Rug Shopping

September 13, 2009

Rug Shopping

Thursday evening Robert & I sent the kids off on a Catamaran with the church youth group for a weekend retreat at Failaka Island, 20km off shore. We had not actually met the youth pastor yet so it was an act of faith, but Robert's boss was chaparoning with his daughter and the kids all knew at least one person.

We stopped for a malt at Johnny Rockets before heading downtown to the old Souks; this is the part of Old Kuwait that still has not been modernized. Very few women can be seen here, and after evening prayers men cluster by the hundreds on the pavements & entry ways of the shops. I wanted Robert to meet Hussein, the Afgani rug dealer who has a great rapport and business with all the expats. I'd seen a rug in his shop which really caught my eye although I've never cared a thing for Persian Rugs, so I returned with Robert who enjoyed Hussein every bit as much as I had. This articulate, English speaking gentleman is a Shia Muslim and very devout in his faith. As he told us fascinating stories about the rugs, how they are made, the places in Iran, Iraq, & Afganistan where they come from; his love for God was evident. He described the symbolism in the weavings which often referred to the nature of Alah, mans longings for Him, the blessedness of being able to talk to the Creator of the universe in prayer, etc. It was also obvious in the ehthical way he deals with his customers and his competitors that he is goverened by a very moral code of conduct. He said "how could I pray 5 times a day and not treat people fairly?" He explained how to compare quality in rugs the way the dealers do, information no other shopkeeper ever offers. His knowlege was so personal as he knows and deals directly with the villagers who weave his beautiful rugs. Unfortunately, I have expensive taste and was only fond of the ones with high silk content which are the most expensive. The rug I really liked was around 20 years old but was rare in it's design. We pondered the value of such an investement but were not that serious about buying. Hussain put the rug in a bag and told us to take it home, try it out for a couple of weeks and see if we thought it was right for us. He assured us it would be better for him if we brought it back, he had given me a very low price and he knew it would bring more, so I should not worry at all if we decided not to keep it. With that, we left his shop with this 1,400 dollar rug and all he knew about us was our first names! Not even a phone number, not a penny downpayment. We were incredibly impressed with the business dealings of Hussein!

We enjoyed a quiet weekend of shopping, dining & resting on the rooftop in our swimsuits! On Saturday evening, we met the new pastor & his wife from Canada for dinner at the Lebanese place we love. This couple's son was also on retreat so we had a lovely evening together. They were so much fun and come with a wealth of experience from ministering in many Asian countries. They had not yet been to the Souks, so we took them back to stroll the marketplace, chat with shopkeepers, sample different dates, and enjoy the sounds & aromas of the city on a holy Friday.

Around 10pm, Molly called us and informed us that Ethan was ill on the island and there were no boats until the next evening...Not the kind of call a mom likes to get! He'd spiked a temperature of 104, had the chills, and a sore & swollen throat. He'd been to the "doctor" on the island who could only offer him tylenol. He was miserable and had been moved into Emily's room so she could take care of him. I immediately thought of how he got strep throat on Christmas Eve in Johannesburg, South Africa, and suspected it was another such episode. However, in the back of all our minds was the possibility of the H1N1 virus which has continued to flood our news with widespread fears and increasing numbers of cases. (Warning Banners, such as seen above are everywhere; we esp. like the "no kissing" part!)

The Col. in charge took excellent care of Ethan through the night with frequent meds and his temp did come down. They were able to keep him reasonably comfortable with a back up plan of a Coast Guard medical evacuation if it became necessary. Fortunately, the girls still managed to have a blast with their new friends, and a daring spirit of adventure! Molly will likely blog of their explorations. The quality of all the talks was reported to be exceptional and we look forward to seeing a growing relationship with the teens from The Lighthouse Church and their awesome youth ministers.

We collected a hot and miserable Ethan & two still damp girls from the boat. We got Ethan to the Royal Hyatt hospital right away while it was still time for Iftar; sure enough, no one was in emergency during the time of breaking fast...not even the doctor! We were out within the hour with an assurance that it was NOT Swine Flu and a prescription for antibiotic for the likely strep throat. This is the hospital described as "the worlds first luxury hospital" and truly it is an experience. The funny thing, was that after such a classy experience, at 7pm, not one pharmacy was open to get the drugs. Robert went out in search of one after 8:30 when they opened back up and it took him and hour and a half and 3 different pharmacies before he found Co-Amoxacillin in the proper dose.

This really is a land of contradictions. Another one is the luxurious resorts built along the Gulf which have had to close their beaches due to a failure at a sewage plant. This is the latest scandal where various ministers have been getting blamed for the leak which caused sewage to contaminate the water along the beaches...we won't be swimming for awhile we think! Guess we will just have to do more rug shopping!