6 weeks, my 1st international b-day & a paycheck…or how I am learning to really like Kuwait

Kuwait Towers

Wow! 6 Weeks Already?

The locals say if your cough is not that bad it lasts for seven days, and if it’s really bad, it lasts for a week. Remember, though, we’re on Kuwait time so that could mean two weeks. All the same, I celebrated my 34th birthday a couple weeks ago with my fast friends, made it to Pay Yay, and have continued to observe (engage in) some imprudent behaviors.

Since I’ve been here I have been claiming that I am more well-equipped to handle the dry desert air pouring into our lungs than my companions. That hubris has caught up to me, and I have been sick – or whatever this pestilence is – for about a week and a half now. Describing the volume and consistency of the mucus obstinately gummy inside my arid nostrils and the weight of the catarrh I am hacking up might have you reminiscence on fond memories of the repellent scene from “Alien.”

Regardless, I'm... comfortable in Kuwait: from the (patently non-pregnant) nesting in my flat to nightly “walking errands” and navigating the back alleys to avoid congested roads where cars kick up the dust that is making my throat drier than my mom’s eyes after her LASIK procedure. Seriously, she bitched daily for seven months. Kuwait is charming in a way any desert oasis can be: a local, historic souq is more tantalizing than the familiarity of the everlasting kilometers of high-end, polished indoor shopping malls. Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesday’s, and Texas Roadhouse – words I never wanted my college-educated, accomplished and able fingers ever to type – might appeal to the native Kuwaiti, but my newfound friends and I prefer to comb through Instagram to identify and frequent the more homegrown hideouts. I was incredulous when the mere suggestion of "Cheesecake Factory" was tentatively tossed about as though it was somewhere to really spend my hard-earned dinars. That night, thankfully, we settled on a shisha (hookah) lounge.

---

Backtracking a little for the lay of the land.

One of my favorite first memories was unlocking the front door to my flat to discover orange and brown furniture. I cannot escape Trevor G. Browne High School as hard as I may try! I managed to “trade” a floor rug to upgrade to a more aesthetic brown Turkish style rug instead of the silvery Japanese garden themed one. You read that right – silver and orange décor was the choice our employer made for two thirds of the flats on nine floors of a modern structure for the neighborhood replete with matching construction we’ve lovingly termed “50 shades of beige.” My building has gray accents and it feels almost out of place like a seasoned high school teacher in the trenches of a middle school...

My flat is on the third floor facing a vacant lot, and I can barely see what I want to believe are the tallest buildings of Kuwait City from the right position. I am very lucky to have been assigned to the newest living quarters in Salmiya (Sal-me-YEAH). I have two bedrooms and two “bathrooms,” as my second “shower” is suggestive of a motorhome washroom. It’s quaint. We were provided with most everything we needed for a healthy, yet not robust, kitchen. Three trips to IKEA has solved this crisis.

grocery stores provide endless entertainment

I am a six-minute walk from Burger King Beach – a moniker for the taxicabs – that apparently I cannot swim in as a woman. Everything is covered in dust. Sidewalks, lane lines, designated parking areas and turn signals are optional features of roads so far. I’ve had to ask taxi drivers to avoid driving on the shoulder for fear of being cut off by another driver without an exit strategy. Looking both ways while crossing the street will not ensure one’s safety as drivers pass cars stopped at lights or stop signs (of which I have seen two since arriving). Cautionary tale: don’t listen to music in headphones while walking – you might get sideswiped by a car’s mirror as Kuwaiti drivers so far don’t seem to acknowledge human people on the “sidewalks.”

Teaser: anecdotes on grocery shopping, pictured left, coming soon.

---

But I'm 34! And I got a really big paycheck by teacher standards.

Both were fantastic. I spent my birthday at school receiving hugs, admiration, and small tokens of affection from my fans - students. My friends and I went out to dinner and a stroll of the Kuwait Towers. I wore my favorite polka dot open-back dress much to the chagrin of the other diners. Scandalous, I know, but it was my birthday. No complaints here as I have been finding my "sand legs." I don't feel older or wiser; I am going to join a gym which is called a "beach club." Maybe this exclusive membership will bring me health and more happiness.

We finally received our first paycheck; being paid monthly is a trip, but I am happy. Also, I don’t pay the bill for air conditioning, so I am chilly under my blanket in my 24° flat.