Our first “real” weekend in Kuwait made a realize that we will truly live a very “normal” life while we were here. It felt a lot like the states… but sweltering.
Where to start? I am going to look forward to Wednesdays. The work week in Kuwait is 48 hours, so everyone works 4 10 hour days and one 8 hour days. Will got home at 3:30 on Wednesday, so it was like we had the whole afternoon to hang out and get an early start on the weekend. (it still seems like it should be call Friday everytime Wednesday hits… TGIW just doesn’t have the same ring). Everyone got home and we hung out a while and then my dad made reservations for us to eat at the Crown Plaza hotel for my graduation!
Since I have been kept inside all week, it felt so good to get out. This counrty is nocturnal to the extreme, so everything is so busy at night- we were out what they would say is “early” at 7:00. There are several restaurants in the hotel, but we chose to eat at this western steakhouse. It was really good. It was kind of humourous to see their take on “the old west.” I wonder if they still think there are outlaws and cowboys and horses there just like everyone thinks there are nothing but camels and people that don’t wear “normal” clothes over here. 
Dinner was good, but we had to stop off at baskin robbins for desert- not the healthiest thing! Guys- I’m not joking. Evertime I get into a car here I am terrified. I have never experienced panic before, but I seem to each time I am in a car. They way the Kuwaitis drive is out of this world. First of all, very few streets are marked, so you have literally no idea where you are going. My dad has lived here for a year now and had to call a dentist’s office for directions on how to get there, and will tell you by things it is near because the buildings have no numbers. I wonder how they get their mail. Then people will get impatient and drive up on the median and curbs to pass those on the road and then cut in somehow! You can be in a turning lane and someone 3 lanes over will decide to turn and cut everyone off and almost hit you to turn too. Its craziness. I do not look forward to driving here. Today my dad wasn’t going fast enough (he was going the speed limit) so this car got right on out tail and started honking and flashing its lights and then it pulled right beside us and was halfway in out land and almost sideswiped us and was yelling and everything. I seriously almost hypervenhilated. It was terrifying because even though it wouldn’t have been our fault, the police almost always believe Kuwaitis over anyone else because of “wasta,“ which means power and is what this country seems to run by, It’s kind of an unspoken good ole boy system.
Anyway, since everyone comes out at night the traffic can get pretty bad. We sat in it for a while. We just counted all the porches and BMW 700s and landrovers we saw like it was a game.
Yesterday was nice. I felt like I was in America again. We got up around 8 and got ready. We went to this place that is similar to a best buy and my parents needed to buy a printer and a freezer because of the lack of space they have in the apartment. Then we went to the Sultan Center, which can be equivilated with Walmart to go shopping. We came back and unloaded everything and then we went to Marina Mall. It was soooo awesome. It is on Gulf Road, which is like the main road in the city where everything is located. We parked and then I was able to get an Aston Martin… or at least we got a picture by one. Will wanted me to take a picture of this gorgeous lamborgini but I didn’t want to look too suspicious. The mall was beautiful, like a really nice normal mall you would have in the states. Will was dying to see Star Wars on opening day, so we went ahead and did that. Their theatres are really nice with fancy seats. The movie was great- except they cut out the kissing scenes which I thought was weird. My mom slept through the whole thing. Pretty expensive nap.
After the movie we went to ChiChis, this mexican restaurant. It was like 6:30. Anytime Will and I would be home and go to dinner at that time we would have to wait for 30 minutes. Like I have said a thousand times, people don’t get out until late and don’t eat until after 8:30 or so. We were the only people in the entire restaurant! It was the first time I have ever had a restaurant to myself at 6:30 on the weekend.
After that, Will and I had a decision to make. I will try and quickly explain this as best as I can… Because I am not employed with my family’s company yet, I am unable to live with Will in our own apartment unless he pays $1,000 a month (which we can’t do). So, that has made things kind of hairy. We decided to move the few things we had in our apartment out until I got a job. Will is hoping that in the next few days we will be able to get him a room in my parent’s complex, so at least he will be closer and we will be able to see eachother. So we moved out of our cute little place and into my family’s for a while… this situation deserves a post of its own- 5 people in an apartment.
On our way out the “movie guys“ were there. They sell copies of new movies for like $3. We got Sahara, which is still in theatres, Ray, hotel Rwanda, and something else, I don’t remember.
I know this blog is getting long, and I am even leaving out things, but I am just glad about this weekend. Being by myself last week really made me wonder if being here was going to be okay, and this weekend was kind of a little reassurance that everything is going to be okay. Life is not that different from home- minus my friends and a few other things like Walmarts, wearing sleeveless shirts, and tap water.
Today was nice. My family usually goes to a Bible study led by some friends, but he and his wife were out of town this weekend, so we didn’t have it. We just kind of took it easy. We rested, went the nicer Sultan Center more downtown and got some things we had forgotten, and just drove around. We drove past some ferarri dealerships, and looked at some more car places. Will was drooling. Sorry Will, in your dreams. It still blows my mind how rich this country is. It’s crazy.
We also stopped by the beach real quick on our way to the dealerships. It was beautiful. We stopped along Gulf Road and took pictures. We only stayed a few minutes because I had no sunscreen, but it was really pretty.
Tonight we watched Hotel Rwanda. The main guy used to be on Saturday Night Live. He did a great job. It was funny to think of the sketches he was in, and then see him so serious now.
Thanks for reading this looong blog. I wish I could write more, about Geezys and our new living situation… but I will save those for another day! Hope you all have as good a weekend as I was able to! Off to bed now! Good Afternoon America! Goodnight Kuwait!
