Kuwaiti Weekend Part 2

All day Friday was spent by the kids in rehearsals and practices. Whilst this was happening I had to sort out the missing Passport. We had managed to get the girl in to Kuwait with her British Passport, but we couldn't get her back to Pakistan with out either a new passport or a visa.

I talked to the Vice-Principal who made a phone call, and told me we had an appointment at the Pakistani Embassy at 1pm. This being Friday the Embassy was closed, but it was being opened especially for us!! So after a 20 minute at the Embassy we had the necessary paper work in place. It pays to have connections.

The rest of the day went well and the kids really really enjoyed themselves and worked extremely hard, their behaviour was fantastic and I was so proud of each of them.

On Saturday after another couple of hours rehearsal, the whole group, roughly 300 kids put on a show containing dramatic preformances, dances and songs. It really was amazing what they had pulled together in about 10 hours of practices.

After lunch we had about 6 hours before we needed to be at the airport, so we were taken to the Kuwait Towers, which Kuwait's most famous landmark.

During the Iraqi invasion a lot of damage was done to the Towers, as it was such a symbol of Kuwait. All the damage has since been repaired and they look really impressive and the view from the large Observation ball. Also the outside of the ball moves whilst the inner part is stationary. So in half an hour you stand still and be shown the full 360 degrees view of the bay and the city.

And here we have my wonderful students inside the ball

After the Kuwait Towers we went to the Avenues, which is a huge shopping mall (I know that's an Americanism, but that's what they call it). It was actually quite a weird feeling inside the Mall as I felt really strange. I have only been here 10 weeks or so, but I was really struck by the extreme affluence in Kuwait compared to the poverty here.

From the Mall we went to the airport and after a wait, we finally boarded the plane to Dubai. We arrived there at 1.30am in the morning with a 6 and halfhour wait before our flight to Karachi. During this time I had to go and report the lost passport to the police and then after a look around the shops, yet more affluence, I nodded off for a little while, and apparently there is photographic evidence of this.

Thankfully the flight was on time and we arrived in Karachi at 11am, and our adventures were over, or so I thought! When the last of my girls got to the immigration desk, it turned out that what we thought was an extention to her visa, was in fact only permission to stay so by leaving the country she now did not have the right to enter the country. Thankfully, her parents are both Pakistani and once we had their Natioanl Identity Cards, we were able to enter the country! Oh the joys of international travel.

On Monday, I was driving from school to Park Towers, our more humble shopping centre, and I was thinking to myself, how much I love being here. I love the chaotic roads, the donkey carts and bus drivers who don't seem to notice any other traffic on the roads. I love the people, I love the kids I teach, I love my apartment and the people that look after me there. I love the fact that someone, somewhere thinks that rush hour is a good time to turn off the traffic lights!! And despite the dust and the dirt, the power cuts and the State of Emergency, I love being here!!!