert in one month. In eight weeks from today I should be back in Saskatoon. The temperature is up to the high thirties during the days and not too much cooler in the mornings and evenings. It's going to be really hot soon. But the time is flying now and before I know it, I'll be saying good bye to friends and colleagues who are moving on.

Despite my absence of writing, I do think of and dearly miss my friends and family at home.

Take care and hopefully I will post up some pictures sometime soon...Insha'allah.

April Fool's

I have a funny story to share about April Fool's Day.

Yesterday (April 1) was the first day back after springbreak. I had left air conditioning on in my room over the break, so it was a little cool. I left my dor open while I worked before school started so I could get some fresher air and a bit of warmth in the room. Our doors all open to the outside.

I closed my door when I went to sign in and pick up student notices and attendance sheets. When I got back to my room and opened the door, a cat (we have many strays on campus) came running out the door. I guess I had accidentally shut the cat in and not noticed it in the room.

I crossed the room to my desk and noticed it smelled bad. The cat had POOPED! Luckily, it had pooped on an empty plastic folder I had left on the floor. I simply dumped the dump under a tree in the parking lot and put the folder in the garbage.

The moral of the story...being untidy is sometimes preferable OR watch out for stray cats. You decide.