Wednesday, October 30th - it's been 3 days

It's been three days since Jacqui went back to Canada. Her flight was fine; she got back to Kitchener/Waterloo on Monday the 28th. She was back at her old school the next day, having a half day of supply teaching, followed by a full day on Wednesday. Her return there was very nice, like going back home (literally). Everyone was very happy to see her.

Here in Kuwait, things are quiet, except my students! Had a fight in class on Monday and a teacher ask me on Tuesday afternoon if I could take the kids to the gym to have them do push-ups or something to burn up a bit of their energy; my answer was obviously "I don't teach those guys at this time of day, and don't plan to, therefore ... not my problem". I must admit that Monday's class with the grade 7's was the worse class I have ever seen in 32 years of teaching. It was mayhem everywhere. I couldn't turn around fast enough to stop every situation; it was really out of control. So yes, they are that bad (at times). Didn't have much fun that day.

As for Jacqui and I, we figure we have about 50 days to be apart before she comes back before Christmas; today is day 3. We'll be fine. What happens after Christmas remains to be seen.

Happy Hallowe'en everyone. It doesn't seem to be a big celebration here in Kuwait. But we do have costume day at school tomorrow.

Sunday, October 27th - Our last day together (for a while)

I went to work this morning but came home early. Jacqui and I went for lunch, then for a walk. We had some colleagues visit after school then we went out for dinner - our last one together for the next two months. After we got back home, Jacqui tried to sleep a bit before taking a cab to the airport. Her flight was on time. So now that she's gone back home and that I'm still here, the redaction of this blog will slow down quite a bit, to maybe one or two entries a week (unless something really exciting happens). I expect the next few weeks to be pretty quiet on this side of the Atlantic.

But before I go, I must tell you that we lost another teacher today : he hit a kid. It's a bad move anywhere on the planet. So needless to say, he's not with us anymore. Jacqui might be gone, but the adventure at CBS continues!!

Saturday, October 26th - Our last Saturday

Our day started like a lot of other Saturdays: grocery shopping (even though this time we bought a lot less as there will be one less person in this apartment as of Monday). We went for a walk in the afternoon and four of us went out for dinner at night. The place we went to served "special water", which was very much appreciated by all.

It was a quiet day, as both Jacqui and I realize that the next two months probably won't be too much fun. We simply enjoy each other's company, while we can. We'll take it one day at a time. Things will be fine.

Friday - October 25th - Our Failaka Island trip

We did a tourist thing: a group of 18 of us took a boat to go visit Faikala Island, an island located about 20 km east of Kuwait City. It used to be a vibrant community before the gulf war, but has basically been abandonned since. It was weird to see a bunch of buildings but nobody around, or to see, buildings falling apart due to the war. There is a hotel on the island, but I'm sure you can find a better location for your next holiday! It wasn't a very exciting tour; kind of disappointing.

On our way to Faikala Island, Kuwait City in the background

Parts of Kuwait City, seen from the gulf

On Faikala Island

Old air pump - I guess it still works

Richard, holding up the fort!

Sunset on the Island, shortly before 5 pm!

Thursday, October 24th - Decision has been made (aka Read this one!)

Well it is my turn to do some blogging!!  Richard has been doing a great job, but I think that this time, it would only be appropriate that I share this message.  He shouldn’t have to do my work!!  Well, it has been mentioned only a bit, but I have really been struggling with the whole teaching  in Kuwait thing!  I developed anxiety when I started at CBS and then because I took too many sick days, my contract was terminated.  This was not a huge problem, because there are sooo many teaching positions in Kuwait.  I tried 2 other schools and my anxiety was getting worse.  So… we have made a decision.  I will return to Canada and do some supply teaching with my school board.  There are enough schools in the area to keep me pretty busy.  I will stay with my brother and sister-in-law in Kitchener.  Thank goodness for a wonderful family!  Richard will stay here in Kuwait and I will return in December for our trip to Africa with the kids.  I hope to try again at a teaching position here in January, but not sure yet.  One step at a time….

While it is not an ideal solution, it should work.  We will miss each other terribly, but there is skype!!  Thank God!  It has been a real struggle as I feel very guilty…like I failed in this adventure.  But as my daughter Julie was saying, if it was appendicitis or some other physical ailment, coming home would be a non- issue.   Mental health is always kind of misunderstood and somehow I felt that I should just be able to suck it up…but that was not working for me.  I started to feel like I was going crazy…not much fun!  I kept saying that I made a huge mistake and did not know that it would be like this.

We certainly did not think that it would come to this, but there was no real way of knowing what it was going to be like until actually getting here and living the experience.  When we were in Canada, Richard and I would be talking about the whole teaching experience and how we were so excited to be doing some travelling and living in a different country.  I had said that it would be just like being on holidays and he did not agree…saying that it will still be work. Boy was I wrong!  I have eaten my words very often! 

Regardless of the situation, we still have no regrets whatsoever about our adventure…we have learned so much and it has been very enriching!  I have to accept my limitations and make the best of it.  I am so thankful for my friends and family who have spent so much time skyping and emailing with me and listening and sharing so many encouraging words!  I really don’t know what I would have done without you!!!  Richard has been fantastic and is so supportive!  I so wish that it could work for me here, but….for now, it doesn’t. We’ll see what happens after Christmas. 

I’ll be arriving in Canada on Monday October 28 at 1:30 pm!  Can’t wait!

Tuesday, October 22nd - Our bus ride!

We've been here for two months already. We've seen a lot and learned a lot. So many things are different than what we're used to. For example, the bus ride. We took the bus to go to dinner. On the way back, the driver drove for a while with all the doors open (and he was motoring down the road); doesn't seem to be a problem! I don't think you'd see that on King St in Kitchener/Waterloo! The same driver had a shouting match with a passenger and kicked him off the bus (I guess the guy was planning on getting off anyway, but it was an animated discussion!). At our stop, Jacqui was delayed in getting off because a lady had fallen out of her seat. Ya, that's how fast they drive, turn corners and stop, or should I say slow down.

The meal was good. The rest of our day was quiet and peaceful!

Monday, October 21st - Discovery of another shopping mall!

My day at school wasn't too busy; it was kind of nice actually. Jacqui and I went for a walk after school, going to a nearby mall (a 15 minute walk) that we knew existed but that we had never visited. We didn't expect to much, as it seems to be build in a pretty residential area. Well, what a surprise. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but once you get inside, it has four floors of shops, a skating rink (fake ice, though), a big area for kids to play, and your typical food court and movie theater. There are more shops outside the mall. Too bad we're not big shoppers; someone could spend a lot of time in that place and all the other malls around this city. The rest of our evening was quiet; we watched TV for a bit then called it a day.

Jacqui starts tutoring tomorrow; we'll see how that goes.

The museum we visited last Friday.

There is vegetation in Kuwait (as long as you water it!)

The Al Bairaq mall, 15 minute walk from our place.

Same mall!

Sunday, October 20th - Back to work

Getting up at 5 am was slightly painful. Back to school was OK. We went for a walk on the waterfront after school, and I did marking in the evening. Pretty boring day when you think about it.

Saturday, October 19th - End of the holidays.

Our week of holidays is over already. Today is our last day. We basically just went for a walk looking for a specific store. We knew on which street it was, just not how far! After a 75 minute walk, we got there, bought what we needed and took a bus home! Forget this "I think it's just around the corner" BS (we were both guilty of that, by the way). It was actually a nice day to walk: a little breeze blowing and temperatures around the low 30's. The rest of the day was quiet. All in all, we've had a nice relaxing holiday.

Friday, October 18th - Public transit in the Middle East

Jacqui and I had taken the bus yesterday to go to the Palms Beach Club and found public transit to be very effective; it did not take much longer than taking a taxi, as the bus travels on the exact same route as cabs do, and for 10% of the price. So we hooked up with two fellow teachers from our building today to go, by bus, to the Tareq Rajab Museum. None of us were very sure of its location, but we found it no problem. It's a museum that holds very old artifacts (some 1000 years old) from all the Middle East countries and Northern Africa. Fortunately, the museum wasn't touched during the Gulf War because the Iraquis didn't know it was there (or so they say). Yes, it's just a door with a little sign above it. Very easy to miss!

So back to this public transit thing. In Kuwait (and the Middle East, I imagine), women sit at the front of the bus while men sit farther back. I could sit with Jacqui while the bus was pretty empty, but once it started filling up, and more women came on, I had to move back. So I travelled about half the day by myself (well, with a bunch of other men). But this wasn't a surprise, as I had been told about this, even though there are no signs anywhere stipulating this (but men do give up their seat freely). Dubai, on the other hand, was a little different. We only used the subway and no buses. Their subway system is great, riding sometimes underground and often above ground. They have 2 - 3 subway cars at each end of the train reserved for women and children only, at certain times of day. And signs are posted: "Women and children only in this car". There are no men in those cars, regardless of how crowded our cars are. There is a yellow line on the floor separating the two sections, and nobody dares step on the line. I'm not sure what would happen if someone did. I'm not willing to be the one to find out the hard way. Women are however free to go on any car. So next time you take public transit or see a bus go by, look at the seating arrangement, and think of us!

Thursday, October 17th - A day at the pool

Our morning started out slowly, watching TV and relaxing. We then decided to take a city bus to go to The Palms, instead of taking a cab. Not wanting to do the same thing as yesterday when we got there, we decided to spend the day by the pool instead of the beach! We went grocery shopping after that and had two fellow teachers over for dinner in the evening. It was our first time hosting someone for dinner since we've been here (having only three chairs with our kitchen set, one of them had to bring hers!). We shared a good meal, had some laughs and all of us seemed to be a bit re-energized by it.

The "lane pool" at The Palms (with one pool left of it and another one on the right - not shown)

Coffee by the pool.

Wednesday, October 16th - A day at the beach

We headed out to The Palms Beach Club around 11am and spent the whole day laying on the beach and talking with fellow teachers who were already back from their short trip to Dubai (like us) or that just didn't go away for various reasons. We realized that everyone misses home to some degree, whatever the definition of home is. For the young teachers, home is still pretty much the same way it was when they left : the house, the neighbourhood, the friends, .... For some of us older teachers, the definition of home is somewhat different. It is more of a concept, or an image of a place that doesn't exist as such anymore. The definition of home as we normally understand it is changed, as there is no house to go back to, and maybe no job waiting for us (but friends are still there). Getting used to this idea is probably what makes it so hard for some people to adjust to this life away from what we've all been used to for years. Hopefully, time will take care of that.

Tuesday, October 15th - Back to Kuwait

We had a very quiet day. Went for breakfast at the hotel then waited to go to the airport. There is still a lot of things to do and see in Dubai, but we know that we'll be back. We got to our apartment after 6pm and watched a bit of TV before calling it a day.

Monday, October 14th - Tour of Dubai

Unfortunately, the alarm woke us up at 9 am (yes, it’s self-inflicted!). You sometimes forget how good sleep is! We were on the go by 11 am to meet our friend Sandy (she’s my VP and also lives in our building in Kuwait). We had planned on taking a “hop on, hop off” bus ride to visit the city of Dubai but ended up taking a driver instead. We toured the city, all three of us, in a Lexus, with AC, stopping wherever we wanted, and for as long as we wanted. It was great (and cheaper than the bus tour!). The driver even suggested a place for lunch (he was hungry! – well, it was1h30 and we had been with him for a while) so we ate at a local restaurant  which was very good and not expensive at all (68 dirhams for the four of us; equals about 20 $ CAD). We drove around all day and visited a lot of places that the regular tourists on the bus tour wouldn’t go to. We got back after 5h30 pm. We then invited Sandy to our room for a final drink (she’s leaving today, back to Kuwait; no more booze). That  will be our situation tomorrow.

Our car for the day

Part of downtown Dubai

By Dubai Creek

Jumeirah Beach, with a "7 Star" hotel in the background

Sunday, October 13th - Playing in the big sandbox

So nice to be on holidays. We slept in, had lunch in our room (so we could have wine with our meal) then took the subway to go meet a friend to go on our desert safari at 3 pm. It wasn't really a safari in the way we normally understand it, but more of a wild drive in the desert. The desert is really cool to see; there is sand everywhere you look. We took a joy ride on and between sand dunes with a Toyota Land Rover. It was a lot of fun. We then went to a camp where we rode camels and had a barbecue dinner. The dinner was good, but the belly dancers show was cancelled because of the religious holiday (today is the Hajj celebration, which is something very big for Muslims). We got back to our hotel around 9 pm, skyped with our three kids and called it a day, a very nice day.

We're obviously thinking of everyone home on this holiday weekend, especially when Vince was telling us that aunt Jackie will have ham, pork tenderloin and wine for dinner, all things that we cannot have in Kuwait. We miss all of you, but the adventure is worth it (any of you ride a camel lately?)

The picture isn't clear because of all the sand in the air; we're close to a sand storm

Drifting snow? No. Drifting sand!

Our "dune buggies"(and there are lots of dunes!!!)

Top of the sand dune?

My footsteps in the sand

Our "joy car", and yes, it says Dubai - which is very cool (not the temperature)

A sand dune; one side exposed to the wind (left) and the other side is not

Jacqueline, and a "mountain" in the backdrop

We've made a friend?

I guess we did!!!

Our arab look!

Sittting in the shade

Entry to the camp

Camel ride

I wouldn't cross the desert on one of these.

Going down!

Break time!

Our dinner table

Saturday, October 12th - Greetings from Dubai!!

Our day started early. Wake up at 3, cab at the door at 4h10, at the airport by 4h45, and with boarding passes and thru security by 5h15. Pretty short flight to Dubai (approx 1h30m), then through their passport verification, security, bagage claim, duty free, and finally out the door. Did I mention duty free? Ah, yes, I did. Guess what; we stopped and shopped! We got to our hotel by about noon; I had a beer and Jacqui had a glass of wine. Actually, I drank as much in 90 minutes as I had in 7 weeks (yup, two beers!). We then went out to Dubai Mall for a bit then joined a friend at her hotel. From there, all three of us went to Dubai Marina for dinner. It was very nice, even though they do not serve drinks at the restaurant (actually, we've been told they don't serve drinks in any restaurant, just in hotels). We got back around 10, both of us a little tired. But it's been a fun day; hard to believe we're in Dubai. It's a long ways away from everyone of you, but we still think of you on this Thanksgiving weekend (well, we always think of you but maybe a little bit more on this holiday weekend). Enjoy it, be grateful for what you have, and make the most of every opportunity (have an extra piece of ham for Jacqui and I, and maybe a cold one too!). Cheers!

Marina Dubai - check the building on the right!

It would be cool to see how it is inside

Part of Dubai, by night

Your neighbourhood Timmy's. Double double??

They even light it up!

Friday, October 11th - 1st day of holidays

We started our first day of holiday on the beach at The Palms. We were there for about three hours then went for lunch at Olive Gardens (they still exist). We then went back home, stayed there for a few minutes then went to Fahahell (Al kout mall) to get some UAE (United Arab Emirates) dirhams - the money used in Dubai. We had a quiet evening and went to bed early as we have to get up at 3 am to catch our morning flight.

Marina by Al Kout mall

Same place, different boats

Jacqui by the beach at Al Kout mall

Richard, with the marina and mall behind him

Thursday, October 10th - Holidays are here!

Jacqui went in this morning to tell her new principal that she will not continue with CES, as it doesn't seem to be a right fit for her. It just didn't feel right. She will therefore take some time off, as I am now on holidays for 10 days, and we'll see what happens afterwards. I had a PD day today. Some things don't change; we worked on something that we know will not happen.

Speaking of holidays, we will be travelling to Dubai for a few days. We're leaving Saturday morning and coming back on Tuesday evening. The break will do us good; things have been pretty hectic basically since June.

After school, we met with another teacher and visited the Grand Mosque. It's a landmark in Kuwait City. The mosque holds up to 10 000 people inside, 50 000 outside plus another 100 000 when they close the streets around it. It was very impressive. We had a private tour as we were the only three to visit at that time. The two ladies had to wear an abaya (see pictures below). We had dinner after that at a local restaurant downtown : 2 schwarmas, fries, 10 balls of falafel and one soda for about 2.40 CAD. It was very good and fed all three of us!

Inside the Grand Mosque

Our tour guide - very interesting

Walls and ceiling of the Mosque

Wall inside the Mosque

Jacqui wearing an abaya inside the Mosque

Ceiling of the Mosque

Jacqui and I, after the tour

She's still the same Jacqui we all know!

The Grand Mosque, at night

For the price we paid ($2.40 CAD for all three of us), what'd you expect?