Al Sadu House- Kuwaiti Doll Workshop

Last year I visited Sadu House in Salmiya and saw the cutest Kuwaiti dolls. I wanted a pair but was told I would have to attend the doll workshop and make my own. That post was March of last year. I did leave my name and e-mail in order to be notified of the upcoming workshop, needless to say I wasn't contacted but yesterday I saw an ad in the Arab Times listing the workshop.

I just called the mobile number given for English speaking only but as usual no answer. I called the office number and Mr. Mohammed answered and took my info. I was assured I would be able to join the class. We'll see on Saturday. I will send an email just in case.

Anyhoo if anyone's interested in this workshop it will be on Saturday, April 2 and the following Saturday, April 9. The fee is 20 KD which covers the class and supplies for making the dolls with 2 dresses of different colors. It's from 9:30 a.m-12:30 p.m.

At Sadu House, Arabian Gulf Street next to the National Museum of Kuwait (which you can visit after your done with the class, I posted about that too) You can call 99368147 for English although they didn't answer my call or 22432395. Their email is info@alsadu.org.kw. Please provide name, email and telephone number for each participant.

The little dolls they wouldn't let me buy.

This should be fun!

Suad Al-Humaidi, someone I admire and would love to Meet!

When I first moved to Kuwait I noticed a huge house along Gulf road with a car collection to die for (Mashallah). I've loved cars ever since I was small. I had my 69' Impala with glass packs when I was younger, an 82 Cadillac Coupe Deville and a 1994 Toyota Supra Twin Turbo which I sold when I came to Kuwait.

The house along Gulf road was incredible, every kind of car you can imagine but what really caught my eye was the black Phantom and of course a Murcielago two of my favorite cars in the whole world. After driving the Murcielago here in Kuwait I could never have anything else. The phantom was also cool as hell to ride in but drew too much attention from people which was rather annoying.

I found out the house and car collection belonged to Suad Al-Humaidi an influential Kuwaiti business woman. Wow! I admired her for paving the way for women of Kuwait to be their own business owners and not depend on their male counterparts to help them achieve their goals. I worked at Motorola in Kuwait cityat that time and saw her black Phantom parked, I thought I could wait around and might have a chance to meet her, then I thought maybe she would think I was a stalker or something so I took a picture of her Phantom and used that as my phone's wallpaper for years.

I always look at her house when I drive by hoping to see her. Maybe I'm a dork but I just really like her for some reason. Last night on the way home back from the doctor we stopped at the light in front of her house. Her brand new white Phantom (Mashallah) had it's lights on and was ready to go. The driver and staff was waiting and I hoped the light wouldn't turn green. Out came a houskeeper and some guy and then she came out, Suad Al-Humaidi! Everyone at the light was watching her departure. She looked like the nicest lady.

Finally after 7 years of driving past her house and admiring her car collection I got to see her. If I was alone I might have stopped to say Salam but I'm afraid her security might tackle me or something. I love seeing a strong woman who (Mashallah) has everything.

Yes, I've heard many stories of how she got her money and so on but it's not how she got it but what she did with it. She is ranked #8 on the list of the world's 100 most powerful Arab women as well as 8 other Kuwaiti women.

Here is the link to the list:

http://www.arabianbusiness.com/photos/revealed--world-s-100-most-powerful-arab-women-384012.html

The list includes:

Suad Al-Humaidi #8

Maha Al-Ghunaim #13

Sheikha Al-Bahar #15

Dr. Fawzeih Al-Dorai #17

Rola Dashti #29

HH Sheikha Hessa bint Saad Al-Sabah #44

Donna Sultan #52

Riham Fouad Al-Ghanim #53

Manar Al-Hashash #54

Mabrook to the business women of Kuwait!

So if you are ever in Abu Halaifa (yeah right) look me up Ms. Al-Humaidi and I will invite you for tea with my family!

Cast Free!!

March 10th my ankle was sprained and yesterday I finally got rid of the cast. Woohoo! Although my ankle is still a little swollen and sore I'm very happy to be able to walk normal again. I was told I might need therapy. I guess I didn't realize how bad a sprained ankle could really get.

House of Waffle & Steak- Mangaf

Before I left Kuwait I saw a new restaurant being built in Mangaf called "House of Waffle & Steak". It reminded me of Waffle House in Florida. My husband told me it was pretty good so I decided to try it for myself.

The restaurant was nicely decorated and the menu was professional. The waitresses had badges and they had computer generated checks. I had to ask if it was a franchise but I was told it's a Kuwait restaurant.

I ordered the "Good Morning America" for 2.750 which is more than I pay at Applebee's for their french toast. My husband ordered the omlette plate. I was going to order the waffles considering its the House of Waffle & Steak but it was 2.000 KD for one waffle, that's almost 7$ for one waffle. I know it's not the states but if there was 2 waffles for that much maybe. I skipped the waffle. I asked the waitress if I could have a sample one to write about but she just laughed.

Anyhoo the order was pretty big as you can see in the pictures. It was 3 eggs, hashbrowns, toast and meat. Unfortunately the hashbrowns were those frozen triangle ones that end up tasting like pure oil. The waitress told me they had ran out of the fresh hashbrowns.I ordered the biscuits but she forgot to bring them but made sure she added them to our check. I asked for the homefries instead. After 3 minutes I got a bowl of potato chunks with no seasoning and still hard. I took those to go.

The restaurant is nice inside and I liked the decorations. It was good until my husband lit up along with the other guy. That just ruined my meal. The place is so small so there's no way to avoid the smoke. I can give my husband "the look" and he will put it out but it won't work for the other guy. Overall it was an ok experience. My sister says their steak is really good and they have take out. Maybe I will try that next as for breakfast I will stick to Applebee's.

Mangaf location....

Inside.......

The "Bar"......

"Good Morning America"

"Cheese Omlette"

"Homefries"

This is just my opinion, you can visit and make your own. You can take a look at their menu via Kuwaitpaperdump. http://www.kuwaitpaperdump.com/food-restaurants/waffle-and-steak/

Covered in Dust- Kuwait Sand Storm- Where were You?

http://www.arabtimesonline.com/NewsDetails/tabid/96/smid/414/ArticleID/167172/reftab/36/t/Tsunami-of-sand-tortures-Kuwait/Default.aspx

In the 3 weeks that I've been in Kuwait I've experienced a lot of things and now the sand storms.

My family and I met up at T.G.I.F in Abu Halaifa for our weekly gathering. The weather was nice out. We got to the restaurant around 4:30 p.m. Toward the end of our meal the restaurant suddenly got dark. We thought they turned down the lights but when we looked outside we saw clouds rolling in and birds flying away. I thought it was rain but as it came closer I saw it was a dust cloud engulfing the area.

We told the manager to bring the check quick so we could get home before it got any worse. By the time we got to our car and headed out it was pitch black with garbage flying everywhere. The smell and taste of dust was really bad. We could not see the road at all only blinking lights and a few lights from the businesses.

Thank goodness our building is only 5 minutes away but with the weather it took about 20 minutes to get there. My apartment was already dusty even though the windows were closed. Too bad we forgot about the fans in the kitchen and bathrooms. When I went to the kitchen it was covered in dust. The bathrooms also had inches of dust everywhere. This is a major clean up.


The clouds rolling in.....

Pictures of the event...

The ride home.....

Inside my apartment...

The next day, as if nothing happened..........

Kuwait- You never know what to expect!

Zam Zam Water - The Best!

Last weekend my mother and her husband went for Umrah which is a Holy pilgrimage to Mecca. It's the same type of pilgrimage as Hajj but it can be performed at any time. Upon her return she brought all kinds of gifts one of which is Zam Zam water the most important gift of them all.

Zam Zam is the name of the well that provides water to billions of people who perform Hajj and Umrah. It is the purest water found on earth and contains valuable minerals such as calcium and magnesium.

You can listen to the full story of how this well came to be by watching the video.

Enjoy!

AWARE Center

One of the upcoming activities at the AWARE center.


AWARE Center:

"Etiquette when visiting Kuwaiti homes The Arabs are a proud and sensitive people whose culture is mainly derived from family, religion and language. Join us for an intrinsic look at the Kuwaiti lifestyles from within the home. It is considered a great honor to be invited into the home of a Kuwaiti. What are the customs of greeting the family members? Should a gift be presented to the host? What customs are associated with eating? Is it necessary to reciprocate the invitation? Join us for an in depth look at the Arab & Muslim lifestyle from within the home by Wad’ha Al-Shaheen on Wednesday March 30, 2011 at 7:00pm.


*Also the Arabic classes at the AWARE center start on April 24 if anyone is interested in speaking Arabic.*

I feel like a FREAK!!

I guess no one in Kuwait has seen a chick who messed up her foot. After 5 days I had to go back for a check up (I started off with a half cast but took it off because it sucked). We started off at Adhan hospital. We waved down a guy with a wheelchair(minus the tires) to roll me to the hospital. First step is trying to find where to go. We finally found the office and of course there's a line of people waiting. All they do is STARE! I guess I'm a little freakish with a sore ankle?

As more people gathered I knew it would end up in a fight to get in the door so I suggested we go to a private hospital and avoid the fighting. We went to Seef ( ? spelling) hospital in Salmiya. It's such a nice hospital. I got the news.....you have to have a full cast for 2 weeks! Nooooo........! I haven't had a cast since I was 10.

I got some fancy blue cast that looks like a scarf. Instead of wrapping it in bandages it was like a sock, they wet it and pulled over my leg and it hardened into a fiber glass cast. The only bad thing is it is really rough and kind of sharp. I've already scratched my other leg on it. What sucks the most is I received a job offer as a Supply Tech. Ahhhhhh this can't be happening.

If that isn't bad enough I have to start all over since I've been out of the country for more than 6 months. Nooooooooooo!!!!! I look like a total dork limping along beside my husband. With some wasta I was able to get it all done in one day. I started off giving blood. Everyone looked at my face and then straight to my foot. STOP STARING AT ME!!!!! The Indian nurse plunged that needle so hard into my arm I thought I was going to jump up and kick her with my cast. Next step off to the x-ray location. With the manager helping me along I completed that step. Finally finger prints. I love Wasta it makes so much easier to go directly to someone instead of going normally.

Stop STARING at ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Since I got my walking cast I got rid of my crutches. Thank God for that.

I still feel like a freakshow. My show lasts for another 13 days.

AWARE Center Program

The AWARE center has the following program scheduled for March 16.

AWARE Center:

"Knowing your Kuwaiti neighbor is a session intended for westerners, especially newcomers, who wants to understand modern-day Kuwaitis and their culture. It is essential that we look at Kuwaitis, and Arabs in general, as they are today. In this session, Dr. Ebrahim Adsani will shed lights on some important aspects of the Kuwaiti culture which may help expat to understand the culture better. Among the topics that will be addressed in this session: the basic values and religious attitude of Arabs, basic Arab self-perceptions, the concept of friends and strangers, social structure and social formalities. All are welcome on Wednesday March 16th, 2011 at 7:00 p.m.

Back to Kuwait and Drama

The task of leaving Florida was a job in itself, disconnecting utilities, last minute doctor's appointments and packing gave me a lot of headaches. March 7 was my travel date and March 8 we arrived back to Kuwait. No more slow people following the traffic rules. Hello people trying to kill each other oh how I missed it.

The trip itself wasn't too bad. The plane was 70% full of contractors traveling from Amsterdam to Kuwait. Jet lag is rough. I had one day to get back to normal before all hell broke loose. I was in my bathroom fixing my hair when I heard the fire alarm go off. I figured it was the kids playing in the elevator or some trick. My maid went outside and saw people running down the stairs. I finally realized this was a real fire. I smelled plastic burning and took off down the stairs which were pitch black.

The one day they leave the lights off there's a fire. I couldn't see anything at all. Finally I got to the last set of stairs when I missed the last step and felt pain in my ankle as I fell. I have a high tolerance for pain but this time I sat there crying like a baby until a couple Indian ladies helped me out of the building. Intense pain and swelling followed. My husband called the ambulance but finally took me to the hospital.

We arrived to Adhan hospital in the rain. I got my x-ray, no break but a sprain which hurts like hell. I got a half cast which was wrapped up. This sucks big time. As we arrived back to the building the elevators were not working which meant we had to go to the adjoining building and travel to the 13th floor followed by a trip across the roof and finally down 3 flights of stairs. I had to hop my way across the roof in the pouring rain avoiding satellites and wires everywhere. I hadn't had time to grab a jacket or shoes which left me in my house shoes and T-shirt.

No one can ever imagine how much it sucked to hop accross the roof and go down 3 flights of stairs which were wet and covered in soot. I finally made it to my apartment after what seemed like hours. My bed never looked so nice. Now I'm left to hop around with crutches. Everything has come to a halt.

I'm pretty much home bound for now until I get this cast off. As a control freak it's so hard to sit and watch and not be able to control anything. This is pure torture. I have to guide everything from my bed. I can't leave my house either. Now I now how to torture someone just make them hop on one foot. The doctor said 10-15 days in this cast. I will officially be crazy by then.

Welcome back to Kuwait!