Dead Sea

Back to Kuwait and back to work. Jordan was a great quick trip and very interesting to see. It was not what I was expected. I expected it to be more modern and developed than it was. I wish I would have taken photos of the towns for reference.

Here are photos from the Dead Sea. Amazing to just automatically float in the water. It was also cool to see all the salt covering the rocks near the water. I guess the Dead Sea is rapidly loosing water and they said in about 10 years people may no longer be able to enter it. You must walk down a steep incline as it is to enter the water now.

Floating in the Dead Sea

Right now blogging from my hotel balcony overlooking a wedding. I am in Jordan at the Dead Sea and it has been amazing. On the flight here I was def. the only American which is always a bit different. Jordan, or at least what I have seen of it so far, was not quite what I expected. I expected it to be a bit more modern than what it is. Driving from Amman to the Dead Sea was very cool as we drove though all these massive canyons where you could look out the window and see how far up we were. I wish I would have had my camerea out. The Dead Sea itself, the lowest point on earth, is unlike anything else. There are no living things as they can't survive but the water has many minereals that are amazing for the human body. When you get in the water you automatically float due to all the salt. It is actually very hard to swim or stand upright as your body just bounces back to floating. All the rocks near the water are covered in salt. It has been a very relaxing day and always great to experience new cultures. I will be sure to post lots of photos when I get home. Until then I am going to explore as much as I can in the short time I am here. I wanted to make it to Petra but was told it is 3 hours away one way. Not so much on that.

Good News Bad News

Today I briefed our new Commander. It went extremely well, better than I had even hoped for. He expressed several times how impressed he was with how the office and our systems and with me. It was obviously flattering and always great to receive such positive feedback. He also agreed to support me on several key issues which is a step in the right direction.

However we also had the dreaded talk about how he really hoped I would reconsider and stay longer. I thanked him for his confidence in me but stated they should proceed with the offer that was made to my selected replacement. He agreed, but only if I promised him that I would visit him if she were to turn down this offer and have a conversation about what it would take for me to stay. Three hours later I get a phone call from my current supervisor informing me the individual selected as my replacement has turned the offer down…How can this be! I now must do some soul searching and list making of pros and cons and decide where to go from here. I miss home tremendously and am ready to move on with life, but I also don’t want to leave this program unmanned and have it fall apart again. Now what.

Good thing I have a maid!!

As this is what I came home to one day after work. My sweet kitty Aeisha is adorable and I am trying to train her to act like a lady she really is a Kuwaiti desert cat at heart and quite the little huntress (I guess that is what I get for adopting a kitten the Camp Arifjan vet found in the desert). This day she managed to not only catch and kill a bird while outside playing but thought it best to drag inside and tear it to pieces in one of the bathrooms. Thanks Aeisha! All will be proud to know that I definitely didn’t clean it up, just shut the door and left it for the maid.

* Something for those of you at home to drool over – yes I have a maid and she comes twice a week. She cleans my whole house, changes sheets, irons, and washes dishes all for a bargain price of KD35 ($134.61) per month! I am very lucky.

What I do all day...

Figured I would start with the important stuff – or at least what pays the bills and funds all the vacations and entertainment. So until I can open that Wedding Shop this is my life. Looong days are spent viewing loads of villas and apartments, picking out furnishings (my favorite part), negotiating deals, writing contracts and leases, researching relevant laws and regulations, and more or less babysitting and catering to a large number of grown adults. Never in my life have I dealt with so many interesting individuals. Crazy tenants aside I absolutely love my staff and the position. I have such a wide variety of nationalities on my staff so everyday is a learning experience. I have Americans, Kuwaiti's, Lebanese, Egyptians, Iraqi's, and Indians. I work with an even wider variety when negotiating and finalizing deals. It is great and keeps work interesting and entertaining.

The beginning

Born and raised in Council Bluffs, Iowa. I graduated from Creighton Law in 2004 and decided I needed an adventure while I awaited my bar results (I passed) so took off to Iraq with the US Army Corps of Engineers on a 6 month deployment, I loved every minute of the experience. This from the girl who only lasted one semester at Doane College (less than 3 hours from home) as I was homesick. I even ended up doing a second Iraq tour lasting about 16 months.

I am currently in Kuwait (20 months so far!) working for the US Army Area Support Group, what can I say the Middle East keeps drawing me back! However, Council Bluffs will always be home and where I hope to grow old! Until that time comes I plan to enjoy life the fullest and experience all I can. There are so many different cultures and opportunities that I can’t imagine ever being bored. I decided to start blogging so my friends and family at home can catch a glimpse of what life is like.