http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/314EA524-4FF3-4993-A7D2-C4B90D09F047.htm Since I know my own blogging will be slow this week due to work and school, here's a link to Iraq Bloggers. While I have never been to Iraq, I'm going to guess that there are many people there just like me, who are concerned with math and school, heavy workloads, and how to balance a life. The difference is, these fellow bloggers have to live with bombs, war, religion and curfews in a way that I will probably never know. I don't have time to personally check every blog, so browse at your own risk. I do like "Riverbends" insights. I'll give that one a link here. http://riverbendblog.blogspot.com/
Posts
This week has put me in St. Louis. I'm surprised that both myself and my luggage arrived together. Carlsbad was having major rain and I had to slosh through floods at the airport. I don't think my pants dried until Denver. The luggage is still somewhat damp. At each connection I had just enough time to go from one gate to the next but that's better than missing the connection. I forgot that today is Fat Tuesday so all the weirdos are out to party tonight in St. Louis. I'm not talking normal party strange. As soon as I left the metro, I was accosted by a crazy man telling me to give up all possessions for lent. (This as he told me to eat well for Fat Tuesday) It's hard to sprint with large luggage but I did my best! It's sunny and clear so at least I can enjoy the week.
Mrs. Henderson Presents
This is a movie for Judi Dench fans, people who enjoy the BBC line-up Saturday night on PBS, and maybe fans of British period pieces. If you fall into any of those catergories, then you will quite enjoy Mrs. Henderson Presents. The rest of you will be bored. Set in WWII, the story follows recently widowed Judi Dench as she searches for a way to occupy herself. She decides to purchase a theater and open a Parisian style revue theater. When the concept fails to catch on, nudity is brought into the act and the theater is a hit. The story follows the success of the theater and the relationship behind the stage of the cast and crew. Some of the storylines work, others don't but the charm of the movie is in Dench's performance. At 103 minutes, it's just the right running time. The movie ends before it drags on. I enjoyed Judi Dench's character, I'm so-so about the overall film.
Ocean Beach is where the unexpected is normal. A simple beach walk can be peaceful or a gauntlet run through the homeless population. Dog Beach is always entertaining and you never know what you'll find washed up onshore. Last night for me, I simply enjoyed the sunset but as always, when you have more than one person, there's more than one way to view a sunset. Above - my sunset. Below - Mondo's sunset.
Work has been going non-stop today. I thought that since most normal jobs took the day off that I might have some down time but no. Everyone has figured out that I'm back in the country and the phone is ringing and work just happens. I guess that's okay. Even people in Kuwait are calling so I guess I haven't fully escaped yet. I turn into such a lightweight after not drinking for a few weeks. LJ and Homer and even the waiter were totally in shock when I ordered a second beer but didn't drain the remaining beer before turning the glass over to the waiter. The waiter just stared at the beer glass for so long that I had to ask for it back and finish my beer. He just couldn't contemplate what I was doing. Now, I see people leave their beer unfinished at Karl Strauss all the time and they don't get that look. I've never even seen that waiter before so how was he to know my beer habits? Anyhow, the beer tasted great. Statistics has officially ended. I survived. I...
I'm home! It took 28 hours of travel and I was up for 2 days but I'm back! First stop this morning was to the beach for exercise without anyone worrying about where I was. Then it was off to the post office to retrieve the mountain of mail. One more quick stop for food and then I was right back where I left - Saturday morning and a day full of statistics ahead of me. The good news is this is the last Saturday that I will spend typing math. The class ends on Monday and I can return to a normal class load again. I've managed to stay awake all day so I have high hopes for a quick time adjustment. Returning home is often a reverse culture shock. I miss my friends in the Middle East already. Fox News irritated me this morning with their one sided approach to scare viewers and increase ratings on the whole "everyone in the region is a terrorist" theme. It is relaxing not to have to try and follow Arabic. Not that I speak it but I know the work related terms and body la...
Amsterdam is 6.5 hours from Kuwait and lightyears away in terms of thought. I'm looking at my first US and European newspapers and the stories center on the Olympics, the EU, and movies of the Oscar and Berlin film festival variety. There is only the most minor mentions of the chaos in the Muslim world surrounding the Prophet cartoon and the Abu Gharib torture. These two items have consumed my life for three weeks and caused riots and destruction in several regions. The extremists that are organizing these riots are trying to send a message to the world but the world has shut them off and no one even knows what's really going on. I feel as though I've been off world. I didn't see any American's in Beirut and only a handful of business travelers in Kuwait. Last night when I went to the airport it was almost reverse culture shock as most of the travelers were either US Army or civil workers returning home after 18 months in Kuwait and Iraq. I can't even imagine h...
As I spend my last few hours in Kuwait, I realize how involved I've become in my life here. I'm so ready to get home and see my friends and resume my normal life. At the same time I'll have to reacclimate to driving, wearing short sleeved shirts and skirts, and reintegrating back into normal life. While I'm ready to be home, I have to remember that food does not come from the breakfast buffet and that people will understand what I say without my having to think of different ways to say the same thing. If I need to speak another language, it will be Spanish which will seem so wonderfully easy next to Arabic. (which I don't plan to learn beyond the few words that I've picked up) I'm looking forward to my return trip to Lebanon and hopefully Jordan, but Kuwait, well I know I'll be back and have to deal with it. Anyhow, this has been a long 3 weeks and a lot has happened during that time. Too bad no one made an offer on my condo. I hope I don't go hom...
Here's the last police report from the Kuwait Times for Feb. 16. It's been the reading highlight over coffee for me each morning. The Coast Guard gave chase to 3 men who were attempting to smuggle alcohol into the country. The men escaped but left 40 boxes of alcohol behind. A drug pipe was confiscated from an Iranian expat. Hashish was found in a shopping mall. Several thefts, a fire, the usual fatality car accident, and a fall from a construction site. I don't think I'd take a job on a high rise here. Almost every day 1 - 3 falls are reported, usually fatal. Thank-you Australian television for airing the abuse pictures from Abu Ghraib so we can have a reason for more attacks and violence in the region. This has to go under the heading of really stupid bad judgement and timing. I suppose this will take the heat off of Denmark and turn the focus back to the US. For Westerners like myself who work in the Middle East and have Muslim friends and co-workers, this is ju...
Kuwait. Still here, still bored. Even today’s paper has little of interest about Kuwait. The police report is short today. A few thefts, an opium drug bust, some deportations. We went a whole day without a major car crash. The best article of the day comes from Saudi Arabia. It’s too long to copy so I’ll paraphrase. The article interviews a shop owner and his covert card and heart operation. "Cupid flutters over Saudi Arabia despite Valentine’s Ban" Five years ago a religious fatwa was issued that banned Valentine’s Day and declared it a Christian pagan holiday that no Muslim should celebrate. Five years later, the spirit of Valentine’s Day lives on in Saudi Arabia. Last year the shop owner lost $53,000 worth of merchandise on relgious raids on his shop. This year he was taking no chances. Two of the store’s employees stand outside with cell phones to keep an eye out for the religious police while customers shop in the secret back room for hearts, cards, teddy bears, and choc...
I don't know how I missed this in yesterday's Kuwait Times. Let me preface the article with this, everyone here compares themselves to other nationals. It would be the same as saying "Texans are this but New Yorkers are not." "Don't smack your wife while driving" A man died after he lost control of his car, Al-Watan daily reported. Angry with his wife and driving in typical fashion of Saudi Arabia - fast and with utter disregard for traffic laws - the man smacked his woman in the face. In retaliation, the woman grabbed the steering wheel, causing the husband to lose control of the vehicle. Because he was driving like an angry Saudi, the car was careening down the road at an unsafe speed. As a result of expressing anger by driving really fast, the car flipped several times. The wife is recuperating in the hospital; the husband is underground.
In terms of changing values in the Middle East, Valentine’s Day is far more controversial than Christmas. Christmas is accepted as a religious holiday for many people all over the world. Valentine’s Day is seen as a purely Western concept and one that is a dangerous influence on young people. India seems to be where the battle is being fought the most, which is unusual considering Hindu has been a far more tolerant religion than Islam on these things. Kuwait has a more balanced view. If the shop keepers can make money, they’re all for it. The front page of the Kuwait times has red hearts and roses, and a Valentine Bear on the cover with a Happy Valentine’s day message to the readers. The number of men and women wearing red today is almost as bad as the wearing of the green on St. Patrick’s Day. Valentine’s hearts are worn as a symbol of new beliefs and acceptance by the young but I also observed a gray haired gentleman wearing a red scarf today. The shops are doing a brisk business sel...
This week I learned that movie theaters in Kuwait show the film with all the lights on. This is to keep unmarried men and women from being together in the dark. Go figure. I didn't go see a movie but this was a random conversation topic at work. I thought they just didn't have theaters here. After all, many employees already have DVD's of just released movies. The sexes can't mix but the black market for movies is thriving and well.
In my Kuwait bubble I am disconnected from my normal world of American culture. There are no mentions of Survivor, American Idol, or the daily obsession with the latest blonde who has either disappeared or found mysteriously dead. All that exists is my hotel, work, and the street that takes me from one to the other. I see the ocean but I don’t go there because the sewage smell is annoying. This morning at breakfast I looked around at all the other business travelers and I realized that we were all in the same boat. Everyone is just marking time until their assignment is over and it’s time to move on. As Europeans, Americans, Asians, we know we’re safe in Kuwait but the social constraints are hard to deal with when you’re on your own. For me, I have 5 more days before I get to leave. Let’s look at what’s going on right in Kuwait today. It’s interesting to note that the recent succession of the new Amir and the new Crown Prince happened with only minor squabbles in the royal family. From...
The Amir has been bumped off of the newspaper again. Today's Kuwait Times carry's the headlines of "Cartoon anger rages unabated" of the protest in other countries. There's a photo of Turin and the opening Olympic ceremony, the threat of captors to kill the US journalist, and "Israel fumes over Putin knife in back." As for what's happening here: "Man reports wife" A Kuwaiti man reported to police that he suspected his wife of being unfaithful. Police put the house under observation and arrested a man who went inside. Police filed a case. "3 Bengalis held over death of Indian" 3 Bangladeshi expates were arrested in connection with the death of an Indian man. Turns out that the 4 of them were making illegal alcohol and the poisonous gas generated during the distilling process killed the man and the others dumped his body. If you want drugs or guns, it turns out that the soldiers employed by the Ministry of Defense are a good sourc...
Life plods on as boring as ever in Kuwait. The newpapers are moving back to internal issues and focusing less on other countries. The new Amir finally made the front and first few pages of the paper. Of today's trivia it's worth noting that 490 illegal billboards were recently removed from city streets, 2 people were arrested forbeing intoxicated, multiple photo ops with the new Amir, there is a possible discovery of new oil fields. and a panel has been formed to explore how women will move forward now that they can vote. An article about the fate of an ancient Muslim cemetary notes the location is in "Occupied Jerusalem" as it is not politically correct to imply that Jerusalem exists in any context other than an occupation. Alongside that article is a statement by Hamas that they will not recognize Israel. So Feb. 10th has come and gone in Kuwait.
One side of the hotel faces the ocean, the other side gets this view. Today is cold with some rain and the wind is strong enough to almost blow you over. The dust from the desert is mixed in with the moisture and the sky is dark. This is the reality of most of Kuwait. I try and present the nice side but there is also the dull, boring, and uninspiring reality of the county.
A sample from today's Kuwait Times reveals that the new Amir has chosen his brother as the new Prime Minister and Crown Prince. This continues the recent controversy between the royal family as the two branches are supposed to share power but the current trend has seen a trend to public opinion influencing the rulers. This is new and could be good for Kuwait but the next few years may be a tough political path for the ruling family. 43 illegal liquor stores were closed yesterday in a sweep. No alcohol is allowed into Kuwait, it's a dry country. 2 steps forward and another one back - men have been banned from working as sales clerks in women's shops. The law went into effect 6 months ago but no one has thought to enforce it until now. We have pro and anti Denmark stances throughout the paper. Lebanon arrested 5 people for the Army barracks attack and explosion from last week. Page 9 brings news of a second LA jail fight. Today was cold and foggy. We had thunderstorms last ...
It's sunny this morning and all looks well from my hotel window. This morning's news brings news of an attack on the Danish and Swedish embassies in Iran and now threats against Austria because Austria represents the EU in this region. Denmark has told it's citizen's to not travel to Muslim countries and the only country in the region still left open to them is Lebanon. Today's Kuwait Times has the cover stories of how Finland's premier is working to intervene and below that a big picture of the violence in Iran. Today's paper is dedicated to the new Amir of Kuwait but he doesn't show up until page 3. In the world of Kuwait it's business as usual. We will go about our day untouched by the regions around us.
It's now Monday night in Kuwait and time to put the last 24 hours in perspective. On Saturday, when the Danish embassy was attacked in Syria, it made the news but no one was surprised that it happened. On Sunday, when the attack happened in Beirut, it was a surprise because the Danish consulate is located in the Christian community of Achrafie. Since the end of the civil war between the Christians and Arabs, there have been no incidents that cross the boundaries of the communities. The Arab attack on the consulate took place in what is considered a safe haven area. In the process, a church was attacked and many people had their cars and property destroyed. The people involved were bent on destruction and while it happened under the guise of protest, it was really just a group of people all worked up to be violent. CNN makes the scene look as if all of Beirut was under siege. Obviously this wasn't true because I was just a few miles away, first at the beach and then later a...
I've arrived in Kuwait and now I'm wide awake. It's like my body knows that in this country the day starts early and ends late. I'ts 11:22 pm and this is the most energy I've had all week. Cingular has finally fixed my cell phone issue and I'm back in business for International calls. There is an 11 hour time difference so I might not take calls but at least I'll get messages now. Security leaving Beirut was tight. We had all of our carry-on luggage checked at the aircraft jet-way and received a pat-down for weapons prior to getting on the plane. That's not normal so it must have been due to the Danish Consulate attack today. I'm in boring Kuwait now so all is well. My hotel overlooks the ocean but it's night, the windows are dirty so I can't see it. One week down, two to go!
Since I know that you are all going to wake up to the images of the attack on the Danish Consulate in Beirut on CNN this morning, it's time to discuss these events and what is going on in the region. This is the first time that I have felt safer as an American than as a European. My accent lets people know where I'm from. I can't say that Danish citizens are so lucky right now. The extremists of the world have grabbed onto the idea of a protest of a cartoon and as usual, taken it to the extreme end in a way that makes the American Freedom Fry issue look childish and amateur. This is the same reaction by poor, powerless, and desparate people that led to the recent riots in France. Yesterday the Danish embassy in Damascus, Syria, was set on fire by protestors, taking the two other embassies down with it. The French embassies are threatened as well. Yesterday I heard a rally going on in my neighborhood and it must have been a go get them type rally. My hotel is in the dis...
Here is the contrast of Beirut. The top photo is your typical Med city built next to the ocean. It's beautiful and the idea of every traveller's dream. But to get this picture, I had to point my camera through the barb wire fence that blocks off part of the ocean and surrounds the military outpost on the beach. Below me were armed guards who are there to warn and be the first alert against an attack by water. Since armed guards don't like to have their pictures taken, I am unable to share that view.
One of the strangest and hardest parts about traveling is not being there for friends and family during sad times. A dear family friend passed away early this morning. For those of you who knew Emil Kremzier, he has struggled with recovery from a stroke for several years and in the last few months has been in intensive care. Luckily he is in a place of peace and it's his wife of over 50 years who is in pain now. Audrey had called me right before I left for Lebanon to let me know that it was a matter of days but still when the news came in, I was surprised. I was convinced that her will alone would keep Emil around until she was ready to let him go. That day was today. The Muslims are mad at the Danish and boycotting and threatening embassies. The Israeli's continue to invade the Lebanon border and killed a 15 year old today, and Iran just wants to blow everyone up. All of these things are so trivial when you look at the short span of life that we have. So for the third time...
In the way that these things go, a minor explosion in Beirut is possibly on CNN and I know it's on Al Jazeera. That part of the city is remote and not near the downtown or business district. It's so far away from where I am that the only way I even knew about it was the news. So, don't worry. Today I face the much more stressful world of teaching food safety. I am so looking forward to the end of this day and stressing over statisitics instead!
