Jordan

It's been hard staying positive around here sometimes, so this blog has really fallen to the wayside. But things are changing for us.

Just days before our Christmas Holiday began, Rob and I declined a resigning contract here in Kuwait. It's just not the place for us. It is a weird feeling though. In light of the current financial crisis--Rob and I have quit our jobs. It may not be the smartest thing in the world, but we think it's best for the family. So we'll be going to a job fair in Boston in February. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

In light of all of these changes... what is the best way to not fret about your job loss? Go on a trip and enjoy yourself. So that is just what we did. December 18th, we left Kuwait and made the short trip to the country of Jordan. Here is our diary...

Officially referred to as “The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan”, Jordan was one of those places we were told we HAD to see before leaving the Middle East. With an impending move on the horizon, we decided to experience this majestic land ourselves. Bordered by Saudi Arabia, Syria, Israel, and Iraq, Jordan is a place that historically captivated ancient travelers. Today, Jordan enthralls millions of tourists with its energizing cities, biblical history, mysterious Petra, inexplicable Dead Sea waters, and the ancient beauty of Wadi Rum. This is the story of our fabulous Christmas holiday, 2009.

Starting in the beautiful city of Amman, we were amazed by the contrast of it all. Amman is a beautiful mix of old and new—one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world, it is a city of hills between the desert and the Jordan Valley. Our tour began at the Roman Citadel where we came face to face with the Dead Sea Scrolls, climbed through the ruins, and overlooked the modern city of Amman. Most top-quality finds were sold to the highest bidder and are housed in world-famous museums, so the Dead Sea Scrolls we saw at the British Museum this summer were more complete, oh well! It was amazing to watch the kids climb on the unearthed ancient ruins--something not allowed in other parts of the globe.

Focused on tourism, (the American-born) Queen Noor encouraged the restoration of the historic Amman (Philadelphia) amphitheater which you can see from the Citadel. Despite the majestic of it (situated amongst old town-house size homes), we decided not to push the kids to visit it and, instead, we moved on. Jerash was next on our list. The area is considered to be home to the best-preserved Roman ruins in the world dating back more than 6,500 years. The kids were most impressed by the physics of the amphitheater where no microphones are needed. Walking up the steps of the amphitheater was awesome and incredibly frightening because they were so steep. I had fears that the kids would just tumble down, but all of that vanished as we sat peacefully and watched the Arab musicians strum away on their jibras. The jibras sound like a deeper-sounding, smaller-looking version of Scottish bagpipes.

The next day we moved from ancient history to the city of Madaba and Mt. Nebo where we brushed up on our Old Testament knowledge. Mt. Nebo is thought to be the site where Moses was first given the view of the Promised Land. When we got there, Rob and I thought a lot about my Nama and how proud of us she would be. The highest point is marked by a map which shows Bethlehem, Jericho, and the Dead Sea. We continued our biblical tour with a visit to St. George's Greek Orthodox Church where a 6th century Byzantine map of Jerusalem and other holy sites was unearthed. The most amazing part of this history is that it's not protected by anything but a piece of carpet. During services, a piece of carpet is rolled over and people walk all over it. Important ancient discoveries are so common in Jordan that they just become part of life. Raed, our driver, told us that more than 50% of the homes in old Amman (where we were the day before) are built on Roman ruins, so to most people--they are not a big deal.

From Mt. Nebo, we made the long drive to Petra which took us through a vast array of landscapes. From the forests and city of Amman to the limestone mountain ranges of the King's Highway. We stopped briefly at Karak castle which was monumental for the crusaders and the Langlands family. The kids loved running through the soldiers' sleeping chambers, prison cells, stables, and the large kitchen areas. It was hard to leave the fun, but Petra, my dream locale, was calling.

As the long drive through the desert made way to sandstone mountains, I knew that Petra was on the horizon. As we drove higher up the mountain, we arrived at an amazing diamond in the rough. We crept our way into Taybet Zaman Hotel which reminded me of the Olerai House. The hotel is located just outside of Petra in an old 19th century city called Taybet Zaman. The entire complex is built of huge sandstone bricks. This gorgeous locale made me even MORE eager to get to Petra the next morning.

At 4.30 am, the Azan (the first call to prayers) began. But the mountainous terrain of this area made the call even more amazing (read: louder and closer)--the musical prayers came from at least a dozen different mosques and were the most beautiful I have heard yet. Full of excitement, I knew I couldn't go back to sleep--Petra was here! Raed picked us up and drove us about 20 minutes down to the gates of Petra. It was there that we met our guide, Zaid (who, oddly enough, went to university in Santa Cruz and used to live in Emeryville). Trekking into this unique city carved by the Nabataeans showed off how they were influenced by their travels (and thefts) from China, India, Egypt, Syria, Greece, and Rome. We started the hike into Petra with a horseback ride for the kids. Walking through the towering rocks, I was bummed that I had just finished teaching the rock cycle at school. As Rob and I walked to the Treasury with our mouths aghast at the magnitude, the kids were excited to walk in the troughs (once used to control the water flow), climb through caves, and dodge the camels and horses people were paying for transport. By the time we got back to the hotel and crashed, Rob and I looked at each other and equated the experience to that of safari--a mezmorizing and exhausting experience that everyone SHOULD have (besides by just Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).

The next day, we were off on another fun adventure. Wadi Rum is a magestic site which remains virtually untouched by human hands. Though a few Bedouin tribes still remain, Wadi Rum is the type of desert you envision when you think of the Middle East. T.E. Lawrence called it "vast, echoing, and god-like" and once there, I could totally see why. We went dune bashing through these great expansive dunes, checked out rock drawings by ancient Bedouin tribes, and listened to our voices echo amongst the mountains. Wadi Rum is most famous as it served as the set for "Lawrence of Arabia," I guess now we have to see the movie.

After our dune bashing, we loaded up in Raed's van and made the three hour trek along the coast to the Dead Sea. Being just a stones throw away from Israel was exciting and scary as it forced us to go through numerous checkpoints with guys with big guns. The most interesting part of our drive was when we got to a junction with signs to Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Israel-- we were just 10 minutes from the borders of each of these 3 countries. And despite the tension between Israel and the rest of the Arab world, Israel and Jordan have figured out how to work together when it comes to the runway used by the King Hussein International Airport (Jordan) and Eilat Airport (Israel). For both airports, in (sometimes) enemy countries, they use the exact same runway (since both countries are within spitting distance of each other). Why can't we all just learn to get along like this?

Anyway, after a long, hot drive, we finally arrived at the Dead Sea--Rob's highlight of the trip. We checked into our hotel, dumped our luggage, got dressed in our bathing suits, and walked down to the Dead Sea to take a dip. The water was unlike nothing I've ever experienced. Water from various sources, including the River Jordan, end up in the land-locked Dead Sea which also serves as the lowest place on Earth (even lower than the Grand Canyon). The water leaves an oily residue on your skin while the mineral-rich heavy waters make you float with little effort. Trying to get up from a floating position--now THAT takes effort. We rounded off our trip to the Dead Sea with a lovely pasta dinner at the Marriott Hotel which included--BACON!!! God, I love Jordan!

The next afternoon, we woke up and make the quick 1.5 hour drive back to Amman. We unloaded in our last hotel and got a taxi into the old downtown of Amman. The shopping district was full of life and energy. There was music and laughter, great food on every corner, and shops full of everything one could want. After walking through the steep alleyways and stocking up on a few last minute purchases, we ended up at Hashem Restaurant--Jordan's most famous hole-in-the-wall. For around $10 we ate in a no-frills restaurant that would have scared most people. Stacks of freshly made pita are tossed onto your table when you arrive. Your meal of hummus, falafel, foul, with tomatoes and mint are served without plates and silverware. Despite the look of the joint, the walls are full of pictures of Arabian royalty and international heads of state who all came to eat the most delicious food. It was the first time in 7 days that Anouk didn't complain about her meal and Xavier didn't come up for breath until there was nothing left on the table. Our experience at Hashem was the best way to end our lovely holiday trip to Jordan.

...I wonder if the American Community School in Amman has openings.

check out pictures of our trip...

Belgium or bust

We've actually enjoyed a real, proper Belgian holiday this summer. When we arrived in Geel, the weather was cool when all of a sudden the heat and humidity arrived and we were wiped out. At night, the clouds burst open and cooled us down with a huge downpour followed by intense thunder and lightening.

Rob and I enjoyed our 8th wedding anniversary (and Belgian independence day) by spending the day in Eindhoven, the Netherlands. We had a lovely day walking around, window shopping, people watching, and eating at delicious restauraunts. My favorite part was tasting olive oils at a store called "Oil & Vinegar" while Rob quite enjoyed watching me buy tunics in an air-conditioned shop. The next night, Rob and I had a grown-ups only night at Tom and Elly's house where we played poker, taste-tested beer, and laughed into the wee hours.

We have taken advantage of the huge 50% summer sales by spending a day in Antwerp to kit out Rob and the kids. We had lunch at one of our favorite Lebanese restaurant. The next day, the kids hung out at the park with Bomma and Bompa. We ended our great relaxing day by driving to the forest where specialty ice cream trucks are parked. We tasted delicious handmade ice creams from goat milk and can't wait until we get to go back.

All of that was great...but nothing so far compares to the awesomeness of teaching Xavier how to ride a bike in an hour. Using the short-cut grass as a race course, Xavi learned in no time. The next day we went to an empty car park and taught him how to use his breaks and start himself. Within another hour, Xavier was dodging Anouk, and riding non-stop laps.

So far we've had a lovely time and it will only get better with trips to Brugges, the beer garden, and London.

my brown eyed girl...

turned four this week! Tuesday was her big day and we celebrated her birthday on Friday 5.15 with way too many kids at our house. In an effort to give the kids more room to play, we told parents to drop the kids and go [read: escape]. 10 kids + my 2 = AAAHHHHHHHHH!!! The playing wasn't the big problem. But it's amazing how thirsty these 12 kids were. They were like camels. And they always wanted to drink at the exact same time!

It didn't matter how exhausted Rob and I were at the end of the two hours. The kids, especially Anouk, had a great time! Want to see the birthday photos?

Also... our www.angelaandrob.com website is finally up and running again. Long time no update. So if you want to see some photos of our adventures, check them out!

the dust storm cometh

Thursday, May 14, 2009

As we walked home from school on Thursday, their was a vortex of dust swirling in the distance. We walked home briskly so we could make sure that the windows were closed and the house was protected from the impending dust storm. We had to run to the store to pick up some supplies for Anouk's birthday party on Friday, so we had no choice to go outside and deal with the dust.

As we arrived at City Centre, we stopped to photograph the dust storm. Yuck.

The first picture is from the parking lot at City Centre.

The second picture is the new apartment across the street. All of that brick was laid during the day. There was no sand on it before 230 pm.

The third picture is night falling on our little ghetto. The haze is repulsive.

The day our world shook!

2.10.09
Well, it truly has been an exciting couple of weeks. We’ve gone from having coffee with the Belgian ambassador to bomb threats. From riding camels in the desert to spending nights up coughing up sand.

I guess I should start at the beginning…

Inauguration Night here in Kuwait was as amazing as it was around the world. I walked into our school auditorium surrounded by about 70 other comrades. From first glance it was a nice turnout. But if you looked closer, it was an amazing turnout, because this Inauguration Party was attended less by Americans and more by Canadians, French, Kuwaiti, Egyptian, Australian, and New Zealanders. The number of American flags waving in the hands of those who weren’t even US citizens was remarkable with such an authentic sense of pride and hope for the next four years. I can’t wait until I get to tell my own kids where I was the day Obama became President.

Days later, Rob and I took a personal day to continue working on the visa process which will earn Xavier and Anouk their Kuwaiti visas. Our first appointment was at the Kenyan embassy where, without question, Xavier’s birth certificate was authenticated as REAL and we were off to a good start. By the time we got to the Belgian embassy, things started to take a bit of a downturn. The Belgian embassy was no longer allowed to authenticate official Belgian documents unless the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Belgium had signed them. Here we go again, we thought. But on our way out the door, the secretary asked us if we’d like to meet the Ambassador. Rob turned down her offer with the thought that he must be too busy to talk some peons like us. With a look of horror on her face I urged Rob to change his mind by saying, “I don’t think you’re supposed to refuse the Ambassador.” So… minutes later we were on our way to his office to drink coffee with him. We spent about 15 minutes with him, talking about Belgium, Kenya, and what we’re doing in Kuwait. As his secretary escorted us out of the embassy we told her that our next appointment was at the fortress they call the US Embassy. She wished us luck and joked that the US Ambassador may be otherwise unable to greet us today. You think?

Well, our US Embassy experience was as bad as it has been in every country where I had to deal with an Embassy so I will avoid writing about it now. Needless to say, we need to start from the beginning with all of our US documents.

Now… fast forward to this weekend. A couple of weeks ago we got an email about a day at a Bedouin camp with dancing, cultural lessons, camel rides, and a traditional lunch. A camel? Hell yeah! I’ve kept the kids hopeful about seeing a camel for 5 months, it was time for me to make good on my promise. So this Saturday, we were on our way. We met at the A.W.A.R.E. (Advocates of Western-Arab RElations) center and were shocked to see four gigantic busses loading hundreds of people. Our dream of an intimate afternoon in the desert was shattered with the quick calculation that 400+ of our new best friends would be joining us.

In a nutshell, the adventure was a bit of a bust. Not that we’re upset that we went, but we were expecting a lot of traditional Bedouin things. Traditional camps, food, dancing, people, cultural lessons, etc. And what we got was a lot of what the Kuwaitis do when they live in their spring camp. (Spring camp is the time between January and March, when all government-owned desert land is opened up and people are allowed to squat temporarily on the land. They put up a nice white tent, plug in their generators, park their Ferrari outside, hook up the satellite, and spend long weekends out in the dessert where kids play outside on ATV’s and in the sand dunes.) It’s the oddest thing I’ve ever seen in my life, but I am happy that my kids DID get to see a camel. Xavier rode by himself and oddly enough, Anouk was brave enough too. As responsible adults, we wouldn’t let her go 6-feet into the air by herself so her new boyfriend, Mr. Jason, jumped aboard and protected her should she make the 6-foot fall. After a non-traditional lunch of Indian and Italian food, we loaded in the car and were glad to have had the experience. We returned home tanner than when we arrived, but a quick shower returned us to our regular color.

The next day, Sunday, our life got flipped upside down. While out to break with my students, my Principal came over to tell me that there was a bomb scare and 10 minutes from then, the kids would line up as if it was a fire drill and we would proceed from there. After a ridiculously chaotic fire drill, the elementary school was led passed dozens of police, military, and other oddly official people. When we reached the auditorium, our Principal got on the loud speaker and announced to the students that the fire drill was such a success that they were being rewarded with a showing of “Charlotte’s Web.” The kids were stoked until the first group had to go to the bathroom. While escorting a group to the bathroom, the questions started: “Ms. Angela, how come those mean-looking dogs are there?” or “Miss, do you know what that sign says? [referring to the yellow police-tape] “it says, bomb team.” OH GREAT!! Within 30 minutes, rumors, gossip, and fear had run through the auditorium. Parents were rushing in to pull their kids out of school within 10 minutes of us arriving—how did they find out so quick? Man, we have a SERIOUS gossip trail here. And then there were poor Xavier and Anouk—innocently sitting by their friends trying to watch “Charlotte’s Web.” Rob pulled them out when the HS was evacuated and I stayed on for another hour until all of my kids were picked up. After closing the school and the days events being confirmed a hoax, we were unsure as to whether or not to send the kids on Monday. But, like good hopeful employees, we dutifully went to work with kids in toe.

School started normally at 7:45 am. At 9:10 am I was on my way to Xavier’s classroom to give him his asthma medicine. When I arrived in the nurse’s office, a High School student told me that the nurse wasn’t there because she was busy tending to issues with the high school kids who were evacuated because a bomb was found in the boys bathroom. AWESOME! I tried to casually walk Xavier back to class when I saw three middle and high school teachers running feverishly to their kids’. It was the hysterical mother with tears streaming down her face while she was talking on her cell phone that convinced me something REALLY serious was going on. I quickly took Xavier and Anouk out of class and walked them home. On my way, I spoke to my Principal who said, “Do what you need to, but get back here soon.” I ran the kids home and I kept saying, “I love you”, not knowing what was going to happen next. I got back to school and within three minutes of being in my classroom, I was lining my kids up for an immediate evacuation off the school campus. Our staging ground ended up being in the middle of a disgusting sand trap full of old couches, boats, fridges, and demolished cars—yup, we called parents to pick their kids up from the middle of a police station where tragic car wrecks go to die. That’s uplifting.

Anyway… I got my parents called and my students home in record time, just to be told that the bomb was a hoax and we were to return to school for a working afternoon.
Needless to say, we are exhausted (both emotionally and physically) and are frustrated (both as parents and professionals). It’s been a long week and I hope tomorrow is better.

To read a Kuwaiti Blog’s take on the story, our stupidity, and the DRAMA that is AIS, click here.

Where the Streets Have No Name…

We’ve been busy since our return to Kuwait. We’ve been putting the finishing touches on our apartment—framing art, murals on the kids play room, and organizing our storage areas—fun stuff that we should have done four months ago, but that we’re doing now, in our beautiful new blue building!

Next plan of attack—finish report cards. Without a school-wide grading scheme or computer program, we had 5 days from arrival to complete our report cards and have them ready for printing. Our fourth grade team collaborated greatly and were praised over and over again by our Principal and Vice Principal (there’s a first time for everything!) Rob’s story is not so pleasant so we’ll save that news for another day.

The last thing on our to-do list was the purchase of a new-to-us car! We have officially crossed that item off our list. After a rather interesting few days of car shopping which requires the assistance of multiple people speaking a plethora of languages, Rob and I agreed to come in way under budget and buy a decent looking [read: ugly], well-running (for a 10-year-old), Pajero SUV with extra seats in the back for guests (yup, we’re talking to you family!) We knew it was the car for us when we walked up to it and it had a huge “X” hanging from it’s rear-view mirror.

So our holy day (Friday) was spent doing errands without overpaying taxis. We drove to the airport to pick up Anouk’s car seat (which didn’t make it from Belgium when we did). From there, we went to the largest mall in Kuwait, called the Avenues. It’s the mall that currently has 11 busy Starbucks. It’s the mall where they are currently adding another wing with, I’m sure, at least 5 more coffee stops! The Avenues mall houses IKEA and our favorite grocery store—Carrefour. Since we didn’t have to fit our belongings into the back of an extra-large taxi—we went crazy! Two carts and $200 later we had filled the back of our new-to-us car with loads of stuff. It was as if we were at Costco, stockpiling the way we did.

We bought 12 wine-size bottles of grape juice and have been passing them around to friends in the building. During every meal, we’ve been pressuring the kids to drink the grape juice so we have enough empty bottles to work with. Yup, our brew kits came into the country without issue, so Rob will begin brewing soon.

On our way back from the Avenues mall, our trunk was too full for a stop at the plant souk to bring some beautiful greenery into our apartment. Well, that and the blinking red light on our dash, helped us put an end to our outing. Though the gas gauge said ½ full, the red light was definitely scaring us to find a gas station. And go figure—Kuwaitis live off the oil in this darn country, but when you need a gas station, there isn’t a thing in sight. After a few hairy minutes, the car crept into the gas station. After loading the car with 84 liters of gas, Rob handed over 5.5 KD (about $20/15 Euros). It was such a wonderful moment for us, that we couldn’t help but photograph it for posterity. At that price, we plan on getting lost in the desert next weekend on a quest for some camels. Wish us luck!

Between the car, the beautiful apartment, and the brew—we’re starting to carve out a nitch for ourselves. But don’t get me wrong, it’s a VERY temporary nitch!