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