Restaurants in Kuwait

Over the past eight years, I have had many an adventure in some of the restaurants here in Kuwait. Granted there are many to choose from. Some of the newest include: Pizzeria Uno, Romano's Macaroni Grill, PF Changs, etc. The food is great... very similar to that back home in the states. It is more about how they serve you that is always intriguing. Here are some examples of "unusual" service that I have encountered throughout my time here in Kuwait. I admit that most of the oddities come from language barriers as the waiters or waitresses' English is limited.

Johnny Carinos:
Customer: "Does that soup come from a can?"
Waitress: "No it comes in a bowl"
Customer: "No-what I mean is it homemade or does it come from a can?"
Waitress: "No sir it comes in a bowl"

Ok-now on to the next one:

FRESH restaurant

Customer: "Can we have some more maple syrup for our pancakes?"
Waitress: "I am sorry... We don't have...No more."
A few minutes later she brings out dark caro syrup... hmmm... this is not quite the same.
Customer: "No thank you. Can we have some whipped creme and strawberries instead?"
Waitress: "You want creme? Do you want strawberries in the creme?"


FRESH Restaurant again:
8:10 AM Customers are sitting outside for breakfast.
Waiter comes out and offers menus.
Customers are looking at menus.
8:30 AM Customers would like to order... Asks waiter if they can order...
Waiter "Sorry sir/maam... we don't open until 9:00 AM"
Terrific!

TGIF Fridays
Customer to waitress: "I would like to have a club sandwich (toasted) on brown bread."
Waitress brings food. Club sandwich has brown bread but it is not toasted.
Customer: "Is it possible to get this bread toasted?"
Waitress: "OK.." Then she takes the sandwich back to the cooks.
10 minutes later she brings the sandwich back. It is now on WHITE bread but now toasted.
Customer: "Sorry to bother you but I wanted brown bread for my club sandwich."
Waitress:" Yes, I know but we cannot toast brown bread only white bread can be toasted sir."
What????
The tricky part about getting bread toasted here is in Kuwait, they call all bread, (toasted or not), TOAST.

Anyway, I think that is part of the fun of living overseas...It is a lot of small differences that add so much to your daily life. Every day is truly an adventure.

The Old Days

Today while spring cleaning, I came across a bunch of old photos from the past. They were taken in the 70's; a time when things seemed so much simpler. Even more so, this was a time when I was the happiest. For the first six years of my life my family lived on a dairy farm. Mom and Dad worked very hard to make a good life for all of us. Some of my most happiest times were of playing in the kiddie pool, sandbox (made out of the kiddie pool after getting punctured), going on the swing set, wading in the creek as well as being around the animals all day. If we ever went without anything, I never knew it. No matter what happens in my life, I will always hold those memories close to my heart. The pictures are pretty lovely too.

Footloose

Right now I am watching the movie Footloose circa 1984! That movie is almost 30 years old! The soundtrack was one of my favorites and I love the dancing scene at the end! Anyway, it was certainly a different world back then. I am not sure if I really miss high school that much but I do miss many things that happened during that time as well as the music. Watching this movie brought back so many memories... Who would of thought this movie would be shown on a Kuwait movie channel. Thanks Kuwait!

New Inspiration!

Today I became newly inspired by a teacher/writer at our school who just got his first book published. The library had an open house for him all day where students came up to hear about his adventures in the publishing world. Basically the message was to not give up. The road in getting published is long, with many bumps but you just keep plodding along.
I have just started working on my resource book regarding how to teach research skills. I would like to call it "Scaffolding Research" or "Scaffolding Research Skills". I just completed my introduction and soon want to write my query letter. After presenting many workshops and working on this curriculum for research the last four years, I believe I have enough material and knowledge to write this.
Thanks Jamie for the inspiration. I am so happy for you!

Feeling Indifferent

Lately I have been feeling indifferent... It is the kind of thing that I think is natural when you know you are leaving your current job and country to go somewhere else and do something different. There have been days where I just go though the motions: nothing is really bad nor is it really good. I am not depressed in any way... but would just like to get excited about something. I have a trip coming up during spring break and perhaps that will get me going a bit. I've been keeping a gratitude list at work on my computer that I started a couple years ago as well. Being grateful has always been a way of keeping myself grounded. Living overseas is a bit tough at times because there are always moments that you need for family to be around-even if it is just for a hug.
2 1/2 more months of school left and I welcome those months with a thankful and loving heart (even if I am indifferent!)

Spring Break & Istanbul

This Monday I will be landing in Istanbul at 3:00 AM. Dave and I were going to just take a bus transfer into the city but opted for a hotel pickup instead. It will cost more but we also have realized that as we get older we go for comfort rather than saving a few dollars. Dave has never been to Istanbul before so I am excited to show the city to him.
Back in 2003 my sister and I went to Turkey on the way home from Kuwait. Not only did we visit Istanbul but also Bodrum, Pamukkale, Ephesus, and Oludeniz in the south. My favorite memories were of the pottery studios, the small, quaint little towns, as well as paragliding in the south. This time, it will be much cooler than when we visited. Yahoo weather predicts the high of 50's or so. Geez... Hope my thin skin can handle that as coming from Kuwait to there will be tough going.

Yoga & Meditation

Currently I am reading a book called, The Heart and Science of Yoga by Leonard Pearlmutter. Last summer, I attended a class that Leonard taught at his home in upstate NY. It opened up a new world for me and really aligned with the teachings of Eckhart Tolle... being aware and residing in the moment.
Once in a while I am going to mention a few things about Leonard's book that truly inspired me. In chapter one, Leonard discusses how to start meditating as he states,

"During the practice of seated meditation, you ask your mind to let go of its many attachments, distractions, and the passing thoughts and associations of your normal waking experience. You do this not by attempting to stop or repress your thoughts, but by encouraging the mind to focus continuously on one subtle element or object in the present moment. This internal focus of attention helps rest the mind by allowing it to cease its habitual and often stressful mental processes.

As when listening to a beautiful concert, in meditation you are fully alert, but you are not aware of yourself. As your capacity to witness your thoughts is developed, meditation encourages the mind to slow down its customary chatter by surrendering its persistent tendencies to solve problems, analyze, and entertain memories of the past or concerns for hypothetical situations in the future. Seated meditation is simply a silent, effortless, one-pointed focus of attention and awareness." -Leonard Pearlmutter

Long ago, I started getting into spirituality more and more. It started with Joyce Meyer who is a Christian author and speaker. My sister and I even traveled out to Massachusetts to attend one of her sessions. I also watched her half-hour shows before going to work which inspired me. I then got hooked onto Sylvia Browne books after seeing her on the Montel Williams show. Many of the things Sylvia talked about just made a lot of sense for me... It also made me think more and more about spirituality and my relationship with God more than organized things. In the past few years I moved onto Eckhart Tolle as well as Leonard Pearlmutter's philosophies and the whole "awakening" process. Although I am constantly growing and evolving as a spirit, I feel that I am finally coming into my own more. Furthermore, I am quite happy and have really loved my 30's.Namaste.

International Day at AIS

We had our International Day celebration at our school this year. The last few years we have been lax in celebrating it but this year the school went all out. There were musical acts from the outside, high school students dancing & drumming, elementary dance acts... The parents were in charge of constructing booths from all different countries around the world such as Bangladesh, Kuwait, America, Canada, Lebanon, Egypt etc. They even brought a camel in...
The one thing that really stood out for me is that I really love the kids at our school... at least in grades K-7...and will miss them next year. It will be strange teaching only boys next year. I am attaching some pictures of the big day.

Tickets Home

I just arranged my ticket to go back home to New York and British Columbia in June. After being in Kuwait eight years, it seems very odd not to be returning to Kuwait in August. We only have a one-way ticket.
Lately I have been putting together a photo album on Facebook that is a culmination of all of the years I've spent here in Kuwait. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time and know that it will be hard to leave... Yet at the same time, this is the first year I've known that I have to and feel it more and more everyday. I think it is always like that when you are moving onto a new chapter in your life.
What will I miss most about Kuwait? My students of course and my friends that I work with everyday... especially in the middle school. I have always known that "middle school is where it's at"... My principal introduced me to that expression back in my first year at AIS. Some of my best memories are of my first year at AIS...the people that came in my group (Genevieve, Alex, Jo Ann, Kevin, Mona, and many others)... the bus rides around Kuwait my first week; going to IKEA, the Crown Plaza pool, Marselia Beach, and the Kuwait Towers for dinner. We were even evacuated that year as the US was invading Iraq in 2003. What a roller coaster of a year! I also look back fondly on meeting David (my husband) my second year as well as spending two years here with my sister, Missy. Finally, I will miss my friends, and know that I will always treasure my time spent here with them.
Well, I still have a few months left and plan on savoring every last moment.