day 2

Well, I really feel like I am sitting in the lap of luxury. We are pampered at all hours of the day, and though I love it, I find it hard to get used to. Yesterday Ethan and I were checking email in the lounge, and as the maid came to collect the trash she must have noticed Ethan was not wearing shoes. So, after collecting the trash, she returned with slippers for Ethan! He was totally shocked, and very appreciative of the comfy shoes he was given. The front desk has an endless row of people who greet you each time you walk by, and constantly ask if they can get anything for you. Whenever we leave the hotel there is a doorman, and we have chatted with him on several occasions, he is just so sweet. All the workers at the hotel are delightful, but it appears that the Kuwaitis do not give them a second glance. They simply tell them what they want, allow themselves to be pampered and served, and I haven’t seen many thank yous going around. So whenever we dine at the restaurant downstairs we chat with our waiters, and they are just so friendly and appreciative. When I arrive they pull out my chair, and tuck it back in. If I get up they will refold my napkin into a perfect little point. At one point the cooks were refilling the food, and it was temporarily behind the counter and unavailable. I planned to simply return in a few minutes, but one of the cooks quickly stopped me, ran behind the counter, and filled my plate with whatever I wanted. Since we dine at the hotel each night ( I mean, who wouldn’t want to when the Kuwaiti Government is paying for such amazing meals) we have come to know the waiters, and have enjoyed chatting with them. Earlier we were dining outside with some new friends. Along the tables outside are little fountains. One of the little boys accidentally stepped backwards into one, and immediately the waiters were hauling him out, drying him, and just taking perfect care of him. His mom just stayed seated and laughed, because there were 4 different people assisting her son. I am enjoying being pampered, but it still just feels a little odd to constantly be served.

Talking about being served, the Kuwaitis appear to have brought their maids with them to the resort. They are easy to spot as they often wear pink uniforms and are always around the little kids. I have seen them running around at breakfast, and then especially at the pool. The children were playing and splashing around, and the maids just made a little ring around the pool. Some of them were chatting with other maids, others looked sour and irritated. I only saw one that actually seemed to enjoy being around her charge, and though she was in her uniform she was splashing and being splashed. I feel so sorry for these rich kids that are brought up with their every need granted by their maids. And if I’m correct, don’t children need time with their parents? There were definitely very few parents in the pool with their children.

At one point there were about 3 Kuwaiti women swimming in the pool. There was no way they were going to wear a normal swim suit, but they had a swimsuit unique to itself. It covered them from head to toe just like any normal outfit they would wear. It was somewhat like a long wet suit, but not nearly as tight, and it had a special hood like attachment to cover their hair.
If women go to the extent to swim all covered up, I wondered how they would work out. I wore my longest pair of shorts, and opted for a plain grey shirt rather than my Messiah one. When I got to the gym I felt a little out of place. I saw a couple women in their 20’s in long sleeves and sweatpants, but there was another woman who was working out in her burka. I felt so sorry for her because it was burning up in the building, with no air circulating at all, and I knew she just must be dying.

On the topic of heat, today was 116, yesterday was 112. Soooo hot! I haven’t even needed to dry my hair, because by the time I’m ready to go out, it is perfectly dried naturally by the heat. I woke up parched last night, and saw that the hotel was prepared, because on my bedside was a water bottle. I definitely need it. We discovered that you need water just about anywhere you go. So, I grab one from the mini bar every single time we go out. The air conditioning in our new car only works on one half of the backseat. I ended up having to sit on a small seat in the trunk with no leg room just so I could get a bit more of the air I so desperately needed. Without it in the middle my feet had been swelling, and I was just dying.

We had to find a clinic today to have our blood type tested. It was quite an ordeal to find it. I still have no idea how dad manages to navigate the roads, but apparently he understands the block system and though we got turned around and went down several random alleys we eventually found the place. It was in a random location, but the service inside was excellent. As Ethan was having his tested, dad was trying to read an Arabic newspaper. One lady apologized for not having an English one, and called to have someone fetch one for dad. She then went to dad and helped him translate part of the newspaper until dad discovered the word Obama. But sure enough, about 3 minutes later an English newspaper was delivered specially for dad.
The evening was spent visiting with another new couple who happen to be dad’s boss. They were delightful, and swapped stories and shared advice. We relaxed at the pool, lounged around, and walked along the beach collecting the most amazingly perfect and beautiful shells. The boys ran around bringing me hermit crabs, and I hope they didn’t get into the pile that mom brought back to her room!

Well, I am suffering horrible jetlag. Last night I stayed up till 2:30. I would have watched a tv show online, but discovered that the Kuwaiti ministry of something has blocked it. I was not very happy, but it forced me to go to bed. I guess I’ll go to bed now, midnight, and hope that my body clock resets soon!