First Impressions

Well, I’m here! I am in Kuwait. It doesn’t just feel like a new country, it feels like I am in another world. Everything is different, new and exciting, and I hope I can share a glimpse of it through this blog.

As I am writing my laptop is coated in a fine layer of sand. No, I haven’t taken my laptop down to the beach, the sand is simply in the air. I can’t feel it, but I can see it as it coats my stuff.

We arrived yesterday, and the moment we exited the plane I knew I was not in Kansas anymore. I think I was stared at as much or more as the stares I was giving other people. I had to struggle to be polite and not gaze with my jaw dropped at the array of people and sights. I saw many groups of men in long white robes chatting in clusters. Some of them had checkered “tea cloths” on their head, and others had elaborately sculptured headdresses pointing off in various directions. The women wore a wide range of clothing. Some had the full burka garb with only their eyes visible, others wore bright head wraps only concealing their hair. But all of the women were modest. They concealed all but their hands, feet, and face. Some of the women looked rather plain, and others had sequins and sparkles on their clothes that matched their elaborate makeup.

The entire airport was chaos. We frantically found the bathrooms, but were then forced to wait even longer as we chose to wait for the stalls with toilets rather than use a hole in the ground. The floor of the bathroom was wet, and a lady occasionally mopped the water into a drain in the center. I wondered where the source of all the water was, and discovered in each stall there is a little hose to help keep clean in this sticky heat.

When we found the boys they were talking to Salih, our assistant from the embassy who was the paper pusher that knew all the ropes. He had met us at our gate, and thanks to him we cut tons of lines, and let him deal with the paperwork and visas. Salih took care of everything much faster than we could have imagined to do on our own. I don’t even think we would have been able to figure out what we needed to be doing without him. Salih appeared to know everyone, and security just waved him and his entourage onwards without even a question. There is no way we could have figured out the mess without him.

It took a while to collect our 12 suitcases, but there were men there who hauled all our bags for us. Thank goodness, because we had too much stuff. Salih took us to meet Bob, the person that dad is replacing. It wasn’t exactly difficult to pick him out of the crowd though. He was the only blonde American in the midst of Arabs in their robes. He loaded our stuff and drove us to our hotel. The city sites were beautiful. Even though the sky was a grey haze from a previous sandstorm we enjoyed admiring everything. The city was unique, what appeared to be colorful enormous margarita glasses turned out to be water towers. The buildings were beautiful; they had stair step designs and dwarfed the little restaurants clustered in between them. I laughed when I saw a Hardees that hardly looked like a traditional American fast food stop. It was a beautiful little restaurant, and seeing the Hardees sign made it appear to be an oxymoron. We also picked out Papa John’s, Pizza Express, Starbucks, and McDonalds that looked so strange in Arabic lettering.

Eventually we wound up at our resort. It was tucked away with lots of security for the guests. Our car was searched by a boy that looked to be no more than 14. When we arrived at the door I immediately knew I was in the midst of luxury. I didn’t have to lift a finger as our bags were unloaded and we were escorted to our room. We have two beautiful suites with king sized beds and a lovely sitting area. Our names appeared on the TV screen when we entered with a little welcome note. Replacing any champagne or alcohol on the table was a bottle sparkling apple cider and wine glasses. My favorite aspect is not the array of fruits and fully stocked mini bar, but the beautiful view from the balcony. There are shimmering pools, beautiful gardens, and little marquees with couches lining the beach. The gulf is beautiful, and the water so incredibly warm. I think I could get used to this.

I took a shower in the luxury bathroom to wash off the oil and grit of traveling and began to settle down in the room. The rest of the family was elsewhere and I was left to chill. Though I was somewhat tired, I wanted to take a peaceful walk along the beach and asked dad if he thought it was okay. His response was that it was all right only if I took my little brother out to escort me. I groaned at the thought. Peaceful walk and Ethan somehow don’t go together. So, I sat on my balcony and watched the waves ripping and crashing along the shoreline.

Coming from a country where individuality and independence are so valued I think it might take a while to get used to this new culture. How can women be unique if the best they can do is embellish their burkas that cover them from head to toe? And how can I be independent if I need to rely on a man to take a walk in the evening? Maybe things will change as we adjust to the country. Perhaps being escorted by a male is only a precaution at this stage. I sure hope so.

I spent the night sitting on the balcony and people watching as I waited for my laptop so I could begin to tell friends about my experience. Emily and Ethan slept as I watched the beach light up. Palm trees were illuminated with strings of Christmas lights, and lanterns were lit along the beach. I heard some people playing a game of beach volleyball, and others casually walk around. However, I did not see any Westerners. There were groups of Arab men in their white robes that swayed in the breeze, and women in black burkas that chatted in the tents. Along with the guests wandering around were hotel workers rushing back and forth. About every 20 minutes someone would run to either end of the beach to refill the shisha pipes with new burning coals.

Eventually the stars came out, and I curled up in the chair listening to the waves and watching the beach. My laptop was finally free, and I skyped and chatted to friends, relaying the day’s events. Around midnight I was finally tired enough to sleep, though it was only around 4:00pm on my body clock that was still set to Indiana.

This morning I woke up around 10, and got dressed to explore the hotel and beach more. I put on a long sleeveless dress, but added a shirt as I felt way to bare compared to the other women here. Emily and Ethan soon woke up, and mom joined us as we explored the beach. We paused to take photos in the lobby of the hotel. It was so elaborate. Colorful chandeliers were scattered across the ceiling and bay windows showed the sparkling crystal gulf. The sand outside was scorching hot, and it took a while to adjust to the heat. I carefully walked to the waves, cautious that it might be cold as the seas I’ve been to normally are. However it was the perfect temperature; nice, warm and refreshing. We counted the minutes down till lunch, and were rewarded by a beautiful buffet spread.

The food was to die for. There was a huge salad bar, far from the traditional American one. I ate mainly from this as it was refreshing and a cool contrast to the heat. There were endless fresh greens, peppers, tomatoes, stuffed olives, grilled mushrooms and peppers, chicken salad, raw salmon, tuna salad, shrimp, egg, chicken patties of some sort and so much other food that I have no idea what it was, but enjoyed every bite of it. I also sampled a chicken and lamb dish. The lamb tasted so incredibly different than usual. You could call it another meat altogether and I would not know the difference. It was tender, and perfectly cooked in a sauce that tasted of heaven. The chicken was part of a red and orange rice dish that was cooked in many different and enjoyable spices. I also had to try the mushroom soup. It was creamy, with rich chunks of mushrooms and herbs. If you can’t tell, I can’t wait for dinner tonight. There was also an endless spread of desserts, but by this time I was so stuffed I only tried a tiny portion of a rich chocolate mousse. It was amazing.

So now I plan on cleaning the sand off my laptop for the second time in an hour, unpacking a bit, and probably taking my brother down to the pool or beach as he is dying to go. I thought I would hate being in a hotel yet again, but I believe I will enjoy our ten day stay here.