Jordan!

What an amazing place Jordan is. Had three nights there which didn't do the place justice but a good excuse to go back sometime. The highlight of the trip was walking through the ancient city of Petra, which in some parts dates back to 7000 BC! The Romans conquered the Nabateans in 106AD and therefore some of the architecture has a Roman influence. The place is vast and there are so many walks to go on. I had almost a day and half to explore which was just enough, but one day involved 7 hours of walking so a little sore afterwards. You are able to roam as you like and enter almost all of the tombs, buildings, caves, etc. There are places everywhere that have about a 50 foot drop off so you have to be aware of where you are. There is just so much to see so.

On the journey to Petra, about a 3 hour bus ride from Amman I went on a tour with 5 others. The tour stopped at two castles on the ‘King’s Highway’ and other sightseeing vantage points. The terrain is very arid and dry and mountainous rather like Central Otago. I sat beside a 63 year old Australian who teaches in Abu Dhabi and in front of us was a lady in her 30’s from Singapore. The three of us toured Petra together and had a great time. The next night I met an NZer who got in the same taxi as me. She worked for the Security section of the UN in Lebanon and was loving it there. She has been there almost two years and had done a lot of traveling. She even got to meet Helen Clark in New York! We went out for dinner and all up for a full feed of Arabic food it was only $6NZ between us. Jordan is a very affordable place to stay and all up my trip was only around $800 and well worth it.

School Corner School has been very busy as usual with a lot of testing, marking and other extra things. Before the Eid holiday we had a trip to 360 Mall (a brand new gigantic circular shaped shopping mall) and went to watch an Imax movie called Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It was great and the students loved it although many had actually seen the movie before. Afterwards we had McDonalds which the students had paid for although many of the students bought their own money along. Some even had 10KD notes; the equivalent of $50NZ! A bit more than most kids would normally have for a trip but they were very generous and bought for friends who did not have any money.

On the day before the holidays the school students reenacted the Hajj celebration. This is the pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia. They walked around the Ka’ba 7 times chanting a religious chant and then sat in or near the tents which they traditionally stayed in. It was great to see and learn more about the Muslim culture. Here are pictures of three of my students dressed up in what they would wear to the pilgrimage.
I am very jealous of all the NZ teachers going on holiday soon. I feel like I need a holiday as 5 days was not enough between quarters. The students seem rather tired still as well. Will have to wait until the end of January for our next holidays, which last for two weeks. Many other American and English schools have Christmas holidays but because our school is a bilingual we work through it. At least Christmas Day is on a Friday so I have it off. Hopefully will do something with the teachers here. Well must away. Have a great Christmas and New Year everyone.

The movie was supposed to be one continuous shot - Woops!

Winter is approaching

Hi all.
Sorry have been very slack with posts on this blog. Have been very busy with work, which is not necessarily a bad thing as it has kept me out of trouble. I have not been doing as much socialising this past month, just working and saving with the odd movie and dinner out thrown in. The party at the Hilton Hotel last month was really good and I met my first NZer here. He was from Wanaka and had taught in Dunedin, and also at Oamaru Intermediate. Haven’t caught up with him again though. Met my second NZer through my taxi driver. She was in the taxi when he picked my friend and I up and had many links with me. She went to the same Primary and Intermediate school and also the same gymnastic club as me. She was only 21 and I did not know of her back home. Unfortunately she has moved to Abu Dhabi for another gym/aerobics job so I most likely won’t get to catch up with her. Don’t know how she coped living here for two years and being that age.
People often say that the cost of living here is very high and this makes it difficult to save however I don’t believe this is the case. As you know I like to shop around to get the best deal and find that I can buy most things at a similar place back home. Things like movie theatres are 3KD - $15NZ or half that on Mondays, food (except some western products) are similarly priced, taxis are much the same, actually probably cheaper, cost $20 NZ for a 35km drive, and clothes (if you buy from chain stores) are much the same too. Although the shopping malls mostly have the expensive brand stores – Hugo Boss, Principles, Diesel, etc. Cigarettes are cheap for those who smoke - $2.50NZ a packet and of course petrol. Things that cost a lot are ice cream – American and about $12NZ for 1 litre. Mocca coffee from Starbucks for $7.50NZ, and alcohol (if you can get it) for $250NZ a bottle! If you’re interested in cars go to q8car.com, but remember to times the price by 5. Jaguar XK8’s seem like the best deal here but obviously the cost of repairs and parts are high. I probably won’t drive here as it’s a bit crazy and costs quite a bit to get a license, not to mention a car.
The weather has changed dramatically over the past week from the mid 30’s to the low to mid 20’s. Even got down to 16 during the day and 14 overnight just two nights ago + rain! Happened about three times in the last month but very light and only for a few minutes each time. Lucky I knew about this and brought some warm clothes over + a light jacket.
Have planned my first trip and it happens to be this week! Jordan awaits me. I’m going for four days and aiming to go to Petra and the Dead Sea on group tours. Going by myself as people I know are staying home, going to Bahrain and one is going to India. Looking forward to a change of scene and a wee drink will be nice too. Will obviously have many photos soon. I have also booked a flight to Abu Dhabi to attend a golf tournament in January. There are a couple of other holidays I plan to go on as well. Have to take advantage of being close to these places and having a very strong currency.

School Corner

As I mentioned earlier school has been very busy. We have just finished our 1st quarter reports, mostly data filled, and had parent interviews. I have also been doing after school tutoring every day for an hour with small groups. It’s great for the students who really need it and for me. I get around $60 depending on the number of students so very handy for the trips I plan to go on. Tomorrow (Tuesday) we are going on a trip to Imax cinema and the following day there is Hajj celebrations (this is the pilgrimage to Mecca) which I believe the students reenact somehow and do various activities to mark the celebration, such as giving each other small gifts or money or lollies. Sounds like it might be rather hectic. Well must get to bed. I am looking after a cat temporarily but it meows at all hours of the night for no apparent reason. Cannot wait to pass him on to the animal society as his owner does not want him anymore and neither do I. This, despite me being fond of cats. This one seems possessed and needs a big household with a lot of people. Bye for now.

Another month passed

Hi all.
Sorry about the lack of communication. Kind of been getting in a rhythm with work and have been rather busy. Things are well here. The weather is still hot - 38 - 40 each day but the nights are now cooler and around 25. Since my last post I have been to Abduly (right on the Iraq border) It is only 110km away and the road was excellent - 2-3 lanes all the way. Wasn't a lot to see apart from oil fields, sand, camping ground signs and a small deserted village. Was great to see more of the houses here. They are massive! Usually 3 stories and right next to one another. One of the photos shows houses in development. Amazingly there were hunderes of them all at about the same stage of development. The pictures of the blue towers are water towers. There are a number of them spread around. They contain water that is then bottled and sold for just 75c for a 1.5L botttle. I go through about 3-4 a week and it's very annoying that I cannot recycle them. Petrol of course is also extremely cheap and cheaper than I thought at about 35c a litre. Many people fill up their cars for only NZ$15 or $20. The cars here are always amazing. Saw a Maseratti Gran Turismo and a DB9 near each other in a narrow back street not far from school just parked on the sandy ground, gathering dust.

Have been spending quite a bit of money setting up my apartment with various things. Have also had a small problem with my computer which is free to fix under warranty except for shipping. The only thing is the shipping for just a small part of the laptop is 35KD - NZ$160!!! They told me it should have 45KD and the manager said to give me a discount but I can't but think I'm being ripped off. This is how your money tends to disappear here. I also had to buy a suit for about NZ$120 for a masked ball party I am going to tonight. Hopefully I will meet my first fellow NZer/s here as it's being put on by the Kuwait rugby team. I just heard it would be good and paid the NZ$100 entry for the 3 course meal and dancing + non alcoholic drinks damb it, so hopefully the food lives up to my standards. Plenty of it!
I still haven't been playing any sport yet which is difficult as I'm so used to doing it. Have been going for walks still but more often to buy things rather than for leisure.

School Corner
School has been going well and the students are learning how to keep their voices down a bit more. They tend to get very loud and all talk at the same time. It seems that it's part of Arab culture. I am also getting used to the American curriculum and on the whole find it good but a lot of testing and the tests are challenging, especially when you consider english is the second language. This week we have International Day so we have a few more things to organise to prepare for it. Each class has chosen a country and of course I have chosen NZ. Other than that there is really not a lot else to report over here except that I am hoping to make Skype calls to NZ landlines for about $30 for 3 months. Much cheaper than cell phone calls at $1 a minute! By for now.

First month

Week 3 and 4
Well a fortnight has passed since my last post. I have been getting out and about a lot more and venturing out further. The weather is now more pleasant, especially in the evenings. It’s now around 42 most days and 35 in the evenings. I have discovered more shops and also a book store. Last weekend two teacher s and I went to ‘The Avenue Shopping Mall ’, a 100 000 square metre mall! It’s about a 20 minute drive away. Spent about two hours there which obviously wasn’t enough but certainly worth going back to when Ramadan is over and the shops are open during the day. I didn’t buy anything apart from dinner and a Kuwait sim card for my phone, which another teacher had to purchase under her Resident Visa. To call NZ is $1.50 a minute so probably won’t be making many calls home. I just need faster internet so I can Skype. I am really enjoying living here and the culture and friendliness of the people. Apartment living is also beneficial as I have my own space yet have many friends and conveniences nearby. I have even had cars stop in the middle of the road to let me cross. Just amazing! The photos are of the walkway on the Arabian Peninsula, just a 5 minute walk from my place.

School Corner
School has begun for Elementary grades. I only had 4 students the first day and climbed to 9 by the end of the week. I am supposed to have 18, however parents are very paranoid about Swine Flu which has recently come to Kuwait and caused a few deaths. It's no worse than it was in NZ but now the government has closed public schools in the kindergarten grades until early December and advised private schools to do the same. Some teachers who have jobs at other schools have been told to take leave without pay, take their holidays or teach higher grades. The 11 kindergarten classes at my school are not now opening until the end of November. Luckily the teachers and their assistants will still be employed and will be assistants for the Elementary teachers, some of which already have assistants so very full classes. Great for the kids! The students who I have met are very nice. Most are polite and work very hard but there are a couple of talkative ones as there always are in a class. Unfortunately though I don't know what they are saying. During Ramadan they have 5 hours of lessons with only a 20minute break (+ no food or drink) and during normal hours they have 6 hours of class with just the 20minute break and a 10minute prayer break. I'm sure there would be a fewNZ kids who could not cope with this sort of schedule. Luckily I have an average of three 45minute breaks a day so I can mark students work and prepare for other lessons. The students come from incredibly wealthy families. All have maids and most have drivers too. Many have told me about their overseas trips to all over Europe and America. Hopefully I will encourage them to go to NZ to spend their dinars. I sent one student home with photos I have taken on various trips around the country. Hopefully with have a week's holiday next week as it is Eid, a holiday to commemerate the end of Ramadan. This will depend on when the moon shows. It could only be three days. Well must away, until next time.

Well another week has passed. I have not been arrested for eating or drinking in public (shock for some I know). I have been getting out quite a lot and am really enjoying my new apartment. I enjoy sitting out on the balcony (7th story) in the 43+ degree dry heat and watching the world go by. The photos are of my new apartment and the view. The last one is an entranceway to the markets we went to on Friday. It’s just a 5 minute walk to the sea which has a walkway arguably as good as the New Plymouth coastal walkway and likewise many kilometres long.

During the week I met my neighbour. He is 28 and from Jordan, although his mother is Mexican/American and he was born in Kuwait. His English is good and we have big chats across our balconies. He has been giving me an insight into Arabic culture and info about the different Gulf countries. After 5 minutes of talking to him he invited me to come with him on holiday to Jordan or Dubai, however our holidays don’t really tie in so we will see. He reprogrammed by satellite tv and I now have over 1400 channels, but only 20 or so are in English. He is single and his father keeps asking him “Why you are not married?”As in his culture you are expected to be married before 26. He is a computer programmer and lives in different countries every year.

More new teachers have joined the school and I now have two other teachers in my apartment building who I have been hanging out with. Both have taught in South Korea recently and say that the apartments and the way the school treats them is so much better. It seems strange that I am now showing them around the place and giving them information. We all went out for dinner on Friday the 28th as it was my birthday. We also went to the ‘Friday Markets’(open air) as the school put on a mini bus for us to take the 20min trip – a very thoughtful gesture. I bought plants, a microwave, ironing board and cutlery and crockery. The size of the markets is hard to fathom. Probably about 10 times the size of The Warehouse in Dunedin or New Plymouth would explain it the easiest. You can buy almost anything there, including goats, and search around or haggle for the best price. I was right in my element. Of course it was about 45 degrees and we were not able to drink so an hour was all we could manage. That barely scratched the surface on what was available. Can’t wait to go back there perhaps in a few months.

School Corner - hayatschool.com
Well had the first day of orientation. There is a huge staff at the school – perhaps 80, as there are now over 600 students right from pre Kindergarten to Grade 5 (Year6). Each class has an assistant teacher (apart from Grade 3 up), plus there are Arabic teachers who teach Arabic and Islamic Studies. There are also 20 maids to help with cleaning, collecting books, shifting furniture, etc. The day was spent going over some of the management/rules of the school, collecting resources and preparing our classes. All of the furniture is new or just a year or two old as is the array of educational material in the Resource Room. Like everywhere in Kuwait the building is air conditioned. Sometimes you even get too cold and unfortunately do not have the ability to adjust the temperature. Will have to make sure I bring a jacket to leave at work. Well that’s all I can think of. Enjoy your weekend.

1st Week

Kiwi in Kuwait
Been here almost a week now. It’s an amazing place, quite different to NZ as you can well imagine. The weather really dictates what you can do as I can only really go out early in the morning or late at night. 45 during the day, so any more than 30 minutes walking around you end up a bit wet. The main problem is my skin goes quite red.
The people here are very helpful and I feel very safe walking the streets night or day. I have learnt a few Arabic phrases which the locals appreciate. Most have only basic English skills. Haven’t actually met a lot of expats around, perhaps they are still on their summer vacations. A Canadian teacher at the school, Amber took me for a drive around so I’ve seen the Kuwait Towers, Grand Mosque and the main shopping area. Hopefully when it cools down or I get to meet more teachers at the school I’ll explore

these locations further.
Living here is relatively cheap. My apartment (paid for of course) is 200KD a month which is about $ NZ 1100. Food and other goods tend to be similar, except some Western foods, like Chicken Tonight - $NZ10 a jar! I have recently done a big shop and was surprised to see NZ lamb and beef available. In fact it made up the majority of the red meat for sale although this is the only supermarket I’ve been to. At about $22Kg for rib eye steak and $8.50Kg for lean mince it’s perhaps even cheaper than you buy back home. The range of food is huge and comes from Kuwait and neighbouring countries. I buy milk made in Kuwait from cows which was quite suprising and it’s about $NZ2 a litre and tastes good. Petrol is dirt cheap at about 50cents a litre but I don’t drive. Not sure if I want to as cars are left hand drive, people drive rather erratically, many roads have no centre lines and the double lane roundabouts are like Russian roulette. It’s great to watch and it all seems to flow rather smoothly. The cars here are fantastic. Everywhere you look there are Mercedes, BMW’s, Lexus and American muscle cars and SUV’s and these are not the basic models, these are top of the range and very new. There are also a number of Corolla’s, Camry’s and Mitsubishi’s, etc.
Things tend to happen quickly here. After a couple of nights in my bed I said to my boss that I could feel the springs (despite being a brand new bed) and the very next day a new mattress was on it. I haven’t got the guts to tell her that this new one is not much better. Perhaps NZ just makes really good beds?
My apartment is very nice, however a new one came available only a minute’s walk from the school so after three days I moved. I said I’d like it and the very next day at 7:30pm arrives about 5 or 6 guys who moved all of the furniture, fridge, oven, tv, washing machine, bed, etc to the new place. All done by 9:00pm. I am the first to live in the apartment. Despite being a little smaller than the previous one, it’s much closer to larger shops and has a nice feel to It so I’m glad I’m here. I have a balcony too and get amazing views. 5 minute walk to the sea also, but 15-20min to a swimming beach.
During the day is rather boring as I’m basically stuck inside. I will hopefully have internet access here in about 9 hours as a man is going to take me to a shop to get it. Actually can’t wait to start work really. We start on the 27th August with Orientation week. The students don’t start until September 6th. Because it is Ramadan we start an hour later at 8:30am and finish an hour earlier at 1:30pm. I now can’t eat or drink in public during the day or else a $500 fine and/or one month in prison if caught. Will be able to tell you more about work when I actually begin.
Well better stop. Next week I’ll have internet access so will be able to keep in touch easier. International phone calls are apparently very expensive so I’ll be skyping when I get it all set up. These photos are of my old apartment and the view. The mosque has megaphone attached and about 5 times a day calls for prayer bleat out very loudly, even at 3am in the morning. My new place has a mosque in view but is further away and does not wake me.

By for now.