on the bus...

good morning, I've decided to stay awake during the bus ride and make use of my time. Our commute is a decent chunk of time. Trying to sleep on the bus can be counter productive resulting in a sore neck, messed up hair, and a groggy feeling when you finally get where you are going. I feel more alert when I stay awake and bullshit with my buddies. So here I am, them looking over my shoulder to see what I'm looking at. Today I was looking under armor clothing. Of course they all had an opinion on which site I should purchase from and how much to pay. A bunch of hard charging know it alls. One marine, one navy, one air force dude. But what would I do without them, hang out in my room and look out the window?

So you will see more posts from now that I will be carrying my laptop. I also upgraded to high speed internet which helps me stay connected. It costs 25 KD which in quick math, you multiply by 4, subtract 10%, you got $90 per month. But if you don't pay, the service sucks. I had fifty dollars in my budget but I also had money designated for cable. There is free cable in our apartment. It's mostly in Arabic but there are some English channels.

french fries & peanut butter n' jelly

They worked us a full day today. If I get to bed in the next half hour, I will get 6 hours sleep. I am eating left over french fries from The Great Steak & Potato which is at the bottom of my building. They are actually similar to Kennywood fries so I am happy about that. And the whole wheat bread is good. I got the same brand of peanut butter & jelly as in the US. The butter brands are same or similar and I was able to find a healthy butter spread. So that's my make shift dinner tonight.
We eat breakfast and lunch at the dining facility (DFAC). I prefer chow hall. Stuck in my ways from my own army days. It's a pretty sweet deal - $2.45 for breakfast and $4.25 for lunch. They have a main line, sandwich line, soup/potato bar, salad bar, fruit, desserts (good stuff too), cereals, yogurts, all the drinks you can imagine, cookies, energy bars, rehydration mixes, gum, AND a vegetarian bar. I love the fried cauliflower. It's pretty amazing at first but imagine it still manages to get old for the soldiers who eat there 3 times a day, 7 days a week, for a year. They never leave post for off time as far as I know. And we are allowed to leave with 2 take away items like fruit or drink or energy bar. So when you had your 2 cargo pockets, the inside of your shirt and your 2 hands, you can make it out of there with 4 to 6 items! ha ha. Right now my shirt is really huge and I have to get it tailored. I don't know where I'll put my extra food after the shirt is done and fits all nice and tight! lol Some of us take the extra food for our bus driver.
I will write another time about the foreign nationals that work here, work hard, and send all their money home to family. Our bus driver is one of them. We try to help out.

It's 8pm my time, bed time. 2:45 am wake up.
good night,
Laura

I went to the Fahaheel bazaar today to look for a loose fitting cover up type shirt. I thought this might be a good choice for a cover up but when I got it home and tried it on, I realized how comfortable it is. It is an Indian outfit. I asked him the name but not too many of the new words are sticking in my brain yet. I think this is going to be a regular outfit for me. I bought it for 1.500 KD (Kuwaiti Dinar) which is $5.20. It's cool, comfortable, and cheap. The water is low quality here and my wash is turning a funky grey color. So I think I will save my good clothes, because you know I brought almost all my clothes, and wear some local gear.

For security purposes, they tell us to blend in. I don't care how many foreign clothes or head coverings I might wear, I will still stand out. I went to the store this morning by myself. There are less people in the morning and it's cooler. I didn't have any problems. One Kuwaiti male made a noise at me but he did it in passing, never looked at me, or changed direction. How do I know it was directed at me? Oh, I promise that low guttural noise was intended for me. Then I had to exchange a broken flash light I bought at the grocery store called Sultan Center. It was a Kuwaiti male waiting on me. He didn't really look at me but he was polite and helpful.

I was wearing loose fitting jeans and loose short sleave white knit sweater. They are both hot items but I was going for "loose". I also carry my umbrella for sun cover. I see people using umbrellas if they are not wearing tradition Muslin clothing. The wind coming off the gulf was strong and blew my umbrella wrong side out twice.

It felt good to be out walking by myself and not stranded in my room. I went only because I know exactly where I was going and how to get there & back. With that information, I could feel assured that the taxi driver wouldn't "reroute" me some where I didn't want to go. If I go somewhere new, I will be sure to take a male with me.

It's time for dinner, 4:30 pm. If I want 8 hours sleep, I need to go to bed at 7pm. It will probably be 8:30 by the time I get to bed, oh well....

in the beginning..

I hope to get pinched in Kuwait. Literally, physically pinched. I have heard from 3 credible sources that men accidentally bump into you at the store or market just to touch you. They will also pinch you. I have been instructed to ignore them, move on, don't make eye contact, smile, or do anything courteous in their direction because they will take a simple smile or hello as an invitation to pursue me. Now, me of course, I like to walk down the middle of the street, smile, check out men, and say hello to most anyone. I use the death stare to back down any unwanted advances. That won't work in the Middle East. So I am going to turn the table around. This is crazy maybe, but it's my natural reaction to go after this situation - I am going to turn on my "pincher" and congratulate him on pinching me, ask for his picture, and post his hypocritical ass on this site. Hypocrisy is my greatest pet peeve and it's magnified when it's religious hypocrisy. If they are a fraud, I want to expose it. We'll see if I have the guts to pull this off. My biggest fear is getting put in jail for beating up a Kuwaiti male.
This blog will be part personal diary, vent, and communication with my family & friends back home. It will also be a study of the culture, religion, and daily life in Kuwait. How similar, how different, how ironic can life be in one of the richest, hottest, and oldest parts of the world?
I haven't blogged before or journaled for some time. Bear with me while I find my stride in written prose. I am also already in Kuwait, and have been here for a little more than 2 weeks. I wish I had started this blog prior to departure and detailed my expectations but here I am. I think I will successful bring you all up to date and won't miss too much.
so stay tuned, same bat channel, same bat time...