Tulip Time in Amsterdam

Tulip Time in Amsterdam 

I know this really dates me, but I remember sitting in front of our old black and white tv watching an episode of Captain Kangaroo. One of my favorite parts of the show was a little craft segment they would feature from time to time.  One day Captain Kangaroo was cutting out a tulip shape from construction paper. I guess it didn’t take that much to entertain me at the time! But anyway, I think that is where my fascination with the humble tulip began. And when my daughter and her husband took a trip to Amsterdam and posted pictures of Keukenhof Gardens, I knew that somehow I would have to find a way to see this  wonderful place for myself. So in the spring of 2019 I booked a trip to the Netherlands and met my daughter in Amsterdam. I don’t mind traveling alone, it has many advantages, but when you can travel with someone you love it is so much sweeter. It was magical.

An explosion of color.  Seven million tulips and over 2,000 varieties. Splendor as far as the eye can see.  

Keukenhof Gardens 

No one can truly appreciate the absolute beauty of the most famous flower garden in the world more than someone who lives in a desert. I don’t mean to dis my little corner of Kuwait, but my daily walk across a somewhat disgusting sandy dirt parking lot is light years away from this world famous flower park. In my seven years living in Kuwait, I have never even seen someone using a lawn mower. I’m sure they do occasionally, but it’s not a common sight. They do plant flowers in the winter when the weather is more like early fall back in Iowa. Kuwait isn’t completely devoid of color. You just have to know where to look. 

“Keukenhof” literally means kitchen garden.  According to Wikipedia, these gardens were the location of the 15th century hunting ground of the Dutch castle Slot Teylingen and was also the kitchen garden of that estate. In 1638, governor Adriaen Block purchased the estate and in 1641 he built a large manor home which is now known as the Castle Keukenhof. In 1857, the owners of the estate at that time hired designers to restructure the grounds around the castle. The parks that were created were designed in the English style and are the foundation of the park as you see it today. It is located on nearly eighty acres of ground and I’m pretty sure my daughter, Stacia and I tramped over about every inch of it!

You can’t visit Amsterdam without seeing at least one windmill!

The obligatory picture in the oversized wooden shoes.

About 40 gardeners are tasked with the job of planting those seven million tulips that are donated by over a hundred growers.  When the growing season is over the old bulbs are completely removed. Design artists from around the world are hired to create completely new designs each year.

This picture was taken in one of the seven indoor pavilions. If you have the unfortunate luck of visiting Keukenhof before or after the tulips are in bloom, you can still see thousands of tulips and other flowers grown in containers.

All the trees were just beginning to blossom

They say that the Keukenhof Gardens are one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world.  I’m inclined to believe it. It’s certainly the ultimate destination for anyone who loves to garden. I would love to go back someday.

National Day 

A few of my preschoolers all dressed up for National Day mugging for the camera

A group of happy first graders on the last day of school before the National Day celebrations. As I sit here in my apartment on February 28,2020, the Education Ministry in Kuwait has cancelled school for two weeks along with all National Day celebrations due to the Carona virus outbreak. My school will be exploring online education during the interim. I pray for the people of this small country. It’s only a very small dot on the map.  I pray that this virus can be be contained and the people of the world be spared from the ravages of this frightening pandemic.

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am you God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

                                                                                                           Isaiah 41:10

A Safari in Kruger Park

A Safari in Kruger Park

Ok, ok....there is a little clickbait going on here.  When I think of a safari, images from the old Tarzan movies come into my head.  I picture myself dressed in khakis tramping along through the African bush with native tribesmen carrying my gear and big rifles to protect me from a charging rhino or a leopard who has been stalking our caravan for hours.  That sounds pretty exciting and very brave of me, but that’s probably stretching the truth.  A lot.

You’ve got to love zebras!

A family of elephants checking out the local watering hole.

If you have been following my humble adventures, you know I have been teaching elementary music in Kuwait for seven years now.  During that time I have met many interesting people from all over the world.  In the fall of 2016, I met Jenny from South Africa.  As it turned out, we had quite a bit in common.  Our children were about the same age and we were both looking forward to the birth of a grandchild. As most grandmas know, you have to be careful who you talk to about your grandchildren. Single friends will politely listen to your fascinating stories regarding potty training and obvious mental acuity. But a fellow grandma has to listen to you with rapt attention so she can in turn regale you with stories about HER her gorgeous grandchildren and their unique accomplishments. We spent quite a bit of time together. We found this wonderful hole in the wall restaurant that had the best chicken shwarma for just about $1.75. We would take turns treating each other to chicken shawarma once a week. About a year ago I was hungry for chicken shawarma again so I returned to that same place with another friend.  This is a place where the customers eat outside and it is not unusual to see a feral cat or two hoping for a hand out.  So I was sitting there with my friend and thought I saw a cat out of the corner of my eye. Upon closer inspection, I could see that it was actually a rat. Suffice it to say, I have not returned!

A lion cub relaxing on the side of the road.

Back to my African safari story. Jenny invited me to visit her in South Africa.  I did not hesitate to tell her yes.  I never dreamed I would ever visit the continent of Africa. It wasn’t on my radar at all. South Africa is not a place I would choose to visit unless there was someone I knew who could show me the sights. We planned the trip for the summer of 2018. I would have to wait an entire year before I could go.  It was definitely worth the wait.

Sunrise in Kruger Park

Kruger National Park

Roughly the size of New Jersey, Kruger National Park is one of the largest parks in the world. The area was first established as a national park in 1926 in an effort to prevent overhunting and to protect the animals in the one of the last frontiers in South Africa. 

Great photo of a leopard taken by Jenny Jackson.

We spent the first night of our stay in a very nice private residence outside of the park in Nelspruit. The next day we crossed the Crocodile Bridge on our way to our first rest stop at Skukuza where we spent the first two nights.  Each day we would get up early, have a quick breakfast and morning tea, of course, and be on our way.  I still remember the sight of a giraffe casually walking across the road. It seemed surreal. They are really tall animals!  Everywhere I looked it was if creation had suddenly come alive.  What a wonder to see zebras and impalas casually grazing in their natural habitat, a pride of elephants enjoying the local waterhole and a family of warthogs fighting over some tasty tidbit.  

A very tall animal indeed!

Rondavel houses in Skukuza where we spent our first night.  We had to chase away a bat that first night.  That wasn’t the kind of wildlife I flew to Africa to see!

A couple of lions enjoying the shade along the side of the road.

This young hyena was hanging out right next to a culvert near our encampment. I guess a culvert serves as a very nice den!

Crocodile Bridge built over the Crocodile River

A pair of waterbucks grazing in the afternoon sun. 

A very friendly park ranger who was happy to pose for a picture.

I was lucky to get a shot of a pair of wild dogs. They are an endangered species and not easily spotted.

An extremely handsome kudu buck

A warthog and her young feeding on a carcass

This interesting fellow is a ground hornbill 

Everywhere we went I was intrigued by the diversity of vegetation. One moment you are struck by the sight of rocky outcrops reminiscent of Rafiki’s presentation of Simba in The Lion King and around the next bend in the road you see thick underbrush or gentle rolling hills. I remember one of the last days in the park when we finally spotted some rhinos.  It felt like I was in a scene from Jurassic Park.  I was half expecting to see a velociraptor come crashing through the underbrush. I couldn’t believe I was seeing a rhinoceros in its natural habitat living the life it was meant to live. I’m afraid I’ll never look at animals in the zoo in quite the same way as before my “safari” in Kruger Park.

Friends forever!

A great pic of a rhino taken by Jenny Jackson.

One morning we had a breakfast picnic at a wonderful spot at Tshokwane.  Roger rented a skottle, which is a type of outdoor grill, and we enjoyed a very hearty breakfast that morning.  We had to keep one eye on our food and another on a pair of very naughty monkeys who would swoop down on unsuspecting tourists looking for an easy meal!

All too soon it was time to pack up and go home.  What a glorious experience!  I never was a person who longed to travel the world.  Compared to most of my colleagues here in Kuwait, I have barely scratched the surface. I take one or two major trips a year and I’m fine with that.  I really never expected to travel outside the American Midwest, let alone step foot on the continent of Africa.  I will be forever grateful to my dear friend Jenny and her husband Roger for sharing their love for South Africa with this small-town girl from Iowa. Your hospitality will never be forgotten and memories of your beautiful corner of the world will live forever in my heart.

The lilac-breasted roller.  The most exquisitely beautiful bird I have ever seen.  Photo by Debbie Mathieson.

A yellow-billed stork intent on finding its next meal. 

I think this is a Wahlberg eagle. Picture was taken by Jenny’s sister, Debbie. 

The African fish eagle. Another great picture taken by Debbie Mathieson.

Beautiful memories! Picture by Debbie Mathieson

It’s Time

It’s time.  Time to start this blog again!  The blog app I was using was no longer viable.  I was all ready to publish, and it simply would not go through.  I got disgusted and discouraged and walked away from blogging until enough people asked me when I was going to post another blog.  My son came to my rescue and agreed to help get the blog up and going again.  So I’m back and ready to get my readers caught back up on my life what we affectionately call “the sandbox.”

I will slowly get you caught up on my travels. Not too much has changed in my work here at UAS, except for one small detail.  After this current school year, I will be retiring. Many mixed feelings, of course.  But one thing is certain; there could no better place for me to end my forty-three years in education than teaching my KG and elementary students here at UAS. Seven years ago I arrived in Kuwait, somewhat bruised and battered but not broken and not at all ready to give up.  I have taught all ages of students in the US, but my greatest joy was always my elementary students. When I was offered a job teaching only elementary students full time, I didn’t care if it was halfway across the world or in my own backyard. They were going to pay me to do what I love. I was all in. I had no idea that some of my students were barely out of diapers, but that’s a whole other story!

This will be a school year where I do a lot of countdowns;  the last time I direct a first grade concert, the last time I take an international flight, the last Thanksgiving I spend away from home.  Maybe there will be a sigh of relief now and then, but I know I will miss the routine of going to work each day.  And I will miss many dear friends and colleagues. But the time is right. I’m ready. My granddaughter was an infant when I left for Kuwait. I promised her that grandma would be there for her eighth birthday. Grandmas must never break their promises. It’s part of the grandma code that must never be broken. So I’m coming home.  They say it’s best to leave when they are sad to see you go.  I know that is true.

One More Thanksgiving in Kuwait 

My first Thanksgiving in Kuwait was 2013. I couldn’t conceive of a Thanksgiving where I would just sit around and stare at the four walls and feel sorry for myself.  When I found out there were really no particular Thanksgiving plans for those of us living in what we fondly call our apartment building, the Hawally Hilton, I decided to get one organized. So with the help of my good friend, Penny, we got to work.  The hardest part was trying to locate enough turkeys, not to mention little things like cool whip, turkey basters, and poultry seasoning. 

When you live in a foreign country, you quickly learn that it isn’t always easy finding common ingredients you may need in a particular recipe. You learn to improvise.  Sometimes it turns out better than you expect and sometimes it’s so bad the feral cats won’t even eat it!  I think that happened the first time I tried to make chili.  I’m pretty sure I accidentally bought mutton instead of hamburger. I can tell you that they are NOT interchangeable!  The package looked like hamburger so I assumed that is what it was.  I never made that mistake again!

So we had our first Thanksgiving in the basement of our building.  We probably had about thirty people who came.  We had people sitting around the table from all parts of the USA and a few from other countries who decided to join us. There were favorite dishes people brought that were certainly different than what I ever made back home in Iowa.  But that it was made it so fun and memorable. And certainly, a better way to spend Thanksgiving than sad and alone and missing the people you love most.  

A Weekend in Qatar 

One of the advantages to living in the Middle East is that there are quite a lot of interesting places to visit that aren’t very far away.  One of them is Doha, Qatar.    In 2017, my friend Barbara and I spent a long weekend in Doha, Qatar. I’m pretty sure I had never even heard of this country until the Gulf War in 1990.  Together with Kuwaiti forces, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the US Marines, they helped liberate Kuwait.  Qatari aircraft joined US, Canadian, and French fighter squadrons that flew daily missions from Doha.  They are now in a bit of a political spat with their Arab neighbors, but life goes on and politics aside, it was a pretty interesting place to spend a long weekend.

Museum of Islamic Art

World renown architect I. M. Pie was coaxed out of retirement at age 91 to undertake the construction of this museum in 2006.  It was completed in 2008.  It is located near the dhow harbor along an artificial peninsula overlooking Doha Bay.  This unique limestone building combines modern elements of construction with ancient Islamic architecture.  The Museum of Islamic Art houses 14 centuries of Islamic art in the Arab states of the Persian Gulf. 

Souk Waqif

No trip to a middle eastern country is complete without a visit to the local bazaar.  The Souk Waqif did not disappoint!  This ancient outdoor market dates back to well over 100 years.  It underwent renovation in 2006 after much of it was destroyed in a fire in 2003.  It is full of shisha lounges and restaurants featuring local cuisines.  There are the main thoroughfare and many alleys and side streets featuring souvenirs, fabrics, carpets, and anything else that might tempt a local tourist to part with his cash. 

We had a great weekend in our little getaway in Qatar. We ended our stay with a walk around the Cornish in the evening.

Until next time.....I’m counting down the days.

My Journey to Egypt Continues...

Khan el-Khalili

This fascinating Egyptian marketplace was built in the 14th century.  This is the best place to get  souvenirs, but I had to be prepared to haggle!  I am somewhat acquainted with haggling for prices, but I don't really like doing it.  I had downloaded a currency converter so I knew the exchange rate between Egyptian pounds and the US dollar, so when they quoted me a price I knew what I would be paying.  When they quoted me a price I would always say, it was way too high and begin to leave.  Then they would lower the price and tell me that, of course, they would make no money on the sale, but they would make an exception and sale me the item at a special discount only for me.  I would imagine they were certainly make a good profit even if they slashed the price by seventy-five per cent.  I didn't stay too long.  I was with my guide and the next day was a holy day for her and I knew she wanted to get home and get prepared.  Also, I knew if I stayed I would be spending way too much money on souvenirs. When you visit these exotic places, it's really tempting to to buy more stuff than you need for yourself and friends and family back home, so after visiting about three shops I decided I had about as many souvenirs as I could stuff into my suitcase,  so we headed for the  Naguib Mahfouz Cafe.  

              

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 Egyptian Fytir Mashaltit.  This beautiful flaky Egyptian specialty is served with honey, molasses, and cheese.

This was a government building within the Citadel currently under restoration.

Saladin Citadel of Cairo

You can see most of Cairo from the top of the citadel.

The Saladin Citadel was built by the ruler Salah al-Din between 1176 and 1183 to protect Cairo from the Crusaders.  My guide told me that he used limestone blocks from the pyramids to build this citadel.  Hieroglyphs have been found on many of the blocks creating the fortifications.  From the top of the wall you can see the entire city.

Muhammad Ali Mosque

Beautiful well on the grounds of the Mohammed Ali Mosque.

Commissioned by Muhammad Ali Pasha, this mosque was built between 1830 and 1848.  It was built in memory of his oldest son, Tusun Pasha, who died in 1816.  Because it is situated within the citadel, it is one of the first structures to be seen when coming to the city of Cairo.

Saints Sergius and Bacchus Church

Cavern Church and the Martyrs Sergius and Bacchus known as the Abu Serga Church built in the 4th century.

This is one of the oldest Coptic churches is Egypt. It is believed that this is where the Holy Family rested at the end of their journey into Egypt where they stayed hidden for three years until the death of Herod the Great.  

The Coptic church in Alexandria, Egypt, is said to have been established by Saint Mark at approximately AD 42, making it nearly 1900 years old.  The Coptic Christians believe they are the subject of the Old Testament prophecy written by Isaiah in chapter 19:19. "In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of of the land of Egypt, and a pillar to the Lord at its border."

There are between 10 and 14 million Coptic Christians found in Egypt which is roughly 4.5% of the population.

Winding down the 2017-2017 School Year

These preschooler are all dressed up for Girgain, which is the Kuwaiti answer to Halloween.  Girgain happens during the holy month of Ramadan.  The children go from house to house singing for candy.

I just did the math.  I have been teaching since 1977, so that makes this my 40th year in the teaching profession.  I have taught every age from three year old nursery students to high school choir.  I remember my professor in my elementary music methods class telling us that we should be prepared to teach a lot of things we may not have thought we would ever be asked to teach. 

He was sure right!  I started out in a little dot on the map in rural Nebraska called Inman:

population129 as of the last census taken in 2010.  I taught K-8 music and 5-8 English and spelling.  I did that for one year, then I taught K-12 music in a couple of different communities for five years. We moved to Iowa where I taught elementary music at BCLUW in Conrad for seventeen years and then three years teaching half time elementary music at Carol Kuemper Catholic school and half time at Coon Rapids public schools.  The last nine years in the states I taught K-12 music at Baxter, Iowa.  I even taught 5th grade band for two years. My ears still remember those beginning clarinet players!  

I never get tired of the sweet letters from kindergarteners!

A wonderful likeness!

It has been not always been easy, but never boring.  And that professor was right.  In order to survive in this profession, I had to be prepared to put on a lot of hats that I wasn't quite sure I wanted to even try on!  I sure never dreamed I would someday be teaching three year olds here in the Middle East.  I have had to be adaptable in order to survive.  God gave me a love for music and children and I went where I was led, not always willing. But God has been beside me every step of this journey and it's not over yet!

"You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." Matthew 5:14

I'll be leaving Kuwait very soon for my beloved Iowa, but I will be back in August!