Here There and Everywhere

Expat wanderer

For the Record: Sunrise 3 March 09

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It’s cold. It’s warm. It’s chilly. It’s hot. There is wind and cloud and clear sky today, and one of those days, sigh, when it’s good to carry a couple extra layers.

March 3, 2009 Posted by | ExPat Life, Kuwait, Living Conditions, sunrise series, Weather | 4 Comments

Woo HOOO, Q8Dutchie: The Great Kuwait National Holiday Challenge

Don’t you love it? All these different view, what the eyes are seeing? People around the world who have never been here are catching a glimpse of the two day – and in this case, because it was added on to a week-end, a four-day extravaganza of a holiday, for Kuwait National Day and Kuwait Liberation Day.

Thank you, Q8Dutchie, for sharing your eyes with us!

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The best photo of all I can’t share – Q8Dutchie’s child, covered head to toe with foam, eyes gleaming and grinning from ear to ear/ 🙂

March 2, 2009 Posted by | Adventure, Arts & Handicrafts, Beauty, Cultural, Events, ExPat Life, Holiday, Kuwait, Photos | | 4 Comments

Brrrrrrrrrr Sunrise March 2, 2009

My windows are so filthy my camera can’t focus on the sun, but only on the grimy streaks on the window, and I have to go out on the cold, very windy balcony to capture the grim haziness of this morning’s sunrise. I do it for you.

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WeatherUnderground seems to think we will have cooler days for the next couple days – feels like it to me.

Have a great day, Kuwait

March 2, 2009 Posted by | ExPat Life, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Weather | Leave a comment

The Wedding at Cana

This is one of my favorite readings in the Gospels, for all it’s humanity. Some scholars theorize that the wedding was close family – from living here, I had to eliminate all the European paintings which show the men and women celebrating together – I am guessing the wedding feast would be more like the ones held here; men and women celebrating separately.

Disaster – there isn’t enough wine for the guests. Mary goes to her son and tells him “there isn’t enough wine.” He responds with “Mom! I’m not ready!” I imagine her giving him a long, level look and then turning to the servants and saying “Do whatever he tells you to do.” She is his Mom, after all. And, ready or not, he honors his Mom, and the wine is good.

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The Wedding at Cana

John 2:1-12

2 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. 2 Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine gave out, the mother of Jesus said to him, ‘They have no wine.’ 4 And Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, what concern is that to you and to me? My hour has not yet come.’ 5 His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you.’ 6 Now standing there were six stone water-jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. 7 Jesus said to them, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ And they filled them up to the brim. 8 He said to them, ‘Now draw some out, and take it to the chief steward.’ So they took it. 9 When the steward tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the steward called the bridegroom 10 and said to him, ‘Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now.’ 11 Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother, his brothers, and his disciples; and they remained there for a few days.

March 2, 2009 Posted by | Family Issues, Marriage, Social Issues, Spiritual | 1 Comment

“I’m Melting! I’m Melting!”

At our church this weekend, our priest was making a point, using water, and he sprinkled various members of the congregation, to a series of “eeeeekks!”

I was reminded of several years ago – we had bought a new house, and our church has a special ceremony of blessing for a residence. As the priest carefully points out, he/she is not actually blessing the house, but blessing the inhabitants – nonetheless, every room has a special prayer, and the priest sprinkles a little holy water in each room.

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As he sprinkled the water in one room, some hit my youngest sister, Sparkle. I watched her struggle not to do it, but she couldn’t resist.

“Ohhhh, I’m melting, I’m melting!” she cried out, like the Wicked Witch of the West in The Wizard of Oz.

Thank God, the priest was a good friend. He paused, looked at me and said “she is YOUR sister?” I nodded. He sighed, before continuing, and said “why am I not surprised?”

March 2, 2009 Posted by | Biography, Character, Community, Cultural, Family Issues, Friends & Friendship, Humor, Living Conditions, Relationships, Spiritual | 6 Comments

Mubarakiyya Glimpses and Public Art

Every time I go to Mubarakiyya, I see something I haven’t seen before. We found some scenes in the meat market – see if you can find them.

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March 1, 2009 Posted by | Adventure, Arts & Handicrafts, Beauty, Community, Cultural, ExPat Life, Food, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Photos, Public Art, Shopping | 5 Comments

Recycle in Kuwait

This just made my heart flutter. Eshda3wa had mentioned I needed to visit Al Ahmadi to see the lights, and she was right. I had so much fun; all of Kuwait should decorate the way Ahmadi decorates – lights everywhere!

But here is what made my heart truly flutter:

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Recycle Bins! In Kuwait!

“When they first brought them,” my friend told me, “I thought ‘oh yeah, Kuwait, well maybe it will work for a week or two’ and so we gathered up EVERYTHING in the house and loaded the bins so we could get rid of them, but actually, they have been picking up regularly, right on schedule.”

WOW.

I have heard there is a new recycle company that will pick up for free. Who are they? How do we contact them?

Update June 2011 – two new options listed in the comments section, companies providing recycle services in Kuwait. 🙂

March 1, 2009 Posted by | Community, Customer Service, ExPat Life, Interconnected, Kuwait, Living Conditions, Social Issues | , , | 29 Comments

Ansam Enters The Great Kuwait National Holiday Challenge

Woo HOOO on you, Ansam! Thank you for some truly fresh perspectives on Kuwait National Day and Liberation Day:

When I first saw this one, I thought it was the roller-coaster ride in that little park by Jarir Bookstore:

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I love this one; it is the draped flag in the middle that captures my heart:
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True Kuwait Magic – sushi in the shape of the Kuwait Flag:
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Just awesome:
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March 1, 2009 Posted by | Arts & Handicrafts, Beauty, Events, ExPat Life, Food, Holiday, Kuwait | | 8 Comments

Sunrise March 1, 2009

There it is – barely there. There wasn’t so much haze early this morning, but enough cloud cover to give the sun a serious problem breaking through. The haze seems to be moving in again; I need to run to the co-op quickly before the air becomes too thick. I find myself washing my hair more often, it gets sticky and scratchy and full of silt; it doesn’t stay clean for very long.

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The weather was funny yesterday – moments of chill, even in the middle of the day, alternating with moments of heat as the sun broke through. A good transition day from the long fun-filled weekend to back-to-work Sunday.

The forecast for today is clear. It was clear. There is a “light haze” moves continuously closer, off the water, and it looks suspiciously like the dust that has been plaguing us the last couple days.

March 1, 2009 Posted by | ExPat Life, Kuwait, sunrise series, Weather | 2 Comments