Shut Up and Shop!
I have a love of international travel that oddly enough is combined with a passion for home decorating. The magnificent, yet oversized Kuwait door, is perfect art for my current living room, yet someday will lead to a ridiculous shipping bill. The 3.4 pounds of fridge magnets don’t need to travel with me to each new country I live in, but somehow it isn’t home until they are here. Great pillows aren’t easy to pack and the quilt from Turkey shouldn’t have to be hung on the wall of each place I live however what makes you happy can’t always be explained. Trying to fight or figure out why you like something or why it inspires you kills the enjoyment. You are a gamer because you want to, a baller because you have to, a writer because you need to and a traveller because that is just who you are.
I never thought that carmel and cream cheese mixed together would make a wonderful dip for apples but it does and tastes great. Shopping in 36 degree heat, during Ramadan, where you can’t eat or drink in public, was also something I didn’t think would every be that pleasurable but somehow today that too turned out to be a fun experience.
Walking around the computer souk today we found a new printer, fans to cool our Macbooks and sparkly mouse pads. A side trip to the Kuwaiti Sears, lead to us getting a 20 KD gift certificate (currently if you spend 20 Kd at Sears you get a voucher for 20KD for your next purchase) Sears in Kuwait, is not linked to the Sears in Canada or America. The last time I went to Sears in Kuwait it was a disorganized and chaotic. However today the Sears in Salmyia was clean, organized and filled with great dresses for a Kuwait ball season. If there hadn’t been a large pile of stuffed camels with Christmas hats you very well could have been at a Sears in North America.
Round one of shopping was productive but on a day that was all about the “shut up and shop” experience so one round was not enough. After a quick cruise through the nice but over-priced Marina mall we headed outside and started shopping in the back streets of Kuwait. The statue of the Eiffel tower led us to a shoe souk and a right turn instead of a left had us trying on skirts for 75% of the cost of H&M. Just like in Daffy’s or Marshall’s in New York, a good deal or a perfect purchase will make loud crowds and outrageous heat almost disappear.
So as I install my new printer, charge the batteries for my new camera and decide where to put the new candle holders I can’t help but think how lucky I am to have great girlfriends to shop with, no matter what country I am in. Thanks ladies!
”The more you know who you are, and what you want, the less you let things upset you.”
-Lost in Translation-
Kuwait City, KUWAIT
Christine Oastler is a freelance travel writer, teacher and artist, currently living in Mahboula, Kuwait. Born and raised in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Christine obtained her Bachelor of Arts at Trent University and her Bachelor of Education from Queen’s University. Currently traveling around the Middle East she finds herself riding the odd camel and embracing a new culture!