Year Two: One Week Down

We have now been in Kuwait one week and in some respects it seems like we never left. Many of the people we taught with last year are still here and that makes it sweeter to return. Our apartment was in fine shape, the cat was fat and happy (as happy as cats can be, right?) and we are all up to speed with groceries, water (a necessity here) and working on the internet access dilemna. Life does indeed go on.

It feels so good not to be new, which is no knock against the 09-10 "newbies". It's just that the look of utter amazement, sheer panic and culture shock on their faces are a raw reminder of what we went through...and I don't want to go back there. Sorta like not wanting to relive junior high again.

The students appear on Sunday and that will be the real test of how much we want to be here. There are some minor snafu's--like David doesn't have a classroom, or a computer or a light switch for that matter (his room, which is a small building, was literally moved 20 feet over and in order to move it they had to completely dismantle it!)And I am still trying to access files that I should have access to, but either can't remember what I was told or the files have been deleted. You know, little stuff like that.

The humidity of earlier seems to have gone away, at least I can walk out of a room to the outside and not have my glasses immediately fog up. The workers are complaining about the heat...easy for me to criticize from an air conditioned office.
I can't imagine what it must be like to run a jackhammer or move file cabinets or carry heavy water bottles when it's around 120 degreesF. And may I never have to know that!!! (which is not knock against manual labor, I just know that I would not do well at that job).

I guess it's frightfully calm here, meaning that we are either used to the heat, the humidity, the sand, the sounds (the calls to prayer aren't even waking us up!) and the cultures. Oh no...that leads to mediocrity and boredom!!
Stay Tuned to see how we handle this dilemna!!

Thanks for reading this blog. I know that the every day happenings in the desert may not be much excitement, but I sure do feel better knowing that someone on the other side is reading this!! Have a cup of coffee and take a moment to look at the green/lakes/hear the birds wherever you are and be thankful! As for me, I'm headed off to enjoy the iftar (supper break at the end of the day in Ramadan)

Cheers!