Tuesday 8/25

I am at the AMIDEAST offices today. I had my orientation and I met my host mother. We are going to have dinner tonight, and then I will move in tomorrow. I meet with my Kuwaiti Arabic Tutor tomorrow. Next week I will register for classes at AUK...I am exhausted. My body is still not used to the time change (7 hours). I fell asleep at 5am here (10pm there). I still can't really believe that I am here in Kuwait, just walking around the city. Yesterday I walked down the street to the Sultan Center (kind of like a supermarket) and picked up some cat & dog toys (my host mother has cats and dogs). Also, I walked through several malls. And yes, it is very hot here. But it’s not that bad in shorts and a t-shirt. Maybe tonight I will take a walk down by the water. Of course, crossing the street is a bit tricky here. Ramadan is currently going on so I have to eat alone in a private room. Eating or drinking anything in public could lead to a large fine or jail time. It also means that most people here are fasting and sleeping all day, and are thus up all night. Last night, I went downstairs (craving ice cream) and I was surprised to find the place packed at 2am. People were still walking around outside, or in the coffee shops, and downstairs playing pool. I need to buy the correct plug adapter for my laptop and then I will be able to post my pictures and a short video of the view from my hotel.