Craziness Continued

Hello all! Before I get into my blog, I wanted to wish my nephew a very happy first birthday! He is such a cutie, wish I could be there with him to celebrate. Love you Cayden!

Well, I have now been here for two weeks and I am still amazed at the craziness of this place, referring only to the driving here. This is what I witnessed this week (yes, all are true):

1. In a busy street that was inching along due to wall to wall traffic, there was a guy who got out of his car to put something in his trunk. Hello!

2. In a parking lot that has straight parking spots, everyone disregards the lines and parks angled. I don't think I've seen anyone park within the lines yet.

3. In a parking lot people will pass you if you are going too slow. Seriously, I can understand cars going around if you are waiting on a car to back out so you can have their spot, but is it really necessary to pass people in a parking lot just because you are impatient?

4. People park wherever they can find space big enough for their vehicle... they don't care if they just blocked 3 cars in! Or they just create their own parking space by parking on the curb or sidewalk.

5. This was my favorite--> A truck in the far left lane cut across three lanes of traffic to barely make the exit. Jared, I know you will be amazed at my artistic ability, but I tried to capture the awesomeness of the situation in my drawing. The red illustrates the path the vehicle took. Cutting it close, don't you think?!

Well, it is the Christmas season, even though it definitely doesn't feel like December. Thanks to my good friend, Katie, I have a little Christmas tree which I put up the other day. I'm still waiting on my shipment of stuff so I can hang my Christmas sock up as well.

The other day, as I walked outside to head home, I saw a smiley face in the sky that was created by Jupiter, Venus, and the moon. It was a really cool sight actually. I tied to capture it, but my camera wasn't strong enough to get a really good picture. You get the idea though.... If you want to see a better picture go to http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081202-venus-jupiter-photo.html . In the article from that link, National Geographic said, “People in Asia witnessed a smiley face, while skywatchers in the United States saw a frown”. Interesting, huh? Did anyone see it?

On Friday we had an organizational day where we had a little picnic and then played softball. It was a fun afternoon. We got released a little early so since we had time to actually go do something, a co-worker and I went out shopping. The malls here are amazing, they are huge! I was looking for a new purse after I had picked one up the sales guy said it was 40KD, which is approximately $155.00! I promptly put that down! Then I picked up a tennis racquet that was about $300.00. Yeah, no thanks! So, we left the mall and walked down the street where there are a lot of little stores. We came across one that reminds me of Big Lots. It probably is not the best quality stuff, but it was in my price range, so it made me happy. I found a purse which was only 6KD or about $24. I also bought another bag, an ironing board, a garbage can, cleaning supplies, and a plant. Altogether I spent about $65.00- not too bad. I'm just excited I finally have a plant! :^)

After doing some shopping we found a cafe to get some dinner. It was the cafe's grand opening that day- very fun! In the picture below we sat in the red chairs that overlook the ocean. How cool is that to eat outside overlooking the ocean in December?!!! I ordered the best drink with my meal. I got a drink called “coconut land” and since there is no alcohol allowed in the country I don’t have to worry about ordering drinks here! The sandwhich was okay, but the drink was really good!

Well, here are a few other observations about this country:

1. You don't see many cars with dings in them showing they have had a fender bender. The reason is this, when there is an accident here the cars are totaled, it is not just a fender bender!

2. This country smells- I can't describe it, but it definitely does not smell clean!

3. Often times you will see the whole family out, but it seems like it is more common to see a father out with his kids rather than the women out with the kids. They do seem to be a family oriented people.

4. It is very rare to see any PDA here.

5. After they finish a meal, they still stay for a long while and visit over some coffee and the men also smoke their pipes.

6. The buildings here are beautiful- colorful and a fun design. However, don't look too close, because the attention to detail is lacking. Just those little finishing touches that make all the difference seem to be missing (a little hole in the wall, paint splattered on floor, etc).

It is kind of fun to experience the culture here. Since this is not a touristy country you really do get to see the normal ins and outs of everyday life. I really do stand out here though... in the short time I've been here, on two separate occasions, I've been whistled at and honked at by a group of guys. Yeah, I'm not going to venture out on my own here.

Church is interesting here... we meet in an auditorium style room for a two hour meeting block (Sacrament and then Sunday School). There were about 20 people there last Sunday.

Well, thats about all I have for you this week. Until I write again! Laters!