Granola to Go

Resolutions- kept and unkept

2011-03-21T03:39:00.001-07:00

Unlike I planned nearly five months ago, I have not been updating my blog at all. It's not that I have nothing to say- ask any of my friends here and they will tell you I am never at a loss for words or stories. I somehow cannot motivate myself maintain this journal in my precious little spare time. If I had internet connection at home, it might be different, but as it is, the perfectionist in me only wants to write when there is a good, well constructed story to tell.

One resolve I had when coming to Lebanon was to relearn to down hill ski, which I had not in thirteen years. Last year, there were very few opportunities to ski, due to the weather and snow conditions (lack of snow). I went twice this year, and was surprised to find it easy to remember what to do. I wish I could have gone more, but it looks like the season is about to end. This past weekend, some friends and I went up to the mountains and decided to snowshoe instead of ski, since the snow was heavy and the weather looked like it might be unfavourable. It turned out to be a fabulous day- the sun shone, it was about 20C, and we hiked up and down the ski slopes, which was far more challenging for me than for my three very athletic companions. After our "walk" we had a little snack, then proceeded to the public beach at Byblos (the Phoenician port city) where we had a brief, chilly swim in the Mediterranean. Now I can say I have done what people brag about having the ability to do in Lebanon- go to the snowy mountains in the daytime and swim in the sea in the afternoon.

A New Day

2010-10-28T23:46:00.000-07:00

Hello People,

I must confess, since the dawning of facebok, I have become too lazy to write proper posts. Since having a television, I am too lazy to read books as often as I used to. How I Met Your Mother is a really funny show, Al Jazeera is a great news station with interesting inside reports and insights. Besides, the school provided me with a TV, so it's not like I sold out and bought one. But it's no excuse to leave it on and not read a book.

I have resolved, as of today, October 29, I will only watch TV when I am watching the news or a specific show. Otherwise, I will read or do other things. This will leave me more time to post on my blog, and so I also resolve to write at least one paragraph a day and post at least once a week. I do not have internet at home this year, so I am obliged to go to a coffee shop to upload posts, or, as I am now, do it at school.

My school day began as follows- I was supposed to cover for a teacher first block, since he was going on a field trip with the grade 7 class, and normally I have grade 7 band first block. Well, I heard from a student at 7:45 that they were coming to Fine Arts before going on the field trip at 9. This is not a big deal, but it is certainly indicative of how things go in the middle school here. So many things are such a huge waste of time, so poorly organized, almsot always the dead last minute. On the other hand, the school has inspired me to take a program in Leadership and Administration, so I can perhaps have a stronger influence, not here, but elsewhere, on how a school can function in a better way. My near future plans consist of applying for Masters in Leadership and Administration programs, probably entirely at Canadian universities. I may still apply for teaching jobs as a back up plan, but sometimes when I think of Canada, I can taste the cool clean air on my tongue, and I think it's time to go back for awhile. A Lebanese friend of mine with a Canadian passport is off to Toronto on Monday to look for work, and it's all I can do to hold back my envy.

I am finding more things to keep myself occupied in Beirut these days. I have been busy since August, first with work tasks, then in October, I began singing in the American University of Beirut choir, taking Arabic classes 3 times a week, playing handbells, and singing in a small vocal ensemble. This means every day but Mondays and Saturdays, I have something. Currently my weeks look like this: Sunday- vocal reheasal, 6:30-8:30; Tuesday- Arabic 5-7, Handbells 7:30-8:45; Wednesdays-AUB choir 6:30-8:45; Thursdays and Fridays Arabic 5-7. I have been walking across town to and from my Arabic class. It's not literally across town, but it is a 45 minute walk, which is good, because it's also built in exercise.

I have not decided if I will take another Arabic class right away. Choir is going to become more busy, and I think I will be unable to travel over our November break if I take the next session. That said, I am really enjoying the class, though, it's sometimes hard for me to process the information quickly enough to keep up in and outside of class. I shall see if I can manage it.

The weather here is slowly changing. Last weekend, I went on a lovely trip to the mountains with some friends. First, we drove through the Bekaa valley, which is famous for produce and vinyards. We stopped in at one of the nicest vinyards, sampled some wines, and then continued on to an ecolodge where we spent the night. The lodge is very basic, as implied by the name, and situated right in the middle of Hezbolloah territory. We heard some gun fire (target practice), but it was nothing compared to the construction going on next to my apartment building, so I was spared an entire Saturday of racket. It was great to be away from the heat, and the noise, light and air pollution of Beirut. There was a full moon and a starry sky, and nothing is more beautiful for me than cool air, a gorgeous moon, delicious food and good company. On Sunday, we headed back to Beirut, past fruit orchards where trees displayed autumn leaves. We also passed some mountain areas where there were no villages in sight. I think this is the only open space in Lebanon. I am sure the weekend revived my soul after a particularly difficult week.

All is well and I must go now to get some work done.

Be well. Even in the middle of nowhere, mind or place, be strong..

Flights that function

2010-08-19T05:32:00.000-07:00

I left Saskatoon on Sunday, August 15. I was originally meant to leave on July 28, but felt the need for a couple more weeks of clean, cool air. Anyway, I am not a big fan of Air Canada's customer service on the phone. After 20-40 minutes of being on hold, you can finally get through to talk to someone, and after only two calls, my flight was changed, but I had to make a third call to get my confirmation of itinerary and receipt for the $100 change fee.

We arrived at the airport at 12:30 on Sunday for my 2:05pm flight, to discover that the flight had been delayed until around 3:00pm, so after checking in, we went back to Mom's to hang out on the lawn and eat some snacks. I went back to the airport around 2:30, and the flight was further delayed. No problem, I drank a hot chocolate from the machine, made several trips to the washroom, drank water, and observed the body builders who had been in Saskatoon for the Exhibition. All that muscle is really quite fascinating to look at.

On the flight, I was also seated in the emergency exit row, which meant extra leg room. Although I am short, those Air Canada domestic planes are pretty small, and I was glad for the extra space. I got a copy of the Globe and Mail from the nice flight attendant, and that kept me busy pretty much the whole way to Toronto.I ate pad thai for dinner in the airport, then bought the new Margaret Atwood and Yann Martel books (Year of the Flood and Beatrice and Virgil). We left Toronto just a little behind schedule, and I was fortunate to be able to maintain my aisle seat. Since I travel alone, I often get bumped so that people can be seated together. This often means giving up an aisle seat, and usually entails sitting next to a big dude, which is really uncomfortable, since big people take up a little of my already small space. The guy next to me was good- he was talkative without being annoying. I was able to finish reading Small Wonder by Barbara Kingsolver and start Year of the Flood. That was good.

I ended up staying in Heathrow during my layover. Originally, I was to have 8.5 hours in London, but due to the Saskatoon flight being delayed, I had a later flight from TO, thus reducing my London time to 4.5 hours. I was completely exhausted anyway, since I had barely slept on the flight. I wandered around for awhile before I found a place to lay down and sleep for awhile, then ate some soup and headed over to my gate for my flight to Beirut. I was seated on the window side, next to an older woman. I noticed the flight was not very full, so after the drink cart came around, I excused myself to a row where I had 4 seats all to myself, so I was able to lounge out and read and sleep. It was great.

And that brings me back to Beirut...it's hot and humid, but the food is almost always awesome, and what more can you really ask for?

Back in Beirut

2010-08-19T05:11:00.000-07:00

After a glorious summer in Canada, I am back in Beirut, and surprisingly glad to be back in my little home. I currently have a flatmate who is writing a guidebook on Lebanon, so it's been nice to come home to someone- it's far more fun going out to eat pizza and Indian food with a friend, rather than alone. The other flatmate is returning today, for a couple of days, and that should be fun.

It's around 40C here, and super humid. Apparently it's hotter than usual, but hasn't the weather everywhere been unusual this year? Rains in Saskatchewan, floods in Pakistan, forest fires and killer heat wave in Russia...

I am trying to kick jet lag, though the weather really makes me want to sleep the day away. I slept from 5-10am the first night back, then from 12-2 that afternoon. The next night, I slept from 3-9am, so I thought I was on track, but last night, I slept around 11pm, but woke for a couple hours at 2:30 or 3, then slept until after 9 again. Well, it's not so bad. I am at least keeping myself up most of the day, and I am just thirsty most of the time, but not miserably tired.

Yesterday, I went with my guidebook writing flatmate, Jess, to visit Chatila, which is the main Palestinian refugee camp in Beirut. I already forget the population, but it is a very closed quarters setting. We visited the camp at the time when the power was out, and unlike much the city, there are no generators to run electricity at that time.There are electrical wires and plumbing features everywhere, buildings with only inches between them, little space to move- most flats are under 30 square metres. Smaller than my classroom at school, and that's to house a family with a little kitchen and bathroom. And that was around the moment I figured I really best stop my complaining about the little things. I will not dwell on all the details- it was actually a pretty hopeful visit, in the sense that the man who runs the Children and Youth Centre works hard and is very knowledgeable about improving the lives of people. He seems to be the mayor of the camp- everyone knows him and respects him. As a non-religious Palestinian, he did not once say inshallah (God willing). He said (jokingly) that he thinks God works for the Israelis. And once again, I profess my gratitude for being born in a safe place free of political turmoil.

Today, for a change of pace, I booked a massage appointment and went for a manicure and pedicure. Now I am sitting at a coffee shop that has internet, avoiding going home because this cat we are looking after is driving me insane. She is nice for about 2 minutes (if you're lucky), then scratches or bites. She thinks feet are mice, and is constantly attacking them, even when one is sitting still. Kitty is also in the habit of trying to play with my skirts, and has caused a couple snags so far. Luckily, her person is coming back in a few days, and then we will hand her over. I'm sure when Kitty becomes a grown up cat, she will be okay. She was really sweet in June when my friend first found her, but she's currently behaving like an annoying teenager. I think I'm just not really a pet person.

I think I need another coffee- it's 3:30pm and I'm fading fast.

This Lebanese Life- a long winded account of my life these days

2010-01-23T02:43:00.000-08:00

Upon return from winter break, it was hot and sunny in Beirut. I unpacked, walked around the area, got a haircut (which looks very Lebanese and I have no pictures yet) and enjoyed the warmth after being cold most of the time in India.

Lately, it's been raining- so much so that I bought rain boots and a proper umbrella, not just one of those little travel ones. Today is a bit warm and it's becoming overcast, though it was sunny when I left yoga class an hour ago.

Work life
I am now in my eighth year of this teaching career. This is the first time that my job does not consume more than half of my life. Despite doing as many extra things as I can at school, I still am completely under-stimulated with work. At the same time, due to the nature of the Fine arts program, with grade 6 &7 students moving to a new discipline every 6-7 weeks, I am overwhelmed with starting two new classes every month and a half. Since September, I have started 7 classes, including the Grade 8s who stay with me all year. I still have to start 4 more classes this school year. It is exhausting, especially teaching kids from scratch how to play instruments.

Social Life
Anyway, I am supposed to have a personal life, but I don’t know how. I take private Arabic lessons, go to yoga, buy produce, walk, watch TV, read books, cook, hang out with Bashar when he’s here, attend monthly book club meetings, and go for drinks on Fridays after work. My friend David is an English bloke, who I consider the president of Friday drinks and my own personal Simon Cowell (I have recently started watching American Idol). He criticizes me when I talk about work, tells me to get a life, and tries to help me to think of things to do for fun. He is not as miserable as I make him sound-he is one of my favourite people. He is a bit lonely, I think, maybe because he’s a bit critical. He is an excellent conversationalist, but he can be really tough if he disagrees with you.

The other thing here is I am making less money (almost $1000 per month less) than Kuwait, and have far more to spend money on. It seems I go through my money like wildfire, and that’s not even including the visa and plane ticket to India, which was pretty pricey. Anyway, I don’t even have the luxury of a car or regular visits to expensive coffee shops. I buy local produce, and cannot figure out where all my money is going. I am going to keep track as of this month.

With Bashar, things are much better for several reasons. The first reason is I made it clear to him that he needed to make a bigger effort to come see me more often, because even though I chose to come here, if not for him, I would have been far more proactive about getting a job outside the Middle East. The second reason is I realized I have been selfish, not so much in this request, but in feeling sorry for myself and expecting him to drop his entire life on my whim. It’s not free (or even that cheap) for him to come here as often as he does (which is about twice a month). He has family obligations and he’s doing the best he can. And no, I am not making excuses for him. I have been mean to him and he has been forgiving, like he doesn’t even notice me being critical. He has shown me unconditional love and understanding. When he comes to see me, he cleans the balcony, washes the dishes and cleans the floor, makes tea and shops for food. I have only recently begun to cook for him because he always cooked for me. We go for walks, play cribbage, occasionally eat at local diner type places, shop at discount stores. It’s fun.

How (not) to get around in India.

2010-01-23T02:39:00.000-08:00

After leaving Saravasti, I caught the bus to Lucknow (well, 2 different buses), but due to perfect timings, made it there in only about 6 hours.

How to catch a bus in Saravasti (and many other places in India)
1. Stand on the side of the road
2. When a bus comes by, yell and wave to stop it
3. Verify the bus is going where you need to go by asking the name of the town
4. Get on the bus
5. Ignore the people who stare at you with gaping mouths- you are a rarity and would do the same to them if they were in your small town in Canada
6. Pay the guy who gives you a print out receipt (you don’t pay the driver)

Bus far in India is approximately 50 paise (half a rupee) per kilometre, which means you can travel 100 kms for 50 rupees, which is about a dollar. I suppose that explains why the buses are in need of repair- broken windows, tattered seats and so on.

My trip from Varanasi to Saravasti

This was a true comedy of errors, though I was not exactly laughing.

While is Varanasi, which is a huge city, I tried to get exact information on how to get to Saravasti, which is a long way from there. The only direct way is by car, and I did not wish to do this, though it would have been easy, quicker and about $80. I visited travel agents and all, and the best information I got was “Take the bus to Faizabad, then from Faizabad, to Saravasti. 3.5 hours for each bus ride, you leave in the morning, you will be there in the afternoon.” I was to arrive at the Jetvana Vipassana center between 4 and 5pm. I left on the 7am bus from Varanasi to Faizabad. My new friend (auto rickshaw driver) Nassir, took me the 200 metres from my hotel to the bus station and gave me a lunch bag of cake and two boiled eggs and salt. By 12, we still had not arrived in Faizabad, in fact we arrived there at 2pm. The last couple hours on the bus, a man who spoke decent English decided I was his project. He asked me many questions, some of which I answered in brief, others which I barely muttered a response. He was too friendly, trying to sit too close, and had the worst smelling breath every time he opened his mouth. I ended up very clearly putting my small backpack between by left leg and his right, because his hand just kept getting too close to me. Regardless, when we got off the bus in Faizabad, he helped me to find the next bus, not to Saravasti, but to Gonda, which sounds like Goon-da. Due to a major stall in traffic, it took a couple more hours to go the short distance. The reason for the traffic jam was the narrow road could only allow to pass the trucks hauling sugar cane, which hung off the sides, and so we sat still for nearly 30 minutes. Oh, the torture. Luckily, bad breath man had a different destination and so was no longer annoying me. Also, the seats on this bus were much better padded than those of the first, 7 hour, bus. Upon arrival in Gonda around 4:30pm, I decided to pursue a taxi for the rest of the way. I found one guy who told me a good price, but then after consulting with some other people, more than doubled the price. I did not feel like being cheated and he did not seem too clear on where I wanted to go, so I awaited the next bus to Balrampur. Prior to settling on the bus, I wandered around asking people “Saravasti?” because, as I mentioned, this is how you find the bus to your destination. I was sort of engaged in a conversation with one or two guys, trying to sort out where I was going, though they did not really understand. Then I showed them the paper map sent by the centre (and by this point, the pair of guys had become a crowd of 8) and they exclaimed, “OH! Sar-wasTI!” (I had been calling it Shravasti). Eventually, a very calm and kind man told me where to wait for the next bus. This ride was short, but by the time I arrived in Balrampur it was dark, which means no more busses. I found a guy who spoke perfect English who found me a taxi (which cost more than the whole trip so far) to take me the 18kms to the centre. So I arrived at Jetvana in Sar-was-TI at 7:30pm, 3 hours late. I made the driver wait while I went to look for someone to explain who I was and that I was sorry to be late. I had the number of the centre, and had neither the time nor wherewithal to call. I had eaten the cake Nassir had given me, but nothing else (I don’t care for boiled eggs). I was pretty stressed out and had wished I’d stayed in Varanasi, yet was glad to finally have arrived at this little place. So I ended up in the kitchen, where there were three guys- two cooks and one construction contractor. By this point, I was pretty frazzled, so the small man who greeted me went to get my bag and assured me it was fine, “But first, you, drinking tea.” Ah, the wonderful solution to all that ails you. Milky chai.

I had missed very little, just an introductory talk and filling registration forms, which the lovely Dhamma server helped me with the next day.

And as always, everything works out perfectly. I love India, though a few times that day, I was ready to go home, even to Lebanon.

Vipassana Meditation Course

2010-01-23T02:28:00.000-08:00

This is a long and personal account of my first experience at a Vipassana meditation course. Enjoy! I intend to add pictures, but the internet connection is slow and it takes forever for that function to complete.

I initially heard of Vipassana from my first traveling companion to India. I dismissed it as a crazy idea because this young woman was quite mad. When I took my Thai Yoga Massage course in Greece, during August of 2008, there were a few people who had done the Vipassana course. One intelligent, reliable and wonderful Austrian woman, Verena, gave me some more details about Vipassana. She, a very social person, enjoyed the course and looked forward to her next one. Last year, I did not feel I was ready to do such a retreat. In retrospect, it probably would have been the best thing for me, but it was still the best thing for me this time around.

Vipassana is a pure form of meditation, passed along since the time of Gauthama Buddha. It is a silent observation of one’s own breath and body. Upon arrival at the centre, you turn in all contraband (books, journals, pens, ipods, phones, etc) and surrender yourself to this form of meditation without incorporating past techniques you may have learned. In other words, no yoga, pranayama (breathing exercises), tai chi, reiki, etc., for the 10 day course. No outward communication. The daily schedule consists of meditation, meals, breaks and a video lesson. Men and women are separated for the course. We eat in separate areas, enter the meditation hall on opposite sides of the building, and sit on different sides of the room at all times. The only communication you are permitted is to request from the dhamma server (assistant to the course) any creature comfort needs, such as an extra blanket, and to have a minute long conversation with the teacher to discuss your progress most days. There is no charge for the course- you pay by donation. Nobody is meant to make a profit or livelihood from running vipassana courses. It should be accessible to all people, that all being have the chance to be happy.

For the first few days, I found my thoughts dwelling on all of the things I hate, which is basically most aspects of my school. Then I realized how much I was wasting my precious time letting anger and frustration consume me. I found sitting still very difficult until about the 6th day. My back, legs, knees, neck and shoulders all ached, which is a sign of bad feelings settled deeply in the body. By the 7th day, my body felt little pain and lightness from toe to head. Some days, I spent time making mental lists of who would find such a course to be their own personal hell. I thought of several gregarious friends who cannot sit still to save their souls and wondered how it would go for them.

As for me, despite the almost unbearable pain in my knees, I knew it was the right thing for me to do. I also had to complete the course as people had put bets on how long I would make it. I would highly recommend this course to anyone, but I realize many people would never even consider it. My friends thought the silent part would be the most difficult for me, but when you are sitting in meditation 12 hours a day, the last thing you feel like doing is talking. On the last day, you break silence. It was nice to talk again, to share the experience, and what I noticed is you feel much warmer when talking and communicating with others, and you also get more hungry.

I met some interesting people that 10th day. The person I best connected with was our Dhamma server, who was a tour guide in the Middle East for over a year. In fact, I met her colleague in Bedouin tent in Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert back in 2006. She is of Egyptian heritage and grew up in England, and now spends most of her time at Vipassana centers in India and Nepal. I stayed on another day, as I was not ready to face the real world yet. We walked around the town of Saravasti, which is a tiny town and the tourists are usually Monks and other Buddhist pilgrims. There is an incredibly beautiful park and a few temples/monasteries. Saravasti is where the Buddha gave most of his teachings, as he did not travel during the rainy season. It was a very powerful place to do a meditation course.

I plan to do more courses in the near future. It was an incredibly positive experience for me and I have never felt so peaceful before. Several people commented on how different I looked upon returning to work. I think it all quickly dissipated with the stress of work, but I am working on getting up early to meditate daily.

Hey!

2009-11-16T02:15:00.000-08:00

I was just checking currencies online and noticed the Canadian Dollar is 1.04 to the USD! How did I now know this? I guess I don't work with that many Canadians here. What's going on? Did we recover from our financial crisis? Somebody please explain.

I got into the meditation retreat in India. 10 days of noble silence in Northern India near the Nepalese border, plus I will get to visit Varanasi, which I have been wanting to do for some time. Excellent. I don't know why I love India so much, it is noisy and chaotic, too, but in a more gentle way, than the Middle East.

Later.

On track

2009-11-15T07:08:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling much better and I am grateful to all those of you who have been reading, writing and helping me through this time. Not surprisingly, my friend Caroline has been feeling much the same way after leaving Kuwait, and she is in beautiful, organized Switzerland. We both lack the sense of spirit and community in our new posts. We also love our jobs less.

As for me, I had some good times with my students and have been trying to only focus on the fact that, even though they are chatty, the kids are good, they are talented and funny and cute, they are sweet and they love me. And really, I am here to teach kids to play music and to love it, and at that I am succeeding.

I gave a presentation on public speaking at our Professional Development day last Friday and it went really well. I have been hearing good things about it for an entire week, and that makes me happy. Several people have asked me to present again, either for student or adults. I have done this workshop format with Forensics and Debate students in the past, and re-worked it for adults and MS kids, as I have now been doing the presentation with grade 6&7 classes. It's fun, and I feel like I am contributing, which is necessary for my professional well being.

Bashar has been to visit twice in the recent past. Three weeks ago he was here for two days with his friend Ibrahim (who I have stayed with several times in Damascus) and Ibrahim's girlfriend. It was fun to have company. Bashar was here last weekend by himself and we had a great time. We went for several walks along the Corniche, went for drinks with people from my work, I made him pancakes with maple syrup and cream for breakfast one day, and an excellent omelette the next. We shopped at some discount stores and generally had a great time laughing our heads off. We watched a movie for about forty minutes until we both fell asleep. Too funny.

Next weekend we have three days off due to Lebanese Independence Day so I think I will go to Damascus with some friends. I only got my passport back last week and am finally free to leave the country after three months. After our Monday off, we only work Tuesday and Wednesday before it is American Thanksgiving and the Eid al Hadha, so we have another extended weekend. My friend Katie will come from Kuwait for a couple days to hang out. Hurray!

I have started Arabic lessons with a private tutor, and it's going well enough, though it's HARD!!! Lebanese dialect and the local accent are much different than the classical Arabic I began to study last year in Kuwait. It's basically a slanguage here, but I am hoping to be able to converse casually and shop in Arabic by winter break. We shall see.

I am thinking of going to India (what a surprise) for winter break, to do a meditation retreat. We will see if it works out- I have to wait another week or so for a reply to my application. Otherwise, I think I will go visit Thailand and Cambodia if I can get a good price on flights.

Until then, I practice patience. And one day, I hope I can feel calm amidst the chaos that is Beirut. Peace. Shanti. Masalaam.

Culture "Shock"

2009-10-26T02:41:00.000-07:00

I am beginning the fourth phase of culture shock- acceptance. The honeymoon ended long ago (not sure if it was with the diarrhea or the strained back), followed by the frustration of things and then the depression of feeling stuck.

For me, more of the "shock" has been from the culture of the school than the culture of the country. Since most of our staff is Lebanese and I STILL don't understand much Arabic, I often walk by conversations, unable to participate. The school is fine (I am accepting) but I find it isolating working here. Maybe because my classroom is away from others and I have no hallway neighbours so I don't interact much unless I make it a point to go to someone's classroom. Since the turnover is not a pronounced as it was at ASK, there are not as many systems set up for new staff. I don't know how to do anything at all and there is no handbook or reference guide. I am always asking questions because I really don't know anything and people assume you do.

I am scandalized by what people wear to school. While students pushed the dress code in Kuwait, there are not even any apparent guidelines here. I see high school girls in sleeveless shirts and skirts above their knees. Teachers wear tops akin to the camisoles I wear UNDER my shirts. Jeans are the typical bottoms. If we had a casual day, folks would have to come to work in pyjamas and slippers or work out wear as that is the only way we could possibly be more casual. I still wear what I consider professional clothes.

At ASK, there was a drive in the teachers that I have yet to see in more than a few folks here. We were all planning for the future- Kuwait was our stepping stone into international teaching and to do well there meant (in most cases) a better school next time. So many of the staff here are local or married to locals that they do not have much of a drive- it all comes from the expat interlopers who are definitely the minority. People are not lazy or bad teachers by any means, it only feels like there is no desire for personal and professional development.

And the things in the city...People honk their horns like it might get them through traffic. They do this at any time, but when I am sitting on my balcony after work and one of the five traffic lights in Beirut has stopped people a whole block from my place to the corner and the honking continues for 10 minutes, that drives me crazy. There is also the honking of taxis as they pass by, which happened all the time in Kuwait and it still irritates me. In my fifteen minute walk to yoga, at least 5 honks and 2 drivers standing outside their cars calling out "taxi". ARG! If I wanted a taxi, I would be in one. Plus the traffic would make me later in a car than on foor. Then there is how people walk and drive and park. People do not look when they are walking. I have almost walked into many folks for this reason. Often when people drive around the one way streets in my area, they stop and back up, blocking the intersection whilst making a 2 to 5 point turn. When folks park, it would be on the sidewalk if not for the poles preventing this nonsense. Cars are parked so close together, even on the street corners, that as I pedestrian I have trouble finding an opening to walk through.

Then there is the "more of the same" aspect of domestic workers. I see Phillipina nannies taking kids to and from school, carrying their bags, walking dogs. They are often chasing after the kids while their parents enjoy a stroll along the Corniche. There are foreign labourers who pick up the trash along the Corniche and throughout the city. These were common sites in Kuwait, I did not think it would be so common here. There is a lot to be said for people picking up their own garbage.

Now that I generally know what to expect at school and around, it's okay. We had a great outdoor education trip where we took a group of fifty-some kids and 7 teachers to the mountains. That was the best experience of my career here so far. Of course, the apples which are at the end of harvest have been excellent and the fruits and veggies are generally a treat.

I must go now and get some things done. More later...

It is what it is

2009-10-14T01:18:00.000-07:00

In the International Teaching scene, four years is a long time to stay in one place, especially if you are young and single and that place is Kuwait. When I arrived in Kuwait, it was the beginning of a whole new adventure. I was surrounded by colleagues I clicked with and soon adored. I miss all of that dearly and daily. I loved my arts team beyond measure, even the moodiness and misguided passion, as it was tempered with a desire for excellence. Over four years, I developed friendships akin to family relations.

I have no desire to return to Kuwait nor the school. I miss my friends and colleagues and wish I had the opportunity to work with one or two (or many more) of them. I find my work situation here is not as fulfilling. Part of that is because I am new to the school and do not have a strong sense of where I belong as I do not know where I can best contribute. My schedule is easy and I am bored.

The best part of the school is certainly the students. I enjoy my classes, even my loud and chatty grade 7 class. The grade 6s are so sweet, they always want to stay in band and not go to their next class. The grade 8s are fun because they have some skills and still so much to learn, plus they are so nice.

As for the school itself, the location is fabulous. I can see the sea from various vantage points, the walk is 6-8 minutes from my apartment (6 on the way there because it's all downhill, 8 on the uphill way home). At least it's not uphill both ways, in knee deep snow. :) As for the details such as management, organization and colleagues, I'm really running cool with it. It is, career-wise, a step down from my previous situation. Perhaps in time that will change, but for now I say most frequently, "It is what it is." Because that's all there is to say.

My life here is shaping up to be okay. Yoga is going well, I have found a place I like to go for classes. My neighbourhood has everything I need and more. In five minutes, I can walk to a variety of produce markets, grocery stores, a cheese shop, specialty nuts shops, plus any number of pubs and coffeeshops, ice cream stops and restaurants.

I have been going on little day trips out of the city with various folks. It's all good. The countryside is lovely and the air is clean and crisp away from the humidity of the coast.

I buggered up my back pretty badly a few weeks ago (moving furniture) and the doctor at school assured me it was muscular. It's back to about 95% now, but I was in pain and pretty grumpy for over a week. It's great to feel better again.

Bashar was here my first couple days, then came back about a month later for a short visit. It seems I won't see much more of him than I did when I lived in Kuwait, at least until January. Now that I've had some time to digest it, heal my back and feel better about life, it's okay. I was quite angry at the thought of seeing him in January and not sooner, but after a series of long talks, he decided he would come back for a couple days now and then, even when it is the busy season for him. I enjoy his company so much when he's around, simple things like him making coffee and lunch, cleaning up, helping me hang pictures, walking around, playing cribbage at the coffee shop. It's nice to have someone around. Again I say,' It is what it is."

I will write more, with details and pictures soon. I must go now to get some things accomplished.

Please write- I am a little lonely.

my new acronym- EAWOP

2009-08-19T00:39:00.000-07:00

Everything Always Works Out Perfectly

A tale of my trip to Beirut

As you know, I am a lousy blogger because if I do not write about something immediately, I do not write later, either. So you may never read about Sweden or my trip to the southern Mediterranean in Turkey.

I am situated in a neighbourhood internet cafe, where 80s MUZAK is playing. Since I am way overtired and jet lagged, it is almost soothing. It's that guitar muzak, which is better than sythesizer and panflute, but I digress. That is not he point of this post.

I am in the Hamra area of Beirut, which is the cool university area with lots of coffee shops and bookstores. My apartment is in the German Building, and is home to some other staff members (two arrived last night as well) and some German fmilies. There are apparently events throughout the year- Christmas Bazaars and food nights and I am hoping for an apple strudel from time to time. Yummy.

My apartment is spacious- two bedrooms, plenty of closet space, a decent kitchen and living room area, bathroom with a long tub, large balcony. I am really happy with the layout. My living room/balcony overlook a fairly busy street and my bedroom window directly faces a church bell. It is a very pretty sight.

On Monday afternoon, Mom took me to the Saskatoon airport. My luggage was quite overweight and I should have been paying excess baggage fees to the tune of $400. The man at the counter was nice enough not to impose these charges and I calmly put on my pouty lips and deer in headlights eyes, explaining that I am moving to Beirut and I just needed to bring all that stuff. Then Susan showed up at the airport with carrot ginger juice and cafe chestnut so it was pretty much the perfect day.

I had booked all aisle seats, but to my chagrin discovered I only had an aisle from Saskatoon to Calgary. I could handle the window from London to Beirut- it's only 4.5 hours, but a centre seat for the 8.5 hour trip from Calgary to London? Unbearable. Fortunately for me, there were two sisters separated by an aisle and so I sat in the aisle seat and the one sister took my place in the inside seat. Perfect.

On my trip, I read a book which I borrowed from my mom (I will give it back, I promise) called I am Hutterite by Mary-Ann Kirkby, who lives in Prince Albert. For those of you who have not heard of it or read it, I highly recommend it. As my background has some Hutterite roots, I have a bit more of an interest in the culture than some, but even without that, it was a very powerful account which helped me to understand a bit more of the history and language of the Hutterite people. Do yourself a favour and read the book. Alexis was telling me the woman had to publish it herself because no publishers would take it on. It ended up being a best seller. I wonder if Canadian publishers realize how many people have Hutterite origins and therefore an interest in this culture.

On the flight from London to Beirut, I was sitting next to a Lebanese guy, probably in his late 20s, coming home for a visit for the first time in one year and four months. He was flying from Washington, D.C. Ass we got closer to the city, he kept looking over me to see if he could see anything. He then informed me CNN declared Beirut the best city in the world, which amused me. The Lebanese are so proud.

After arriving at the airport and buying my employment visa, I collected all $400 of excess baggage and met people from the school. It was fun to have someone with a sign collect me from the airport. I was instantly reimbursed for the visa. There were a couple others heading ot my building, too. One young American woman who grew up in the Middle East, who will be a useful friend as she speaks Arabic, and an American guy who was recently in Guatemala. They were both nice, though we were all pretty tired.

A woman from the school showed us our apartments and some employees brought our luggage for us. They were all kind and hospitable and there were some nice things in our apartments- 3 cans of Almaza, the local beer, a bottle of wine, some orange juice, milk, eggs, bread, butter, processed cheese, cornflakes, nescafe, tea, sugar, apples and grapes. The apartment also has a mop pail, mop, broom, ironing board and iron (all brand new), plus basic serving and cooking dishes and utensils. Perfect. It will get me by until my stuff gets here.

The only thing that has not worked out perfectly is that my shipment from Kuwait was supposed to be here today, but it will be here in a couple days instead. Too bad, because I have Bashar here to help me unpack and by the time my stuff gets here, he will be back in Aleppo. At the same time, it gives us today to just hang out and enjoy the glorious heat and humidity. Then after I am rested up, I will have more energy to unpack and I will have a better sense of where I want everything, so in that sense, it is actually best to get my shipment in a few days. I need a bookshelf. We have coffee tables, end tables, an entertainment center including a TV set (it's not flat screen, but it's large- probably 32 inches). No bookshelf.

Anyway, I have lots of room to do yoga, though my mat is not here. I can do without, maybe I can even find a new mat as mine is pretty worn. You can see a lot of dog poses occurred on that thing. Ha.

Well, I am going to go because I either need food, more coffee, or sleep. I only slept a couple hours last night so am exhauted. Actually, I think just hanging around outside will be perfect. But the point is, it's time to go before I stink like smoke from this internet cafe. Sigh.

Lots of love to all and I do have plenty of room for guests.

The post I've been meaning to write for a long time-thanks Dale

2009-04-30T23:18:00.001-07:00

Dale Lonis, the main conducting instructor at the CWCDP course I have taken the last two summers, once asked me if I would please write him about what morning is like in Kuwait. He said it gives him a sense of the place one is living. At first I dismissed the idea- I get up, get ready, go to school. Then I began to think of this whilst driving to school, noting all of the goings on around me that have now become normal but were once everything from bizarre to gross to shocking. And then there are Friday mornings...(remember, weekends here are Friday and Saturday).

The mornings truly do give a strong sense of place and have now become my preferred time of day. For those of you who are unaware, I am a recovering night owl. In Saskatchewan, I loved the night time because I was so productive while others slept. As a teenager, there were many a weekend night I would get home from babysitting around midnight and move into a two hour piano practice session. It was the best feeling in the world to me. I was alone, no one was looking, listening, judging. Until I moved to Kuwait, staying up until 11 or 12 was normal for me on a school night. Since our days here begin so early (must be at school by 7) and it is really a night culture in the Arab world, I take solace in the quiet of the mornings. I could stay up until almost four and still many folks would be awake.

I will describe for you my typical weekday and weekend mornings.

It's 4:30 in the morning and my alarm wakes me if I haven't already woken. I brush my teeth, drink a glass of water and put on my walking clothes. I take the elevator 8 floors down and meet up with my friend Flor. We walk out the gate of the apartments into the desert area surrounding our buildings. We comment on the weather, the moon cycle, muse over the beauty of the slim crescent moon, the madness of the full moon. As we walk towards the sea, we encounter a few cars and buses and other pedestrians. We talk about our school, our students, her little daughter and our upcoming trip to Sweden. We speak of the past, present and future, learning to better understand one another and revealing a little more of our personal histories. Sometimes a taxi drives by, beeping the horn to get our attention, see if we want a ride. Sometimes there are people on the public beach at the turning point of our 35 minute walk. We suspect they have been up all night. Occasionally, they speak to us and we have learned to ignore lest we be followed or harassed. Walking back toward the apartments, the traffic is increasing- more buses collecting workers, more people walking through the desert. We wish one another a nice day and get ready for school.

Back in my apartment, the usual routine of shower, dress, coffee or tea, music (including Alison Krauss singing 9-5) ensues. I am usually one of the last people to head to school. Often my friend Christina and I smile sheepishly at each other as we leave about 5 minutes later than we should, knowing we may get stuck in traffic but that the perfect outfit or cup of coffee was worth it.

On the road, there are busloads of Philippina nurses, Indian security guards, school children of various ethnicities. Drivers (usually Indian) transport students to school, often accompanied by a nanny (Indian or Philippina). There are local women wearing hejab (headscarves), men in gutras (the red and white or plain white head coverings) speeding along the freeway in BMWs, Mercedes, Pajeros, Prados and so on. Expat teachers most commonly travel at a more modest speed in Mitsubishi Lancers and Peugeots. The left lane is the fast lane and it is expected you travel over the 120km/hour speed limit. Drivers who disapprove of your speed will indicate this by flashing their high beam lights until you move to make way for them. Sometimes they pass on the emergency lane, sometimes in the middle lane and, most often, by weaving through three lanes to get ahead as quickly as possible.

On the days I leave early enough, I see Bangladeshi men in yellow jump suits removing garbage from the said freeway. The 15-30 minute drive (depending on traffic, which is directly related to departure time) is full of other sights. Drivers picking their noses, talking and texting on mobiles, passengers falling asleep, kids moving about the car or SUV, completely unbuckled, often hanging their heads or hands out the window. Safety first.. I arrive at the final turn off to school and sometimes get caught in what my dear friend Ted describes as a "cluster fuck". This is a poorly designed exit in which people do not slow down enough to merge across the required two or three lanes. Horns honk, people gesture to others to let them in, shake their hands in the air at stupid driving moves. The most common hand gesture- is the "shway shway" (be patient) sign of the four fingers and thumb together (sort of like an Italian "delicioso").

As I pull into the secure area of the school, guards walk around the car with a mirror, checking for bombs, except they don't really look. I park and am usually greeted by a few students and alas am ready to start my day of teaching. Repeat.

Friday, oh glorious Friday. I wake up early and head over to teach yoga to an older woman from work. Around 8 or 9 o'clock, Indian, Bangladeshi and Sri Lankan workers meet in the desert area outside our apartments for their weekly cricket matches. They play until around noon, when it's time for Friday prayers or earlier when the heat starts to beat them. These same men who I see falling asleep on the way to work, who pick up garbage on the side of the road, who live in small apartments with many others and send most of their pay home, raise their voices to cheer for points and good plays. The saving grace of their lives, this open space in which to play, to be human. The saving grace of mine, time to think, breathe and relax while listening to the happiness of those who seem to have so little. I sip my cappuccino, sit on the cushions by my window, watching the match, reading a book, thinking about the past, present and future. I smile at the blessings of life, appreciate my charmed life and the opportunities it allows. I am at peace. Often I take my privileged self to the gym at the Hilton and enjoy my membership by exercising, swimming and sitting on the beach.

This Friday morning, I am off to brunch in celebration of a first birthday. I will spend time with some of my closest friends in Kuwait and I will be grateful to be surrounded by kindness and comaraderie. Someone just scored a point in that cricket match outside. YAAAAAAH!

Sometimes I simply lack inspiration, sometimes I lack time

2009-04-30T08:15:00.000-07:00

I suppose I need not begin with an excuse such as being busy. The last week, I have been leaving work when everyone else leaves and not bringing anything home. Of course, I now feel the effects of this and am behind in my work. It is what it is- I work hard when I must and usually feel good about it.

We hosted the Arts Festival and it was insanely good. It was so lovely that afterwards I felt happy rather than relieved. I had a great team to work with- everyone pitching in to make it a great event. Sweet. I feel a bit empty now, the way I did after piano exams when I was a teenager. I think this is because I am best when I am focused on only one thing and when that thing is done, I have to put my energy and attention into so many things that I feel like I am not accomplishing anything. Just a theory.

Over spring break in early April, I travelled to Sri Lanka with four of my girl friends. It was a great trip. Sri Lanka is a beautiful island and there are many aspects of the culture and country I absolutely loved.

1. The country is largely Buddhist so folks tend to be laid back and gentle (regardless of what you hear of the Tamil Tigers on the news). Buddha statues and Stupas abound.

2. There is a social cast system in which the highest rank you can have is if you work in agriculture. Let me repeat- the best thing you can do in Sri Lanka is live off the land. Incidentally, the lowest ranking work is laundry. Not bad, really.

3. On Poya (full moon), the Buddha suggested that people engage largely in religious activity and meditation as it is typically a day when weird things happen. So every full moon, many businesses shut down, some restaurants don't serve alcohol, and people pray early in the morning (I heard chanting on the full moon morning).

4. Food is good and fresh and coconut based.

5. Tea plantations and spice gardens provide a wealth of delicious flavours.

6. From beach to mountains to jungle, the landscape is stunning.

Now and then

2009-03-20T02:12:00.001-07:00

Sometimes it's really hard to live in the present when you thrive on change. I am so busy with school related things right now that I must focus on what I am doing here in Kuwait. We just finished a MS play festival, which was great and very busy. Next we host one of those fabulous festivals I have been attending in other countries the last few years. It's a challenge to get everyone and everything organized, tasks delegated to the right people, and get myself organized with the students.

This said, whenever I have a spare moment, my mind drifts to spring break, summer holidays, next school year in Beirut. I am envisioning how I will set up my apartment, what I will teach in my classes, team building activities I will do with my homeroom. I daydream about trips to the mountains, which I visited briefly a few weeks ago.

My visit to Beirut confirmed all of the simple reasons I am so happy to relocate. Several people have exclaimed "Beirut is so YOU!" and I agree. I can walk to so many places from where I will live, and much of that walking can be along the corniche. The corniche (seawall) is about a 90 second walk from the school.

Me, enjoying a most beautiful February day in my new town.

The campus is gorgeous and lush, the people friendly. In Beirut, there are little markets everywhere (and often you can purchase the local wines and beers) and sidewalks to get to these places. I know these things sound so simple they are nearly redundant, but while bakalas (little markets) are common in Kuwait, sidewalks are not. Nobody stares at me in Lebanon. I am just a person, not a foreigner, not an enigma of independence, not a target of leering.

After a day or so hanging in Beirut, Bashar and I headed to the mountains to meet up with a bunch of my ASK friends. It was great- we stayed in the cutest little chalet that had a fire place and a loft bed. We briefly met up with the ASK gang, but plans to have coffee in the morning were impeded by a massive snowstorm (Bashar's first) complete with thunder and lightning. Odd. Luckily, we made in safely back to Beirut in good time and I am excited to at least cross country ski next year, but hopefully really learn to downhill ski well. I am so excited for clean, fresh air. Lebanon has no desert (the only country in the Middle East without one) so no more sandstorms for me!

Out little chalet in the snow, some hail and Bashar learning how to make and throw a snowball. So cute.

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Weather Report

2009-02-22T00:36:00.000-08:00

For much of the time I have lived in Kuwait, the weather has been consistent for a period of time. What I mean is there is not a lot of fluctuation from day to day or even week to week. This year is different. We have had rain, sandstorms, thunderstorms, and hot sunny days all since Friday. Friday morning started off cool and cloudy and as the clouds lifted and I stayed out in the sun helping with the cross country running meet our school was hosting, I sunburnt my face quite badly. In fact, I look like a strawberry, or a red faced raccoon from the white marks around my eyes due to the huge sunglasses I was wearing.

Saturday was cool, windy, rainy and there was even a little thunderstorm. Today- default back to sandstorm, the bane of my existence. Try teaching band- everyone, take a full, deep breath and ah!ah!ahahah! (choking sounds from dust drying the throat and I don't even think about what my lungs must look like after a few years here).

I was hosting some coaches for Cross Country running, so my weekend consisted of early mornings and driving people around. This is fine, but I really need this upcoming long weekend to recover. Cannot wait to get to Beirut to check out my new place.

Keep well and warm.

An update- with good news!

2009-02-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

January is always a tough month. Many folks get the January blues. I think in education, it's the worst month as it's a "new year", but still a continuation of what you left off with a few weeks earlier, and it is not even the halfway point of the school year. This year, my stress was increased with the pressure of seeking employment for next year. While searching for jobs is exciting- thinking of all the places you could go, the new things to see and do and learn, until it's settled, it is a bit stressful.

The most challenging part of my job search was trying to find places where it would be possible to be in a decent proximity to Bashar, or at least someplace where he can visit without a huge ordeal to get a visa. After becoming frustrated with these limitations, I began to apply to any job that appealed to me. Strangely, the school that appealed most was one in Beirut, where there was a Middle School music opening. My second choice, for a while, was a school in Kiev, Ukraine, which would be very difficult for the relationship. A school in Thailand was in touch with me, and then did not respond after I sent a copy of my teaching certificate. Thailand would be okay and B could come there easily.

After a couple weeks of waiting, I was talking to a Lebanese friend who asked why I didn't say sooner I was interested in the job in Beirut. Her cousins attend the school. So, she made some phone calls and within 32 hours, the headmaster was calling me from his recruiting tour in the USA to offer me a job. A couple days later, I was signing and faxing a contract and making plans to visit the school during my short break to Lebanon at the end of February. I have been sighing with relief ever since. Ahhhhhhhh...

Reasons why I am excited to live in Beirut:

Lebanese people are nice, polite, professional, stylish- simply lovely.
They have sidewalks and a nice corniche and it's easy and safe to walk around.
I will walk to work in 5-10 minutes a day.
Lebanese law require employers to pay their employees and transportation fee of $4 a day. So I get PAID to walk to work.
There are nice wine caves in Lebanon and I can drink wine with dinner whenever I desire. The local beer is also good.
There are concerts, music and film festivals regularly.
There are nice yoga and pilates centers.
The school is affiliated with the University, where I can attend concerts and lectures.
I can continue studying Arabic (which I finally started to do in January).
I can practice French (most Lebanese speak French)
Most of the produce I buy in Kuwait comes from Lebanon, so I can save it a plane trip. Great produce...
There are plenty of nearby opportunities for skiing, hiking, camping, sunbathing.,
There are seasons in Lebanon, though a nice Mediterranean climate in Beirut.
I can take the bus to Syria to see Bashar and he easily visit Lebanon.
Friends from Kuwait and my Lebanese friends will visit frequently.
It's a CHANGE!!!

Lebanon is the only country in the Middle East without a desert. Today, after waking up to howling winds at 2:00am and not sleeping well after that and then inhaling dust all day in a bad sand storm, I am very happy to leave the desert behind.

So that's what's happening here.

Take care...

The Funny thing with Turkish Men

2009-01-09T20:40:00.000-08:00

As a traveller, I have run into very few problems with real harassment. My first trip to Italy in 2003 involved men yelling "Ciao bella!" after me. Nothing serious. Most of my travels in the Middle East have been with other people, which then minimizes the amount of hassling from local people. Last spring when I was in Syria by myself, there were guys along the sidewalk who would comment but I ignored them. I was friendly with the guys at the souks (or I would not have met the infamous Bashar), but they were just nice and even if they had ulterior motives, they kept it quiet.

After being in Istanbul in June, I did not think I would have any troubles on my own in Turkey. Except when I was in Istanbul I was with Bashar and nobody bothered us at all. Now before you worry, Mom, I was not at all harmed in Turkey. And to be culturally fair, it was partially my fault for being nice. If there were lessons to be learned, they are- do not smile at strange men (and in the words of Mae West- all men are strange) even if they tell you that you are beautiful. Do not engage in conversation with any men unless you intend to: sleep with them or tell them NO until you can get away from them.

Here are a few little stories. Now, I did have one nice conversation over cups of tea with a man at Ephesus and he was just plain nice. In fact, I almost asked if I could go pick mushrooms with him since I had a lot of time to kill that day.

Istanbul- walking along one street (Divan Yolu) is the place where most tourists hang and the men are armed with every cheesy line you can imagine.

Guy #1- Elkan, working at a shop on Divan Yolu. "Short hair really suits you". I was stupid enough to go have a cup of tea in his shop and he flirted incessantly with me- even after I told him I have a boyfriend. This was the first of four times I was to hear the line "Well, he's not here right now." Now, he did take me to several banks to see if we could find one where my bank card would work, to no avail, and then we ate dinner together. I had one drink and then he insisted I get another, which I could not finish. He was relentless in suggesting how much fun we could have together that night AND insistent on the fact that my Syrian man was not good enough for me. I asked Elkan if he had no dignity, upon declining his invitation to spend the night together about 100 times. For the first time in my life, I got up and walked away from someone and told them to f-off.

Guy #2- working at a hotel restaurant by my hotel. This was a friendly guy who offered me a cappuccino as I was on my way home from the horrible dinner with Guy #1. I needed to relax a bit, so we hung out and I told him the story of Elkan and he asked what I was doing with the jerk...and suggested we go for a drink and shisha to relax. And I was stupid enough to fall for that one. We went to a little touristy place that serves beer and shisha (this is not usual- places generally serve one or the other). So we were having a drink and a little water pipe when this guy, whose name escapes me, began to flirt, trying to get me to lean on him, hold his hand, etc. Again, he already knew I had a boyfriend and gave me the stock response- well, forget about him tonight. After trying to get me to drink more than I wanted to (I may be slow but I was on to this trick- a few more drinks than normal and she'll give in), and continuing to flirt, I got up to leave. "I've done this once tonight, and I am ready to do it twice," I told him. In silence he walked me back to the hotel. Ha!

Guy #3, Yashir, the hotel manager in Cappadocia. This is the worst one- I really should have booked into a different place in Cappadocia but I went through a travel agent who booked me into this place. Hotel Lalezar in Goreme- do NOT stay here, no matter how pretty the view. My second night in the hotel, I was checking my e-mail in the lobby and the manager poured me a drink of raki. Raki is the aniseed liquer in Turkey, comparable with the Arab arak, Greek ouzo, Italian sambucca- you get it. So I had a sip to be polite, but I know it was not going to go over well. I sat and chatted with the guy (hotel manager) for awhile and he offered to take me to hear some Turkish music. And when we got to this place, there was nobody except the couple guys working at the bar and a couple of their friends. We had one drink then headed back to the hotel. He wanted me to drink more but the few sips of raki were already causing some trouble with my stomach so I declined. As we were on the way back to the hotel, he suggested I come up to his room for 10 minutes to talk. I refused. When we arrived, he continued to suggest I come by to talk, just for 5 minutes. Right.

I went to my room and locked the door behind me, as I always do. My phone started ringing and I left it until I realized it was not going to stop. I answered and it was him, telling me just to come talk to him for 5 minutes. After yelling "NO!" at him, I hung up and he called again. This time I unplugged the phone. Later, I heard some banging at my door, but I did not get out of bed.

finally...
Guy #4, the shuttle bus driver (guy who drove me from the hotel to the bus station and drove on the first day of my Cappadocia tour). He offered to drive me to the next town where he was picking up folks from the airport. I would then not take a bus but a comfy large van. Okay. He wanted me to teach him some English. This is where I discovered the secret- I was looking at his Turkish-English phrasebook and there is an entire chapter (memorized by all men in tourism) on flirtatious lines from #1 (everyone's favourite) "You have beautiful eyes." to "I'd like to get to know you better." to "Can I kiss you?". My discovery of this chapter made me laugh uproariously- pages of come-ons. Only in Turkey. So this young guy tried to get me to kiss him when finally I yelled at him and told him to take me to the bus station immediately. He sincerely apologized and was worried I would complain to his company about this. At least he seemed a bit ashamed- there may be hope.

Again, my fault, I should know better than to engage in conversation, but what to do when you travel alone. Not talk to anyone? And especially people in the service industry? Oh well.

To summarize, here is the routine:
1. Compliment (Usually, you have beautiful eyes)
2. Chat, offer to go out for drink or food or Turkish cultural activity or party
3. Attempt to get you drunk, continue with compliments
4. (if applicable) Remind that your boyfriend/fiance/husband is not there NOW. You might as well enjoy your time in Turkey.
5. Get angry because you will not give in or...I am not sure how much success these guys have but there must be a certain number of women who relent.

Needless to say, I was very happy to get to Aleppo and be in the safety of male company.

Back in Istanbul

2008-12-18T04:32:00.000-08:00

Night buses are sort of the way to go here- it's what all the locals are doing. Maybe night buses two nights in a row is not the best plan. Ha. I was pretty disgusting by the time I arrived in Istanbul. That said, I think tomorrow may be another night bus, this time to Cappadocia, where I plan to spend a couple days, then to Aleppo. Or I may go directly to Aleppo as there is someone there who needs me and who I miss.

I treated myself to a nice day of lounging yesterday- I found a little coffee shop run by an Edmontonian. Ha. It felt very Canadian to me- a variety of baked goods and coffees and teas, plus some new and used books for sale. In addition, there was a photo series showing- Irresistable Istanbul- and was set up by an International Women's Photography Club here. How cool. Then I went to buy a Kilim (a hand weaved carpet or wall hanging) that was a bit pricey. At this point I discovered not only is my ATM card from Kuwait NOT WORKING AT ALL here, but that my credit card limit is very low. I am down to very cash in my wallet and my mom is sending me money via wire transfer. So frustrating as I actually have plenty of money that I simply cannot access. Typical.

Today I had an early morning- headed out for an interview at a very nice school that woudl be a good place for me to work. It is a music job with a bit more of a contemporary focus (blues, rock) but also some concert band and strings, which is shared with the ES teacher. It could be really good for me though I will understand if they think I do not have the right skills for the job. I did really like both the Headmaster and the Secondary principal. The Headmaster taught in Kuwait 4 years and the Principal is from Saskatchewan. Sigh. I would love to work with the people at the school but we shall see what happens. The right thing will work out and I should do some thinking too.

I am in the perfect place for thinking- Leonard Cohen is on the speakers, and I am surrounded by an eclectic mix of jewellery and vintage clothing drinking a Turkish coffee and typing away.

So, that said, I should go as I do not want to exceed my time limit lest I run out of money. Which could happen.

Happy holidays!

A fickle mistress of travel

2008-12-16T08:41:00.000-08:00

I love to travel, there is not doubt about it. I am a bit of a fickle mistress in that everywhere I go is my new favouite place. Currently it's Selcuk and in a couple days it may be Cappadocia and then it will be Aleppo when I get back there. But perhaps that is just how I am about everything- every thing is my favourite, kind of like the Diary of a Dog. A walk, my favourite...

I was feeling a bit lazy to get started with this trip, but now that I am in Turkey, I am totally into it, and even budget style. After landing in Istanbul, I took the city bus and ferry to get to the area of the bus station. I got a free ride to the bus station from there, then took a bus to Eceabat (Echabat) to see the Gallipli peninsula (site of the ANZAC battle in WWI). After that very cold and windy tour yesterday, I hung out with some other travellers, read for awhile and took the night bus to Selcuk. I was in that state of lucid dreaming while on the bus, like I was watching my own dreams. I arrived here at 6am, too early to do much of anything. I sat in one little tea shop at the bus depot, reading and drinking tea. As the sun rose, I knew it was going to be a gorgeous day for seeing Ephesus (Roman ruins). The sky was clear, the air fresh and the orange trees are full of fruit. I headed to an ATM to retrieve a bit of cash only to discover my ATM card from Kuwait was not working at any of the 7 machines here, my Canadian card has expired and it's nearly impossible to change 35KD (which is over 100US). I was not going to let this little foıble ruın my otherwise perfect day. I changed the US dollars I had in my wallet and am now paying everything by credit card and hoping to get cash in Istanbul. Typical nonsense.

Tonight I am takıng a bus back to Istanbul and tomorrow am going to the Turkish bath and to stay in the nice hotel I stayed in last time in Istanbul.

Selcuk is a really lovely town in a great farming area close to the sea. There are orange and lemon and pomegranate and olive trees which people were harvesting today. Ephesus was very interesting and immense. The weather is cold at night and in the morning and warm during the day. And so..it's all good.

Two more hours til my bus- good thing I have a good book to read.

A few more things...

2008-12-12T12:17:00.000-08:00

It's getting cozier in my living room, as I have been rearranging furniture in order to clear space for a designated yoga/meditation and massage room. I like having a bookshelf in the living room, and sitting at a desk rather than on the sofa to type on the computer.

My neighbour a floor below is gone for the holidays. Her cat is still home though, and is in heat so I can hear the desperate "rrrrroooowr", especially in the evenings. Too funny.

The weather here is great. It's quite cool at the moment, meaning sweaters and jackets and scarves. I like it. Because we have had substantial rains this fall (more rain the the last two years combined), trees are more green, flowers are blooming and there is even some little grassy patches in the vast sand lot by our apartments.

Due to the holidays, cricket matches are more frequent than only Fridays. It's nice to see the workers out enjoying themselves, and to hear the cheering coming from outside.

As for me, I think I should start packing to go to Turkey. One more day and I'll be off. Let me know if you want anything :)

Lots of love and holiday cheer!

A small cultural gap

2008-12-12T02:58:00.000-08:00

I am on a very long winter break right now. We have a month off from work, which was stupidly part of the reason I stayed at ASK for another year. I am doing things like rearranging my furniture and going to the gym and running little errands. This helps to pass the time until I head to Turkey for a week or so. I was supposed to go to Syria yesterday to hang out with Bashar, but his father passed away on December 7, so I might go after Turkey, but not before as planned.

When someone dies in the Muslim world, family flocks together and spends days praying and visting. By days, I mean a week to ten days, not three or four days as we might expect in Canada. People are exempt from work and other obligations. I am not certain what sort of security there is, but one certainly does not need to ask twice for compassion leave. Bashar, as the eldest son, has many responsibilities. A few days ago, he was out selecting a goat to sacrifice on behalf of his father. It is slaughtered, butchered and given to poor people. He informed me, in case there was any doubt, that I would hate that part.

My first impulse on hearing the news of Mr. Hassoun's death, was to rush to Syria to support Bashar. That's what I would be expected to do in Canada, if I were a good girlfriend. Not so much here. Well, if I spoke Arabic, I could go because I would spend the entire time with his mom, aunts and sisters and the kids. He has no time to see me, not even 5 minutes a day to talk on the phone because of rituals, prayer and family affairs. He called last night to tell me his little niece (aged 5) inquired why "the fiancee of my uncle Bashir is not here, with the other women?" Ahem, well, we are NOT engaged so I am not his fiancee (despite what he tells people) and I would have no idea what to do or to say. This is another great example of why I should learn some Arabic.

So I am in my apartment, planning my trip to Turkey, feeling selfish because I COULD HAVE...made so many other plans- Thailand, Bali, India. Nepal, even Canada- but didn't because I wanted to spend time with Bashar. And now he might be able to make it to Turkey, if his brother, who lives in Libya, stays awhile in Syria. One of them needs to be there for his mom, as she is unable to be seen by men outisde the immediate family for a period of time.

Incidentally, I did meet the parents in August. Bashar's dad had been sick for quite sometime. He was diabetic (which is extremely common in the Arab world) and I think he had early onset Alzheimer's or something else that caused his eyes to be very glazed over. His life consisted mainly of hanging out at home, requesting tea at various times, and occasionally visiting the hospital. Anyway, I met him at the family flat in Aleppo this summer. I was feeling pretty awkward in general, though trying to be calm and seem comfortable. I was wearing capris and a short sleeved shirt, which is not what one is to wear in that neighbourhood of Aleppo, particularly when one is meeting her boyfriend's traditional Muslim family. In my defense, I thought I was going to get to go home and change before going to meet his parents. His mom commented to him on my attire, which would, in Canada, be a perfectly appropriate outfit for family meetingpurposes. She was still sweet and lovely, though, and happy to cook for me. One of Bashar's sisters was over with her five month old daughter, which was convenient for breaking the ice and giving me something to do and a way to interact with the women. But the best part of the visit was when his father asked Bashar (one of the few Arabic questions I understand) if I spoke Arabic. When the response was no, he solemnly looked over at me, opened his mouth and said, in a clear and even tone, "HI." It was all I could do not to giggle. I informed Bashar later that I thought his dad liked me.

and that was that...here's my inappropriate outfit...keeping in mind it was something like 35C outside. Oh well, I should know by now to always carry an emergency abbaya (the long black cloak) kit.

Is no news good news?

2008-10-29T08:11:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone...if anyone still reads as I write so rarely. I see change coming, though- I have home internet now, and not just internet that I am poaching off of someone who did not password protect their wireless service. This is my very own connection, which I got for three main reasons. The first is to try to actually use SKYPE, the second is to search for jobs and the third is to keep in closer contact with friends and family.

So here I am. Writing. The evening is cool (cold for here), windy, rainy with a bit of a thunderstorm. This week is the first it has rained for about a year. It is about time! Last year we were plagued with miserable sand storms which are particularly unpleasant when the area immediately surrounding the buildings is a huge sand lot.

Kuwait hasn't changed much. The traffic is getting worse in the morning, meaning if I leave a minute after 6:15, I arrive to school about 45 minutes later. That used to be the formula at 6:30. The people, the consumerism, the inconveniences- all still here. Of course, there are balances to the inconvenience- you can visit doctors and dentists in the evenings, so you do not have to take time off from work. You can go to a travel agent and book several flights for the same time and cancel all of them before a certain deadline. You can get food delivered from restaurants and even the little corner stores.

As for me, I am feeling stagnant. I should never have committed to taking on no new responsibilities this year. Well, we are hosting a festival in April and I will be directing two short plays in March, so there are things coming. I am still coaching forensics and debate, which I love. I had to make some tough calls this week, which I am not so fond of. We had two people to cut from the team and one of them is a very talented and intelligent young man. He is also very arrogant and lacks team spirit and humility. It's too long and complicated to explain the whole situation with his family, but his mother defends him to all ends. According to her, I have failed if I have not taught him these lessons of team spirit and humbleness. As it goes, I've been called worse. I was almost laughing at her by the end of the conversation as it was so absurd. Her son took it much better than she did. Hopefully it's done, though I would not be surprised if there was some more backlash to come from the family. And life will go on as it should.

I went to see Bashar again during our short Eid break. We were supposed to meet in Beirut, but it was insanely expensive to fly there at that time, so my friend Karen and I went to Syria instead. I am going back in a week from tomorrow for a short visit as I need a break from the insanity of life here, and we need a bit of time together. I am hoping also to get an interview with a school in Damascus while I'm there, too.

Well, I am going to go now and eat some lentils.

Back in Kuwait

2008-08-29T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is the first August I have been indifferent to return to Kuwait. Last year I was so excited, the year before, I was surprisingly happy to be back. This year, well, I guess I am just ready for something new. My current projects include seeking yoga teachers and Arabic tutors.

Summer seemed so so long and so full of things. Istanbul, oh Istanbul, the best trip. I met up there with my dear friend Karen who works at another American School in Kuwait, plus her sweet daughter (who is 18) and her cousin and another friend from Karen's school. I also met up with Bashar, who I met in Syria. The trip was a great mix of hanging out and seeing things and sitting around drinking coffee. After a few days with Karen and her crew, they left and it was me and Bashar and then his friend Emad (from Aleppo, Syria) and Emad's girlfriend Ruth (from Holland) joined us for a few days as well. I laughed so hard and had such a fun time it was almost unbelievable. We spent a considerable amount of time at the markets where the guys bought stuff to sell in Syria. The bargaining, the exchanges- so hilarious. Ruth and I nearly killed ourselves laughing at them.

It's definitely one of those "had to be there" situations...but trust me...Ruth was like finding another sister in this crazy world and Bashar was a perfect gentleman.

To be fair, dear readers, Bashar (known as Bashir to his friends and family) is someone you all must meet. He plays a significant role in my life at the moment. Firstly, he has been kind and gentle to me in Syria and Turkey, phoned me almost every day I was back in Canada, and then hosted me again in Syria (I went just to visit him) from August 14-23. Some things you should know...he is funny, simple and good. He values me most for my humour and simplicity, the exact things for which I want to be valued. He works as a salesperson, speaks several languages (Arabic, English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, a little Greek and Turkish). We got along right away and talked for two hours the second day I was in Damascus.

Anyway, I guess he is my boyfriend. He keeps aslking me to marry him and I keep dodging the question, laughing, since, well, what else can I do? Now, I know we in the west are suspicious of Muslims. Trust me, he is good. Time will tell the rest.
Here we are at Crac de Chevaliers, the fairytale castle near Damascus.

Going back in time

2008-08-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

I am at the internet cafe again. Tomorrow I head into Athens to fly to Aleppo, Syria. I am still at the Sunshine House- check out their website if you like- http://www.thaimassage.gr/. There are a few other people- Takis and Kerys who run the place (Takis is the main teacher and inherited this house and land on Evia from his family), their children aged 27 months and 7 months, some wwoofers (willing workers on organic farms)and a couple other folks. A family who is friends with Kerys and Takis arrived today with their kids. It's still got this summer camp vibe to it, like we're getting ready for the next batch of kids to arrive. I helped out around the house today, cleaned up my cabin for the next residents, ran some errands with Charlotte,(she assists with running the programs and makes all this delicious food every day), swam in the sea, played with the kids, biked to the internet cafe...so nice.

It's hard to believe 2 weeks have passed since I arrived in Greece. And about 3 weeks ago I was taking my conducting class in Winnipeg with other fabulous teachers and students. I have definitely found great paths to follow to be constantly surrounded by these incredible communities of people who are full of life, joy, passion and courage. The universe does take care of us...

My time this summer has been spent as follows- June 13- 22 in Istanbul (that's a different entry), June 24-July 18 in Saskatoon, July 18-25 in Winnipeg and then back to Saskatoon for 2 days before heading to Athens. It's been good and I've realized I need more time in classes and having specific things to do. I did not enjoy lazing around- I felt bad about myself, even though I did enjoy watching the TV series House.

I did have an excellent time catching up with friends and family. It was great to visit my grandparents at the farm a couple times, and spend some time with my mom. It was pretty cool to see my brother and his family again. My nephews are growing up quickly as kids do. They are hilarious. Last summer, I met little Thomas just hours after he was born. This summer, I videotaped some of the first steps of this large baby who is now a whole year old. It's nice.

So, next post will be either about Syria or further back in time to Istanbul. I want to wait until I have my own computer hooked to the net so I can show pictures.

Yassos...

Freddo

2008-08-12T03:04:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone- the lovely young girl who works at the internet cafe just brought me a delicious freddo- Greek Iced coffee. I love these things- espresso, ice, sugar and cream. Yum.

I spent a couple days in Athens before heading to the island of Evia for a Thai Yoga massage class. My friend took the class last August and loved it so I decided to follow suit. It was structured as follows- half an hour of meditation in the mornings and evenings, an hour and a half of yoga and qi gong, three delicious, organic vegetarian meals, 6 hours of instruction and massage practice, and siesta times involving some quick trips to the beach, the internet cafe, sleeping and reading on the hammocks in the yard, visiting. It's quite fabulous.

Ths massage course was harder than I thought it would be for me. I have often given massages and been appreciated for them. Since there was so much focus on the technique, I often lost my intuition and had to work hard on the technique. After some more practice, I will be able to combine the two more again. Actually, I did improve immensely over the 10 days and I cannot wait to practice on friends and family. It would have been nice to do this before coming to Canada, but there's next summer. And then I will have lots of practice and be quite skilled by then. Indeed.

The place where I took the course is called the Sunshine House and the teachers were wonderful. There is a lovely yard and the folks in the class were wonderful and fun. I feel like a new person. We stayed in little cabins like summer camp- me, two Autrian girls and a Vietnamese woman from Paris. I gained good spiritual insights and feel like I am proceeding on a good path. I am also inspired to learn more yoga, qi gong, naturopathic healing based on Indian and Chinese medicines. I suppose I gained motivation to practice yoga in a more specific way, as well.

One of my Austrian roommates gave me a haircut this morning. I wanted a trim but it turned into a full on chin length bob. Again. This haircut is like home- I always return to it. As it emphasizes my giraffe neck, I will simply wear my scarves more often.

My freddo is finished. I have another day at the Sunshine House, just hanging out and enjoying reading and visiting, meditating and practicing. Life is good. Then I am off to Syria to visit my friend/tour guide/ boyfriend who I mentioned two entries ago. I will post about June and July (Istanbul, Saskatoon and Winnipeg) over the next while and hopefully incorporate some pictures.

Love and light.

Enjoy summer.

foiled again

2008-05-18T07:55:00.000-07:00

I'll easily admit one of my main reasons for leaving my beloved prairie homeland was to escape rednecks. I soon learned the redneck character comes in all shapes, sizes, colours, religions and cultures. Since early on in my time here, I have seen boys aged about 14-17 riding their quads along the gulf road, doing wheelies, roaring the engines...very similar to what the boys in rural SK would be doing, except the Sask kids would be disturbing few people and not putting others in danger.

If you are up on Middle East politics, you will know there are currently elections going on here. Last night in celebration of something regarding the election, gunfire began at 3:30am. That's right, shoot your rifles in the air in celebration of elections. Rednecks, I say, rednecks. I suppose waking up to celebratory gunfire is preferable to conflict induced gunfire, though I would have been glad to have the extra hour of sleep and wake to my alarm. So now I am tired.

The gunfire is an odd phenomenon. A month or so ago, following wedding celebrations, men were shooting off rifles and as bullets travel upwards also they must fall. One bullet hit and killed a young girl. But why stop shooting guns and making a racket a putting people in danger? It's fun. I guess I'm a little bit grumpy from being waken.

A comment on the elections- one of my colleagues who is Kuwaiti and and attended American schools here, went to college in the USA, and returned to teach here, said she is not voting as she hates all the candidates. "We're Arabs, we're not good at democracy. We're used to being ruled and trust the ruling family. The ministers are a waste of time." Wonder what Mr. Bush would think of that?

And those are my thoughts for today. I am mostly amused, but in my special sarcastic, eye rolling way.

A bit about Syria

2008-05-04T10:50:00.001-07:00

I loved Syria. I loved being there by myself. I was expecting an excess of harassment but since I was able to ignore the cat calls and kissing sounds when I walked by groups of guys (most of the time) I just enjoyed being told I am beautiful (which is what they say to all the foreign girls). I met some fun guys who work at the souks in the old city in Damascus and they took me out dancing and out to dinner almost every night. One of them is from Aleppo in the north and I took the bus up there with him. It was convenient- he booked my hotel for me, made sure I got back safely and showed me the best places to drink strawberry juice and eat felafel. Needless to say our love of food (and everything I ate in Syria was fresh) made us good friends.

Syria is more traditional than other countries I have visited in the Middle East. Not much in the way of fast food or chains, which is particularly refreshing after Kuwait where there is nothing but. The sites, like the Roman ruins of Palmyra, were awesome. The countryside is great- Damascus and surrounding area is essentially desert and heading up to Aleppo, the landscape becomes more green and fertile. It was beautiful. My friend/tour guide took me to the Basilica of St. Simeon, where the eccentric St. Simeon in around 400AD sat atop pillars of various heights. It was a gorgeous site, the view from the top of the hill was spectacular.

The good, the bad and the ugly

2008-04-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

Since it's been so long between posts, I will keep this one in stylistic point form to make it easier to read.

The good:
1. I am good at my job and am growing slightly more comfortable with confrontation.
2. We had a performing arts gala on April 1 and it was great- we had wonderful reviews from colleagues and students and parents.
3. I had a week off for spring break and went to Syria by myself. It was a great trip and I had so much fun meeting locals and going out and socializing.
4. This week I get to go to Abu Dhabi for the first time for another fabulous arts festival.

The bad
1. I am getting tired of bring perpetually responsible and in charge of things. But once you start and demonstrate a level of competence, it all snowballs from there.
2. From now until the end of the year, it's work full speed ahead with such events as awards ceremonies, concerts and other fun activities.

The ugly
1. As a result of working so hard for so long then finally having some time to relax, I got really sick just after I got home from Syria. If anything, I'm glad I got to enjoy my break with lots of good energy. I just hate being sick at school.

Anyway, it's a new diet plan, really, as I have been losing weight from coughing so much. The question remains- how can one person contain so much mucus?

That's the excitement of today's update. I will try to update again shortly with pics from Syria.

Peace.

Thank goodness I am in the right profession...

2008-03-14T07:10:00.000-07:00

I have never really worked on a play before. Not a real play. The MS production we just had was a very positive experience. The director, my fabulously talented colleague, told me she wanted to work with me on everything. I feel the same way. I am so lucky to be surrounded by positive people with immense energy and talent. I am relieved to be finished as I spent 12-14 hours a day at school every day but Sunday. I also devoted most of my preparation time to regrouping. Anyway, I am not complaining, as it feels so good to be part of something that is meant to touch people on a depper level.

I spent most of today in my beautiful apartment, slowly combing through stuff, throwing more things out and organizing other items. Paper takes up a lot of time to sift and sort. I now have to get just a few more organizational pieces (boxes for photos), then get some more photos deveopled and framed, then hang up the photos and art work and my apartment will be a near masterpiece. The kitchen is so lovely already. It makes such a huge difference to have a livealbe kitchen that opens into the living room.

Here a a couple photos from our jazz gig last weekend. The venue was nice- an outdoor stage with a good sound system, a hill with grass (the only one in Kuwait) and some trees...too bad the folks that hired us were not that interested in our music so we ended up playing 1 and a quarter sets before packing up. No matter, we still got 50KD each, which is pretty good. The drive wasn't as long as predicted, either, and it was a place I'd never been. A bit of a treat. I think I must go back sometime before the weather gets too hot.

Well, I best be going. I have some tentative plans for tonight and need to get a little walk in as the only exercise I've had all day is walking from one room to another, throwing things in the trash.

What I've Been Up to Lately

2008-03-07T02:13:00.000-08:00

subtitle: Excuses are for people who need them.

I have been really busy lately, I do not have internet access at home and I haven't enough time to compose thoughtful and attractive entries. This is done at school and I do not have pictures on this computer so this will be a verbal entry.

1. The trip to India was lovely. It was not the adventure I usually have in India, or on any travels for that matter, but it was easy and relaxing.

2. Full swing since returning- in this week alone, I have spent about 8 hours on set design for the MS play.

3. I had to briefly present at the faculty meetings on Tuesday, which was a bit nerve wracking. I get nervous in front of peers.

4. I think I will be putting in about 20 hours with the play this week.

5. We have a jazz band gig tonight that is about a 45 minutes drive from the main city. Should be interesting. We learned of the gig on Sunday, could not rehearse as our usual Monday time, and are therefore practicing for a while today.

6. I have a friend staying with me for the weekend as she is her watching her children play in a basketball tournament.

7. I went for a head massage last night and a manicure/pedicure this morning. I feel, as a sign for a beauty salon in Kochin (India) said "maximum pretty".

8. Oh, and I work full time. Did I mention I'm having a little trouble fitting that in?

We have a lovely blue sky kind of day, the weather is calm, the birds are singing. I spent from 6:30 (that's sleeping in on the weekend, folks) til 8:00 drinking coffee in my PJs with Ahne. For all these things I am grateful. It's a good way to live.

Lots of love...

the move

2008-02-21T02:58:00.001-08:00

I realize the trouble with this post is I have not taken pictures yet so I cannot illustrate..but here goes.

The owner of our school has invested in new buildings for us so we have been moving to our new apartments over the last couple weeks. These buildings have been under construction for the last two years and I wasn't sure (until December) the move would ever really happen during my tenure. Anyhow, we were allowed two free days to move so I took mine yesterday and today, thus extending my Kuwait National Day holiday by 2 days.

The new digs are nice- big studio windows and a great layout with the kitchen opening to the living room. I have a sea view, well, when there is no sandstorm. We are a good 15 minute hike from the sea but the location is okay. I am sitting at the Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf right now (it's my favourite coffee shop in Kuwait). The drive is just a few minutes.

The best part of the apartments is the directions. It's a developing area. "Get off the highway (freeway) at the 211. Go down the road and take the roundabout at 360. Go back up the street until the residential road, tun right, then turn left and drive across the desert for 2 minutes and you're in front of the building." That's right, I have to off road through a huge sand area with makeshift roads. Fun times.

Last week I got back from this incredible arts festival. The festivals are always great but this one was special. The band students were so focussed and the new directors are fantastic and there was this incredible energy the whole weekend. The performance was one of those moments of "Aaaah! THIS is why we learn music and love it enough to teach it." Thinking about it still gives me goosebumps. Here are a couple photos- my 6 band students and a candid of most of our student delegation. Nice.

I will try to update with pictures of the apartments in the next couple days.

I am off to India on Saturday for 5 days, thanks be. Cannot wait to have no responsibilities except to walk, read, tan, shop and enjoy a drink. Thankfully my friend David invited me to the US Embassy happy hour tonight. Yesssss! Let the good times begin.

slightly disturbing self discovery and some good things

2008-02-02T07:40:00.001-08:00

I woke up this morning in time to go for a walk before going in to work. I am helping with the Middle School play as set design leader. I am working with a small group of lovely kids. The play was written by one of our teachers and is called Abdullah and the Wolf. Abdullah, a Kuwaiti boy, sets off to kill a wolf to prove to his older brothers that he is tough. On his way, he encounters Little Red Riding Hood and Peter who are also looking to kill the wolf. THey encounter a variety of characters- Ali Baba, a Jedi Knight, Three Little Pigs, Three Musketeers and others. It's a fun piece.

As for my slightly disturbing self discovery, as I was getting dressed, I realized I have become high maintenance. I changed several times, even though it's a weekend and it doesn't matter, I wished I had bought a pair of shoes I saw a few weeks ago, and fussed over the placement of the clip in my hair. Have I become superficial? Not really, but certainly higher maintenance in this and other aspects. Oh well.

Good things:

Greta and David, along with friends and family, welcomed Julia Maude Pauline Yakimoski into the world this week. So cute and small.

My friends returned Season 4 of Corner Gas to me.

I had some colleagues over for nachos and drinks after the ES concert the other day. It was really nice.

I went to my walking partner's place for pancakes yesterday morning. We cancelled walking due to a sandstorm.

I subbed during all my prep periods last week and though it nearly drove me insane, I taught 20 out of 20 classes (usually it's 15/20) and made and extra 50KD, which is pretty good.

I've been practicing tai chi, qigong and yoga regularly with my friend Sandi. It's great!

I get to go to the Arts Festival this Thursday. Hurray for great colleagues, great music and good social times. Cannot wait.

Three of my girlfriends and I are going to Kerala (India) for 5 days in February. Cannot wait for the beach and some cheap shopping. The funny part is each of the girls are my friends but they are not friends with eachother. It will be nice.

I got some clothes made and some altered at the tailor. It was inexpensive and looks great. I cannot wait ot wear my brown suit on Thursday when we travel.

And that's about all for now. Life is good. Busy as always.

traffic and loathing in kuwait

2008-01-23T11:19:00.000-08:00

Hummers, who needs them? They are numerous here in Kuwait and this is one I see around frequently. Why? WHY? WHY? One evening, I had the good fortune of being next to this one at a lengthy red light. Most lights here are lengthy.

And here's a little stuck in traffic road scene from the evening when Geroge W. was in town. Though perhaps traffic was backed up due to an accident. I took an exit and turned around after sitting still for 20 minutes.

It's all good. The last day of the first semester is tomorrow. That means we're halfway done the school year, though between now and mid-June, we have two major (9 day) breaks and a long weekend. And a whole lot of work to do in the meanwhile.

peace...will Geroge W. evoke it in the Middle East? Yes, of course, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as old as time will end with Bush's reign of terror...I mean power....

Xmas, New Year and Future Plans

2008-01-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

For some reason, I have not been in the writing mood at all lately. I know people do like to check in and I hate to disappoint.

Going home for the holidays was very fun, though until I learn how to adjust to jet lag better, I don't think I will do it again. It was a treat to be able to see most of my friends and family in a short period of time. The weather in Saskatoon was great- I enjoyed the cold, crisp air. Mostly I was grateful to be there for Sue and Jaryn's wedding since I have missed so many weddings since moving to Kuwait.

Upon coming back to Kuwait, I stayed in my apartment for most of the three days until school resumed. Yuck. I was searching and applying for jobs online and hoping to hear from someone...anyone. The first week back to school was shortened by the Hijiri (Muslim) new year. I love how the moon is still unpredictable and holidays are most often based on a lunar movement (New Moon). During the 4 day week and 3 of the subsequent weekend days, I was plagued by migraine headaches and anxiety while searching for jobs. As I had arrogantly decided not to go to a job fair, I set myself up to get a job that may not be a good job. I already have a job that's great for me, and group of dear friends who are staying on another year, a good tai chi instructor and a reasonable routine, now that forensics is done.

So here I will stay for the next year, and I have not looked back for a moment since I made the decision 5 days ago. My migraines did vanish!!! The superintendent hugged me quite gleefully when I submitted my continuation of contract letter...now if only I could get a substantial raise, everything would be perfect. And I will commit to the Bangkok job fair, where all the good Asia contacts are, next year. It's a good life lesson, my friends. If you're going to do something, you've got to do it 100%. It is amazing how many times in how many ways we (or maybe just I) must revisit that lesson.

In other exciting news, George W. was here last weekend. I did not see him, but a friend who works at the embassy was telling me about his agenda for the 2 days he was in Kuwait- 20 minutes here, 20 minutes there, hanging at the Palace with the Emir. There was a lot of security in the form of police road blocks. Oh, and George W. signed the cast of one of my students. Pretty cool.

Well, I should go and get some stuff done before it's time for bed. It's cold in my classroom at school and it makes me tired during the day because I just cannot warm up. I have heaters in my room but they are ridiculously weak. Don't laugh too hard, but the temperatures are around 0-10 C and it feels so cold. I can see my breath in the mornings. Everyone, even the Canadians, are complaining. I wear my coat all day, plus scarves and pashminas. I just remembered yesterday that I had gloves so I am going to wear them tomorrow! Then my fingers won't freeze up when I am doing work on the computer. Yessss!

Here is a little glimpse of some of our forensics crew heading over to Maki Waves, a sushi restaurant above the water, for our windup. They look cold, don't they?

How I Celebrated My 31st Birthday

2007-12-10T01:07:00.000-08:00

Well, everyone, I have been officially lousy at writing. I have reasons, though. My whole heart and soul have been poured into work- teaching and coaching debate/acting. It's been a busy challenge.

This is how I spent my 31st birthday-

Drove into work, as usual. I managed to leave at the right time to take the 25 minutes option to work. Had I left 5 minutes later, it ould have been 45 minutes. At work, I got grade 6 students ready to play at the assembly so I acutally gave up my prep period to perform at the assembly, and it was very fun. The whole middle school wished me a happy birthday.

All of my classes were pretty slack-we ran through our music and then visited and ate. I did have one class help me to organize several stacks of music as their birthday present to me.

At 2:00PM, I left my last class to head to the airport. I drove while the team took the bus. We were off to Cairo for the Forensics and Debate tournament. When I got to the airport and met up with the rest of the team, we learned the flight was delayed an hour and a half. Par for the course, really, taking Kuwait Airways from Kuwait to Cairo. We hung out at the airport (lame) and finally left more htan 2 hours late, getting us in to Cairo after 10PM and to the school close to midnight. Oh joy.

The next day, the tournament began. I will not bore you with details, but I have definietly received the best present ever. We took 1st AND 2nd place in debate!!! There were many other awards, but many people commented on how strong my debators are and how polite they were, too. We have been stuggling with this all season. So, we won the debate sweepstakes (best points for all debate teams) and placed 3rd in the rest of the overall events (speech and drama). Yay us!

I have enjoyed my time here and am good and ready for some sleep.

So, I will try to write again soon but I now must get back to my students.

care for a cup of corn?

2007-11-25T07:44:00.000-08:00

There's this weird food phenomenon in Kuwait- the corn stand. We had one in our school cafeteria until the ministry came in and shut down most everything in the canteen. Rumour has it there was some scuffle with the US embassy and the ministry got angry so they came in and closed down most of the food operations on our campus. That's another story.

Anywhere you go, you can find a corn stand. It is usually a small cart, like a moveable hot dog stand or some such thing. The corn stand offers corn heated in a slowcooker, then put in a bowl and mixed with butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper, if you like. Then it's scooped into a styrofoam cup and off you go with your cup of corn. It's a great snack to tide you over for a couple hours. I love this stuff for whatever reason. Oh, butter and salt, that's why.

Here is a more elaborate version of a stand, as it's in the cosmopolitan area near the corniche by the Scientific Centre:

Lucky number 17

2007-11-24T05:01:00.000-08:00

When I was a kid, I won a cake at my Elementary School Fun Night. I was on the number 17 in the cakewalk when...I cannot remember what happened...the music stopped???

Today, when I was thinking I could not take it anymore (work, not life), I started to count down the school days up to and including December 17, our last day before winter break. 17. I think I can make it. I only have to do the following things: run one more department meeting, do purchase orders for myself, check over the purchase orders in my department, assist in organizing the Winter Festival of Songs (the happiest concert of the year), take 20 kids and 2 more coaches to Cairo for the Forensics and Debate tournament...work tooth and nail to get some of my students debating consistently with knowledge, passion and conviction. And progress reports. And teach and plan what I am going to teach.

And start applying for jobs. That will involve completing my cover letter. Blast. And a philosophy of education. Double blast.

As you can tell, I have little time for procastination. 17 school days. help!

I went to Thanksgiving Dinner with American friends last evening. Fun. I loaded up on dessert. Tara makes this ridiculously delicious pecan pie...wow.

Okay, well I think I have to go now to get some work done.

Peace be with you all.

recently...

2007-11-17T09:33:00.000-08:00

I have discovered a nostalgic appreciation for The Tragically Hip. Sort of like Dire Straits, the Hip is a part of my subconscience that evokes memories of times past. Dire Straits takes me back to some of my earliest memories, whereas the Hip takes me to late High School and early university days. My current favourite Hip songs are Fiddler's Green and Wheat Kings, which I listened to about 5 times in a row yesterday.

I have been working on my resume and cover letter lately. It's important to keep up to date. As much as I like my job, I am pretty tired of Kuwait. I miss being able to hop on a bus with all my band kids and go somewhere. I miss public transit and SEASONS! I miss live music and pubs and libraries, people interacting in meaningful ways. I miss anonymity. That said, I have some fabulous friends here. There is a true sense of community among many people.

The other day, I was looking after my friends' 9 month old daughter. I took her over to some other friends' apartment and we all just hung out and played with the baby. It takes a community to raise a child, right?

Yesterday, I hosted a clothing swap and some nice gals came over and we had a really fun time trying on eachother's clothes. Everyone was so nice and so happy to pass their ill fitted clothing on to friends. The leftovers will be donated to embassies for women seeking amnesty and to the U.S. troops for soldiers heading home requiring civilian clothes for the ride home.

I baked some Lemon Lavendar Blueberry muffins tonight. Whenever we have a department meeting, I give reminders (usually with food) to my colleagues. They seem to appreciate it.

I am reminded of the preciousness of life and the importance of treating others with love and respect.

So, take care out there.

Arg! (how things go in Kuwait)

2007-11-14T11:14:00.000-08:00

A couple days ago, I decided to get a few more tapes for the department vidoe camera. No problem, right? Right. I went to the nearby electronics shop. Here is the procedure:
1. Select the items you want to purchase.
2.Provide your phone number to the sales rep.
3. Go to the cashier (in this case, downstairs) to pay for the item.
4. Tell the cashier your phone number, pay for the item, take the receipt.
5. Go pick up your item (sometimes there is a designated pick-up point) in this case. the location wherein you first saw, touched and selected the product.

Can you understand how this may be a little frustrating?

keep in mind to get anywhere, you must go further than the designated location, complete a u-turn or a traffic circle, and return halfway back from where you came. Hence, ARG!!!\

Let's not even talk about traffic, lights, accidents, misuse of emergency lanes and spending over an hour getting home from work when it's normally under a half hour.

builds character, right? hope so.

Bloody Brits!

2007-11-10T10:09:00.000-08:00

As per usual, life has been pretty hectic here in Kuwait. A couple days after my trip to Beirut, I came down with a nasty stomach flu and was unable to eat anything but rice, toast and rice cakes for several days. I had to go home from school- my second sick day in 6 years of teaching! All I could do was sleep and figure out where I could be in closest comfortable proximity to the bathroom. How fun...

After 6 days, I felt brand new again. Then I started having some sort of allergic reaction/cold in light of the changing season. I have been exhausted lately- spent most of yesterday sleeping on the sofa.

Thursday at school we had a morning of parent conferences and an afternoon of working on unit plans. At night, we had a jazz band gig. We were playing at some British ball, a Remembrance Day thing. They called it a Poppy ball. Some folks from the organization came to one of our rehearsals a few weeks ago to see if they realyl wanted us to play, and they decided that they did. So Thursday, we hauled music stands, a keyboard, speakers, etc. to the Hotel Ball Room in which we were playing, set everything up, did a sound check before guests began to arrive, waited to play (we started an hour late) then were sent off three songs into our second set as the people prefer dancing to the top 40 remix of Saturday Night Fever, Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go, Grease Mix, etc. The music you hear at any crap dance party in the world. Maybe don't get a big band in then.

We spent a total of one hour playing, about one and a half hours on set up and take down, plus driving over and moving stuff there and taking it back, plus waiting for nearly 4 hours between the sound check and performance. Sure, we get paid for the gig, but it was so annoying. One of the guys in the band (who is English) rolled his eyes and said," Bloody Brits. Sometimes I wish I weren't one of them." One of the organizers came out to thank us and went on about how some tastes were just more plebian than his while he smoked his cigar in my face. Whatever.

The week was good otherwise. Tai Chi class on Sundays followed by yoga in my apartment. Monday band practice, Tuesday meeting and a walk with a friend/fellow Saskatonian,

Wednesday a trip to the Chocolate bar with all four of us in pink shirts. The trouble with the Chocolate Bar is everything is so high in sugar and caffeine that I was shaking afterwards and seriously depressed the next day from the subsequent sugar low. It was fun while it lasted, though.

I think that's all for now. The next two weeks will be very busy as the first school band concert of the season is coming up, plus all sorts of meetings. Just under a month until I'm back in Cairo for the Debate tournament. That will be my fourth time in Cairo. Crazy!

be well...I'm off ot bed.

Busy, Beirut, Blah and Back

2007-10-22T07:15:00.000-07:00

I do not know why I must always alliterate my titles, but that is how it goes.

Since the start of school, I have been super busy. Work itself is a little busier each year as I have more classes and students each year. Department chair takes some time and effort since I want to do a good job and not have it be simply an empty credit to add on my resume.

Forensics and Debate is taking more time because I am the head coach. This is only by default as the other two coaches are new to Kuwait, ASK and coaching. It's been good though a whirlwind. And only another 7 weeks to go.

As our school is continually growing, we discovered that between the Elementarty school and Middle school we had more students in band than we had functioning instruments. So, I have spent about a day of my life working (successfully) on that problem. It's just more time than I would have liked to have spent on it. On the other hand, I made better contacts with my favourite music store in Kuwait. You know how it is, when it's just one more thing on top of many others.

Then I participated in the Kuwait Little Theatre as I did my first year here. It was very fun and I got to be in a small group that sang I Feel Pretty while wearing full abbayas. Ha. As soon as that ended, it was Eid break and I was off to lovely Lebanon with some friends.

The story begins with a minor panic attack since, unbeknownst to me, my online reservation was not confirmed with the airline. The moral of the story is it pays to check online banking and credit card statements. I was able to purchase the last available seat on the plane to Beirut and had to rush to the gates as last boarding call had been announced for the previous 10 minuts. My friend and I arrived to discover that everyone was still in the gate area, not actually on the plane. At this time, I still had not purchased a ticket for the way home. When we arrived in Beirut, I attempted to complete the transaction, but due to Eid, the office was closed. We were unable to get ahold of the airline until the morning I was to leave, and I was able to purchase a ticket just before the flight. Ha. It ended up being the same price as my initial booking was to have been. How funny.

Beirut was lovely, despite its recent strife. We travelled to the Roman ruins of Baalbek, which is in Hezbollah territory. There were very few people there, which seemed a litte haunting as most tourist attractions I have visited in the region have been well attended. Here are a few captions:

It was interesting to see some of the after effects of the recent attacks on Lebanon, including the bridge to Damascus that had been bombed and still has not been repaired. It is a tall bridge, the highest in the region, and is therefore both very difficult and expensive to fix. We were also offered to buy Hezbollah t-shirts, which I found a little funny. Not many would appreciate the irony of me, a pacifist, wearing a terrorist t-shirt. Ha. I did not buy one, do not despair.

Jessica and I went to the town of Byblos, which is an old port city, most beautiful, where we enjoyed the day, the beach and an adorable Mexican restaurant.

And that's all for now as I must be off to band practice. We have a gig soon! Hurray!

Kuwait update

2007-09-13T23:04:00.000-07:00

Hello!

I guess I got out of the habit of posting this summer and now am still out of the habit. I am feeling swamped, in a good way, with work and trying to exercise and maintain a little social life outside of school.

Here are a few surprises:

1. I was astonishingly happy to return to Kuwait to my own space. The summer of relocating every week or two, or day or two while travelling, was invigorating but to be in my apartment with my yoga room and guitars and my own kitchen is sweet!

2. I was, and still am, thrilled to be back at work. I have a crop of new students and many kids in the middle school, which is awesome. Really cool new kids and I am absolutely taken with all of them.

3. I am enjoying being department chair but was shocked to note how insecure I feel in the role and how much I want everyone to like me in that role.

4. I am coaching forensics again even though it takes a lot of time! I was convinced I was not going to do it but when I saw the students I used to coach, I could not resist. Plus I could not leave two new teachers in a position of not knowing what to do.

5. I have been exercising like a maniac (well, a few times per week) and actually enjoy the elliptical trainer now. Who knew?

6. I tried, and loved, tai chi. Yoga will always be my first love but I have a good (and very attractive) tai chi teacher who is absolutely passionate about it. I guess I connect better with people who wear their passions on their sleeve.

7. I feel like the school is going in a better direction and am beginning to consider staying another year. What? Who said that?

and other news:

I really miss my friend Jenna, as who I am I going to have mis-adventures with now? But I am going to Beirut for our four day Eid with a couple friends, and that will be lovely.

I have been showing the new hires around and enjoying getting to make some new friends. What a coincidence that most of the ones I really connect with are Canadian.

I am doing Kuwait Little Theatre Mad Musicals again, like my first year here. The rehearsal last week was so much fun! Singing and dancing and being on stage...good times.

I love the series LOST and watched the entire first season in a week. I am saving the second season for, well, now, Ramadan, when I have a little more time to watch.

I am getting better at driving here, I refer to it as road tetris. High speed, high stakes Tetris. I swore for about one minute straight last night when this idiot realized he had missed his turn and was trying to back up to correct his mistake. He almost backed right into my car. Luckily there was only one other person behind me so we were able to back up enough to let him turn right instead of getting back on the freeway and turning around at the next exit. He could have just gone right at the light instead of taking the right turn. It would have been more correct than backing up but I am pretty sure he would have backed right into my car had I not moved.

To summarise, I am doing very well and enjoying life. Work is good, my friends are lovely and I couldn't be happier. Or maybe I could be, but I cannot imagine how.

Munich scenes

2007-08-23T02:08:00.000-07:00

My days in Munich were gorgeous. I met some lovely folks- Stu from Australia and Hugo from London and his friend (whose name I cannot remember) from Seattle. Good travel friends that I only hung out with for an evening but enjoyed lively conversation and kind company. That's one favourite aspect of travelling for me. Too bad I did not even take pictures of these pals.

Beer and a pretzel in the English Garden, near the Chinese Pavilion.

The Deutsches Museum

Delicious Pfankuchen mit banane und schokolade...the perfect post museum brunch...

Remembering Munich

2007-08-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

I am back in Kuwait after my awesome trip to Germany. Absolutely no regrets about missing the Regina Folk Fest now. It would have been great but I loved my trip.

The Black Forest was lovely, though I did not hike. It's nice to get into the more rural areas of a country, in my opinion. I bought several nice classical recordings in Freiburg, which was a treat.

I loved Munich- a fabulous pedestrian city with great energy. I visited the Dachau memorial from there, which was the central concentration camp where many brutal ideas were hatched. It is amazing to think only 70 years ago people were treating one another in such a horrific manner it makes the eyes tear and the stomach turn.

While I was visiting Munchen (Munich) there was a celebration of gay pride, wherein there were rainbow flags, drag queens and concerts all about Karlsplatz and Marienplatz (the main pedestrian squares). 70 years ago...no such thing, these folks would have been shipped to a work camp where they would likely have died from poor health or suicide.

The day of my visit to Dachau, I spent the evening hanging out with a lovely Australian called Stu. We drank some local brew and talked about travel and enjoyed the Hofbrauhaus which was complete with a German polka band featuring an accordian player whose profile was a doppelganger to Bill Z. from Tisdale.

Deutschland

2007-08-11T13:46:00.000-07:00

I have only a few minutes left of my internet time in my Munich hostel. There are many young, drunk folks here ,as there are when hostelling through Europe.

The trip over here was nice. I had a good seata companion on the way to Toronto and to Frankfurt. In Frankfurt airport, I stored some of my stuff, bought a five day train pass and headed to Baden-Baden. After some strolling and a visit to the thermal bath, I made my way to Freiburg, checked into a great hostel and went to a percussion concert. It was a long day, having arrived at 7am and not getting to bed til after 11. I slept until 2:30 in the afternoon...silly jet lag. My plans for hiking in the Black Forest were interrupted by rain yesterday and today I took the train here to Munich.

The rain finally let up this evening and I hope it has ended for the duration of the trip, though I will appreciate this last bit of cool, rainy weather I will experience for some time.

Time is out- later.

details

2007-06-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

Hi all!

I will be landing in Saskatoon on the 16th (Saturday) at about 9:00PM. If you want to keep up to the minute on delays, I will be on AC8837 operated by Air Canada Jazz.

In other good news, I have clean teeth and no cavities!

happily pedicured toes!

Addicted to procrastinating!

2007-06-09T22:57:00.000-07:00

ARG! I have to clean my classroom but I cannot motivate myself to do it. So silly! What I used to do, in the old days of studying, was clean in order to procrastinate. So perhaps I have to study, which is sort of what I've been doing. Studying people's profiles on facebook, studying upcoming events in Saskatoon so I can plan out my first days, studying my thoughts.

Yesterday was a bit of an odd day. I woke up to find my watch battery was dead and I had stomach cramps. At school, I learned that another one of my darling students is moving (to Thailand) over the summer. She just found out on Wednesday. So many of my lovely students are graduating or moving. Hopefully we'll get a new crop of good ones (preferably musically inclined) next year.

After school I decided to go home to rest. I started the car and went to put something in my classroom. Little did I know that by closing the door, it would automatically lock the doors. Everything was in the car at that point! Luckily, I had planned to drive my neighbour home so she called our principal to see what we should do as I was ready to cry. He gave her the number of a mechanic nearby the school who came and jimmied open the lock.

Top this off with the overall heat and humidity being entirely intolerable- I was so cranky and tired and frustrated...but I managed to go home and relax for a bit, cheer myself up and then go run a couple errands including acquiring a new watch battery, and treat myself to a chocolate banana milkshake.

As for the weather, it's hot today but not so humid that perspiration begins the moment you step outside.

In other good news, I have a dentist appointment this afternoon. Hurray! Clean teeth.

I will be home on the 16th, time to be confirmed!

Two Thumbs Up!

2007-06-02T23:34:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to Jen and Darren, my favourite newlyweds. I am happy for you and cannot wait to see you!

And in my own good news (nothing to do with love, marriage, etc.) all I have left to do is finish entering marks and clean my classroom. Hurrah!

Secondly, I will be the Visual and Performing Arts department chair next year. All this means is I will be attending more meetings and in charge of putting out fires amongst the folks in the department. Good times. It's a very small pay increase, and good resume experience.

That's all for now.

XOXO

pashmina

2007-06-02T02:10:00.000-07:00

to clarify:

Pashminas are tightly woven fabrics that can be used as scarves or shawls. I love them and think they are the classiest accessories of all time. In the Dubai photo in the last post, I am wearing a pashmina as a scarf. Varying qualities equate varying prices. They are mulit-use- I use them as sofa accents and table runners in addition to wearing them. Really helps to spice up my bland wardrobe.

girls' weekend in dubai

2007-05-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

dubai, again. it is a very un-granola place. opposite of granola, even gourmet style yuppy granola. more of a champagne and strawberries place.

we arrived late in the evening and hit the pub at the hotel. it was delightful to have drinks with the girls and chat.

thursday consisted of lunch at the hard rock cafe and a way too long trip to the mall. i did get the cutest shoes ever, but still, should have gone back to the hotel to chill out for awhile instead of hanging out at the mall for 8 hours. jenna and caroline skied but jessica and i did not.

here are the slopes from the outside. that's right, folks, skiing in the mall

things are a little busy at the moment- upcoming events include hosting a friend and former colleague this weekend (coming up from Saudi), seeing the high school play, finishing preparing for my band concert saturday, which included an after school rehearsal today. tomorrow after school is a middle school fun night, until 4:30pm. sunday is my friend's birthday, monday is band practice, tuesday is the choir concert, wednesday our jazz band plays at the embassy, there's a folk night and a wind up party for the jazz band. fun times.

after that things slow down marginally. then it will be time to come home. please let me know if you need anything from here- pashminas? palestinian olive oil? abbaya? tacky jewellery?

soon, soon
xoxox

Heritage Souk

2007-05-14T06:22:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, I went to the fabric and gold souks with some friends. Unfortunately, the tailor at did not have my shirts altered like he said he would. He did, however, decided to alter the shirt I needed while I waited. It only took 10 minutes- that was awesome! And now the shirt looks like it fits better than a paper bag.

After shopping, we ate dinner in the heritage area. The Heritage Souks have all sorts of goods for sale- pashminas for which I have a penchant, shoes, headscarves, clothes, spices, incense, food, knick knacks, etc. It's a great place to hang out because it is the REAL middle east. Plus the wealthy locals do not go there, so no one tries to bluetooth messages on your mobile phone, nobody follows you around, nobody has their hair all done up in ad hoc gelled spikes...

We sat outside and feasted on fresh bread, hummous, salad and drank lemon with mint. Yum. All for only 4.8KD (the other girls ate chicken). It costs that much per person to eat in a trendy restaurant. All in all, a nice afternoon and evening.

Except for the impending heat (up to 40 degrees in the daytime) and a nasty sunburn on my knees, life is grand.

quick update, photos next time

2007-05-12T00:22:00.000-07:00

Is anyone reading this???? Or has everyone converted to the evil facebook??? ARG!

For those of you on the edges of your seats in wonder, the Virgin Megastore reopened just days after it closed. Much ado about nothing, as things go here.

Things are generally okay. Busy and a little stressful but good...it's better to be busy. I got to go to an art opening at the French Embassy on Thursday. It was so nice- there wasn't much art or space but we were in a French library and I was happy to be surrounded by books, and to have a little glass of wine at noon.

My next plan of attack for anywhere I move- as quickly as possible, seek artists and musicians and get involved. Exchange numbers shamelessly.

I said good bye to my friend Jose last week. I hadn't seen him since November or talked to him since December, but it was good to gather together with some nice friends and chill. It's important to know how many lovely people there are anywhere in the world, and how time passage can make someone more endearing. Jose is back in Venezuela now, and plans to move to Calgary in 6-8 months.

Life is funny.

I look forward to the next month being over and seeing you all again the weekend of June 16th.

and in other news...

2007-04-30T21:21:00.000-07:00

the Virgin Mega Store has been shut down by the Ministry of Information for selling uncensored media. We are hoping after a month it will reopen but we shall see. They (the ministry) have been cracking down on books and movies lately- took 12 books out of our school library last week. Allegedly these books contained the word "drugs" and indicated drugs were bad and folks should not use them. Right. Best to keep people ignorant... keep on blacking Israel off the maps while we're at it. I wonder which bozo has my Season 3 of Corner Gas. I laugh about it, because it's better than being angry.

The weather is great today, though it may progress to a sandstorm. The breeze is currently perfect.

Our Jazz Band concert last week was quite a success. We got a half page in one of the newspapers, plus we made 40KD each. Nice. And we are going to play at the embassy again in May, which makes me happy. That was the most fun I've had in Kuwait.

Life is good.

Fact or fiction?

2007-04-30T07:19:00.000-07:00

Why do I have the most bizarre interactions with people? Am I socially retarded? Do I exaggerate more than other folks? Is is that I have a totally skewed perception of reality? Is it my cock-eyed optimism? Is it just that I love to tell stories? I cannot wait to hear people's reaction to this line of questioning- I have just opened myself up to all sorts of ridicule...

Today, for example, I went to a coffee shop near the school. I was on a kick with a friend where we went every second day, if not every day. I have not been there in a while now, as I have been too busy to take the break and I decided it was a bit over the top to spend that much money on coffee. The woman working at the shop mentioned I had not been there in a long time. I said I was trying to cut back (meaning on my spending and frivolousness). She smiled at me and said, "Ma'am, actually you are not overweight." To which I responded, "That's not exactly what I meant, but thank-you."

A couple months ago (I have avoided telling this story because I want no one to worry that I live dangerously) I was going for a walk with one of my girlfriends. As commonly happens here, a young Kuwaiti man started following us in his car, declaring his love and wanting us to take his number. Usually such men go away after awhile if you ignore them. I tried to ignore him, but my friend was interacting. This encourages the behaviour. Finally, I told him to leave us alone and I was going to call my friend if he didn't. He said, "Fine. Call your friend. I'm going to f*$#ing kill you," and drew a sword off his passenger seat and pointed it out the window to prove he could in fact follow through with the threat. As it goes, he drove off after allegedly mouthing an apology to my friend.

Then there's the driver I had over winter break in India, who calls me from time to time to enquire if and when I will come back to India. Last time he called, I was on holidays and missed his call. Then I had a text message from him that was simply three hearts. Why? He has a girlfriend and he's 20 years old. So I am not answering his calls or text messages anymore. So silly.

Hopefully these stories will tide you over until I get some more pictures taken and can write more about...who knows what. The next odd interaction with a friend or stranger? Fortunately I am good natured and have a silly sense of humour, or things may really get to me.

Until next time...

ANZAC Ball

2007-04-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

Last night, I danced til my energy ran out. We were honouring the Australia and New Zealand Army Corps with a huge buffet and heaps of music and dancing. It was a fun time, mostly. There was a certain amount of drama, but not anything worth getting into right now. Let's just say that I lost a little faith in my ability to judge character and lost a little faith in the goodness of a friend. As is goes.

I had a pretty dress and I "looked lovely" as spoken by the aformentioned friend.

The week preceeding had been hectic as I was in Doha for an Arts Festival trip for 5 days (Thursday til Monday), came back in time to get ready for my jazz band concert, went to the concert and played quite well...and got home at 10. I just have 7 more weeks to plunge through and then, thankfully, it will be time to recharge.

When do we ride into Jerusalem?

2007-04-18T21:08:00.000-07:00

By the way, that's a direct rip off from the musical Jesus Christ Superstar. I had songs from it stuck in my head the whole time we were in Israel. Such good music, I love the funk. Best (arguably the only good) thing Andrew Lloyd Weber wrote, but I digress.

Our flight left Cairo at 2:45am. We had had a long day of pyramid and museum visiting, which was off ot an early start after our 7:00am arrival off the night train. We napped for about three hours after dinner before heading to the airport. We we questioned separately about how we knew eachother, why we were travelling, if anyone had asked us to take anything for them. Then our interrogators conferred. The procedure took about 20 minutes. After that, which was a little intimidating, the rest was easy. We got in to Tel Aviv at about 5:00am (there was a time change) and then took a service taxi to Jerusalem. The service taxi is an 11 passenger van that goes once it's filled up. It was nice- we met an elderly man who works at a peace organization in Bethlehem and a young man from New York who was celebrating pesah (passsover) with family in Jerusalem.

When we arrived in Jerusalem, our hostel was locked up and no one answered the door. We went next door and got the man to phone and wake up our proprietor. We had booked the room for the night before so we could rest for part of the morning, then go out and enjoy the day. Our room was not ready and after waiting around, going for breakfast, returning, and still not having a good room, we found another place to stay. Because it was coming on Easter and Passover, it was a very busy tourist time in Israel.

Finally, we rested for part of the afternoon then went out in the early evening.Here is one of my first pictures, near the old city walls.

As we were walking into New Jerusalem (the happening part of town), we had this haunting feeling of being in a recently evacuated city. It was the start of Passover and every business was closed. The were very few people walking, cycling or driving. As there were so many tourists,this was quite surprising. After walking along the main road for a while, we decided to walk back. We stayed in East Jerusalem- the Palestinian (Muslim) quarter- so more businesses were open there. After a few moments, I suggested we walk off the main road and in some of the little side streets with more character. Forturnately, this path led us to what appeared to be the ONLY open pub/restaurant in the area. We ate a glorious Greek salad and drank cider and visited with the lovely manager, who charged us about half of our bill. We went back the next two nights. Each subsequent night was busier- the first night we were the only people there for a good hour, then in total about 4 other people showed up.

The next day we went ot Masada, a fort by the Dead Sea. It was originally built by King Herod and later occupied by Byzantine hermits. It was a gorgeous day!

The next two days, we hung out in the Old City. The old city is surrounded by walls and gates. The interior boasts Temple Mount (Dome of the Rock), The Wailing Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the stations of the cross and many churches. There are many little shops and restaurants as well. I could have spent much more time there and in Jerusalem in general. It was amazing and I do feel different now that I've been there. All those verses I memomrized at school and AWANA have been revisiting my brain.

More pictures to follow- there is a different feature I have to figure out so I can get them the correct way on the screen.

Anyway, I am soaking my feet and should go. I have to pack for the school trip to Doha which leaves a little later on today.

shalom...

Things to do when you get home

2007-04-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

I need a break from these trip updates and I imagine you do, too. The reality of coming home from the trip involved laundry, grocery shopping, a long shower and a haircut. I wanted to get my haircut on the trip but there was no convenient time. Since moving here, I have taken to cutting my own hair. If you note the pictures from the trip and then the ones on this page, you will see the difference. I love playing with self portraits on the digital camera. I suppose one could say I'm a little bit vain.

By the way, this is a caption of Debbie, Karen and me. We are the three women in the Desert Cats Jazz Band- notice the matching shirts and SHOES! Dorothy goes disco! I love it! This was taken a couple days before spring break at our sneak peak performance.

Luxor and Cairo continued

2007-04-13T01:47:00.000-07:00

Things are swinging along in Kuwait. The three day school week was busy and in one week I am going to an arts festival in Doha, meaning I have plenty to do this week to get ready to miss 3 days of school. Good times.

Our jazz band (the Desert Cats) was supposed to play at the U.S. Embassy on Wednesday at Happy Hour but was postponed due to weather. The weather consisted of- dust storm and rain together, creating mud rain; high winds; thunderstorm and hail. Very odd. I still got to go to Happy Hour (hurray for knowing the right people) and the extra week of rehearsal will be good.

Here are some more Luxor pictures to enjoy. these are taken near the Valley of Kings and Valley of Queens. (Tombs)

This is from Cairo, me and Jenna at the Nile..it was super windy!

And near the pyramids

So that's all for now. Stay posted for "When do we ride into Jerusalem?"

Since last week...

2007-04-08T08:00:00.000-07:00

Our trip felt like a lifetime! I have been home in Kuwait for 24 hours and still feel I am reeling in the many moments of experience. It was a challenging trip- note to others- do NOT go to Israel during pesah (passover). It is not a good time to be there, but we had no other opportunity to go so we did what we could. More on that later. For now I will finish with Luxor.

I will update over the next while though school is pretty hectic until, well, the end of the year, so I cannot promise anything. I may try to get a photo account online so I can upload the photos and folks can look at them easily. Again, the whole time in front of computer will determine the end result.

Luxor Temple

Karnak Temple

and the most important part of the day...

Luxor

2007-03-31T07:17:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in an internet cafe in Luxor, Egypt. We got in yesterday at 3:30 in the morning, went to our hotel and slept til nine then went to look at Temples. The ruins here are pretty impressive. I took so many pictures yesterday.

Today we went to the Valley of Kings and the Valley of Queens. It was impressive as well.

It's amazing how much effort was put into honouring the dead and preparing the body for afterlife. I feel I need a course on Egptian history and mythology now.

The only thing wrong with this place is how much the men hassle. It's quite disgusting but I won't go into too much detail. Last night a man offered me chickens in exchange for Jenna, who he assumed is my daughter. That's right, I could have 20 chickens right now and Jenna could have an Egyptian husband. We have neither, life is good.

I will update soon, with some gorgeous pictures. This place is truly beautiful. Nile River, palm trees, grass, flowers, sugar cane.

Tonight we're on the train to Cairo and tomorrow night on a stupidly late flight into Tel Aviv. Cannot wait!!!

masaalam

happy love bus and other miscellaneous scenes

2007-03-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

This Thursday, I took a friend guitar shopping. Then we met up with another friend to go for manicures and pedicures followed by lunch at our favourite salad bar. Yum. On the way back to the car, we saw this happy love bus in front of a store. I am not sure why it's there... Note that this is just up the street from where we saw the monkey in a dress in a car in the parking lot. Welcome to the weirdness that is Kuwait.

I am definitely enjoying the freedom of mobility with the car. It worked out really well to take over a lease from a friend. I got an adaptor for my i-pod shuffle today. It's certainly soothing to listen to good music while driving. Thank goodness because the radio here is pretty bad and lights last forever. It's very trying on my patience.

In other news, the weather is gorgeous and holding out on coolness. I love it! It gets pretty warm mid-day but very tolerable and quite cool in the mornings and evenings, though my blood has thinned. I find 13C cool enough for a jacket, or at least the classic bergundy velour bunny hug.

Finally, I will share with you a nice sunrise photo, taken a couple weeks ago from out my living room landing. So pretty...

Okay, time for bed. Take care out there!

Blowin in the Wind

2007-03-20T06:57:00.000-07:00

We were listening to this song in guitar class and once again I fell in love with the lyrics and the interpreted meaning. It is so applicable in this society. How many times will a man turn his head and pretend that he just doesn't see? Bob Dylan, how did you know?

I am on a bit of an emotional roller coaster at the moment. I think Spring Break will save me. 6 more school days until my travelling companion and I go to Luxor (Egypt) then Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. We are so excited!!! Jenna and I always have crazy times together...remember Budapest? the Kuwait police station?... same friend. We have to be careful not to get our passports stamped with the forbidden land (Israel) or we will be denied re-entry to Kuwait. Though I wouldn't be so sad.

Went to a fun St. Patty's Day party at the home of some parents. Complete with green beverages and plenty of snacks. So great! Then I went home and slept like the dead for 6 hours straight. (8:30-2:30)

This week, my kitchen lights burnt out so I went down to the maintenance guys to get them replaced. But, they're OUT of lightbulbs. Sure, I could go buy more but it's the principle. I want my damn lights replaced when they burn out, not 3 days later. And I don't want to buy them. As of this morning, still no kitchen light. ARG!

I have been walking twice a week in the morning and that's good. I am trying to keep positive despite everything that stresses me out and makes me a little sad. Just going through one of those times where I wonder why I feel so restless and why I need to keep looking for something...when I don't know what that something is. Anyone?

Ultimately, I figured it out years ago but still feel like I haven't found it within myself. I just need a friend who loves me and a place where I fit in...I think I've got the friends. I am still working on that whole self acceptance business. That's the fitting in I need to do. It's hard, isn't it? When I think I have made a leap in the right direction, I find myself slipping backwards. There's something to be said for accepting we are works in progress, right?

I love my friends and family. Missing you dearly...

AH!

2007-03-06T02:39:00.000-08:00

I am going through a phase wherein I am tired of everything!

Here is a condensed list of things currently annoying me:

1. Walking on broken sidewalks.
2. Having to walk on the street because there is no sidewalk or because there is a random pile of bricks or barbed wire in the middle of the sidewalk.
3. People honking horns while I am walking off the sidewalk.
4. Taxi drivers honking while I am walking because clearly anyone who's walking actually wants to be in a taxi.
5. Overly zealous coffeeshop baristas. You cannot even pass by a coffeeshop in the mall without a chorus of "hello ma'am, good afternoon ma'am" from at least 5 of these people, bless their hearts. If a woman and man go together, you are referred to as "ma'amsir". No kidding.
6. Being called ma'am. Or ma'amsir.
7. Having to wait eternity to get a bill in a restaurant. Or even to be asked if I want another coffee...
8. The disgusting stench of perfume and cologne unique to the Middle East- very difficult for anyone who is sensitive to the smell of alcohol based perfumes. Ew. If I never smell that again, I will be happy.
9. Drivers who weave in and out of lanes, especially without even looking. People signal and then expect they can just move in to a lane without looking. Or they signal and leave their blinker on for the rest of the trip, or they neither signal nor look before moving over. So dangerous.
10. Attention from men simply for being female. Once, a man actually drew the outline of my figure in the air while walking past me. This is the first time I have ever told someone to @%#$ off and meant it. The worst part of that is, he probably liked it.
11. Men adjusting themselves in public. This is more common that you would ever imagine. (Daily occurrence) Maybe I am a prude.

Things that cheer me up (in no particular order)
1. Yoga
2. Walks (two mornings a week from 4:30 til 5:30)
3. Playing any brass instrument
4. Listening to good music. Currently, my favourite song is Drifters by Ron Sexsmith on the Lightfoot Tribute album, Beautiful.
5. Laughing my head off at the many ridiculous things that happen here.
6. Folk music club
7. Doing nice things for other people (karma yoga).
8. Sweet text messages wishing me a day as beautiful as I am. Cheesy but sweet.
9. Teaching words like postpone, procrastinate and analytical.
10. My high school band class of mostly seniors. So clever and funny.

Well, off to take treats to friends. Random acts of kindness always make me feel better.

Pace!

Reporting from National and Liberations Days

2007-03-02T03:26:00.000-08:00

Kuwait National and Liberation Day weekend: a time in which Kuwait celebrates her nationhood as established in the 1960s and liberation from Iraq in the early 1990's. In the weeks preceeding the events, Kuwaiti flags are posted everywhere from boulevards to buildings. Lights often decorate buildings in the formation of the Kuwaiti flag. Stores begin to carry an array of Kuwait pride items, such as hats and pins with the Kuwait flag on them. Also in stock is an abundance of aerosol cans full of foam.

Nobody can tell me how foaming began here, but so many people do it. Parents encourage their small children to spray foam on stopped or moving vehicles and pedestrians. It is absolute insanity. I saw a small boy, about 3 years old, hanging out the front passenger side window with a spray can. Traffic in the downtown area slows to a halt and a drive that is normally 20 minutes can take more than 2 hours. During daylight, there are few problems, but once the sun goes down, it is dangerous!

I did not get great pictures of the madness, but here is a tame indication...

And after this brilliant view, as my friend and I were walking from the grocery store to a coffee shop to meet up with another friend, we saw this in the back of some guy's vehicle... The animals are going to be sold at Friday Market.

As for me, life is good. Hopefully I will soon have a car of my own.

Please write, I'm a little lonely for correspondance and photos from home.

recent obsessions and the long weekend

2007-02-23T01:44:00.000-08:00

I cannot stop listening to The Weight (Take a Load Off, Fanny) by The Band. I think it is one of the best songs ever written. Elie got me addicted to it! It is also one of those songs for which it's fun and easy to create alternate lyrics. Mostly I love the harmony and the guitar. I have become readdicted to music and unaddicted to cooking and eating. This is a VERY GOOD THING!

I still eat as I get hungry, but I am not obsessing over food like I did until recently. I guess after 16 months of food being the main pastime here, I just got tired of it. Honestly, now it feels like a burden to go out for a meal and I have significantly simplified my cooking. I am somewhat obsessed with the notion of my lack of interest in eating...so I guess I'm not really over it!

I gave up going for specialty coffee and hot chocolate for Lent. I had a discussion with my high school seniors (who I love a little too much) about giving things up for Lent. One of my students said he had given up giving up stuff for Lent. Much in the spirit of my New Year's Resoultions not to make resolutions. Then I told the students of the time in third grade when I gave up biting my fingernails and then it became habit for me not to bite my nails and I never did it again. So the aforementioned student said he as going to give up playing guitar with his thumb over the neck for Lent. Brilliant- a kid after my own heart.

I am staying in Kuwait this weekend, though it's National Day Celebrations (five day weekend), which result in absolute madness downtown. The trick is to stay out of downtown after sunset as people will spray aerosol cans of foam and worse all over cars and people. And of course, traffic is worse than ever.

I went to Folk Music Club on Wednesday evening for the first time in awhile. It was very fun, as always. I so love the people who go and play and sing and humour me into thinking I can sing and may someday become a decent guitarist. Sweetness and gratitude for having found this amazing group of random people with big hearts and good souls.

And, finally, my friend will be returning soon and I will have to return her car key. I have really enjoyed driving and have been lucky to not have any bad episodes. I am going to have to rent a car right away as the temperature is increasing as is my need for freedom. To give you an idea of the weather- yesterday I swam in an heated outdoor pool and then sat, in my swimsuit, on a chair on the sun deck for half an hour feeling warm and cozy. I love the morning sunshine, though it tends to get cloudy, windy and cooler in the afternoons.

Lots of love to everyone.

good things

2007-02-16T10:12:00.000-08:00

I am tired today as I was up late last night dancing to live music. My friend Elie played with a cover band, not the best music ever, but good enough for dancing an singing along. The venue was nice- a large diwaniya style tent- decent sound and a fun time.

Here is my quick list of things that make me feel good:

1. Dancing to live music.
2. Having access to my friend's car while she's away. Freedom! I love driving!
3. Having good friends with a connection so close you can will them to call or text message.
4. Having room to spare in a pair of jeans I literally had to tuck myself into in October.
5. Holding my friends' 10 day old girl- she has the longest fingers I have ever seen on a baby.
6. Dealing with a difficult situation in the best manner possible and feeling my tension headache literally melt away in moments.
7. Wishing people a Happy Over Commercialized Love Day!
8. Sleeping enough to function normally. That is what I will do now.

peace out!

Dubai Part 2

2007-02-15T00:07:00.000-08:00

I thought I would share with you a few photos from Dubai. I am not sure if you will fully get the Legoland ideal, but here is a taste of it. Stay tuned for more photos of architectue from the most superficial city on earth.

Here is a photo from on the short walk from the beach, which is 5 minutes from the school, to the mall which is about 10 minutes from the beach. Make sure you read the sign at the medical centre.

and a photo from the Cirque du Soleil

Dubai Part 1

2007-02-13T01:19:00.000-08:00

No photos in this edition!

A brief overview of the school trip to Dubai:

Our flight was delayed about 3 hours (so common) but we found out during the school day so we didn't have to rush to the airport after school. We arrived in Dubai around midnight and by the time we got to the school and sent our students with their hosts and got to bed, it was almost 2am. The next day started at 8 with a meeting and then a full day of rehearsals.

That night, my colleague and I decided to go to the Cirque du Soleil as we hadn't seen it and it was playing so WHY NOT? It was pretty awesome! Except the music was very calm and I was tired so I struggled against sleep for about 20 minutes but otherwise- the body movement and control of the performers is incredible.

Friday after rehearsals we went to the mall and I attempted a snowboard lesson. The cool temperature was awesome but I was not so interested in the falling down part of the learning process that day. It was fun but my friend and I left the snow park after awhile to wander around the mall.

Saturday was the gala performance which was AWESOME! Then we went to dinner at the drama teacher's house. It was fantastic. It's such a treat to spend days with other arts teachers. Thank goodness.

Dubai is like a legoland- the buildings are new and pristine and everything, even the trees and flowers look manufactured, like plastic lego flora. It was beautiful in an odd way, and very surreal. You will see pictures soon.

That's all for now, folks!

A lovely day in Kuwait!?!

2007-01-26T10:21:00.000-08:00

After a week of insomnia, I finally feel rested and rejuvinated. I made a conscious decision to commit to nothing for the mornings of the weekend, so I was able to relax, do lots of yoga, listen to music, play guitar, bake focaccia bread, clear my head. It's been great.

Wednesday night was Folk Club and a few guys did a rousing rendition of Abracadabra on ukulele. Hilarious. Here is a caption of an earlier song (cannot remember the title, but it was beautiful)

Today, I played badminton with some friends, walked along the corniche, ate ice cream and sat on the beach. It was gorgeous! Mostly, it was awesome to be outside all afternoon. We drove with the windows open and sang along to Take a Load Off, Annie. I love the feeling of wind in my hair on a sunny day. Nothing makes me feel more alive or at home. It is such a sense of peace.

Elie took me to see the site he is working on. I did not take photos there, but wish I had as it was pretty cool. This villa his company is working on is a huge seaside property with a marina and heliport out back. The wealth here, as I just wrote to my mom, amazes me. It does not impress me, but it amazes me. And I feel bad for getting new shoes...

peace out...

better already

2007-01-22T22:11:00.000-08:00

Just so nobody has to worry, I am feeling better. I had a little bit of time to work things out and am fine. My mom sent an e-mail saying the 22 or 23 January was the most "down" day of the year. I am not sure how this "downness" is measured but apparently I was not alone in feeling bummed out. And so it goes.

I went to bed at 10:30 last night, like usual. This morning when my alarm went off to tell me it was time for yoga practice, I turned it off and went back to sleep. At 6:19 my phone rang. It was my friend who I ride to school with and we were to leave at 6:10. By 6:30 I was downstairs ready to go. My head hurts and I am tired but feeling okay otherwise. Think I will make coffee....

Last evening, I had friends over to eat leftover perogies before going to band practice. Rehearsal was good this time- we played lots and didn't talk much. Fun times. I played piano a bit too, which felt pretty good. Very much out of practice, but still fun!

Life is good...

that lonely sinking feeling

2007-01-21T21:38:00.000-08:00

I don't know what it is about this time of year, but I always seem to get a little down...or at least go on a rollercoaster of emotions. Does anyone else feel that way? I have been doing well and staying happy and positive then over the long weekend I crammed too much in and by the end was in a bad mood because I had spent barely any time alone.

Good things:

1. I cheered up by making perogies last night. They were so good (and I have heaps left). Thanks for the recipe and inspiration, Mom!
2. I have been a productive insomniac for the last couple days- baking muffins, cleaning the kitchen, reading. I used to just get angry and frustrated.
3. I got to hear live music on the weekend- cover tunes- but it was pretty fun.
4. High school finals are on this week and since I don't really give finals, I am only teaching a bit. This is nice but at the same time, the kids give me so much energy...
5. I finally got a Kuwait drivers' license

Not so good things:

1. I find most parties quite boring. What is wrong with me?
2. My insomnia is making me tired and giving me a headache.
3. I attempted to video my friend's band performance on the weekend but did not realize the camera was on pause for 10 mintes. Oops!
4. I have heaps of work I cannot motivate myself to do right now. I need to be busy to get stuff done.
5. It's really expensive to lease a car at this point in the year, but I really want to have the freedom.

Here's me with two of the other girls who live on my floor. We ordered Thai food from a local restaurant one night in November and I am addicted to the Pad Thai. Yummy!

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I guess there's more on my mind/ heart but it's too complicated to explain right now. Plus I am hopeful that I am perceiving things differently than they are and all will be set straight soon. Because...everything always works out perfectly, right?

Who said that?

2007-01-17T10:58:00.000-08:00

After a lovely after school massage, I went for dinner with Caroline this evening. I know, it's all very luxurious but such is life in Kuwait. We decided to order cheesecake for dessert as I have had a hankering for it all week. It came with a scoop of delicious vanilla ice cream. Unconventional but yummy.

So as we had almost finished devouring the tasty treat, Caroline informed me I had slopped ice cream on my shirt, which happened to be my pastel pink sweater set. My response: that's okay, I have a load of pinks to wash already... then I thought- WAIT! Who just said that? Oh, me...

I don't know why I find these things so funny, but I cannot help it.

My belly hurts from too much food...and it's bedtime.

Another Day in Paradise

2007-01-16T07:58:00.000-08:00

I should consider retitling this entire blog to the above...but I like the romantic image of myself as a tree hugging traveller evoked by the Granola to Go title.

It has been raining frequently and excessively here. It's not quite like the stormy weather you are having at home in Canada, but odd for Kuwait. I like the rain, I could not wait to get home from work today so I could go for a cold, damp walk. So refreshing.

This morning was a different story, though. I got a ride with my friend, as I normally do, but we left at 6:30 instead of 6:00. The thing is, it normally takes about 25 minutes to drive to school, but if you get caught in traffic, it's a problem. Due to the rain this morning there were a couple of accidents and traffic was extremely bad. It took 70 minutes to get to school. That's right, an hour and 10 minutes. I was actually late for work! Crappy! But so were many people so it wasn't that big a deal, plus I did not have a class first thing. Perfect.

I ate two grilled cheese sandwiches and a big bowl of tomato soup for dinner. (I am REALLY full now) Perfect rainy day food. Of course, I did not have any of the ingredients for grilled cheese and canned tomato soup so I bummed them off my neighbour. Excellent.

Now I am listening to the Indigo Girls and wondering if I will ever be a decent guitar player. I relinquish all comments on how anyone can play guitar. Sure, most folks can play some chords if they so desire but to play WELL, that's an entirely different story.

Did I already say I have decided to stay one more year here? I am really happy with the person I have come to terms with being and feel like a huge change would not be the best thing for me at this stage. Plus the reality of it is- I LOVE my job and think there is still room for me to grow in the position and make the program bigger and better. I love my students and colleagues and many of my friends are staying on at the school. I also have a little bit of a social life outside of school (jazz band, folk club, random friends) and am quite content at the moment. This could, of course, all come to a crashing halt at any time but I trust that I have made the best decision for me at this time.

This weekend, I will go watch camel races, make and eat perogies with some prairie friends, go to a couple parties and relax. It's a three day weekend, thankfully.

I thought I had more inspiration but apparently I am out of things to say. My henna from India has faded away, so I will leave you with some pictures of the process...

peace be with you

What I should be doing...

2007-01-08T11:54:00.000-08:00

is so often different than what I am doing.

It's about 11:00PM on a school night. I had a typical day of work followed by a meeting, then I stayed to do some work before jazz practice in the evening. I made the mistake of getting a coffee with my friend/band mate at about 6:30 and am still totally wired. It was very strong coffee!

So, what I should be doing now:

1. Sleeping
2. Working on school stuff
3. Organizing my CDs
4. Home pedicure
5. Yoga

What I am actually doing now:

1. Evidently I am writing this blog
2. Eating cereal because coffee speeds metabolism- so hungry
3. Thinking I really need a haircut, my ends are all split up
4. Wishing I were tired enough to sleep
5. Surfing the net and hoping for a new e-mail message from anyone at all

Here's a happy little greeting from the Taj Mahal.

Inner peace will have to wait

2007-01-05T07:53:00.000-08:00

This is the first chapter in my trip to India. It is probably the only chapter to appear on the blog, as it is the only chapter that appeared in my personal journal of the trip. I had a fabulous time, as I always do, while travelling. I decided to opt out of the cold Rishikesh trip as a nice man at the government tourist agency convinced me I should go on a tour of Rajasthan instead.

So I had a driver and stayed in acceptable places and avoided most crazy methods of transportation. No trains, no jumping on and off moving buses, no motorcycles...not quite as exciting and life-altering as last time, but I met some amazing people (locals, not foreigners) and went to some good yoga classes.

In Jaipur, I went to yoga in Central Park at 6:45am- it was chilly like a spring morning in SK... There were two groundsheets layed out- one for men, one for women, and two instructors on stage, conducting the class in Hindi. Being the only foreigner at the class, I was elevated to celebrity status and had some nice conversations with other pupils afterwards. WE could have organized translation if there were enough English speakers...but I was it. It was good and I knew what was going on.

The next place, Pushkar, was as predictable as Paris. Typical Indian tourist town- folks who've been on the road varying amounts of time and wearing corresponding looks of enlightenment or disenchantment. The whole town is a market of miscellaneous goods- from books to scarves to jewellery to clothes to veg. restaurants and guest houses. It is a pilgrimmage town for Brahmins who I managed to avoid. Apparently, many people get cheated by these holy men. I suppose into all organized religion a little corruption must fall...

But I stayed at a guesthouse that was outside the town and it was the best accommodation of the trip. The guys working at that place were really cool and I talked and ate with them. There was also the most delightful yoga teacher who was so happy at my enthusiasm for the subject. I could have spent more time studying with him, and he didn't even want me to pay for the classes. This is rare in India- everyone wants a tip. If you drop something and someone picks it up for you, they expect a tip. Okay, slight exaggeration but not too far from the truth.

Rajasthan is a lovely state. It is mostly rural (small towns and much farming) and desert. There are many forts from the time of the Mogul empire and some palaces and of course, many temples. It was breathtaking and amazing, though...sadly, I did not take streetscape pictures of people and modes of transit sharing the same road. Camel carts, old Massey Fergussens, cows, goats, herders, bicycles seating 1-3 people, motorcycles often occupied by a whole family, small cars...all on the same road.

The traditional dress (women in bright saris and scarves, men in turbans) pop out against the beige of the desert and compliment colours the farming areas.

I guess I will have to tell more stories later, as I want to add a couple pictures then sign off to head to bed. School tomorrow...

happy holidays

2006-12-20T20:23:00.000-08:00

Greetings from a foggy morning in Kuwait.

It is the first day of holidays and I slept in until 7:20am- what a blessing. There is no natural light seeping in the apartment due to the aforementioned fog. First time for everything- it has been quite rainy here, but I've never seen fog like this.

I am attempting to write a "Christmas letter" but am not sure how that will go. Most of you keep relatively up to date with the old blog so I do not have to summarize. Then again, my egomania causes me to think every one of you is so interested in my daily life. In the words of the Indigo Girls "it's only life after all..."

2006 has been an interesting and challenging year for me. As I have spent most of the year living in Kuwait plus travelling around the Middle East and Eastern Europe, I have been exposed to a wide variety of cultural nuances. I enjoy the expat lifestyle quite well. It is an odd phenomenon in Kuwait, where it is very difficult to befriend local people. Though I have more friends than I thought possible here, only two of them are Kuwaiti. Some friends are expats from other Middle Eastern countries and most are Westerners.

Some of the highlights of my year were the trips to Jordan (if you go nowhere else in the world, go there) and to Eastern Europe in the summer. Of course, one of the best parts of the year was the road trip with Jen to the Winnipeg Folk Music Festival. The long, open road, clear blue sky, clean air, good music...camping at the folk site, listening to great music all weekend. I loved the dragon flies that were almost the size of hummingbirds- they were absolutely gorgeous! if only I had taken pictures...and of course, we loved the coffee and the Indian food and the Rock Creek cider...hopefully we can go back on the annual pilgrimmage and bring others with us.

Since returning, however begrudgingly, to Kuwait, I have found it much easier and enjoyable than last year. Straight away, it was wonderful to see friends, colleagues and students again- they are such lovely people! I am so close with my students it is almost ridiculous. I admire their creativity and energy and their innocent perspectives and kindness. I love my job and feel I am truly blessed to love what I do for a living. I am far more fortunate than most people in this country and honestly, in the world.

I have begun, by chance, to make friends with people outside of the teaching profession, which is a blessing. The jazz band I am in, though mostly teachers, is a nice group of folks who are generally good to be around. All three women in the band are Sagitarius and we are getting on quite well. Karen and I have great plans for playing horn together and for hanging out and learning some Stan Rogers tunes to play at folk club.

Life here is fine and I think it is my attitude and perspective that makes it so. This is the most important part of this journey so far from the home and the life I have known for 28 years. I have been challenged to leave every aspect of my comfort zone and develop my own life independent of close friends who guide and influence my decisions. I have begun to embrace my independence and see it as a useful personality trait. I have made time to reflect on my strengths and weaknesses and am working on developing behaviour patterns that are consistent and healthy. I have been actively changing what I do not like about myself and accepting what I cannot change. I am combatting my passive-aggressiveness and am accepting my inherent introvertedness and need for time alone. I have learned to care for people without feeling an immense sense of loss when they move on. I am developing the art of living in the moment while planning for the future. I am pleased, though not smug, about my personal progress. I have a long road to travel. I have decided it crucial to develop and redevelop lost musical practices. Practicing guitar gave so much more meaning to my every day life, but then I got busy...I need to make time for music and yoga daily. Then life will be as good as it can get, even if I become a hermit!

I want to tell you- I did want to come home for Christmas, but the flight was almost a month's salary and the jet lag would have been horrendous on each side. So as I leave to Delhi by plane tomorrow, I will think of you all fondly. When I am on the train to Haridwar and hanging out doing yoga in Rishikesh, and hopefully visiting a nature reserve...know that I am home in several senses. I am home in Mother India, land of peace and hippies, musicians and vegetarians...I am home in my body because my mind and heart are at peace and I am home in spirit because my love and gratitude is with you.

I send you kind thoughts and best wishes for a safe and happy holiday season.

Someday I will return for toque and toboggan season.

hugs and kisses,
r

A new decade!

2006-12-07T08:50:00.000-08:00

I celebrated my 30th birthday this weekend. I am optimistic about the 30s- I think this is going to be a great decade for me. I feel like I have finally started figuring things out. Funnily enough, I am more similar to my high school seniors than many other people in the world. Maybe I had it all figured when I was 17 and just didn't have the confidence to support my claims. At any rate, I am glad for those who love and understand me.

Scenes from the party... Blowing out the candle.

Me and my friend Ted, the best drummer I know.

Wish you could have been there...

another day, another school trip

2006-12-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

Greetings everyone!

I have recently returned from a trip to Cairo for a speech and debate tournament. My debate team did pretty well in the end.
The trip was fun for several reasons. There were three coaches and we stayed in a hotel instead of host housing. It was nice because we were together and one of the coaches and I get along so well- good times and Bombay Sapphire... i got to see two former colleagues who are now working in Cairo. It was nice to catch up!

The last day, we went to the pyramids as there was time to kill before the plane left. Sigh. It was a pretty crazy experience but I got to ride a camel and see the pyramids a second time. The men who were taking us on camels and horses were being horrid and whipping the horses unnecessarily. The horses got worked up and nearly bucked a few students off! Frightening. Luckily, it ended up being okay, though we spent little time at the pyramids.

the camel and me!

greetings from Cairo

2006-12-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

You never understand the place in which you live until you leave it.

While in Cairo for a debate tournament, I am reminded how bizarre Kuwait is. Here, people walk around and ride their bikes. They cannot go to quickly in cars as the roads are bad and cars are old. People walk places. Locals work and there is not much in the way of foreign labour. Why does this seem odd to me? It is in contrast to Kuwait where the locals drive everywhere and as fast as they possibly can, and again, where locals do not work in jobs where they would be required to interact with the general public or "serve" anyone.

The weather here is lovely and the walk around the Maadi area is gorgeous. We can have wine with dinner. People are ALIVE here.

As I have often mentioned of Kuwait, there is so much in the way of random encounters. Last weekend, I went to a random party because my only other option was to mope around my apartment. Fortunately at this party I met several lovely people, in particular a Syrian architect who is also a guitar player and lover of blues and folk music. AH! So we exchanged numbers and he is going to come play for my guitar students sometime soon. This Wednesday, I attended a folk music club with him. There are many expats who play guitar, sing, etc. and it was great to meet these people. Thank goodness this group meets every second week. Now I may even have a venue to IMPROVE my guitar plaing and singing...this guy will teach me guitar as he's quite skilled. hurray. it took all the bravery I had to badly play the chords and sing Orphan Girl as they told me I had to perfrom something. Then one of the men at Folk club told me I had a nice voice. How sweet.

It's now time to go to a director's social for this tournament.

xo

mayhem and gratitude

2006-11-23T19:53:00.000-08:00

I slowly slip in to a bizarre realm of workaholism, so contradictory to my personality. In the span of two weeks, in addition to my regular teaching duties, I presented two workshops at a conference. I have been coaching Forensics, which is soon drawing to a close with our tournament in Cairo next weekend. I also had a band concert plus organized two concert events during our school's International Week. I run a jazz band practice on Wednesdays (virtual Friday) after school with students plus rehearse with the adult band on Sunday evenings. We have a performance again today- we had one last Friday, too. And I teach yoga on Saturdays in my apartment. Oy. I am pretty sure I am losing my mind.

The good news is, the band concert is over and went relatively well. The trip to Cairo will be exhausting but it is always nice to get out of Kuwait for a few days. The music workshop I presented was approved by admin at my school to be presented at a larger conference. This does not mean it will be selected by the conference committee, but it is still nice to be noticed. The yoga workshop I presented at the conference went well and I received thanks and compliments and that is all it takes to make me happy.

I celebrated American Thanksgiving with colleagues last evening. It was nice and I have developed some strong friendships in Kuwait. It is unfortunate I do not agree with any philosophies of our new superintendent and feel I must leave in order to preserve any amount sanity I have left. We shall see. The aformentioned busy-ness has not been conducive to a clear thought process.

That said, as I was playing guitar with my students last week, I noted how grateful I was to work as I do. We were sitting out in the sun playing guitar, as it was warmer outside than in the chilly classroom, and I thought, "I am the luckiest person in the world. My job involves sitting around with amazing kids, teaching them chord progressions, and introducing them to the finer points of folk music."

Life is good.

maybe i am a huge egomaniac

2006-11-18T11:03:00.000-08:00

The last weeks have been crazy...and then I started thinking it had been awhile since I had written, but it was only a week ago. I have 50 posts on my blog, 51 after this. Perhaps this is a sign of egotism. Everyone MUST want to hear about ME, no?

I conducted the Middle and High School band concert last night. The students did pretty well. It was not perfect, but it was good. The first concert of the year is not usually the best one. The great thing is I have learned to have fun at concerts and I think that really transfers to the students' success. As I am relaxed and enjoying myself, they realize it will be okay- they must be doing well for me to be calm and collected. Now I must get to that point about two weeks earlier. It's all a learning experience.

I was thinking of something my mom said to me in an e-mail, how she prefers I am happy here rather than miserable in Tisdale. I am not happier in Kuwait and I was not miserable in Tisdale per se. Here I am constantly challenged to think, rethink and modify my ideals. I hear myself say things and wonder where they came from. "Yeah, sure, we could go to that person's house but honestly, I'd rather get my nails done." Anyone recognize that voice? Yes, it was MINE! And it is really that my skin gets so dry here that my cuticles and feet are a complete mess if I do not get regular treatments. That aside, I am happier in general as I get older and wiser and develop further stress coping skills. It makes a huge difference.

So the point, though I could write a master's thesis on the topic, is that I need to be challenged in some way. Travel and culture are the best ways for me to be challenged as they do not create undue amounts of stress, but force me to reflect and to accept differences.

In Kuwait, I have met some of the kindest people (mainly expats) in the world. I guess because we are all looking for adventure and perhaps to find our soul mates, we are all open to new ideas and people. I think I have become a better person since moving overseas. I think I have become more open minded and easy going, in action and thought. I have learned to interact with people in more positive ways and to let go of fears and simply do things I want to do. I am not bound by what other people tell me a person can and cannot do.

This past weekend at our local educators Professional Development Conference, I presented on two different topics- rhythm reading in music and yoga as stress management. Both went well, especially the yoga workshop- it reminded me of those days in my classroom at TMSS when my lovely and devoted yoga pupils would strive for greater flexibility. Fun times. I was not unhappy in Tisdale. Here, I am on an emotional rollercoaster but I am learning to cope in a calm and mindful manner. We shall see what happens but I am learning to take it as it comes.

all the best,
R

In Remembrance

2006-11-11T09:44:00.002-08:00

I do not know the reason behind this, but we do not acknowledge Remembrance Day here. It is not even called a different name like Armistice or Veteran's day. It may be due to the ignoring of Judaism or something but it's so hard to say.

The weather is now perfect for me, in the mid teens most of the time, I think. I have so much energy from the change in season and it seemed to happen over night. A week ago it was still quite hot by noon and now it's just nice all the time. I am a fan of cooler weather anyway and prefer permanent temperatures in the mids teens.

At school it's International Week and today I had high school band students do a concert. It was pretty good, though still lots to work on. My students are amazing, you cannot imagine.

I am stuck in a travel dilemma for Winter Break. I want to go to India and do yoga and I also want to go to Turkey though it will be cold. I would also like to go to the beach for awhile. Alas, will probably jsut go to India as it will be fairly easy and inexpensive to do.

I think that is all for now as I am tired and in need of sanity.

Take care, eh.

Q8 Update

2006-11-08T19:43:00.000-08:00

Greetings and apologies for lack of recent blogging. I have been SO busy since the Eid break (the now famous police station incident) I have not had time to sit and collect my thoughts. Still this post will be brief as my days are mostly jam-packed with school, yoga and sleep.

Last weekend I spent and evening in the desert with some friends, looked at out of commission satellites shot up during the 1990 invasion, and had a picnic. It was pretty sweet, we actually saw a few stars. That's about the most exciting thing of late as school (because I am coaching debate) consumes much of my time.

Ana, Jose, Josef and me!

The jazz band has had no more gigs though we finally got paid for the one we played, which was a pretty big chunk of change (35KD- over 100 Canadian Dollars! each). Which makes me think it's about time for another pedicure. Check out this hilarious picture created by the photographer who had a thing for me. Remember by sheer virtue of being female, I am the subject of much male interest.

Currently, I have several addictions:

Music
All the Roadrunning- a recent duet by Mark Knopfler and EmmyLou Harris
Fall at Your Feet- Jesse Cook
Firecracker- The Wailin' Jennys
Wait- Fruit (and Australian group I heard at the WFF this summer)

Food
Pad Thai from the little restaurant called Thai Dishes , a convenient 10 minute walk from our apartments
Pumpkin Spice Lattes made with soy milk from that evil coffee shop (I have only had 2 but find my thoughts drifting to coffee often- though perhaps that's just a sign of fatigue.

Other
Soaking my feet in hot water and rubbing them with peppermint pumice foot scrub

Because it's the small things.

hope eveyone is well and happy...

A funny thing happened

2006-10-21T15:34:00.000-07:00

HAHAHAHAHA! Today, I visited a Kuwait Police station, for the first and inshallah, last time during my tenure in this country.

The day went as follows. ..

I went in to school, though we got two extra days off as declared by the ministry. I was not terribly productive because I was preoccupied by my need to go to the washroom. This normally is not a problem when you are not responsible for kids, but today, the water was turned off for some reason. So when my friend Jenna called to see if I was ready to go, I said I was definitely ready. We stopped by a downtown mall on the way home to run an errand, and to kill time before going home. Also to use the functioning toilets....

Carrying on, we were driving along a fairly busy road and traffic was bad, though not as horrible as it often is. Then a man in a black SUV was moving over into our lane, so Jenna honked her horn. He still moved on over, cutting her off, though at a fairly slow pace. And so she lost her temper and gave him the finger. Bear in mind, Jenna has been telling me for awhile you can get arrested for flipping the bird, not that we have heard any specific cases of it actually happening. So the black SUV pulled to a sudden halt in front of us, the door opened and out stepped a man clad in desert brown pants and shirt. No kidding, it was a cop. Our jaws were literally on the floor of the car as he walked toward us.

Jenna opened her window and he yelled at her to take out her license. He then grabbed it from her and we had to follow him to a nearby police station. In the meanwhile, I began to call Arabic speaking friends and got ahold of our Kuwaiti friend Hamad. Al Hamdullilah (thanks be to God) Hamad was able to ditch work and meet us at the station within a half hour.

I knew from other friends' experiences* that most Kuwaiti police do not have a strong grasp of the English language and this proved itself true as the men started to talk to her. We just waited for Hamad and he was able to smoothe things over and chat up the guys in charge. Jenna was pretty worried, I was pretty calm and mostly cracking jokes (what else can you do?). At one point the investigating officer mentioned "your embassy, a case" and "jail" in the same sentence. Actually, the men were just flexing their muscles in order to intimidate. Afterwards, Hamad explained there are many American military personnel who flaunt their U.S. passports and expect dimplomatic immunity when in the wrong. Essentially this was a case of displaced anger and Jenna was the scapegoat for arrogant Americans with whom Kuwaiti policemen have had bad experiences. It was a pretty crazy hour and a half, though it makes for a good story. And so, ladies and gentlemen, the moral of the story is...keep your hand gestures under the dashboard.

*I have several friends who have been in little fender benders here, and you must always report any form of car accident to the police station. Most police officers are educated in Kuwait at government schools (Arabic only) and do not have the opportunity to learn much English. *

I wanted to take pictures at the station but reckoned that would be pretty inappropriate...words alone will not do justice to the situation at the station but think Fawlty Towers crossed with the Kids in the Hall "gotta stay on top of my life, gotta stay on top of my list" skit.

The last thing we decided, as Jenna was dressed in shorts (a bit haram) that we should have emergency car kits here, like we do in Canada or the U.S. in her case. The emergency abbaya kit, we will call it, so you can cover up quickly.

And that's the story of the week...

ramadan, coffee shops and traffic

2006-10-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!

Hoping you are enjoying the autumn/early winter weather. I am not bragging, but it's still in the 30s here during the day, and it's off and on humid.

Ramadan has been draining, as has school in general. My schedule this year allows me to rarely eat during the day, and since we cannot eat or drink water in public sun up (5:30am) to sundown (5:40pm) it's difficult to remain nourished and hydrated. For example, I went to a market today for awhile and really needed a snack and some water but couldn't have either so I faded FAST. I am also tired from trying to prepare for everything at school.

We got two extra days off for EID, the holiday following Ramadan. It makes sense, otherwise next week would have been a two day school week and let's face it, not a great turn out from the student population.

Funny incident of the week: I was walking home from the Hilton (about 20 minutes from our residence) on Monday. I was not too far form the hotel exit when a young man (15ish) of Indian heritage asked if he could use my phone. This is only integral to the story because no Kuwaiti would ever do such a thing and because the consequence for an Indian running off with a Westerner's phone would be quite severe. I obliged because he had a story about waiting for a friend who was really late. So he spoke to his friend (in a language I did not understand) and returned my phone to me. I kept walking and felt just a little bad for hesitating. then I received a text message thanking me for "letting my friend use your phone". I responded with "welcome" and then received a second message, asking me if I want to be friends, "don't take me wrong". Honestly. So I did not respond. I suspect it was one of the security guards who works outside the Hilton at the gate. Silly me for being friendly and wishing people good days. Darn friendly Canucks. The implication here, near as I can tell, is if you are female and you are out in public without a man, you are interested in all men. As in, I exist, therefore I want to be with you...Good thing I ahvea sense of humour or it could potentially really annoy me. Too funny.

A new Starbucks opened really close to our apartments- 5 minutes to walk, I reckon. I would prefer to avoid Starbucks but sometimes it's hard. I have saved lots of petty coffee cash this month due to the aforementioned Ramadan restrictions. No going for coffee after school or on the way to school. Can't jsut stop for a quick coffee until evening and by then it's time to stop consuming caffeine.

As for traffic, going out in the evenings is getting worse every day now. What is often a 20 minutes drive becomes 40 minutes or more. Yoy. Tomorrow I will brave this to go downtown to the Chocolate Bar with a woman from the jazz band. Then we will go to the Starbucks to hear another guy in the band play several different instruments (badly). And it doesn't matter how late we are out because NO SCHOOL on Saturday. I am so glad I have found some fellow band geeks to hang with. They are really nice people.

Because people are nice more often than not. Keep believing.

lovingly, and just a little bit lonely for folks who really know me,
R

P.S. if anyone wants to meet me somewhere at Xmas, I am open to suggestions. My current plan is Rishikesh in India but could be persuaded to return to Eastern Europe or just about anywhere in reasonable flying distance. Thought of going back to Canada- one month's salary for the return ticket. A little pricey.

First GIG!

2006-10-10T07:57:00.000-07:00

Hello Friends,

Happy Thanksgiving. I know I'm late but it's the thought that counts. And I finally had time to celebrate this Thursday, known here as virtual Saturday.

Last Sunday night we had a jazz band gig. It was at an opening for PRES (Permanent Real Estate Show), a building along the gulf road. It was very Kuwait, people running around like mad to make everything appear ready for an official opening. Our jazz band was on the second of two levels, in the corner by the food. There were exhibitions set up throughout the relatively small building. If you want to know the truth, it reminded me quite a bit of the trade shows in Tisdale.

The sheer entertainment value was when, instead of cutting a ribbon to symbolize the opening, a giant panel of spotlights weas illuminated. So typical of this place. Pretense galore.

I brought my camera for the occasion and can show you a little bit what it was like.

The Diwaniya tent outside- tea and hospitality
A few folks playing Dixieland Jazz.
The spread- common at all Kuwait events.
Notice the Western woman out for a bike ride...there's one in every crowd..

top three adjectives

2006-10-03T22:41:00.000-07:00

okay everyone, here is a little assignment for you. Come on, it's the least you can do after having all this reading pleasure for a over year. I sincerely need your help.

Please write down your top three adjectives that describe me. Please be honest, do not worry about hurting my feelings. Once you have written the adjectives, continue reading. remeber, first impulses are the best.

***********************************************************************************

I have been attacked (in the form of a very angry letter from a parent) as being IGNORANT, full of HATE and BIGOTRY. Do your adjectives compare with these words? Not so much, right? Exactly. This is the most ridiculous thing I have ever read. Honestly, I think HATE is something I have moved so far away from in my life that it is hardly a word in my vocabulary.

Bigotry- really? Is this the same person we're talking about? Who was friends with whatever kids were an "ethnic minority" in suburban Saskatoon? Who never even noticed the difference of skin colour? Or if she did, did not think twice about it being a barrier between people? Who wrote cheesy world peace poetry when her 14 year old peers were writing cheesy love poetry? Who will step in to argue when people express prejudice against other cultures?

And as for ignorant, shouldn't be teaching anyone except perhaps people who think the same way I do? Whatever.

I have never seen my principal so angry or my vice principal so concerned about how I am doing. Today I will give the child (who happens to be African-American) a letter of response for his parents. It basically states I am sorry for saying YO in class and making a JOKING reference to the HOOD and I believe my character was unfairly attacked. I taught this same kid and his older sister last year. I had no real problems with them and now all of a sudden, based on ONE HOUR, I am a horrible person.

When I received the angry letter, I did not know whether to laugh or to cry. So absurd.

So please, for my little ego, if you could respond with your adjectives, I would appreciate it. It's been a rough couple weeks with this letter and a change in our unit plan formats we have to submit to admin (which means a lot of time copying and pasting). Not to mention Shane being killed by a suicide bomber. AHHHHHHH!Thank goodness the weekend is starting soon. I'm going to the beach after school today.

wireless internet and stuck elevators

2006-10-02T07:15:00.000-07:00

The thing that's funny about my apartment is I can now access someone's wireless internet service. So hurray, free internet. I am currently listening to a podcast on the CBC! Can it get much better?

The trouble with our poorly built apartment buildings is the walls are quite thin. I can hear all 6th floor hallway noise from my living room. I can also hear one of the two elevators opening and closing, opening and closing, for half an hour at a time, until somone calls it from the lobby. So annoying.

As for me, I am just ticking along, working and trying to get some exercise.

remembering Prague

If you're out there...

2006-09-27T05:37:00.000-07:00

Greetings Friends and Family! (surely you fit in one or both of these categories)

Yesterday I learned, while reading my friend's online journal, of a tragedy that happened on September 20th in Afghanistan. I say a tragedy because there was likely more than one tragedy that day. One of my classmates from BJM, who was both a member of my graduating class and my circle of friends, was killed by a suicide bomber. If you keep up with local news in Saskatoon or Canada, you will know it was Corporal Shane Keating. Although I have not kept in touch with him, he was the kind of person you could run into every couple of years and pick up just where you had left off.

In 11th grade, after there was a death in my family and a death in a friend's family, he advised me to think of other things, happy things like babies. At that time, I thought he was right and agreed to focus on the positive. At this time, I realize he was mature and gentle beyond his teenage years. Luckily I received some photos of a friend's new baby yesterday. It was a reminder to focus on what is good. According to the media, he was delivering school supplies and food to children.

I am again reminded that life is too short to hold grudges (ich grolle nicht). Life is too precious to squander in activities you do not believe are correct. Integrity is living your life with meaning and consistently following through on your beliefs.
I am but a work in progress.

I am feeling a little bit isolated at the moment and would appreciate words from home. I know we are all busy. By the way, I am well and have a very full plate at the moment. I think of you all fondly and often.

Please remember, life is good. Be kind and gentle to those around you. If you need a positive role model, find my grandfathers and spend some time with them. Two great examples of lives well lived, filled with integrity and love.

I sign off with a healthy amount of sadness and a sincere appreciation for life,

R

big parties and small pleasures

2006-09-18T06:15:00.000-07:00

To begin, the small pleasures:

1. Practicing guitar (I am becoming one of those people who turns down social invitations to practice, though I'm not that good yet)
2. Joining a jazz band, playing the trumpet again! And meeting other adults!
3. Kids coming to tell me they miss band because they couldn't take it this year.
4. The Blues and B.B. King who celebrated his 81st birthday this Saturday
5. My lovely colleague who performed in guitar class today, some of her own material. She is a fabulous blues singer, a decent guitar player and a Canadian to boot.

And now for the Big Parties:
This past weekend was the annual "Masked" Rugby Ball. Most folks who wore masks actually just put them on top of their heads instead of over their faces. I kept mine in my handbag most of the night. The Rugby Ball is a fundraiser for the (you guessed it, rugby team) and is one of those ridiculous parties I may have mentioned before. You pay heaps of money for a ticket then you get all gussied up, perhaps consume too much contraban of varying quality (I refrained from this) and hang out in a fancy ballroom at the Hilton. You get a fancy-ish dinner and then there is usually bad music and bad dancing. As with any high schoolish seeming party, many people get together at this event. I also refrained from this.

I had a fun a time and danced despite the bad music. I met some new people and had some good laughs. I also realized that I have quite a few nice friends here, and I do like to get dolled up every little once in a while.

Since most of this dribble is not that exciting to many of you, I will attach a couple photos for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

My friends and me. The one on the right is my summer travelling partner. The one in the middle is one of my floormates in the apartments.

Captain of the Rugby Team, one of the wittiest people I have met. He is a great friend and oh so English.

One week down...

2006-09-06T05:02:00.000-07:00

I am recovering from the madness of the first week at school. It was a great week- as always, I have awesome students and colleagues. I have had a fun time, and remained calm despite things not going as planned. Photocopies not completed on time, supplies not delivered on time, it's all good. We all learn to deal with these inconveniences and inefficiencies in our own way. I just keep on keepin on.

Yesterday, I spent most of the day shopping with some girl friends. Today, I spent several hours at work and then went for a manicure/pedicure with my friend Caroline.

I have several favourite places in Kuwait.

One of them is the N-Bar, where we go for our nail treatments. The decor and staff uniforms are all brown and pink, and it is a big open room, so you and several friends can go at once, if you make the appointment well enough in advance.

Another favourite place is the Chocolate Bar, which I reckon has the same owners because their colours are also, appropriately, chocolate brown and bright pink. Incidentally, I have started to wear more of these colours since moving here.

Then there is Le Notre, a trendy little bistro-style restaurant that has a lovely salad bar and good breads to accompany the salads. And let's not forget the Lebanese chain, Paul, with excellent desserts and coffees and nice bistro food as well. My absolute favourite restaurant is the Indian vegetarian restaurant, Greenland. So good and so authentic.

The fabric souk is inherently fun for all the crazy fabrics you can find, and for the great bargains you can get on getting clothing made.

One of these days I'll take my digital camera along with me so you can all get a better idea of this crazy place I call home.

My newest favourite place, however, is a music shop where I purchased my first real six string. As I am teaching guitar this year, I thought I should probably get a decent guitar for once. My friend Paulo helped me, and we spent nearly two hours at the shop. We were trying out different guitars, plus the salesman was being really helpful and actually convinced me to get a less expensive guitar. The salesman was so nice and he played some decent flamenco-style guitar. We had a good chat with him and he might come, with his band, to perform Arabic music at the school. He is from Alexandria, Egypt. When Paulo told him he has a recording program called "Power Tools" you could see this man identified Paulo as a deity of some sort.

The good news is I have been diligently practicing guitar and developing skills and calluses alike. It is a good feeling. I'll be singing and playing the blues before you know it. What is the slogan for the blues, anyway. Country music is "Three chords and the truth", Rock is "Three chords and an attitude." What is the blues? "Three chords and ???" Help me out, please, people.

And one last weather report. The heat is not as intense as last year, or when I left in June. The humidity on the other hand, is insane. I feel like I am living in a sauna most days. The sky is constantly hazy. When we arrived last year, there was not a single cloud in the sky until perhaps October, and even then it didn't really last. It was November before there was any storm action. It would be nice for there to be a good thunderstorm, but it seems pretty unlikely at the moment.

I should go, I ahve more school work to do.

hugs and kisses to all...masalaama (And I have decided this year I will learn Arabic)

Random people, sleepless nights and sushi

2006-08-23T07:54:00.000-07:00

These, my friends, area few of my favourite things. Sure, I try to be responsible and sleep enough so I can function with a full deck. I know that my phase of sleepless nights is behind me (unless I ever get around to that business of procreating, but that is an entirely different topic).

The thing about travel for me is it makes me feel I am truly alive. Seeing new things that are old things, interacting with different cultures, trying to find locations when street signs aren't posted and all I have is a crap map, forcing myself to ASK for help, to interact with RANDOM PEOPLE, to laugh with strangers who speak the same language, be it verbal or physical. You can tell so much about people by their interactions.

Our last three nights of travel: arrived late in Prague on a Friday and checked in at our YOUTH (and I mean, youthful) hostel. Nothing in their ad indicated the building was directly under a train track, so that night's sleep was nearly lost. We had a gorgeous Saturday, walking around and enjoying parks and castles, bridges and Bohemian glass. Prague is an amazing city, too bad we were among the way too many tourists to make it authentic.

So our last Saturday night, we decided to go out and asked the man at our hostel where we should go. We decided to take his advice and go to a pub called the Akropolis, where the real Czech people, not just tourists, go. After a few beverages in the lounge, we were advised we could go downstairs to the dance club as the lounge was to close at 1am. So we went downstairs and did some dancing. It was so much fun that I didn't even look at my watch until 3:15am at which time Jenna said she didn't want to know what time it was. We were distracted by a pair of hilarious guys dancing in sync and with anyone who would join in. They were wearing matching green t-shirts that had stick figures of a man and woman getting married. The caption beneath the design read "GAME OVER". It cracked me up. The one guy reminded me so much of an old friend of mine I could hardly believe it.

Then an adorable French boy was being flattering so we talked with him quite a while when I indicated to Jenna we had to go soon. She agreed and I said, "No, I mean it's twenty minutes until this place closes," to which she responded, "It's almost five?" Yes indeed, but these are the nights that remind me I am not so old as my age states. I am not as unattractive nor as dull as I often perceive myself. I only wish we had gone out more!

Sunday was rough and we were both agitated with other tourists and a little worse for war, but we still were up by 10 to go to look at tourist stuff. Then I went for a glass of wine with my new random French friend, returned to the hostel for a drink with Jenna and the next morning we were off to the airport.

Back in Kuwait, it's hot like, well, Kuwait. Unbearable during the daytime, really. I have not met all the new teachers yet but apparently there are several Western Canadians, including a young Calgarian who is excited to meet me so I can teach him to make sushi, so says my friend Joe.

With that, I will be off.

Happy 29th B-Day Susan!

I miss my friends at home but have had many hugs and feel like this is a second home, at least for the good and true friends I have made. Will post pictures soon.

all my love,
R

Stupid Tourists are Us

2006-08-13T03:54:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in a basement in a Budapest internet cafe. This is our third day in Hungary and the second cool and overcast day in a row.

We arrived here early Friday morning on the night train from Sighsoara (Romania) and were quite tired and a sleep on the train is never great, especially when border crossings and passport checks are involved. With the one hour time difference, we arrived at 7:30am. Since we could not go in to our room at the hostel until later, we decided to walk around and see some sights. It was a gorgeous day and we were all hot and sticky but since we were walking it really did not matter.

We also decided to take some local transportation, which is plentiful in Budapest. We bought transit tickets and hopped on the tram, then tried to validate our tickets in the machines. With most such machines, all you do is stick the ticket in the slot and it validates the ticket. There were 4 Dutch boys and Jenna and I who did not notice that you had to pull a little button forward to validate the tickets. So we rode along hoping to see others validate so we could do the same. Before we were so fortunate a very large man came along and began to check the tickets. When he saw ours were not validated, he yelled at us and told all the English psekaers to get off the bus. So we were stopped off and this man and a friend tried to intimidate us, make us pay a fine that was the equivalent of 10 Euros each and threatened to call the police, who would make us pay a larger fine. We decided that we would not pay anything as the whole thing seemed pretty sketchy. These men had no officical ID tags. Then they got a man who spoke better English to come along and continue to yell at and intimidate us. This did not work because we kept our collective cool, and refused to take out money or passports. So he left, and the original two continued to yell at us, get in our faces and even gave one of the Dutch guys at little push. They continued to threaten calling the police and we continued to tell them to go ahead and do so. We would be happy to walk to the police station.

Finally about 15 minutes and no police phone calls later, they told us to go home and yelled rudely at us as we walked away. I think they called us idiots about 20 times during the encounter, or some Hungarian word that sounds an awful lot like IDIOT.

The day got better as we continued to see some sights and take pictures, drink some beer enjoy the day. Then we got back to the hostel to find our room was to be shared with two guys, but this mistake was quickly cleared up and we got a double room. By this point, we were exhausted, hungry and sticky from sweat. The room was a college dorm room with no character and although relatively clean, not great. The washroom had a shower and no toilet. The toilets, which reeked, were down the hall. I was prepared to find another place as even for me, this seemed like pretty low standards. But. The trouble is there is a huge outdoor mousic festival on right now and there are heaps of youth from all over Europe taking up all the hostel spaces and there was not too much chance of getting another space unless we wanted to book an expensive hotel. So we decided to stay, and although the bathrooms stink, the shower is consistently hot and has the best water pressure of any shower I have used.

I like Budapest as a city but seriously, they rip tourists off like nobody else. We did not pay attention one day to a printed cost and the woman charged us the equivalent of maybe 50 cents to a dollar more for transit tickets. How rude! Apparently this is very common in Budapest, and it is crucial to pay attention to prices in restaurants and such so as not to get ripped off.

As it turns out, transit inspectors all have red arm bands and the men who hassled us did not. This, too, we learned, is a common scam. Thank goodness we stayed cool.

And after all that, I think I should be going. I like it here, though Romania did capture my heart. Farmers use horses and ploughs. Grass and weeds are taken care of by sicles and man power and I am not exaggerating. It was like stepping back to Saskatchewan pioneering days. I could spend a long time in Romania, and the language is somewhat manageable because is is a romance language similar to French and Italian. Magyar, the Hungarian language, is complicated and I do not undestand all the accents on the letters. But I digress.

My friends, we live on a beautiful planet full of many amazing cultures and wonderful people.

peace,
r

Finding Inner Peace dot com

2006-08-08T10:26:00.000-07:00

Greetings, my friends. My goal is to create a post to get you up to date on where I am without posting several spelling mistakes. My typing skills have never caught up with my spelling and grammar skills.

First off, the yoga retreat I went to was funny and not always in a good way. The whole Ananda centre in Italy is based on the teachings of an Indian Yogi, Paramhansa Yogananda (Autobiography of a Yogi), who brought yoga to the USA in the 1920s. Then one of Yogananda's disciples, J. Donald Walters, interpreted much of Yogananda's philosophies and wrote many texts, hymns and even a couple plays. J. Donald Walters, whose spiritual name is Swami Kriyananda, only knew Paramhansa Yogananda for 2.5 years before the Indian philosopher and yogi moved on to his next spiritual life.

Since yoga is about union, I was skeptical about the one-sidedness of the materials. I found it disturbing that the program was equally ritualistic as Catholic Mass. I was not expecting to feel the ceremonial aspect of my Catholic schooling while at a yoga retreat. But life goes on.

Some of the highlights were:

1. The best (vegetarian) food I have ever eaten, consistently. And by this, I mean better than I can cook. I am not sure if it was all the olive oil, the fresh cream or the fresh produce, but it was amazing.

2. Meeting several Germans who shared my cynicism and will allow me to visit them next summer in their homes. Wanna come, Mom?

3. Speaking French with one of the German girls who is a French and Spanish teacher.

4. Teaching a yoga class to my German and Dutch friends one day when our "Yoga for English Speakers" class was cancelled.

5. The gorgeous view from my window and fabulous storms and cool mountain weather. I actually wore the jacket I brought!

6. Breakfast and dinner in silence, but only the first 20 minutes because trying to keep the Italians quiet for any longer than that and you'd be faced with a lynch mob regardless of the peaceful intentions of the setting.

7. Espresso grade coffee and hot milk at breakfast.

Once the retreat was over, I made my way to Rome to fly to Bucharest.

I awoke early in the morning in Rome because my hostel was hot and noisy, like all hostels in Rome. As I walked to the train station, I thought it was nice to be out on my own, not many people around. At 5:30 in the morning in Rome, it is as busy as Saskatoon mid-morning. Not quite rush hour, but lots of movement. The train station was home to many weary travellers who laid their heads to rest and avoided wasting 25 Euros on a room in which it was darn near impossible to have a decent night's sleep. I digress.

The train station smelled of urine and was just as dirty and unpleasant as I recalled from my travels 3 years ago. The train to the airport was nice, quick and clean, though pricey. I had no problems at the airpost except after we had boarded the plane, they realised a passenger was missing. Due to International Regulations, we could not take off until the passenger's luggage had been taken off the plane. So that was a nice 90 minute delay. Better than techinical difficulties, I suppose.

Luckliy I was armed with a good book, a Romania travel guide and the nicest young (Romanian) woman sitting next to me. Between our collective effort of my Italian and her English comprehension, we had a few pleasant conversations.

Thank goodness when I arrived in Bucharest, Jenna was waiting for me at the airport. This morning we made it to Brasov and are staying in an apartment for 2 days. The apartment is Eastern Bloc communist architecture and very functional, not cute or pretty but with character nonetheless. And inexpensive.

Most Romanians speak English and are friendly and hospitable. I like it here and the countryside is a fairy tale landscape of mountains and mist, castles and old buildings. We will spend two more days in the area, exploring castles and hillsides, rural life and Urusul (local blonde ale). We love it here.

I would like to add a small recommended reading list:

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime (forget the author) and
The Finer Points of Sausage Dogs by Alexander McCall Smith.

Thanks to Sue for passing these along to me. But now what will I read???

Well, friends, my internet hour is nearly through. Thinking of you all and hoping to hear from you soon.

Pace,
Ramona

Um, we are experiencing some technical difficulties

2006-07-28T12:57:00.000-07:00

Okay, so when you are on a flight, if you have flown, do those words make you just a little nervous? All I could think was good thing I am an experienced traveller or my head probably would have exploded. First of all, my flight out of Saskatoon left 2 hours late and it was such a waste of time, I could have got a haircut, gone for a last walk by the river, whatever.

Then when I went to check in at the counter in Toronto, they had no record of me so finally they figured out I had missed my connecting flight and had not been rebooked. So I was rebooked and ran through the airport with two women in a similar predicatment only to get to the bus to transfer terminals to discover the flight was DELAYED! by over an hour. Ha! Technical difficulties.

Then I rushed at the Frankfurt airport to get my flight to Milan which was also delayed for an hour, then we lost our spot in the line up to land and had to wait and extra 30 minutes. Technical difficulties.

Somehow I knew all this would happen as I have been telling people how little it matters to me if my flights are delayed or whatever. Then in Milan, I took the bus from the airport to the Central Station and took a train to Levanto. Part way through the ride, we stopped for about an hour. Technical difficulties.

Well, I am in Levanto now and found the last bed at the hostel (I am all for budget accommodations). Had pizza and gelato for supper and now plan to go to bed though I slept most of the way from Frankfurt here on the plane and train, and a few solid hours on the Frankfurt flight.

Tomorrow is my hiking day then I will head to the yoga retreat the next day. Hurray.
I love Italy for the lovely apartments and houses, the painted shutters and the hidden side streets. I love the flowers and where I am, listening to the waves crash in to the shore. The coastal mountains are beautiful. I love how there are old bikes everywhere by doors, by fences, by flower gardens as if posing for pictures. Bikes with baskets full of bread returning from the market, ah, la doce vita. I think the Italians really do know how to live.

Keep well, feel free to comment or just e mail directly to let me know you are reading. If you do not know my address, it is just my full name (lowercase letters) and it is a hotmail account.

buono nocce,
R

One more week!

2006-06-09T23:42:00.000-07:00

This morning as I was on the bus to school, I noted that in EXACTLY ONE WEEK, factoring the time difference, I would be in the Saskatoon Airport. Oh joy! Oh bliss! I was thinking how the sun will have just set and it won't even be really dark yet.

The humidity has subsided and now the heat is somewhat more tolerable. I am finding the end of year much more bearable than the beginning, both in temperature and living conditions. It's like the end of high school when everyone just gets along and wishes they'd gotten to know people better, or that they'd been just a little nicer, or a little more social (that's my case). We all put our differences aside and work jsut get along.

We had a great poolside party on Thursday night. I made heaps of sushi, Thai noodle salad and strawberry shortcake. My friend Jenna and I made veggie skewers on the bbq and she also baked a ham. How did she get a ham? you may ask...in case you forgot, pork is HARAM (forbidden) here. Well, some people who work on the army base or through the embassy can get pork products and this guy who was trying to win her over brought her one.

Top two ways to win a girls' heart in Kuwait:

1. Pork products (even the vegetarians will pass them along to friends who will be forever grateful)
2. REAL, brand name wine or other such liquids. Forget the flowers, and the chocolates would melt by the time they arrived these days.

My witty comment of the evening: I was looking at all the food I'd made and its lovely presentation, and said "All this and yet I am constantly being rejected by men! What is wrong with this picture?"

So back to the poolside party:
a couple guys were down by the pool with guitars, and others brought drums so we sang and played and drummed for most of the evening. We took intermission to eat and to jump (or be tossed in) the pool. IT was a great time, one of my favourite evenings I've had at home.

Since the Canadian delegation has a 6 hour layover in Frankfurt, some of us are going to take the train downtown to look around and go for cappuccino and pastries before getting on that long flight to Toronto. I have decided this will make the day seem more like it's worthwhile, since we actually get to see and do something on our stop. It will sure helps break up the monotony of the day in the airports and airplanes.

Well, I may not write again before I leave because I need to stop procrastinating and get some actual work done. So, Friday, 9:05pm. I think it will be family time after that (I'll be up for something a little crazier on Saturday night). I will go ahead and do this without my mom's permission but I think we can hang out in the backyard after I get out of the airport. Feel free to bring Sleeman's or Grasshopper, a big hug and some pictures from year. I am not sure how late I'll be able to stay up. I know it sounds boring, but I'd like to get in a bit of a routine straight away. Otherwise it's hard to function.

See you soon.
xoxoxoxoxoxo

From zero to

2006-06-07T02:15:00.000-07:00

sweating like a...pig? in 60 seconds. Or do we say perspiring? I seem to remember some little saying we had growing up- horses sweat, people perspire. Whatever.

This morning when I went outside to catch the bus to school, I put my sunglasses on. In about 10 seconds they were so foggy from the humidity that I could barely see. Plan B, take OFF the sunglasses. 1 minute outside in this stifling heat (45+C now) and the insane humidity is enough to knock me out. The heat is getting to everybody, for sure.

Last night I went to the grad, since the band had to play. It was fun and interesting and not quite so upscale as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, it was in a fancy hotel and folks were dressed up, but nothing shocked me. well ,actually, the night before grad when one of the co-ordinators informed me I could only have 15 students in the band, I was a little shocked and for the next 13 hours until we got to the venue, I was feeling pretty stressed out. As it turned out, all 26 kids who signed up to play had room to be there and we could have fit a couple more.

That's just typically how people work around here. Get stressed out, get over it. Blood pressure goes up, blood pressure goes down. Honestly, it is a bit fatiguing especially at this time of year when everyone is exhausted from hard work and the heat.

I came up with a great joke for the rehearsal and my band kids were totally into it. They were looking forward to it for days. (I didn't tell them much in advance lest the secret slip out) We played the introduction to Pomp and Circumstance (the processional used for most grads) then we jumped right into about 12 measures of The Imperial March (Darth Vader theme from Star Wars). It was hilarious! At first I thought things might be too tense to pull it off, but we went with it and the kids (graduates and band students) thought it was great, as did the other adults there. Good times!

Just a little over a week now til I get a break. Bless the clean prairie air and gorgeous skies! I cannot wait for the late evening sunsets. Here we wait until 7 or 7:30pm to do anything outdoors. Sunset is about 6:30 and then it cools off enough that it's tolerable. Though a two block walk does induce a certain amount of perspiration.

Aaaaaah!

2006-06-03T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. It's 4:00pm on Saturday, the first day of the work week. I am still at school and will be here until around 7:00pm because we have a 5th grade band concert at 6. Hurray.

I have a touch of insomnia, it seems. I woke up this morning and laid in bed for quite some time before I heard the first prayer call. The first call to prayer is currently at 3:25am. I awoke from a bizarre and disturbing dream. I cannot describe it but it left me feeling weird all day.

And now, it's Sunday and I am trying to sort through 50 some musical instruments, 80 some books, oh how I love this time of year.

The Grade 5s did relatively well in their concert. It was short and sweet and now it's one less thing to do. I only have three more evenings to give up now. High School Grad, Grade 5 Moving On (to Middle School) and Grade 8 Promotion. And only 2 of those 3 nights involve performances. Great.

After the concert, my music colleagues (and best friends here)and I had a couple drinks and watched Corner Gas. World's Biggest is still my favourite episode, though Pandora's Wine comes a close second. No matter how many times I watch that show, it still cracks me up.

Wes: We can use sheet metal and an old telephone pole.
Woman: No, the wood's too dry, it will crack.
Lacey and Brent: Crack hoe!
Brent to Lacey: You're really enjoying this, aren't you?
Lacey: You have no idea...
..it never fails to induce uproarious laughter...

Many of the staff here have enjoyed Corner Gsa, Seasons 1 &2. Thanks, Mom, for those. Now I am popular and have lots of friends and always a topic of conversation. Apparently Season 3 is on Orbit (satellite network here). If only I had a TV and cable and time to watch...

And that said, I best get back to the musical instruments and figuring things out for the next couple days.

On the official countdown, 12 days to go. A bientot!

Friday, bloody Friday

2006-06-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

The weeks are passing faster than ever, time being taken for farewells now. It is remarkable to think some people with whom I have grown close over the year will soon move on without a trace. It is an emotional time of fond memories, good laughs and excitement for what is to come.

The weekends are over before they even begin, it seems. I have so many social obligations these days, mostly for the aforementioned farewells, and typical year-end wind up style parties. This weekend, I attended a gathering at the High School Principal's flat. It was a lovely get-together. Last night was one of those typical loud parties, except we were mostly gathered outdoors. The temperature was in excess of 30C, I am sure, but that did not stop us from drinking homemade, massive headache producing sangria and talking loudly. That's just what we do in Kuwait.

To get to the party, though was a huge: ARG! as following directions here is a royal pain. The directions were as follows: the road curves right, then you take the first right (this was a sand road, not a paved road but this detail was not indicated in the directions), then the second left past the mosque. Then you go to the first pink building. Right. So my friend and I did not think the first right was where it was since we, North Americans that we are, took the PAVED road. Duh... So we found this large pink building with white trim and since there were about 8 vehicles parked outside, we thought, this is it??? Well, as we looked around we quickly deduced it was a private residence. So after getting ahold of someone at the party, we got some better directions- the buildings are across from a patch of desert land. We then found it no problem. Using mosques as landmarks, incidentally, is the equivalent of using my initial Parisian tracking system. "It's the white apartment building with the black iron balcony with a red flower basket, complete with a Patisserie and a brasserie". Right, that describes every block. Oh, and street addresses are optional here. The explanation is that numbers were removed from blocks and buildings so Saddam Hussein could not track people down during the invasion. Kuwait is set up in a confusing manner to prevent maniacs from finding people, or their way around. So you can imagine the flawlessness of this particular system of logic. Blocks are now often marked, in a neighbourhood there are several blocks (1-13 for example). But essentially, unless you know where you are going, you will get lost at least once in the process of getting somewhere. That even goes for people who have lived here most of their lives.

This week I will attend the grade 12 graduation, since I will be conducting the band with the ever popular Pomp and Circumstance, plus the national anthems of Kuwait and the USA. Hurray. I cannot wait to tell you about the event that is grad at ASK. I have heard but cannot imagine it yet. It's a real fashion show, apparently.

What I can tell you is Wednesday this week was the seniors' last day at ASK. For some reason, they do not have to write final exams like the rest of the High School. I don't get it, but I could write a book of things I don't get about this place. Anyway, at the end of Wednesday, the 12th graders were dismissed to the courtyard for a countdown. I saw them afterwards and never in my life have I seen so many teary-eyed young adults. Some were full-on bawling their eyes out, and this was not reserved for the female population. It was pretty touching, though I still find the magnitude of teenage emotion wrought with hilarity. I just cannot help myself, though I know I, too, am sentimental.

Well then, this concludes the weekend and today's edition of the blog. In two weeks and 12 hours, I will be in the Saskatoon airport, inshallah. I can promise you one thing: not matter the temperature, I will not complain.

all good things...