The Stress of Vacation

I think that most vacations are a mix of stress and relaxation. When I was growing up, our vacations consisted of an annual trip to the Kansas State Fair. Even though it was a vacation, I can remember my parents being slightly stressed. Were we ready? Was the car packed? Did we have the tickets? We should have left 30 minutes ago. He’s won’t leave me alone. I have to pee.

I’m sure many of you can relate. Vacations can be stressful, and for me, it seems the most stressful parts are getting there and getting home.

This vacation was no different. Jill and I left last Friday for our trip to Taba Heights, Egypt via Amman and Aqaba, Jordan. We both have extensive traveling experience, but I think we can both admit we were nervous about getting through airports in Kuwait and Jordan. Our biggest concern was making sure we could catch the ferry from Aqaba to Taba Heights to prevent us from having to cross through Israel. If we were forced to cross the Israeli border, we were at risk of not being allowed back into Kuwait. While that idea seemed promising, we decided against it.

The flight from Kuwait to Amman was probably the longest two-hour flight I had ever experienced. Many Kuwaitis seem to think rules do not apply to them. They allowed their small children to run up and down the aisle, and before we had even parked at the gate, they were up and moving towards the exit. It didn’t take me long to learn that if I didn’t do my fair share of pushing and shoving, I would never make it off the plane. It was crazy!

After we landed, we swapped some Kuwait Dinars for Jordanian Dinars (JD), and then we headed to the visa line. For once, the Kuwait system looked organized. Jill and I waited in line for over an hour to get our Jordanian visas. I don’t necessarily agree with it, but we definitely received an expedited process because we were Americans. Instead of stacking our passports on the bottom of the ten already in the stack, ours went right to the top.

With our visas in hand, we headed to Starbucks for a cup of coffee and a sandwich. We soon boarded our flight to Aqaba and landed on time or even early. We quickly located a cab to take us to the location where our ferry would depart. Let the stress begin.

The day before we left, I used our AUK-issued cell phone to make a call to Jordan in order to book our ferry across the Red Sea. The nice man asked me to email copies of our passports to insure our seats on the ferry. I was happy to oblige, and it seemed like things were going our way. Oh vacation…how you like to play with my emotions!

We roll up to the dock with our bags in hand, and we show them our passports and let them know we have reservations. Of course, we aren’t on the list. Go figure. Normally, this would not be a problem, except the ferry company has to get their list of passengers to the Egyptian authorities for approval. This takes at least 24 hours. Of course there is only one ferry that leaves Aqaba for Taba Heights per day…the one we can’t get on. Again, being American helped us here. The owner of the boat made several calls to the office in Egypt and miraculously we were able to get on the boat. Hallelujah. Unfortunately, the stress wasn’t over just yet.

We arrive in Egypt with no Egyptian money. None. Zilch. We weren’t quite sure what to do, but “inshallah” it would all work out. We passed the swine flu test and proceeded to get our Egyptian visas. After this, we waited for our cab. We were told that he needed five JD to take us to our resort. I had three, one-JD bills and a 50. Of course, he didn’t have change. We got to our resort, and Jill tried to get change. Imagine that, the hotel didn’t have any Jordanian money. Luckily the nice driver took my three JD, and we finally checked in to our resort.

After that stressful day, the next were relatively stress free. In fact, the biggest decision I had to make on a daily basis was if I should get in the water or not. Our time at the Taba Heights Marriott consisted of sleeping in, eating breakfast, laying on the beach, reading, sleeping, and then getting ready for dinner. It was a nice and relaxing break.

We stayed at Taba Heights until Wednesday. We were scheduled to fly back to Amman at 6:05 p.m. but decided to take a bus to Amman much earlier in the day. Of course there was stress getting back to the ferry, but at that point, it was expected. We made it to the bus station, and bought our ticket for the four-hour drive through Jordan. The bus ride was not bad. It was air-conditioned, and they played a movie (in Arabic) for our viewing pleasure.

We made it to Amman and got to our hostel where we met up with our friends. Emily, Meredith, and Kevin had already checked us into the hostel, and were making plans for our time in Amman.

The rest of the trip was fast and furious. There wasn’t much time for sleeping-in or lying around. We spent a day in Amman, found a happy hour, and we were off to Petra the next day. After a six-hour hike through Petra, we headed back to Amman, floated in the Dea Sea, and then went back to happy hour. Before we knew it, we were on a plane back to Kuwait. Because I’m lazy, instead of writing a lot about Jordan, I’ll just provide some pictures:

A Roman theater in Amman

Standing in front of the Treasury in Petra

A view on the hike to the monestary in Petra

The view from the hostel's balcony near Petra

Read before floating

Second Summer Session- First Week
The first week of our second summer session class has begun. So far, the biggest adjustment has been a change in my daily schedule. This session, I am teaching from 10:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Jill’s class goes until 5:15 p.m. so our ride home is an hour later each day.

I have eleven students, and it’s hard to tell how things will go after three class periods. Today was their first quiz, and they did much better than the last group on the first quiz. Informative presentations are on Thursday.

Other items of interest
Dunkin’ Donuts. It’s open! Just kidding. Sadly, I have no news to report.

Cabs. I am DONE, OVER, SICK OF having to haggle cabs. I will be so excited to get into my Jeep and drive where I want to go. The cabs like to take advantage of us, and they seem to think that we aren’t familiar with the “going rates” or the quickest ways to get home. After the Sultan Center on Sunday, I offered the cab driver 1KD. He laughed, and said 1 ½ KD. I went to close the door and walk away, and then he changed his mind. Don’t they know we are locals?? This isn’t our first rodeo. He proceeded to take us on the longest trip home since we’ve been here.

Dust Experiment. I have started the experiment. At this point, things don’t seem as dusty. Go figure. It’s just my luck. When I want to get started on an experiment, the conditions change.

Washing Machine. All I wanted to do when I got home from vacation was start doing laundry. I walk into my apartment and notice the washer/dryer is gone. No note, it’s just gone. Justin had left a note saying that it was broken, but the building manager later decided it needed to be repaired. I’m not sure what the current status is. I know that today, there should be a key for another apartment so we can use another machine. It seems like we have major electrical issues in this building. At least four or five machines have been fried since we’ve been here.

Revenge of the Chicken. So, I’m not sure what it is, but I’ve gotten myself another bug/bacteria in my system. This is the second time it’s happened since I’ve been here. I’ll not go into the details, but let’s just say it is not pretty. Good thing my sister does research on shigella.

Getting Close. We have three weeks left in Kuwait. We still have several things to cross off our list before we leave. We had to say goodbye to our new friend Amy before we left for vacation. Amy works full time at AUK and was headed back to the states for awhile. She’s been a saving grace for us here. Not only did she give us a ride home from campus each day, but she’s provided lots of insight to surviving Kuwait. I’ll definitely miss her and wish her the best!

School's Out!

If you’ve ever taught before (at any level), you know what the last week of class is like.  There’s a sense of excitement.  The students are anxious to finish, and you even find yourself becoming extremely excited about the end of class.  You might let a few things slide that you normally wouldn’t, and on the last day, you can’t help but be in a good mood.

This week I have experienced the euphoria associated with the last week of class.  Like previously mentioned, I have mixed emotions about the course ending.  I am definitely excited because we are taking a vacation, but at the same time I have become very comfortable with my students and enjoy teaching them.  Nonetheless, I can definitely say these young women have taught me as much as I have tried to teach them.

They speak with such passion about their beliefs.  They speak with hope for their future.  They love their culture and country, but at the same time, there is a sense of activism about them.  I firmly believe this is the generation of young women that will make changes in this country.  Yet, at times, their level of optimism is realistic.  As much as they would like to change to occur here, they recognize that it might not happen in their life time.  That does not deter their hope or their drive.  I wish that some of my American students could have just as much drive or passion as these young women.  They see the value in education, and most are working hard towards their goals. 

Now not all of my students possess such characteristics.  Unfortunately, a sense of entitlement is a trait that many in this country possess.  Some of my students carry that trait with them, but I hope that I have challenged that.  There are no exceptions.  It doesn’t matter what your last name is, how much wealth you possess, or what you bring me.  If anything, I hope that I have demonstrated a sense of fairness to everyone.

Because it is the end of the term, many of my students are traveling for the rest of the summer.  While American students head to the lake or go camping with their family, these students do it big.  I spoke with one student who is spending seven days in Dubai with her family and then headed to safari in Oman.  Another student is headed to France and Egypt.  Others are headed to Jordan, Beirut, or London.  Pretty nice summer vacations if you ask me.

Final Presentations

For their final presentations, students were asked to create a persuasive presentation.  Again, I was very interested in finding out what they would select as topics.  Topics ranged from typical:  “Car Accidents Can be Prevented,” Junk Food is Unhealthy,” “Water Conservation,” “Recycling.”  Other topics were less typical:  “Crisis of Globalization,” Interfaith Marriages- Shia and Sunni,” “Dark Chocolate is Healthy,” and even “Fast Food is Healthy.” 

Again, presentations ranged from bad to very good.  What I noticed is that many did not seem to grasp the concept of evidence to support their claims. We spent considerable time in class discussing the important of providing support to back their statements, but that did not seem to sink in.  It wasn’t uncommon to find words like “a lot,” “many,” or “much” as their support.  I wonder why that is?  Is it that because of their culture, they are forced to take such statements as fact?  Or is it laziness? I’m not sure, but I found it very interesting. 

After the final presentations were completed, two students asked me to coffee at the campus Starbucks.  Their rationale: “You’re not our professor anymore.   You’re our friend.”  You learn quickly here that if you turn anything down, it’s considered very rude.  I obliged their request.  The ensuing conversation was very culturally enlightening. 

I can’t express to you how much I learned from these two young ladies.  The conversation was very candid, and they spoke with great passion about their culture and their upbringing.  They both believe that women in this culture can have a voice and have power, but those woman are not viewed as marriage material.  We also talked about that many Kuwaitis get married at a very young age.  Here, if you are an unmarried woman at the age of 25, you might be labeled as a “spinstress.”  They talked about their plans after college, and we even discussed the subject of religion.  They told me that as women, they do not feel completely free.  They feel pressure from their families, and that often they do not feel as if they can do as they please.  It was a very rewarding conversation, and it is something I will remember vividly once I leave Kuwait. 

Overall, teaching these young ladies has been a great experience, and I am eagerly waiting for the next group. 

Other Items of Interest

Dunkin’ Donuts.  Once again, we have progress!  As Emily, Jill, and I were waiting for a cab the other morning, we peered into the open door.  They were pouring the floor.  We could have sworn we smelt fresh donuts baking.  Or maybe it was just the fresh Kuwaiti morning breeze.  Gross.

Dust Experiment.  I have been approved to conduct my dust experiment.  After we return from our travel to Jordan, I am beginning a dust experiment.  I talk about the dust, but sometimes words just don’t do justice.  For a week, I will dust half of the table each day and leave the other have undusted.  I think this will prove the amount of dust we collect weekly.  (The picture here is pre-dust experiment. The table was dusted about three days prior).  I’m not sure if I will need IRB approval for this experiment, but I know that the results will be published somewhere.  I’m definitely first author. 

Cabs. It’s not been a good couple of weeks for cabs.  After our experience at the mall last weekend, this week hasn’t been great either.  One driver this week chose to smoke on our morning commute.  Classic.  Yesterday’s driver did not use his air conditioner, and chose to beep his horn at EVERYTHING.  I’m not kidding you.  The morning conversation went like this:

Cory:  “How was BEEP your evening?”

Jill:  “It was BEEP good.  I got to BEEP  Skype with several BEEP people.”

Emily:  “Mine BEEP was good BEEP too.”

Jill:  “Forget BEEP  it. We’ll BEEP talk at BEEP work.”

Not only did he beep at everything, we were less than two blocks from campus and he clears his throat which obviously produced enough phlegm to spit out.  He leans to his left and spits out the window.  Jill had to dodge the spit.  Meanwhile, I had to turn the other way so he wouldn’t see me laughing.  It was CLASSIC!

Vacation.  Tomorrow at 11:05 a.m. Jill and I will be on a flight to Amman.  Pray for safe travels to and throughout Egypt and Jordan.  My pictures and a blog will come once we are back.  

The Avenues

My students are always very curious about what we do in our free time.  Unfortunately, I rarely have anything exciting to tell, and I ask them for suggestions on how to spend the weekend.  I’m curious what Kuwaiti college students do on the weekends.  Most of them live at home, and with no bars/clubs or alcohol, college life appears much different than what most American students experience.  When I asked them how they spend their free time, most respond the same:  “We go to the mall.”

This does make sense.  I mean it’s hot, so you aren’t going to head out for run or take a leisurely stroll during the daytime.  Being outside is not very appealing when it’s over 120 degrees.  Instead, they pile into their luxury SUVs and head to one of the many malls in and around Kuwait City.  There, Kuwaitis can enjoy the air conditioning while drinking Starbucks and looking for designer clothes and accessories. 

THE mall in Kuwait is called “The Avenues.”  (Check out the website: http://www.the-avenues.com/home.html)  In true Kuwaiti fashion, we headed out to The Avenues on Friday.  I’m not a connoisseur of malls.  I tend to avoid trips that include spending over two hours at any mall, but because there is not much to do on a weekend, I was game. 

As our cab pulled up, I was in awe.  This place was HUGE!  We went in and began to take in our new surroundings.  The mall had everything you could imagine.  Versace to Guess.  IKEA to Foot Locker.  Express, H&M, and even the GAP.  The food choices were also endless.  Chili’s. Applebee’s.  Johnny Rockets.  Marconi Grill.  Every fast food restaurant imaginable.  If you wanted coffee, you could choose between one of the seven Starbucks or any of the other chain coffee shops.      

What did I buy?  Nothing.  Well, not nothing.  I did purchase my first souvenir.  I purchased a Kuwait Starbucks mug.  I know.  Nothing traditional, but I had to have it.  Otherwise, everything else was very expensive!  We felt at home in the GAP, but it didn’t take long to

realize price is not an issue to many Kuwaitis.  A men’s polo was on sale for 6KD (over $20), and that’s on sale!  Definitely not the bargain you can find in the GAP outlet at Christiansburgmall. 

After several hours, the mall became noticeably busier, and we were done.  We decided to catch a cab and head back to the apartment.  This is where things got interesting.

For the most part, we’ve had decent luck with cabs to this point.  I mean, yes, some of them smell funny and the driver might be slightly creepy.  However, there have been no cabs stories to this point.  We located our driver and negotiated our price and headed to his cab.  It looked new-ish, and when we got in, Metro Station was blaring on the radio.  It smelled pleasant and even had a Renuzit air freshener on the dash.  I thought to myself that this was going to be a great end to a great day.  I thought too fast.

As our driver was backing up, apparently he did not see two teenagers directly behind his car.  He didn’t hit them, but the teenagers were not happy.  They began yelling and pounding on the trunk of his cab.  Our driver was yelling in Arabic, and one of the teenagers came to the passenger window.  This is also where I was sitting.  The cab driver rolled down the window, and they continued their yelling match.  Except now, I was in the middle of it.  I was just waiting for them to start swinging at each other over me.  Again, we aren’t sure what was said, but it angered the driver enough that he got out of the cab.  The teenager went over to the driver, and they began fighting…shoving, pushing, yelling, and even choking each other.  

Meanwhile, we are still in the cab paralyzed, not sure what to do.  After we realized something bad was going down, we bailed.  As we were getting out, the driver appeared surprised and yelled at us to get back in.  We quickly left the scene and found another driver to take us home.

I’m sure there are many levels to why the incident elevated so quickly.  Perhaps the teenager made a comment about a “lowly cab driver.”  Or maybe the cab driver made a comment about “spoiled rich kids.”  I’ll never know.  I do know my heart was racing after that experience, and it makes me appreciate our morning drives to campus with our “normal” cab drivers.

ENGL 108: Week #3

Our four-week crash course in Public Speaking ends on Thursday, and I am having mixed emotions.  It takes about two or three weeks before you really begin to have a relationship with your students.  I am finally feeling comfortable with my students, and I can tell they are much more comfortable with me.  We have bonded, and I’m a bit sad that I get another group of students in a week. 

I am learning more and more about my students, and it’s fascinating to hear about their lives.  Several are married and one is pregnant with her first child.  Many have aspirations of graduate school, and one student was telling me about her desire to pursue graduate school in London.  Another student was telling me about her plan to transfer to Texas A&M in College Station and finish her degree in petroleum engineering.  One student is back in college after taking off 20 years.  She is originally from Brooklyn and met her Kuwaiti husband while he was in graduate school in the New York.  Listening to them describe their live in Kuwait and their future plans is intriguing, and I find myself wanting to spend time visiting with them during class. 

This past week their presentation was a collaborative presentation in which the topics were chosen by the class.  They were given six categories (current events, travel, education, culture, history, processes), and they were able to identify several topics in each.  I did however have the right to eliminate topics immediately (Michael Jackson’s death).  Through the process of elimination, we settled on five topics:  honor killings, Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait, English versus Arabic, breast cancer, and Turkey.  I thought the topics were very interesting, and I was really looking forward to their presentations.

Personally, I found the Iraqi invasion one of the most fascinating topics.  While visiting with the members of that group, I learned that each was affected by the invasion in different ways.  One student’s father was captured, and he eventually fled back to his family.  The invasion began on August 2, 1990, and one student was born on August 3^rd.  Originally, Iraqi soldiers “claimed” her as a citizen of Iraq.  In fact, it wasn’t for another year that she received her Kuwaiti passport, and at that point, her parents changed her name to “Amel” which in Arabic means “hope.”  For my students, most were either very young or not born when the invasion occurred.  Even so, each has their own story, and I wish I had more time to ask about their experience.

I also was very interested in the group’s presentation about “honor killings.”  If you aren’t familiar with this concept, Google it.  This group spoke with such passion.  It was evident they believe in the importance of informing our class about this phenomenon.  In fact, they went over the time allotted for their presentation, and which results in a loss of points.  After class, one member came over to me and asked me if they were over time.  After I told her yes, she said she knew they would lose points, but that the points were not as important as informing the women about this topic.  Again, I was impressed.     

This next week’s presentation is a persuasive presentation.  I am definitely interested in seeing what these young ladies come up with. 

Other items of interest

Dunkin’ Donuts.  Just when I think there is no progress to report, then something changes!  After our Saturday morning breakfast of pancakes and French toast, we were at Jill and Emily’s when Jill saw some movement.  There were four or five people that were leaving DD, and they had all kinds of paperwork with them.  I’m sure they were doing final inspections before the grand opening.  Okay, not really, but one can hope.

Meredith’s Birthday.  I think that Meredith had a good birthday!  The ladies experienced the aqua park for the afternoon, and then we all had dinner at Zaatar W Zeit.  The restaurant specialized in Lebanese food, and it was excellent! I especially enjoyed the labneh and halloum for our appetizers!  (Check out the menu if you are interested: http://www.kuwaitpaperdump.com/food-restaurants/zaatar-w-zeit/)Again, the meal was relatively inexpensive, and we topped off the dinner with a trip to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. Big day, big day!

The Gym.  I know I’ve mentioned our quaint gym in our building. Don’t get me wrong, we are very lucky to have it.  The equipment is new, and there is a new flat screen television on the wall.  However, the air conditioning does not work on a consistent basis.  Temperatures range from 24 degrees Celsius to 31 degrees Celsius (24=75 degrees F, 31= 88 degrees F).  It’s hot down there, and there is no air moving at all.  I will definitely be glad to hit the pavement in Blacksburg or even get on the treadmills at New Tech Fitness. 

Dust and Tile.  I’ve never lived in an all tile apartment.  The tile is great, and it looks awesome!  However, with the amount of dust present, it is so hard to keep clean.  I guess this is helping me with my OCD cleaning tendency, but it can get rather disgusting.  You can dust the table in the morning and by the end of the same day, it’s dusty again.  In fact, Emily left a cup of water on their table one morning, and she reported that when she got home, there was thin layer of dirt on the water.  Tasty.  For now, we are sweeping lots and keeping our curtains closed during the day.  Maybe that will help.

Travel.  We are doing some traveling next week.  Jill and I leave for Taba, Egypt on Friday, and we will meet Emily, Meredith, and Kevin in Amman, Jordan on Wednesday.  We are going to spend two days in Amman and make the trip to Petra as well.  We are talking about the possibility of also visiting the Dead Sea.  I can’t wait!  

Independence Day

Celebrating America’s Independence Day in Kuwait was definitely different. For me, the 4th of July has always meant spending time with my family and friends. Some years it involves a lake, a boat, or a pool. There are barbeques, fireworks, and a sense of patriotism. This year, there was no lake, no boats, and definitely no pools. We went without a barbeque and fireworks, but for me, there was definitely a sense of patriotism. Living in another country continues to teach me many things, but it also reaffirms my pride in being an American. I am proud to be an American.

Our 4th of July celebration involved cooking the “typical” food you might find at a barbeque. We had burgers. The label said “American Beef,” but I was not allowed to read the ingredients out loud. We had baked beans. We had pasta salad, fruit salad, and cheesy potatoes. We had chips, salsa, and refried bean roll-ups. To top off the meal, we had homemade apple crisp. The food was fantastic!

Had we been at home, our celebrations might have been slightly different. Even so, it was a great way to honor America and those that have fought (and still are fighting) for our independence. No matter your political affiliation, I hope the 4th of July reminded you of those who have made the ultimately sacrifice for our country.

Traditional Kuwaiti Food
We finally headed out for a traditional Kuwaiti meal based on my students’ recommendation. As we walked in, I could tell this would be a great experience. We sat down and immediately were served something sweet. I would describe it as doughnut balls covered in syrup. Very tasty, but I couldn’t help but think that they should be covered in powdered sugar. We ordered several appetizers…hummus, grape leaves, and tabbouleh (تبولة‎). For my main course I ordered machbous (مجبوس). Machbous is a meat dish served over rice. I chose chicken instead of mutton, and I think I made the right choice. The main dish was quite tasty. All of the chicken I have eaten here is on the bone. At home, I pretty much stick to boneless, skinless chicken, so getting a half chicken on my plate is a definitely something new.

The best part of the meal was when we got our check. Six of us ate for less than 15 KD…that means we each spent around 2.5 KD for appetizers, our meal, and our drinks. That equates to less than $9 per person! I’d say that was a successful meal!

Second Week of Class
My class continues to go well, and honestly, it’s among my favorite experiences so far. The two hours I teach seems to go very quickly, and my students are still very polite and considerate.

We’ve had two presentations, and I have seen improvement. We really focused on introductions this past week, and I can say they were ten times better. I’ve noticed that my students tend to use filler words (uh, um) quite frequently when speaking. Their tendency is to use those words if they are having issues with the translation. For the most part, my class has adequate English skills. There are a couple of students that do not speak fluent English, and I am sure that having a public speaking course was rather frightening to them. Even so, they are doing their best and seem to be trying hard.

As I continue to learn about this culture, I can begin to see a greater value in teaching women public speaking. While is it important that men and woman refine these skills, I believe it’s imperative for women in this culture to be able to stand and speak effectively and fluently. I’ve have told them I envision them being women that can stand up, share their opinions and ideas and others will listen! The first time I made that statement, they applauded me. That is definitely something that has never happened it the states!

While the students are improving, I worry that the rigor is not where it needs to be. There is so much information to cover in a short period of time, that it’s very challenging to get deep into the content. We have weekly quizzes, and my students struggle with them. They are mainly knowledge questions, and we still have a class average of 7/10. We have made this week’s quiz twenty questions, and we have included higher level thinking questions as well. We’ll see how it goes.

Other items of interest
Dunkin’ Donuts. We’ve had progress!!! We got home from work one day, and Emily came running up the stairs and told me that I had to look across the street. They have replaced the sign on the sheet rock. It’s glorious. Now, I’m not sure what’s happening on the inside, but I just know that I’ll get an iced coffee from there soon!

Meredith’s Birthday. Today is Meredith’s birthday! The girls are checking out ladies day at the aqua park this afternoon, and I can’t wait to hear some good stories. We’ll have dinner this evening at a Lebanese restaurant Meredith picked out, and then she made herself a homemade carrot cake. It’s going to be a good evening!

Starbucks. Hi. My name is Cory, and I’m addicted to Starbucks. There is a Starbucks on campus, and that’s bad news for me! It’s so easy to walk over and get an iced Americano to get me through the morning. But, I also have will power. I’ve told myself that I am allowed a trip to Starbucks on Sunday and Thursday mornings. However, today I had the money laying on my desk, but I put it away. I’m a rock.

Dress code. Check out the reminders sent to the student body about the dress code. I found it quite humorous. For those of you in education, you might your administrators if they can send this out to your students. I didn’t do any editing on this email…this is exactly how it was sent to students. Enjoy!

• No offensive pictures or writing on your t-shirts. Mind you FCUK cuts it really close. That is about as edgy as one should get! When you wear the t-shirts that have explicit sexual references; that is unacceptable.
  
• Guys, if you wear short-shorts, that in and of itself is a violation. Please don’t hurt our eyes!!


• Ladies you are wearing low-rise jeans, we do not need to see the G-string (as attractive as it may be in your opinion). This means your t-shirt or blouse must be a bit longer.


• Guys, when you wear jeans and your Calvin’s are showing, that is unacceptable. Pull ‘em up and get a belt!


• When you wear those cutie shorts, minis, etc. you must put on leggings. It may be HOT as the dickens and you may have fantastic legs but…


• If you have on a shrift and when you bend over, your goodies can be seen, that is not good! Get a longer shrift (won’t be as fashionable but get a longer one or wear leggings!)


• If your blouse is cut so low that the “girls” are noticed before your beautiful smile, it will make others frown!


• Sleeves! Not sleeveless; tanks must have an over-shirt. Guys this goes for you too. Don’t want your pecks peeking!
  

Back to Routine

Routines seem to follow me. You know what I mean. Just when you think that your life is becoming exciting and full of adventure, a new routine creeps up on you. It’s already happened to me in Kuwait. Allow me to share my very routine day…

7:30 a.m. I wake up and eat a bowl of cereal. If I am feeling like I need some caffeine, I’ll make me a quick cup of some instant Nescafe coffee. Delicious. Then, time to shower and get ready for the day.

8:45 a.m. I meet Jill and Emily in the lobby for our cab ride to campus. They hand me their money, and then I am in charge of flagging down a cab and negotiating our ride. “American University. Salmiya. 1 KD.” I’ve got it down.

9:00 a.m. I arrive at my desk and begin to check the following websites: Yahoo mail, Virginia Tech mail, CNN, Wichita Eagle, Ark City Traveler, Blogspot, and maybe if I am feeling lucky, Bank of America. This process will continue for approximately 45 minutes

9:45 a.m. I decide that I should probably check my AUK email and respond to any student emails. During this time block, I also decide to plan class, make copies, check PowerPoints, etc, etc. This takes me about an hour and a half.

11:15 a.m. At this point, I’m hungry. I eat lunch. Lunch is usually PBJ, some veggies, and an apple. If I get really crazy, I go for a granola bar too.

Now the next two hours are somewhat of a blur for me. Justin and Jill are teaching during this time, so the office is empty. I usually “do work.” No, seriously. I have plenty of VT stuff to work on, and I spend that time working on those items. Unless, I don’t feel like working. Then I managed to spend more time on the Internet.

2:00-4:00 p.m. I teach during this time. Enough said.

4:00 p.m. Jill, Emily and I wait in the lobby by the elevator for our ride home. Our friend Amy lives in the same building, and she gives us a ride in the evenings.

4:45 p.m. I hit the “gym.” We are pretty lucky to have new treadmills and some random weight machine in our building. I’m getting huge.

6:00 p.m. At this time, I start to figure out what I want/can make for dinner. This can be quite a process because nothing sounds good.

7:00 p.m. If I am lucky, there is a good movie on one of our English channels. Or sometimes, I’ll even watch a not-so-good movie. Although one night, I decided that wasn’t bored enough to watch Herbie Fully Loaded starring Lindsey Lohan. I told Justin that if he ever catches me watching the Tyra Banks show (which is ALWAYS on) to hit me.

Again, the next couple hours become a hodgepodge of doing not much. It usually involves television, chatting on Facebook or MSN, and some conversation/laughing with my VT pals.

9:30 p.m. I try to read. That sounds funny. I mean I read. I have lots of books to read, so I read.

10:00-10:30 p.m. Time for bed!

2:45 a.m. The call to prayer wakes me up. There is a mosque next door, and they have loud singing/praying they play through the neighborhood. I’m not kidding…this lasts until 3:15 at least.

That’s my routine. Even thousands of miles from one ordinary routine, another has found me. It’s not a bad one, definitely not strenuous, but it is, for lack of a better word, routine.

ENGL 108: Public Speaking

As of today, we are halfway through our four-week public speaking sprint. Class is going well, and there are many similarities between my students here and students in the United States. I still have to remind them to be on time and to put away their phones. I have to tell them to take notes, and I remind them each day to bring their books. Some of my students do the readings, others do not. Some actively participate; others sit back and do not. There are also differences. My Kuwaiti students are still much more polite. Even when I did not allow a student to attend after being 40 minutes late, she still apologized and thanked me. They actually dress up every day. I have not seen one pair of sweatpants, and I’d say only once or twice has a student worn a t-shirt.

Today is their second presentation. I’ll report how they were next blog.

Other items of interest:

Dunkin’ Donuts. I am afraid it’s not going to happen while we are here. I got really excited when I saw Pepsi machines being unloaded, but sadly they were for the shop next door. Dang it.

4th of July. While many of you are celebrating our nation’s independence with barbeques, pools, and beverages, we will be celebrating it Kuwaiti style. We have prepared our American menu, and Jill has made an American playlist. I’ll let everyone know how it turns out. Sadly the group has vetoed my idea of hanging American flags out our windows.

Electrical concerns. It seems that there are a few electrical issues with our apartments. We’ve heard of two washing machine plug-ins that have melted in the wall (Meredith’s being one) and the cable box in the gym was smoking the other day. There is one elevator that I have decided to avoid…it just seems sketchy. And yes, this is a brand new building.

Free Ice Cream. The AUK Office of Student Life sponsored free ice cream yesterday. Emily and I enjoyed a cup of cookies and cream before we realized we could have gotten two scoops. No worries, I went back with Jill later in the day.

Bringing the Heat

Okay, I feel like it’s finally time to talk about the heat.  Now, I know it can get pretty hot in the Midwest.  I’ve experienced those hot, humid days in Kansas, and if you aren’t from there, you probably don’t know what I’m talking about.  I mean there were days in Kansas when it gets over 100 degrees and the humidity around 90%.  It’s hot!  I’ve been there.  I know that.  BUT,there is nothing in comparison to the heat in Kuwait.  Today, I think I can officially say it was the hottest day I’ve experienced. 

On our mission to explore the city, we were up and out the door by 8:30 a.m.  Our first stop was the Friday Market (I’ll explain later).  At 9:00 a.m., the temperature at Friday Market was 41 degrees C.  If you do a basic conversion, you’ll see that is approximately 106 degrees F.  This is at 9 in the morning!  The longer we were out, the hotter it got, and the sun is so intense.  The humidity is pretty low, but when you factor in the sun, it’s miserable.

You can tell when those in our group start to get hot.  First, we usually get pretty quiet.  We just keep walking.  Then, we begin to find any type of shade possible.  We keep walking.  Next, it usually ends up with someone mentioning the possible sighting of a mall or other indoor area.  We keep walking.  By the time we reach an air-conditioned building, we are drenched.  To quote Emily, “I think I am sweating in places that I didn’t know could sweat.”  Yes, it’s hot. 

I can’t complain about the heat too much.  I at least get to wear shorts, and I can’t help but think of our military that are in places just as hot wearing long pants and long sleeves.  Needless to say, I think today I will stay inside. 

The first week of class

We all survived week one!  I can report that there have been no major issues in class.  My students appear engaged and invested in the learning process.  Their first presentations were on Thursday, and they ranged from very good to very poor.  The same principles exist here as they do in the states…if you prepare adequately, you’ll give a good presentation.  If you do not, your presentation   will suffer. 

It’s been somewhat challenging to adjust to a different workweek.  The Muslim holy day is Friday, so our workweeks are Sunday-Thursday.   It’s a very small thing,but I still catch myself talking about the wrong day of the week. 

Jill and I are requiring that each of our students meet with us at least once during the term for individual “coaching.”  During that time, we will sit down with our students and watch their presentation (they are recorded) and offer verbal feedback.  I am anxious to see how many students take advantage of that this week.  I believe that the students are very open to feedback, so I have a feeling I’ll see quite a few.

Exploring Kuwait

We’ve learned that it’s best to do plenty of research prior to heading out into the city.  Now that we are wired at our apartments, we have the means to make sure places are open, get addresses, and check times for the sights we’d like to see.  With that being said, we decided that we’d explore some of downtown Kuwait City this weekend.  Our main points of interest were the Friday Markets and the Kuwait National Museum.

Friday Market.  We were pretty excited about making our way to the Friday Market (or souk).  I’m not gonna lie, it was pretty overwhelming.  All five of us crammed into a cab for the 2KD ride to the market that was held at the fairgrounds.  The best way to describe it is the biggest flea market you have ever seen.  You could buy anything you wanted at this place:  irons, perfume, rugs, tools, dogs, birds, pigeons, monkeys, goats…ANYTHING.  It didn’t take long for us to realize that we didn’t need to spend a long time here.  We stuck out like sore thumbs; hence we didn’t feel the need to take any pictures.  Why make ourselves look more obvious?  Time to look for another cab.

Kuwait National Museum.  We thought the museum would be a great way learn about the history of Kuwait.  Sadly, we were wrong.  Unfortunately, during the Iraqi invasion, it was looted and mostly destroyed.  All that is left is two rooms.  There is a room with about eight large wooden doors on display, and then another room that houses archaeological items.  The grounds of the museum are quite large, but most of it is closed.  It’s actually sad when you think about it.  I was slightly amazed that there had not been more rebuilding of the museum.  It seems like the rebuilding of the country has been more commercial than historical.

At this point, we are hot.  We decided to walk towards the palace of the Kuwaiti Emir (ruler). Across the street from this beautiful palace was a very old, run-down building.  Such a contrast, but that contrast seems very prevalent in Kuwait.  We passed the Grand Mosque on the way.  The Grand Mosque is Kuwait’s largest mosque and can hold 10,000 men at prayer time.  Because it was Friday (the holy day) we knew that we were not going to be able to go inside, so we simply observed it in passing.  We are still really hot and the day is only getting hotter at this point.

Finally, we see our saving grace…a mall!  We knew this would be our refuge for air conditioning and a drink.  This mall had quite a food court.  We could choose from any fast food restaurants even Chili’s or Applebee’s.  We finally cooled down and cleaned ourselves up a bit before lunch.

The Burger Hub.  In Jill’s research, she came across a place called the “Burger Hub.”  After taking a look at the menu, we decided that a burger and fries was the weekend treat we needed.  We caught a cab to the Burger Hub and gorged ourselves with burgers, fries, and pumpkin chips.  I know what you are thinking.  It definitely wasn’t traditional Kuwaiti food, but at this point in the week, we felt that we deserved a treat.  Again, Emily said it best “I could eat the crap out of a burger and fries.”  She’s so wise.

After our delicious burger, we called it a day and began the process of looking for a cab.  This proves challenging during the heat of the day.  We finally found one and made our way home.  It was a short, but very exhausting experience. 

Other items of interest

No progress to report on the Dunkin’ Donuts.  There was a crane out front the other day, but sadly it was not working on the store.  I can taste the donuts.  I know it’s close to opening.

I got my hair cut for the first time in Kuwait.  Jill cut it for me.  My brother gave me a pair of clippers, and I convinced Jill that she couldn’t screw up my hair.  Actually, I think my exact words were “It’s like shearing a sheep.  If you can do that, you can do this.”  With only one little “oopsie” it’s a good job.  Thanks, Jill.  You’ll have your own salon before you know it.

Our Thursday night activity was a “make your own pizza” night.  It was very tasty…lots of fresh veggies and homemade pita pizzas.  We topped off our crazy night with three episodes of Weeds. 

Today, we booked our travel excursion.  It looks like we’ll be exploring Jordan.  Jill and I will spend our week off in Aqaba, Jordan and then Meredith and Emily will join us in Amman.  I can’t wait!

You Always Want What You Can't Have

It starts innocently enough. Sometimes it starts as simply letting someone know that you are hungry. Next, you begin to describe what you would eat if you were able to eat anything you wanted. Before you know it, it’s out of control. You are describing mouth-watering meals, foods you can’t have, and drinks that aren’t allowed. It’s dirty. It’s wrong.

The conversation on the ride home from campus usually goes something like this:

Cory: “I’m hungry.”
Jill: “Me too.”
Emily: “Oh my gosh…you know what sounds so good??? A burger from Mike’s.”
Cory: “Mmmm…I love burgers. I want some chip and dip with my burger. I could eat the crap out of some chips and dip right now.”
Jill: “Me too. I love chips and salsa. And queso made with Velvetta…in fact, I could just eat the Velvetta plain and be happy.”
Emily: “You know what goes good with burgers, chips, and dip? Chocolate. Like a flipping pound of it.”

It’s not to say that we can’t get the food we want because we can. At least once a week, we stop at the Sultan Center where we can get our fix of Old El Paso items, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, or even the biggest jar of Pace Picante Sauce you can find. The Sultan Center is the westernized grocery store, and it’s about two or three blocks from AUK. They have a great variety of fruits and vegetables, and pretty much any name brand food we can get in the US. BUT…we still talk about food. All the time! I think that we all have an idea of the first meal we are going to have once we get back. Right now, I’m thinking about Mexican food. I have to stop. This could get out of hand.

People have been asking what I have been eating. For the most part, I’ve been eating the same as I would in Blacksburg. I’ve been trying to eat as much vegetables as possible, and Justin bought a 5KG bag of rice, so we’ve had lots of rice. I’ve only eaten out twice. The first was at a place that I’ll call “Panera-ish”. It was pretty tasty. Then, the director of the writing program at AUK took us out to eat at an Indian/Chinese restaurant. I had “chunky beef” and rice. We also had some excellent hummus. The meal was great! There are plenty of familiar restaurants, but they are much more expensive than they are in the states, so we’ve avoided them. But, we are planning a trip to “Taco Time” in the near future.

Our latest eating adventure came last night. All along the streets there are small shops that have a rotisserie out front cooking chickens. We’ve driven by them and commented on how good the chicken looked, but for some reason, we’ve been hesitant to try them. I mean, seriously, who wants to get salmonella from an undercooked chicken from a street vendor in Kuwait? BUT, our new friend Kevin tried one the other evening and said it was amazing. So after we got home from campus, the five of us took off in the search for chicken. Surprisingly, there was a shop less than block away from our apartment building! For 2.5 KD, we got two whole chickens, some pita bread, and a spinach salad. They were amazing! I think I could eat a chicken everyday for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. And the best news is that, at this point, no one has been visibly ill.

Not only do we talk all the time about food, but now we’ve started to talk about technology. Yes, there is still no Internet at the apartment even though they told us “three more days” about six days ago. We joke about spending too much time on Skype, texting each other, or checking for things online. Not sure if you’ve noticed, but we are pretty funny.

Students at AUK
I wasn’t really sure what the students at AUK would be like. I hoped they would be very similar to the students that I have taught in the past, and I can say they pretty much are. There are a few differences though. The students at AUK are some of the best dressed and accessorized I’ve ever seen. They are very conscious about how they look, and it is pretty evident. The girls in my class carry designer purses and wear designer sunglasses. They LOVE their Blackberries! Even the boys on campus look much different than boys in America and are much different than the boys on campus at VT. I told Justin and Jill that I felt like we needed to print off the Armani logo and tape to our shirts for the first day of class. Maybe then, we’d look like we fit in. Let’s not even talk about the cars that they drive. Now, I can’t be sure, but I’m betting of the students in my class, we’ll have several Mercedes, BMWs, maybe an Toyota FJ or two, and probably several other SUVs. I can’t wait to get out to the parking lot and take a picture of the variety of kinds of cars.

Before I got here, I was curious as to how my students would dress. I was assuming that most of my students would be Muslim, and I thought that most would wear traditional Muslim attire. In my class, I have a mixture. Around a quarter of my students do not wear any of the traditional dress. If you were to put them in a room with Americans, the only way you would be able to tell who was from Kuwait would be to listen to them talk. Around half of my students wear a hijab. The hijab is a headscarf that covers their hair and neck. But, their headscarf is still quite trendy and colorful and most also wear big sunglasses. One or two students wear an abaya, which is a black, long sleeved floor-length robe. I have not seen many students at AUK that wear a burqa, which also covers the face. No matter what they are wearing, they are very well dressed, and I can tell they take pride in their appearance.

Aside from the obvious differences or similarities, I will venture to say that my students are very eager to learn. They are very, very polite (excuse me, Mr. Professor) and they even raise their hands when they want to talk. I’ve been teaching just as I would if I was teaching American students, and they are responding nicely. The first time we did a “teach back” they weren’t quite sure about it, but they ended up doing an excellent job and seemed to enjoy it.

Our first presentation is on Thursday, and I am anxious to see how that goes. I’ll report this weekend.

Other items
The Dunkin’ Donuts is still making progress. They’ve put a door in the new sheet rock they have put up. I’m sure that in no time, I’ll be getting my fill of delicious donuts fresh out of the oven. Okay, that was sarcasm. I hope it is ready for the people that come next year.

We got a cell phone today. When we got to thinking about it, it probably isn’t a good idea that we have NO means of communicating with anyone once we leave campus. The director of the writing program was pretty concerned and suggested we see if we could get one. The university hooked us up. We have one phone for our entire group, and we were explicitly informed it only makes local calls. Good thing Pizza Hut and Papa Johns are local. We even programmed the number for the US Embassy…just in case.

We finished season one of Weeds. Wow. Good stuff. Between our chickens and the four episodes of Weeds we watched (including the season one finale), yesterday was a big day!

My brother asked me the other day if what I missed most from home. I’ve come up with some items: curtains/blinds on my bedroom window, a full-size washer and dryer, English speaking TV channels, and my coffee pot. Other than that, all is well at the Amman Street roundabout.