Adventures in: February 2011

This past Tuesday I flew to Kuwait for 2 nights/3 days. Dan met me there from a work trip and we got the chance to check out what it's like there! The kids stayed with our friends Ken and Amy and had a great time - We are so thankful that they took on 3 extra kids for 4 nights so we could go (factoring in flying times)!

We really liked Kuwait. We got to see the kid's school, were toured around by the principal, saw the classrooms for the grades they will be in next year, saw the music room and art room and the turf fields that are covered by a huge tarp to protect them from the sun. We learned that Kylie won't have a language until 1st grade, Jack will take Spanish and Megan will take both Spanish and Arabic! Phew!

The temp right now in Kuwait is around 70F - with lows in the 50's at night - so it was the coldest I've been in 3 years! I brought capris with me and some light cardigans...as well as a hooded jacket. It does reach 130F during the summer-October months, so this is a nice reprieve.

We stayed in a neat part of Kuwait outside of the "downtown" area with a lot of restaurants and shops...ate wonderful food and had fun shopping (while Dan worked)! It was crazy to see all the "American" chain restaurants and stores that we don't have in Bangkok - Krispie Kreme, Hardees, Popeyes, Ruby Tuesday, Applebees, Johnny Rockets, Cinnabon, Baskin Robbins, Chilis...the list goes on and on. My goal for us eating there was that we could eat anything as long as we couldn't get it in Bangkok :) I ate at an amazing French Bistro called Paul for my first meal there - a wonderful melted brie and turkey sandwich on flaky butter bread - sooo good and served with a mixed green salad, fresh bread, a crock of fresh butter and a crock of olive tapanade...it was so good.

Kuwait seems surprisingly do-able. We saw housing options and the school - as well as Dan's work and met some of the people he will work with - including his boss who seems great! One of the guys invited us out to his house to have a cookout and we got to see their amazingly huge house (for just him and his wife)! English is widely spoken because the working class are mainly expats from the Philippines, Indian, Thailand and other countries in the area. Traffic doesn't seem as crazy as I heard it was - though it no doubt is crazy at times - it was pretty tame while we were there. There are quite a few American products that will be easy to purchase (for a price). Overall, it looks good! We're excited to go and see how life is there...now we just have to figure out things like selling our car (because we can't take it there because it's too old), figuring out a church and what exactly our lives and days will look like there!

View out our hotel window - The Arabian Gulf on right and downtown Kuwait City in distance

Yay for IKEA!!!

The money from my wallet...USD, Kuwaiti Dinar and Thai Baht

Coke Cans in Arabic

Amazing lunch for one - fresh bread basket, yummy Coke, fresh butter, olive oil and balsamic vinegar and olive tapenade...a dream come true after lots of rice and noodles in Bangkok!

Quite possibly the best sandwich ever (I don't say that lightly - I generally don't love turkey, but as ham is illegal in Kuwait, it's a good 2nd choice...chicken salad is still the winner, though)

Krispy Kreme donuts - in Arabic
They are all over the place and apparently deliver in Kuwait! We just got the first one in Bangkok last fall and there is still a waiting line approx. 45 minutes to get donuts regardless of the time of day. When it first opened, it was a 3 hour wait...and mostly from Thai's)

View from our Hotel with the Gulf on the left

Dinner out with Barb at Stonegrill - you order raw meat and they bring it to you with a 400F hot stone that you slice up bite sized chunks of meat and cook it on the stone...along with a baked potato and veggies! Soooo yummy! Anyone wants to visit, we'll take you there!

Hardee's sign in Arabic

mmm...Krispie Kreme special donut with Kuwaiti flag on it for their upcoming 50/20/5 celebration - 50 years of becoming a country, 20 years since liberation from Iraq's invasion during the 1st Gulf War, 5 years of the current Emir's (head of state) rule! There were flags and signs for it everywhere!