January 2012 in Kuwait

When we were got the call to come Kuwait we had no details on how this would all work or even how we would live and work here but as in all things we trusted that God would be faithful to his Promises to sustain us and so we said yes to the call. We were not able to purchase our tickets to fly until 5 days before we left because our contacts over here could not give us a date we needed to arrive. So we purchased our tickets on the 1st of January and we flew out on the 4th. We were able to get almost everything back home taken care of and Craig's parents were gracious enough to get all take care of our house and dog during our absence. January 4th we arrived at DEN 2 hours before we were due to take off. Time it seems was not kind to us for it took a very long time to check in, say good bye to family that had accompanied us there, and then get through security. Security took over an hour because I had snow globe that Craig had given me as a gift stowed inside my carry on which all though is not an item listed on the TSA website as restricted in carry on luggage they would not let us get through with it. They had to go through all our bags because of it, we had to call Craig's parents to come get it, which meant we had to wait for them to return to the airport. Needless to say we had to run to get to our flight. The bad part was our gate was clear down at the end of the terminal. Craig was able to make it there but I was not because a guitar which we were transporting as a carry on flew open. I was carrying it and the baby and I had to pick it up and relock it. But by the time I made it down the Lady had closed the door and federal regulations do not allow them to open it back up. The lady had not waited because Craig had gone back to find me but could not locate me because I had dropped the guitar at the gate next to the one we were leaving from that was also boarding and no one could see me through the crowd. American Airlines then had us board a plane to Dallas with the hope we would be able to catch a flight to Chicago from there and make our connection. We did not make that connection because we had ten minutes from the moment we disembarked from our plane to get to the next one and the plane headed to chicago was in another terminal. American Airlines then put us on another flight to Chicago but Our rival there meant we missed our Royal Jordanian connection by an hour's time. Seeing as how there were no more flights head to Kuwait that night we had ended up staying in a hotel. The next morning we returned to the AA desk to see what they could do for us. They rebooked us on Kuwait Airways and rerouted our baggage. This time we checked the guitar. We flew from Chicago to Leguardia in New York. From there we were instructed to get a taxi to JFK since that is where Kuwait Airways flys out from. We arrived at Kuwait Airways only to learn we could not take our cat who had accompanied us this whole way in the cabin, under the plane because she was in a soft case and not a hard case. We frantically went all over the airport looking for one. Craig was able to locate one in the airport at a cargo shipping place. He bought it and raced back but it was too late to board our plane. We then proceeded to stay the night in New York. The next morning we decided that we did not want to deal with American Airlines any more not because they had not been good to us but because they had put us on a flight to Cairo and then Kuwait that would have taken us an extra two days to get to Kuwait. Once at the Airport we headed to the Kuwait Airways desk where they were able to help us not not only catch a direct flight to Kuwait but also cleared our cat to go. The plane ride was wonderful. We were put in a front row where they placed a bassinet on the wall for Avi to sleep in.

Let me interject to say that God has given us the best Child to travel with. She never once fussed at us. Sat quietly watching her tv shows in her carseat and playing with her toys while we worked out details and stood at airline counters for hours. She slept soundly at night in the hotels and was just a true joy to have a long. She never gave us reason to worry.

The flight was long but comfortable. Avi was able to sleep in her bassinet for six hours which was much needed for Craig and I to rest as well. She also loved her bassinet because it was located at the front of our section and she was able to see everyone sitting behind us. She would laugh and call out to people she saw and bounce up and down making everyone laugh. On January 7th at 5:40 Kuwait time we finally arrived at our destination. We were met by the mangers of the concrete polishing company Craig will be consulting with, and the took us out to dinner and found us a place to stay. Exahusted and in need of sleep we finally went down at 9. The next morning Craig and I got up to find that the place we had chosen to stay was falling apart. throughout the day we found the water leak in the bathroom, There was no way to cook or make hot water, There was no place for Avi to sleep (she refused to sleep with us) and their was no food to eat. Needless to say we tried to maintain a gracious heart and make due since we had very little money to work with since we could not get to a bank. Craig's friend that he is working for here took him out that day and got us a little food and a showed him around.

That evening we were invited over to the family's house whom is our surrogate family while we are here. Avi and I sat with the women and children for the evening and Craig was with the men. We were unable to all be together because the dywania (a Kuwaiti sitting room that allows men and women to be together) was currently under renovation. Most people speak some English here but those desiring to get better or have the best English often speak for the whole group interpreting when needed. The food here is amazing and I loved getting to eat their authentic Kuwaiti food.

Craig went to work the following day. Avi and i had no where to go because it was not desirable for us to be out and about in the hotel we were staying at. So we played inside with the few toys she had from her carry on and watched her favorite show.

Next few days were a whirlwind of airport trips, phone calls, sleep, and work for all of us. Because of all the plane mishaps none of our luggage arrived with us. My bag arrived the following day but that meant we were still missing six other bags. With Lots of prayer patience and diligence we were able to finally retrieve 5 of the bags and the other should be here any day.

By the 4th day in the place we were at we knew we needed to move. We actually took time to look at apartments in the hope we could get out of there. But it was a providence that got us moved that evening. Our kuwaiti family heard that we were having trouble at our place so they settled our bill and moved us literally around the corner to a wonderful place. We have a full suite here with one bedroom and kitchen, and free breakfast every morning. Our Kuwaiti family is graciously paying for it and we cannot tell you how generous such people are when they consider you family here.

A Little bit of culture for you. Most places here are open from 8 to 1, and 4 to 8. They have an afternoon break where they close down for several hours. Prayer is done over the Loud speaker through the city at the instructed times. It's very beautiful and intriguing. The weekend is actually Thursday and Friday with most places closing early on Thursday. Friday is their weekly holy day and they hold services this day at the mosques. Also, their food here is amazing and everything is natural and fresh. Also hardly anyone here uses a dryer so all items we wash In Our machine must be hung out to dry. The small local stores similar to our gas stations accept without the gas is called a bacalla. They are everywhere. You can drive up in front of one and honk your horn. They will come out, take your order, bring it out to your car and you will pay it and drive off.

One very special and neat thing we have gotten to do was to go a restaurant owned by a Kuwaiti man. It located out in the ocean in a place called the Marina Waves. You drive out along this board walk and park. It has a 360 degree view of the ocean and Kuwait City all lit up at night. It was incredibly beautiful! It was a place that served sushi with all local fish. All the rolls are named after prominent Kuwaiti family's. It was a fun time for all of us and gave us a chance to get out bit and experience more of the ocean side of Kuwait. We are in the heart of the city and since we have not yet picked up a car we are unable to get there very often. Picture of marina waves: copy and paste in address box to view picture of it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/-lucie-/3554284148/

We are all adjusting well. We still have to visit the embassy to get our permanent residency done, our civil id's, and our kuwaiti driver license done as well. We also are currently looking for a more permanent residence closer to the ocean. We would like to to be close to shopping, have a balcony, and have at least 2 bedrooms. We also need a car soon so we are not dependent on others to get around. Also it would be nice to get Avi around other kids and me other moms in the near future so we Can get out and about more.

Craig's job has him leading the office meetings, helping with customer relations, writing bids, estimates, and invoices, as well as helping design plans of operations and find solutions to the polishing concrete work they have going on. He also has recently developed a inventory program that the workers can use on their iPhones to keep track of all of there equipment and such. He is such an asset already that everyone keeps telling him they are so happy he is here to direct them. This is clearly where we are supposed to be.

Last but not least is our big news. We are expecting another little one this coming September! It is a huge blessing for us right now and we are super excited about it! Kuwait has fabulous health care and hospital and clincs devoted specifically to maternity. We have several names of doctors recommended to us and very soon we will hopefully be settling in with one.