Hidden Treasures in Kuwait: The House of Mirrors

It wasn't difficult to figure out which home was the House of mirrors!

Kuwait may not be a tourist destination, but if you take the time to do a little digging, you may come up with a few unexpected gems.  I'd heard about the House of Mirrors, but I hadn't taken the time to really check it out.  I'm going on my fourth year here in Kuwait, so I thought it was about time!

Lidia was there to meet us at the door.  You couldn't find a more gracious hostess.

Even the courtyard was adorned with her beautiful work.

It didn't take us long to get there.  It was actually in a typical Kuwaiti neighborhood.  I remember thinking that I hoped we wouldn't drive right by trying to find the address.  There was no need to worry about that.  The entire exterior of the home is covered with mirror mosaics.  There was no question that we had found the right place.  We were met at the door by this diminutive Italian woman, Lidia Qattan.  Lidia Qattan is the artist who created The House of Mirrors.  She actually lives inside of her masterpiece.  Amazing!  She is close to eighty years old.  She tells a fascinating narrative about what inspired her to cover her entire home inside and out with mirrors.  We began our tour in her living room where she served us this lovely lemon ginger tea and little sweets.  There were about twelve of us in her living room.  It was cozy and pleasant, then the journey began.

Here you see her inspiration is the mysterious world under the sea.

An ordinary kitchen is no longer so ordinary!

I didn't know mirrors came in so many colors.

You knew this was coming...even the toilet was transformed!

Steps leading to the art galleries of Khalifa and Lidia Qattan 

Apparently, the entire project began as a result of her little daughter breaking a mirror.  As is typical of creative people, she took the problem of a cracked mirror and repurposed it into a beautiful mosaic on an ordinary cabinet.  When her husband went  on a business trip, she took the opportunity to transform the living room into a piece of art with more mosaics.  He loved the result and encouraged her to continue.  Soon the entire house became a living and breathing piece of art.  Then the unthinkable happened.  In 1985, six years after completion, she discovered that termites had been busy eating her house from the inside out.  She then began the arduous work of stripping down the entire house and completely redoing her mosaics.  This time she changed her technique and not only did she cover the walls, the floors also became a canvas for her unique artistic expression.  Each room has a theme.  Lidia takes you on a journey into her world, a world you will not soon forget.

The journey ended here with a psychedelic light show and a glimpse into the cosmos. 

Year Number Four in Kuwait

Who would have thought that when I signed that first two year contract, four years later I would still be at UAS?  Well, two years turned into three, then three into four and I'm still here.  I haven't been kidnapped or blown to pieces by terrorists.  Not that I'm speaking lightly of any of those events.  We are not living in peaceful times anywhere.  No one is entirely safe from the evil that has always been a part of our lives.  I don't think there is a person on earth who can tell anyone how to be completely safe.  When I signed that first contract I was besieged with doubt.  I hoped and prayed I had made the right decision.  I guess this is where living your faith and trusting in the Lord comes in.  I knew that even if this tiny corner of the world called Kuwait turned out to be a bad choice, that God would have my back like He has had time and again.  So it has been a good place for me.  I've grown in my profession (who knew that I would actually come to love my little three year olds?), seen a few corners of the world that I never dreamed I would see, made dear forever friends with people from all over the USA not to mention the world, and renewed my faith in God.  This school and this country has been good to me.  That's why I'm still here.

A little glimpse into my world....my summer garden in Union, Iowa

Kuwait Towers

The Kuwait Towers lit up against the night sky

Recently my friend, Linda, invited me to an InterNations event at the Kuwait Towers.  It has been closed since 2012 so I was excited to go.  We had a beautiful buffet supper and then we took the elevator up to the top to see a panoramic view of the city and the Persian Gulf.  The view on the top of this 614 foot tower was breathtaking.  This top deck has a revolving platform which makes makes a complete 360° turn every thirty minutes.  This was definitely one of those times that I wish I had a better camera!

A view of the Kuwait skyline from inside the dome

The Kuwait Towers were built in the seventies and officially inaugurated in 1979.  The Kuwait Towers symbolize the opulence and prosperity of this tiny country that has become one of the ten richest countries per capita in the world. The main tower has two spheres.  The lower sphere is divided into two parts.  The top part holds the restaurant, a cafe, a lounge, and a reception area.  The bottom half of the sphere contains a water tank of 4,500 cubic meters.  The second smaller tower serves as a water reservoir and the third tower houses equipment to illuminate the two larger towers.

Our buffet in the round.

A view of the lower dome through the glass

Saddam Hussein's army nearly destroyed these iconic structures during the Gulf War in 1990.  Iraqi soldiers deliberately shattered the towers' electrical facilities and wrecked the interior and exterior with gunfire and shrapnel.  The damage was estimated to be nearly 75% of the facility.  Repairs were made at a cost estimate of about 6.5 million dollars.  By December 26 of 1992, it was officially reopened to the public

There aren't a lot of tourist destinations in Kuwait, but this was one that was well worth the visit.  

Joshi!

Here is Joshi leading her little Kindergarten charges to their graduation.

One of the real pleasures of teaching overseas is getting to know people from  different cultures.  We have teachers here from many parts of the world.  Joshi is from India.  I think the first thing I noticed about Joshi was her beautiful scarves and colorful, flowing abayas.  Her warm smile lights up a room.  She is a kindergarten teacher here at UAS.  She started out as an assistant in 1998 and was hired as a teacher in 2007.

Joshi and her handsome husband, Bishara

Joshila Bishara was born in India in 1976 and came to Kuwait as a young bride in 1997.  She attended Farook College where she received a bachelor's degree in commerce.  In 2009 she completed her Master's in Education and Curriculum Instruction from the University of Phoenix.  Joshi and her husband Bishara have been happily married for nineteen years and have two young daughters; Rasha who is fifteen and Khadija who is ten.  I asked her how she met her husband and then I learned some very interesting details about marriage in the Muslim culture.  Joshi never met her husband, Bishara, until a week before they were married!  Bishara's cousin was a friend of Joshila's.  She and his cousin both attended college together.  He asked his cousin to ask Joshi if she would consider marrying him.  She agreed, then the families were contacted and consented to the marriage.  Young Muslims do not date.  The families either arrange a marriage or in Joshi's case, families are contacted through a second party and the marriage is either agreed to or rejected.  I can't imagine my parents selecting my future mate, much less my daughter trusting me and her father to find her the perfect match, but speaking as a divorcee, who am I to criticize someone in an arranged marriage for nineteen years who is perfectly happy?  It would be an interesting study to compare the level of happiness between the marriages of those who chose their own spouses and those who are in an arranged marriage.  Living overseas certainly can broaden your prospective and make you rethink about how we live our lives in western culture.  

Older daughter, Rasha, with her doodle art

Another interesting aspect of Muslim culture is the matter of dress.  Some women wear the traditional hijab or what the western world would describe as a headscarf and some do not.  Some always wear an abaya while others choose to wear more westernized clothing.  Joshi has been covered since her first daughter was born.  She explained to me that the decision to wear a hijab was a very personal one.  A woman who has decided to cover is expressing her heartfelt faith as a pious Muslim woman.  She must never again go out in public without her hijab and only her husband and male members of her immediate family can see her hair.  Joshi wears a hijab with style grace.  I don't think I've ever seen her wear the same scarf twice!  A sweeter and kinder person you will never find.  

Joshi's ten year old daughter enjoying nature on a visit home to India 

I asked Joshi to talk about her faith so my readers could have a better understanding of what it means to be a Muslim.  We hear so much about jihadists and caliphates, it's difficult and confusing to sort out the truth from propaganda.  Joshi explained that Isis and groups like them have used the Muslim faith to seek power and influence and anyone who kills in the name of the Muslim faith is not a true believer.  

Social conduct is very important in Islam because Muslims must work to earn Paradise in this world.  Islam teaches that each of us must be the best human possible within our capacity.  Be conscious that Allah is  always watching you.  Muslims need to talk politely, act with kindness, be humble, do not be arrogant, do not argue, stay calm, and control their anger.  No matter how religious you are, if you have a bad temper our Prophet says you are a Muslim in name only.  You need to talk calmly with your family and out of practice you then automatically talk nicely to others outside the house including your neighbor's who are non-Muslims.  Prophet said that a person who is not very religious but with the best social conduct might be a person standing next to Prophet on the day of judgement.  When one dies, if all the people knew the dead says he was a nice person then that might be enough for Allah to grant him or her Paradise.  

Charity is an important facet of Islam.  There is an important mandatory charity called called Zakat that every Muslim must give during Ramadan.  Zakat is 2.5% of your total assets which include jewelry, properties and bank balance.  The Prophet taught that even a smile is charity. A poor should give Zakat with what he has, even if that is just a small piece of date.

Lastly, Joshi would like you to understand that not all Muslim men with a beard or Muslim women who are covered are terrorists.  There are good and bad people in Islam just like any other religions.  It is mentioned in the Quran that you preach your religion and let others preach theirs.  Do not be judgmental.  Our Creator will judge each one, but we should not judge each other.  

Enjoying a final moment with her class before graduation

Final Thoughts

Another year gone by here in Kuwait.  It's like anything, when you are in the midst of it, it seems like time moves at glacial pace.  When you look back, it seems like time has flown by.  I think the important thing to do is to try to savor each moment.  Rejoice in the good and learn from the bad. Continue to move forward.  That's what I have tried to do.  Writing this blog has been a big part of that effort.  Much thanks to all of you who have responded with encouragement and kind words.  It's what keeps 

my "pen" busy with you, my readers always in the back of my mind.  

One of my third grade classes at our final concert.  They were SO excited because they were allowed to wear dress clothes for the program.

Adorable pictures from a thank you card from one of the third grade classes.  Thank you, Joan!

This was given to me by a group of fourth grade girls.  The nicest compliment I have ever received.

Thank you 4-1 girls for reminding me why I do what I do.

Ayutthaya, Ancient Capitol of Siam

For those of you who have been reading my blog, you will know that I do not pretend to be an experienced traveler.  I went to Thailand because I was selected by NESA to present a workshop in Bangkok.  I arrived a few days early to do some sight seeing.  My first day I toured the Grand Palace and the second day I rode an elephant, then floated down Kwai River on a bamboo boat.  Maybe not too adventurous by world class standards, but not too bad for a gal from Iowa who had barely stepped out of the Midwest before moving to Kuwait.

  

My third day in Bangkok was spent getting on and off a bus touring mostly temples in the ancient city of Ayutthaya.  Jet lag was catching up on me.  It was an hour or so flight from Kuwait to Oman and then an eight hour flight to Bangkok.  I took a lot of pictures, but I'm not altogether positive which temple was which.  We had a really nice guide who was very knowledgeable, but his voice was somewhat monotone.  Combine that with the lack of sleep and the very hot and sticky climate, you have e recipe for a severe lapse of memory.  I'll do my best to describe my pictures, but please forgive me if you have been to Thailand and are very familiar with these temples, because after a while they all started to look alike!

Our first stop was the Pa In Royal Summer Palace of King Rama IV.  Our guide told us it is a mixture of Thai, Chinese, and Gothic architecture.  

A beautiful river view on the grounds of the Pa In Royal Palace

The grounds of the palace were beautifully kept.  Notice the herd of elephant topiaries in the background.

One of the temples in the summer palace.

Our next stop was Ayutthaya. It was once the trading capital of Asia before it was ransacked and burned to the ground by Burmese invaders in 1767.  It housed three palaces and over four hundred temples.  

This sight of this Buddha head rising out of the ground really intrigues me.  When the Burmese destroyed the temples and palaces in 1767, they cut off the heads of the many Buddha statues.

To save this particular head from the looters, it was buried.  Over the years it has risen from the ground wrapped in the roots of this ancient tree.  This temple is called Wat Mahathat. This was the royal monastery, home to ancient monks.

All the buildings and statues were once completely covered in gold.  Hard to imagine.

The invaders actually melted the gold off of the statues and temples, leaving only stone and bricks.

My last glimpse of Ayutthaya.  This is one of the few Buddha heads remaining that haven't been carried off by looters over the centuries...a little eerie.

Wat Phanon Choeng.  Guided seated Buddha.  Enormous!

You could pay this monk to say a special blessing for you.  No I didn't, but a prayer for serene and uneventful flight home wouldn't have been a bad idea!

This is a reclining Buddha.  I think the orange covering is there to protect it from the elements.  It used to be in a building, but it caught fire a couple of times.

Sightseeing sadly came to an end and it was time for the conference to begin.  I finally gave my presentation the second to last day.  I was very, very nervous!  This was the end of March and I had been dealing with this presentation since about October.  I had to jump through a lot of hoops to get to this point and was anxious to be done with it!

I'm in the book.  It's official!

Kind of a fuzzy picture, but here I am, demonstrating the time-honored tradition of the ever popular rhythm band.  What four or five year-old doesn't want to be first chair jingle stick in a rhythm band!!

This was a couple of my workshop participants.  They are kindergarten teachers in Pakistan.

This was taken at our "Gala Evening at the Royal Orchid Sheraton."  I had that blouse tailored at one of the local shops.  It's Thai silk...supposed to be some of the finest silk in the world.  And it's hand washable!

Beautiful Thai dancers.  What a wonderful lasting memory of this magical country.  

I will be eternally grateful that UAS gave me this incredible opportunity to share some of my knowledge with colleagues from around the world.  It was a lot of work and certainly took me way out of my comfort zone, but it made me realize how important it is to introduce young children to music.  No other discipline engages the brain like music.  What a precious gift we can pass on to future generations. 

The simple water lilly, national flower of Thailand.

Thailand

The Grand Palace and a Ride on an Elephant

View from my hotel window

I just returned from Bangkok, Thailand, about three weeks ago.  Thailand was an amazing, bustling city full of street vendors, tuk tuks, and lots of Chinese tourists. I was there because I had been chosen to be a speaker at an international educator's conference known as NESA: Near East South Asia Council of Overseas Schools.  We stayed in this beautiful hotel located on the Chao Phraya River called the Royal Orchid Sheraton, well named because there were bouquets of orchids everywhere.  You can buy orchids by the bushel in Bangkok at the flower markets not far from the hotel.  I arrived at night by taxi and was greeted by the doorman who made sure my bags were taken to the lobby, then I checked in.  My hotel room was spacious; overlooking the river and the city itself.  I looked down and saw the river cruise boats moving slowly down the river and the lights of city lit up and so welcoming.  I could hardly wait for tomorrow!  I arrived about four days before the conference so I could get acquainted with this bustling city.  In four days I barely scratched the surface, but I gave it my best shot!

This lovely woman played music in the lobby every afternoon

Fresh orchid bouquets everywhere

The Grand Palace

These little guys are "monks in training" on a pilgrimage to the Royal Palce which houses the Emerald 

Buddha

No visit to Bangkok is complete unless it includes a visit to the city's most famous landmark, the Grand Palace.  The Grand Palace is a huge complex of buildings with a combined area of about 218,400 square meters (2,351,000 sq. ft.). Construction began in 1782 and completed a hundred years later in 1882.  It was very crowded with Chinese tourists the day I went.  It wasn't easy to get a good photograph without asking about twelve people to get out of the way.  I was a typical wide-eyed tourist.  Nothing I had ever seen before could prepare me for the grandeur and opulence of the Grand Palace.

Gold everywhere you look

Borrowed this pic from ytravel.com.  There were so many tourists it was hard to get a good shot of him.  I think this big guy is one of their national symbols.  You see him everywhere.  I don't think I would want to mess with him!

 Detail of the gold tiles you see everywhere you look

One of the many former office buildings in the complex.  Those are actually giant bonsai trees in the foreground.

Amazing craftsmanship 

Striking a rather cheesy pose!

Me and my buddy!

Bangkok River Cruise

I could see the river cruises from my window, so I decided I would sign up.  The buffet was wonderful and the entertainment was interesting.  You haven't lived until you have heard "Friends in Low Places" sung with a Thai accent.  They had some lovely Thai dancers which I enjoyed a little more!

I love watching these traditional dancers.

One of the many lovely sights to see as we cruised down the river.

Like most cruises, this one had a very nice buffet.  I was busy filling up my plate, when I heard the guy who was doing his very strange American country western twange with a Thai accent announce that if you're standing, you need to duck because we were going under a bridge.  I thought he was joking and if I ducked, I would look really silly because I'd be the only one foolish enough to actually duck.  

Well, I looked up and HE WASN'T KIDDING!!  Looming before me was the concrete underbelly of this enormous bridge.  I never bent my knees so fast in my life!  I'm lucky my head is still attached to my shoulders!  That was a little too much excitement for one day.

These Chinese tourists really know how to get down and boogie!  That was my hotel in the background.

Riding an Elephant

Yes, this is a very touristy thing to do in Thailand, but I had to do it for all my friends back home.  Glad he wasn't very big!

I started out on that chair contraption you can see behind me, then before I knew what was happening, the young man who was sitting where you see me in this picture hopped off and told this grandma behind him (that would be me!) to slide on down and straddle the elephant's neck like he had been doing.  Really???  Not wanting to appear any more fuddydudddy than I already was sitting on this elephant, I slid down very carefully.  It wasn't too bad...it was actually pretty fun.  The tricky part was getting back on that darn chair without sliding off and getting stepped on!  

Taken while floating down the river Kwai in a bamboo raft.  So very peaceful.

I survived riding the elephant, now it was time to float down the River Kwai to catch the train for the ride home.  On our way back, we stopped to see the Bridge on the River Kwai made famous in World War II.

Built by Allied POWs in WW II and Asian labourers from other countries.  It took 60,000 men about 8 months to build it.  Over 13,000 men died building this bridge.  It was destroyed two years later.

The water lilly is the national flower of Thailand.

Enough for one day!  I will post again in a couple of weeks.