This is it.....

My last day in Kuwait. It still doesn’t seem real. It’s rainy and dreary here today – it never rains. This blog will no longer be “Midwest girl in the Desert” since no longer in the desert. It will have to be Midwest Girl, or maybe I can come up with something more creative. I’ll blog about trying to readjust to normal life, life in the US, life working a normal 9-5, life around family and friends, fixing up my house, dating (well maybe I wont blog about that as my grandpa reads this blog).

I am looking forward to this next chapter in my life, it’s exciting. But I am also sad to leave Kuwait. Kuwait and the Middle East have been home for more or less the last 5 years. Since graduating from Law school I have been here. It is weird to be leaving with no plans in the near future to return. I am sure I’ll deploy again at some point, but for the first time in several years I don’t have plans. Instead I am going to focus on truly reintegrating into life at home. Becoming a normal person again. We will see how it works. I will miss the adventure, I will miss the feeling of importance, and I’ll definitely miss the income. But I know there is a lot waiting for me at home as well, so maybe all of those things won’t matter. Or I’ll just have to make my own adventures.

Stay tuned for the next chapter………

Home

I truly believe that anyplace can feel like home with a bit of work and decoration. I lived in a shipping connex for a year and a half but it was cozy and home – so trust me I have experience. For the last two years this wonderful four bedroom duplex in Jabriya, Kuwait has been home. I painted, I decorated, and I enjoyed.

Formal living and dinning room.



My kitchen.


The laundry – which I won’t miss as these are the smallest machines ever! I can’t wait for my very large very cool orange washer and dryer at home.

Entertainment room and guest bathroom.




The outdoor patio that Aeisha and I loved – excuse the half dead plants I started to let things die as knew I was leaving.

Gym.

Guest bedroom and bathroom that got more use that I expected. Only regret is that my mom never made it over to visit and stay.



My bedroom.


Dressing room.

It already feels less like home as my curtains have been replaced with standard government issue, my chandeliers are down, plants have been relocated. Tomorrow all the rest of my personal belongings will be packed up and shipped to Council Bluffs. I have a very strong hunch that a few tears will be shed. I am extremely excited and blessed to have an amazing family, friends, and a job waiting for me in Council Bluffs. But this has been home for over two years and I will definitely miss it. Bittersweet right now.

Kuwait City

More photos of Kuwait for your viewing enjoyment. These are Kuwait City which is the main commercial hub of Kuwait. All the ministries are located in this area as are many businesses. This is the oldest part of Kuwait as you can tell from the architecture. Many buildings look very ragged and in need of renovation or tear down.








What amazes me the most about Kuwait is that there are these amazing modern buildings and high rises mixed right in with the shambley old buildings.


The Kuwait stock exchange. Things are starting to go bad in this part of the world as well.


The Grand Mosque which is a major tourist point of interest and I can sheepishly admit I have never been! Maybe I should squeeze in a visit before I depart.

A stop at the Garment district to pick up the suit I had custom made. It is very cheap to buy material and have clothing made. I paid KD 8 for the material ($31) and KD 35 ($135) for the tailor. Very cheap (for a suit that includes jacket, skirt, and pants), however I don’t really like the final product. It’s very well done just something about it I am not thrilled with. My brother loves his suits though as do most of the men. I wanted to have a formal made but never took the time.




A sidewalk market full of scarves, dishdashes, shoes, etc… I tried to drive a hard bargain but it wasn’t working so I’ll try again at a different venue. I did manage to buy a blue scarf for wear at Creighton games.

City Center

I have very few photos of Kuwait. So over the next few days I plan to snap away. Today I made a quick trip to the City Center mall. This mall is not flashy like the Avenues with name brand stores, but instead has a lot of fun and affordable items the locals use daily.



Anyway there were some great architectural details. I really loved the lights.




On my way out I passed by this sign and figured I would explore a bit more.


Nothing like a full cow hanging in the window to entice you in to buy meat!



I also made a pit stop at the local beauty salon for eyebrow threading. Yes threading, not waxing. They have an amazing technique where they use thread to remove excess hair. It works great and is cleaner look than waxing. Hurts like you wouldn’t believe and brings tears to my eyes but worth it.