Life in Kuwait

Greetings!

I can't believe it has been almost a month since I last wrote an update--this working full-time business really cuts into my life! :-)

I haven't even managed to post pictures of our apartment, and we've already moved from there into a new one. I'm working on getting pictures on the blog, but I'm regretting not shipping my PC, and having some trouble getting the system up and running with only the laptop. But we'll figure it out.

The apartment we had when I arrived was very nice--on the tenth (which was the topth :-) floor of a very pretty building, with two bedrooms, three bathrooms and an office. The kitchen was spacious (although not well-lit) and there was a small, round balcony and lots of big windows. It's a lovely place, and I was alittle sad to leave it. I especially miss our security guards, Muhammed and Abdul, who always greeted us with big smiles, and enjoyed doing the "secret Cogswell handshake" with Dick. :-) (If you are wondering what that's about, just ask any of our boys to demonstrate. It's a family tradition of long standing.)

We spent our 4th of July weekend moving--packing up after work on Thursday, and carting everything with the help of our friend, Howard. (All the while asking ourselves, "How in the world do we even have this much stuff to move...?!?") Spent our days off moving and arranging and settling in at the new place. I will post pictures of the new nest (promise!)...it's really cool. Bigger than the other place (three bedrooms, four bathrooms, an office and dining room, as well as a very nice, large kitchen with a pantry and lots of light!), it also has separate maid quarters just outside the door...who would have thought? :-) We'll be using that for storage--don't plan to have a live-in maid. There are balconies front and back, and we've already put out bird feeders--I know there are birds around, but they haven't found us yet. Looking forward to seeing what kinds we get, once they discover us.

Our landlord, Hassan, is very kind, and the first actual Kuwaiti I think I've met. I had some requests for him--the rug in the office is very bland, so I asked if he had any other options, and we need some sun-blocking curtains in the kids' rooms. He was happy to oblige--told me that if there's anything I need I "have only to whistle!" And true to his word, the next night when we came home there was a lovely persian rug rolled up and standing outside our door--pretty cool. I guess the last lady who was in here was very demanding, so I look good by comparison! There is even a long (probably a block) and wide paved pathway at the base of our building--should work for skateboarding for Jake and Aubrey. The best part about this place for me is that I can hang pictures and art to my heart's content--the first apartment was all wallpaper or tile, and I didn't feel like I could hang stuff there. But here I have miles of white walls to do with as I please, so that will be fun for me, and make it seem much more like home.

Working on an army base is pretty interesting--I am trying to get a pass for my camera on base, but have to go to the big guys for that, which takes time. It is interesting to be in an environment where people walk around heavily armed, and the landscape consists of Bradley armored vehicles and M1 tanks. I am intrigued by the people here, and would love to learn their stories...I would love to find a way to use my camera to bring those stories home. Pray that God will open the doors, if that's His plan. There are fun perks, too--yesterday afternoon I stood tucked under Gary Sinise's right arm, and had my picture taken with him, and got his autograph--he made a stop at the Zone 1 Community Center, Camp Arifjan. :-)

We are beginning to institute the changes in the mailroom, and it is fun to see the effects. We have a candy jar, and anyone who comes in hoping for mail but doesn't get any gets a piece of candy to ease the pain. We got permission to display a "Quote of the Day" and although we may have to avoid overtly Biblical texts, we can at least choose good quotes that will be conversation-starters with the folk who come in. We're also going to do a monthly contest--display a picture of somewhere in Kuwait City and let people try to identify it, and then have a drawing from the correct answers for a bag of their favorite candy. We plan to get a US map and also a world map, and have people mark their hometowns. I'm playing with the idea of coming up with a survey that people can fill out, along with taking their pictures...I'd like to be able to put together kind of a Camp Arifjan Yearbook. There is an understandable need to feel some connection with other people, and the mailroom is kind of central to all. That makes for a unique opportunity--there's no other job on base where I would be exposed to as wide a variety of the personnel there. So I'm excited to see what lies ahead.

The most exciting thing coming up is our trip home--a week from tomorrow we will be on our way! Can't wait to see our family, and spend time together. We arrive in Kansas City on Saturday, July 19th and depart on Sunday, July 27th. Jake and Aubrey will be traveling to Germany--along with two very handsome (and lucky) escorts, Joshua and MacGregor--around the first of August. They will spend several weeks in Starnburg with Matt and Meghan and Jeremy and Layla--I'm very jealous. But hopefully Dick and I will be able to travel there and spend at least a long weekend toward the end of August, when we will bring Jake and Aubrey back here to start school at the American School of Kuwait.

So that's what's going on in this little corner of the world. I hope all is well in your corner of the world, and that I will hear from some of you about what is happening with you

Thank you for continuing to pray for us--it is a precious gift.

Much love to all...
Melanie