The Real World: Kuwait City

I’m convinced that my life right now is pretty similar to MTV’s Real World. I live in a pimped out apartment with people that I don’t know very well (except for Jill of course). Downstairs, they have a brand new pool table and exercise equipment, and we have these cool new jobs. If we only had a SUV to drive, it would be pretty much the same. Well, except for no booze, no clubs, no drama, and no fighting, it would be exactly the same.

Okay, it’s nothing like the Real World, but I continue to be thankful for this opportunity. I remind myself that not many people will have this type of experience, and I just add it to my list of blessings I have received. I know this summer will be challenging, but I also know that it will be worth it in the long run.

The first day of school
Even thought I’ve taught for many years, I always get nervous on the first day of class. If you’ve taught before, you know what I am talking about. The students don’t know you, and you don’t know them. It’s usually pretty quiet, and you have to do everything short of begging to get the students to talk. Today, I was much more nervous than usual. In addition to the usual issues of the first day of school, I was facing cultural differences, language differences, and gender differences. I’m still not sure why I was assigned the all female section, but I’m guessing there was a rationale for their assignments.

Jill, Emily, and I (we have decided to take a cab instead of walking…Justin and Meredith are walking each day) got to AUK campus around 9 a.m. We’ve decided that our workday will be from 9 a.m.- 4p.m. That will allow us to get to campus with plenty of time for the person with the earliest class and let us all leave together when the last person is done teaching. Once we got to campus, there were a few final touches to put on the syllabus before printing. My class began at 2:00 p.m. and there were 25 students on my roster. I was somewhat worried because at 1:55 p.m. I had only around 10 in the classroom. I started promptly at 2, and several continued to straggle in during the first 30 minutes. We’ve been warned that we HAVE to share our expectations immediately as it relates to being on time. The culture here is much more laid back, so their approach to time is much different than most. Like teaching in the US, I had to remind them to put their cell phone (mobiles) away during class. I told them if I can live without mine for 8 weeks, they can live without theirs for two hours. =)

I’ll be honest, I didn’t know what to expect today. My first impression of the class is that they are a very intelligent group of young ladies. Their English skills vary, but for the most part, everyone speaks fluently. They were interested/engaged during today’s class, and I hope that will continue. Because it’s a four-week course, we have to do our first presentations this week, and they seemed shocked by that. I’m anxious to see their abilities and how they handle this first presentation. They really seem like they want to become better public speakers, and they see the importance of the class and how it will benefit them.

Overall, day one of class was good. Not outstanding, but a solid class period.

Not connected
How did we survive without Internet in our homes? Better yet, how did we survive without Internet? In today’s world, most have access to email or the Internet whenever or wherever the want. Because of that, I can say that I am pretty much addicted to being able to email, chat, blog, Facebook, or IM at anytime. I have it at home, and I have it at work. Being in Kuwait, I was counting on the Internet as my means of communication with my family and friends. But, I am somewhat limited because we do not have Internet at our apartments yet. My time online is confined to my office at the university, and even there, some sites are blocked (Facebook mainly). We’ve been told that the Internet will be up and running by tomorrow, but we’ll see. We joke that once it’s up and running, we might not talk to each other, and we are convinced that not having it is their way of making sure we bond. Honestly, if not having Internet at my apartment is my biggest complaint I have at this point, I’d say life is pretty good. Although, I might complain some more if Skype really is blocked like they say.

Dust
The sandstorm that we had last weekend left our apartment DUSTY! Literally, the wind blew so hard; the dust came through my closed windows. I could write my name in the dust on the floor in front of my window. Finally, today, I bought a dust mop and dusted our floors. We have nice tile floors, and as of a couple of hours ago, they are dust free…or until Justin or I walk out and walk back in, or we get another sand storm.

I’ve been surprised that we’ve not really had a clear day. It seems like the later in the day it gets, the hazier it is. It’s the dust, and it’s been tough to get used to. Again, I fully understand that others have it worse than I do, so I’m not complaining at all. Just noting the differences.

Final thoughts
They did more work on the Dunkin’ Donut today. I think they painted the sheet rock, and I bet we’ll have another sign up before we know it. It also looks like another business is moving in the same area. Their sign was up today too. It was a big day near the Amman Street roundabout.