A Teacher in Arabia

May 15, 2013

It’s been almost three weeks since the confines of Houston and the U.S. have been put behind us.  We've found ourselves in a place that I would have never dreamed of living in when I was growing up.  This region of the world fascinates me because of my (I’m reluctant to say) ignorance or lack of experience with the culture that we are now surrounded by.  I hope our time here in Kuwait and the Middle East region can shed some light on how people live life here on the Arabian peninsula and why they live it that way.  Whatever adventures lie ahead, I’m excited to learn and have a better understanding of what our world is about.

This picture is of my alter ego – Bobble Fields – who will be accompanying me along our travels through the region.  Morgan had this custom built in my likeness for my birthday this past year and now this mini me will follow us wherever we go.  The background of the picture is what lies in our neighborhood.  The building directly across the street is the local Mosque, where the call to prayer echoes throughout the neighborhood 5 times a day.  The Islamic call to prayer truly makes it feel we are in a far off mystical part of the world.  The sounds emanating from the minarets make sunsets even that much more enchanting.

Taken by Morgan

This past Friday (which is like Saturday in the states) we took a trip to the Old Souk (market).  Friday is the holy day here in Kuwait and we have been advised that this is the prime time to get out and see the city because the traffic is at a minimum.  We took that advice to heart and went to try and experience wandering through the maze like layout of the souk.  The vibrant colors of carpets and the smells of fresh spices were present throughout the alleys and passageways of the souk.  Finally the smell of baked flat bread and all imaginable kinds of meat stopped us from our wandering to sit in the open food court and have some local dishes.  As we were eating and taking in the surroundings, a sizable group of men behind us started laying out little carpets in rows all facing in the same direction.  Then we started hearing the echoes of the call to prayer from the mosque right across the street and at this moment the men started to kneel down right beside the bustling food court and pray toward Mecca.  I have to say it was one of the cooler experiences I have had here in Kuwait to date.  We were in the middle of an Old Souk taking in the sights, sounds, and smells of what Kuwaiti culture was about.  Needless to say, after only three weeks in Kuwait and the Middle East, I can't even imagine the adventures and enchanting experiences that will occur over the next six months or so.

Taken by Morgan