Today's song is: When You Kiss Me .. Shania .. missing Thavorn
I am at my older sister's log house in the woods overlooking a quiet lake in the wilds of Quebec, a province in Canada. It is a big change from my younger sister's house in the City of Ottawa. My younger sister has cats and my older sister has 2 rather large dogs. Here are some pics.
Every log house needs a wizard on guard
Idyllic place to sit
The lake in September
View from the back
Front view and garden
Big white dog .. Akbash breed .. Canna
Big brown dog .. Barbet breed .. Monty
Tonight for dinner we will be imbibing some red wine, tossed salad, my Thai spaghetti sauce and some fresh pasta. Does not get much better ...
I must admit I am a bit bored with Canada at this moment. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that I miss Thavorn and Jaidan. I am also doing quite a bit of boring (monkey work) programming which is also not much fun.
I had a great night out with the two Mikes and we all laughed for 3 hours straight. The two Mikes are all on their second relationship and we have lots in common. The link was originally basketball with our daughters but now it is kindred spirits.
I met Billy for coffee at Timmy's and not much seems to have changed in his life. Time for Billy to take a walk on the wild side before he checks out of this world. :-)
I am not sure where a 65 year old goes to have fun in Ottawa. I see lots of them in Timmy's in the morning but they don't seem to be having much fun but seem to be 'putting in time'. Brent and Jeanine and Paul and Cathy live more exciting lives as they travel extensively and have taken delight in visiting their grand children. Jeanine has a small pillow in my room that say, "If I had known that grandchildren were so much fun I would have had them first!" . Kind of my philosophy as I made my own :-)
The weather in Ottawa has been beautiful over the past two weeks. June - August are always great months in Ottawa. My fitness routine continues unabated and I feel myself still losing weight despite eating dessert at suppers with Jeanine and Brent.
The dollar plunged today and I assume that it was due to Brexit. The British people voted to leave the European Union and I suspect it was to have more say in how their country operates in the world. I suspect that over the next 10 years it will prove to be a wise choice as the other European countries struggle with uncontrollable immigration. I think Angela Merkle lives in a dream world if she thinks it will all be roses.
Canada has accepted 25,000 Syrians and they will all migrate to the same area of the country and elect their own members of parliament. Assimilation seldom occurs as like likes like. Just a fact of life.
I am hoping for a night out with Ashley and Mike (another 2 basketball buddies on subsequent relationships). They are lots of fun and sharing life's adventures keep all of us entertained. I move to my sister Anne's house on the lake around the end of the month. Ann and I have some great discussions trying to solve the world's problems but we come at those problems from different ends and seldom end up in the middle. It should be a good 4 or 5 days :-) Ann likes research based evidence and I prefer empirical evidence.
Well, enough chatting, time to find a good song ... Deb, I have not forgotten about you :-)
Today's song is: Times .. Dylan at the White House
Today is father's day in Canada. Definitely a day for reflection. Back when I was married, it was a day I was given a day of freedom to do whatever I wanted without family and kids. I am not sure how that came about and today I would question why I would want that. Maybe a bad dad would want that, but I would think bad dad's would avail themselves with free days quite often.
What would qualify a dad as a bad dad? I think the qualifications would have changed over the years. Back when my dad was alive, a good dad was a good provider who went out into the world and worked hard to bring home the 'bacon' so that mom and the family could lead a good life with out worries. He also may have played the heavy in terms of discipline but would be held in reserve and used only as necessary.
I think it is much harder to be a good dad these days. I think today's dads have many different roles to play and sometimes even end up trading places with mom and staying home as the primary care giver while mom becomes the primary wage earner. It is not unusual for mom to out earn dad these days. Given that female enrollment is pushing up over 70% in many universities I would think this trend will continue.
I think the above trend will lead to some gender role confusion. An ex basketball player that I coached for many years just committed suicide at the age of 28. When I new him he was a fun loving young teenager who enjoyed life. The late 20's and early 30's are prime suicide years for males. Here is an excerpt form: http://www.bcmj.org/articles/silent-epidemic-male-suicide
Suicide in men has been described as a “silent epidemic”: epidemic because of its high incidence and substantial contribution to men’s mortality, and silent because of a lack of public awareness, a paucity of explanatory research, and the reluctance of men to seek help for suicide-related concerns. A statistical overview demonstrates a shockingly high rate of death by suicide for men compared with women, and a need to focus attention on prevention, screening, treatment, and service delivery. Promising lines of research include identification of clinical indicators specifically predictive of male suicide and exploration of precipitating and predisposing factors that distinguish male suicide and account for the substantial gender disparity. Only by breaking the silence—building public awareness, refining explanatory frameworks, implementing preventive strategies, and undertaking research—will we overcome this epidemic. Suicide in men has been described as a “silent epidemic.”[1] It has a disturbingly high incidence and is a major contributor to men’s mortality. In British Columbia, suicide is one of the top three causes of mortality among men aged 15 and 44.[2] Among men of all ages in Canada, suicide ranked as the seventh leading cause of death in 2007.[3]
A teacher friend of mine committed suicide in Malaysia while in his early forties. He too appeared to be a fun loving guy who worried about being a bad dad because he left his adult children to follow his dream of becoming an author and business teacher. His children thought him selfish and often asked him to come back home to Canada.
The above, begs the question when do the obligations of being a dad end? Perhaps the birds have it right. When the time is right, the bird parent boots the bird out of the nest and the young bird had better be ready to fly as they are on their own. No more free snacks courtesy of mom or dad. I am not even sure dad is still around around at that time as his dad's duties may have been fulfilled much earlier :-)
My nephew also committed suicide in his early thirties. He had, much like me, fallen in love with Thailand, and had a bad experience of betrayal by a Thai woman, which I suspect, soured him on life and relationships. I truly do not really know and I wish I had taken the time to understand him. He was a fine young man.
My experience leads me to believe that most Thai men would fall under the label of bad dad for many reasons. Not surprising as may of them are raised by a grandmother in an environment where there is no father figure to model after. Many of the Thai women I know will have nothing to do with Thai men after having one of two failed relationships characterized by wife beatings and cheating partners.
I don't have much experience with hi-so Thai males other than I know there are many bars throughout Bangkok that cater to hi-so Thai males that cheat on their partners. It begs the question whether or not males were meant to be monogamous. Biologically, I think not.
The world is rapidly changing. There is a growing 'cougar' phenomenon, where financially secure women are seeking out younger men for liaisons of some form or another. I view this as not unlike the hi-so Thai males. As women become more and more financially independent from males I suspect this trend to continue. They even have their own meeting place on the net.
Today's song is: Danny Boy .. Irish Rovers .. one of my favorite songs
June 17th was my daughter Jaime's 30th birthday and we are having a dinner party at Milestones at Lansdowne Park in Ottawa. Not sure who all is going but I know both my sisters, Bill (Ann's hubby) are going. I hope Jordan and Stasa (Jordan's GF) will be there as well.
I traveled from my business partner's house in Orleans by bus to my sister's house and it took me about 2 hours which includes a 20 minute walk to and from Transit stations at each end. All in all, I am finding Ottawa's transit system pretty easy to navigate. Riding the bus is like being in the United Nations, definitely a multicultural experience. At times, I am definitely a visible minority while riding the bus :-)
I had a great chat with Thavorn via LINE video today. She is managing well but is starting to get bored. The past 2 days she has been visiting a friend who gave birth 3 days ago. Her friend has a 2 year old still in diapers and her friend's Thai BF is useless and refuses to change the 2 year old's diapers or cook meal. Typical Thai male. Thavorn had nothing good to say about him.
Thai women who manage to find a good farang are always amazed with their work ethic, politeness, and how well they treat women. Frankly, it is not hard to look good given the Thai competition :-)
The weather has warmed up considerable in Canada over the past week. For those of you who think Canada is always the great white north, you may be surprised at how hot it gets in the summer, although it is still officially Spring.
Milestones is a pretty expensive restaurant so I imagine the bill for my meal will be quite expensive compared to Thailand. The comparison I like to make is: my Thai meal (similar quality) will cost me the equivalent of the tip on the Canadian meal. In other words, the Thai meal costs 20% of the Canadian meal. That is why I prefer to live 7 months of the year in Thailand.
It is quite quiet in Ottawa and that just reinforces my belief that Bangkok is a more fun place to live. Thavorn seems happy and and Jaidan is changing daily. We communicate via video chat using LINE, an app preferred by Asian over WhatsApp. I was reading Stickman's weekly and came across a follow up interview he did with 4 Thai working girls. It is a fascinating glimpse into their lives and thought processes so I will include it here.
In previous chit chats we have talked about how you each got in to the business in the first place and what it's like working as an escort. I guess I expected most of you would be out of the industry by now but you're all still working! What's the story? You can't do this sort of work your entire life, can you!
Maria: I think maybe it will be another 2 more years for me. I still don't have enough money to stop working and when I stop I don't want to work again.
Bonnie: I have a dream for my future and that is why I continue working. My dream is to be the master of my own destiny. I don't want other people to choose how my life will be and the only way for me to control my own life is to have enough money. Money doesn't make us happy, but it gives us choices.
Maria: It's all about the money - the more money, the better your life.
Bonnie: I want to make sure the quality of my life is very good. I also have to take care of my family. I want to be sure that I have enough money for my life and their life to be better.
So you want out, but you stay because you need more money?
Sophia: I want to have enough money for my family and me.
So that begs the obvious question: What is your number?
<Blank looks all around, no one is quite sure, almost as if no one has actually thought it that far through.>
I mean how much money do you need? <Still a little reluctant to answer>
OK, let me tell you my number. For me, I need $2 million, or in your money, about 50 million baht. To buy a decent house in my country, furnish it and have a couple of cars is about $1,000,000. And I would like another million on top of that to invest and generate an income. Anything less than that amount and I would not be confident that I have enough money to stop working. I figure with a house and another $1million+ I can earn enough from investments to live comfortably, travel and still have enough to buy a few toys. More would be better and it's really not a lot of money these days, but $NZD 2 million is the minimum for me. So, would 50 million baht be enough for you? <Laughs all around as if what I have said is the most profound thing anyone has ever said to them!>
Maria: 2 million baht.
Is that really enough? It really doesn't sound like a big number to me.
Maria: Yeah, it's enough, I think.
You think? Think is not good enough, you need to be sure!
Bonnie: 5 million baht is enough. Cash. I am building a house already. A house and 5 million baht will be enough.
Sophia: 5 million baht too. I have a car to pay off. I need to pay off my car first and save more.
Cherry: 5 or 6 million baht. I want to buy a big piece of land, which will cost 3 million baht. It will be large, many rai. When I have that I can have a farm and run my own business from the farm and make money.
Julie: 3 million baht. Before I thought 1 million was enough but now I know it's not enough.
Bonnie: Everything is getting expensive now....even just bla-too, you know a small piece of fish costs much more than before.
Julie: Sometimes we have a big dream and we have to revise it with a smaller dream but I think 3 million baht will be enough.
<I find myself multi-tasking, asking questions + scribbling answers while also doing the maths in my mind to estimate the number of customers the girls have had to save this amount of money. Most escort agencies in Bangkok split the fee 50 : 50 with the girls. So, from a 2-hour liaison @ 5,000 baht the girl gets 2,500 baht. 5 million baht divided by 2,500 baht is 2,000 = meaning 2,000 customers - and that's just to save 5 million baht. I decide to keep this thought to myself.>
So when you have reached the point that you have saved enough money, what will you do with it?
Maria: Put it in the bank and buy gold.
Julie: Buy my land.
Sophia: Put it in the bank and earn interest and just use the interest to live on.
Cherry: Once we have enough money, for me it's 5 million baht, we can run a business. I will go back home and work on my farm. I will grow fruit and vegetables and sell them in the market. We can grow food for ourselves and sell the excess at the market. If we're lucky we might be able to export some to other countries and sell it at a higher price.
Alice: If I have enough money I will move home, buy land and start a business too.
So when you have made enough money to stop working you're going to go home?
Everyone: <A very resounding> YES!
So does that mean you don't really like Bangkok and that you're only here for money?
Sophia: We are only here to make money. That is the only reason to be in Bangkok!
No one is here for the fun or excitement of a big city?
Everyone: NO!
So ultimately you don't really like it here?
<I am looked at as if this is another incredibly stupid question.>
Julie: I want to go back to home and be with my family, stay with them and be close to nature.
Maria: If I am with my family in the countryside, even if I just sit and gaze at a canal all day long I'm happy. Being home with family beats living in this city any time. I don't care what I do when I am at home, I am happy there.
So tell me about your dreams, the dreams you had when you started this work and the dreams you have now. Have your dreams changed? No one has said they want to settle down with a foreign guy / customer which I find a little surprising.
Bonnie: It's very hard to find a good guy in this business. It's hard to find a rich guy for marriage, or even just find a good guy who isn't rich. It's better to buy a lottery ticket. There's a better chance of getting lucky that way.
Maria: If we meet someone, that would be good. But if we don't, hey, no problem.
Sophia, I know you better than the other girls here. You used to work in the UK, for a number of years as I seem to recall. You've been back working in Thailand a good few years now. You must have met some good guys over the years, surely?
Sophia: How many years have I worked? Oh, I don't remember but it's a long, long time. If I was going to meet a guy and he was going to marry me, it would have happened already. It isn't going to happen.
Cherry: I have been with so many handsome men. I have taken care of many smart guys, high-class guys, rich guys. Many of these guys were very desirable to be a husband. I have met so many guys already, so many who would make a good husband, but it wasn't to be.
Why is that? Are you all super fussy? Are you waiting for that one guy who is both super rich and super handsome?
Julie: That's not the problem. Most guys we meet are not single. Most have a wife and family in their country.
Sophia: We're not lucky to meet a guy for life in this business. It's only for a short time, only to make money.
Alice: For me it doesn't matter. It's only about money and was never about anything else. I never had a dream to meet a foreign guy to marry. Honestly, I never ever thought I would meet a guy for a relationship in this business.
That's very different to how things used to be. <I tell them briefly about the history of this website, my time in Thailand and how for many years Western guys visiting Thailand got involved with working ladies, relationships flourished, they got married, kids came along and some lived happily ever after. They seem genuinely surprised.> So do you see foreign guys only as a source of money?
<She'd been tapping away on her mobile, seemingly in a world of her own, but obviously she was tuned in to what was being said because before anyone has a chance to answer the manager interjects quick fast and stops the girls before they answer, with the Thai equivalent for the English "inappropriate" used.>
Bonnie: So many guys we take care of say they love us. I have heard those words so many times! I have to try so hard to feign happiness as if I believe them, but it's hard when you have heard it from so many guys and know it's not true! How can they love us after a few days when they hardly even know us?
Julie: We can only hope for so long that Mr. Right is going to come along and when he doesn't, we must face reality. Eventually we lose any hope at all that this business will be about anything more than making money.
Bonnie: Since I have worked as an escort, I have learned many things and seen things I would not otherwise have seen. A lot of people tell me what I have to do – do this, do that....but I do what I want to do. One thing I know it is very hard to make people like me and love me.
So has your idea of Western men changed? What were your general thoughts about white guys before you started and how have they changed?
Maria: Farang are more polite than I thought they would be.
Julie: Before I was scared of foreign guys, but now I am not scared at all
Bonnie: African guys really are big and some are scary.
Maria: Some guys don't let us sleep!
What?
Maria: Some guys want to have sex all night and never stop.
Bonnie: They want to use all the time they have paid for, the entire night, kind of like they have paid for “full option!”
Alice: Some guys think they can do anything they want to us because they paid money for us.
Cherry: But when they're good, they are really good.
Maria: Some guys are so good. Like the customer I had last night. They make us really happy.
Sophia: When I meet good guys I am happy to keep working but when I meet bad guys it puts me off and makes me think about leaving once and for all.
So it means your work is changeable depending on the customer and never the same?
Maria: Yes, it is like an up and down graph. <She waves her finger up and down, as if drawing a graph.>
Bonnie: Up and down, up and down, that's our life!
For me, Thailand feels like it is changing fast. Some older expats are leaving while younger guys are coming in even greater numbers. Have you seen any changes in this business or is it business as usual?
Bonnie: I think more expats come here for work. I see more farangs here and many live here.
Julie: I think customers have changed and they spend less money. Before my customers liked to go out and take me to really nice places, expensive hotel bars and restaurants, but now most stay in the room and play with their laptop when they're not playing with me. Bangkok is expensive and a lot of people just play online because they don't have money to do things. Just eating basic food is much more expensive than it used to be.
Sophia: Many farang live here now, more than ever before. I think a lot them are poor. They always complain about money. So do you still get the same number of bookings as in the past? <The manager interjects and pointedly says that there are still a lot of bookings but the girls take more time off these days and any drop in bookings is due to the girls' availability - or lack of it - more than anything else. She doesn't say it explicitly, but I get the feeling she is not impressed that these particular girls, all of whom have been with the agency for some time, some for approaching 5 years, are not as hard-working as they used to be.>
Sophia: Before we got a lot of long bookings, like overnight or multi-day, but now it's mainly short bookings. We used to get overnight regularly, but now most bookings are just 2 hours.
You make A LOT of money in this business. Is the money so good that it's hard to walk away from?
Sophia: 9,000 baht is what a lot of people get paid for one month. We can make that in one day. Even if we earned 30,000 baht a month which is a high salary, that would be a huge drop in income for us. Just my personal expenses can be more than 30,000 baht a month.
Cherry: We're getting older every day so we have to make money while we can. We cannot make this sort of money doing anything else.
You make good money – what do you do with it? Do you save it?
Sophia: I send a lot of money home. I am always buying this and that. It depends on our family. Every family is different.
Julie: There are four areas of expenses each month. First there is rent. We all have to pay rent. Next are the things we buy for ourselves. Then there is the money we send to our family. Finally, there is the money we save.
<Everyone nods in agreement.>
Cherry: My number one priority is sending money home. I try to save. That's about it. I don't have a lot of expenses so I can save a lot.
Bonnie: I send some to my family and the rest is for me.
Has anyone bought a home?
Everyone: <Yes, everyone is either building or has already built / bought a house.>
Sophia: Buying a house is the biggest expense in life. What do you say in English? Easy come, easy go? That's what happens with the money we make. We have to be sensible and buy things that are important like a house and a car.
Julie: We need to save a lot of money for any medical care or hospital expenses too.
Sophia: With assets like a house, land or car, if we need money in the future we can sell these things. When we stop we might not be making money so we need to be careful to plan now.
I know you make very good money already and probably earn more than most of my readers, but have you considered working abroad where the money is even better? Singapore, for example? A lot of Thai women are on the Bangkok / Singapore circuit and I understand they make several hundred dollars a day.
Sophia: There are many young ladies there and we are not young. And in Singapore they like white-skinned girls so we cannot compete with them. But there are lots of expats in Singapore and they will go for your look.
Julie: It's easier here. We know how everything works. Everything is easy here. This is our home, our country, There are no problems working here. If we have a problem with a customer here, we can easily sort it out. In Singapore or in another country if we have problems with a customer it can become a big problem and it's not easy for us. We should not be doing this work there and that would always in the back of my mind.
Maria: I love Thailand and I want to stay here.
Bonnie: We cannot get som tam there or other places!
Cherry: I hear it's not easy to go to Singapore for us any more. It's risky these days.
Looking good is a big part of what you do. What sort of effort do you make to look good?
Bonnie: I spend a lot of money on the way I look. Filler, vitamins, Botox once a year. Supplements are important too. I try to be healthy.
So there's no alcohol? No drinking?
Cherry: Haha! We drink a lot but we try to eat well too. It's important to eat nutritious food.
Maria: We need to get enough sleep. That is really important, but it's not easy in this line of work.
I've got my opinion on this, but why do you think so many Thai women work in the sex industry? Is making money from your body natural for Thai women? OK, perhaps that's not such a nice way to put it. Let me try to put it a more palatable way....do you have fewer hang-ups about sex for money than other cultures may have?
Maria: Working like this is the easiest way to make a lot of money fast. We do it for the money. We don't think about it too much. The money is for our family.
Cherry: Many Thai ladies take the responsibility of taking care of their family seriously. To do that you need money, sometimes a lot of money, and this is the best and easiest way for us to make a lot of money.
Bonnie: It's Thai culture. We cannot leave the family behind or abandon them. Never. It's the last thing we can ever do. <Everyone is nodding in agreement.>
Tell me honestly, do think this business has changed you?
Bonnie: I feel it has made me grow up. I have seen more than I ever would have seen had I not done this. It has forced me to grow up. I think I have learned a lot and it has made me consider different ideas and look at things from a different perspective. When we're young we just want to have fun but when we do this work we feel like we have grown up in our mind. We feel that we have a duty to our family and honestly, I feel I have fulfilled that duty and I feel a great sense of pride in that.
Sophia: It has made me stronger through all of the experiences I have had.
Cherry: If I worked in a factory I would have a small salary. Working here I have made good money and I have been able to provide for my family and that has made everyone at home happy. Whatever they want, I can give it to them. If they want good food, I can provide it. I don't know if you know how important that is to us. Do you send money to your family?
Umm, err, no, I don't. It's not part of my culture. But then my parents have enough so it's not like they need my help. They just prefer that I live close by. That's more important to them than money.
<Everyone nods.>
Bonnie: I have learned a lot about time and how important the concept of time is to foreigners. I have learned to rush and do things fast. Time is important. It's not like that here. One day I will not be as beautiful as I am today and my looks will have gone, so I must work fast now to make money while I can.
Maria: The most important thing is that my family's life is so much better because of what I have done. I bought a house for my mother. I send money to her every month without fail. So what happens to me doesn't matter.
Julie: Same as my friends. It's all about family.
Alice: Same same. More money is better for my family. It's as simple as that. What good can working in a factory do? Overtime? An extra 50 baht? That won't help much!
Julie: Even if you work in a good job and you get overtime you just cannot earn the sort of money we have been able to. It's a no-brainer.
I tell my readers that older ladies are better. Am I right? Why should my readers choose you, and not an 18-year-old gogo dancer?
Sophia: Service levels are not the same <said with a sexy grin>. Service is very important!
Alice: We are higher class.
Cherry: Honestly, I am confident that we are better at what we do. I truly believe that.
Maria: There is the safety issue. We come from an agency and if there is anything that you're not happy with you can contact the agency.
Bonnie: Do you really think a young girl is better in bed than us?! <She grabs my arm and starts stroking it and stares directly at me, holding eye contact. Everyone bursts out laughing!> OK, so what about your sexual health?
Bonnie: I have had some customers who are quite vigorous during sex and I always go back to see the same doctor. Now he always says the same, "Oh, it's you again, is it the same problem as last time?!" The doctor has told me that this work is not good for me even if I use a condom all the time. I think my pussy needs to take a holiday because she works so hard!
<It's a question that ultimately the other girls don't want to answer and the interview peters out as the girls lose interest and start chattering amongst themselves, answering that very question in hushed tones, all rather cagey and nervous that I will transcribe their conversation. I tell them that we're done, they seem relieved as general chit chat follows.>
A couple of the girls show me photos of themselves and their family up country. It looks like it's a million miles from Bangkok. In those photos the girls are not dollied up, they have minimal makeup and in one shot Bonnie is wearing a straw hat and looks nothing like she does now. It's not just another province, it looks like another world. It's hard to believe that these elegantly dressed ladies come from a world so different to the upmarket shopping mall we're sitting in. But then, I wonder to myself, are these girls really all that different to me? I came to Bangkok, did my thing, made some money – in the very same industry as these girls - and then returned to where I had come from for much the same reasons as these girls – I wanted to be close to family and a natural environment, well away from the stresses and strains of Bangkok. Maybe we're all not as different as we like to think we are?
The Stickman weekly has been running for years and is an interesting historical perspective into life in Thailand for Farangs over those years.
A while back I developed the following list of how God (substitute Buddha, Allah, Q, etc.) evaluates Teachers. Oops, not wanting to offend anyone, feel free to substitute she for he :-).
1. God will NOT ask you what your class average is ...
He will ask how many students you encouraged in an average day.
2. God will NOT ask you how many students liked you ..
He will ask how many students respected you.
3. God will NOT ask how many students you failed ...
He will ask how many students you helped.
4. God will NOT ask you how much you know...
He will ask you how you shared that knowledge.
5. God will NOT ask about your standards...
He will ask you what purpose those standards served.
6. God will NOT ask you if you crossed your T’s and dotted your I’s ...
He will ask if you if you read and applied the IPRC.
7. God will NOT ask you how much power you had...
He will ask you how you empowered others.
8. God will NOT ask you what you have produced ...
He will ask you what you have shared with others.
9. God will NOT ask you how many assessments you collected ...
He will ask how you made your students grow.
10. God will NOT ask you how much you taught …
He will ask how much your students learned.
I also found the above on my resurrected USB drive that has to be at least 10 years old. I also found an older drive but I have yet to find the power supply that drives it. I am curious to what I will find on that drive.
Today I move locations to my business partners house to get business related programming done over the next 2 weeks. They are great hosts and keep me well supplied with caffeine and red wine, the staples of programming.
I was invited to participate in an Industry Canada initiative that involved me travelling to Kuwait in 2005 for 8 days. I found the experience very interesting and documented it in a memoir entitled The Camel Diaries. Over the years I lost my copy and only just recently located a copy on an old USB drive stored at my sisters. Many people read and enjoyed the diaries and have asked for a copy. Here they are, I hope you enjoy reading them:
The Camel Diaries
Day 1
Air Canada leg to Toronto was uneventful despite a 45 minute delay due to thunder storms in Ottawa. I met Doug Hull at the Ottawa airport.
Toronto to Heathrow was long 7.5 hours. Heathrow is a dumpy airport and hard to find your way around. Air Canada Business class is excellent
.
Heathrow to Kuwait leg is almost as long as the previous leg. Kuwait service is quite good although their business class seems ill defined. Lots of families and kids traveling from Heathrow to Kuwait. I wonder if Kuwait’s always travel this much. This was my first time on a Boeing 747 jumbo jet.
I am writing this and I just felt the deceleration so I guess we are almost there. I wonder how hot, hot is!
We made use of the Air Canada lounge in Toronto and the American Airlines Lounge (Kuwait is a partner) in Heathrow. Very humid in Heathrow, must be British weather.
Lots of different types of food served on Kuwait airlines.
Apparently we are staying at the Marriott so I should have a high speed internet connection.
Got to the Marriott and I am obviously connected at 4 am their time. I guess it will take a while to adjust to the time differential.
We brainstormed over a late dinner last night and there is tremendous opportunity here. More on that later.
I am quite surprised at how many Kuwaitis wear the traditional garb, men in white, women in black.
We were met at the airport by Abdul, guess what, a huge basketball fan. He’s my main man now!!!!
50 degrees tomorrow and apparently Kuwaitis do not work when it gets that hot. From what I can tell, many of them don’t work and the government looks after them quite well. A sense of entitlement has developed and their Ministry of Education is quite concerned about this, especially when the oil runs out. More on this later, but a huge problem.
It’s quite amazing how many different types of black garb there is. At the airport there was a sea of black on one side of the greeting area and a sea of white on the other.
More later, got some research to do on the web.
Day 2
Woke up Kuwaitis time 3:30 so I turned on the laptop and started jotting down some thoughts on the Kuwaitis educational system and culture from our discussion from last night.
Went for a run at 6 am in the air conditioned fitness centre. The young international working the centre said it was not used much and that he had never seen a Kuwaitis work out. That supports the evidence from my observation last night that many Kuwaitis are overweight. Where is Bob Thomas when you need him.
After my run I cooled down and showered and headed out for a coffee on the hotel. Waited around for my partners and had breakfast at 9 am and then we went for a walk to the market. Was it ever hot! Arrived back at the hotel at noon and here I sit updating the travel log and cooling off.
Our first meeting with the Ministry is Saturday morning at 8 am. The weekend is Thursday and Friday in Kuwait in case you did not know.
I have not seen a camel yet but lots of Bimmers and Benzes. At the market there are lots of internationals in red overalls that walk around behind the Kuwaitis men who are doing their shopping. The men in red carry their purchases. It’s quite amazing that 40 years of oil production can form this sense of entitlement. It will seem strange when the oil runs out and I guess that is what they are concerned about.
This afternoon is free (don’t forget it’s the weekend) so I am off to find something to read. More news later. Did I say it was warm?
Managed to connect with the family via MSN and wished Jaime happy birthday (her 19th). I told her it’s her last year before joining the ranks of adults so enjoy. I think she is going out to legally drink.
We are heading out at 7 pm to a Japanese steak house. The thought of a nice dry red wine to savour the taste brings a tear to my eye as it is just not going to happen. They x-ray your bags at the air port to ensure you are not smuggling any bottles into the country.
We had the choice of beef bacon and sheep sausage at breakfast this morning. They are also big on cheese here and had fried cheese at breakfast. Must have something to do with their nomadic roots as goat herders.
The call to prayer every day is quite impressive. They are many mosques and minarets and they all have loud speakers that broadcast the call to prayer and the people stop what
they are doing and head to the mosque. It’s a very impressive display of their beliefs. Maybe they are preying the oil wells will never go dry ☺
I am quite interested to find out what the Minister of Education is going to pitch our way tomorrow morning. It will determine how our next 7 days go.
Well, we just got back from a late supper. The restaurants do not open until 7:30 and it’s 10 pm now. That’s a long time for guys to carry on a conversation especially without any alcohol being imbibed. Must have been very intelligent and witty to keep us focused that long. We figure the Kuwaitis dine late because they do not have to get to work early in the morning.
We dined at the Japanese restaurant in the Marriott. Good thing their Ministry of education is paying.
Itinerary for tomorrow is 7 kilometre run at 6 am, shower, breakfast at 7:15 and the limo picks us up at 8 am.
Should have lots of news for tomorrow’s report. Time to get ready for bed.
Day 3 Saturday
As I mentioned in a previous day, Saturday and Sunday are work days so I was up at 5:30 on the treadmill by 6 am, in the shower by 7 am and eating breakfast at 7:20. Our faithful driver Abdul picked us up at 8 am sharp. Actually Abdul just meets and greets, being a Kuwaitis, he would never drive for someone else. He jumps in one of the cars and an international (non Kuwaitis) drives.
We’re off to the Ministry of Education and it does not look much different than the Mowat Block.
We meet the deputy Minister first and have some Turkish coffee and sweets and make some small talk until the Minister is free. Meet the Minister and more sweets and coffee. Formalities must be observer. Time now to meet the IT department and get their presentation of the infrastructure. All goes well and we break at 1 pm for the day.
The Kuwaitis treat their cell phones very differently than ours. If they are in a meeting they leave them on and stop to answer them immediately even if they are talking at the time. They ring incessantly but they seem un-phased by it all.
Lots of women in IT, form western garb to black sheet with veil. The lady with the full gear presents using power point. Weird juxtaposition for this to happen. The Kuwaitis education system is very similar to ours but that makes sense as they were a British colony at one time.
We jump back in the car and head back to the hotel. We drive up and a security type walks around the car with a mirror inspecting the underbelly for bombs. Must be in a heightened state of awareness today as I do not remember this happening yesterday.
Off for a quick lunch and now here I type. We are off to the science center at 5 pm with our guide Abdul. The Kuwaitis insist we see their culture and the attractions. They are quite hospitable.
The wind is up today so it no longer feels like a conventional oven. It now feels like a convection oven. Dries your eye balls out if you face into the wind.
More to come after our tour tonight.
At 5 pm we were picked up and taken to Kuwait National House which is an UNESCO site dedicated to remembering Sadam’s aggression and invasion of Kuwait in 1990. Needless to say the Kuwaitis do not regard Sadam in high regard. If you ever wondered what happened to the head of the Sadam statue that was toppled by allied forces it is on display here. I took quite a few pictures and will share them later.
Every country’s involvement is recognized including Canada’s.
Tomorrow we are picked up at 7:30 and we visit Kuwait University. We then visit an intermediate school and a secondary school in the morning.
We have lunch from 1-3 at the Kuwait tower and then from 5:30 – 8 pm we attend a Computer Training session. It will be a very busy day.
I have yet to see a camel!
The big impression I get after today is that Kuwaitis are a warm and generous people.
Day 4
Up to early to run because we are being picked up at 7:30 today. Off we go to visit and elementary school (only women teachers). They are very proud of their students and the use of computers. A very warm attitude towards the world at large. They have a special treat for we Canucks as they server us lots of dessert, sandwiches, plus the prerequisite coffee and tea.
We jump in the waiting car and notice the temperature is 51 degrees and it is only 11 am. That explains why I am feeling a little woozy and we speed over speed bumps, and around corners and arrive at the local high school. We wait in the principal’s office with trepidation (quite a large palatial office, but the principal is Kuwaitis) and he arrives with a retinue to show us around. Turns out the school is staffed with internationals who are quite good at what they do. Their curriculum is out of date but are awaiting a new one. They cheat and teach some good stuff like programming rather than just Word. They are a likable crew. They have found that network cameras make a pretty cheap videoconferencing system. I obviously take a shine to them. They ask all kinds of questions about what it is like to teach in Canada. The principal gives us some nice pottery designed by students as a gift. Nice touch, just have to get it back to the board without breaking it.
By now we are really dripping sweat and head off to lunch at the Kuwaitis Tower. Sadam did his best to destroy it but the Kuwaitis have had it rebuilt (make it so).The lunch is great with lots of choice but unfortunately no sheep heads or eyeballs. All sorts of Ministers and deputy Ministers are there. Hard to keep track of who’s who. We finish at 3:15 and hustle back to the hotel for some AC, rest, and a shower before heading out from 5-8 pm to visit their Computer Training Centre and watch a training session. Did I mention it is hard to work on their computers without looking in a mirror?
Here are today’s headlines from the Arab Times (no kidding).
Rebels could target Kuwait.
Record Heat Wave Grips Kuwait City as temperature hits 50 degrees for the third straight day. (remember that the officially reported temperature is never greater than 50, bad for recruiting).
More later as I have to hit the shower.
Evening Update
We head out to the training centre and the drive takes a lot longer as we get lost (for about the 5th time). Just can’t get good help these days. We eventually find the teacher centre and get the official greeting complete with the prerequisite tea or Turkish coffee plus the usual tray of sweets. Good thing I am on the treadmill every day or it would not be a pretty site when I arrive back in Canada.
This evening was great. Fantastic discussion about implementing computers in the classroom and training teachers. It would have been a lot better with a case of beer but that was not going to happen. Did I mention that beef bacon sucks?
There were 4 training classes going on and they were all filled by the black garbed females. Having said that they all look quite different when you spend time with them. Kind of like school uniforms. It’s a little spooky with eyes peering out at you. You can’t tell what they are thinking when you talk to them. Some of them were very interested in Canada. They did not want me to take their picture so you will have to use your imagination. Before you start feeling sorry for them let me say there are more women driving bimmers, caddies, benzes, lexus’s, etc in Kuwaite than in Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto put together. The Kuwaitis have no problem with women dressing any which way they want to and there is quite a range. I get the feeling that the black garbed ones
just feel more comfortable, probably due to the type of family they grow up in. The women have most of the jobs because most of the guys are too lazy to work. They are all very well educated.
Enough on that. The training was all on Front Page. They are fixated on the MS Office Suite and have to branch out into the other areas of the curriculum. The trip back to the hotel was uneventful and I hit the sack because of the 7:30 pickup tomorrow am.
Day 5
We visited their equivalent of our Teacher Resource Centre and horror of horrows spent 2 hours with teacher librarians. There must be a librarian gene out there as they are just the same as ours. Can book dust interfere with brain functions?
We got out of there asap and headed over to the Kuwaitis Science Centre which is very similar to out NRC. We had the tour of the place by 2 young graduates, one form Arizona State who filled us in on why women were so successful and the men were not to be found. They have an intern program of 200 students working there and only 10 were males. Apparently males are pampered in their family and therefore grow up with a poor work ethic and a sense of entitlement whereas females do not get pampered and end up studying, going to university, graduating, and end up driving bimmers, benzes, etc. Bummer. All kidding aside, they were quite delightful and let me take their picture so I can share it with you. Doug made the mistake of extending his hand to shake hands before offered by another female and she backed off and apologetically said she does not shake hands. The first faux pas of the trip and I was happy it was Doug and not me. But then again, I am so sensitive to these kinds of things, that’s the kind of guy I am ☺
On our way back to the hotel we had to check in with Kuwait Air to make sure they had not given away our seats which is a common practice apparently. I imagine they bump people because of pressure from high ranking Kuwaitis gentlemen.
As it turns out, I now have a stopover in London which will break up the 15 hour flight back to Ottawa and enable me to walk the land of my ancestors as well as sample some good English beers, not the crap that Gabe drinks. I fly out at 4 pm the next day. The Kuwaitis seat was also confirmed in business class where we were wait-listed.
I am just sitting around now, after planning my final day presentation. Tonight I thought we were going out to a gold market to shop but that got switched to a town hall type of get together where we hang out with decision makers and think deep thoughts (remember no alcohol). Should be great fun, almost as much as meeting the librarians the day before.
I will do the evening update tomorrow. Off for my run, endomorphins are a pale replacement for a glass of wine, but they will have to do.
Still no camels in sight ,
Day 5 evening
Ok, Kuwait Air is playing with my mind. I am back on the 15 hour marathon with no layover in London. Now I am sad, but not as sad as when I http’ed to our camera in the lab and saw Gabe and Steve. Brought a tear to my eye, it did ☺ Steve even waved.
If I could only figure out how to turn my internal mic on, I could have said hello. Life can be cruel. Enough of that maudlin sentimental ....
Did I tell you I have a very large, old, dry graveyard out back where I look out my window. The scenery is very reminiscent of the Star Wars movie where the young Darth Vader races his desert rocket sled despite the black robed warriors shooting at him. Those black robed warriors somehow seem familiar. Matter of fact during the recent dust storms the white robes could have been mistaken for jedi knights. By the way, if you have trouble knowing which desert/dessert to use, it’s quite simple. Dessert is something you always want two of and the desert is okay the first time around and then wears you down. These graves are really barren and some have fallen into the ground. Kind of looks like Sadam drove his tanks through there. Apparently Sadam’s soldiers weren’t the brightest boys. They looted all of Kuwait and stole all the computer monitors and were really surprised when they got them back home and couldn’t get any TV stations on them.
The Kuwaitis have 35,000 computers and 82 technicians. They lease the equipment and of course the techs are repats (repatriated nationals), still trying to figure out what that means. More on this theme later. I am being sensitive about asking the wrong questions. No doubt I will blurt it out sometime in the next 2 days.
I actually have not left yet for the town meeting and will do so in 15 minutes at 9 pm. This will be the only time we have gone out at night as the jet lag has finally disappeared.
I hope they feed us tonight as we have not had supper because it is considered impolite to refuse their offerings which sometimes seem never ending. This is especially true when you meet 5 people in a morning. That’s 5 Turkish coffees, 5 teas, and 10 stick sweet yummies. I don’t even drink tea but you would never know it. Apparently the boys really like to get together and suck on these huge water cooled pipes at meetings like we are going to tonight. Should be interesting. Nothing like a communal pipe full of who knows what. I must remember not to inhale.
I figured out our drivers (not our sheepherder shepherd Abdul) are Egyptian and Sri Lankan and our crazy. Their licence would be gone in a week in Canada.
Well it’s 11:50 and we are back from our town hall meeting/dinner. Included at the meeting was the Minister of Justice and the top banker in Kuwait, the head of the Colleges and about 12 others that were not formally introduced. We sat on the floor and ate and talked politics/sports/countries and cultures. I had been warned to eat only with my right hand and I had observed all week that the Kuwaitis used both hands with their utensils. However here, they dig in the serving bowl with their hand and put everything on their plate and swish it around with their right hand and then grab handfuls and put it in their mouth. No utensils. You can’t use your left hand of course because it is unclean. I wished I had videoed this to show Shelley.
Again, the Kuwaitis were very gracious and welcoming. They talked about how the fundamentalist were having a bad influence on Kuwait and preferred a more liberal approach. Then again, the banker had an American wife and most of them were educated in Britain or the States.
All in All, a very good night. By midnight the temperature had dropped to 35.
Day 6
I was back in the hotel about 11:30 and started work on our presentation on Wednesday. Jaime signed onto MSN at 1:20 my time and asked me why I was still awake. She was getting ready to head off to U of O for bball and come to think of it, I was quite tired so I told her good night and hit the sack as we had to be up by 6 am.
Morning has broken (Cat Stevens, he’s a Muslim you know, but maybe you don’t, no matter) and I go down for breakfast and find out the private school we were supposed to visit has cancelled out. Yippee, free time for 2 hours. The private schools here are for the poor and downtrodden exPats as they do let them go and mingle with the Kuwaitis. Kind of the reverse of our private schools. However, they also have their rich and snotty private schools.
We have a meeting at 10 am with the IT gurus of the Ministry of Education. Our Egyptian driver has a humongous scar on his right arm and never smiles. Comes to think of it he never talks. You probably would not want to mess with him. We just smile a lot at him. We have been here before so we know the drill say yes, to Turkish coffee, yes, to glass of water, yes to tea, and then you can start saying no. I wish I had Jordan’s t-shirt that says ‘no means no’.
They do a capacity sort of talk and we ask intelligent questions and offer up the odd suggestion. We are going to charge them for the even ones (sorry Steve, couldn’t resist). That’s it for this meeting and we jump in the car and head back to the Marriott Oasis for lunch. I have my 3rd ribeye steak sandwich in a row (if it ain’t broke don’t fix it) and then head up to my room to go over the changes with Doug to our power point impression. By the way, Doug blew it again today and offered to shake hands with a black robe and she explained quite apologetically that she does not shake hands. I explained that Doug was a little slow and not to worry. Managed to get a smile out of her. She obviously was not wearing a veil and that was probably what tripped Doug up. But then again he almost walked into the town hall meeting with his shoes on. Definitely a no no. However as I mentioned last night, digging into the salad and rice bowls with you right hand and flinging it on to your plate is okay. Go figure.
Doug was suitably impressed and headed back to his room and here I sit adding to the diaries. At 5pm Abdul arrives with our Egyptian driver to take us to the Science Centre which is not the same place we visited before. This more like our Ontario Science Centre whereas the Science Research Centre is like our NRC, except it is filled with women and the last time I looked, ours was filled with men.
It appears the Kuwaitis really like us (what’s not to like) or are willing to tolerate us for our great wisdom (I will let you choose) and there will be lots of opportunity in the future. Don’t be surprised to see me training a bunch of black robes in out training centre. Better yet, Liz can do the training and we can catch them on the IP camera when they unveil! ☺
There will be lots of cooperation between our board and their National Ministry which should be of benefit to both system. When they come over we can have them take time out from training to speak to our World Religion classes, which they would love to do as well as address our Muslim school populations or better yet, the whole school population. What great opportunity for both parties. There will also be occasion for trainers to go over there. We go there in January and they come here in July and August. Does not get much better.
More later after the Science Centre (I am getting bored, you know my attention span).
Evening
The Science center turns out to be quite nice. It’s mostly natural science and a zoo at the same time. We had a fast personal tour because, guess what, our Egyptian driver got lost again. I saw the most dangerous snake in the world. One bite and you only last 5 minutes. I immediately thought of some good uses for it ☺ We finished off with an Imax movie. Of course I quizzed our tour guide on who invented the Imax theatre and he said the Australians. Needless to say I quickly dispelled that myth.
After the Science centre we headed out to the gold market to look for trinkets. Kuwaitis gold is 21 karat as they hire Indian artisans and goldsmiths to work with it. Lots of stuff and probably a good buy because of the lack of taxes but still out of my league, especially without Shelley to decide what she wants. I have a chance to repent tonight as we go to the old gold market downtown tonight. Maybe I will see something that really strikes my fancy.
We arrive back at the hotel about 10 pm and get together to review our slide show and decide who talks to which slide. A beer or glass of wine would have facilitated the process greatly but it was not to be.
We actually got to know Abdul a little better tonight as his family owns 4 of the gold shops at the market. They have a house in London where they spend the summer. They will be leaving shortly, probably as soon as we depart. Turns out Abdul is Shiite which explains why he is often reticent to sit in our meetings as most Kuwaitis are Sunni and the Shiite are considered a little below them. Regardless of their class system Abdul is one fine fellow in our books so we have to set out tonight to find him a gift. By the way, second class here means he probably only has $500,000 in the bank rather than a million.
Time to hit the sack, night all.
Day 7
Great news, I slept right through to 6am! Our meeting with the undersecretary (read Deputy Minister of Education, we refer to him as old stone face) and his Excellency the Minister of Education is now at 11 am so here I am getting caught up on the diaries.
We are trying to arrange to have Abdul ship our various books and gifts back to Canada as they are quite heavy. We are making headway, but this is the sort of thing Kuwaitis aren’t very good at as they have other people do this kind of thing for them. Hopefully it will arrive in due course.
Last night I made up the 4 gift bags for our Kuwaitis hosts. Thanks to Shelley I have some Maple Sugar candy gift sets, gifts from the Board and MP and MPP’s. What would I do without her. The problem is deciding who to give them to. The 2 gentlemen above, Abdul and one other.
I hope to get some pictures of our hosts but that is sometimes problematic. Last night at the mall I was taking a shot of a nice fountain and a white robe jumped up and politely admonished me for trying to take a picture as there were 3 black robes in between me and the fountain. Obvious there are some subtle things I am not aware of. But then again, I do not think peanut allergies would be a big deal here. ☺
Speaking of Steve, I just checked out the lab and I see he did not take up my offer of a sleepover. He did however manage to keep the lights on in the lab so that it terrific as I will be able to show them our training lab.
Well I think I will go out and brave the elements and take some more pictures. I currently have 225 photos.
Day 7
Well we just got back from our celebratory lunch after our final meeting. Oh what a relief it is (can you hum that?). The meeting went well. Doug managed to keep his hands in his pockets and not offend anyone. I was my usual brilliant self and expressed my colleagues with my eloquence. The Minister was really impressed with my light your candle from my candle analogy and has gone out to buy some. I think he missed the point. Actually he referred to the sharing of light 3 times in the wrap up so it must have reached deep down into his spiritual self. Must have something to do with being out in the desert in the middle of the night with the tent flapping in the scorching desert wind (the natural wind, not the one that Steve recently referred to in a pale imitation of this, the real Camel Diaries.
I really do think we have accomplished quite a bit here in our short time and I would be a little bit surprised if Paul Martin appoints me as Ambassador to Kuwait. My Bentley is already on order.
It seemed really busy at the Ministry today as the entire countries high school population are writing their national exams. These are important because their scholarships are awarded based on these results. Needless to say the girls beat the snot out of the boys. However in the overall scheme of things it’s who owns the most expensive car that counts. If you ask a Kuwait how much gas is per litre they have no idea. It’s like asking how many grams are in a chocolate bar. They simply do not care. We worked it out and as far as we can tell gas is 5 cents per litre.
This is not the end of our relationship (or the Camel Diaries) as you can expect a Kuwait educational unit (ITAC) to visit the Board sometime in November. We suggested January as payback for inviting us in June but they were too aware to fall for that. November will still make they shiver in their sandals. I anticipate I will have to come back here within 6 months because their IT guys and gals love my sense of humour. I made sure I used First Class and had the encryption turned on at all times as the Camel Diaries are for your eyes only.
Speaking of camels I did ask and they do have them. There are camel races but not at this time of year. I guess I will have to wait until next time to see my first non zoo camel. I really do not think a camel on the track would be much different than the zoo. There are no more camels in the desert due to the landmines. (sorry about that one).
I think my brain is starting to suffer from prolonged exposure to the 50 degree temperature. Shelley cooks are roasts at home in the oven for 6 hours at 180 degrees Fahrenheit. I have been here for about 170 hours at 50 degrees Celsius. I will leave the calculation and conversion up to you. As I mention before this is a convection oven not a conventional oven due to the scirocco (scorching desert wind to the educated, a Volkswagen car to the rest of you).
I had fish and chips for lunch in case you were interested. I bring that up because Kuwait does have a fishing fleet and an ocean port.
Tonight is our last night with Abdul and he is taking us to the Old Soo (not sure about the spelling) but it means the old market. This is something out of the Marrakech market in Michener’s ‘The Drifters’ a must read for anyone who was in their 20’s in the 70’s although I personally do not know anyone that old. We walked their on our first day (2 hour total trip) and that made us famous with the local Kuwaitis because 1) they don’t walk anywhere, and 2) it made meaning to the phrase ‘Mad dogs and …’You really haven’t smelled anything until you have walked through an open air fish market in 50 degree heat. I hope that is not where my fish and chips came from!
There is another gold market there so maybe I will find something that I can afford and Shelley would like. If not, I can always buy some thing for myself (how thoughtful). I am particularly drawn to the headgear the men wear as I always liked motorcycles. (some of you will get this, most won’t). Damien won the haggle wars last night and came away with the best bargain of the night at 80 DNR’s which is about $400 CDN. Can you imagine how much Kuwaitis gas that would buy?
I am just about finished digesting my fish and chips and I will go up to the 15th floor and run for 30 minutes. After that I will cool down, shower, and head down for a Starbucks and then by that time Abdul and his drivers will be here to pick us up. I hope to have some grand tales to relate to you when I return tonight.
We fly out at 9 am and get into Ottawa at 7:20 pm the next day. Just in case you wanted to make plans to meet me at the airport.
More later. You guys are probably just getting into works now so I will send this right away.
I took a couple of pictures of the Kuwait graveyard out back. I figured they would not mind as they’re all dead and no one was looking.
Evening
Well we’re back from the market and we had a successful shopping experience. I noticed that our Egyptian driver stayed with us this time as a body guard. The market is a crowded bustling place so I suppose Abdul thought it was necessary. Wouldn’t want to lose a Canadian educator on the last day would we?
We decided to get Abdul a gift and Damien suggested a basketball book as Abdul and I are always talking about basketball. Abdul attended university in the states, just outside of Detroit so he is a big pistons fan. We were both lamenting San Antonio’s win in overtime and the likely aspect that Detroit is probably doomed to lose the series. It was not easy finding a basketball book in Kuwait as soccer is the big sport (besides racing down the streets and slamming on the brakes at the last moment. Did I mention the police drive bimmers here? Anyways they had one bball book so the choice was easy. Turned out it was a good book so I bought one for myself for the trip home.
Well, it’s finally over. Abdul picks us up at 7:15 and we are in the air by 9 so this will be the last chapter from Kuwait. I will cull through the pictures and post them on a web site for all to see, hopefully by the end of the weekend.
So what did I learn:
Kuwaitis are nice people.
BMW’s are plentiful
Camels are rare
Cameras are rare in Kuwait
There are no Japanese tourists in Kuwait
Landmines are plentiful
Booze is rare
Saying no is not an option
Kuwaitis women are strong
Kuwaitis men are not so strong
Kuwaitis are well off
Kuwaitis have paid slaves
Oil rules
It’s very hot here in June, July, August
I don’t like dates
Always eat with your right hand, but how you do it is up to you
Never offer to shake a women’s hand wait for her to offer
Never make eye contact when you are driving, it’s a sign of weakness
Teachers are the same everywhere
The Kuwaitis have a type two diabetes problem because they eat too much
Kuwaitis see themselves as managers in the workforce, the actual work is optional
The MOE produces their own text books, no publishers
Each Kuwaitis government department is like a tribe and they do not work together
Sadam’s head off his statue is at the Kuwaitis house
The Kuwaitis were drilling under the border and sucking out some of Sadam’s oil
Air conditioning is not an option
It takes a long time to get here.
It’s worth the trip
Travel is the best form of education
Iraqi soldiers aren’t very bright
The Kuwaitis will have a $4 billion surplus this year after putting $4 billion into their futures fund. There are only about 1 million Kuwaitis.
The Kuwaitis travel a lot. 50% of the Kuwait population is under 20
50% of the population is over 20 (duh)
The hot water is not really hot, just warm (at least in our hotel)
A Dinar is worth about 4.2 CDN dollars
There are no taxes in Kuwait.
Cars are much cheaper here.
Gas is much cheaper here
Muslim’s take their religion seriously
The fundamental Muslims are not well liked
Kuwaitis see themselves as the upper class of the Muslim world
Basketball fans are the same all over the world
Gas is about 5 cents a litre
exPats are ex patriots
Canadians are viewed very positively in the Arab world
Kuwaitis men are very interested in politics and the stock market
Cell calls take precedence over everything else
Kuwaitis business meetings are very unlike ours
You can drink to much coffee.
Turkish coffee comes in tiny cups, order the mild
Tea comes in tiny cups, right after the coffee
The next coffee that arrives comes in the smallest cup and tastes terrible
Wash all of the above down with water
Visit the washroom, soon afterwards but don’t expect soap, paper towels or dryers
Because of above, no left hand in the food please!!
The pastries are yummy
Things are not like they seem with regards to black robes
The Kuwaitis were sea going traders in ancient times.
The Kuwaitis army is even worse than Sadam’s
The Kuwait Marriott hotel is one fine place to stay and I am glad I do not have to pay for it
The Kuwaitis got great value for their money spent on us
A partnership with the Kuwaitis would be beneficial to both educational systems
Day 8
Usual drill, up by 6 am shower and down for breakfast by 6:45. After 7 days the hotel staff recognizes us immediately and we do not have to order, our usual’s appear on our plate. Abdul and the drivers are picking us up at 7:15 today so it will be a quick breakfast. Abdul arrives on time as usually and he seems a little antsy to get us on our way. Might have something to do with it is the first day of weekend for him. In due course we arrive a the airport and the goodbyes are handled in the usual guy stoic way except for Doug who grabs him, gives him a hug and kisses him on each cheek. Abdul seems relieved when Damien and I just shake hands.
The Kuwaitis lounge is full so we take to the outside holding area and que up to Board. The Kuwaitis haven’t figured out they need a separate line or early call for business and first class. We eventually board, and take our seats. A man and his wife get on a little later and are in separate seats. In our row of three the middle is empty so they ask the Brit on their side to switch and he refuses (non too politely) so I volunteer my seat which turns out to be a great move as I end up beside a very interesting Kuwaitis gentlemen who is quite talkative.
It turns out he is enroute to Seattle to visit family (Kuwaitis are still very nomadic in case you haven’t noticed. It turns out he routinely flies and evaluates staff while he is doing so. He said he submits a report to head office when he gets back. He also lets the staff know what he is going to say before he leaves the aircraft. He fills me in whenever the staff messes up which is quite often, not that I would have noticed.
After a fair amount of small talk I ask him to fill me in on some Kuwaitis stuff that I have seen but not found answers for. I knew Kuwaitis men get $75 DNR (quarter million US) when they marry and I wondered if the women get the same and he said no. It is for the family and they get it when they have their first child. It is a gift from the Emir. They do not get it if they marry a non Kuwaitis. They also get 120 per month for each child until 25. Most Kuwaitis have 5+ children. By the way, the divorce rate is 3%
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I asked him how the young ladies meet their prospective husbands seeing as they are all covered up. He told me the mothers arrange it and there is still a dowry which goes to the wife. The two mothers get them together at the girls house, and they sit across from one another and talk with the mothers present. After 2 or 3 of these meeting they decide whether of not to get married and that can happen in weeks or a year.
I also asked him why they are segregated in schools and he said having 500 adolescents boys and girls together in one building is just too much temptation and then went on to explain the women have to be virgins or the men will not marry them. This whole system seems to be perpetuated by the mothers not the males. However, you can’t argue with the divorce rate.
The girls do win most of the scholarships to Kuwait University and that is why many of the young men go international. He did confirm it is because the boys are spoiled and not pushed while the girls are. His children all go to a British international school for girls. The boy is 20 months old and not in school yet. I asked why the private school and he stated a better education, but he is quite wealthy (family wealth) and this is a class system. I asked about the family and he said the extended family really stays together. They pool wealth and have houses in England, the states and Egypt. If he was to get sick (he did have type 2 diabetes and was 50 pounds over weight) he said all of his extended family would be at his bedside every day and would fly back from half way around the world. He said, not only that but also the immediate community he lived in would also be visiting. He said this is the way it is. His dad has been a member of their parliament for over 20 years but all families are like this. This explains why Abdul knew so many people no matter were we went. He said Kuwaitis must like you to do business with you.
I am sitting in the Air Canada lounge typing this as we have a 2 hour layover. I missed the fact that when I changed my flight I arrive Thursday at 7:20 rather than Friday.
Bummer, I will have to go to work in the morning. Maybe I can claim jet lag and go in for lunch at Timmy’s. By the way I prefer the Pinot Noir over the Merlot but both are excellent. I must admit I had a beer first before the wine. Mighty parched after 7 days in the desert.
I called the Board and Jen answered so I asked her to get the early arrival notice to Shelley. By the way they have my favourite cookies here which are Walkers Short Bread. I won’t be able to email this in until about 9 pm on Thursday night when I get to our house.
We received some gifts while over there so I asked Abdul to have the Ministry ship them to the Board as they were quite heavy.
I don’t think I mentioned that there are no dogs in Kuwaitis. I asked why and the Kuwaitis consider them unclean. I guess I will have to hide my little rat dog when they come to visit.
Well time to go pour another glass. This will probably be the last installment as the next time I turn on my computer I will be back in Ottawa.
However, I did get 2 job offers to do some work with the Ministry of Education in Sri Lanka so there may be ‘The Elephant Diaries’ sometime in the future.
I also heard about the most beautiful place on earth located in Ethiopia. You have to travel by Land Rover for 100 kilometres to get to it. Picture coming to a crest in the middle of nowhere and then stopping and getting out. Walking to the crest you look down and there is a beautiful emerald volcanic lake off in the distance with an island in the middle. On the island is an ancient stone monastery run by Catholic monks that have been there for 250 years. If you listen very carefully your can hear the sound of a flute off in the distance. There, apparently, was a red Ferrari parked out front. Note: I was poking fun at the Director of Education who was had a zen like approach to leadership and gave every member of the leadership team a copy of 'The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari' to read and reflect upon. Hence my reflection ☺
At some point in time I think I will actually go back and edit the diaries because at times I think my brain was a little addled by the desert heat.
Today's song is: What Do you Do with a Drunken Sailor? .. Irish Rovers
For some absurd reason I started singing the song above. Not sure what prompted the melody to pop into my head .. Perhaps my Irish Heritage. My ancestors, on my father's side, came to Canada during the Irish potato famine.
Not much happening. I gave in to Timmy's and had a breakfast sausage sandwich a couple of days ago. The weather has been rainy and cold. Very unusual for June in Ottawa. I wimped out today and walked rather than ran. Did not want to mess up my new runners.
I find myself missing Asian women, especially Thai women. I find Thai women fascinating for all the right reasons. I will leave it to you to discern what the right reasons are, or you can ask my buddy Shaun. Shaun seems to share my taste in Asian women.
Thavorn sends me pics from the village.
Jaidan in my man cave, getting ready to sleep
Thavor, Thai, and Jaidan, waking up in am
Nap time in the pm
The last 3 days I have filled my time with programming. I have one more day (Sunday) at my sisters and then I move to my business partners house for about 2 solid weeks of programming. After that I will visit my older sisters log house on a lake in Quebec.
Missing Thavorn ...
Whacky Tacky and Thavorn
Dress by Guess
I will sign off with Whisky in the Jar .. Irish Rovers
