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| view of downtown Kuwait City at sunrise |
Hello dear readers! Greetings from my new home, Kuwait City! It feels good to finally be here. I can't wait to start exploring. Some observations from my first few days:
Positives:
- The views of the water from our apartment were everything I hoped they would be. I could just stare out the window for hours.
- People here are much nicer and friendlier than I thought they might be. Its like moving from New York City to Charleston. A smiling grocery store attendant can throw you off. Although people seem to mind their business in public, which I like.
- There is a Starbucks within walking distance.
- At certain times every day you can hear the call to prayer from the mosques (of which there are many). Luckily the man who sings at the mosque near us has a great voice and I find it soothing to listen. They sing into a megaphone so you can hear in the surrounding street.
- The grocery stores are packed full of perfectly delicious things including a feta/cheese bar, raw nuts bar, as many dates as one could possibly eat, a whole aisle dedicated to yogurt, and a decent selection of produce. I also saw Vegemite (has anyone tried this?) and lots of American breakfast cereals and candy.
- There is more greenery than I expected.
- I met a girl who will show me where to get my nails and hair done (so important!)
- There is a family of kittens living in the bushes of the entry to our building. They're so cute I can't stand it.
Less positive:
- They weren't exaggerating about the heat. It sucks the life out of me when I leave the apartment. I've heard it gets worse before it gets better.
- We can't get our boxes from customs until we get residency cards, which could take a month! I'm more thankful than ever that we have a furnished apartment but I was so looking forward to sleeping in my own bed and not living out of a suitcase after living in a hotel for two weeks.
- People, I'm assuming young men, race motorcycles down the street at 2am. every. night. (note to self: get white noise machine).
- All of the time is in military time or international time. So although I can read the clock, I have no idea what time 21:00 is. I'm learning...
I hope to share more with you soon about what its like to move to a foreign country as well as my road trip through the American South and what its like to live in a hotel!
In the meantime, I've also been busy finishing up the second issue of the magazine! I underestimated how much went into moving abroad so it took a little longer than I expected to do both at the same time. It's almost complete and I hope to have it available for purchase during the month of August. I'll give you a more firm date soon! Thanks for your patience as I navigate all this travel and change at once. :)
