Easterners

Its funny, I live in an Islamic State where the mother tongue is Arabic. You would expect that I would easily and conveniently learn Arabic phrases while living here. You ask, "what's so funny about that?" Nothing..... What IS
Funny is that instead of learning Arabic, I am learning Hindi and to some extent, Tamil- languages from India.

When you enter the base, there are two entrances and signs that designate
Those who must follow it's directions.
One sign is for Easterners and the other for Westerners.

The Easterners live in a city here in Kuwait called Jahra, and for some reason Americans are not to go to that city. We load those Easteners on buses. They get paid WAY less than the Westerners, yet they do most of the work. As a westerner all we do is supervise them.
But a fellow co-worker of mine stated that had they stayed in their country they would be making far less than what they make here.

I just don't get it. I know they come from poor places. And I know their culture is so different that they are presumed to be impolite, dirty, sneaky, lazy, etc. But They are still people and some of them work hard! I see these cleaning ladies from India, very dark skinned wearing gold earrings who can barely speak English, yet they come into our buildings at 5:30am daily to clean. I mean, yeah its their job.
When they leave the place smells heavenly- like Pine-Sol lol!

The point is- they get treated and categorized differently, like second class citizens. There's another word that also makes reference to the Easterners. Westerners also call them TCN's, or Third Country Nationals.

Some of these people are very kind. One
Who I work with is teaching me some Hindi phrases and when I use them with other Indians they get this huge smile on their face in shock that I know a couple of phrases.

Another Easterner that I have been working with doesn't speak Hindi because he is from Southern India and their language is Tamil. He was showing me how to write my name in Tamil and also had me write it lol. He told me that Tamil is spoken in 5 different countries. The language looks so artsy! Its a bunch of squiggles and squares.... It amazes me just how different languages of the world are.
The Easterner who was telling me about his language and culture, showed me a religious magazine he was reading. He stated that the magazine had a page dedicated to several religions of the world including Islam, Catholicism, Buddihsm, and Hinduism.

He proposed a very INTERESTING suggestion. He pointed out that I can email that magazine, in English, and let them know that my friend was telling me about it and the language and that I can submit a religious thought. Then they will publish my religious thought in their magazine and millions of Tamil people- in Singapore, India, 2 Asian Islands I can't even pronounce because I've never even heard of them, and one other country- will read my article.

Now......want to know what came to mind? The Gospel! Well that's a no-brainer, but as my beautiful Indian, but Christian, friend Sangeeta pointed out to me, the Easterners view the Christian God as the American God and so for many Easterners they feel they have to deny their culture to adopt the American God and the American way of life. What I would share in my post is the issue of Jesus Christ being God and how to keep your culture but worship the One true God. What an opportunity this is!!! Please pray for me that I write a message that God can use mightily to reach people in far parts of the world! That the editors would accept my message and actually publish it.

To further talk about Easterners, I am surprised at how many of them speak English so well. Even Kuwaitis. It seems like most of the world takes learning English very seriously- with the exception of Latin America to some extent. I mean, here in Kuwait the traffic signs are in Arabic and English.

Which makes me wonder why so many people push for America being an English Only nation. There is academic value for a multilingual individual. Here, our students only settle for a Spanish Class or German if The Spanish class was full (to most but not all).

Anyway, on another note- today (Thursday Aug. 26) I actually went to the Post Chapel's worship team rehearsal. It was comprised of a drummer GI, two GI vocalists, the chaplain playing keyboard, and the bass player was a fellow contractor! There were two guitars sitting on the sidelines, an electric and an acoustic with no pick up. Immediately the chaplain from all the way in the back playing keys said aloud," is that Jessica from Los Angeles?!" he remembered me!
I met him once when I was given a tour my first day on base. I told him I wanted to get involved and he mentioned Thursday rehearsals at noon. So that's where I spent my lunch today. They definitely need help lol especially the frontline singer/chaplain (the songleader was also a chaplain). He just doesn't have very accurate rhythm so he ends up coming in late because he doesn't feel the groove. Additionally the vocals (oh the bass player sings too) sing too 'classically' with heavy vibrato and the rhythm of each song is sung so..... Cheesy. The drummer is alright but hr can play. In spite of their lack of dynamics, energy, tightness, and some musicianship (from the songleader) I still had a great time sitting in playing guitar and singing along. It was a blessing for me! Afterwards the main chaplain really wanted me to participate in their services and if I can just talk to my supervisors and request that I work Sundays then I can participate by being the Sunday night worship leader! Because I will be starting night shift next week and that's where I plan to stay. He said I would really be helping them a lot on Sunday night. I really want to help..... I felt at home! So Lord open doors of accommodation so I can be of use in worship for the Sunday night service on base in Jesus name.

It's been a week!

So it's been a few days since my last post. That's b/c access to the internet is limited for me b/c I do not have a laptop, don't have my own wifi USB router, and although my apartment does have internet- it costs 15KD a month and it isn't wifi based. It runs through the wire so even though my iPhone would be able to jump onto a wifi connection, my apartment doesn't have wifi.

15 KD x 3.48= $52.20 USD
1 KD = 3.48

Well, as you know I'm in Kuwait not just for leisure but b/c I have a job here! I endured three 10 hour days of classroom training. I would have to be up by 5am to be picked up by 5:40 & start training at 6am. I struggled to stay awake during some presentations. We discussed safety but the real danger here in Kuwait is the Kuwaiti drivers. No joke! These people drive in reverse on the highways if they miss their exit! Or they turn around and drive into oncoming traffic! They have no regard to any traffic laws. One lane turns into 2 lanes b/c Kuwaitis are so impatient to pass each other up. Know how they get your attention to have you move out of their way? They tailgate you (they LOVE to tailgate) and flash their brights at you to get you to move. Over here, if you give them the finger- you can get arrested.

Yesterday was my first day at work. I thought my city near the ocean was hot- boy oh boy is the Desert HOT. While we were driving, our car battery light went on, we lost power steering, and we lost our AC!!!! We kept going anyway b/c we needed to turn in the car, but it was over 122 degrees outside and we were in a car who's air conditiong had shut off, Man was that HOT!!! I was drenched in sweat....I felt so gross!

But although there are many air conditioned buildings, throughout my first day on the job I did a LOT of walking around going from building to building walking through the open desert. I was WIPED by the end of the day.

I slept all the way up until 7:45. I hung out w/ my boyfriend by walking around my apartment complex to check out the nearest bakalas (convenient stores). We bought so much stuff to eat and drink lol! But we walked in the hot heat and as much as we wanted to pull out our juice drinks to take a sip, we couldn't b/c it's Ramadan & it's illegal to eat, drink, smoke, chew gum, and show affection during day light. We ended up having a feast w/ my boyfriend and his roommate & even cooked bacon. My b/f opened the window and started cooking that pork bacon LOL!

This post probably wasn't as interesting as the others. That's b/c I've been at training. MAN are these hours are hard core.....we have a limited amount of sleep b/c we work 12+ hour days. But so far, I'm loving it! Shawn & I both have the weekend off so we're gonna explore more of Kuwait. He's going to take me to eat the BEST Indian Food in Fahaheel where there is said to be the most Indians in that city. I'm looking forward to it! I'll take lots of pics & post them up on FB

It's Like I Never Left

One thing I love about Kuwait is the dining experience. So far, everything I have eaten so far is delicious. I even enjoy going to the Bakala, which is likened to a small liquor store without any alcohol. They have such yummy fruit drinks w/ chunks of fruit in them. There are also juice stands that make any type of fruit/veggie juice- and all the fruit and veggies are piled up there so you know you're getting real, fresh, fibrous drinks unlike the sugary refined ones that the States have.

WEATHER: When I first walked out into the open air it was as if I was hit in the face with thick steam. It was very hot, humid, and it smelled like the ocean. That's because I've got the gulf that is all around me in Salmiya where I live. I could smell the salt! Of course, I went when it was getting dark b/c during the day it is really really hot.

a few other randome sitings:

There were some men selling bootlegged DVDs of American Movies. And upon my arrival Thursday night, when I was being taken to my apartment by my boss, there were residuals of 4 car accidents. I heard the driving here is horrible.....it really is.

I hung out at Avenues Mall yesterday. The place was huge and the AC was on full blast. They had all the American Stores you would see in a mall- even MAC Cosmetics store! I was blown away! I really am not missing anything! Their food court bored me though.....b/c it was the typical American selections like McDonald's, Nathans, Hardee's, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Subway, Starbucks, ColdStone, Baskin Robbins, Dunkin Donuts, Aunti Anne's Pretzels, etc. There were 2 asian choices.

Most of the women wore head coverings, some were completely veiled. A lot of other women- especially young women, did not wear a head cover. It was very interesting to see how stylish and creative some of these women get w/ their head scarves. I've seen rhinestones on the edges of their head scarves, abstract designs, I've seen a polka-dot head scarf. I saw that some of them wore pretty dresses but had on leggings & long sleeves underneath. I was told that the women actually like to wear the head scarves & veils b/c it is a status symbol. Even though their head is covered, they make their faces look very pretty w/ makeup. I'm actually considering wearing a head scarf b/c it looks so fashionable here. To think that I don't have to do anything w/ my hair but just cover it w/ a pretty scarf......it's still a thought!

To get to any place outside of work you either ride w/ a co-worker who has a car or you call a cab. In this instance, I took a cab w/ my boyfriend. The cab drivers have their own business cards & you can argue w/ them on the prices lol.

After the mall we ate at a Portugese restaurant called Nando's where I ate the best roasted chicken!!! We ordered so much food our server was chuckling. To drink I ordered a Lemon Mint Drink. I thought it would be a lemonade w/ mint leaves as a garnish. But it was actual lemon juice from fresh lemons & mint leaves all blended together. It was a shock to my eyes when I saw a green, frothy, drink before me. It was even more of shock to taste it. My first thought when I took a sip, "OMG this has real mint leaves in it!!!" It tasted NOTHING like lemonade. It was sweet, tangy, and minty....an odd combination that actually was very refreshing. Plus I heard mint was good for your stomach & aids w/ digestion. So after all the food I ate- including a delicious, thick, caramel cheesecake- my belly felt satisfied and not bloated. I felt good! I credit the minty concotion, lol.

We walked into a store at the mall called iCity- it was an Apple Store. A friend of mine back home unlocked my iPhone 3GS but did not install Black Rain- which I guess is necessary? Needless to say, with a new sim card from a Kuwaiti Network that my boyfriend provided me with, my phone was not working.

So a worker in there tried helping us. He looked at me and said, "You don't look American" as his eyes were curiously examining my face lol. I told him I was Latina. He didn't look like a Kuwaiti at all- in fact I thought he was a white American who may have been sent to that store from the States lol. Turns out he is Syrian & wants to move to Maryland & work at an Apple Store over there. Anyway, he was so enthusiastic and helpful- SO much so that he offered to take my iPhone home w/ him to fix it for me for free and then get it back the next day. I was definitely skeptical....but if he wanted to steal an iPhone- he could so easily steal the iPhone 4 he sells....or the MacBook Pro's he sells. He said he isn't even allowed to jail break phones 'officially' but was enthusiastically stating, "I can fix this! I think I know how but I need to take it home to hook it up to my computer. I will do this as a friend, I don't need any money and I work tomorrow from 8pm- 1am." I rejected his offer at first.... but later on we went back to the store and I surrendered my phone to him in complete faith. We exchanged cell numbers. His name is Adam. He called this morning saying that he can fix my phone but will need my original AT&T sim card b/c he has to re-set it and then unlock it again.
I am so shocked at how willing he was to help us! He was kind, honest (so much so he even told us it is not worth buying the iPhone 4 yet), and a tech geek! I am so excited to have made a Syrian friend who is a Kuwaiti local. Hopefully we will keep in touch and share Christ with him. He said he was going to be moving to Maryland to be with his girlfriend & applied to an Apple Store there but he hasn't heard anything since he submitted the job. Shawn & I are going to keep in touch and write him a letter of recommendation to submit to Apple & to provide the US Government when he applies for his VISA.

You know, it used to bother me that some people thought I was Egyptian or Arab- but it doesn't bother me anymore lol. I actually am glad that my Latina look is adaptable. I've been mistaken for an Indian, Egyptian, Arab,Italian, and of course Mexican- of which I am neither of those nationalities with the exception of Italian & some Arab.

Today is Saturday and tomorrow is Sunday which means I begin my orientation training for work at 0530. Orientation is 4 days long then I start on the job training on Day shift on Wednesday. I am a military contractor & will be coordinating/supervising activities for the soldiers on base. I guess I'll find out more later.

I Have Arrived!

I was supposed to take a 6am flight from Ontario, CA to Denver, CO then to DC to Kuwait & arrive at 1:35pm.
But did that happen? NO. As I was sitting on the plane- tired b/c my family wouldn't let me sleep that night, the pilot announced there was a malfunction somewhere & the mechanic needed to take a look. Then some minutes later, the pilot said the mechanic could not find anything wrong so they needed to run a computer diagnostic test on the plane & that's when he announced there was a Starter Valve problem & we needed to get off the plane b/c the flight got cancelled. Thus the madness began- although I would like to give a shout out to GOD for
keeping us from flying b/c something could have gone horribly wrong.

I finally arrived in Kuwait at 10:30 after taking a shuttle from Ontario to LAX, then boarding to San Francisco to Frankfurt, Germany (OMG was this a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG flight but how I LOVED going back to Germany), and then finally a 4 hour flight to Kuwait.

First thing I noticed about Kuwait was actually when I boarded the flight from Germany. Most women wore head coverings. I felt bad b/c I had gotten my hair done before I left (although I was going on day 2 by the time I got to Germany). The Koran teaches that the most tempting thing about a woman is her hair, thus, the Koran instructs women to be veiled b/c men are too weak to handle the overwhelming beauty of a woman. LOL!

One other thing I noticed was when the flight attendants were passing out food. It is Ramadan & Muslims are supposed to fast every day until September 9 & break their fast at night. So I wondered if all the Muslims on the plane would reject the food since it was day time. Now, I can't assume every Arab is actually Muslim but every person sitting around me- including the women who wore hijabs, did actually eat- even though in Kuwait it is against their law to eat, drink, chew gum, or smoke in public during the day- including foreigners.

The Immigration/Customs process was as fast as lightning! A Philippina woman held a sign w/ my name. She took my passport and we walked to one of the shortest lines for Passport Customs, where a bunch of Indian hindi women were gathered in a group. They looked very poor. But there was only one woman in line before me. At the counter, it was very quick. Then we cut through all the other lines and on to getting my baggage. Then went through one more check out to check my bags. They asked me if I had any gold in my suitcase and so I pulled out a mirror. The man said I didn't have to open up my suitcase but I started to and he said no, I don't have to. I got my stuff and the lady w/ me said that sometimes men will stop a woman with a pretty face and use an excuse like that just to stall her.

Then I walk through the main airport lobby and I see a bunch of men wearing long white dresses w/ their heads covered in a white thing & their thick band. It was just like on tv! Not every woman was covered or veiled. I saw a KFC & Starbucks. The airport looked way more like a mall actually. There were a lot of men- more than women. It seemed like the men were the ones who wore those long outfits & only a few women were completely veiled in black.

I cannot believe I am actually here!

I was taken to my apartment. They gave me lots of storage space!

Then we (another girl flew in that night too as a re-hire) went to eat a place called Diva's and their food was VERY fresh & tasty. I ordered a mango juice to drink. I thought it would be very liquidy & juicey but it was very thick. I loved it!

Pics soon to come!