Halloween 2010

It's not quite Halloween, I realize, but for our family it has come and gone. For the 4th straight year we have trick or treated overseas. I must admit this year was better than the last three. Most countries don't celebrate Halloween and trick or treating in the tradition that we do in America. The kids are forced to only trick or treat on base which for the last 3 years has equaled mass chaos! They try, but with the amount of kids and everyone living off base and on base trying to trick or treat at a very minimal number of houses, the candy is gone very quickly and it's extremely crowded.

This year, we had a new experience of trick or treating at the Embassy. I anticipated the same scenario but was happily surprised. There aren't near the number of children here. We met at the Embassy, trick or treated at about 15 houses and a few "trunks", then went to the ambassadors house for one final trick or treat. The night ended with a movie on the Embassy lawn for everyone. It was really nice, not crowded, and the kids had fun. We were happily surprised.... as an added bonus, we weren't concerned with having to wear 10 layers under the costumes and freezing in the cold. In fact, the kids were hot in their costumes and we trick or treated in the mid/upper 80's.

This year, we had Goldilocks:

A Skeleton Zombie:

And A Nerd:

Hope you have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN too!!!!!!!

Dhow Cruise and Kuwait Towers

I had hoped to find some camels this weekend, but it was just too hot to even try. We are still having temps in the low 100's and this weekend it felt very hot. Most days the temperature feels cooler than that - more like the 80's. I'm not complaining though, I keep reading my friends posts in Germany and they are 27 degrees and on the soccer field. No thank you! I don't miss that a bit.

Last weekend we went on a dhow cruise with several other military families. The whole boat was full of Americans and it was a very pleasant evening. We boarded the boat and they served finger sandwiches and fresh squeezed juices, then followed with grilled meats, hummus, vegetables, and dessert. It lasted about 3 hours and the kids really had a great time.

This weekend we found ourselves near the Kuwait Towers so we stopped and snapped a few pictures. There is actually a restaurant and observation deck at the top, but we haven't had time to experience that yet. I'm thinking we may just take the boys to do that one day. We'll see. We have plenty of time. :-)

Work is going well and Jordyn is very happy staying home. The more I am at the school, I have no doubt that we made the right decision by pulling her out. Things are just very different here and I'll just leave it at that. Three more weeks and I get a whole week off for Eid! I'm trying to look at it as little chunks of time.

One more little tidbit. These two women walked by us while we were having lunch. They were holding hands with their husband before he departed. We know this because they are not allowed to display affection in public unless they are married. It's very common to see one man walking with 3 or 4 women. Ahhh.... this is a different world we are living in over here.

10 Random Thoughts

10. We hear music from the Mosques 5 times a day. It breaks into ALL the radio stations in the middle of listening to Nickelback or Britney Spears.

9. I just had the doorbell ring and opened it to a man who only spoke Arabic. Our maid speaks Arabic, so she translated for us. He wanted to check the water, so we let him in only to find out he was selling water and wanting to do one of those demonstrations for us. Our maid told him to "go away." :-) He patted Jordyn's cheeks as he left.

8. It's illegal to drive through a yellow light here. My friend went on a website and found out she had 5 tickets and her husband had one. They owed 190 KD which equates to $700.

7. I miss my family.

6. I had to pay money to work here. 100 KD. No joke. The turn over rate is extremely high at the school I am working for so I guess that's one way they recoup some money.

5. Parking lines and lane markers are simply a "suggestion." If you try really hard (THEY DO) you can fit 5 lanes of traffic into 2, as well as make a left hand turn from the far right lane.

4. We do not spend US Dollars here and only have one ATM that dispenses them.

3. We now have appreciation for air than you cannot smell or see.

2. I never dreamed I would listen to SpongeBob SquarePants in German and Arabic.

1. If you want to lose 10 lbs without trying, move overseas.

Meet Kumari

I have made reference to our maid a few times, but haven't introduced you to her. I honestly wanted to make sure it was going to work out with her. She is the second one we have hired. I won't get into the issues we had with the first maid.

A maid? Yep. A maid. Not a part time maid. A full time, live in maid. I'm not kidding. She lives with us. It's strange to think about. It was hard for me to even comprehend the thought of it. At first, I said no way. I don't want somebody living with us. However, after I arrived and found out everybody I met (for the most part) had them living with them, I entertained the thought. Then, the job fell in my lap. We had to have something for the kids when they arrive home from school. The thought of having my laundry done was nice. She cleans. She is good with the kids. I'm not going to lie, it's been an adjustment having someone at my house 24 hours a day, but it is not as stressful as I had originally dreamed. Things are not perfect and exactly the way I want them, but it is better than doing it all myself. Stressful, you ask? Just think about it. A stranger, from another country, in your house. Yes, it was stressful to me.

I know. I look like an absolute GIANT next to her.

Kumari is her name and she is from Sri Lanka. She is 39 years old. She is good hearted, kind, and very respectful of our privacy. When she finishes her work, she goes into her room which is off of the kitchen. It is tiny... like about the size of a very small office. She is happy and beaming most of the time with a big smile. She allows me to be able to work and spend my weekends and evenings with the kids. They work for very little money. We pay her on the upper side and it is about $400/month. That's cheap when you think about everything she does. We buy her groceries and toiletries and provide a place for her to stay.

Why would a Sri Lankan woman come to Kuwait, you ask? She has 2 daughters who are ages 14 and 16. They are very beautiful from the pictures I have seen. Kumari's husband died of cancer when her youngest was 3 years old. He was a business man and she had money. When he died, she had nothing. The only way she knows to provide for her girls and get them an education is to leave them with her sister in Sri Lanka, and come here to work. She misses them terribly. It's really just sad to me. I can't imagine having to leave my children. She will stay here for 2 years before she gets to see them again. It breaks my heart.

I have written the girls both a letter and I hope to send them things through out the year. It must be hard on both sides. Keep Kumari, Iresha and Ishara in your prayers. Right now we are very thankful for her.

We Survived!

We've had quite a week in our household. It didn't go the way I had planned, but I know God has it all in his hands. There has been excitement, tears, disappointment, and relief. I'll try to catch you up.

Day 1: Jordyn and I were as excited as could be. Off we drove to work and school. She went into her class like a big girl and a smile on her face, then by 10:00 the smile had changed to a petrified look but she was trying to hold it together. I reassured her, she spent some time at my desk.... by the end of the day she was bawling and screaming to get to me and not stay in her classroom. She refused to eat. I had a teacher advise me not to send her to school there - not because of her behavior, she had told me that when Jordyn was being good. The Kuwaiti kids are very spoiled and much more delayed in everything they do. She stated that they are mean and not very accepting. The teachers have to be very forceful with them, unlike would be allowed in America.

Day 2: She didn't sleep that night and was crying when she awoke at 5:00 am that she didn't want to go to school. It didn't get any better, let me just say that. By the time we arrived at school she was sobbing, but went into her classroom like a good girl. Within an hour she was screaming, refused to take off her backpack, wouldn't eat, and tried to run to me. I consoled her, sent her back... on and on and the day just got worse. They were having to physically hold her down to keep her from running out of their classroom. By 11:30, I was in tears from watching her and I called Matt to come pick her up. I couldn't work of course. She left screaming at the top of her lungs.... I'm not talking a normal separation anxiety. No eating... not sleeping. I have NEVER seen the boys act in this manner, nor her.

Day 3: I chose to leave Jordyn home with our maid. I need to fill you in on her and will with a new post at some point. The class was going on a field trip to Cartoon Network where they dress up as characters and ride rides. Jordyn is deathly afraid of any dressed up character (she gets it from her aunt!) so I knew that wouldn't go well. I left her screaming, "I hate my nanny, I don't like Kumari!!! rolling around on the floor. Lovely way to start off the day, and yes it was her birthday. I proceed to work and am called into the principals office first thing. Uh oh. I was told that my hours were from 7:10 to 3:30, not 3:00 and Jordyn would not be allowed at my desk the remaining 45 minutes after her school was complete. Interesting.... when I was hired and signed my contract it stated 3:00 and that Jordyn would be allowed to come to my desk after school. This poses a whole new problem for me and I realize it won't work for Jordyn to come to school with me. More tears... the problem? I've already paid the school almost $2000 for her to go to school (and that's just the fees and first installment at a 50% discount - it's CRAZY expensive!) I decide the extra 1/2 hour isn't that big of deal and I really don't foresee it working out for Jordyn the more I am around the children. So, I ask to be refunded for Jordyn's expenses since I was hired under different terms.

Day 4: Go to work, don't take Jordyn. Left her screaming once again with Kumari, but she did a little better. Still not eating much and up several times a night.

Day 5: I get confirmation they will refund most of my money. I think I'll lose about $400, but that's better than $2000. Jordyn cried before I left, but waved and kisses me goodbye when I left. The day went much better with Kumari and she was as happy as could be when I arrived home. I still have some discrepancy at work about my hours on Thursday, but hopefully that will be resolved next week.

It's been a roller coaster and I promise you it was much more involved than all of the above. I'm extremely disappointed Jordyn won't be at school with me. I was so looking forward to that. She looked so cute all dressed up in her uniform and I loved the thought of her being right next to me. However, I knew it all seemed to good to be true before I ever started. A lot of you are probably thinking it would have worked out eventually for her to go without me pulling her out, but it's just not a choice. I refuse to put her on a bus or taxi to ride home by herself in a foreign country - especially the middle east. NO WAY. That's what was suggested to me several times.

Jordyn is just having a hard time adjusting. She is stared at, touched, has her picture taken, talked to, hugged, kissed, given toys and snacks every where she goes. It's like she is a celebrity here. They just don't see long blonde hair little girls... only in magazines. At the McDonald's drive through there were 9 people who came to the window to look at her through the window. At Chili's the other night a woman sitting next to us heard it was her birthday and paid for desert to be brought to her after she ate her dinner. Strangers hand her candy and talk to her constantly. I think it's just all too much for her right now. In the last 7 weeks, she has a new house, a new room, a nanny who lives in our house, new friends, mommy going to work, people mobbing her everywhere she goes (dressed in scarves and long burkas I might add).

So. We will see how the next few weeks go. I'm going to continue to work and see how she progresses with Kumari. I want to give it all some time. I am hoping she will relax and get used to the routine. I am super thankful that today we have nothing that needs to be done. We are going to stay at home, play, order pizza for dinner and swim tonight. Sounds like heaven to me!

Hi, Ho! Hi, Ho! It's Off To Work I Go...

Most of you know that I have stayed home with my kids the last several years. I worked while we lived in CA and haven't worked since then. Matt has always been so supportive of me not working. In fact, I think he prefers it.

I won't get into details of Germany, but basically it about sent me over the edge to stay home on a daily basis there. The time passed very slowly and the dreary weather didn't help any. My goal, here in Kuwait, is to make the best time possible out of the situation and for the time to pass quickly. I hate to wish our lives away, but that's honestly how I feel. I have struggled with the thought that this is the end of my staying home as far as Jordyn. She will begin kindergarten when we move back to the US.

Once Matt arrived in Kuwait, he was talking around to other spouses and a job practically fell in my lap. I sent in my resume, interviewed 2 days after I got here, and waa laa.... I have a job at a local school. I was offered either a teaching position (my major was accounting and I have no education hours) or a job as a secretary. I have thought about getting my education hours and some point to teach, but decided to go ahead and go with the secretary job for several reason. The hours are shorter, less stress, and I will have the benefit of taking Jordyn with me to work. I am going to be the KG secretary and she will be in a KG1 class. Perfect! My desk is right outside of her classroom and there is a window that I can peek in to see how she is doing. She will ride with me to work, then ride home with me afterward. My hours are from 7:10 - 3:00, no weekends, summers off, 2 weeks at Christmas, 1 week Spring Break......

We are going to give it a try and see how it goes. I already have one friend who started work there as a preschool teacher and has already quit. It sounds wonderful and ideal for me, and I am excited about it. However, if it doesn't go well, it's not like I have to have a job. I'm going to work because I want to work. The last couple of weeks in the apartment have confirmed to me that I do not want to sit here all day every day. Most every spouse that I know here has some type of job - either part time or full.

So it's going to be a big week around here for us. A big transition for Jordyn and I. I feel comfortable knowing the boys are in their routine and settled, the house is settled, and now it's time for Jordyn and I to settle. I am praying this goes well for us. I think I really need it. It's going to be rough for Jordyn as she will be the ONLY American in her class. This school is made up of all Kuwaiti children. Should make for a fun class picture this year, huh? Keep us in your prayers this week.

Below are some pictures of the school. The school itself is very, very nice. It was built in 2006. However, the surroundings? I think the pictures speak for themselves.

Surrounding the School:

The School - ABS

On a side note, I am not going to go into great detail but I am struggling with a bladder infection (UTI.) It has been a problem since I arrived and I am starting my 3rd round of antibiotics this week. I have a huge history with this (kidney reflux surgery when I was young), but have never had one drag out so long without it being a kidney infection. Please keep that in your prayers as well.

Mosque

Here is a beautiful Mosque that is near our house. It's just a block or two off the path from how I will travel to and from work. The picture really doesn't do it justice. Notice the dirt in the air we are breathing? It's usually a little clearer, so I'll have to take pictures of it again. Unfortunately, you are not allowed to go into the Mosque and take a tour like we were able to go into the beautiful cathedrals in Germany. From what I understand, there is one mosque that has scheduled tours called the Grand Mosque. I have no idea where it is, but I'm sure we will eventually tour it and post pictures. Most of them are not this beautiful...