fifth day...

finding some of the same funny spelling on advertising and menus that I found also common in China-we called it Chinglish there, not sure what to call it here? Arablish? ...got up very late, 12:30pm... missed breakfast so went down and asked the front desk where I could get a bowl of plain rice, as well as laundry done (both are available at the hotel but the staff told me they were about half price outside)... a local Indian restaurant was recommended that was close to some laundry places, and I was off... everyone has been telling me that the heat in Kuwait is so "dry" so it's not so bad... but the humidity was around 50% today and although it was only 109 degrees, it felt a lot worse (I even zipped off the leggings of my traveling pants to make shorts-men do not wear shorts here-I've only seen kids and teens wear shorts)... found the Indian place right away and had a huge plate of basmati rice and a coke, only around $1.48 USD-cheap! ...but walked around and around trying to find a laundry, everyone kept telling me that there were a number of them right in the neighborhood, there was one just "down the street," "right around the corner," etc. everyone I asked pointed in a different direction... after walked around 5 or 6 blocks, I found one... closed, of course, since it was Saturday (Friday and Saturday are the weekend) and by the time I walked back to the hotel the clothes that I had been wearing were totally drenched in sweat... although now I knew where it was, not sure if saving a few dollars would be worth the walk... anyways, just did laundry in the bathtub today-I'm still in "backpacker mode" of travel and had not exchanged that much money yet... I did not think I would go through so much money the first few days... although I should start making big bucks soon, the high prices scare me (many items around double what they would be in the States)...

also pictured here are tents being set up on the AUK campus for Ramadan... I don't know that much about it, but they hold huge feasts every night of Ramadan to break the day's fast... I guess many work places sponsor these parties for free for their largely poor and foreign employees... I just happened to bump into Hanas, a new AUK professor in economics... he had mentioned last night at Marina World the love in Kuwait of elaborate brass and silver decoration... as I turned the corner from the Indian restaurant, I knew what he was talking about. On the corner was this stark modernist box of an apartment building, but its doors were covered in elaborate baroque brass work... and there was Hanas! It was his new apartment building... he reluctantly showed me the apartment he just rented... it was nice, but the former tenant left it in a mess (the fishy smelling garbage was the worst) although it was close enough to AUK to walk, it was the same price as the new AUK housing, but did not come furnished and Hanas was going through a lot of trouble and extra expenses to close the deal and get the place cleaned (he paid around $270 USD for a guy to just find the place for him)... Hanas is from Sri Lanka so at least he can speak the language of much of the cleaning and building staff (all from Sri Lanka or southern India)... but it seems like a big hassle and he has been dealing with this apartment for already a few full days now... everyday some new complexity comes up for him... at least Hanas got to tell me a lot of stories about the inequity between the native Kuwaitis and much of the subordinates, who primarily come from the Indian subcontinent, and the difficulties they face working in Kuwait (more on this later...)

development...

right across from my fancy hotel, the grand mosque and the prestigious American University of Kuwait (AUK) is this bizarre block of abandoned buildings covered in graffiti... strange that they are allowed to stand as such... in such sharp contrast to the luxury, wealth and prestige of everything around them... I am staying in Al Salmiya or usually just called Salmiya by foreigners. It is said to be Kuwait City's model district being a major cultural and commercial hub. I am right on Salem Al-Mubarak Street, which runs down the center of Salmiya. It is one of the largest shopping districts of Kuwait and also varies from extremely westernized in the strip malls to the old traditional markets, or Souk, on some of the back streets. Walking about, I've noticed more and more blocks of abandoned more traditional buildings, all covered in graffiti, that are apparently marked for destruction... soon to be replaced by modern western (or postmodern?) extravagant malls and skyscrapers of glamorous apartments.... odd that the graffiti ALSO looks just like it was transported right out of any big American city...

I did not do much today since I've become even more ill, a continuous runny nose and getting worse stomach problems... just had toast and tea for breakfast, worked on the blog all day, and then was invited out to Marina World, Kuwait's second largest shopping and entertainment complex, and one of the most exclusive... some of the other new faculty that I just met took me... they were taken there as part of the HR tour that I missed (I just found the one email that was supposed to inform me of the training and it has the dates listed as "24-26 of September"!!!)... anyways, they helped me get at least something accomplished - I got a cell phone and a SIM card (it is a pay as you go deal-this seems to be what most people do here-price was cheaper than the same in the States-a first!) and they both had other shopping to do... there was also a food court that had everything from sushi to a whole shop selling dozens of kinds of samosas, to KFC and Krispy Kreme... I just had a plate of plain white rice and a soda... we took a taxi to the mall but decided to walk back since it had become a little cooler... along the way we stopped at a great electronic store, fresh juice stand (I got a large cup of freshly squeezed mango juice for 1 KD (about $3.72)), and they also showed me an amazing AND inexpensive middle-eastern restaurant (I will have to try when my stomach gets better...) (FOR everyone that keeps giving me advice to take it easy on the local cuisine-I've unfortunately barely even tried any yet! I'm primarily eating plain rice, toast with jelly, eggs, and fruit... I did have a big double hamburger and strawberry malt my first day but that was not local at all... I only tried a few very small portions of hummus, baba ganoush, fava beans and goat cheese with local flat bread the first two days for breakfast... I am sure that it simply is that I ate something that was not clean...)

third day...

Here are some images of the Arabian splendor of my hotel, the Ghani Palace Hotel. It is directly across the street from AUK so I just walk everyday... the worse part, and about every interior in Kuwait, is that it is freezing! Despite the fact that it has been over 100 degrees everyday, it is 120 degrees today, I have some kind of a cold since I get the chills everyday with how high they keep the air conditioners running... I have resorted to just turning it off in my hotel room, but after an hour or so, it gets too hot again... the Indian cleaning staff that come everyday have no idea how to adjust it so it is not so cold... I got up very late and did not even go to breakfast since my stomach got worse... just ate some plain toast later... went to my office and tried to download a lot of school stuff... met and chatted with some new faculty and some staff that had been at AUK for a few years... unfortunately most of the senior faculty are on vacation until next week... almost everyone leaves Kuwait in the summer since it is too hot... I got to meet with the Acting Division Head but he is only in charge since the other Acting Division Head is in India at the moment, the new Division Head does not return until next week and then maybe I will get a more clear answer on what I will be teaching in less than a month now... (what I was told by the former Division Head seems to be incorrect!)... did not do much else today but slept a lot and found that there is one small spot in my hotel room that has Internet access... it only works if I sit in this one spot and of course, there is no power outlet anywhere close...

second day...

up by 7am and after breakfast was at HR by 8:30am... got most of my paperwork done... it was all just filling out all the same info over and over again on dozens of different forms... met with a banking professional to start the process to set up a bank account (it will take at least a week!), got my office computer set up, went off with an Iranian guy who helped me get passport quality photos for all of my documents (he was pretty funny) and a cool guy named Mishaal to see the AUK housing they set up... it is nice, has an ocean view, not too expensive (1,126.80 US Dollar a month for a furnished two bedroom apartment), but it is about 3 miles from the university... I would have to get a car, but it seems everyone drives here anyways... gas is so cheap...

Now my stomach started to not feel good, so I went to the hotel and just vegged out... the school had provided us with some bread, jelly, cheese and milk so instead of going out, just starting eating this... but not much since my stomach was getting worse and worse... turned on the TV for the first time and enjoyed some Indian TV, the BBC and a really stupid (but funny) Jim Carrey movie (Me, Myself & Irene) before falling asleep (the Internet still not working in my room, but the front desk keeps on telling me they already fixed it!)

first day...

woke up at 5am... could not sleep much last night and the "call to prayer" of the mosque across the street from the hotel seemed to go on every hour all night long... I was able to sleep a lot on the plane ride over, so that did help a bit... the hotel has a wonderful breakfast buffet and I went to try just about every item starting right at 6am... after I came back to my room though, I felt rather ill and immediately fell asleep... woke up around 1pm when the maids arrived to clean... the Internet is still not working in my room, so checked it on the lobby computer... walked over to AUK... and found out that I had just missed three days of orientation for new arrivals put on by AUK's HR department... I went back and checked all of my emails to see if I missed something... no, and even a number of my emails to AUK specifically asked what date would be best for me to arrive and that I did not want to miss anything... everyone I talked to in HR simply put the blame on someone else, and later, the Americans that I met that work at AUK said this was pretty typical and that I should expect more of the same...

It was now only about 3pm, but HR said that it was too late to do any of my paperwork today, I should come back tomorrow early... I did go over to the Humanities and Arts building and got my office key, but it was also too late to have my computer set up... at this point I was hungry so walked down the street to a sort of strip mall area... I was too exhausted and discouraged to try exploring any exotic local cuisine so I settled on Johnny Rockets (at least it was not McDonald's and I have never been to a Johnny Rockets in the States)... it was about $14.65 US Dollars for a strawberry malt and a "Rocket Double" hamburger! Then I had a Dunkin' Donuts large ice coffee for about $4.88 USD! ...at least with this I got a coupon for 3 hours on the Internet but I still feel like a fool... came home disappointed and tired, fell asleep early...

arrival in Kuwait...

Arrived in Kuwait at 5:05pm, August 25th, 2008: the flight was too long and very uncomfortable but the American University of Kuwait (AUK) had everything arranged for someone to greet me at the airport, help me slip through customs easily (they never even looked in any of my bags (wish now that I would have brought some alcohol, pork products and nude images!), collect all my luggage, and take me to the hotel... this really helped me feel more at ease. Also, they put me in a room that looks like something a prince would stay in... the view from the balcony in my room looks out over a grand mosque and my university... out the balcony in the hallway is a view of the ocean... the room has a kind of luxury and exotic flair that I am not used to but enjoy greatly... I could get spoiled... everywhere are bellhops, maids, waiters, etc. that are all too eager to please... they are all non-Kuwaiti and I really enjoy talking with them, finding out where they are from, how long they have been here and what they think of Kuwait (they all seem to just be here for the money)... they are from India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Philippines, etc.... I have not even spoken to any real Kuwaitis yet!

I have already taken some great photos and am anxious to post them online and start a blog... the Internet is not working in my room yet (I am using the computer in the "business center" ...it is in the middle of the open hotel lobby and it is the only computer working)...

I was extremely anxious flying over here wondering if I made a big mistake and what the hell I was moving my whole life to the Middle East for... flying here, I spoke to a couple of Americans that said it would be fine and they liked living in Kuwait... (interestingly, they were all private military contractors) ...I felt a lot better once I arrived, touched ground, saw the cute Filipino woman with a sign with my name, and the Arabian decor and luxury of my hotel...