Adventure continued… After arriving in Kuwait I was greeted by a small eastern girl holding a sign with my name on it. She was very kind and spoke pretty good English. She took me through the process of getting my temporary Visa, which without her I don’t would have ever happened. After traveling for over 24 hours I could barely stand up much less communicate with someone who spoke no English. The first thing I noticed about Kuwait is that all the men smoke. ANYWHERE THEY WANT. As soon as I stepped off the airplane men were smoking all over the airport and when they were done they would just drop there cigarette wherever they were standing. If you know me at all you know how totally disgusted I was at the sight of this. YUCK!
After finally getting my visa and a quick trip to the bathroom I got to see Daniel! We were both very excited to see each other. Daniel hugged me quickly and we were off to his apartment. Driving was CRAZY! I can’t even begin to tell you that every second in the car is a close experience with God… really.

Daniel has a very nice place with beautiful white marble floors, 4 bathrooms, a large living room, three bed rooms (one is for the maid) and a little kitchen. Daniel had purchased me new towels, a hair dryer, my favorite snack food, good smelling candles, a toothbrush and everything I could imagine to make my stay here very comfortable. I was so exhausted! I finally fell asleep. It took much longer than I thought it would but then again my body was thinking it was 2pm. After a few hours of being asleep I heard the first call to prayer. As soon as I had fallen back asleep I heard the next call to prayer and again another one…I never thought they would end. I finally got up and decided to explore Daniel’s apartment while he finished sleeping.

As soon as he was awake we were off to Dubai! I really dreaded the thought of getting back on a plane but I was with Daniel so I didn’t really care what I did. Our hotel in Dubai was so gorgeous. It had a nice large tub (no shower, just a tub, which we thought was a little strange) comfy bed and AMAZING view! Upon arrival we went out to eat and walked the city streets. I saw my first wreck and was so glad walking was an option rather than a crazy taxi ride.

The next morning we woke up and went to the LARGEST MALL IN THE WORLD! I have never seen anything like it. They place all of their stores that sell the same thing next to one another. This mall had OVER 100 gold jewelry stores in a row and lots of diamonds too! Diamonds are a girls best friend you know. After lots of fun shopping we went to the aquarium in the mall. So amazing. I know we have fish in the USA but this was the most beautiful display of aquatic life I have ever seen. Pictures really can’t describe how amazing it was. After our underwater adventure in the aquarium we decided to go to the zoo… in the mall! I think this was Daniel’s favorite part. He is really convinced we should get a sea otter as a companion for Pearl (our dog). Exhaustion was setting in so we decided to watch the Dubai water show while eating hummus and enjoying shisha (what we think of as hookah).

Back at our hotel I crashed and Daniel caught up on his TV watching. He went out later to eat, I was still totally out of it so he brought me back dinner and we enjoyed the last night in Dubai.
I could tell you all about our adventure returning to Kuwait, but we are both still so mad about it I will not go into detail. The short story is that we were supposed to leave at 1:45pm and arrive in Kuwait at 2:30pm, because we gain an hour in the air. We didn’t get in to Kuwait until around 9pm. Bob and Dana (Daniels parents) picked us up from the airport. They gave me a glittery red rose and took us out for a wonderful seafood meal. Lobster, crab, shrimp, salmon, oysters and Hommour. All that plus great desserts like chocolate cake and Baklava. After dinner, we were off to their penthouse apartment. Really a sight to see. They have there own private elevator. The place is so big you can get lost. We went to sleep and got an amazing nights rest.

The next morning after a yummy breakfast we went to the fresh fruit and vegetable market and believe it or not it rained. A very rare thing here in Kuwait and I would described it as more like liquid mud. Yuck! The market was an experience, the fruits and vegetables were so beautiful and fresh. They could tell I was new (the blond hair really makes me stick out) so I was offered some kind thing that looks like a tomato (Daniel says it was a Persimmon). Here, when something is given to you, it is rude not to eat it and except the gift. If you know me at all you know the thought of biting into a tomato really grosses me out. I did it anyway and it was surprising wonderful! It was very, very sweet and juicy. Yummm. Then we went to a place called The Sultan center, which is like a grocery store. Not too exciting but it was neat to see how many cheeses they have. Then we returned to Daniel’s apartment for a relaxing night of movie/football watching and napping! Tomorrow we will head back to Bob and Dana’s to see Josh and Grandma Bettie. Just another day in my Middle Eastern adventure.

My Middle East Adventure has Begun! (With Dubai pics)

Hello Family and Friends! I arrived safely in Kuwait. My adventure began at the Little Rock Airport, where upon my arrival I discovered Delta had an error in their passenger roster. The error was MY NAME WAS NO WHERE TO BE FOUND! After much crying and persuading they were able to fix the problem and I was able to board the plane just in time. My flight to Atlanta was nice and short and my connecting flight to Amsterdam was easy to find. As I waited to board the next plane I noticed I was in the middle of a sea of camo, and not the Arkansas camo. It was a truly humbling experience. As I readied for my trip to Kuwait I strategically planned each outfit. As I looked over the men and women dressed in there government issued fatigues, I could not think of a more honorable outfit. I really feel God put me at the right place and the right time to witness the great number of soldiers we send out everyday. Here I am missing my husband who I get the chance to talk to almost everyday and I have the reassurance that he is safe. How very blessed I am to have the men and women who are willing to give up there families, careers, dreams and possibly their lives to ensure our safety. It truly was an unforgettable moment for me. It no longer mattered what I wore, how skinny I looked, or even how much money I had. All that mattered was as an American, I am so very blessed in every way.
It was a long 9 1/2 hour flight and I was sick of sitting. Not to mention the 3 movies offered on the plane where terrible. I have never even heard of them and no one else had either. After arriving in Amsterdam, I found my next connecting flight which took me a good hour. I had a 7 hour layover so I was not pressed for time. I purchased Gouda cheese on a stick, Belgian Chocolate and a Coke and made that my Breakfast. DELICIOUS! The flight to Kuwait was really nice. Big movie selection and it was only a 6 hour flight. I Started feeling a little sick when we landed, but that was more nerves of seeing Daniel for the first time in 6 months than anything else. This is where my adventure really began. From the moment I stepped off the plane, I truly felt like I was in another world. I look forward to telling you, but we must catch a flight to Dubai now! More to come...