Wandering around one of the streets in our 'hood. 

On the left is a typical neighbourhood grocery store, and on the right is a live chicken dealer.  

Soccer pitch where local boys play every day at 4pm in the blazing heat. Our building is the one immediately to the right of the tallest one in the photo. 

What a sky, eh? Too hot even for clouds... 

Another view of the Green Mosque (think we've figured it out). Amazing detail and architecture, although it's easy to forget about the beauty of the building if the muezzin's prayer call wakes one up at 4 am... 

Routines...

So, 44 today instead of 49 like yesterday. Wonder if we'll be able to tell the difference between hotter than Hades and just plain hot...

Today marks the beginning of the "school year" in terms of us having to be at AIS daily. The new staff (us) meets the returning staff (them) and starts to coordinate the year's curriculum and other such things.

We've also gotten keys to our classrooms: Brent in a "normal" room and Rosalee in the HS art studio. Both spaces are somewhat organizationally-challenged, Rosalee's being cluttered and scattered as only an art space can be, and Brent's having been used as temporary PE storage during construction... not that we don't enjoy barely-controlled chaos and the ever-so-sweet smell of rubber balls and sweat, of course!

Well, we're off to start our week. Due to Friday being the Muslim holy day, our Monday is actually Saturday--that'll take some getting used to, eh?

Peace,

B&R

This is our living room, just painted yesterday... we decided to warm up the room from its original institutional white. Coasters, even! 

Dining room, newly painted. 

Our bedroom... they supply a king-sized bed, we brought a queen-sized duvet. 

Our apartment building. It has central A/C, which is a wonderful blessing in 49-degree heat. Thankfully, the temperature is only supposed to hit 44 today... 

Street level view of our walk to school. Lots of cars here... at 20cents a litre, who wouldn't? 

This is the courtyard between the middle and high schools... we've been assured it will look cleaner when kids get here on Sept. 4 

AIS renovation photo 

Al-salaam alaikum!

Hello, everyone, and peace be to you (which is what "al-salaam alaikum" means)!

Well, we've arrived in Kuwait safe and sound.

Our flight was long, but comfortable. We had a total of 20hrs in transit that included a 6.5hr layover in Frankfurt... just enough time to get out of that unbelievably confusing airport and stroll around downtown. Of course, it was about 8am Sunday, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves!

We arrived in Kuwait to crowds of cellphone-toting Arabs, 42-degree temperatures (after dark, even!), and driving habits that would scare even the bravest amongst us. Shopping, unpacking, bearing more unbelieveable temperatures, and meeting our colleagues has occupied our first few days here.

More to follow, of course, when we get our high-speed internet up and running. In the meantime, we've posted a few pics--enjoy, and talk to you all soon!

B&R

What we see from our bedroom at sunset. The ornate building at centre is called "The Green Mosque" though we can't figure out why... ;-) 

View from our living room at 10am. Notice the construction--Kuwait is a country that is constantly reinventing itself. There are very few buildings older than 10 years, as the country is trying to project a progressive image and forget about its scars from '91. Incidentally, it's already 41 degrees out (about 105 degrees F). 

The American International School Kuwait. AIS is currently renovating, so the place is a pretty big mess... 

See, Dennis? They do have frankfurters in Frankfurt... 

Pearson departure--thanks, fam, for being there! 

Confirmation!!

Too cool... after some ticket snafus and confusion, both Rosalee and Brent have airline confirmation all the way through to Kuwait (previous variations on our ticket theme had one of us being held up in Frankfurt on different flights, days, etc. No fun.).

So, here's the skinny:

B&R depart on Saturday, August 20 (yes, a day later than originally slated) at 5:30pm from Terminal 1 at Toronto's Pearson Airport, Lufthansa Flight # LH 471. We'll be checking-in at 1:30 to ensure we get good seats but hopefully will have some time after check-in to hang with our fam's and say our farewells. The flight is a 19-hour monster with a 6.5hr layover in Frankfurt.

Two full days in Canada and counting!

Miss you all already,

B&R

Updated Contact Info:

We've been giving out an outdated address (apparently it isn't checked very often), so here's the most current:

Regular Airmail:

Brent & Rosalee van Staalduinen
c/o The American International School of Kuwait
PO 3267 Salmiya, Kuwait 22033

Courier:

Brent & Rosalee van Staalduinen
c/o The American International School of Kuwait
Area 11 Salmiya Homoud Al Nasser Street
Kuwait 72455

School Phone #: 965 564 5083

Our Phone #: 965 561 4143

Time set, and...

Hello, again!

We received our airline tickets in the mail yesterday... wow, talk about something becoming really real, eh?

So, it's official: we depart for Kuwait from Toronto on Friday, August 19, at 10:00pm on Lufthansa flght LH 9625. Of course, with security being what it is, that means we'll have to be there by 7:00pm...

D-Day races towards us, and we're getting really excited. If we can't see you before we depart, we appreciate all of your prayers and best wishes for our journey.

You've blessed us greatly, everyone!

IC,

B&R

P.S. You're more than welcome to come see us off, too... ;-)