Just a few months worth of memories...

***WARNING: THIS POST IS EXCESSIVE IN LENGTH***

:)

I do apologize for taking my time on getting another post updated. As I was telling my dad yesterday, "It's a perfect example of Kuwait." You get really excited and get your hopes up, and then wait, and wait, and wait, and finally.. like the blink of an eye things happen! Your day is MADE! Anyhow, again sorry for the length, but, you can't say you weren't warned. :)

I've mentioned on here that there are phases in culture shock. It's so fun for me to read back on previous posts throughout the year. In case you were wondering, I'm still normal and following the phases of culture shock. I'm realizing that the things that I got so excited about when I first arrived in Kuwait are now things that I am used to and think of as "normal." Some things I didn't notice about my home in the states, I have truly grown a new appreciation for.

I will do my best to keep all of this in sequential order. :D

March/ Spring break trip to Jordan, Petra, and that 'holy land'/ that country that must not be named: (that's March of last year btw)

Israel in a nut shell:

This was certainly a trip to remember. We started out in (Israel) or the 'holy land' or the kuwait/arab-approved 'Occupied Palestine.' This country is beautiful. It really wasn't on the top of my list of places to see (mind you, my list is quite large), but, I am so glad I went!

Petra in a nut shell:

Petra is an ancient city carved into the rock of the mountains. It is actually a city, like, it goes on and on. One of the most fascinating things about Petra was that these structures were built years ago, and many of them have almost a classical look to them.

This is a picture from Petra. It was truly beautiful.

The Dead Sea and Beyond.....

Here I am floating in the Dead Sea. It was so beautiful! You literally just float because the water is so dense with salt. It was effortless. 

This is the view from the resort we went to for the day to see the Dead Sea. **SO BEAUTIFUL!

It was so clear, and so blue.

Ah... Mazing!

The amazing scenic drive  from Petra to the Dead Sea made the freedom of having a rental car and driving WAY more exciting!

This is a picture from an old city called Jaffah near Televiv (Israel).













A Picture from the top of the Bahai Gardens (Israel still)!

The lovely beaches of Tel Aviv. 

The "Rock".... you know.. the one that Jesus moved when he was resurrected.

In the Ancient City of Jerusalem. It was super neat and kind of dark because the walls were so high.

Some decorative plates.

Oh, Hello Palestine...

Sam, Rose, and me in Jerusalem.

MMMM, MMMM, MMMM

So, back to Petra (because I am having technical difficulties).. and here's some of the Bedouin homes.

Camels!

The main thing you see when you enter Petra.. and then the city goes on and on and on.

More of Petra.

Rose and me riding camels! 

End of The Year Stuff....
Teaching: (in bullet point form)
-Final "student-led conferences": nailed them, survived them.
-last day of school: nailed it, survived it.
--Only real thing to say is "Woah, I made it!"

Life in Kuwait: (also in bullet point form)
-After the trip with renting a car.. low and behold, I am now the owner of a 2003 Nissan X-Trail. I've got a registered vehicle, but, no license! Ahhh the logics of Kuwait. I could write a series of long essays explaining the whole license situation. :/
-I've developed a new found love.. I mean LOVE of country music.
-*** NOTE: Weekend trips to Bahrain help with sanity purposes.
-Farewell dinner and Muttlah Ridge: Dinner= free food and bitter sweet goodbyes and Muttlah Ridge= the greatest contrast in land that Kuwait has.

-Fancy (paid) music gigs: I've been trying to upload a video of a couple of pieces from the concert, however I am having issues figuring that out. To put it simply, or perhaps not-so-simply; it's the most unprofessional- professional event I've ever been involved in. It was also possibly one of the greatest nights of my life.

-Does the packing ever end? Seriously.. does it?
-4 hour teaser after my year-long awaited apartment as well as 4 hour teaser of what it's like to actually have my cat Germo.
-Over 40+ hours on planes and BAM, I was home in the wonderful WY.

SUMMER!
South Korea + Layovers in Shanghai and Frankfurt:

I loved literally every single second that I was in South Korea. Amazing friends mixed with lots of green scenery, and great food will do that for ya! Click My Interview! to see the interview I took with Mag's (one of my best friends from Korea) company about U-Stream!

All of us are standing with the night time view of Seoul behind us!

Walking around Seoul after visiting the Palace. I was slightly confused at first about if I was in Seoul or Kuwait because I saw a man in a disdasha walking around. I thought it was really neat that they were doing an advertisement thing to support Syria. Go Korea!

At the Palace. It was HUGE, and I am sure we didn't see all of it, but good to experience none the less.

A taste of your not-so-traditional pingsu. MMMMMMM

I am taking the interview here about U-Stream. Check out the link above to see it!

Cold noodle and chicken meal. Actually quite good. :) YOLO

Riding bikes... stopping for ice cream... amazing view of the Han River.

So, so beautiful! So green, too! Sensory overload after living in Kuwait for  a year!

This night, I will never forget. It was so much fun! Dancing... Korean BBQ (with pork)... drinking good drinks... amazing friends.. the list goes on.
xxx

Korean BBQ and Soju :)

The fish market, where I tried a LIVE octopus! Again.. I've got a video but someone out there has gotta help me figure out how to upload it! Seems as it shouldn't be this difficult, but, hey I only teach first grade!

Here is a picture of the traditional pingsu. Pingsu is a desert that has shaved ice with a creamy flavor and redbeans and rice cakes. It's really tasty.

Korea <3

Nighttime view of Seoul.