Dear Family-
Well, I thought I was done having to spend money then a couple of items came up that required the expenditure of another $38. This expenditure was required do to the fact that I had to replace the trimmer I brought with me. The one I brought in incompatible with the power over here. I never gave the power thing much thought before I came over here because all of the documentation said that all I would need is to pick up a couple of power adapters in the PX to run my stuff. Well, that is not entirely correct. Yes, the plugs are different, but so is what is running through the wires. In the USA we live in 120 Volt world and all over our appliances and stuff are designed to run at this voltage. Here in wonderland, not only are the plugs different, they deliver 240 Volts to your appliances, etc. Unless the power supply or electrical information on the unit says 120V-240V, you can not use it without buying a step down unit. I was going to buy a step down unit until I found out that the cheapest one I could get is $135. Hmmmmm.....let me see....$135 or $35? Tough call. Luckily, my laptop is 120-240 compatible and my Ipod can charge through my laptop.
P.S. Having not trimmed my beard for over a month, it felt really good to get it trimmed short again.
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Day 23: Technical issues.....and other thoughts
Dear Family-
I am going to have to master the art of using Office to create my blogs! With all of the continued internet problems we seem to be having, I will need to start doing this offline and then send it up to the web. We were down for almost two days before we had someone come out and find the problem. I am not sure of what the issue was, but I would bet it was the result of someone plugging something in to the network. I can not justify the 30KD a month for internet, so I am sticking with what the company provides.
I have been in country now for almost two full weeks and I am finally starting to get my bearings. No matter how much you try to prepare yourself, things are flying at you too fast to try and keep up. I haven't been here long enough or seen enough to give my two cents as to what I think of things. I will, however, give you some insight to some of the things I have encountered on base and off base.
1. The native population is really a mixed bunch. I have not been introduced to any Kuwaiti people, but the ones walking around town are not the most friendly group of people. I think that it is safe to say that if you are not one of them, you probably don't exist in their world. No one has really been rude or anything it is just the way they do not notice you or acknowledge you. I am 6'-4", do not tell me you do not see me.
2. All work is done by third country nationals. (tcn's as they are called) They are definitely treated as a subclass of people in this country. Some would go as far to say they are treated as slaves, but I do not have enough experience to make that call. One thing is for certain, they do every filthy, degrading, and nasty job you can imagine. They deliver your Burger King to your house, pick up your laundry, clean, and do anything else you need done. You can't enjoy a meal brought to you under these circumstances. Tipping them well doesn't seem to help with this either.
3. Driving in Kuwait is a free for all. There are no rules other than Kuwaiti's own the road. They will not look at you driving and will literally pull out in front of you expecting you to avoid them. (reference #1) You have to be super alert and drive aggressively. Being courteous is like blood in the water for sharks. The speed limit on the expressway is 120 KPH. It is not unusual for people to pass you at 180 KPH or more. The draft caused by that is incredible. I definitely want a bigger car. A Camry doesn't cut it.
4. I lose a lot of my day getting to a from work. Getting to the base, getting through security and getting back again at the end of the day chews up about 1 1/2 hours a day. Considering a get up at 3 AM each morning to get ready and then don't walk back in the door until 6 PM. That is 15 hours. I get 30 minutes of exercise in before I leave each day and I am trying to figure out how to effectively get in another hour.
5. Eating in the mess hall is not bad. No, it is not home cooking or is it high dining, but it does offer you everything you can really want. The only thing (I can not believe that I am saying this) I have to complain about is that lack of vegetables. The only vegetables you have are canned vegetabless and they suffer from the affects of being canned. I am going to check at the Sultan Center on my days off to see if I can at least get frozen vegetables.
6. Contractors are a different bunch. There are a lot of good people here who would probably never be given a shot in the "real world". The professionalism and maturity required by corporations is not always seen here. Part of what I am seeing right now is the result of new leadership and a lack of willingness to engage in confrontation. I must of brought "scary me" with me because people are not willing to challenge me and generally treat me with a great deal of respect.
7. Most importantly, I really miss my family. This is hard to deal with and I try not to dwell on it. What I am doing is important to me and my family and it will be worth it in the end. It just sucks sometimes. I think that it is mostly when I feel cut off by the internet.
Well, enough for today, talk to you tomorrow.
I am going to have to master the art of using Office to create my blogs! With all of the continued internet problems we seem to be having, I will need to start doing this offline and then send it up to the web. We were down for almost two days before we had someone come out and find the problem. I am not sure of what the issue was, but I would bet it was the result of someone plugging something in to the network. I can not justify the 30KD a month for internet, so I am sticking with what the company provides.
I have been in country now for almost two full weeks and I am finally starting to get my bearings. No matter how much you try to prepare yourself, things are flying at you too fast to try and keep up. I haven't been here long enough or seen enough to give my two cents as to what I think of things. I will, however, give you some insight to some of the things I have encountered on base and off base.
1. The native population is really a mixed bunch. I have not been introduced to any Kuwaiti people, but the ones walking around town are not the most friendly group of people. I think that it is safe to say that if you are not one of them, you probably don't exist in their world. No one has really been rude or anything it is just the way they do not notice you or acknowledge you. I am 6'-4", do not tell me you do not see me.
2. All work is done by third country nationals. (tcn's as they are called) They are definitely treated as a subclass of people in this country. Some would go as far to say they are treated as slaves, but I do not have enough experience to make that call. One thing is for certain, they do every filthy, degrading, and nasty job you can imagine. They deliver your Burger King to your house, pick up your laundry, clean, and do anything else you need done. You can't enjoy a meal brought to you under these circumstances. Tipping them well doesn't seem to help with this either.
3. Driving in Kuwait is a free for all. There are no rules other than Kuwaiti's own the road. They will not look at you driving and will literally pull out in front of you expecting you to avoid them. (reference #1) You have to be super alert and drive aggressively. Being courteous is like blood in the water for sharks. The speed limit on the expressway is 120 KPH. It is not unusual for people to pass you at 180 KPH or more. The draft caused by that is incredible. I definitely want a bigger car. A Camry doesn't cut it.
4. I lose a lot of my day getting to a from work. Getting to the base, getting through security and getting back again at the end of the day chews up about 1 1/2 hours a day. Considering a get up at 3 AM each morning to get ready and then don't walk back in the door until 6 PM. That is 15 hours. I get 30 minutes of exercise in before I leave each day and I am trying to figure out how to effectively get in another hour.
5. Eating in the mess hall is not bad. No, it is not home cooking or is it high dining, but it does offer you everything you can really want. The only thing (I can not believe that I am saying this) I have to complain about is that lack of vegetables. The only vegetables you have are canned vegetabless and they suffer from the affects of being canned. I am going to check at the Sultan Center on my days off to see if I can at least get frozen vegetables.
6. Contractors are a different bunch. There are a lot of good people here who would probably never be given a shot in the "real world". The professionalism and maturity required by corporations is not always seen here. Part of what I am seeing right now is the result of new leadership and a lack of willingness to engage in confrontation. I must of brought "scary me" with me because people are not willing to challenge me and generally treat me with a great deal of respect.
7. Most importantly, I really miss my family. This is hard to deal with and I try not to dwell on it. What I am doing is important to me and my family and it will be worth it in the end. It just sucks sometimes. I think that it is mostly when I feel cut off by the internet.
Well, enough for today, talk to you tomorrow.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Foiled by Technology?
I figured out that the internet at your building went out when we got cut off this morning. I wonder when it will be up.
I was so excited to tell you that your paycheck actually arrived! Woo Hooo! Your first paycheck for this job did what it was supposed to and hit our US account on the day it was supposed to. Phew...too bad I couldn't tell you so you could stop worrying about it. You know, you have a building full of computer geeks and you can't keep your internet up and running? What does that say about your collective talents? Hmmmm. Hey, I'm just saying...
In other exciting news, the fact that you've started doing the 30 Day Shred has kept us motivated to keep going ourselves. As long as we don't skip one day, we'll remain ONE DAY AHEAD OF YOU. Oh, yeah! Oops. Was that gloating? Valiant made me do it. I would never ever crow about being ONE DAY AHEAD OF YOU! Darn, there is is again. I can't seem to help myself.
The lady at the Post Office is starting to remember me. I've sent a ton of packages your way this past week (okay, five, but still) and I have at least one more to go. Did you know that you can send Flat Rate Priority Mail Large Boxes to an APO address for only $12.50 no matter how much it weighs? Well, now you know. One of my boxes actually weighed more than 17 lbs - the post lady was impressed!
In homeschooling news, Teaching Textbooks - Math 5 and Algebra are on their way for the kids next math levels. I love, love, love this program and am so glad I found it. I also ordered at writing program : Institute for Excellence in Writing's Student Intensive Writing program and am hoping for the same level of success we had with Teaching Textbooks. Fingers crossed. We stopped at the library and picked up two copies of To Kill a Mockingbird for the next Adolescent Literature seminar meeting in two weeks.
I was so excited to tell you that your paycheck actually arrived! Woo Hooo! Your first paycheck for this job did what it was supposed to and hit our US account on the day it was supposed to. Phew...too bad I couldn't tell you so you could stop worrying about it. You know, you have a building full of computer geeks and you can't keep your internet up and running? What does that say about your collective talents? Hmmmm. Hey, I'm just saying...
In other exciting news, the fact that you've started doing the 30 Day Shred has kept us motivated to keep going ourselves. As long as we don't skip one day, we'll remain ONE DAY AHEAD OF YOU. Oh, yeah! Oops. Was that gloating? Valiant made me do it. I would never ever crow about being ONE DAY AHEAD OF YOU! Darn, there is is again. I can't seem to help myself.
The lady at the Post Office is starting to remember me. I've sent a ton of packages your way this past week (okay, five, but still) and I have at least one more to go. Did you know that you can send Flat Rate Priority Mail Large Boxes to an APO address for only $12.50 no matter how much it weighs? Well, now you know. One of my boxes actually weighed more than 17 lbs - the post lady was impressed!
In homeschooling news, Teaching Textbooks - Math 5 and Algebra are on their way for the kids next math levels. I love, love, love this program and am so glad I found it. I also ordered at writing program : Institute for Excellence in Writing's Student Intensive Writing program and am hoping for the same level of success we had with Teaching Textbooks. Fingers crossed. We stopped at the library and picked up two copies of To Kill a Mockingbird for the next Adolescent Literature seminar meeting in two weeks.
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Not getting anything done...
So, here's the thing. We have a schedule and its working. Somehow, however, the day runs long and I'm not getting anything but the basics done each day. We wake up, we watch J until 9, we have breakfast, we do our chores, we exercise, we have lunch, we do school work and by the time we're done it is 7 p.m. at the earliest. I've lost my days and I can't find them! It is 8:50 p.m. as I type this and the Girl and I just got back from WalMart while the Boy was at Scouts. This is pretty typical. By 9:30, I have to be ready to read aloud for half an hour! I'm late!
Where, oh, where have my da--ays gone,
Oh, where, oh, where can they be?
I'm not stressed, but I feel like I want to get more stuff done - more fun stuff. Ah, well, must sign off and go pack the bag of clothes for the charity truck arriving tomorrow morning.
Where, oh, where have my da--ays gone,
Oh, where, oh, where can they be?
I'm not stressed, but I feel like I want to get more stuff done - more fun stuff. Ah, well, must sign off and go pack the bag of clothes for the charity truck arriving tomorrow morning.
Favorite Animals
My favorite animals are frogs and monkeys. I have always loved monkeys. When I was a baby, I got a stuffed monkey who I named Ebeneezer. He is my little man. Now he's living the drawer hotel along with Hippo who, you may have 
guessed , is a hippo. I think Hippo was supposed to be my sisters present from me, but I was 3 so I kept it for myself. In reality, how can you not love frogs? They are so cool and cute. They have eyes as big as their head. Here are my top 10 favorite animals:- Monkey
- Frog
- Hippopotamus
- Cat
- Fox
- Hamster
- Dog
- Parakeet
- Tiger
- Buttercup
Day 19: Traveling with the gang is never easy....
Dear Family-
Today when I got home I was in for a big surprise. While at work the gang decided that they needed to take their living arrangements in to their own hands. They had been watching the military channel and came to the conclusion that I had not done a good enough job in providing them with adequate security and defensible positions in this "hostile" territory. For the next twenty or so minutes, I was lectured on overlapping fields of fire and terms such as protecting your fire base. (my objection as to the lack of anything to shoot or otherwise defend one self was duly noted.) (_8(|) Doh!
Anyhow, as you can see they have taken up a defensible position on top of my wardrobe closet. They have commandeered several bottles of water as well as several of the before mentioned cereal cups to sustain them in case we are overrun. Seems to me the that smart choice was to hop in the box and go home.....Love you!
Day 20: My first day off...
Dear Family-
Today was my first day off after starting work. I did not have a lot planned other than trying to get organized, cleaned up, and caught up on some posting. In addition, I gave myself permission to download four episodes of The Big Bang Theory. I was able to get Season 3 episodes 5-8. I watched them after I started laundry and finished cleaning my room and bathroom. I am sure that people could hear me laughing in the next building! I am not sure where to start listing my favorites parts, but the Wil Wheaton episode had me in stitches. My favorite line came from the one where Penny falls in the shower. Later in the episode Sheldon states that, "Heroes always peek!" A great line and proof that I am not a pervert, I am your mom's hero. As I sat there watching the episodes, I want you to know how much like Penny your mom was when I first knew her. For that matter, I was pretty much like Leonerd. As you sit there and watch them interact you have to be amazed that your mom and I ever got together.
Love you!
Today was my first day off after starting work. I did not have a lot planned other than trying to get organized, cleaned up, and caught up on some posting. In addition, I gave myself permission to download four episodes of The Big Bang Theory. I was able to get Season 3 episodes 5-8. I watched them after I started laundry and finished cleaning my room and bathroom. I am sure that people could hear me laughing in the next building! I am not sure where to start listing my favorites parts, but the Wil Wheaton episode had me in stitches. My favorite line came from the one where Penny falls in the shower. Later in the episode Sheldon states that, "Heroes always peek!" A great line and proof that I am not a pervert, I am your mom's hero. As I sat there watching the episodes, I want you to know how much like Penny your mom was when I first knew her. For that matter, I was pretty much like Leonerd. As you sit there and watch them interact you have to be amazed that your mom and I ever got together.
Love you!
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