Happy Birthday!
Back in April, our elementary principal, Joan Khaja, celebrated her fiftieth birthday. All day long her office was an open door for flowers, cards, and birthday surprises. Not to be outdone, I trooped all twenty-five of my first graders four flights up to her office for our own birthday version of Skidamarink. She was properly impressed and after the grand finale it was time for a group hug!
Expats
Many of my friends and family back home have expressed an interest in my coworkers here at UAS. This is the third installment in my expat series.
Ken and Susan Loach arrived here at UAS the same time I did. We met back in February when we attended an overseas recruiting fair at the University of Northern Iowa where hundreds of administrators search to hire teachers to fill positions all over the world. We were among the nearly 900 hundred teachers who gathered in Ceder Falls, Iowa, hoping to find the perfect overseas job. That snowy weekend was a blur of activity from the moment we walked through the doors at 7:00 am to look at the latest job listings to late in the evening when the last interviews were scheduled. Somehow the Loaches and I made connections. Come to find out, we had both interviewed with Dr. Alshamali to teach at UAS in Hawally, a suburb of Kuwait City. Finding a job for any teaching couple is a challenge, but UAS had positions for both of them plus a three bedroom apartment and transportation both to and from school. None of us knew we were to be coworkers, but when we arrived in Kuwait seven months later, at least I could say I knew someone in Kuwait. Their daughter, Hope, was the first of my nearly 900 hundred students I would meet. That's at least one name I could both spell and pronounce!
Both Ken and Susan had taught at Henry county schools in Georgia for twenty years. Susan taught third grade and Ken taught 8th grade social studies. Ken had always dreamed of someday teaching overseas. Their son, Andrew, was a sophomore when they decided that this had to be the year they would take the plunge. In two years he would be in college and that window of opportunity would be closed forever. Ken and Susan wanted their children to experience firsthand, life on the other side of the world; a life you couldn't imagine unless you stepped into it head first. What we experience here everyday is nothing like what you can imagine when you watch the news on TV or see in a movie. Life here is so very different from what we know in our own hometowns, but at the same time, we are all people sharing the same planet with people that we love and care about. We all hope for a better future for our families and the countries we love. We have much more in common than the differences in geography and culture that separate us.
As you might imagine, the Loaches have grown much closer as a family. They have gone from a three car family to a NO car family. I can imagine they get some stares when they step onto a public bus! Back home there was a TV in almost every room of the house. Now they are a one TV family that has embraced the fine art of negotiation! The children are thriving. Dartmouth is one college among many others back in the states who are considering Andrew for a spot on the lacrosse team. He was a big part of the UAS basketball team who had their best basketball season on record. He is now a part of the volleyball team which is a very popular sport in Europe and the Middle East. Hope is on her way to becoming fluent in Arabic, which is not an easy language to acquire. Her teacher is surprised at how quickly she has absorbed the language and her parents are very proud of her progress. Who knows what the future holds for her?
The Loaches are enjoying their overseas experience here in Kuwait. They traveled to Sri Lanka to see the elephants during the Christmas break and went to Disneyland in Paris in the spring. What this family has experienced here in the Middle East will enrich their lives in the years ahead and offer them memories to last a lifetime. Susan and Ken share a deep faith in God and they both believe that God has brought them to Kuwait for a purpose. Whatever the reason, UAS is blessed to have them here!
Haute Couture
I attended my first fashion show a couple of weeks ago. There is a strong influence from India in the high end fashions I see here in Kuwait. When I heard that the Sadu House was to sponsor a fashion show featuring the designs of a rising star in the fashion industry, Amalin Datta, I decided I had to go. His work features fabric made from his own designs; "...a synthesis of embroidery print and dye on silk." The models were stunning in their gowns and saris. He used a few of our Kuwait Textile Art Association members to model his designs, along with professional models from India. The Sadu House with its pillars and open spaces was a perfect venue for this event. The designs were classic and tailored and the colors were breathtaking. My wardrobe is definitely due for an update, but I had better dust off my sewing machine. I'm afraid I can't afford haute couture on a teacher's salary!
The tall woman in the ruby red sari in the center of the picture is my friend, Sue. She has hosted many our quilting get togethers in her beautiful apartment overlooking the gulf.
I'll leave you with a view of the sunset off the roof.
Blessings!
Charlotteo
