One thing I love about blogging, is that it forces me to keep my eyes open for things that might interest my readers. Last week my friend and I were hungry for the delicious pomegranate salad they serve downtown at the Old Souk. You can't possibly order a meal at these open courtyard restaurants without ordering Iranian bread and the best humus you can find anywhere. Before I came to Kuwait, I likened humus to wallpaper paste. I now have a new appreciation for humus. I'm not a food critic by any means, but if you like humus, I can highly recommend the humus they serve here. But getting back to the Iranian bread...as we were sitting waiting for our order, I noticed the big open hearth where they were baking the special bread they serve with the humus I've been raving about. I asked one of the waiters if anyone would mind if I took a quick snapshot of the oven. With a little smile on his face, he said it would cost one dinar, but I knew he was joking, so I took a few more. Then he said now he would have to charge me two! Next thing I know, this big man, who was apparently the owner or manager gestured that I should go right inside and take as many pictures as I wanted. I asked him what they called the bread, and he answered with his thick accent, "Iranian bread." As you can see I got great pictures.
If you listen to the news, Iran sounds like a pretty frightening place in the world. It may well be, but I have met many Iranians and these people couldn't be nicer. They are choosing to live in Kuwait probably for some of the same reasons I'm here. I don't know any of their particular political views, but they do know a thing or two about baking bread!
Pomagranate salad. I will figure out how to make this before I go home!
Expat Maggie Stewart
This is Maggie on the far left. Her sister is in the middle and good friend stsnds on the right. They are posing in front of the Guiness Factory in Dublin, Ireland.
Maggie Stewart is my new neighbor. She has a roommate of the four-pawed variety which has certainly livened things up here on the third floor! He is an adorable little chihuahua named Mojo. Maggie is from Gresham, Oregon. She attended Oregon State and graduated with a double major in Elementary Education and Human Development with an emphasis on Early Childhood. She worked as a substitute teacher for a year and a half in her hometown. She became somewhat disillusioned with the state of the educational system in the United States, so she decided to apply for a teaching position overseas. She interviewed via Skype at the International Creative Academy here in Kuwait and was hired to teach Kindergarten. She taught at the Creative Academy for two years then applied for a position here at UAS. She was hired for the 2014/2105 school year and UAS is lucky to have this creative and energetic young lady on our staff.
Despite the fact that our kitchens are microscopic at best, Maggie manages to roll out quite a number of pies each week and I can happily say I have been a lucky recipient of a slice or two of one of her creations. She has also become quite a seasoned traveler having managed to travel to Cyprus, Jordan, Bethlehem, Dubai, Morocco, Spain, Amsterdam, not to mention Spain, Italy, Dublin, and London. She spends quite a lot of time in airports, as you can well imagine. Not one to waste time, she manages to work portrait drawing into her down time between flights. Her drawings are quite extraordinary.
I am always curious about what drives an individual to leave their country of origin for a career overseas. For Maggie, it was a chance for a little more freedom to teach in a manner that reflected her personal style. The ability to travel also factored in to her decision to teach overseas. Many of the young people who teach overseas are putting a huge dent into their student loans. UAS offers free housing, utilities and health insurance. Very few of us teachers own cars. It is very easy to find a cab, and most of us have a regular driver. The price for a gallon of gas is only 78 cents, so a cab ride is much cheaper here than in the states. When Maggie pays off her student loans, she, like many other young people here in Kuwait, will begin a nest egg for a house when the time comes to return home.
Maggie admits that she was pretty homesick her first year in Kuwait. Life in the Middle East is a huge culture shock and there is little you can do but take each day as it comes and have an open mind and an open heart to the people and new experiences that come at you in every direction. The second year was much better because she made the decision to bring her beloved pet back to Kuwait in the fall. It made all the difference to her state of mind, and she began to feel much more at home. Having a pet doesn't come cheap. There are import and export permits and the airlines charge extra to bring a pet. But I'm sure Maggie would tell you that having her furry companion to snuggle up with at night is well worth it!
Aren't You Scared?
That was the question I was frequently asked when I told friends and family that I was going to teach in the Middle East. Actually, some people (I promise I won't say who!) asked me, "Where is Kuwait, Iowa?......or Nebraska" and I would patiently tell them that Kuwait is in the Middle East. Then I would watch their jaws drop. That was two years ago and since then stories of ISIS and beheadings have filled the news and I have not been immune to a gnawing sense of fear in my heart. In December an American teacher was stabbed to death in Abu Dhabi by a man dressed in an abaya who was hiding in a women's restroom in an upscale shopping mall. The American Embassy has raised the terror alert twice since August.
Maybe I am foolishly naive, but aside from the initial worry regarding the safety of the expat community here in Kuwait, I rarely sit and worry about my safety. I am one of a handful of people I know who take public transportation on a regular basis and most of the time I am clearly the only American on the bus. My fellow passengers are people from among the many poor countries in the Middle East and Asia who supply manual labor or work in the service industry here in Kuwait. I make a point of not traveling alone at night if I can help it. If I need to take a taxi, I have a regular taxi driver who I can count also as a friend. Raju can find anyplace in Kuwait and he is a very safe driver, which is important in a city with so many crazy drivers and constant traffic congestion. I am lucky to have him!
I am half-way through my second year here in Kuwait, and that certainly does not make me an expert in Middle Eastern politics. But I can tell you about the many countless kindnesses that I encounter here in Kuwait on a daily basis. I don't always know if the people I have contact with are Muslim or Christian, but if if a woman is covered or a man is wearing a dishdasha, they most certainly are Muslim. Some people are extremely friendly and some indifferent. Not so different than what you would encounter in my hometown back in Iowa. There are mentally unbalanced people anywhere you choose to live.
I went back to the Old Souk this afternoon to get a picture of that beautiful pomegranate salad. The manager remembered me and showed me to table and waited on me himself. We chatted about his life here in Kuwait. Everyone has a story to tell if you take the time to listen.
I won't lie and tell you that I am never afraid, but I use common sense and try not to draw attention to myself, which isn't always possible when you are clearly the only Caucasian on a public bus. I will tell you that when I felt myself becoming very fearful, I prayed about it and asked others to pray with me. Since then, my fear has gone and when I'm out in the city and feel slightly uneasy, I can feel God's presence and I know I am under the shelter of his wing.
