It's been a busy third quarter and a quiet period of blogging as the school year speeds ahead. Over the past few weeks we've traveled to Sri Lanka with new friends who just happen to be from Fort Collins. In fact, these new friends were living on the same street as us last year (in Jeremy Grossman and Jamie's old apartment!) about a half block away. Where did we meet them for the first time? The airport in Frankfurt, Germany. The world is indeed small!
Sri Lanka was a much needed break from the dust. Nothing but pristine beaches, lush jungles, and fancy cocktails as far as the eye can see. It was essentially the anti-Kuwait and we loved every minute of it! ;)
Here are a few highlights (for those who didn't catch the pictures on Facebook):
School is flying by (please excuse the cliche!). Before we left for Sri Lanka, the kids celebrated National Day which coincides with the anniversary of Kuwait's liberation from the Iraqi occupation of the early 1990s. The staff, parents, and student body were treated to an afternoon of traditional pageantry and garb as well as a huge feast in the courtyard of the high school. It was a real treat to experience the culture of Kuwait which, as foreigners, we are so often apart from. A few pics from the celebration:
As a US citizen and a child of the 1980s, I only vaguely remember the first Gulf War beyond the few snippets of tv newsreel rattling around in my head. For adults here, the invasion of Saddam's forces is a fresh wound and the generation of children we teach have understandably negative opinions of their northern neighbors. While the bullet holes have been patched and the country renewed, the environmental impacts of this conflict will continue to fester for decades if not centuries. This past weekend, we spent an afternoon at the Scientific Center where we took in a movie at the IMAX theater there. One film that has a daily showing is a short documentary called "Fires of Kuwait." After the coalition forces arrived in Kuwait to help oust Saddam's forces, the retreating Iraqi armies lit hundreds of the Kuwaiti oil wells ablaze. The fires and gushing oil wells leaked nearly 1.5 billion barrels of oil into the desert landscape. In comparison, the BP oil spill in the gulf a few years back spilled around 5 million barrels (1). Fortunately for Kuwait, specialist fire-fighting crews from all over the world traveled to the gulf to assist in the effort to extinguish the fires and cap the wells. What some had predicted would take 10 years was accomplished in around 9 months. It's incomprehensible to think what the damage would have been had the oil continued to leak for that long. The damage from 9 months was bad enough.
The documentary was absolutely astounding. Seeing it on IMAX literally left me breathless at moments. I was truly affected by the bravery of men and women who battled the infernos. If you're interested in watching the film, you can view it on YouTube for free here:
After the film, we visited the aquarium which was surprisingly informative and well done. You might recall that the curriculum at our school is censored by the Ministry of Education. We aren't allowed to teach certain topics--for example, evolution is off the table. So I was surprised that the aquarium was so complete. I don't really know why this is, but either way, we enjoyed our time! Afterwards, we strolled down the promenade and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The past few weeks have been amazing, weather-wise. Low-to-mid seventies during the day and 50s at night. I know the heat is on the way, but for now, bring on the sunshine!
Hope everyone is well, wherever you may be. Hugs from Kuwait!
Sri Lanka was a much needed break from the dust. Nothing but pristine beaches, lush jungles, and fancy cocktails as far as the eye can see. It was essentially the anti-Kuwait and we loved every minute of it! ;)
Here are a few highlights (for those who didn't catch the pictures on Facebook):
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| Fruit Bat City |
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| Holly and Blair |
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| Unbelievable Unawatuna |
School is flying by (please excuse the cliche!). Before we left for Sri Lanka, the kids celebrated National Day which coincides with the anniversary of Kuwait's liberation from the Iraqi occupation of the early 1990s. The staff, parents, and student body were treated to an afternoon of traditional pageantry and garb as well as a huge feast in the courtyard of the high school. It was a real treat to experience the culture of Kuwait which, as foreigners, we are so often apart from. A few pics from the celebration:
As a US citizen and a child of the 1980s, I only vaguely remember the first Gulf War beyond the few snippets of tv newsreel rattling around in my head. For adults here, the invasion of Saddam's forces is a fresh wound and the generation of children we teach have understandably negative opinions of their northern neighbors. While the bullet holes have been patched and the country renewed, the environmental impacts of this conflict will continue to fester for decades if not centuries. This past weekend, we spent an afternoon at the Scientific Center where we took in a movie at the IMAX theater there. One film that has a daily showing is a short documentary called "Fires of Kuwait." After the coalition forces arrived in Kuwait to help oust Saddam's forces, the retreating Iraqi armies lit hundreds of the Kuwaiti oil wells ablaze. The fires and gushing oil wells leaked nearly 1.5 billion barrels of oil into the desert landscape. In comparison, the BP oil spill in the gulf a few years back spilled around 5 million barrels (1). Fortunately for Kuwait, specialist fire-fighting crews from all over the world traveled to the gulf to assist in the effort to extinguish the fires and cap the wells. What some had predicted would take 10 years was accomplished in around 9 months. It's incomprehensible to think what the damage would have been had the oil continued to leak for that long. The damage from 9 months was bad enough.
The documentary was absolutely astounding. Seeing it on IMAX literally left me breathless at moments. I was truly affected by the bravery of men and women who battled the infernos. If you're interested in watching the film, you can view it on YouTube for free here:
After the film, we visited the aquarium which was surprisingly informative and well done. You might recall that the curriculum at our school is censored by the Ministry of Education. We aren't allowed to teach certain topics--for example, evolution is off the table. So I was surprised that the aquarium was so complete. I don't really know why this is, but either way, we enjoyed our time! Afterwards, we strolled down the promenade and enjoyed the beautiful weather. The past few weeks have been amazing, weather-wise. Low-to-mid seventies during the day and 50s at night. I know the heat is on the way, but for now, bring on the sunshine!
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| The Scientific Center |
Hope everyone is well, wherever you may be. Hugs from Kuwait!
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