Today
I’ve been blessed in many of my journies to have smooth travels. Either that or the challenges of the road somehow got soothed away with the magical moments.
After a middle of the night dramatic airport change of plans, I was anxious to get off the plane. I wanted the green, the fall, the colors, the culture of Turkey to wash over me. However, to fully appreciatre the beauty of Turkey a few more challenges seemed to be in order.
It has been very foggy in Istanbul for the last two days. So visibailty at the aiport was zero. We circled in our airplane, high over the aiport for about an hour, waiting for the fog to clear. Finally the captain’s voice crackled over the radio to tell us that we were being diverted to another airport. Like the weather it was unclear as to what would happen once we arrived at our new stop.
It was sort of a blur as I slept on and off. Twisting and stretching, trying to find comfort on the plane. Eventually, like with trouble, the fog lifted and the plane took off.
Arrving in Istanbul I was thrilled to soak up the feeling of the fall .
The Bath House Hostel is in a word, perfect. I have been more a Hilton Girl then a Hostel World Women as of late but the old world Turkish charm of this building and the staff gives the Hilton a run for its KD!
With the window open I slid inbetween clean, crisp sheets. The room filled with fresh air and the Blue Mosque call to pray covered the city. A sound of worhship that has become very comforting, no matter where I am. I took a nap in Turkey today. Dreaming of what other wonders will be found in Istanbul!
To Dubai
Stores owners put out signs to let you know there hours, if they are open or closed. Real estate agents put out signs to entice potential home buyers, perhaps in today’s world travelers put out signs on their blogs when they post where they are going!
It is off to Dubai for the weekend to search for culture in Dubai, catch up with friends and laugh! Nothing more and certainly nothing less! It has been a while since I travelled but sometimes things have to be taken away to be enjoyed or at least used properly. For that I am thankful!
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said,
people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
Maya Angelou
Disruptive Grace
This week I came face to face with “disruptive grace”. The kind of grace that knocks you flat, causes your head to spin and demands that you stop and think! Disruptive grace forces you to define what you currently want and the things you used to want. You realize the need to open new doors and close old doors. The things that are hidden at the bottom of shoebox end up on the kitchen floor and the truth appears. There is a natural human resistance to change, even small change. However, it is with small daily acts of change that eventually lead to a large scale difference in your life. Through mechanical weathering water will wear down stone. True change works this well as well. Not in one big grand act but in a series of small and repeated actions over time.
I love the good days. Where the sunshines, the birds sing and everything is “peachy” but it is often on the days that it rains and things seem to crackle and pop around you that you find yourself learning the most. Grace isn’t easy to come by and disruptive grace isn’t easy to walk away from. You wish for joy, hope for love but the truth be told sometimes you just need grace.
Like grace that changes you my favorite place in Kuwait seems to continue to change to meet my needs. I know it sounds so shallow to write that the Hilton Kuwait is a place that helps me to find peace but perhaps it isn’t as much about the Hilton as it is about reconnecting with little pieces of nature. The sand, the surf and lying next to the ocean as the waves roll in all helps me to be still so I can hear again.
The images from the Middle East, that flash around the world and on CNN, are in sharp contrast to how I spent last Tuesday. No guns, no war, no violence. Just palm trees, a little moon light and perfection. Like grace that exsists even with disruption beauty flourishes all over the Middle East. You just have to remember to look for it and go after what you truly want.
“We can do no great thing… only small things with great love.”
-Mother Teresa-
360 Degrees of Sparkle!
We went to the 360 Mall last night. All the way around was sparkle, marble and over the top shine!
One of two intricate glass sculptures created by Dale Chihuly
The 360 Mall is full of surprises as with one left turn we found ourselves in an art installation.
“Tamdeen Shopping Centres, in collaboration with the Arab World Institute in Paris has organized the exhibition “Oum Kalsoum- The fourth Pyramid” in the State of Kuwait at 360 MALL.
An interesting vertical garden, with giant gold fish ponds! More detailed information about 360 can be found at 248am.com
Like the the internet community, on-line phone books and directions that have all slowly started to grow in my time here it will be interesting to see how this mall grows and develops. The mall literature talks about how the seven unique zones in the mall will “create seven unique experiences that trigger shopping senses.” Perhaps in years to come it will develop into this. Right now it was just a nice play to watch and movie and window shop. Time does interesting things to places, even malls. Perhaps the more time I spend there they more I would notice the seven zones. Then again perhaps the more time this mall is develop the more exciting these zones will be.
The question was raised if one day these pyramids of homage to the “gods” of commercialism and consumerism will end up hidden beneath the desert sand like the pyramids in Egypt? Would future archeologist end up digging down and sifting through sand to find a pile of Caribou coffee cups and the last pair of Gap Jeans from the Gap store that is schedule to open soon. Only time will tell what is in store for the 360 mall of Kuwait. However if you are looking for a nice way to spend a Friday evening in Kuwait check it out.
Time and Turkey!
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving! I have never actually cooked a turkey for Thanksgiving but this Thanksgiving weekend I did buy a plane ticket to the country of Turkey!
I haven’t been to Turkey in years so I am very interested to see how time has changed the country and how this experience creates new memories. When I think back to the first time I was in Turkey I remember one night in Istanbul, perhaps it was about six years ago, that night I was a tour escort. I had watched the whirling dervishes twirl, had an enjoyable dinner on the bosphorus. After the passengers were safely returned to the cruise ship, I put on my dancing shoes and went out with friends and fellow crew to a random bar in Istanbul. The name of the bar long gone from my lexicon. I only remember was a little black and white house cat that hung out by the stage.
To go back to Istanbul, this November, and try to find that restaurant on the water, that bar with the cat, it would be a waste of chronological time. I’ll never be able to re-create the experience of sitting with those friends, in bean bag chairs and smoking hookah or shisha for the first time. I am hopeful that this trip will create new memories.
I once went to a wax museum in Yalta. At the end of a tour you got your photos taken. Time on shore that day was running out. I left before I never got my photos. To this day I have never made it back to Yalta. Like sands through the hour glass, the pictures of that moment in time have slipped by. Time is an interesting concept. Chronological time is needed to keep order in society. People need to know the bus leaves at 6:00 a.m. and that the cruise ship pulls out of port at 5:00 p.m. To function in a society based on chronological time we have watches that beep, phones that talk to you or sing, computers with complex calendars, ships with loud horns and even PA systems that play music, all to mark the passage of time. From minute to minute, hour to hour, day to day and week to week we are conditioned to be and leave places at certain times.
Chronological time holds a certain level of comfort. Knowing that the elevator ride takes 1 minute and 36 seconds from your floor to the ground, that the contract officially ends in two years, the exact date you made a life changing decision are all little ways that numbers help people.
Psychological time travels at its own speed. Sometimes very quickly and sometimes it seems like forever. A decision in psychological time can take chronological seconds to be reached but can ripple across your heart for years. Should you even try to compare a past memory with a current experience? Why look ahead to what a future time might hold? Perhaps it is best just to enjoy the current moment in time and appreciate the past for what it was. Sometimes things seem like “just yesterday” in psychological time but were in fact many years ago. Holding onto psychological time can be limiting. Things change, countries change, people change.
Perhaps on this Thanksgiving weekend it is best to just be thankful for the past, embrace the current moment and be open to whatever interesting surprises the future holds. Happy Thanksgiving!
The ancient Masters
didn’t worry about the future
and didn’t regret the past.
When they made a mistake,
they corrected it and moved on;
when they achieved something,
they didn’t stop to take credit.
They scaled the heights, never dizzy;
plumbed the depths,unafraid.
Wherever they went in the world,
they were at home.
They realized that the less they knew,
the more they understood.
Thus they embodied the Tao.-The Second Book Of The Tao-
-Chuang-tzu and Chung Yung-
Strong Women
Strong woman of any religion, race or age inspire me. Whether 4, 17, 35 or 65 being able to stay humble and strong at the same time is truly a gift. Watch a put together women balance home, husband, career and her personal life is truly an amazing feet. Some make it seem so effortless, smiling with a houseful of kids, making pancakes for two families and catching up over coffee with another friend is no easy feet. Strong women juggle jobs and graduate school not because they want to or it is easy but because they know that increased education improves their options. With or without a man as a part of your team a woman’s ability to stay focused on what is important is truly amazing!
I have often been asked about women and their rights in the Middle East. The topic is complex but in watching several strong Arab women it is interesting to see how they use their power silently and gracefully. The women who is quiet and knows when to walk away may hold more power in her look and smile then an outside observer would ever first realize.
This week we went to the skate park on the corniche, just down from Marina Mall. It was amazing to watch an 18 year old Kuwaiti girl skating with a group of Arab boys. Her pink tights shining she tossed her head back and held her own. It isn’t always easy to deal with a large group of men enjoying a sport but this strong young lady put her long black hair under her helmet and simply followed her passion.
International traveling and teaching can be a challenge. Sometimes you don’t know who to trust or who to turn to for help. It is amazing to watch strong women work together to support each other in foreign lands. Knowing who you are, what your passions are keeps you grounded. From buying new canvass to only eating raw foods strong women know what helps them to stay strong!
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-
A Moment at 1090 Madison Ave
The booths in Nector Coffee Shop and Diner in New York at 1090 Madison Ave and 82nd Street are beige and plastic. The table tops are light brown and the wait staff wear white uniforms as they dance around the small space. After a day of classic New York experiences, singing at church in Harlem, enjoying Central Park and then touring the Metropolitan Museum of Art we were thrilled to sit down, enjoy a bottle of wine and debrief on our adventures. My open roasted turkey sandwhich, had bread perfectly soaked with just the right amount of gravy. Watching the table next to us struggle with getting ketchup from a bottle then lead us to a lengthy conversation about the fine art of the perfect way to pour ketchup.
I looked across the table and smiled at my friend. Like many of the other New York moments on this trip, this trip to the diner had now become a part of the story of us. A split second on the journey that is our friendship. All friendships have their own unique paths. The moments and ways you met, the times your friendships were tested and the days you just laughed together in the sun. Like the New York PATH train after 11:00 p.m. not all friendships travel in the most direct route but sometimes the starts and stops, like the ride to Hobeken, are needed.
Being away for a year I have missed a lot of stops on my friends lives. However this summer I have enjoyed catching up and adding new pieces to the stories of us. Together we are on a journey, though high school heart breaks, from first loves, to first wives, from fallback jobs, to careers, from babies to writing books. We paint new apartments together, take rides in new cars, embrace new adventures and quietly hold hands when someone we love dies. We are always in each others hearts even if we aren’t physically in each others lives. Friendship doesn’t come with an expiration date.
As we paid our bill and enjoyed a watermelon lollipop we smiled. It was good to be a diner in New York. It has been great to catch up with friends this summer. To add more pages in the story of us.
“Old wine and friends improve with age.”
New York Characters
Louis: I have to say, this is my first trip to New York…not for me.
The garbage, the noise, I don’t know how you put up with it.
Carrie: Thanks. I had a great time.
Louis: Wait, you’re going home alone? It’s rough out there.
Carrie: Nah. It isn’t so bad.
Carrie (voiceover): If Louis was right, and you only get one great love, then New York may just be mine…and I can’t have nobody talkin’ shit about my boyfriend.-Sex in the City-
New York City is filled with characters. Creative and interesting people are everywhere! They sit down beside you in the diner, stroll into the subway and start singing or serve you a perfect plate of pasta. From the bouncer on the street corner to the lounge singer that went to India to learn a new way to strum his guitar this city holds a treasure trove of characters, stories and adventures.
In a city that doesn’t seem to sleep we walked, explored and rode the subway and Path until the wee hours of the morning. The sun came up in Hoboken and we just hoped from New York restaurant to perfect pubs. Days spent enjoying the great New York green space and searching for great NYC shopping deals!
It has been said, ” Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard” and I get that. New York is a fantastic city but it has challenges. The subway can be hot, the city air at times seems un-clean but the energy, the people and the culture makes living in New York experience so worth having. It was only six days of New York wonderful and that has left me wanting more!
8.3 Million People
Perhaps Mr. Ernest Hemingway said it best,”In order to write about life, first you must live it!” So with that being said my friend, who will be hence forth known as Cheryl from the Trailer Park, and I are off to New York City! No laptops, no phones, just us and the other 8.3 million people that live in 305 square miles (790 km2) of land! See you in 6 days!
The Importance Of …
This summer vacation the value of un-plugging, from phones, email, blogs, facebook and all other forums of technology has inspired me. A grand vacation for me holds a balance between adventure, exploring, seeing, doing, touching, tasting and then resting, reading, reflecting, a little, and in general kind of percolating, like coffee. I like to allow time to let ideas, goals, thoughts and feelings bubble up.
I love technology, gizmos and gadgets galore, but regular periods of un-plugging, from all things that ring, beep or buzz, lets me live in the moment. When really living in the moment I am not planning the next moment, reliving past moments, recording this moment or reading about other people’s moments. I am just being and that is beautiful. ( Looking for more ways to just be. Check out Zen Habits)
Please don’t get me wrong I believe there is a time and a place to be connected with technology but there is also a need find time to connect with your own “personal computer.”
A teacher gave her class an assignment to list what they thought were the Seven Wonders of the World. There was some disparity, but among the most commonly listed were: the Pyramids of Giza, the Taj Mahal, the Grand Canyon, the Panama Canal, the Empire State Building, St Peter’s Basilica and the Great Wall of China.
One young girl seemed to be struggling with her list and the teacher asked if she needed some help. The student was appreciative of the offer for help because she said, “I couldn’t quite make up my mind because there were so many.”
When asked what she had listed thus far, the girl hesitated because her list was markedly different from the others. With some reticence she read, “I think that the Seven Wonders of the World are to see, to hear, to touch, to taste, to feel, to laugh, to love.”
From the Article, ” The Real Seven Wonders of the World”
By Nadene Grieve Deslippe-“The only normal people are the ones you don’t know very well yet.”
Joe Ancis
3 Great Travel Words!
There are three travel words that immediately stop me in my tracks. When I hear them I know something interesting is about to happen. Either I am about to have a wonderful adventure or I am about to meet a great person! I feel in todays rush rush world, that seems to demand peak customer service and instant gratification, people often don’t say these three words that speak such truth and help develop customer loyalty. Hearing these words let’s you start a whole new kind of conversation or journey.
When spoken the words, ” I don’t know” demonstrate respect for yourself and for who you are talking to. I love the unknown, the mystery and the journey of learning about new things so hearing, “I don’t know” means we have a challenge to solve.
As I traveller I love to not know what is around the corner. As I traveller I would also rather hear someone say I don’t know, instead of giving me bad directions that send me on a wild goose chase. Building trust between people often starts with those 3 powerful words.
“The true test of character is not how much we know how to do,
but how we behave when we don’t know what to do.”
-John W. Holt Jr.-
Uniquely Canadian?
In his book and documentary “Souvenir of Canada“ Douglas Coupland attempts to explain to non-Canadians the things that are uniquely Canadian. Along the way he entertains Canadians with a trip down memory lane. He asks the questions, “What is it to be Canadian? What makes us who we are? Is it hockey? The wilderness? Or is it a series of things, of secret handshakes, that nobody really gets but us?”
Right now I live in Kuwait so returning Canada, my “home and native land” I was hit by a wave of nostalgia for all things uniquely Canada. From poutine to beaver tails, Terry Fox to Coaches Corner I was eager to soak in all the Canadian goodness before once again boarding an Air Canada plane out of the country.
Traveling brings you a sense of adventure coming home brings you a sense of peace. Enjoying the fresh air,green grass and Tim Horton’s has been good for my Canadian soul. All these simple pleasures now bring a sense of normalcy back to this world traveller. As my friends from around the world return to their respective home towns I can’t help but wonder what simple joys are they too enjoying?
In talking to other Canadians I have come to realize there are variations on the “secret Canadian handshake.” Sure all Canadians seem to naturally drop in the perfectly normal , “eh?” and understand that when you say tea, you mean hot tea and when you say you want an “Ex” it is a beer and not someone you used to date. However “the secret handshake” seems to vary a bit in each region of Canada. When you get two women from Eastern Canada in room together their beautiful accents come alive. Soon you’ll hear someone from Western Canada ask them to explain what on earth they are talking about. Most everyone my age, who grew up in Ontario, Canada, can sing you the theme song to the Poka-a-Dot Door and tell you about the time they first saw the Blue Jays play at the Sky Dome or went skating on the Rideau Canal.
The music of a country is also piece of the “secret handshake”. Put on Home for a Rest, by Spirit of the West or the Hockey Song, By Stompin Tom Connors and more then likely a Canadian’s toes will start to move. There are certain songs and artists that are known across the country. As a Kingstonian it thrills me to hear how the local Kingston band, the Tragically Hip, has gone from a regional secret to a national pride.
Whether it is the challenging job market, an increased love of travel or the growing use of technology more people are finding themselves residents of the world. It is interesting that in these new global villages secret handshakes between those of like cultures are still clearly apparent.
What makes you uniquely Canadian? What are the secret handshake items that exists in your culture?
“I come from downtown”
-Grace, too by the the Tragically Hip
Peace, Paint and Play
“We do not quit playing because we grow old,
we grow old because we quit playing.”
-Oliver Wendell Holmes-
Yesterday I sat with a paint brush in my hands again. I listened to a creative artist share about how instead of “taking” a single picture she had painted her way across countries. I turned backwards, upside down and sideways as I listen to an inspired women connect the practice of yoga to the way we live and play.
So wonderful to sit and learn. Amazing to see how play can inspire your everyday.
Today the plane tickets and hotel got booked for an amazing city, with plenty of incredible places to play!
Start spreading the news. I’m leaving today ( Well August! )
I want to be a part of it – New York, New York
These vagabond shoes, are longing to stray!
Right through the very heart of it – New York, New York
I wanna wake up in a city, that doesn’t sleep.
-Frank Sinatra-
A Moment At The Airport!
Technology has changed the way we live and most certainly changed the way we travel. Plane tickets can be booked or switched on-line, no more waiting on hold to try and get a “real person” to talk to. Your flight status is sent directly to your mobile phone, so you can rest at the hotel’s indoor pool instead of facing a Canadian snow storm. No need to wait for hours in stuffy airport lounge if you don’t have too!
Sure the argument can, and has been made, that over use or miss use of technology has “made us a little bit lonelier than we were before the age of connectivity.” Yes, if you aren’t carefully with how and when you texted you become a comedians punch line or made fun of in a beer commercial however technology when used correctly can also make you feel connected to those that are far away. I live in Kuwait yet somedays with all the facebook, skype and text messages it can feel like my friends and family from around the world are just in fact around the corner.
The modern wonders of communication have also recently brought me into many “airport moments.” An airport is a special place. It is a tangible symbol of coming and going. A place that often marks both the beginning and end of something. A place where people are looking forward to returning home or excited for the trip of a lifetime. People find themselves at the airport often filled with mixed emotions. Sometimes happy to be leaving a place, sad to be leaving the people or just plain tired.
I’ve had many airport moments that were made better by a cell phone call, a funny or sweet text message. Sometimes the quietness of an airport brings you peace and sometimes the loneliness of an airport makes you long for connection. Recently I Skyped with someone who was about to head off on the trip of a lifetime. His airport moment was filled with joy and anticipation. The waiting moments in airports, when you are transferring planes, stuck between here and there, those are the moments when getting lost in a good book or enjoying the musings of a good friend over instant chatting are most appreciated.
Moments in airports can be magical or painful, pure or pathetic but somehow being able to be connected with technology makes the moments, no matter what they are, seem brighter.
Enjoy your day!
Some days…
Some days it is just nice to sit back and watch the world fly by your window or in this case you computer screen!
Enjoy! The link to three minutes and six seconds of beauty click here!
Tea-riffic
Walking into the Tea Store in Kingston, Ontario is like walking into a fairy tale. An oasis from the outside adventure, a cosy cottage or a lost little garden. However this Tea Store is a most modern fairy tale, with free wi-fi and great tunes. The side wall opens with the a giant garage door and green plants cascade everywhere.
Rows, upon rows, of wonderful drink selections make this Tea Store a lovely stop in anyones day!
But for me, the experience is not quite complete until I have written about it.
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!