That's right, my friends! I've returned. Before I moved to Kuwait, I was a naive American with close to zero travel experience. I totally thought I would get here and have no social life and be forced to really find myself. I've always been caught up in the fast-paced life that I tend to lead and never really stop to make time for myself. I knew this was going to be a huge lifestyle change for me. But, just as life always turns out, my expectations for this year have been exceeded beyond belief. I've had indescribable life experiences and have met some incredible people whom I hope end up being life-long friends.
And to let you know, I genuinely tried to add pictures right here, but yet again the internet sucks. I'll try again at home!
So what have I been doing since November? I've added a few countries to my list of travels. After Sri Lanka, I absolutely fell in love with traveling. It's an expensive hobby, but Kuwait's location makes it extremely convenient. I went to Jordan (Petra, Aqaba and Wadi Rum), Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket, Phi Phi, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan), Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul. Everyone asks me which place was my favorite, and that's an impossible question to answer. They're all so unique and intriguing in their own way. It's so amazing how much history, art and picture-perfect landscapes this world has to offer. God knew exactly what he was doing when he built this place! Traveling from far east asia to India to the middle east to the European side of Turkey has been interesting. You can really see the similarities and the things that fade as you go more west. I'm going to focus more on Europe with my travels next year. I also want to backpack Nepal and go to the Maldives before it becomes a lost island! My goal next summer is to backpack Europe for 4 to 6 weeks. Anyone want to join me?
When I got here, I immediately decided that this would be a one-year experience and I would move back to the states after I'm done. The longer I stayed here and sadly the less I kept in touch with people back home, it got harder and harder to say I wouldn't be back. I decided in January that I wasn't ready to return to the western world quite yet...or ever, but I didn't know if I really wanted to stay in Kuwait. I started searching and had a ton of offers in far east Asia and South America. Some were great, but I couldn't say yes. My friends here convinced me to apply to a school here in Kuwait. I did and a week later I had a job offer. The superintendent called me around 6:30am after I had just landed from traveling in Dubai. He had been trying to get ahold of me about the position all weekend. Without even thinking, I told him on the phone that I accept the job. After the spontaneous decision, I didn't look back. I started planning for life in Kuwait for two more years! When I moved here, I was told that Kuwait sucks people in and they stay for years. I never thought I'd be one of them, but I believe I have. I absolutely love this place. It doesn't have the prettiest scenery and there are a few laws that are a bit inconvenient, but that's what makes Kuwait what it is. It's such a small country with a huge expatriot community. Everyone knows each other and they're all so welcoming! I love going to dinner with a group of people and having about 10 countries represented. It's a rare occasion when I'm not the only American at the table. There's never a lack of stories to be told. It's refreshing, and it's not a bad lifestyle at all!
One group of people who have really brought this experience full-circle is my students. After the first semester, I went from teaching 4 sections of physical science and one section of physics to teaching 1 section of physical science, one section of physics, 2 sections of chemistry and one section of fitness, not to mention coaching track and basketball. My workload was so overwhelming and I started getting really frustrated with how much work I had compared to other colleagues with not much help. I'm not a stressor, so I never broke down or felt like I couldn't handle it, but I definitely couldn't teach at the level I was teaching the first semester. The two classes I had all year really struggled with this. I didn't have time to give them pretty outlined notes and be available 100%. I felt insufficient. My friends were put on the backburner during the week and all I wanted to do on the weekend was sleep. My personality didn't agree and I was really stretching myself thin and hardly keeping my head above the surface. I stopped trying to plan perfect lessons and just went straight through the curriculum and improvising lessons - something that is quite frowned upon. Surprisingly, my kids loved it! I always have been kind of theatrical and I was really able to do that with no script to follow. When we reached the end of a section, I asked them to figure out which day they want to test. They really proved to me how mature, strong and motivated they are. They learned, I kept up and we bonded...massively. I couldn't have asked for a better group of young ladies. I'm going to miss the heck out of them. One thing I've done is had "story time" with them. They LOVE hearing trivial little stories I have - cab rides, walking home from school, meeting interesting people. They've asked me to send them a bedtime story every day when I'm in the states. I have to try my hardest to stick to this. It'll be fun!
There's one girl in particular that has really taken a pretty large chunk of my heart. She showed up the first day of basketball tryouts and we immediately connected. She started coming to my classroom after school every day just to hang out. She's one of the most amazing teenagers I've ever met. I have been going to the reception every day after finals to say bye to her. Finals are strict here and they aren't allowed in the hallways at all. They take exams in the auditorium, cafe and gym and never come upstairs...so I go to them! I asked how her English exam was today and she told me she wrote about something I told her. I had no idea what it could be. I tell her so many random things that it could really be anything. The topic was to write about a recent life lesson you learned. About a week ago, she came to me a little upset because I'm not coming back to ACA. She said it was ok because teachers come and go here all the time and she'll find another teacher to love. She's been saying this to me for a few months now...as a joke. This time she was really upset and she isn't really sure how to handle the situation. I could tell it was really bothering her. I'm not one to comfort people when they're upset, but she's special, so I made the attempt. :) Here's what was said:
Me: "Do you want to know a secret of mine?"
Ahad: "What is it?"
Me: "Never make goodbyes a big deal. I move around a lot and I meet so many awesome people. If I stressed every time I had to say goodbye, I'd be a mess! The people who are genuinely important to you and you to them, you'll keep in touch with. I don't stay in touch with every awesome person I meet, but I naturally connect often with those who I'm close to. You're one of them, and I'm not leaving forever. I'm here for two more years. We'll keep in touch. No doubt. Don't be upset!"
Ahad: "Ah. ok! Promise?"
Me: "Wallah!"
...and we hug fighting the tears. :)
I'm going to miss the heck out of seeing this girl every day! I told her about one teacher I had in middle school. I was good friends with his son and he was a part-time pastor so he was more of a mentor than a teacher to me. We're still in touch and I still totally look up to him. He has one more year until retirement and to this day tells me there hasn't been another Lauren who's come through the classrooms. I can totally see it from his perspective now. I honestly never think there will be another Ahad. She grabbed my heart on day one!
And this, my friends is why my career is cooler than yours. Yes, we get an enormous amount of vacation, but the best memories happen to be in the classroom. The pay may not be as great as the corporate world, but the rewards are priceless. I wouldn't change these experiences for anything and I'm thankful for this life I've so undeservingly been given.
Western fellows, I'll see you in 23 days!
And to let you know, I genuinely tried to add pictures right here, but yet again the internet sucks. I'll try again at home!
So what have I been doing since November? I've added a few countries to my list of travels. After Sri Lanka, I absolutely fell in love with traveling. It's an expensive hobby, but Kuwait's location makes it extremely convenient. I went to Jordan (Petra, Aqaba and Wadi Rum), Thailand (Bangkok, Phuket, Phi Phi, Koh Tao and Koh Phangan), Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul. Everyone asks me which place was my favorite, and that's an impossible question to answer. They're all so unique and intriguing in their own way. It's so amazing how much history, art and picture-perfect landscapes this world has to offer. God knew exactly what he was doing when he built this place! Traveling from far east asia to India to the middle east to the European side of Turkey has been interesting. You can really see the similarities and the things that fade as you go more west. I'm going to focus more on Europe with my travels next year. I also want to backpack Nepal and go to the Maldives before it becomes a lost island! My goal next summer is to backpack Europe for 4 to 6 weeks. Anyone want to join me?
When I got here, I immediately decided that this would be a one-year experience and I would move back to the states after I'm done. The longer I stayed here and sadly the less I kept in touch with people back home, it got harder and harder to say I wouldn't be back. I decided in January that I wasn't ready to return to the western world quite yet...or ever, but I didn't know if I really wanted to stay in Kuwait. I started searching and had a ton of offers in far east Asia and South America. Some were great, but I couldn't say yes. My friends here convinced me to apply to a school here in Kuwait. I did and a week later I had a job offer. The superintendent called me around 6:30am after I had just landed from traveling in Dubai. He had been trying to get ahold of me about the position all weekend. Without even thinking, I told him on the phone that I accept the job. After the spontaneous decision, I didn't look back. I started planning for life in Kuwait for two more years! When I moved here, I was told that Kuwait sucks people in and they stay for years. I never thought I'd be one of them, but I believe I have. I absolutely love this place. It doesn't have the prettiest scenery and there are a few laws that are a bit inconvenient, but that's what makes Kuwait what it is. It's such a small country with a huge expatriot community. Everyone knows each other and they're all so welcoming! I love going to dinner with a group of people and having about 10 countries represented. It's a rare occasion when I'm not the only American at the table. There's never a lack of stories to be told. It's refreshing, and it's not a bad lifestyle at all!
One group of people who have really brought this experience full-circle is my students. After the first semester, I went from teaching 4 sections of physical science and one section of physics to teaching 1 section of physical science, one section of physics, 2 sections of chemistry and one section of fitness, not to mention coaching track and basketball. My workload was so overwhelming and I started getting really frustrated with how much work I had compared to other colleagues with not much help. I'm not a stressor, so I never broke down or felt like I couldn't handle it, but I definitely couldn't teach at the level I was teaching the first semester. The two classes I had all year really struggled with this. I didn't have time to give them pretty outlined notes and be available 100%. I felt insufficient. My friends were put on the backburner during the week and all I wanted to do on the weekend was sleep. My personality didn't agree and I was really stretching myself thin and hardly keeping my head above the surface. I stopped trying to plan perfect lessons and just went straight through the curriculum and improvising lessons - something that is quite frowned upon. Surprisingly, my kids loved it! I always have been kind of theatrical and I was really able to do that with no script to follow. When we reached the end of a section, I asked them to figure out which day they want to test. They really proved to me how mature, strong and motivated they are. They learned, I kept up and we bonded...massively. I couldn't have asked for a better group of young ladies. I'm going to miss the heck out of them. One thing I've done is had "story time" with them. They LOVE hearing trivial little stories I have - cab rides, walking home from school, meeting interesting people. They've asked me to send them a bedtime story every day when I'm in the states. I have to try my hardest to stick to this. It'll be fun!
There's one girl in particular that has really taken a pretty large chunk of my heart. She showed up the first day of basketball tryouts and we immediately connected. She started coming to my classroom after school every day just to hang out. She's one of the most amazing teenagers I've ever met. I have been going to the reception every day after finals to say bye to her. Finals are strict here and they aren't allowed in the hallways at all. They take exams in the auditorium, cafe and gym and never come upstairs...so I go to them! I asked how her English exam was today and she told me she wrote about something I told her. I had no idea what it could be. I tell her so many random things that it could really be anything. The topic was to write about a recent life lesson you learned. About a week ago, she came to me a little upset because I'm not coming back to ACA. She said it was ok because teachers come and go here all the time and she'll find another teacher to love. She's been saying this to me for a few months now...as a joke. This time she was really upset and she isn't really sure how to handle the situation. I could tell it was really bothering her. I'm not one to comfort people when they're upset, but she's special, so I made the attempt. :) Here's what was said:
Me: "Do you want to know a secret of mine?"
Ahad: "What is it?"
Me: "Never make goodbyes a big deal. I move around a lot and I meet so many awesome people. If I stressed every time I had to say goodbye, I'd be a mess! The people who are genuinely important to you and you to them, you'll keep in touch with. I don't stay in touch with every awesome person I meet, but I naturally connect often with those who I'm close to. You're one of them, and I'm not leaving forever. I'm here for two more years. We'll keep in touch. No doubt. Don't be upset!"
Ahad: "Ah. ok! Promise?"
Me: "Wallah!"
...and we hug fighting the tears. :)
I'm going to miss the heck out of seeing this girl every day! I told her about one teacher I had in middle school. I was good friends with his son and he was a part-time pastor so he was more of a mentor than a teacher to me. We're still in touch and I still totally look up to him. He has one more year until retirement and to this day tells me there hasn't been another Lauren who's come through the classrooms. I can totally see it from his perspective now. I honestly never think there will be another Ahad. She grabbed my heart on day one!
And this, my friends is why my career is cooler than yours. Yes, we get an enormous amount of vacation, but the best memories happen to be in the classroom. The pay may not be as great as the corporate world, but the rewards are priceless. I wouldn't change these experiences for anything and I'm thankful for this life I've so undeservingly been given.
Western fellows, I'll see you in 23 days!
Thanks for the update! It's so nice hearing about your travels. Even though we talk frequently about what you are doing in Kuwait, and around the world, I still learn more from your stories. I am so glad you included the story about Ahad. After seeing a few comments on FB about her I was going to ask about her when you got home. You are certainly living a life that most only dream about.....including me. I am so proud of you and can't wait to see you! Counting down the days! Love you! Mom
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