Lucky

That's me.  I'm not trying to be all high and mighty (okay, so maybe I am :P), but I am pretty lucky.  Most people I have met here don't have anyone.  I hate that.  I've been there and I know how it feels and, while, I know how it feels I don't know how to help them because everyone is so different.  The only thing I can think of is lending out my own parents (who are here, lucky me).  I know my parents don't mind it (right, guys?!?!), so that's cool.

Having my parents here definitely makes me lucky, but so does my advantage of having been here before.  I still have a couple of cool and close friends from my other school I was at last year and that's pretty lucky.  I like a large group of people, that way I don't get bored or have the same conversations about the same old stuff over and over again.  I like the mix and I like the ability to swing back and forth and then put them both together.  I like it.  It's fun.  And it's lucky.

Having my parents and "old" friends here makes me lucky, but so does my new friends.  They are awesome.  Seriously.  I'm not sure how I got so lucky.  Everyone gets along really well and everyone is really supportive and caring.  I love it.  There are always new things to do and to see and to talk about and to learn about.  Did I mention that they are some of the most caring and nice people ever?  Because they are.  I feel safe and happy when I'm with them.  They make me smile and laugh a lot and we all know how much I love doing that. 

Anyways.  I feel lucky and special.  That's a good feeling, ya know? 

Peace, love, & warm fuzzies

A Year

Last summer was a hard summer.  After my grandmother passed away, my grandlittle, Andi, died, and tomorrow marks my great aunt's death.  Even though it was a hard time, I powered through the sadness that undoubtedly set in and took over.  As I wrote in the post to/about my grandma, here, I try to take what I can from the time that I had with these special people.  They came into my life (well, 2 of the 3, I came into theirs) for a reason and I like to think that I learned from them.

Since last summer, many things have changed, I have changed.  I am stronger, smarter, and more adventurous (I like to think that's because of Andi).  I am now living in Kuwait, teaching kindergarten.  I am learning, setting up, and letting down boundaries.  I am laughing every day because I know that is how it should be and that is what these three special people (plus a couple more) would want from me.  They would want me to live out my dreams and make new ones and go out achieve those, too.  So I shall.

I just wanted to say that I love them.  Always have and always will.

Peace, love, & even more love.

Hotel Motel Holiday Inn

Today was our second day of orientation!  Yesterday was fun and we met a lot of people, but by 3 o'clock EVERYONE was EXHAUSTED thanks to jetlag, so yea...

BUT TODAY! was awesome.  We all met downstairs (there are 13 of us hotel motel-ers) and hung out for a bit and were picked up and taken to The Avenues.  It was a lot of fun walking around the whole, entire mall (which I hadn't done before) with the girls and going shopping.  I got to talk to some of the O-leaders and they helped clarify the dress code a bit more!  After Avenues, we were brought back to our hotel and had an hour to hang out and then we were picked up and taken to the Grand Mosque.  It was super awesome!  We had to dress in abayas and hijabs!  YEE!!  I was soooo giddy and excited about the whole experience and I think it may have rubbed off on other people a bit (that or they just got annoyed with my huge smile and endless giggles).  Our tour guide was AMAZING.  She explained a lot about Islam and Kuwait and I think it really helped everyone get a bit more acclimated and stuff.  Cool!

After the mosque, we were brought back to our hotel and I ran M&D's keys to the P's so that their apartment can get cleaned tomorrow and came back right away because a bunch of us went for a walk to the Kuwait Towers at night!  We were badasses and crossed Gulf Road ... at NIGHT!  Got to the towers and walked around them and took pictures and stuff and got to the area where the water park is!  And saw they had PAINTBALL and GO-KARTS!!!!!!!!  So exciting.  So, I was so excited.  I mean, I think it was a combination of the company and what we were doing (walking around Kuwait randomly with no schedule at all).  Trevor and I were able to figure out how much Go-Karts were and we convinced most everyone to go with us!!!!  IT WAS SOOOOOOO MUCH FUN!!!  Man, huge smile the entire time and Christine and I teamed up because we were in the slowest cars and we tried to block everyone.  It was a great time.  Afterwards, we walked back to the hotel and stopped for some shwarma for some people.  Came back up to my room to prepare this blog post (because I was/am SOOOO happy and excited) and got a message from Martin asking what we were all doing.  All of us were still awake so we had a "pool party" down at our pool.  Basically, we hung out and had some outrageous conversations.  It was a lot of fun.

I feel really fortunate.  At first all of us were a bit ticked that we were in a hotel and not able to fully settle in and stuff, but I feel so fortunate because it has automatically given us a group of awesome people to get to know and be tight with.  I'm not saying we won't meet new people, but we have been able to spend a lot of time becoming solid with each other and it's great.  I'm pretty happy.

I guess I should post pics from the mosque.  I'll do it as soon as I upload them!  Oh!  Oh!  I forgot!  I lost my phone tonight.  Left it in the cab.  When I realized this, I tried not to sweat it too much and had the hotel guy call my phone.  By the time we got back from Go-Karting, he had a HUGE smile on his face and said that it will be returned later tonight, and GUESS WHAT?!  Yep!  I HAVE IT BACK!!!!  How lucky is that?  Man oh man.  Great day/night/people/country.

Peace, love, & AWESOMENESS

Edit:  Pictures!

A tiled wall in the women's part.

The women's praying area.

Totes gorg!

PRETTY!

Put yo' shoes here!

By the time we left, they were all lit up!

The Mosque in the evening.

Maybe it IS Maybelline...

...Or maybe I'm just THAT awesome?  Thoughts?

Anyways, I suppose I should post a blogski about being back in Kuwait blah blah blah.  The flights were pretty flight-like and long.  On my flight from Dallas to London, my headphones (or the airplane's headphones) wouldn't stick into the headphone hole, so I could watch the movies, I just couldn't hear them (dumb).  I made a new friend, who lives in the Czech doing something that isn't teaching and has lived a lot of places (even Kuwait when she was in HS!).  London was whatevs, I slept most of the time.  And my flight from London to Kuwait was chill.  Had to poke the crap out of this high school kid to get him to wake up so I could use the bathroom (when I say "poke the crap out of" I mean it took me, like, 5 minutes to get this kid to wake up and by the end of those 5 minutes, I wasn't trying to be nice.  Just sayin'.). 

Got picked up from the airport and was told I'd be living in a hotel for now.  They don't know how long, though, which sucks, but I'm trying to make the best of it.  I don't have a dresser, so I can't really unpack all that much... So hopefully we won't be here for too long.  I'll be sharing the hotel suite with another teacher.  I mean, I guess it's all pretty posh and awesome.  I can see the gulf from my room window and the Corniche is just across Gulf Road, so that's pretty cool, oh and I don't have to clean.  Cool. 

Yesterday, I went to the parent's apartment to shower cos I hadn't brought shower stuff... It was hot.  Their apartment was HOT.  I tried to get that fixed, I'll probably have to go back over just to make sure it the AC is working, and if it isn't, talk to apartment man, Jabril.  I hung out with and ate dinner with Alex and Ian and that was awesome.  It was great hanging out with them because they are awesome.  And then came back to the hotel where I got to meet two other teachers!  I feel good that I got to meet some people before orientation starts today.

Anywhos, I slept for a solid 6 hours last night, which makes me AWESOME.  Hence the title of the post.  I'm AWESOME.  I'm having coffee right now and then I'm going to try to stay awake for the rest of the day.  I think I can do it, but who knows?!  I still feel sleepy, but I won't think about it!!!!!

All-in-all: I'm back in Kuwait, guys.  The real deal.  I can't wait to see everybody else that is coming back.  That'll be fun. 

Peace, love, & I'M AWESOME.

And so it begins...

Heads up: due to nervousness and my ADD, this post does not "flow" and does not sound good.  Just letting y'all know.

After watching 6 or 7 movies yesterday, we packed up the blankets on the floor and headed to bed.  (I had to watch an episode of Grey's because the last three movies we watched were scary/zombie movies.)  I got all cozy up in bed and had my ear buds in with rainymood.com playing in the background and closed my eyes... but for the life of me, I could NOT fall asleep.  Sleep would not come to me at all.  Nada.  I rolled around and around.  Tossing and turning.  It sucked.

I hate big trips and I hate big changes.  I mean, not really, but when stuff like that (the whole no sleeping thing) happens, I hate it.  It's awful.  My stomach starts hurting, twisting and tying itself into knots and I can't sleep. 

Anyways, I'm nervous.  Nervous that I'm not going to make new friends and nervous that I won't be good at my job.  Thing is, I'm pretty sure I will make new friends and that I'll be good with the kids, but I'm still nervous as heck and that causes me to lose a very important nights' sleep.  Uncool. 

I have a couple more things to do today and then Seester will drive me to the airport to get there at 2 for my 4:15 flight and it shall begin...

OKC --> Dallas
Dallas --> London (for a 12 hour layover)
London --> Kuwait (landing at 6:30 am on Tuesday morning)

Anyways, because of the lack of good writing in this post, I shall end it here.  Super exciting, eh?

Peace, love, & MORE PEACE, PUHLEAAASSEEEE!!!!!

That's Me. Planning.

Last time I was on my way to Kuwait, I had no idea.  No idea what I was going to be doing.  I mean, I had a brief idea of what I was going to be doing, but nothing was certain.  Like, nothing.  I knew that I wanted to tutor, but who knew if I'd get tutoring gigs?  I knew I wanted to find a job for next year, but who knew I would?  And I knew I wanted to start my Master's, but who knew what would happen? 

I'm usually pretty good at the "who knew?" part because I'm not a planner.  I don't plan things.  Oh, you wanna hang out?  You're probably gonna have to make it happen, unless you want to sit in a coffee shop or go get ice cream or have chicken for dinner.  I don't plan.  It's just something that I don't do because, honestly, it kinda freaks me out a bit.  Especially when I end up dedicating X number of years on something.  I get bored pretty easily and I'm not very good at staying in one place for too long, unless I have a solid friend-base that can keep me pretty well entertained (i.e. do stuff with me).  Side note: I am really good at booking tickets and hostels... I'll do that in a millisecond.

Anyways, so here I am.  August 16th.  In three days I start my long-arse journey back to Kuwait.  With a plan.  Sort of.  For the most part.  I mean, I-have-a-job kind of plan.  And I'm nervous as H-E-double hockey sticks.  Where there are a lot of new things that will be happening (new school, friends, curriculum, friends, apartment, etc) there are an equal amount of not-new things (Kuwait, friends, parents) and that calms me down a bit.  As does the realization that many of the new teachers I'm with are young and they have just about the same amount of experience as I do.  So, we're all in this together.  And that makes me feel better. 

Now I'm just rambling, but that shouldn't come as a surprise, honestly.  But, moving on, I guess the jist of this post is that the first time I went to Kuwait, I had no clue what I'd be doing and this time, I know that I'll at least be teaching (knock on wood that everything goes smoothly) and that's something.  That's me planning.

Peace, love, & Kuwait 

11 days left

... til I'm a real-life teacher, y'all!

Anywhos, my trip to VA was good times.  Got to see some coolio people.  Twas nice.  And got to go the beach!  Very niiice. 

Plane trip back was not so nice.  Any airline in America is the worst airline in the world.  Gah.  I got to ATL fine and dandy and was sitting at my gate and saw that we were delayed (shouldn't be surprised).  Then I come to find out we're delayed because something with the plane is BROKEN and they were trying to fix it.  What?!  So they moved us to another gate/plane where we come to find out (again) that this plane is BROKEN, too!  So, they moved us back to the other gate.  THEN the moved us to a completely DIFFERENT gate because that plane was not broken (gasp!).  It really was just ridiculous.  3 hours later (about) we were off the ground and flying to OKC.  Ridic. 

So I've been back in OK for a couple days and have done absolutely nothing.  NOTHING.  It's been nice, but I really gotta get down to business seeing as this is my last weekend in the States and next week is my last week.  Like, I gotta pack.  Really, that's it.  Oh and homework.  Whatevs.  Packing is a bit more important.  (By the way, I've been super unmotivated to do any school work lately, which has led me to ask for a "break" and I have been granted a two week "break" at the end of this class til August 28th, thank goodness!)

That's it!  That's my life right now.  Pretty lame and pretty boring.  I'm ready to get back to Kuwait and start orientating and meeting new people and seeing "old" people and stuff.  I'm ready to get outta here.

Peace, love, & peanut butter

Virginia, y'all

So I'm in Virginia!  Have been for the week, actually.  Went to a sister's wedding in VA Beach this past weekend!  It was amazing.  I am so so happy for her :)  It was really ballerific getting to see a bunch of sisters.  I've missed those crazy cats. 

This week, I've spent getting ready for Kuwait... Sorta.  I took all my documents to be authenticated by VA state down in Richmond, easy peasy; took, maybe, 20 minutes total.  Then I drove up to DC to get them authenticated by the State Department and was late to the office by 30 minutes!  But, thankfully, they took my stuff anyways (because I am "out of state").  Another easy peasy.  Went to the Embassy to drop everything off and was told it'd be 5 days.  After explaining I was leaving and needed it asap, I was told to come back with a self addressed envelope.  Fine, whatever.  Went back to the Embassy the next day with a FedEx and dropped it all off and got a phone call about an hour later saying I was missing things.  So crazy.  I was told my malaria, syphilis, and filariasis tests weren't there (which they WERE, they just didn't look close enough!), so I had the doctor in OK write a note saying that I was free of these three things specifically and had it faxed.  And I needed to get my degree verified on top of getting authenticated TWICE!  WHAT?!  Anyways, the visa guy said my visa would be done by the end of the week.  I called him today and he said that it would be done tomorrow, so I was going to go pick it up, but then he called back saying he put it in the mail.  Hmp.  Insane.  That's my rant.  At least it's on its way, right?  By the time I get back to OK, my passport with my work visa should be there (Insh'Allah)!

Anyways, I gotta go get ready to go see even more sisters for dinner!  Yay! 

Peace, love, & craziness