We've just arrived in Singapore, where we are staying for 2 days, seeing friends and organizing a few things before we leave for Kuwait on Tuesday afternoon.
So while I'm sitting here at 1am in Changi airport waiting for Michael and Lenny (who were put onto a different flight from me thanks to Qantas bungling), I thought I'd just list some things I have read or heard about Kuwait so far.
1. It is a tiny country in between Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
2. There are 4 (or is it 5) women in the parliament.
3. There are a lot of American soldiers there.
4. The money is called Kuwaiti dinar.
5. it gets hot in summer!!
6. it is desert mainly.
7. There are a lot of non Kuwaitis living there, doing a lot of the manual work -not unlike Singapore really.
8. It is a very wealthy country.
9. The language is Kuwaiti Arabic - a dialect of classical Arabic. If I learn classical Arabic, I should be able to communicate in most of the Middle Eastern countries that speak Arabic.
10. Women do not have to wear the veil or hijab. Women can also drive.
11. there are a lot of expats, judging by the number of international schools - British, American, French and possibly others.
12. Most expats join a club where they can hang out together.
13. There are no trains! There are buses, but public transport doesn't seem to be as accessible as Singapore.
14. There are very few birds. This is going to difficult for me. I loved the bird calls in the early morning at our house in Singapore, and the rain on the roof, and the verdant surroundings and gardens everywhere.
15. There are lots of big extravagant looking malls.
Hmmm, I really don't know much.
So while I'm sitting here at 1am in Changi airport waiting for Michael and Lenny (who were put onto a different flight from me thanks to Qantas bungling), I thought I'd just list some things I have read or heard about Kuwait so far.
1. It is a tiny country in between Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
2. There are 4 (or is it 5) women in the parliament.
3. There are a lot of American soldiers there.
4. The money is called Kuwaiti dinar.
5. it gets hot in summer!!
6. it is desert mainly.
7. There are a lot of non Kuwaitis living there, doing a lot of the manual work -not unlike Singapore really.
8. It is a very wealthy country.
9. The language is Kuwaiti Arabic - a dialect of classical Arabic. If I learn classical Arabic, I should be able to communicate in most of the Middle Eastern countries that speak Arabic.
10. Women do not have to wear the veil or hijab. Women can also drive.
11. there are a lot of expats, judging by the number of international schools - British, American, French and possibly others.
12. Most expats join a club where they can hang out together.
13. There are no trains! There are buses, but public transport doesn't seem to be as accessible as Singapore.
14. There are very few birds. This is going to difficult for me. I loved the bird calls in the early morning at our house in Singapore, and the rain on the roof, and the verdant surroundings and gardens everywhere.
15. There are lots of big extravagant looking malls.
Hmmm, I really don't know much.
Nice! Must must catch up! Boys are at tennis from 5.30 through 10 today...what time are you guys leaving tmrw?
Posted by: Sanjana | Monday, 05 September 2011 at 03:58 AM
Michael's story sounds familiar, the dental sticks are great, better than our tooth brushes, the odour during ramadan is appalling I never used to go shopping as I couldn't stand the stench!
Posted by: Monique | Monday, 05 September 2011 at 12:19 PM