My thoughts are running around my brain like crazy, and I am slowly trying to make sense of it all. I keep thinking " oh I have to write about that" but if I wrote about all that I have thought and seen and experienced, I would be here forever and its just Day 2!
So, I will condense the brain activity into a few sentences. I have some photos--but will post more later. I am sure you are all on the edge of your seats. ( she said sarcastically)
Plane Ride:
Plane from Toronto to Frankfurt was great--I had an empty seat beside me...the odds were in my favour.
The plane from Frankfurt to KW left on time. Kinda. We had to keep stopping because the Kuwaiti people that were on the plane would not sit in their seats. They kept popping up and changing seats, getting something from the overhead bins, sitting back down ( somewhere else) and just generally causing melee. It was pretty amusing at first, I just observed in awe. However, when the pilot of the plane refused to leave the airport dock until they were all seated and fastened...it became my problem. :) I rolled my eyes a lot, I fear.
When we landed, we had barely touched down, before the same thing happened--people popped up and started unloading luggage from the overhead bins. It was kind of rewarding to listen to the Lufthansa stewardess give them heck and tell them to sit down. She had to do this 5 times. Finally, the pilot just stopped the plane until they all sat down and then we proceeded to the airport dock.
What's that about?
I wonder if these folks had somewhere important to go?
Fixers:
I cannot underestimate the importance of these people. These are people that "fix" things in your arrival country, they are the ones that deal with all the red tape/getting tickets/working with the system etc, to smooth the way for you. Kind of like....a really good wife!
I have had 3 fixers so far. They have sorted my visa process upon arrival, got me to my apartment, arranged a KW mobile phone with data, got my cable/landline sorted, stocked my fridge with food,took me to the car rental place, and drove me around town to orient me to the area. I can contact them 24/7 ( apparently).
I highly recommend this service. Makes life so much easier. I want my personal fixer all the time, forever. Usually its ME doing the fixing for others. This was a very welcome treat.
Driving:
Driving is not bad here at all. All the hoopla about it, I expected it to be like bumper cars. If you can drive in Toronto, you can drive here. Navigating is also not bad, since Kuwait is on a point, you have the sea on one side...and the desert on the other...how lost can one get?
The U turn:
Kuwait has a lot of roads that are one way. Like...mini highways. However, no worries--they have perfected the art of the U-turn. If you are driving down the wrong way, no worries--just turn around. They have U-turn areas every few hundred feet. It's fabulous. Going the wrong way? Just turn around. Wish life were so simple.
It's hot.
Words cannot express how hot it is. Like...its crazy hot. Imagine the hottest that you have ever been. It's not that hot here. It's hotter.
Picture...turning the oven on to 400 degrees, and crawling inside. That's how hot it is. When the car is parked outside a shop, things in my car, melt. Sunglasses/gum/lipstick all melts. Steering wheel even gets kind of soft.
Now, you might think that at night when the sun goes down, the heat is less intense.
You would be wrong. It's just as bad. Ohhhh alright--it goes from 50 degrees to 46 degrees. My bad.
My apartment is very near the ocean, and there is a lovely promenade that one can take a stroll on, if one is trying to get heat stroke. I will enjoy that promenade in September, when it cools down.
The help.
Actual Kuwaiti people that you might encounter are few and far between. Most of the people that you meet in the shops stores and establishments are Indians, or Fillipinos. I love those people. They are warm friendly and I feel most comfortable communicating with them. Arab folk I am less sure about. Will keep you posted on that score.
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