Girgaen

Left: Cheryl getting

treats from my friend

Kefaya

Right: A little guy who

came to the door

with his maid

Below: Ethan with the

neighborhood boys

going door-to-door

September 4, 2009

Girgaen like many Arabic words can be spelled several ways...this is so confusing to the "outsider" like myself. For Emily, it's a perfect world: finally, spelling doesn't count!

Ali said he would call for Ethan at 8:00 to go trolling for candy as is the custom during Ramadan in the Gulf States...by 9:30 he made his appearance. Ethan looked quite dapper in Ali's old distasha & cap even if they were a bit small!

First, the boys gave Ethan a quick Arabic singing lesson to try and teach Ethan the blessing song that is sung at the door. Ethan was a quick learner and could lip sync the tricky parts. Ali only went to some doors ("that boy fights with me") and skipped others. The kids acted like they owned the streets and in just a handfull of houses, their sacks were heavy with sweets. The voices of some of the children who came to our door sounded like angels. We only had groups of boys or groups of girls; never mixed.

I am still learning how far this segregation theme really goes. Today we were privileged to have an American gal over for lunch after church who teaches at the American University of Kuwait. Amy told us the university classes must be segregated, making it very difficult for students to get the courses they need when there are not enough teachers to offer the same class for both men and women during the same semester.

Robert was invited to represent his section tonight at a traditional Iftar held by some of the Ruling Family Princes. No, I didn't get to go: it was for MEN ONLY. I'm told that the women gather in hotels: they enter in their abayahs & veils, once they are sealed off from men, they rip them off and party in their lovely clothes.

Robert was the only Western dressed man at the Iftar; everyone else was robed. After a few minutes of conversation, the men excused themselves to go to Mosque for prayers and were back in about 7 minutes. First they had dates and water, then proceded to the meal of roasted lamb which the elder men tore off & ate with their hands. Robert thouroughly enjoyed the conversations of these highly educated men; they discussed everything from politics to engineering and the topics circled the globe. He sat by an attorney who graduated from Boston University. Much of these intellectuals would like to see modernization of the country, but the Bedouin population still holds very conservative and traditional views and they resist this change, as do the older, less educated population. I'm sure that is an over simplification of very complex issues, but such is my early understanding.

We went back to the NECK today; this is the church that is a collection of evangelic congreations in many languages & worhsip styes, all on the same campus. En route to the English service, we wove through an Indian congreation gathered for a baptism, passed a doorway where dozens of shoes paved the entrance, saw more black worshippers than I'd seen anywhere here, and finally got to our congregation of Chinesse, Indian, Anglos, and blacks...just think: I was related to them ALL!!! I was so encouraged: this was by far the best service yet. It was a triple hitter; great music, worship leader, and a new pastor who delivered a strong & engaging sermon.

Molly stayed home today as she was recovering from oral surgery done yesterday which proved more painful than it was billed. This was the first time any of us have been home on a Friday when the Imams preach and it was an angry sounding chorus when they all began broadcasting...I didn't realize they all preached over the loud speakers on Fridays.

Emily is all stressed out over the amount of school work she has to do and how much she has forgotten over the summer. She spent most of the day studying. Ethan spent the day checking the drama section's Facebook page until finally at 7pm, they posted the cast selections for the school play: Ethan was chosen to be Oliver in the production of "Oliver!" He is OVER THE MOON excited and has been dancing through the house singing "Food, Glorious Food" and "I'd do Anything For You." We will hear a lot of these songs over the next few weeks I fear:) He begins practicing tomorrow, 1-4.

It is 11:30 and kids are still coming to our door. The last group was 6 teenage girls (a dad was near by) who obviously knew we were American; they said "trick or treat" when we opened the door! We made them sing the Kuwaiti National Anthem. They were very chatty and only one had a headscarf on. Perhaps I should turn out the lights and put out a sign: The Americans Have Gone To Bed: Happy Ramadan!