Day 4 and 5

I think I now see why we are almost required to stay in a hotel for 10 days. At first I was thinking, I don’t care about the luxury, just give me a house and my own room! But now I see why. The combination of heat, lack of sleep, jetlag, and simply adjusting to everything makes me happy to be in a place where I can be pampered. I just took a nap because I couldn’t sleep at all last night, and am now still in my comfy bed because I just feel so sick. Oh well, at least I can enjoy the quiet while the others are down at the beach. Oh dear. I spoke too soon. They just returned. So much for a peaceful afternoon. Anyways the temperature has jumped to the 120’s. It is just disgusting how much you sweat. I thank God every single day for the amazing AC in this hotel. When we go out I’ve had to stop wearing my shoes and stuck to flip flops because my feet just swell too much. I hate this heat! I can’t wait till summer is over and the temperature goes down a wee bit.

Today I wore once again my long colorful skirt. I have worn it for 3 days, and though I love it, I am getting sick of having to wear it. Thank goodness it has many colors and I can at least swap shirts. I have a couple other skirts with me, but only one that goes to my ankles. I need my stuff from England to come! Every morning Emily wakes up and throws a fit about how she wishes she was in England and could run around in tank tops and shorts. She then begs me to pick out an outfit for her, and I find something modest enough. When I get dressed, I do the opposite of Emily, I find the longest and most modest outfit I can put together. I just feel so much more comfortable in it, because I know I am one of a very few Westerners here, and feel like I am on show. I know I can’t possibly begin to blend in, but I can at least dress modestly and respect their culture.

Yesterday we went to a mall. We were the only blondes in there. All of the women were in burkas or abiyas, though there were some teens who were in UK fashions, but they were layered with long sleeves and skirts. The whole mall was full of Western shops. There was New Look, Gap, Boots, River Island, Topshop, Calvin Klein, Debenhams, Miss Selfridge, and H&M just to name a few. However, I didn’t really see that many people wearing the clothes that were on display. I was delighted to see a Forever 21, and was hoping that perhaps they would have clothes a bit more modest than those sold in the states, and something I might feel a bit more comfortable wearing here. I was disappointed to find the exact same clothes, and wondered who on earth was wearing those here?

The mall was huge, and there were lots of people out perusing the shops. It appears to be a very social thing. The prices on everything were much higher than I would normally pay in the states. The last time I was in Forever 21 I bought 2 tops for $14, here it is $36 for a comparable top! I think I will be doing most of my shopping online.

I didn’t care to do much shopping at this point thanks to the prices, and the fact that I just spent my whole summer shopping in the states. I did however enjoy simply people watching. It was fascinating to study the different women and how some went to the extremes to remain completely covered. One woman was wearing a burqua, sunglasses, and gloves. I could not see a millimeter of her skin. Another lady was wearing a Burberry abiya. Yes, her abiya had a Burberry hem and sleeves. The range of women’s fashions is huge, and each one manages to make herself look unique in some way.

There were lots of groups of men walking around together, and many were enjoying coffee at the 3 Starbucks we saw. I laughed at the restaurants; Johnny Rockets, Auntie Anne’s, Baskin Robins, Coldstone Creamery, Pizza Express, … I never thought I’d see a Johnny Rockets in Kuwait. As I was taking a photo of the Auntie Anne’s sign I tried to show that I was taking a picture of the sign and not any of the people, so aimed it up high. Sadly I missed it, but Emily told me a group of Arab boys were trying to jump into my picture.

I never know quite how we’ll be received here. As of yet, I haven’t been shunned, but both mom and Emily have. Emily and I were at breakfast, and I smiled at a young lady pushing her elderly mother that was in a wheelchair. The lady nodded and smiled back. However, Emily smiled at the mother who took a loose corner of her abiya and covered her entire face until she was past us.

Today we went out to explore the souk. Sure, we were the only Westerners, but besides 3 other Indian women I saw helping their husbands at the stalls we were the only women in the entire souk. It was a little awkward, but everyone was very welcoming and friendly. There was a cacophony of “welcome, welcome, hello, merhaba, good day and come buy!” Everyone smiled and though they were definitely trying to attract us to their stall, nobody went too crazy.
The souk was outside with only some bits covered. I think it was in an older part of town, because lots of the pavement was chipped and rough, there were large murky puddles, and old drains running through it. It was great to experience it though. If it wasn’t for the heat that was beginning to get to me I think I would have enjoyed all the smells of various spices, but the combination made dizzy and sick.

We spent a lot of time trying to navigate through the cloth merchants section, and dad kept repeating how he was coming back to have some suits tailor made. Eventually we wound up in another area, and looked at the various scarves to find one to help cover mom’s back. A kind gentleman was looking for an interesting way to pass time, so he beckoned us to his stall. There he took Ethan and began to dress him like an Arab. He wrapped Ethan up and showed us the headdress for Yemen, and the different one for Kuwait. Ethan looked fantastic in it, and I think dad may have bought it if it wasn’t for the fact that Ethan was so excessively hot in it. We failed to find the gold souk this time, but will definitely be going back when we have more time to peruse, and when it is cooler out.

By 11:00 we had found our way to the Lighthouse church. We had read about it online and really looked forward to attending it. I was a bit confused when we drove into the parking lot. We were really only following many other people we saw carrying Bibles. We got out and had to walk awhile in a lot full of rubbish and so much sand and grit. To get into the area of the church we walked through a tiny door in this big metal separation thing. The whole layout was very confusing and puzzling. We got to an area with lots of little rooms meandering along a passageway. On accident we walked into the wrong room, but eventually we got oriented. It was a small room, with a couple ceiling fans, and lots of metal fold out chairs. I know I’m not doing a very good job describing the area and the church, but it was just so different. All I know is that it was unlike any church I have ever been to in the states. I enjoyed the service, though I admit that I was so jetlagged and tired from getting hardly any sleep the night before that I think I totally zoned out on some of the sermon. The worship was led by an Asian man and his small band. The two things that reminded me of home was the Indian woman who led prayer who sounded exactly like my best friend’s mom, and a couple hymns that we sang.

At a little before 12:30 we were quickly hurried out as the new group was coming in for the 12:30 service. There wasn’t a feel of community, and no one hung out in the courtyard afterwards to chat. As newcomers were told to put up their hands, and since we were not Indian or Asian, I guess most people knew we were new. One sweet lady from the Philippines came and introduced herself to us, but other than that we received no welcome.

We came back to the hotel after church and Emily and I took a nap. I couldn’t dream of moving from under the duvet to answer the door, but eventually got up to let mom in, then curled back under the covers. She began to describe the amazing buffet they had since it was Friday and I guess weekends here equal special menus. The moment she mentioned strawberries and chocolate fountain Emily bolted out of bed and grabbed me along to rush down to lunch.

One of the waiters showed us around and our eyes nearly popped out at the enormous assortment of food. There was a grill outside, a place to have omelets special made, a salad bar, hot and cold section, and it just went on and on. Emily ran directly to the new dessert section, and we immediately decided that we were just going to have desserts and call it lunch and dinner.

So, our appetizer was white and dark chocolate swirl ice cream. It was thick, creamy and sooo delicious. For our main course we had a crepe made to order. Ours included dark chocolate and kiwi. I didn’t know quite how that combination would be, but it proved to be superb. It was so incredibly fantastic. Our dessert involved the chocolate fountain. We dipped in melons and strawberries in the best milk chocolate I have ever had. Emily lost a couple berries in the fountain, so of course I laughed at her as everyone else in the place appeared very posh.

Now I’m back in the room trying to remember every detail to record and blog. Emily and Ethan are next door (I think) and mom and dad have gone out to explore another mall. It is finally peaceful in my room and I can put on my own music without anyone else changing it to something crazy. I think I may just kick back, relax, and listen to my sappy love songs now.