Qatari proverb

Well...I'm not sure if it's a proverb or not. But apparently calling someone a bee is a good thing.

It is said that someone is a bee when that someone is optimistic and sees the good in everything. Even when a flower is covered in insects and all sorts of nasty things, a bee still manages to see the sweet honey at the heart of the flower. Like a bee, this person sees the good at the heart of all matters.

Be like a bee :)

Island Girl

Sunset of my last day in Bahrain, Jan 2nd 2011. What a great way to end a great trip. Can't ever forget this day.

Top 5 Moments in Kuwait

There were many, but these ones top the list, in no particular order:

- spending time with childhood friends I haven't seen in over 10 years
- attending my first Kuwaiti wedding
- dipping my toes in the beautiful Gulf
- having too much chai haleeb, Kuwaiti milky tea in the very old Souq Mubarkia
- going to a horse riding competition

Kuwait, I will be back.

Fun in Kuwait!

Alright, hello there Kuwait :)
So as I mentioned before, I was born and raised in Kuwait for the first 11 years of my life. Despite all of those years, I'm back in Kuwait after 10 years... and I don't remember a thing! I thought maybe my memory will be jogged by the things around me, but things just look so different and... smaller? I think I was just much smaller so things seemed so big when I was a kid.

The things I do remember: my school (Kuwait English School), the big (not-so-big) supermarket, the building where I used to live (but I have no idea how to get to).... okay so maybe I don't actually remember that much.

However, I'm meeting up with friends I haven't seen in 10 years. This is by far the best thing about re-visiting Kuwait.

I'll post about the best of Kuwait soon :) I'm too busy taking it all in for the moment.

Note to self

In some countries, there are stray cats. In others, there are stray dogs.
In Mauritania, there are stray goats.
Note to self: resist all temptations to get out of the car and chase the cute baby goats.
Thank you.

Stuff

Things I have foudn essential to have with me when traveling, especially because Im staying at super cheapie hotels:

Toilet paper*: oh the joys of shared bathrooms. Enough said.
Mid sized towel: works well for everyday as well as shower usage, and doesnt take up as much room in you luggage.
Small soap bar*
Laundry powder*
Shampoo, shower gel*
Shoes that double as slippers or shower shoes (such as crocs).
COURAGE to not be weirded out be creepy front desk men.

* = can be bought from any local convenience store if you dont want to carry them around.

Fez: Je T'adore...

...plus en plus chaque jour :)

Fez, Morocco, is a city that makes me smile and puts my soul at ease. Such a wonderful mix of old, new, tradition, modernity, spirituality, open mindedness... things I believe work together and not against each other.
Of the cities I've visited in Morocco so far, Fez has a certain... je ne sais quoi... which makes me sure that this will not be my last time here.
I'm off to Marakkesh tomorrow morning, with hopes of finding a similarly capturing city.

Tunisia: Things I could get used to

Having gateau, or something sweet, first thing in the morning.

Lack of people (population of 12 million vs pop of 90 million in Egypt. Yah.).

How informative taxi drivers are.

The Tunisian-Arabic-mixed-with-French accent.

Tunisia

Updating from the city of Kairouan in Tunisia. I've been staying with a friend's family in the capital, Tunis, but decided to venture out and head south to Kairouan, a two hour louage (minibus) ride along some beautiful landscapes that turn from lush green and mountainous to desert wasteland in a matter of minutes. Known as the fourth most important Islamic site (after Makkah, Medina, and Jerusalem), there is a certain peace and simplicity here not found in Tunis. Even in the tightly wound central medina (old city) one can still find peace of mind and stillness.

The people in Tunisia are some of the kindest I've met. There are, just like in any other city, the creepers and the plain weirdos, but there is such a strong sincerity and helpfulness from everyone else that makes up for all of that.
And dont get me started on Tunisian food. Yum.

One thing I still cant get used to: the way the letters are all in different places on the keyboard at Internet (called: Publinet) cafes.