Eid Mubarak!

 


Eid Mubarak My Friends!

Sorry I haven't written in a WHILE... but no worries, I'm still here! lol Well, I wanted to write about my first experience with Eid and a friend did a nice job of summing up my thoughts... so I'm "borrowing" some of hers! I am learning so much about the culture and religion here. We had this week off to celebrate Eid-ul-Adha ('festival of sacrifice'). The festival honors the prophet Ibrahim's (Abraham) willingness to sacrifice his son, Isma'il, when God ordered him to as an act of obedience. God stopped him and gave him a lamb to sacrifice instead. Eid celebrates Ibrahim's obedience to Allah. The Bible also tells the story in Genesis:22, and instead the son that was to be sacrificed was Issac. Muslims all over the world sacrifice a sheep or goat, and share the meat among family, friends, and the poor. As you drive around town, you will often see pins full of sheep ready to be sacrificed. This sacrifice is done by the men in the family (but most countries require this slaughter to be done in a slaughterhouse). A significant part of Eid is based on giving to the less fortunate by providing them with clothes and food, so that they can celebrate as well.

During Eid, around 2 million Muslims from all over the world participate in Hajj. Hajj is the pilgrimage to Makkah (Mecca), which, according to the Muslim tradition, is the first place that was created on Earth. Here is where heavenly power touches Earth directly. All physically capable Muslims who can afford it, should make the pilgrimage to Makkah, in Saudi Arabia, at least once in their lives. Together they stand before the Ka'ba, a shrine built by Ibrahim praising Allah and they walk around the Ka'ba seven times. It represents submission to God, renewing of faith, and evaluation of one's purpose in life. It also represents new beginnings for the new year, which is in November.

On the Thursday leading up to Eid, our school had a Hajj celebration. There was also a Ka'ba that our school had made for our Eid and Hajj program. The Arabic teachers did a great with this simulation. All of the students participated and recited the chant. It was a very wonderful experience to watch PreK-5th grade students from various religions and nationalities participate in this act of worship. 

   

Eid Mubarak!!

"Have a Blessed Eid"

More Interesting Facts About Kuwait from a Newcomer.....

Afternoon My Minions! (...and I'm referring to definition #3)
Well, all I can say is there is SOOOO much to learn about being in Kuwait! One thing that seems to not be sticking in is the fact that I'm not supposed to smile at random men. OK. For those of you who know me KNOW that that's an issue for me. I smile. I speak. I smile at and speak to just EVERYBODY! Idk, maybe it's the Georgia peach in me... But anyway, I think All the guys who work in all the little shops on my street probably either think I want them [all] or that I'm the friendliest thing to hit Kuwait, because they all go out of their way to smile and wave at me. I kinda find it refreshing! Am I going to stop being me?? Not at all! Maybe I'll be able to change somebody's mind into thinking its OKAY to just be friendly, it would certainly make this world a better place!

In other news... Everything here is still a riot to me! For example... let's say you have your blinker on when you are driving and somebody flashes their flashers at you. They are telling you to go ahead, right?? Wrong! When somebuysbody HERE flashes their lights at you they are telling you to stay your behind right where you are because I am about to speed in front of you! And as long as there is 1.75 inches of space between you and the car in front of you, there is room to merge AND slam on brakes!! O'an I want to say every driver has an intimate relationship with the horn... It is quite appropriate to honk your horn if you see a friend, want to give a stranger a ride, someone gets that little twinkle in their that says they want to cut you off, a stop sign jumps out in front of you, or if you want a snack! The horn = the holy grail. You must worship it.

Other things that crack me up....
* My dryer does NOT have a lint trap. No. It has a "fluff filter"! and there is also a fluff remover setting on the dryer too!
* Paparazzi is EVERYWHERE!! Random people ask to take pictures with me!
* When the sun starts to set and its 102° degrees outside, it becomes "a cool evening"
* Girlfriends/boyfriends are a taboo subject because they are "not allowed" to date here. Marriages are arranged! Hmmm, That explains why random men seem so comfortable with staking their claim...
* Many stores in the mall have multiples... in the SAME MALL.
* Imitation alcohol lurks around EVERY corner!! (Non-alcoholic beer, malt beverage, alcohol free wine, alcohol free cocktails...) It's a non-drinker's paradise here! There are whole shops dedicated to non-alcoholic mixed beverages!
* All doors open backwards (yeah, I spent a LOT of time thinking I was locked out of places...)
* Interesting new meats that I have discovered include ground lamb, minced mutton, and veal carcass.
* I know I am forbidden to use the "p" word around here, but I'm still a tad bit freaked out by the beef "breakfast slices"....  Apparently we can't say bacon either.
* I totally forgot how to use true washing POWDER..... until now. Since liquid detergent is equivalent to liquid gold, washing powder it is!

Well kiddos, it is about that time... Time to hit the hay! Maybe next time I will come to you live from Kuwait's beautiful imported beach! Yes, the beach was imported from Australia... Only people with ultra-long money buy sand to bring to the desert!

G'Nite My Loves!!

Kuwait Through the Eyes of a Newcomer

Helloooo Out There!!
So, my compadres and I have made it safely to Kuwait! (Can we get a rounda'plawse!?!) :) Well, actually, we have been here for 3 days and in that short time I have managed to catch a stomach virus. We will talk about That a little later... But anywho... In the short time I've been here, Ive managed to see, experience, and "observe" quite a few interesting things! Here is a short list of what I can think of at the moment:

* It is acceptable to back up at a high rate of speed in the middle of oncoming traffic!
* A group of ladies walking = EVERY taxi in smelling distance honking at you and driving up onto the sidewalk (where you are walking) to give you a ride!
* Smiling and making eye contact means I want you. Literally. Yeah, I gotta work on that one... Y'all know I'm a smiler and a hugger! (Note to self... mean mug strangers.)
* I can become a legal Kuwaiti citizen in 5 years if I know (well... marry) the right person... As in a Kuwaiti citizen, but it is impossible for a foreign man to become a Kuwaiti citizen.
* With that being said, Kuwaiti citizens get money from the government for EVERYTHING. Minimum wage for a Kuwaiti citizen is around $50K USD... and they get it just for being alive. Ummm USA, y'all slipping!
* Apparently the hot water is cold water and the cold water is hot water in the summer because the cold water tanks are on the roof... where its 119°, well, at least that's what we were told... I had to search for a few hours for my hot water switch to turn it on. Yeah, I just turned on every switch in the house and prayed it was one of those... it was. No more "warm" showers for me.
* There are no electrical outlets in the bathrooms... or behind my dresser. Blow drying and flat ironing are going to be QUITE interesting!
* I often have to open the patio door to "let the cold air out"... Can you say AC on steroids!!
* The women here really DO remind you of the ones from Sex in the City II in Abu Dhabi! They are decked out in their full abayas and burqas, along with Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Fendi and Burberry bags and shoes! They are so FLY!
* You can buy anything under the sun at the souk! Even Easter baskets!!
* There is NO crime in Kuwait because it is punished by death! So the justice system is used for divorce and disputes.
* A suitable breakfast consists of baked beans and some porridge that looks like oatmeal but tastes like some kind of mashed kidney bean/meat combination.
* I live on a construction site. LITERALLY. Any window I look out I see construction and dust.
* I miss grass.
* I am happy I brought a 5lb. bag of grits!
* Of allll the American channels under the sun, I have CNN, Bloomberg, and MTV. Yes, MTV.
* To cross the street you have to play Frogger! They don't slow down, even IF you are in a crosswalk!
* I might be getting a kitten! 

I can definitely think of a few more, but I will save them for next time! Tomorrow we are going to Carrefour (which is supposed to be like Super Walmart on steroids!) That should be fun! Let's pray my stomach holds it together for that trip... because I need more than eggs bread, orange juice, and water in my house. Well my fine friends, I must bid you adieu, and I will be back with more interesting facts about living in Kuwait and pictures, Insha'allah! (Something else I learned!)

Until Next Time,
Love, Peace, and Souuuul

Bout That Time....

Ok Kiddos!
It's Bout That Time... Today is the day I head out to Kuwait! I am feeling a plethora of emotions right now, excitement, nervousness, sadness, happiness, joy... to sum it all up, I have bats (not butterflies) in my tummy... and they are flapping their wings hard, like you see when a bunch of them fly out of the cave at night! I have my life narrowed down to 3 suitcases and an action packer and I'm laying here looking around at a gazillion things I could still take with me. I'm going to miss so much here in the A! 
Things I'll Miss:
My Mommy     My bathroom and kitchen        My church        Pinky (I really wish I could bring her)       Chou Lee's           Walmart in the middle of the night           Pigging out at Mary Mac's with my mom and cousin        After church QT with my mom over lunch         ALLLLL of my favorite stores where everybody knows my name          Laughing for hours over the most stupid stuff with Adam              My Poodah (Kennedi)      Complaining about the rain,.. then about the heat (Yeah, I know I'm moving into heat like Satan's farts)           Watching My babies grow up at my old school.....  OF COURSE I could go on and on and on... but I'll stop for now.

Here's my route... I leave ATL  and go to Chicago then to Abu Dhabi then to Kuwait... should take juuust about a whole day (20+ hrs)! SO, I will bid you adieu and I will catch you on the flip side! <3

The Papertrail Process...

Good Morning Fine People! Ok, so I meant to have this written around May, but yeah, that never happened. Life got busy and here we are, less than a month until moving day! But anywho... I wanted to talk about the process of preparing for the move to Kuwait. Let me just say this, the paperwork is NO JOKE! First, before anything you have to go to the doctor and get your medical testing done. I had to get a chest x-ray to check for TB, and a blood test to check for HIV/AIDS and Hepatitis. Once I got those results, I sent them in. Then I had to have a LEGALIZED copy of my degree. This isn't just a random copy. This meant having to actually go to the university and they put a university stamp on it (like the little raised stamp), notarized it, and sealed it. Luckily I don't live THAT far from my university, just an hour and a half-ish. Next, I had to go to the police department(S) and get my criminal background check and fingerprint card done. For my county, that meant going to two different police departments waaaaay on the opposite sides of town from each other. Then I had to make a copy of my driver's license.

So now, after all of this is done (as if it isn't crazy legwork already), the REAL legwork begins! All of this paperwork has to be authenticated and attested. The university already started that process for the degree by notarizing it. The other paperwork has to be notarized too... Easy, right? Wrong. You have to get it notarized then take it to the courthouse for the notary to be authenticated. I found this out AFTER going to the Secretary of State's office with my <just> notarized paperwork. So of course, she says you have to take it to the courthouse in the county of the person who notarized it for you. Since my friend who did my notary wasn't a resident in the county where I lived, I just went and got it re-notarized at the bank! Sounds easy, right? Wrong again! I got it re-notarized and took it to the Dekalb Co. courthouse to get authenticated, and the lady tells me, we can't authenticate this because the signatures don't match. You need to go find a new notary. OMG. So I drive around that day (after work, because I had ALREADY taken off a day of work to have all this done), looking for a notary that was still open, because apparently all the banks in downtown Decatur close at 4. I finally went back to my own bank and I got there right before 5 and they were able to do it for me free of charge. So the next day after work I fly over to the courthouse to have it authenticated AGAIN. Good deal, got it done. Then the next day I went BACK to the Secretary of State office because all of my paperwork must have the state seal on it. (I'm glad all the notaries in universities are already on file in the Secretary of State's office!) Done!

NEXT... The paperwork must be sent off to Washington DC to get legalized and attested. I have 3 sets of paperwork to be sent off, my degree, my fingerprints/background check, and my drivers license. The company I'm working for sent us a couple of companies to go through to get this done. I got a quote on the price and it was about $260ish. So I got a cashier's check and sent it in with my paperwork, along with the quoted invoice. Then I got a phone call to say it was REALLY more like $390! Apparently I selected the wrong things. But he worked with me and combined all the ones that had the same notary and that took it down from 3 items to 2 items, therefore I only owed another $21! Thankya Jesus!! So they stamped my paperwork with the US seal and sent it to the Kuwaiti Consul to get attested. I got all my paperwork back in about 2 weeks. The total cost of doing all this (which will be reimbursed because you KNOW I kept all my receipts), was about $500!

SO... I'm not sure how the process differs for other countries, because this was Kuwait's process, but if you are planning to go overseas, start getting your paperwork together! It's No Joke! At least all my running around can save somebody a few steps in the process! 
<3 <3 You My Friends!

Excitement...

In the tedious process of getting my medical tests and visa requirements, I have definitely found some things to be excited about! For one... a 3D ActivBoard!! WHAT?? Seriously Kuwait?? Y'all got technology like that?? Ok, you got me there! Next, SMALL CLASS SIZES! You don't know how much that excites me to no end! Especially when here, every year the class sizes are increased by 2, or 3, or 6 kids. Oh! Another thing that excites me is camel rides! Yes, I am looking forward to riding camels. (Don't look at me like that!) O'an let's not forget the fact that I got to fill out all these spread sheets for ANY and EVERYthing I can think of that I need in my classroom! Since the school is new, we are starting from scratch. The wrong thing to do is tell me to spend some money! You know I went ham...

Now one thing that doesn't excite me too much is having to be hemmed up in clothes in a place that feels like Hell's Foyer in the summer. Yeah, I don't even like clothes in the summer here! Pray for me. I'aint trying to go to NOBODY'S jail for indecent exposure, especially in a place like Kuwait! Sigh, So... bring on the shoulder and knee covers.Who knows, it may not be as bad as I'm thinking...

Crunch Time

Now that I am on Spring Break, I can actually sit down and sort through the laundry list of things I have to get completed! Omg its so much! 1st thing is get my documents together that I have to have legalized. I have a copy of my teaching certificate (Thank you GAPSC for being able to print "Official" copies from my own printer!!). I have to call UWG to get an official copy of my degree. I *hope* the fingerprint and background check I already did is good enough and I can just print that off too. As I learn how to do stuff and get it done, I will post it on here because hopefully I can help somebody else with the process... Because I am SO going to be "encouraging" others to come along for the ride!  <3