I'll Be Wearing Black

Women wearing the traditional niqab is not an uncommon sight here in Kuwait (although it's equally common to see women who just wear a veil to cover their hair or no veil at all). However, last week I had my first 'interaction' so to speak with a woman wearing a niqab and it made me wonder:

What on earth will I do if I become friends with someone wearing a niqab and we agree to meet, say at a coffee place??

The obvious solution would be for me to come early and wait for her to find me (I stand out a lot). But seriously, what would I do? Would I be able to recognize her by her eyes? By her eye make-up? Or by the half-hidden shape of her body? The tip of her shoe that becomes slightly visible when she walks? Her perfume?

Now some of you might think that's never going to happen - that I will not possibly be friends with someone wearing a niqab since we would have nothing in common and our worlds would never meet. Well, I'm not so sure about that - maybe it's just a stereotype some of us in the West unfortunately have that women who are completely covered (in public that is) must by default be oppressed by their husbands, forced into covering themselves, have no rights, be close-minded and from strictly religious (dare I say fundamentalist) families. The woman I met last week was all the opposite - an American citizen, fluent of course in English and in Spanish due to family heritage and now in Arabic since she has married a Kuwaiti man. She has done her Master's Degree in the USA and went on to do a PhD, she is in no way restricted to her house, has her own very strong opinions and is free to go wherever she wants. And she has converted to Islam by choice. Now, who says I couldn't be friends with a woman wearing a niqab?

I really don't want to get myself into the debate about whether women should or should not cover themselves - that is not for me to decide or debate - I am just stating that here it is completely common and it seems that nobody puts more into it than if I am wearing a cardigan or a sweater - it's just a shell.

It did make me realize, however, just how much importance I place on people's entire faces, on their facial expressions on watching their mouth when they talk. Maybe it's like when people lose one of their senses - like blind people having extraordinary hearing - and I will be much better at 'reading eyes' because all the other 'disturbing elements' are covered. What I can say for sure is that I have truly understood the concept of smiling with the eyes and luckily I have gotten a lot of eye smiles so far.

Picture on the right from www.muslimbase.com/index.php?cPath=500 Picture on the left from www.thestar.com/News/GTA/article/581295 since obviously I could never take such pictures.

Scaffolding Kuwaiti Style

The family next door is having the finishing touches put to a brand new villa. I spotted the scaffolding from our balcony - it may not seem unsafe (or at least not unusual) to many of you but where I come from the construction site would have been shut down immediately due to safety hazards! Many of the wooden planks appear to be just loosely laid down...

Carpets and Random Pictures

I am quite fascinated by the colors and patterns of the carpets here - both the more traditional ones and the Bedouin ones with their bright colors.


(Carpets in the desert - laid out directly on the sand to form a walking path; from the camel race track site)


(Close up of details in a Bedouin woven carpet; from the camel race track site)


(Details of a carpet; from the camel race track site)


(Details of a carpet; from the camel race track site)


(Selling stuff out of the back of a car - it's seen quite often outside of Kuwait City. On this bus trip we saw people selling fruit & vegetables, kites, toys and different foods; from the camel race trip)


(Clever neighbors: making the most of a roof top - outdoor seating and a party tent; taken from the roof top of our building)


(The start and finish signs from the camel race track)


(The Kuwait Towers landmark on a clear and sunny morning; taken from the roof top of our house)


(A door leading to...? Nowhere? (The door is there in order to be able to change the light bulbs behind a lit commercial that is in front - but I thought it looked funny :-)))

One Brave Foot Soldier

I felt brave today and walked alone to the Marina Mall and the Marina Crescent (the Marina that can be seen from our balcony). It's only a 15 minute walk but it was my first time walking anywhere alone. Everyone keeps saying that Kuwait is a very safe place and I am sure that it is but the thing is that women rarely go anywhere on their own and especially not walking. There are somehow always men sitting outside their stores, (male) staff waiting to take curb-side orders or men waiting at the bus stops. I wore my sunglasses, conservative clothes and walked with a determined walk as if I was just going to the shop 20 steps away - and then just to the bakery 20 more steps away - and then just to the parking lot 20 more steps away - and then... Until I was there. Call me a chicken but it takes some time to get used to finding the balance between personal freedom to move around and drawing unwanted attention and sending the wrong signals.

Anyway, I decided to celebrate my small victory with a visit to Starbucks. Although it is largely like entering an American Starbucks, they have made subtle modifications - for example by adding dates to their muffins.


(Enjoying an orange-cranberry-date muffin in the sun at Marina Crescent. The high-rise buildings of Kuwait City can be seen in the far background)

I also finally got to take a picture of the Marina Crescent with its outdoor cafés and restaurants as I mentioned in an earlier post:


(Part of Marina Crescent with cafés and restaurants - it gets particularly busy during the evenings)

It was a beautiful sunny winter/early Spring day. It looks warm but it was actually only 12-15 degrees Celcius today in the midday sun (53-59 Fahrenheit).


(Kids flying their kites on the sandy beach along the Gulf this afternoon)

My absolute favorite picture of the day:


I managed to sneak up on this local couple engaged in a conversation while gazing out over the ocean and the Marina Waves in the background (a restaurant complex). I know it's not nice to sneak up on people but I just had to take the picture... (sorry!)

My Wish List #2

• Correction: A well-mannered and not too big camel that knows how to chew with its mouth closed (and without making crazy sounds/screams)
• Big dark sunglasses
• A faster internet connection so I won't spend the entire day uploading photos to this blog
  

Camel Race and Desert BBQ 2/2

After the race we went for the most wonderful buffet of Middle Eastern delicacies (I'm not generally a fan of buffets but this one was awesome!) including roasted lamb, mezze and an abundance of sweets.

(Pic left: buffet desert style - not bad!!)













I had expected seating on blankets or maybe benches but nothing as civilized as this:











After eating we went to a traditional Bedouin tent that the host had put up behind his house:


(The traditional Bedouin tents are woven and keep the heat out during summer and in during winter)

Inside was nice and warm - the fireplace was lit and tea was being served:


(Fireplace inside Bedouin tent)



(Coffee pots and other 'Bedouin inventory' on display)


(Inside the Bedouin tent)

Coming out from the BBQ we saw these locals fly their kites in the village:

The bus ride itself was also great for getting an idea of what the villages and small towns look like outside of Kuwait City:


(Unpaved sand roads and houses in a small village)

(Unpaved roads and a camel parking lot?)


(Mosque built in the desert)

A guard in the desert - it was not visible what exactly he was guarding but he was nicely dressed with a tie and all:

(Guarding the empty?)


(Wearing a shirt and a tie on guard duty)


(Livestock in the desert)

Camel Race and Desert BBQ 1/2

This was our first full weekend in Kuwait and on Saturday we went to see a camel race in the desert followed by a desert BBQ. A great day out - plus I got to take pictures!!

The trip was organized by the AWARE Center (www.aware.com.kw) and we drove for 45 minutes or so into the desert to where the camel racetrack is. Our bus driver actually got lost on the way but then again, with the signposts that's no wonder:

(Picture above: good luck finding your way in the desert!)

On the way we got to see how the Kuwaitis love to go camping in the desert during the cooler winter months of December, January and February - in part because it's nice to get out of the city but I suppose also in part to stay true to their roots and heritage so as not to forget where they came from.


(Desert camping with a twist - a small amusement part built for the kids)

Apparently THE thing to do in the desert is to ride quad bikes - so they come in kids' sizes as well:



The Kuwaiti desert is almost entirely flat and not - as one might expect - a landscape of terrains and sand dunes with ripples from the wind. At the moment some green is to be seen because of the winter rain. Unfortunately, it's also full of garbage - I wonder why they don't want to take better care of their desert (given that it's where their ancestors came from).


(Garbage in the desert)

A man riding his camels through the desert:


The camel race track attracts a lot of Kuwaitis (men) who come to sit in big colored leather armchairs and be served tea while they watch the camels race. I would have loved to photograph them but couldn't.


(The camel race track clubhouse where the local men (and curious foreigners) sit and watch the camels run)


(Part of the track - it's a circuit several kilometers long)

When the camels have run a lap, the first thing to be seen is a large group of 4x4s driving along the track cheering for their camels, then after a while the camels come:


(First the cars and the camera crew...)



(...then the camels)

It used to be 5-6 year old boys riding the camels but now they are using little robots (I thought it was a joke when our guide told us this in the bus) that whip the camels to make them run faster:



(Look at the little blue robot arm holding a whip)

I am not sure which camel won but I spotted a framed picture of this one inside the club house - must be an all-time champion or something:



After the race it was time for posing:


(The Camel man lights a Marlboro)


(This guy arrived way after the race was over - not sure if he was just practicing but I like the look on his face and his bare feet)

(Two local boys watching the camel man descend)


(Taking home the trophy)


(Meeting up with friends after the race)

Before the race we had time to look at some of the camels (this one apparently bites):


When he first came dragging along the camel, I thought it looked cute...

...And when it laid down and I could get some close-ups it was still cute:


...But then when it started chewing it was a whole other story:

Cute:



Less cute...:



A man and his camel - with almost the same facial expressions!?!:

Smile!!:





A local boy running around next to the tracks: