And suddenly, it's November

November! Dreaded month in Canada. I remember years ago reading this little poem- revealing the dreariness of the eleventh month of the year.

Living in Kuwait, the month also marks changes,but different ones. There is still plenty of sunshine, barely any rain, many warm days (highs are now in the low 30 degrees C, or between 86-95 F), and definitely no SNOW, And yet, there is a perceptive change in the temperature, wind speed, and length of days.

My focus on the weather occurred a couple of weeks ago while I spent three days at home from work. I watched an abundance of BBC weather reports, checked the Weather Network on my phone, and looked out the window with the cat.

Cat LOVE

In fact, the temperatures have moderated to the point where the air conditioning is not required and the screenless windows can be open. This created one comic moment when an insect came into the flat, much to the delight of the cat. In the light of the television I laughed as said cat went through her hunting postures. I am thinking that the insect escaped out the window, but you never know.

A Shot of October from Canada!

A lot of other events have occurred since the last time I wrote, and I am documenting them here, in  no particular order:

• Report card writing, editing, publishing, and distribution to 22 children
• My first facial at a local spa
• Parent Teacher Conferences with 19 sets of parents- three more next week
• Tutoring, first one, then two, and now three students from grades 4 and 5 up to 6 hours per week
• My first shopping trip for groceries on the bus with  Kathy and MaryBeth, followed by dinner at McDonalds
• A trip to Avenues mall to meet Emily for breakfast at Tim Hortons, followed by some retail therapy
• A walk to the local IHOP at 5 in the morning on the day after the US election, eating a delicious omelette- only to realize that I had left me wallet in the apartment- double the distance! 
• Cutting way back on coffee consumption- headache time
• Attending the 40th birthday party of a colleague who looks 25
• The American election coverage on BBC
• The daily gab with my husband on Skype
• The anticipation of his arrival in Kuwait for the month before Christmas
• An assortment of pictures from the month that was--> 

• 

  Student of the Month- Just One of the 22 

  
  

  

  School Murals showing traditional Kuwaiti dress

  
  

  

  Just one of ten of my thegluekw originals

  
  

  

  Walking to Work

  
  

  

  Newspaper on the morning after the election

  
  

  

  Ronald and Friends

  
  
  
  An artist's impression of the addition at Avenues

Time to Catch a Breath!

True!

If only for a day, I chose to spend most of yesterday in a quiet way. It was a very busy week with teaching for 3.5 days and 1.5 days of Professional Development (PD), as well as the attempt to complete term marking and interim report cards, which go home in November.

After putting in several long days of reading and thinking, writing and editing, listening and processing, I hastened home to a quiet Thursday night. On the way, however, I tripped over an overturned man hole cover, which I notice during the day, but not so much at night. Consequently, I fell down, one foot, two hands on the sidewalk, and ended up facing the opposite direction, on my bottom.

Not a pretty sight. Usually in this situation I would bounce back up, look around to make sure no one was looking, and continue my journey. However the angle of the fall, or the sudden rising of the sidewalk, or the embarrassing final position, left me breathless and in a little pain.

As I took in several breaths to control the emotions and check the seriousness of the situation, a truck stopped and two strangers hopped out to help me up. I was grateful for this show of human kindness. Concerned, they hailed a taxi and I was driven home. In the car I texted my friend Kathy to let her know of the incident.

Thursday Night Trip- This is what caused a fall!  Gotta look down...

By the time I reached the flat, I was in a lot of pain and realized that I had hurt my chest. I did a quick lifeguard check and surmised that while no ribs were out of alignment, they were probably just bruised, I went on the Internet to see what was the best course of action.

Ice- rest- NSAIDs. Check-check-check. So yesterday was a day to "take care" and so I did.

So folks, the above was written almost a week ago and lots has transpired since. I did spend much of last weekend resting and icing and taking pain medication. On Sunday, I went back to work, exhausted, because despite resting, I did not sleep well, and it was very painful even trying to get out of bed.

So while at work, I decided that I had better take a day and get to the doctor. After school I had an x-ray and it was determined that my sixth rib on my right side was indeed fractured. Boo-hoo! Consequently, it meant that I could have taken three to five days off work, However, with pain medication the pain is like a "stitch" in my side, and rather than be in pain at home alone, I would rather be a work with the children....in pain nonetheless.

Sunday afternoon class picture selfie...

Tuesday Afternoon Staff Silly Picture

So I went back to work on Tuesday, determined to do my best, by following up on lessons, assessment, communication, and yard duty, And it wasn't too bad. On Thursday it was Mixed-up Dress Day...

Thursday Mixed up Dress Day...fun times

I can walk, but not run or skip or hop or jump or dance. I can sit but not for long. I can stand all day. Deep breathing exercises are recommended to avoid pneumonia. Shoulder blade pinches are also done to stretch out the muscles that may be damaged.

But I cannot go swimming! Egad!  All this year, until bronchitis hit, I was faithfully swimming lengths and feeling really great. Unfortunately now, I have to take a break from my favourite recreational form of exercise. Woe is me...

No to be discouraged, this weekend I am planning to walk a lot (but don't overdo it, was the advice from the doctor) without tripping or falling. Inshallah! I also have a couple of tutoring jobs lined up, need to tidy the apartment, shop for groceries, and complete a bit of school work.

Yes the weekend is looming ahead. That means, I must get off this computer and get moving. Wishing you all a happy Halloween Weekend!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

PS  October 31, 2016 is a significant day in my married life.  It was 40 years ago Halloween night that I met my future husband for the first time. And the rest is history!

Candlelight - Triumph over darkness
and a symbol of love, hope, peace, courage, 

My 365th Blog Post!

So a lot can happen in two weeks. Two weekends ago I was feeling better that I have felt in a very long time. I was swimming regularly, enjoying the occasional coffee out, and spending time with friends.

Swimming is Fun!

Drinking Lattes is Fun

And Sharpening a class set of coloured pencils is Fun...

Last weekend I spent Friday in bed with what I thought was a sinus headache. I missed a Thanksgiving dinner because I felt awful. I looked after myself and woke up Saturday feeling much better, ready to take on the day with a swim at the pool, a walk to the school, a day in the classroom, and an hour and a half of tutoring.

I thought I had fought a good fight in the battle for health. I felt sad that I had missed the Thanksgiving dinner and thought I would invite some of the neighbours in our building to my place for a potluck. An invitation was sent over WhatsApp, with favourable results, so I went ahead and planned a Monday night event.

On Sunday after school I went to the local grocery store and picked up supplies.Sunday night was spent preparing roast chicken, stuffing, and sweet potatoes.

By Monday morning, I was feeling ICK! Rather than cancel the dinner, I thought, full steam ahead and came home after school to tidy up the apartment and complete that dinner preparations.

It was a lovely time, No less than eight friends ventured in with various eats and treats and we spend a lovely evening together, simply celebrating the Canadian Thanksgiving. It was great to get together. By 8 everyone had left, and by 10 the dishes were done, food put away, and apartment tidied.

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving from Kuwait!

Somewhere around Tuesday I was beginning to feel unwell. So unwell, that I did not go swimming, barely made it to school, but carried on, because that is what teachers do.

Then on Wednesday morning, it really hit me. During the first class, I raised my voice and started a coughing spell that wouldn't stop; in fact, I couldn't get my breath (wheeze, wheeze, wheeze) and asked a student to run and get the nurse. Meanwhile I went out to the hallway, still coughing and choking, when a colleague walked by, realized the situation, and took over this children.

I ran to the nurse's office, saying "I can't breathe."  It was a scary situation. Fortunately the nurses on staff are well trained and had the equipment to deal with my crisis. Needless to say it created quite a stir among the cleaning staff (whom I had run by) and the administration (whom were alerted). I was told to go home, go the the doctor, and take Thursday off.

Well at our school, you have to have a doctor's note to take either day surrounding the weekend off. My doctor diagnosed mile bronchitis, prescribed medications, but did not offer a sick note, nor did I remember to ask for one.

I returned home, determined to settle down, take my medications, and return to work on Thursday. And yes, although it was difficult, I did manage to make it through the day, teaching the boys and girls about kindness, caring, and encouragement.

Nebulizer Parts

R and R -

However, I learned a few very important lessons. If you are going to teach, you have to remain healthy. To remain healthy, you have to have down time. Finally, no one is going to thank you if you come to work sick, and you are going to create challenges for others.

So I have spent this weekend, locked up in my apartment, taking the prescribed medication, looking after myself, and starting planning for the week. I also watched two movies, read the rest of Jane Eyre, and focused on relaxing. Thankfully, I am breathing easy now!

Until next time,

Bee Rich

Friends, Family, and Fun Times

Thumbs up for Friends and Family!

About 212 days ago I started a daily Gratitude post on Facebook. My plan is to continue to give thanks for the big and little things in life for 365 days. This habit has made a difference in my life. Not only am I feeling more thankful in my heart and head, I am feeling better about life.

I recently found this acrostic poem on line. It describes one of the most precious relationships we can have in our lives- that of a true friend. I feel very fortunate because in my life I have made personal connections with several true friends.

But what is even more exciting is that some of these true friends are also part of my family. My husband, children, grandchildren, sisters, brother, cousins, second cousins, in-laws... I count as friends and an important part of my life. For them, I am grateful for their consistent care, communication, and encouragement

What I want to share with you today is a story about some very special friends that came into my life in September 2008. They reached out to my husband and me shortly after we landed in Egypt to begin our international teaching career. I will never ever forget that first formal phone call, "Hello Ms. Barbara; you and Mr. Clarke are cordially invited to the ELK Lodge for tea." And the rest is history.

ELK Lodge was the flat of Emily, Lindsay and Kelly- who had established their home sweet Canadian home away from home in Ma'adi, Cairo, Egypt. Fortunately, we accepted that invitation and many others that year, and it was lovely being called Mama and Papa Cairo.

Unfortunately, at the end of that school year, Emily left the school and the country to go to Vietnam. Fortunately, she never lost touch. An Internet guru, she was a master at blogging, Facebook-ing and emailing. She knows how to keep in touch with her friends!

We stayed on another year in Cairo, and spent some great times with Lindsay, and later Phil, to whom she was married in June of 2010. At that point, Clarke and I headed to another school in Saint Maarten, while Lindsay and Phil took jobs in Kuwait. Like her bff, Emily, Lindsay is a blogger, Facebook friend, e-mailer, and encourager from afar. We even received Christmas cards from Kuwait from both of them that Christmas.

In the summer of 2011 we hosted a reunion for the Egypt people, mainly because we missed our Cairo family so much. And sure enough, it was like we had never been apart. Lots of laughs and plenty of reminiscing was at hand.It was there that I learned that Emily was now also heading to Kuwait. How exciting.

Lindsay and Phil

  A year later Clarke and I were  teaching in Bangalore, India, and I flew to Kuwait for a catch up visit. One look at the school had me interested but it wasn't until 2015-16 that Lindsay and Emily encouraged me to apply for a vacancy at their school. Now in my third year at the same school, they are both teaching at a different international school in Kuwait. The best part is that we are still in touch and I frequently visit their living accommodations across town.

Lindsay and Phil and Nory

 I am proud of my adopted daughters. They are both bloggers, entrepreneurs, and social facilitators, who have made a huge difference in their community. I am thankful I remain part of their large "Kuwait family," It is indeed a privilege to spend time with the them and their families.Together, they celebrate successes, bear burdens, tell stories, and live life to the fullest. It is an honour to know and love them.

Nory and Emily and Lindsay and Jet

It is the Canadian Thanksgiving weekend (already!) here in Kuwait. I was invited to their residence for a community potluck dinner to celebrate the season, and even bought some American grown spuds for the occasion. After a busy week I woke up with a headache and upset stomach, and decided to stay put, so as not to pass around any germs. However, as I write, I can well imagine a gathering of wonderful people, sharing food, fun, laughter, care and kind words.

Lindsay and Emily- I look forward to your Thanksgiving blog posts!

Until next time, 

Bee Rich

30 Days Hath September...

Check the date! The first month of school is now over. We started classes on August 29, taught for 9 days and then had a week's holiday.

And it was a grand holiday!

Post Eid was a two week full on schedule and today is the first day of a three day weekend! Happy Islamic New Year. The date is actually on Monday, but we are getting Sunday off instead. Great idea, as it creates for us a long weekend, instead of being off for a weekend, returning to school for one day, and then a three day week.

The Instagram message that told us that this Sunday is a holiday!

School is fine. There have been plenty of changes this year...classrooms, subjects taught, staff members, program...all for the betterment of the school. I am adapting to the reality that I am no longer the Grade Level Coordinator, and that I have more time to pursue other interests and to get involved in other areas of professional and personal development. I can safely say that I am no longer, living, breathing and overworking my job,, resulting in a more balanced lifestyle. 

One of my favourite things to do is swim. I find myself able to get to the club four five times during a typical week. Swimming has given me an outlet for stress management and weight control. I am also trying to walk to an from school each day, as well as get in a longer walk once or twice a week. I found a walking park not too far from the apartment. The pictures below show the greenery of this little corner in Kuwait. 

The fence is decorated with symbols of Kuwait- the sun, sand and sea.

One of the beautiful flowering bushes. 

The trees are trimmed by an small army of gardeners

This beauty is near the entry gate

Date palms with real dates falling on the ground

The park has a walking path that takes about 8 minutes to walk around, Within the park are trees and bushes, grasses and benches for sitting, a children's area for playing, and several fountain type structures that are not yet functioning. The park is surrounded by a mosque, apartment buildings and various restaurants, gyms, and "saloons" (aka ladies salons).

The view from the middle of the park

The mosque beside the park

Buffalo store!

Sample apartment complex

Men's gym

Another Men's gym

Not sure what this is- maybe a salon?

Where I swim- a ladies club

A Fuddruckers

Lucky Salooon

Children's gym

Yet another saloon

And another

Same mosque, different side

That brings me to the end of this tour. These pictures were taken two weeks ago. Last weekend I was here at the building helping a teacher who is leaving, pack up her apartment. The weekend was a busy one with a couple of swims, tutoring, preparing for classes, and of course, packing lots of stuff. I will try to get a picture of the boxes...

But this weekend is different. I stayed at work late yesterday, marked children's work, and prepared lessons for the four day week ahead, After I publish this blog, I will head out for a walk and a swim, 

After that, if I can't find a good movie on TV, I will turn to channel 10 for the latest BBC news before reading, checking emails, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, and finally sleeping (as long as the cat will allow).

"MEOW!"

Tomorrow is the middle of the weekend and I am going to shop for groceries and visit with friends on the other side of Kuwait City. It is always nice to hear someone else's perspective about living in the Middle East. 

For now I remain safe, happy, and taking one day at a time. 

Until next time, 

Bee Rich