I have been living in Kuwait now for a week and I feel like I’m settled in. The people I have met have been great with helping me with the little things, getting a phone, car, finding the grocery store. But even though someone told me the general direction of the grocery store it still took me 30 minutes and asking 4 other people, 2 of whom I’m sure didn’t speak English, to finally find it. The littlest things that were once easy are now a big challenge.

So last week I got a car and could do some exploring. Before that, I would be picked up and dropped off at the hotel every day and not be able to see anything. The first thing that I noticed was that every American food franchise was in Kuwait. McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Pizza Hut, Friday’s, Chili’s, Starbucks. I even saw a Tumbleweed Grill, which I didn’t think was that big of a chain.

One the subject of fast food chains, I broke down and at a McDonald’s last week. My new Iranian friends took me to get a cell phone and afterwards wanted to go to dinner at McD’s. I haven’t eaten at a McDonald’s for lunch or dinner in while I don’t know how long. But I was glad I went because I got to try the new McArabia. I had never heard of the McArabia and it was actually pretty good.

The weekend here is Thursday and Friday but where I work, everyone works Thursdays too. So Thursday night is the one night a week to go out. The same guys that helped me get my phone took me the local Kuwaiti hot spot, Marina Mall. After we found a parking spot, after driving around for almost an hour, we walked around the mall and then went to dinner. We ate a Lebanese restaurant and I had my first non-alcoholic beer. After dinner, we had a couple shisha, or what I would think is a hookah. I think the shisha is a special type of tobacco. When in Kuwait…

Friday is the one day a week I don’t have to go into the office so I mostly just relaxed. Since the Persian Gulf is right outside my door, I took advantage of the beach. After than I went to town and found it empty at two in the afternoon. I did find an empty barber shop and decided to go in for a shave (I can already hear my brothers laughing as I type this.) If you have never gone to a barber for a shave with a straight razor, I highly recommend it. It took about 10-15 minutes and afterwards I felt like I was wearing a new, smoother face. I think I’ll be frequenting Waseem’s barber shop.

Last night I stayed up and watched most of the first round of the NFL draft. ESPN is part of the cable package and I can usually catch the 11pm Eastern SportCenter in the morning before I go to work. I hope they have the Bear’s games on this fall too, but 3pm kickoffs this year are really going to kill me on Mondays.

My new home

What a crazy week! I spent two days in Kuwait for project meetings, went to Dubai for a day, and then back to Kuwait. I was excited to go to Dubai because I had never been there before and heard so much about it. We got in late at night and didn’t have any time for site seeing. I’ve been told that 20% of the world’s tower cranes are in Dubai. It’s hard to fathom until you actually get there and see that EVERYTHING is under construction. There are buildings popping up everywhere and they all have cranes on top of them.

The few sites I did get to see were from the car on the way from the airport to the hotel. One of the recognizable sites was the Burj-al-Arab Hotel. (Check out the link) You may have seen it because it looks like a sail on the beach. The hotel offers Rolls Royce and helicoptor transportation plus 24 hour bulter service. The cheapest room runs about $2000/night and just to get inside to take a tour costs about $100. Needless to say, I didn’t stay there for the night. Maybe next time…

Another site, which I didn’t see but stayed close to, was the Palm Jumeirah. This is one of the manmade islands being built off the coast. We drove by the exit to get to the Palm Jumeirah but the driver told me security wouldn’t allow us to drive out there. But I did get to see a part of another set of islands being built. Leaving Dubai, my plane flew over the east side of The World.

Friday, I had my first day off in two weeks. It was my first time to relax and hit the beach. The weather here has been great, mostly in the 80’s and some 90’s. I tried to get some sun on my pasty white skin but didn’t get too much. Maybe this weekend. I was wondering what the beach etiquette was and the hotel staff told me anything but naked was acceptable. I half expected to see women cloaked in robes on the beach but it looked like most other beaches I’ve visited.

And I moved into my apartment on Friday. I’m staying at the Hilton Kuwait . My apartment is great, a 2nd story apartment with access to the roof. I’m a two minute walk to the beach. I’ve posted a few photos of the view from my roof. If you’re in the mood for a relaxing vacation, you are all welcome to stay as long as you’d like. Only thing is that Kuwait is under Islamic law – alcohol, pornography, and pork products are all illegal. But I'm going to figure out a way to smuggle in some bacon. And the work week is Saturday through Wednesday, though I’m sure I’ll be working Thursday and Fridays also.

I haven’t done any site seeing in Kuwait because I don’t have a car yet. I’m hoping to get a car and phone this week. Maybe next week I’ll some more interesting photos. Have a great week!

Kuwait - Day 1

Well, I made it into Kuwait safe and sound. The flight from Washington, D.C. to Kuwait City was uneventful but I heard there were a couple senators on the same flight. Tomorrow starts the beginning of a busy week so I probably won't be able to post again until after it's finished. 2 days of meetings in Kuwait, a quick one day trip to Dubai, and then back to Kuwait for 2 more days of meetings. I'm excited to go to Dubai for the first time but am not too optimistic we'll have much free time to explore. I hope to at least get a few good pictures. I have attached a picture of the Kuwait Towers from last time I was here in December.

36 hours and I'll be in the sand!