Top ten things that trip me out in Kuwait

10.  Roasted  Camel... need I say more?

9.  Teased hair exposing extension tracks.

8.  Halloween...I mean, wedding makeup

7.  Clerks that follow you around the store to "help" but know NOTHING of the products that their selling.

6.  The special higher price for Americans at some retail locations.

5.  The blatant theft of intellectual property.  Using another company's actual logo or name. Such as: Facebook Cafe, Dior Salon, Best Buy, Batriq (using a turned to the right McDonald's M as their B)

4.  Little kids playing outside after midnight.  

3.  Five year old Bedouin boys selling nuts and candy at traffic intersections.

2. Niqab  wearing drivers that can't see peripherally and cause auto accidents.  AND it's my fault if  

    she hits my car! 

1.  Women who use 30 volume hydrogen peroxide to bleach their face and body. :-( That causes cancer! 

      Stop the madness and just continue to wear Kabuki white makeup instead.  

      

"Settling" In

I have come to discover that being settled in Kuwait really means lowering your expectations and being happy with what comes your way.  After sleeping on the couch (a big cozy couch) for two weeks, our bedroom furniture that we had made finally came... late of course.  Everything is Inshallah here.   Mind you, we moved into our new place during Ramadan.  So, I was surprised, when they rang the doorbell at one in the freaking morning!  I was like WTF?  Dang!  I've got to cover up and put on some appropriate clothes and shit?  Plus, the husband had to get up for work at 4:30 AM.  I was so pissed.  And the bed didn't even get here until the NEXT day.  So, finally when it got here the mattress smelled like formaldehyde and stale cigarettes.  Like, the workers in factory made the mattress in the warehouse stitching with cigarettes hanging out of their mouths with no ventilation.   We kept sleeping on the couch to let it air out for a few days and covered it with a flannel blanket before putting sheets on it.  I still smelled it though.  I have a nose like a dog.  Just ask the husband.  When he's at the front door.  I can tell if he ate garlic for lunch. So now I sleep on top of the duvet to not put my face near the mattress.   Oh well, that's what we get for buying a cheap ass mattress.  I just didn't want to drop a wad of cash on a mattress that we were just going to leave here.  I thought, buy a cheap mattress, and invest in an expensive matress cover that we can take back home.  So now, I'm shopping around for a  thick, mattress cover to mostly mask the factory odor that I still smell and to give it more bounce.  Although, the quality is really that not bad at all.

During Ramadan I became addicted to the X'Box game Dragon Age.  The husband thinks it's cute because he's a tekkie gamer nerd himself... My handsome tekkie nerd.  Anyway, being that mostly everything was closed in the day and the city came alive like ants to a grain of sugar at dusk; I kept my ass in the house for most of Ramadan.  And Oh!  These people cannot drive!  Also, I think the people that drive here think that a car horn is a musical instrument.  They just honk their horns randomly, for no reason at all.  On the few occasions that I did go to a mall or store, I usually left in a pissy mood because some hungry ass person was in a rush or would try to cut in line in front of me.  I don't know what it is here,  but some of the "entitled" folks think they can just march their ass in front of me.  One night, a woman in an abaya cut in front of me AND shoved me with her bags.  I was so in shock!  I had to stop myself because she was about to get a straight New Jersey cuss out.  That's where I'm originally from.   The hood.  I would like to say that all my years of schooling and hard work have diminished the hood in me, but alas, this so isn't true.  You can take the girl outta the hood, but not the hood outta the girl. I am humble and sweet, I am.  But you invade my space or take me there.  I will show you where I was born.  I turned to the husband and said through gritted teeth.  "I'm about to GO off.  I'm about to GO to jail. She just cut in front of us and pushed me!" As I was looking at him, my eyes were wide eyed and my lips were pursed.  He pleaded with me not to make a scene.  I just spoke loudly and said "How is she just going to cut in front of me like that?!  Who does she think she is!?"  A clerk quickly opened another register and waved us over to try and avoid a confrontation.  Before I walked away I bumped her ass right back.  I was SO mad.  I went home and told him not to bring me out until Ramadan was over.

Now that Ramadan is over.  My sleep is normal.  I wake up in the morning... not the afternoon and my skin is thanking me for the sunlight.  I am no longer a vampire playing video games until the wee hours.  I have everything that I need, and mostly everything that I want in my home.  I've been working as a freelance stylist for weddings, and I'm feeling like things are finally looking up in Kuwait.  I'm finally settled in.

Honey, I'm Home!

Got the key to our new flat.  Mission accomplished!   We didn't end up renting  from the first very nice owner we met last month.  Things fell through... moving on.

Got a lovely flat in a corner villa with a beautiful garden to boot.  I'm relieved to finally settle in a place that I can decorate and call my own home while here in desert ville.  Now,  let's get to the business of shopping.  I hope I survive all the Ramadan madness sales.

I've Been "Possessed"

Boo-hoo, waaaaah, bitch, bitch, moan. I've been a whiny new form of myself since I've been here in Kuwait. And not the usual craziness that's caused by my gender. I really had to catch myself the other day, because I'M sick of me right now. Realistically, I'm aware of the fact of what negative thoughts can do to you. How they start in your mind, then you start believing the thoughts and then the absurd untruths whirling and twirling around in your mind, spew out of your mouth in the form of vicious word vomit. We all do it at some point or another, and I've been guilty.

I've never experienced so many setbacks and disappointments until I got here... New country, new rules... things getting done at SNAILS pace. I've been so mad at my husband's sponsor. Holding up his passport and ruining our anniversary trip for August. We've been apart for 18 months with 4 month visits in between, so when I got to Kuwait, I thought that we'd be in the honeymoon phase and planning trips and going places RIGHT NOW. I'm a right now kind of girl. God is working on that in me. And if there was EVER a place for me to experience this thing called patience, it is right here in this country.

I've been taking a lot of deep breaths and in between a moment of peace and succumbing to Acceptance; my sweet, loving, ever-patient husband bought me this Piaget Possession ring.

I fell in love with the craftsmanship and meaning of this ring. I tried looking for this exact piece all over the internet but couldn't find a picture. Come to find out, it is a limited edition design released for the Kuwait opening of Piaget in 360 Mall this year and I got the last one. I am possessed... with the good stuff. Grace and people who love me. Most of all, I'm possessed with the love of an encouraging spouse. That's really all that matters in the end. I'm choosing not to be binded by the negative crap that periodically crosses my path. Thanks for the exquisite reminder, honey!

Weekend Warriors

I got my feet wet... I mean, dusty this weekend. Went out with some friends and let this bitch kiss my husband.

Well, she stole a kiss actually, but he couldn't resist her advances. She's just so darn cute...

Me and the husband broke bread with Desert Girl, The Aggie and a new friend I'll call Star at the Muhallab at the Palms.

I had my first serving of Arabic coffee and it was OK tasting. A bit bitter and earthy. It smelled like myrrh. Not sure what's in it, but I'd try it again. The fish and rice dishes were delish! The tea after our meal was yummy yummy and I drank too much. I was scared to pour myself more tea since I was sitting right next to the hot coals the teapot sat on. I'm still all googly-eyed about the differences in culture, but find it fascinating and interesting none-the-less. The service was 5 star although the setting is comfy and cozy and very family friendly. I'm looking forward to going again.

The next day me and the husband went to The Avenues. I love, love, love P.F. Changs! We had a nice time shopping and browsing. Until... I had to go to the bathroom. I've already been to the restrooms in The Avenues and find the facilities very nice looking and well attended to. I like how there are plenty of stalls. There was another lady right behind me when I entered. I didn't turn to look at her at the time. All of the restrooms were occupied when I first came in, but after a few seconds, since I was first in line, I took the next available stall.

Without all the details of my business in the toliet... I was quick. I just thought I'd share this for details sake. As I was washing my hands and looking in the huge mirror that all the stalls have, I noticed that the desert air had gotten to my hair. OMG! I was looking like a mixture of Diana Ross and Chaka Khan in the 80's. My hair was twice as big as earlier because I had come outside with damp hair. No air drying here ladies. You need product and a blow dryer here! So anyway, I took a few moments to brush my mane. Then I felt the need to blot my makeup. I was humming along as I primped. Then some lady knocked on my door. I said, "Yes?" She replied rather rudely, "Are you finished?" My reply was, "What!? No!" Then I proceeded to take my merry-ass time... Re-brushing and re-touching my makeup. Who did she think she was rushing me? I don't think so. Afterwards, I opened the door and a woman wearing an abaya was standing right in the doorway. I stood standing there for a second and looked left, then right. And said, "It SURE looks like there's a lot of doors in here for you to be knocking on!" And went on my way... continuing to hum. I heard her suck her teeth and give a "Hmmn!" with righteous indignation. I was so annoyed.

I'm not sure if she was the one behind me when I came in. But if she was, why the hell did she try to rush me when all the other doors were occupied as well? Did she make assumptions about me? Do I look like someone who can be pushed around? Not this sistah. I do tend to change my looks often and can sometimes look exotic in the face. My style of dress is trendy/classy. Some people here have even approached me speaking Arabic when they speak English as well. I've been told that I look Native American, Egyptian, Indian. I descend from African and Native American... But who cares? I don't play that caste system shit here. I really didn't take that long in the bathroom. And even if I did, that would be my business. Shoot, I could have been doing a courtesy flush in there and needed more time, even though I didn't. The bottom line is that rude is as rude does. Be rude to me and I'll be just as snotty and self-righteous to you.

The MASK Store... I mean MAC Store

I worked for MAC Cosmetics in my early days as a professional makeup artist in the states, so I was excited about visiting the MAC store in Kuwait. I promise you, I'm no hater when it comes to another artists techniques, but jeez! I was in a state of shock upon entering the store at the Avenues. I can understand wearing a little more coverage if your feeling a little insecure or perhaps a bit more pimply. But DANG! Some of those girls working there looked like they were wearing skin-toned kabuki masks! And not in a pretty way. Punched up blush? Sure, I'm for a little more sometimes, but PUNCHED-ON, unblended blush that goes way down to your jaw line doesn't look good on anyone. I was really expecting to see more polished looking staff working there since MAC is a cool and trendy cosmetic line.

I was very disappointed to see the poor counter practices, which means in the states, poor sanitary habits. Typically, when eye shadows are displayed for public sample, the potential customers should be encouraged to use disposable cotton swabs when trying on eye colors. There were none present. When hundreds of women circle their dirty fingers on all those pretty eye shadows... hello? Germs form. Oil from skin contaminates eyeshadow and you can usually recognize when bacteria is present by looking at the condition of the makeup. The surface looks spotted and or bumpy and it will have a ring of discoloration. It is time to trash the makeup when it looks like that! Styes and pink eye are highly contagious. If you're going to get your makeup done at ANY cosmetic counter, pay attention to the state of the cosmetics you're sampling, if the the artist uses spatulas, hand sanitizer and clean makeup brushes. INSIST on cleanliness and demand they open new samples if necessary.

Pity Pots Cost A Lot

I've decided to get off my pity pot. Feeling sorry for myself wastes too much time. Nothing has been going my way and I'm used to controlling everything. Being in Kuwait has forced me to be patient. I've fallen in the shower (I got so mad that I just showered with the curtain and rod on the floor) Burned my head with a curling iron (Nothing a little makeup can't fix) and we lost the apartment that we wanted. The guy gave it to someone else because we didn't put any cash down. Lesson 1 learned: See a flat you want, put money down. In Kuwait, it's all about the cash. After boo-hooing, snapping at the husband and having a couple of "pajama" days, my ass( or is it my ego?) is hurting from this damn pity pot... either way, I've been acting like an ass and I'm tired of being pathetic. I'm in a brand new country, yes. It's a little scary, yes. But I am with my husband and that's the most important thing. We had a little pow wow session this weekend and we are focused on team "US"... back in the game... Back to square one with finding another apartment. But that's okay, it's not like we don't have a roof over our heads right now.