Yesterday, was an interesting day, and it started bright and early with me, missing the bus! True, I should have been there 5 minutes early, but technically the bus should have waited just those few extra minutes, to ensure that no one was still in the elevator.
True, waiting for the second bus is not an issue, it's only 15 minutes. But the problem was that by the time the second bus came around (the second and last bus, mind you), there were 17 teachers and 12 seats!
We call it a bus, but really it's a van. Our bus-van.
So we shoved as many as we could, sitting on each other's laps, sitting on the floor, squashed and smushed.
Needless to say, as cheery as we get when we're excited, there were quite a few people who were none to impressed!
But we survived. This morning I got on the early bus (5 minutes early!) and we made them wait the extra few minutes. Which was good, because by the time that bus left, it was full, too.
True, waiting for the second bus is not an issue, it's only 15 minutes. But the problem was that by the time the second bus came around (the second and last bus, mind you), there were 17 teachers and 12 seats!
We call it a bus, but really it's a van. Our bus-van.
So we shoved as many as we could, sitting on each other's laps, sitting on the floor, squashed and smushed.
Needless to say, as cheery as we get when we're excited, there were quite a few people who were none to impressed!
But we survived. This morning I got on the early bus (5 minutes early!) and we made them wait the extra few minutes. Which was good, because by the time that bus left, it was full, too.
Ramadan Kareem! This is the month of Ramadan. Muslims fast while the sun is up (fasting from food, water, music, television, smoking, sex...all sorts of different pleasures). It's actually illegal to eat or drink in public, you can be fined or put in prison for the rest of the month.
Last night we had the opportunity to go to a fellow teacher's house and experience Iftar, the meal you eat when you break the fast at the end of the day. Here is Natalie, at the gate. It's the only picture I took because I was too scared to take any inside of Nisreen's house.
The dinner was delicious.
All sorts of different foods, soups, salads, meats, rices - even a turkey - it was like a big Thanksgiving meal! And they do this several times throughout Ramadan. Not always so fancy, sometimes it's just leftovers, but often they get together with family and friends to celebrate.
We had a blast! I can't remember the last time that I've laughed so much.
She even sent us home with leftovers.
And the kicker - I've been trying to find Chai Tea here in Kuwait ever since I've arrived. Not only did she serve it last night, but she made it from scratch and she even gave me the recipe today at school! I can't wait to get the ingredients and make my own.
I'm really enjoying the time here in Kuwait, learning lots of new things. We have our first Arabic lesson tonight, and next Tuesday we're going to have another Iftar - our third. The first one we ate at a restaurant a couple days ago (Peppe's...I love Peppe's). But it's a different experience, and different food, each time. What an experience.
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