enfj

(be forewarned this entry is a bit more "cheer up emo kid")


enfj. yep, that's me. well, according to the myers-briggs type indicator it is. who knows how much stock we should actually put into these sorts of tests that tell us who we are and what we should be doing in life. but the 'e' stands for extraverted and i know that part is true.

that 'e' part is actually probably one of the most difficult things about being in kuwait (or any new place for that matter.) being extraverted means not only do i enjoy life best when i spend it with others, but that my energy actually comes from it. it is currently saturday at 6 pm and i have not left my apartment. i think my skin is crawling. right next door is neil who is happily journaling, reading, blogging, and doing other miscelaneous tasks. i just stopped by about an hour ago and neil looked at his watch in disbelief at where the day had gone. i looked at mine and wondered how much more was left.


i am enjoying kuwait, don't misunderstand me. the combination of the stifling heat, loneliness, and procrastination on prelims/dissertation just isn't the best combination sometimes. its days like this i wish i were an introvert.

coffee

its been a sad month in my life. in addition to coping with my bollo's withdrawal i have resorted to drinking instant coffee. sick, i know! perhaps this is a true mark of an addict, willing to feed her habit any way she can. my apartment is spacious, nicely decorated, and comfy but there's one thing missing: a coffee maker (ugh, i knew i should have packed my french press. yes, i seriously was planning on it.) so my morning coffee fix now consists of some maxwell house grounds, a little hot water, splenda, and some heat-treated milk. tastes about as good as it sounds. 

my only reprieve is that coffee shops are about as common as malls around here (translation: at least one per block.) there's no drip coffee like we're used to in the states. regular coffee is an americano. columbus cafe calls regular coffee 'american coffee.' i find this humorous (columbus cafe, american coffee...you following?)

i spend most afternoons in a coffee shop. not much has changed in that regard. i probably spend equally as much time observing as i do attempting work. so for all you coffee shop kids out there, here's some things i've observed.

1. most coffee chains are from the united states or canada. almost all coffee shops are chains. starbucks wins. 

2. there is little/no fair trade or organic coffee movement here. one coffee shop (costa coffee) uses rainforest alliance coffee but doesn't advertise. 

3. no one drinks straight coffee. frozen drinks are the most popular (i guess this makes sense given the heat.) 

4. most coffee shops put your beverage in a to-go cup. there's no mug option. 

5. customers leave their empty cups on the table. an employee cleans up (not unique to coffee shops though.)

6. the artificial sweetener of choice is sweet-n-low not splenda. 

7. there's a smoking section in coffee shops. 

8. no free internet. 

9. you must ask for milk. it's too hot to keep it on the counter. 

10. coffee is expensive! anywhere between $4-$7 per beverage. 

for those of you in the 'burg please patronize bollo's for me. i miss it. 

band-aids

 "you see this band-aid right here? you see how it is fleshed colored and just happens to match my skin? well this is an example of what we call white privilege." 

we've finally gotten to the good stuff in class. the stuff most people find depressing. the stuff i love. you know, social inequality, oppression, privilege and the like. yesterday we talked about privilege. privilege is defined as unearned favor one group has over another. the thing with privilege is it's unearned. that means it's not your fault. guilt is not productive. what you do with your privilege, however, is your responsibility. ok, clearly a tangible example was needed. 

then i remembered my toe. number 46 in peggy mcintosh's white privilege checklist: i can chose blemish cover or bandages in 'flesh' color and have them more or less match my skin. the desks in the classroom are light colored wood contrasted with black metal (or something.) "you see, if i had darker skin a band-aid on my skin would look more like this." a student responded, "but that's not fair. why should it match only your skin?" exactly! 

and there it was, my little soap box. i stepped right up and began sharing that some of my african-american friends will be followed in stores only because they're african american. the cashier won't place money in their hands because they don't want to touch them. and then it was onto the fact that in the united states women only make about three-quarters as much as men for the exact same job (and that's for white women; it decreases with african-americans and latinos.) initial class response:"really? i would have never thought that still happens in the united states." 

sometimes i'm not sure what my role is here. instructor of cultural anthropology or demistifier of american equality. 

28

nope. never would have imagined it. when i was a kid i thought 28 meant marriage, a house, and possibly a child (please note i had no visions of work, even as a child.) what it means is graduate school, coffee shops, and a summer in kuwait. 

birthday number 28 began the evening before out with three of my students (two marayams and amnah.) first stop, the souk (a market where you can buy more traditional kuwaiti goods.) good thing i was with some ladies who are skilled in bargaining. i walked away with some muslim prayer beads and a traditional dress kuwaiti women wear to weddings. sweet. from the souk it  was off to the mall (do you see a trend here?), but not without a little detour. during the detour we passed marayam's house. i wasn't sure which house was hers so i decided to ask. marayam responded, "there on the left." my immediate response, "all of it?" the whole car erupted in laughter. yes meredith, all of it! i quickly tried to correct my err and said i know some people live in flats so i wasn't sure if you were showing us the building or your house. oh, make no mistake, it was the entire house. i'm guessing 6,000 square feet. minimum. 

kuwait should not merely be known for its oil. it should be known for its malls. they're on every block and i'm not exaggerating. our mall of choice for the evening, the mall to be seen at in kuwait, the avenues (once completed the avenues will be over 577,000 square feet with over 15 starbucks alone!) some of you have asked me if i think i could ever live in kuwait long-term. i think so, assuming i could find some alternative source of entertainment besides conspicuous consumption.

 

dinner was yummy. spending time with the girls was even better. who knows, maybe i'll spend number 29 in kuwait too.