Merry Christmas everyone! Hope you are all spending the festive season with plenty of cheer and laughter. I was a little sad leading up to the "Silly Season" thinking about everyone at home celebrating with their families having the usual arguments about what to do Christmas day! I also missed all the hype around Christmas its funny how those Christmas carols in the shops help you remember the words. I tried to sing a few carols to the kids this week only to realise I don't bloody remember any hahhahaha. I missed the build up to Christmas to, the Christmas drinks mainly :)....... However I have been pleasantly surprised this week as Christmas has found me here in Islam territory.
Firstly my Boss Khalada felt sorry for me that I won't be spending Christmas with my family and the fact that I helped her out of a tight spot by opting to work. She has invited me to spend some time with her family (who by the way are just fantastic) on Christmas day. Then my mates Sherry and Steve decided to throw a little chrissy bass at their place last night. So all the Aussies gathered around with their smuggled or home made alcohol and finally I found some Christmas cheer. Ted also opened his doors to us all on Christmas day to drop in and have a few beverages. So really I don't think Christmas in Kuwait is going to be as bad as I thought it would be. Was so lovely of Steve and Sherry to get everyone together so we could once again eat to much and drink to much...am suffering a little today, but hey thats what Christmas is all about righ?
Well I hope everyone else manages to have a fab Chrissy. And just a note you Irish and English mob what's this Crimbo business it's either Christmas, Chrissy or xmas hmmm I dunno you all need a good Aussie education hehehehhe! Any hoos please everyone have a glass for me and I will post up some Christmas photos for you soon.
Merry Christmas and I hope Santa finds you where ever you are!
Love Ali
Friday, December 23, 2005
Monday, December 05, 2005
Drive Like a Mad Man!
I will admit I was warned quite a few times about driving in Kuwait. Before I got here, when I got here and just before I got my car. However nothing prepares you for the chaos that is the roads in Kuwait. I am sure many of you are thinking "Yeah right I am sure it's like everywhere else a few idiots that make life a drama." But no this is not the case it is not just a few idiots its the whole god dam population of Kuwait, even the driving instructors are seen to be doing the most ridiculous things on the road so no wonder!
I received my car last week after my boss decided that I was pretty familiar with the system here. I tell you nothing prepares you for the system here. Since I have been unleashed on these mad roads I have noticed a few things that might help explain the plain stupidity and the frustration of driving here.
Why not turn from whatever lane you like: Generally on most roads there is a lane you might turn from on to another road and there is a lane that takes you straight ahead. Sure the same arrow markings are used here however the general rule is turn when ever you feel like it. Cross three lanes of traffic if you like.
Speed limit? What Speed limit?: I think that line says it all, if you have a car that can go fast then drive fast! Doesn't matter if the speed limit is 45km or 100km you just add another 50 or so K's to that and go for your life, doesn't matter if someone in front of you is not doing that speed you just flash your high beams at them and honk your horn till they get the hell out of your way, even if they have to bump into another car to do so who cares its not your fault you just like to drive fast!
Fog Lights??? Hello there is no fog here!!: The amount of stupid annoying drivers I have encountered driving around town with their fog lights on is ridiculous. Hello people if there is ever any fog here it might be at 4am in the morning and lifts after 2 minutes and that might happen twice a year! No instead they drive around with these annoying bright little lights on so that when they are behind you you can't see a dam thing!
Just pure madness: Every city and town has its lappers the losers who hot up their excels and barinas and drive up and down a section of road with the most annoying doush doush music playing. Well of course we have them here however they don't have cheap cars hotted up these teenages drive around in mercs, BMW's, sports cars and the standard family car an expensive SUV. They drive up and down Gulf Road beeping their horns and just being dick heads. The other night for example I saw this group of cars driving down the road with an SUV in the middle of them all with a teenage guy hanging out the sunroof with his tea towel on his head dancing around like a dam noodle! So then the cars around them decided to hang a few guys out the window to compete with the dancing sun roof guy. I was driving behind them going what the hell is this a new craze? Driving Discos?!! Another time I was driving behind one SUV while in the other lane was another SUV the two guys drove side by side and had a conversation out their windows for say 10km down the road. Both driving at about 80k's an hour. And then don't even get me started on the cars with kids jumping from front to back seat and hanging out the windows with no one even encouraging them to put a seat belt on. Grrrrr
Sorry folks just needed to get all that off my chest! I was warned I know but let me tell you once your driving in it you just need to drive like a mad man to survive! Ahhhh but then this is Kuwait you wouldn't expect anything less than crazyness!
I received my car last week after my boss decided that I was pretty familiar with the system here. I tell you nothing prepares you for the system here. Since I have been unleashed on these mad roads I have noticed a few things that might help explain the plain stupidity and the frustration of driving here.
Why not turn from whatever lane you like: Generally on most roads there is a lane you might turn from on to another road and there is a lane that takes you straight ahead. Sure the same arrow markings are used here however the general rule is turn when ever you feel like it. Cross three lanes of traffic if you like.
Speed limit? What Speed limit?: I think that line says it all, if you have a car that can go fast then drive fast! Doesn't matter if the speed limit is 45km or 100km you just add another 50 or so K's to that and go for your life, doesn't matter if someone in front of you is not doing that speed you just flash your high beams at them and honk your horn till they get the hell out of your way, even if they have to bump into another car to do so who cares its not your fault you just like to drive fast!
Fog Lights??? Hello there is no fog here!!: The amount of stupid annoying drivers I have encountered driving around town with their fog lights on is ridiculous. Hello people if there is ever any fog here it might be at 4am in the morning and lifts after 2 minutes and that might happen twice a year! No instead they drive around with these annoying bright little lights on so that when they are behind you you can't see a dam thing!
Just pure madness: Every city and town has its lappers the losers who hot up their excels and barinas and drive up and down a section of road with the most annoying doush doush music playing. Well of course we have them here however they don't have cheap cars hotted up these teenages drive around in mercs, BMW's, sports cars and the standard family car an expensive SUV. They drive up and down Gulf Road beeping their horns and just being dick heads. The other night for example I saw this group of cars driving down the road with an SUV in the middle of them all with a teenage guy hanging out the sunroof with his tea towel on his head dancing around like a dam noodle! So then the cars around them decided to hang a few guys out the window to compete with the dancing sun roof guy. I was driving behind them going what the hell is this a new craze? Driving Discos?!! Another time I was driving behind one SUV while in the other lane was another SUV the two guys drove side by side and had a conversation out their windows for say 10km down the road. Both driving at about 80k's an hour. And then don't even get me started on the cars with kids jumping from front to back seat and hanging out the windows with no one even encouraging them to put a seat belt on. Grrrrr
Sorry folks just needed to get all that off my chest! I was warned I know but let me tell you once your driving in it you just need to drive like a mad man to survive! Ahhhh but then this is Kuwait you wouldn't expect anything less than crazyness!
Monday, November 28, 2005
An Aussie Thanksgiving
Hello once again, I am back to report more from the exciting city of Kuwait. The only place where you can find in the local newspaper that someone has been arrested for suspicion of having fun! (no joke)! Thankfully I have not been in trouble for doing any such thing although I must admit I am guilty of having fun this past week! As some of you will know November 24 was the American Holiday Thanksgiving and since Steve's girlfriend Sherry is a Yank we Aussies decide to help her celebrate Thanksgiving....oh and her birthday which was on the Friday!
Ted who was so kind to invite us all around to his place on the Friday avro to have a few beverages (which Ted does a fantastic job of brewing himself) and to gorge our selves on Turkey, Lamb, Fish and baked potatoes and lots lots more. We were also introduced to the American favorite Pumpkin Pie, which I must say was actually really yummy...I was very impressed. Ted also showed his culinary skills by making Sherry a Pavlova birthday cake! Oh and I think one of the highlights of the night was the Tim Tams hoo ray!!! Which they are now selling at the Sultan Centre (the supermarket where most westerners shop).
All in all it was a fab night, great to get together with every one again and to catch up on the bitching about life in Kuwait. Below are some pics from the night so you can see who all my fab new mates are. Get my car this week which is very exciting so hopefully will be scooting around taking plenty more photos for you all to enjoy. Keep the emails coming love to get them.
Enjoy.......
Mads and Sherry! 
Madeline and Steve at the Bar, Ted, Me and Paul behind! 
Same as above but with out moi instead Sherry is next to Steve!
Christine & Copper at the bar!
Madeline, Sherry & Me! Thursday, November 17, 2005
Kicked Out of Kuwait
Well this week has certainly been interesting. It kicked off with a fabulous weekend as I got to see some camels!!! Sherry and Steve felt sorry for me that I had been in Kuwait for 2 months and was yet to see a camel. So come Friday they picked me up and took me on a little excursion!
First we went to the Friday Markets which are sort of like a flee market. Sherry and Steve were greatly impressed although also disappointed for my sake that they had finally gone up market! In the past these markets where held in a dusty dirty parking lot with the blazing sun burning above you. With little Indian guys running around behind you with wheelbarrows to carry your purchases. However the Markets now are under cover and on top of a cement slab. The Market actually seemed calmer and more controlled than the highways of Kuwait! So we wondered about the market where you can buy any thing from a black sheik (the black dress the women wear) to a grinder. From carpets to remote controls. It was an interesting shopping experience. After this my guides took me out of the city and into an area called Jarah. This is where the city ends and the desert begins. On our way out there we actually passed some Indian guys all dressed in their cricket whites ready to start a test match on the roughest pitch Steve and I have ever seen! On further from there we came upon the Camel herders. I have pictures below of the camels and the tents that these guys live in. Quite amazing really and I dunno how they put up with all that dust!
The next day I was back at work, learning my lessons for the week and practicing my Handstands, and Cartwheels when my boss informs me that I will be going to Bahrain tomorrow as my visa has run out and I need to leave the Country!!! When I first arrived in Kuwait I arrived on a tourist visa valid for 1 month whilst they sorted out my papers for my work visa when the month was up they extended it 2 more times for me but the third time we asked for an extension they said no! So I had to leave Kuwait and then come back in to pick up another tourist visa. Strange system really but doesn't surprise me in the least...This is after all Kuwait!
So the next day I was booted out of the country to enjoy a day trip to Bahrain. Those of you not up to date with your Middle Eastern geography Bahrain is a small island country off the coast of Saudi Arabia. I arrived in the morning and after quickly purchasing a visa I took off to explore. Bahrain is really well looked after with quirky, narrow but clean streets. I happily stolled around checking out all the shops and the sites and the only stares I received were from shop keepers wanting me to come in and spend my money in their shops; rather than from creepy men giving me suggestive looks. Bahrain is considered on of the more liberal countries of the Middle East and also sells alcohol legally. Whoo hoo I thought I had gone to heaven. I enjoyed a scrumptious lunch which was accompanied by not one but three glasses of cold, crisp white wine....ahhhh.
First we went to the Friday Markets which are sort of like a flee market. Sherry and Steve were greatly impressed although also disappointed for my sake that they had finally gone up market! In the past these markets where held in a dusty dirty parking lot with the blazing sun burning above you. With little Indian guys running around behind you with wheelbarrows to carry your purchases. However the Markets now are under cover and on top of a cement slab. The Market actually seemed calmer and more controlled than the highways of Kuwait! So we wondered about the market where you can buy any thing from a black sheik (the black dress the women wear) to a grinder. From carpets to remote controls. It was an interesting shopping experience. After this my guides took me out of the city and into an area called Jarah. This is where the city ends and the desert begins. On our way out there we actually passed some Indian guys all dressed in their cricket whites ready to start a test match on the roughest pitch Steve and I have ever seen! On further from there we came upon the Camel herders. I have pictures below of the camels and the tents that these guys live in. Quite amazing really and I dunno how they put up with all that dust!
The next day I was back at work, learning my lessons for the week and practicing my Handstands, and Cartwheels when my boss informs me that I will be going to Bahrain tomorrow as my visa has run out and I need to leave the Country!!! When I first arrived in Kuwait I arrived on a tourist visa valid for 1 month whilst they sorted out my papers for my work visa when the month was up they extended it 2 more times for me but the third time we asked for an extension they said no! So I had to leave Kuwait and then come back in to pick up another tourist visa. Strange system really but doesn't surprise me in the least...This is after all Kuwait!
So the next day I was booted out of the country to enjoy a day trip to Bahrain. Those of you not up to date with your Middle Eastern geography Bahrain is a small island country off the coast of Saudi Arabia. I arrived in the morning and after quickly purchasing a visa I took off to explore. Bahrain is really well looked after with quirky, narrow but clean streets. I happily stolled around checking out all the shops and the sites and the only stares I received were from shop keepers wanting me to come in and spend my money in their shops; rather than from creepy men giving me suggestive looks. Bahrain is considered on of the more liberal countries of the Middle East and also sells alcohol legally. Whoo hoo I thought I had gone to heaven. I enjoyed a scrumptious lunch which was accompanied by not one but three glasses of cold, crisp white wine....ahhhh.
My stay was only short however before I new it I was back at the airport heading for Kuwait again. I picked up my new visa with out any dramas and was back at work that night! Other news this week is that we actually had a thunder storm! Kuwait nearly drowned in all the rain and the mud as they don't quite have a drainage system in place yet! Any hoos enjoy the photos below and I will be sure to keep rambling on in future so stay tuned....
Ali
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Camels & Bahrain Photos
This is a part of "Tent City" an area just out of Kuwait where the camel herders live. These are just a few of them there were quite a lot out there.
This sewing machine was for sale at the Friday Markets, along with plenty more interesting gems!
This guy was running late for the Camel Conference!
The Camel Conference!
Ah...This is a sheep being skinned by one of the tent guys! Notice the hygienic conditions he is working in!! (Sorry to any vegetarians!) 
I like to call this guy the real life "Colin The Camel"
Another poor sheep!
A close up of the tent in the back ground of the picture above. Just some men sitting around while a sheep is being skinned outside their window....LOVELY!!
More Camels just sitting around chilling out in the Kuwait sunshine.
One of the little streets in Bahrain, notice it doesn't have the rubbish that the streets of Kuwait have! 
Some spices for sale out the front of a shop in Bahrain. Middle East is spice heaven!
My first glass of wine! What can I say I wanted to savor the moment! 
These pipes are commonly seen around Kuwait and also Bahrain. You smoke a very strong tobacco through them. I think its called Sheesha (but don't quote me on that!) There are lots of sheesha cafes where men in White sit around smoking and getting high not to mention frightfully congested lungs from smoking the tobacco. I have wanted to take a photo of someone actually smoking them but for now a display in a shop will have to do!
Saturday, November 05, 2005
Long Awaited Photos!
My apartment building! We are up on the 8th floor 2nd from the top. This bulidng is at the nice end of the street...
This lovely building is down the other end of my street, notice the flash new cars out the front!
A local bus stop! 
This is a front part of the Marina Mall. Notice the green grass, the palm tree, the paving..It looks like a shopping mall from pretty much any where else in the world....Now look at the next picture..... 
OK this is a shop right across the street! Notice the difference? And these buildings are right next to each other! This is what I mean by the lavish and well looked after next to the dirty and dusty ! Hate that sand to by the way its everywhere!
The Beach near the Marina - This is nice beach but very rarely used, swimming and sunbaking is not really a done thing here!! 
I am not sure what this monument is in aid of as I was to lazy to walk out to check it out. :) However it looks good and I assume it has something to do with Ships hahaha sorry maybe I need to read more about Kuwait landmarks and Kuwaiti History!! 
Marina Mall a popular shopping area for westerners and locals - its one of the nicer parts of town!
A view of the City from the Marina - Rather hazy day!
This fountain is inside Marina Mall I actually didn't want to take a photo of the fountain rather the guy in traditional dress - :) he just happened to turn around at the right time!! This is what most of the men wear around town! Hmmm very attractive!!
A view down our street from our apartment
The view from our balcony 
A famous landmark in Kuwait The Kuwait Towers
A view of the towers from the bottom :) Am yet to go up the top!Saturday, October 29, 2005
Apartments, Aussies & Alcohol
I know I promised photos and I will deliver but unfortunately not this time. However it has been a few weeks since my last post so I thought I might just fill you in on what's been happening in Old Kuwait town!
Firstly I moved to the apartment which will be my home for the next 2 years. Thankfully it's a magnificent place! It is a brand new building and in a nice clean area (well clean in Kuwait terms any ways). It certainly doesn't smell as bad as the area I was in before and the streets are less congested with rubbish, (it is still socially acceptable to litter here in Kuwait). Any hoo back to the apartment on the 8th floor that has a fantastic view of the city and lovely brand new everything from toilets to knives & forks. I have moved in with Madlena who is a new instructor at The Little Gym, she is from Bulgaria and I have learnt that just about all national dishes from Bulgaria include Cucumber and Tomatoes!
I am also lucky that my fab new home is only a short walk to work and now that the weather is settling into a very pleasant Autumn I am happy to wonder to and from work with out having to think about risking my life on the Ring Roads! Also I have come accustomed to the stares and attention from the ever palpable Arab men so I feel much more comfortable walking about! Other than moving further news from Kuwait is that I found some friends hahaha! This is always good news!
I actually meet Steve through the Lonely Planet website when I was searching for information about Kuwait before I moved here. He also offered to help me get settled by introducing me to some people when I arrived. Thankfully Steve was not some weird creepy freak from the internet and instead a wonderful friendly Aussie. Along with his equally lovely girlfriend Sherry who is American they hosted a BBQ at their amazing apartment that over looks Golf road and the ocean. They invited some of the Aussies that they have meet here in Kuwait so I was able to meet and talk with lots of other mad Aussies who have moved to the Middle East. Most of whom have been here for at least 2 years, but a few for longer 5-7 years! They all had some wonderful information and tips about living here and it was great to hear about their experiences. I also had my first alcoholic drink in a month......ok not one but quite a few hahaha! As you all know it is illegal to consume alcohol here in Kuwait. So this means that there are no bars, no bottle shops, and no legal way to buy or drink alcohol. Most ex pats have their ways around this but it's not really easy especially when all you want is a glass of good red wine!! Surprisingly after a month of not even a drop of booze I actually didn't suffer to serverly the next day!
My social coordinators Steve and Sherry also invited me out for dinner last night where I had the pleasure to meet Jaiver an American who has just arrived in Kuwait after 22 months working in Iraq! As well as a Dina and Tarq a Kuwaiti couple. Well actually Tarq is from Jordan but grew up in America and Dina has been living in Kuwait for most of her life after having to flee Palestineine. We had a fantastic night and I was spellbound by even more fascinatinging stories. Everyone I meet is so interesting I could talk to them all night. However it was not a late night as we all had work today and had come to the end of Sherry's lovely home made wine, which mind you rivals many cheap cask wines in Oz!.
Work is going really well and now that Ramadan is FINALLY coming to an end we should be really busy next month. I say finally as I am looking forward to being able to go out for a coffee at lunch time or being able to eat on the run to and from work. We actually get a public holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan it is called EID and most business close down for one or two days, we are still waiting to hear if we get two days! I would like to use the opportunity to either go to Dubai or Bahrain but due to the fact that I am still waiting for my Residency visa to be approved I can not leave the country until after 3 months. So I will spend it here in fantastic Kuwait. Maybe I will use the time to get out and get some pictures for you all :) Till then....
Firstly I moved to the apartment which will be my home for the next 2 years. Thankfully it's a magnificent place! It is a brand new building and in a nice clean area (well clean in Kuwait terms any ways). It certainly doesn't smell as bad as the area I was in before and the streets are less congested with rubbish, (it is still socially acceptable to litter here in Kuwait). Any hoo back to the apartment on the 8th floor that has a fantastic view of the city and lovely brand new everything from toilets to knives & forks. I have moved in with Madlena who is a new instructor at The Little Gym, she is from Bulgaria and I have learnt that just about all national dishes from Bulgaria include Cucumber and Tomatoes!
I am also lucky that my fab new home is only a short walk to work and now that the weather is settling into a very pleasant Autumn I am happy to wonder to and from work with out having to think about risking my life on the Ring Roads! Also I have come accustomed to the stares and attention from the ever palpable Arab men so I feel much more comfortable walking about! Other than moving further news from Kuwait is that I found some friends hahaha! This is always good news!
I actually meet Steve through the Lonely Planet website when I was searching for information about Kuwait before I moved here. He also offered to help me get settled by introducing me to some people when I arrived. Thankfully Steve was not some weird creepy freak from the internet and instead a wonderful friendly Aussie. Along with his equally lovely girlfriend Sherry who is American they hosted a BBQ at their amazing apartment that over looks Golf road and the ocean. They invited some of the Aussies that they have meet here in Kuwait so I was able to meet and talk with lots of other mad Aussies who have moved to the Middle East. Most of whom have been here for at least 2 years, but a few for longer 5-7 years! They all had some wonderful information and tips about living here and it was great to hear about their experiences. I also had my first alcoholic drink in a month......ok not one but quite a few hahaha! As you all know it is illegal to consume alcohol here in Kuwait. So this means that there are no bars, no bottle shops, and no legal way to buy or drink alcohol. Most ex pats have their ways around this but it's not really easy especially when all you want is a glass of good red wine!! Surprisingly after a month of not even a drop of booze I actually didn't suffer to serverly the next day!
My social coordinators Steve and Sherry also invited me out for dinner last night where I had the pleasure to meet Jaiver an American who has just arrived in Kuwait after 22 months working in Iraq! As well as a Dina and Tarq a Kuwaiti couple. Well actually Tarq is from Jordan but grew up in America and Dina has been living in Kuwait for most of her life after having to flee Palestineine. We had a fantastic night and I was spellbound by even more fascinatinging stories. Everyone I meet is so interesting I could talk to them all night. However it was not a late night as we all had work today and had come to the end of Sherry's lovely home made wine, which mind you rivals many cheap cask wines in Oz!.
Work is going really well and now that Ramadan is FINALLY coming to an end we should be really busy next month. I say finally as I am looking forward to being able to go out for a coffee at lunch time or being able to eat on the run to and from work. We actually get a public holiday to celebrate the end of Ramadan it is called EID and most business close down for one or two days, we are still waiting to hear if we get two days! I would like to use the opportunity to either go to Dubai or Bahrain but due to the fact that I am still waiting for my Residency visa to be approved I can not leave the country until after 3 months. So I will spend it here in fantastic Kuwait. Maybe I will use the time to get out and get some pictures for you all :) Till then....
Tuesday, October 04, 2005
More Middle Eastern Madness!
Things are going quite well now, am finding Kuwait a lot less daunting and more interesting. It is difficult to explain the differences here. There is a lot of similarities with the western world that I am starting to discover but I thought I might just jot down a few observations that have had me wondering about this unique place.
Empty Sky: It took me a few days maybe a week to actually notice but there is nothing in the sky! During the day there are absolutely no clouds....Not one, not even a wisp of cloud, it's just a blue dome with a haze ball for the sun. Sometimes it's not even very blue as all the dust and sand gives it this hazy look. And at night time it's the same not one star is visible. Once I thought I saw a star but then realized it was just a plane! Ha! The moon does look fantastic when it is full though. But it's just strange that there is just nothing up there!
No Camels just Cats: I am yet to see a camel or even a dog for that matter, I have seen one bird but their are thousands of skinny stinky ferral cats. They are every where and they look scrawny and sick. It's awful, they are out the front of my building on the streets, just everywhere. I just hope they don't end up in some of the Indian restaurants!!!
Road Works!: I don't know when they started the road works here in Kuwait but I have a feeling it may have been back in 1978! It's not because they don't do any work, unlike at home where you have gangs of men all standing around leaning on a shovel. It's because there are only 2 guys working on each project. It seems at one end is a scrawny Indian guy with his pick axe and at the other end is the Egyptian guy working with a tool that I am sure was used to build the pyramids! Slowly they chip away hoping to meet in the middle! I hope they recruit some new guys with some heavy duty equipment soon cause there are so many road works going on. Ok I do exaggerated a bit here they do have some trucks and things but still they don't seem to be making much progress. They just dig big ditches create a huge mess and have all the traffic going bananas around them, and I think I have already mentioned the smell coming out of those ditches!
Speaking of Roads: I was warned about the drivers but holy cow they are just indescribable! These people didn't even get their license out of the weet bix box they just got off the camel into a Merc and planted the foot down! It seems that the only rule that applies is that if you abuse someone you have right of way! Unfortunately everyone is abusing everyone so it always ends in a jam. I must say have seen some pretty interesting 45 point turns!
Shoe Shop Heaven: Unfortunately I have never been a shoe girl I usually own 4 pairs of shoes and at 2 of these will be some thongs (flip flops for you Northern hemispheres), however if I was a shoe girl I would be in heaven. I guess because for a lot of the women the only accessory they can show off is their shoes! This is due to the fact that the rest their body is covered up, they also lay the eye make up on pretty heavy as this is the only other part of their body you see! But there are sooooo many shoe shops it's madness, and so many different types every style is "in" here in Kuwait. The other shops are also pretty good I can buy just about anything I would at home except vegemite of course!
Mosques: At the moment it's the holy month of Ramadan. (Just a note; I lasted a day of fasting then thought nah bugger this I need some water!) However all Muslims are refraining from eating or drinking and pray it seems every chance they get, I wonder if they are praying for the road works to end? hmmm...But any way the mosques, which mind you are situated like Starbucks in America, on every street corner! Have this thing about calling people to pray they all have loud speakers attached to them and just about every hour some guy starts moaning over the air ways. It is probably fairly disrespectful to say the guy actually sounds like he is constipated but that's just what it sounds like! Although there is a little tune in his voice that does sound like he is enjoying him self a little, but he moans on and on if only I could understand what he is saying..It's probably like what Mum said when we saw the Pope speak at the Vatican. They are probably giving out their favorite recipes, ha especially during fasting time that would go down really well!
So there is just a few things I have observed of course there are many more strange things that go on in this city, my plan this weekend is to take some pics so fingers crossed I can put them up next week...I know I keep promising but I will try this weekend oh yeah which by the way is Thursday and Friday. Business starts here on a Saturday. I am now learning to hate Saturday's and Monday is hump day and Wednesday has the Friday feel....It's all very confusing I dunno what day of the week it is just another thing to add to the madness of the Middle East!
Empty Sky: It took me a few days maybe a week to actually notice but there is nothing in the sky! During the day there are absolutely no clouds....Not one, not even a wisp of cloud, it's just a blue dome with a haze ball for the sun. Sometimes it's not even very blue as all the dust and sand gives it this hazy look. And at night time it's the same not one star is visible. Once I thought I saw a star but then realized it was just a plane! Ha! The moon does look fantastic when it is full though. But it's just strange that there is just nothing up there!
No Camels just Cats: I am yet to see a camel or even a dog for that matter, I have seen one bird but their are thousands of skinny stinky ferral cats. They are every where and they look scrawny and sick. It's awful, they are out the front of my building on the streets, just everywhere. I just hope they don't end up in some of the Indian restaurants!!!
Road Works!: I don't know when they started the road works here in Kuwait but I have a feeling it may have been back in 1978! It's not because they don't do any work, unlike at home where you have gangs of men all standing around leaning on a shovel. It's because there are only 2 guys working on each project. It seems at one end is a scrawny Indian guy with his pick axe and at the other end is the Egyptian guy working with a tool that I am sure was used to build the pyramids! Slowly they chip away hoping to meet in the middle! I hope they recruit some new guys with some heavy duty equipment soon cause there are so many road works going on. Ok I do exaggerated a bit here they do have some trucks and things but still they don't seem to be making much progress. They just dig big ditches create a huge mess and have all the traffic going bananas around them, and I think I have already mentioned the smell coming out of those ditches!
Speaking of Roads: I was warned about the drivers but holy cow they are just indescribable! These people didn't even get their license out of the weet bix box they just got off the camel into a Merc and planted the foot down! It seems that the only rule that applies is that if you abuse someone you have right of way! Unfortunately everyone is abusing everyone so it always ends in a jam. I must say have seen some pretty interesting 45 point turns!
Shoe Shop Heaven: Unfortunately I have never been a shoe girl I usually own 4 pairs of shoes and at 2 of these will be some thongs (flip flops for you Northern hemispheres), however if I was a shoe girl I would be in heaven. I guess because for a lot of the women the only accessory they can show off is their shoes! This is due to the fact that the rest their body is covered up, they also lay the eye make up on pretty heavy as this is the only other part of their body you see! But there are sooooo many shoe shops it's madness, and so many different types every style is "in" here in Kuwait. The other shops are also pretty good I can buy just about anything I would at home except vegemite of course!
Mosques: At the moment it's the holy month of Ramadan. (Just a note; I lasted a day of fasting then thought nah bugger this I need some water!) However all Muslims are refraining from eating or drinking and pray it seems every chance they get, I wonder if they are praying for the road works to end? hmmm...But any way the mosques, which mind you are situated like Starbucks in America, on every street corner! Have this thing about calling people to pray they all have loud speakers attached to them and just about every hour some guy starts moaning over the air ways. It is probably fairly disrespectful to say the guy actually sounds like he is constipated but that's just what it sounds like! Although there is a little tune in his voice that does sound like he is enjoying him self a little, but he moans on and on if only I could understand what he is saying..It's probably like what Mum said when we saw the Pope speak at the Vatican. They are probably giving out their favorite recipes, ha especially during fasting time that would go down really well!
So there is just a few things I have observed of course there are many more strange things that go on in this city, my plan this weekend is to take some pics so fingers crossed I can put them up next week...I know I keep promising but I will try this weekend oh yeah which by the way is Thursday and Friday. Business starts here on a Saturday. I am now learning to hate Saturday's and Monday is hump day and Wednesday has the Friday feel....It's all very confusing I dunno what day of the week it is just another thing to add to the madness of the Middle East!
Friday, September 30, 2005
10 Days In!
Still no Camels, but I am feeling more comfortable here in Kuwait! I have been here for 10 days now and am finally starting to find my feet and am happy and accepting the challenge I have in front of me. I have started to get out a bit more and thankfully the work that I came here to do is actually really fun!
So what is it that I am actually doing here? Ok The Little Gym is a centre designed to assist kids in developing sporting skills, coordination and self esteem in a non competitive environment. The classes we have are Gymnastics, Karate, Sports Skills, Swimming and we also hold birthday parties. My job is to take the classes! It's actually really fun and I know what your all thinking me doing gymnastics!! Ha I know I thought the same but it's only the basics and the lesson plans are all set out for me by the company so I just need to follow them. The kids are really cool, and of course all want to know where I am from and I have had one child tell me "Welcome to Kuwait Miss.....Your going to die in the summer!" Ha, thanks very much! The children are aged from 3-12 however we also have parent/child classes where the parents come in with their babies! It's a mixed bunch of nationalities. Lots of spoilt Kuwaiti children, the ex pats from English and American families and I have meet one Aussie mum and her two Kids. She has been in Kuwait for 3 weeks after a year and half in Dubai. She tells me that Dubai is amazing and a fantastic place to live but Kuwait is a shit hole! Ha! At least I have one person who is going through the same experiences as me!
Everyone I work with has English as their second language so I have found my self already speaking in broken English like they do, hehehehe it's crazy! There is Sadgede from India, Solage from France, who is the other instructor. Then their is two swimming teachers one from Bulgaria and one from China and then of course The owners who are Kuwati. Oh and Howard, I have learnt his name is actually Awad but pronounced as Howard! Everyone is really nice and have all been here for awhile and have been very helpful in making me feel welcome. Awad actually took me out for lunch the other day we dined in a Yemen restaurant. The food was really nice but we had to sit in this blocked off area from everyone else because he was dining with a Western woman! The next day Awad and Sadgede took me to an Indian Restaurant and I have to say it's nothing like the Indian Restaurants we know! It was divine though I loved it we had this vegetarian thing called Masala Dosa and traditionally ate it with our fingers!!
So I am starting to get out a bit. I've seen more "nice" parts of the city so I don't think it is completely a dumb after all. Although I have started to understand how all the immigrants feel that come to Australia. Things are so different and all you want to do is be around familiar things and people. I can understand why each race tends to stick to their own when they come to OZ it makes the different culture not seem so challenging and you have people who are experiencing the same things. I have yet to find any Aussies or even American friends, except for Victoria the one Aussie mother. I have the contact details of an Aussie guy who is living here who did email me and said it was ok to drop him line when I arrived so I did so today and fingers crossed we can meet up and he can introduce me to some westerners here! Even if it just gives me a chance not to speak like so "To much Cars Awad!" Instead of saying "Wow the traffic is really bad today isn't is Awad?" hahaha!
Well Tomorrow Ramadan starts and so this means that I can not eat or drink in public. All Muslims will be fasting which means they do not eat from sun up to sun down but go bananas at night time eating until 3am! This all so means many businesses close during the day so I guess next month is going to be a new experience once again. Work should be fairly quite I imagine with the Kids not being able to take water during or after the classes. But who knows maybe they are used to it! I have my fingers crossed I don't faint. I am going to try it, dunno if I will last though but I have gained quite a lot of respect from everyone here because I am keeping an open mind and willing to try it! But don't fear I am not converting is Islam!! hahah I probably won't even last a day....But you can be sure I will keep you posted!
So what is it that I am actually doing here? Ok The Little Gym is a centre designed to assist kids in developing sporting skills, coordination and self esteem in a non competitive environment. The classes we have are Gymnastics, Karate, Sports Skills, Swimming and we also hold birthday parties. My job is to take the classes! It's actually really fun and I know what your all thinking me doing gymnastics!! Ha I know I thought the same but it's only the basics and the lesson plans are all set out for me by the company so I just need to follow them. The kids are really cool, and of course all want to know where I am from and I have had one child tell me "Welcome to Kuwait Miss.....Your going to die in the summer!" Ha, thanks very much! The children are aged from 3-12 however we also have parent/child classes where the parents come in with their babies! It's a mixed bunch of nationalities. Lots of spoilt Kuwaiti children, the ex pats from English and American families and I have meet one Aussie mum and her two Kids. She has been in Kuwait for 3 weeks after a year and half in Dubai. She tells me that Dubai is amazing and a fantastic place to live but Kuwait is a shit hole! Ha! At least I have one person who is going through the same experiences as me!
Everyone I work with has English as their second language so I have found my self already speaking in broken English like they do, hehehehe it's crazy! There is Sadgede from India, Solage from France, who is the other instructor. Then their is two swimming teachers one from Bulgaria and one from China and then of course The owners who are Kuwati. Oh and Howard, I have learnt his name is actually Awad but pronounced as Howard! Everyone is really nice and have all been here for awhile and have been very helpful in making me feel welcome. Awad actually took me out for lunch the other day we dined in a Yemen restaurant. The food was really nice but we had to sit in this blocked off area from everyone else because he was dining with a Western woman! The next day Awad and Sadgede took me to an Indian Restaurant and I have to say it's nothing like the Indian Restaurants we know! It was divine though I loved it we had this vegetarian thing called Masala Dosa and traditionally ate it with our fingers!!
So I am starting to get out a bit. I've seen more "nice" parts of the city so I don't think it is completely a dumb after all. Although I have started to understand how all the immigrants feel that come to Australia. Things are so different and all you want to do is be around familiar things and people. I can understand why each race tends to stick to their own when they come to OZ it makes the different culture not seem so challenging and you have people who are experiencing the same things. I have yet to find any Aussies or even American friends, except for Victoria the one Aussie mother. I have the contact details of an Aussie guy who is living here who did email me and said it was ok to drop him line when I arrived so I did so today and fingers crossed we can meet up and he can introduce me to some westerners here! Even if it just gives me a chance not to speak like so "To much Cars Awad!" Instead of saying "Wow the traffic is really bad today isn't is Awad?" hahaha!
Well Tomorrow Ramadan starts and so this means that I can not eat or drink in public. All Muslims will be fasting which means they do not eat from sun up to sun down but go bananas at night time eating until 3am! This all so means many businesses close during the day so I guess next month is going to be a new experience once again. Work should be fairly quite I imagine with the Kids not being able to take water during or after the classes. But who knows maybe they are used to it! I have my fingers crossed I don't faint. I am going to try it, dunno if I will last though but I have gained quite a lot of respect from everyone here because I am keeping an open mind and willing to try it! But don't fear I am not converting is Islam!! hahah I probably won't even last a day....But you can be sure I will keep you posted!
Monday, September 26, 2005
First Week In Kuwait
I have yet to see a Camel! However what I have seen and experienced has left me in complete and utter Culture Shock!
I arrived on Tuesday night and felt like the most naive person on the planet but it was fine, it was all straight forward and just like arriving in any other country. However there were so many different nationalities that I was unsure at first as to where I had arrived.
Howard, who is to become my driver, picked me up and drove me to my temporary apartment, (they are still trying to find the perfect place for me to move into). The first things I noticed was of course the warm weather but it's not as hot as I expected it to be, next was the Arabic symbols every where, thankfully English is written underneath every sign, the next was the god awful smell of sewage! Ok I have since learnt that this is only in the areas where there is road works but still makes me dry reach every time we pass by! However generally the city has this strange stale smell which I am yet to get used to. There are a lot of things I am yet to get used to!
The next day I went straight to The Little Gym to start work and meet my work mates. And pretty much that is all I have done since is work!!! The gym is great and I will write more about that another time but first let me concentrate on the strangeness that is Kuwait!
One of the things I will have to get used to is the lack of freedom, at the moment I am picked up and driven to and from work. And that's It, although I did convince Howard to let me come to an internet cafe today!! Bascially if you don't have a car you don't go any where Women just do not walk around on their own! A few times I have ventured out because I need to buy food. On the way to the shopping centre I was honked at by several cars then when I brought some lunch and sat down to eat 3 Arab men stood close by and watched me eat as if I was some sort of freak! Then on the way home one man asked me if he could walk me to my car, but I just ignored him and kept walking then another, while I was waiting to cross the road pulled over and asked me how I was I just turned and walked away! It's just really uncomfortable! I have been told that in a few months I will get a car and that will give me a lot more freedom but at the moment I feel very trapped.
Howard did drive me around the city a little so I could have a look. There is very very little grass instead lost of sand and dust. The city is very spread out and is rather strange in that you have huge beautiful houses between slums and poorly kept apartments. Kuwait is half modern, half traditional and a lot of it is half hearted with many places run down, half built and not looked after at all. The main shopping area has all the shops that you would find at home but I am yet to go and see what they sell. The shopping area runs along an esplanade, however the beach side mostly deserted. In any other country you would find people laying on the beach and swimming but here it just looks out of place with no one enjoying it! It's hard to describe really what this place is like but I hope to get some photos up here for you soon.
Most men dress in a white Kaftan with a white head dress or in western clothes, the women are a mixed bunch with half of them in western clothes with a head scarf the others in the black robes with a head scarf and the others are completely covered up with only a slit for their eyes. They kind of looked creepy at first, like black shadows moving about but I am getting used to it. I am getting used to lots of things!
I am trying to keep an open mind but every morning I wake up and go "Where am I again?" "What the feck am I doing here?". I have felt lonely, over welmed, scared, and in awe of what's going on around me but not yet excited and I hope that changes as I make friends and get settled in. I really miss home though and appreciate the way we live. But I was looking for a challenge and a new experience and that is exactly what I am getting!
There is so much to tell but I am running out of time so I will write some more as soon as I can, please let me know how you all are I miss every one so much!!!
Till next time......
I arrived on Tuesday night and felt like the most naive person on the planet but it was fine, it was all straight forward and just like arriving in any other country. However there were so many different nationalities that I was unsure at first as to where I had arrived.
Howard, who is to become my driver, picked me up and drove me to my temporary apartment, (they are still trying to find the perfect place for me to move into). The first things I noticed was of course the warm weather but it's not as hot as I expected it to be, next was the Arabic symbols every where, thankfully English is written underneath every sign, the next was the god awful smell of sewage! Ok I have since learnt that this is only in the areas where there is road works but still makes me dry reach every time we pass by! However generally the city has this strange stale smell which I am yet to get used to. There are a lot of things I am yet to get used to!
The next day I went straight to The Little Gym to start work and meet my work mates. And pretty much that is all I have done since is work!!! The gym is great and I will write more about that another time but first let me concentrate on the strangeness that is Kuwait!
One of the things I will have to get used to is the lack of freedom, at the moment I am picked up and driven to and from work. And that's It, although I did convince Howard to let me come to an internet cafe today!! Bascially if you don't have a car you don't go any where Women just do not walk around on their own! A few times I have ventured out because I need to buy food. On the way to the shopping centre I was honked at by several cars then when I brought some lunch and sat down to eat 3 Arab men stood close by and watched me eat as if I was some sort of freak! Then on the way home one man asked me if he could walk me to my car, but I just ignored him and kept walking then another, while I was waiting to cross the road pulled over and asked me how I was I just turned and walked away! It's just really uncomfortable! I have been told that in a few months I will get a car and that will give me a lot more freedom but at the moment I feel very trapped.
Howard did drive me around the city a little so I could have a look. There is very very little grass instead lost of sand and dust. The city is very spread out and is rather strange in that you have huge beautiful houses between slums and poorly kept apartments. Kuwait is half modern, half traditional and a lot of it is half hearted with many places run down, half built and not looked after at all. The main shopping area has all the shops that you would find at home but I am yet to go and see what they sell. The shopping area runs along an esplanade, however the beach side mostly deserted. In any other country you would find people laying on the beach and swimming but here it just looks out of place with no one enjoying it! It's hard to describe really what this place is like but I hope to get some photos up here for you soon.
Most men dress in a white Kaftan with a white head dress or in western clothes, the women are a mixed bunch with half of them in western clothes with a head scarf the others in the black robes with a head scarf and the others are completely covered up with only a slit for their eyes. They kind of looked creepy at first, like black shadows moving about but I am getting used to it. I am getting used to lots of things!
I am trying to keep an open mind but every morning I wake up and go "Where am I again?" "What the feck am I doing here?". I have felt lonely, over welmed, scared, and in awe of what's going on around me but not yet excited and I hope that changes as I make friends and get settled in. I really miss home though and appreciate the way we live. But I was looking for a challenge and a new experience and that is exactly what I am getting!
There is so much to tell but I am running out of time so I will write some more as soon as I can, please let me know how you all are I miss every one so much!!!
Till next time......
Saturday, September 17, 2005
Farewell Cork..boy ya like langer!
This is it! This is My last day in Cork!! I depart for Kuwait at 6.50am tomorrow morning. I am looking forward to the next stage of my overseas journey yet I am also sad to say good bye to Cork. Cork at first seems like any other town/city but once your amongst the people you start to see Cork as a truly unique place. Even other Irish people will agree that Corkairians are a breed of their own. For a Corkairian believes that with in the Island of Ireland there are 3 boarders. Northern Ireland, The Republic of Ireland and then there is the Republic of Cork! Corkairians are very proud people and very patriotic, if you happen to say anything bad about Cork you will receive plenty of death stares and be prepared to drink alone. However if you do mention how wonderful Cork is, (especially if you mention how great it was that they won the all Ireland hurling final) then you will be greeted with open arms and many pints will be brought for you! Although be sure not to have too many pints as the Cork accent is hard enough to understand sober let alone after a lashing of drinks. Once you do crack the sing along tune of the Cork accent you soon realize that between every second word is a "like" for example;
Alison says: So what did you do on the weekend (another thing a Corkairian would say AT the weekend not ON the weekend)
Corkairian says: Yeah like we found the craic like at like the like you know that place on Patrick St, like the one like near where all those like langers hang out like.
I must say like that I have found my self like saying like a lot hahaha it just gets ya when you least expect it! Other well known words around Cork are of course Craic which basically can mean anything involving a good time. Also if you are acting like a bit of a fool you will be labeled an eeijit, or a langer which is probably worse than and eeijit. And then there is Boy, From Cork...boy! Cheers is also regularly used and must be said emphasizing the R it's more like Cheerrrs! Which I must say I have down pat, apparently I sound very Irish when I say Cheerrrs!
There are many different phrases and words that you will just have to come to Cork to hear but these are just some of the little things I will miss. Along with the 7 different types of potato dishes you can get at lunch time, the madness that is shopping at Penny's (its worse the boxing day sales!), the old man outside the Post Office yelling "Echo...Echo...Echo", regularly seeing farm tractors in the middle of the city and many more strange things that go on in Cork! What I will miss the most though are the wonderful people I have meet here. So now in my closing speech from my Cork adventure I would like to just quickly thank the following people;
Tim Ammo I owe you so much, it was your recommendation to come to Cork and if it wasn't for you I would never have meet the fab people I have meet here. You have introduced me to friends that will be friends for life. Thanks dude! If you ever need friends in Kuwait I will be happy to introduce you! hmmm that is if I make any friends on my own with out your help! haha
Meabh "I am up to fecking 90!" Cullinane; thanks thanks thanks! I have been so lucky to make such a wonderful friend, I couldn't have lived in Ireland with out you. I really hope you love Melbourne and I hope people are as nice to you as you have been to me. I will really miss our coffee dates and the bitch sessions about men hehehe who will solves the worlds problems now? Thanks for everything ya Langer!
Michelle, Sake, Liz, Pamela and Elaine; You guys rock, well except for the Meatloaf concert you do! Thanks guys for being such wonderful friends and for all the good times, the wine the dancing and all the silliness we got up to! I hope we can all meet up again soon, Hawaii or Mexico I don't mind and your all welcome to come to Kuwait, as I know you really want to haha!
Conor "monkey boy" Dwyer even though you were in Dublin you were still a great mate by keeping me company at the most boringest of times. Thanks!
Conor aka ROC I promised to include you in my next post so here you are! Thanks for saving me when I was drinking on my own! Make sure you get your ass to OZ ASAP!!
Well Ladies and Gents it is now time for me to walk back out into the rain and find a place for my last pint in Cork and maybe take in the last bit of culture (since cork is the capital of culture and all) Be good and I will talk to you all next from Kuwait!!!
Cheerrrrs!
Alison says: So what did you do on the weekend (another thing a Corkairian would say AT the weekend not ON the weekend)
Corkairian says: Yeah like we found the craic like at like the like you know that place on Patrick St, like the one like near where all those like langers hang out like.
I must say like that I have found my self like saying like a lot hahaha it just gets ya when you least expect it! Other well known words around Cork are of course Craic which basically can mean anything involving a good time. Also if you are acting like a bit of a fool you will be labeled an eeijit, or a langer which is probably worse than and eeijit. And then there is Boy, From Cork...boy! Cheers is also regularly used and must be said emphasizing the R it's more like Cheerrrs! Which I must say I have down pat, apparently I sound very Irish when I say Cheerrrs!
There are many different phrases and words that you will just have to come to Cork to hear but these are just some of the little things I will miss. Along with the 7 different types of potato dishes you can get at lunch time, the madness that is shopping at Penny's (its worse the boxing day sales!), the old man outside the Post Office yelling "Echo...Echo...Echo", regularly seeing farm tractors in the middle of the city and many more strange things that go on in Cork! What I will miss the most though are the wonderful people I have meet here. So now in my closing speech from my Cork adventure I would like to just quickly thank the following people;
Tim Ammo I owe you so much, it was your recommendation to come to Cork and if it wasn't for you I would never have meet the fab people I have meet here. You have introduced me to friends that will be friends for life. Thanks dude! If you ever need friends in Kuwait I will be happy to introduce you! hmmm that is if I make any friends on my own with out your help! haha
Meabh "I am up to fecking 90!" Cullinane; thanks thanks thanks! I have been so lucky to make such a wonderful friend, I couldn't have lived in Ireland with out you. I really hope you love Melbourne and I hope people are as nice to you as you have been to me. I will really miss our coffee dates and the bitch sessions about men hehehe who will solves the worlds problems now? Thanks for everything ya Langer!
Michelle, Sake, Liz, Pamela and Elaine; You guys rock, well except for the Meatloaf concert you do! Thanks guys for being such wonderful friends and for all the good times, the wine the dancing and all the silliness we got up to! I hope we can all meet up again soon, Hawaii or Mexico I don't mind and your all welcome to come to Kuwait, as I know you really want to haha!
Conor "monkey boy" Dwyer even though you were in Dublin you were still a great mate by keeping me company at the most boringest of times. Thanks!
Conor aka ROC I promised to include you in my next post so here you are! Thanks for saving me when I was drinking on my own! Make sure you get your ass to OZ ASAP!!
Well Ladies and Gents it is now time for me to walk back out into the rain and find a place for my last pint in Cork and maybe take in the last bit of culture (since cork is the capital of culture and all) Be good and I will talk to you all next from Kuwait!!!
Cheerrrrs!
Monday, September 12, 2005
48 Hours In Madrid!
Ole Amigos! Here I am back in Cork, back at work after my mad dash to Spain. I really wish I had more time there as I totally loved Madrid!! Oh Madrid Madrid! Home of bull fights, siesters, tapas, wine and of course David and Victoria Beckham!! Who I would like to say we stayed with but unless Victoria has had some surgery to look like a 65 year old,short round Spanish woman then I am afraid to say we did not. But the 65 year old short round Spanish woman who tried to rip us off for another night was actually quite friendly in a sneaky kind of way!
I happily left the wind and rain in Ireland on Friday only to arrive to sunshine and blue sky's in Madrid! I meet Kerrie at the train station and so our Spanish adventure began. We didn't get up to much really just wondered the streets, shopped, stopped for coffee, walked again, stopped for beers and tapas, shopped again, stopped for wine and tapas, kept exploring then stopped for pella and wine! Ha! As you can imagine it was very relaxing. We generally kept to the slow, no hurry pace of the Spanish. I guess it could be a bit frustrating if your an impatient person as often you wait for quite sometime before getting served or given the bill. But as the Frenchman David says "No need to make race!" So we just took our time and soaked in the atmosphere of Madrid.
We did get to a few tourist spots such as the palace where some thing was going on. There were lots of officials and men in uniform (which we didn't mind at all). Although the guards at the palace gates looked more like boy scouts than palace guards and these horse escorts kept turning up with their own horse escorts so we were a bit confused on what was happening. In the end we decided that food was far more important than possibly seeing the King of Spain so back to the Tapas bar we went!
Oh man the food and wine in Madrid was soooo cheap, we scored a great lunch including 2 beers for 6 euro!! Crazy stuff really, not to mention the huge glass of wine you can get for €1.70, madness! Although if your a vegetarian there are a few bars that might turn you off as they tend to have legs of ham hanging from the ceiling! No not just one or two but it looks like a bloody butcher shop with all these legs hanging about and there you are sitting under this ham drinking wine! Hmmmm the Spaniards are certainly dedicated to their cured meats!
So after our drinking and eating and shopping and wondering we found ourselves leaving a restaurant at midnight only to find the streets full of crazy Spaniards! During the day the crowds were very minimal and hardly any one about, but at night holy cow the place was jumping. Even when we were up at 7am to catch the train to the airport they were still out and about the streets drinking in the ham bars and slowly starting to make their way home, to sleep for the rest of the day I assume. Unfortunately we could not sleep that day as we had to fly back Cork.
Kezz came back with me to Ireland just to take in the capital of culture which is Cork. She has gone back to France now and me back at work. I only have 3 days left at Novartis and then its just all about getting sorted for Kuwait....But I shall leave all that for my next post!
Adios
I happily left the wind and rain in Ireland on Friday only to arrive to sunshine and blue sky's in Madrid! I meet Kerrie at the train station and so our Spanish adventure began. We didn't get up to much really just wondered the streets, shopped, stopped for coffee, walked again, stopped for beers and tapas, shopped again, stopped for wine and tapas, kept exploring then stopped for pella and wine! Ha! As you can imagine it was very relaxing. We generally kept to the slow, no hurry pace of the Spanish. I guess it could be a bit frustrating if your an impatient person as often you wait for quite sometime before getting served or given the bill. But as the Frenchman David says "No need to make race!" So we just took our time and soaked in the atmosphere of Madrid.
We did get to a few tourist spots such as the palace where some thing was going on. There were lots of officials and men in uniform (which we didn't mind at all). Although the guards at the palace gates looked more like boy scouts than palace guards and these horse escorts kept turning up with their own horse escorts so we were a bit confused on what was happening. In the end we decided that food was far more important than possibly seeing the King of Spain so back to the Tapas bar we went!
Oh man the food and wine in Madrid was soooo cheap, we scored a great lunch including 2 beers for 6 euro!! Crazy stuff really, not to mention the huge glass of wine you can get for €1.70, madness! Although if your a vegetarian there are a few bars that might turn you off as they tend to have legs of ham hanging from the ceiling! No not just one or two but it looks like a bloody butcher shop with all these legs hanging about and there you are sitting under this ham drinking wine! Hmmmm the Spaniards are certainly dedicated to their cured meats!
So after our drinking and eating and shopping and wondering we found ourselves leaving a restaurant at midnight only to find the streets full of crazy Spaniards! During the day the crowds were very minimal and hardly any one about, but at night holy cow the place was jumping. Even when we were up at 7am to catch the train to the airport they were still out and about the streets drinking in the ham bars and slowly starting to make their way home, to sleep for the rest of the day I assume. Unfortunately we could not sleep that day as we had to fly back Cork.
Kezz came back with me to Ireland just to take in the capital of culture which is Cork. She has gone back to France now and me back at work. I only have 3 days left at Novartis and then its just all about getting sorted for Kuwait....But I shall leave all that for my next post!
Adios
Monday, September 05, 2005
The Ramblings of a Little Rooster!
Hello everyone and welcome to my new site! I decided to follow Kerrie's idea of having a web site to document my experiences and adventures when I move to the Middle East. As I am about to embark on a new adventure I thought a web site might be more suitable instead of sending you those long winded emails I tend to send about my travels. So now if your wondering what I am up to and how I am going you can just come here to read the low down on my life in Kuwait. I am also finally coming in to the digital age with the plan to purchase a digital camera so I can post up lots of photos for you so it won't just be me rambling on!
This brings me to the name of my site which you may be wondering how I arrived at Rooster Ramblings! Well firstly I have come to the decision that Snapper Head has pretty much had its day and I didn't take to "The Adventures of a Snapper Head" although it does have a certain ring to it! I decided its about time I let the Snapper Head go. So it was my Irish friend Conor who actually came up with the Rooster part as he often calls me Little Rooster and since I have been known to Ramble on a bit in the past Rooster Ramblings seemed like a good a name as any!
So welcome one and all to Rooster Ramblings!
I am still in Cork at this very moment however I will be heading east in approximately 2 weeks time. I have yet to be informed of my flight details so am not sure when exactly I am leaving. However I have given notice to work and have started to get organized to make the move but generally things have been fairly quiet. Although I am still going to Spain this weekend which I am looking forward to! Then it's only one week left in lovely Ireland! I have defiantly had a fantastic time here and recommend Ireland as a great place to visit. But its time to move on before the chilly wintry winds hit! I am eagerly awaiting my new adventure, even if current temperatures in Kuwait are 45 degrees! Of course I am a little nervous but also excited, despite my research of Kuwait the truth is I really don't know what to expect and that only makes it more of an adventure!
Any hoos this little rooster better be off. I hope you enjoy Rooster Ramblings and please send me emails and comments to let me know how everyone is going back home in Australia or whatever part of the world your in!
Till next time...
This brings me to the name of my site which you may be wondering how I arrived at Rooster Ramblings! Well firstly I have come to the decision that Snapper Head has pretty much had its day and I didn't take to "The Adventures of a Snapper Head" although it does have a certain ring to it! I decided its about time I let the Snapper Head go. So it was my Irish friend Conor who actually came up with the Rooster part as he often calls me Little Rooster and since I have been known to Ramble on a bit in the past Rooster Ramblings seemed like a good a name as any!
So welcome one and all to Rooster Ramblings!
I am still in Cork at this very moment however I will be heading east in approximately 2 weeks time. I have yet to be informed of my flight details so am not sure when exactly I am leaving. However I have given notice to work and have started to get organized to make the move but generally things have been fairly quiet. Although I am still going to Spain this weekend which I am looking forward to! Then it's only one week left in lovely Ireland! I have defiantly had a fantastic time here and recommend Ireland as a great place to visit. But its time to move on before the chilly wintry winds hit! I am eagerly awaiting my new adventure, even if current temperatures in Kuwait are 45 degrees! Of course I am a little nervous but also excited, despite my research of Kuwait the truth is I really don't know what to expect and that only makes it more of an adventure!
Any hoos this little rooster better be off. I hope you enjoy Rooster Ramblings and please send me emails and comments to let me know how everyone is going back home in Australia or whatever part of the world your in!
Till next time...
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