When you live in Kuwait, you don’t get all that many visitors. For our families, it’s pretty much on the opposite side of the world, and it is Kuwait after all… I know that sounds bad, but I don’t mean that in a negative way. I’m truly happy that we’ve spent 6 years here and living in the Middle East has afforded us plenty of luxuries and opportunities to see the world {hello, Italy, Ireland, Thailand, France, and Germany}, but if we’re being honest, Kuwait is simply not a place that is high on many people’s ‘to see’ list.
Without question, one of the things we miss most about home while in Kuwait is not being able to just get up and walk to a park or playground. Not only is walking to a park simply out of the question where we live, but in general, finding playgrounds that are clean, safe, and well-kept is a bit of a challenge here. What we’ve found during our many years in Kuwait is that a playground will pop up and be really nice for a short period of time before being destroyed and becoming filthy. I’m not sure why there’s not more focus on maintaining what is already in place, but our strategy is normally to find a couple of great playgrounds, use them a ton while they’re in good condition, and then find a new ones when the old ones are no longer nice/safe/in full working order. It’s not ideal, but it works.
And so, one of our current favourites is the fairly new and fully covered playground at Anjafa Beach. While it’s got low, easily accessible areas for younger kids, it’s also got a teeter totter, a bike merry-go-round, and a rocking boat, which Miss G loves. It’s also right in front of the beach and fully covered, so it should be doable even when the weather begins to get hot {ugh – not looking forward to that after such a lovely cool winter}. The playground’s only downside would be the fact that it’s only got one working swing, but hey – here in Kuwait, I’ve found that a working swing period is quite a score!
This morning was what I like to call a ‘Kuwait morning’. What does that mean? Well, while living in Kuwait comes with many lovely perks {hello, beach days, cheap gas, and lovely sunsets!}, it also comes with many challenges. In general, I find that most things just aren’t as ‘easy’ as they are elsewhere. From getting places to grocery shopping to government procedures to finding out information about things – it can all be a little bit difficult, and that was certainly the case today.
As I’ve mentioned before, Grae and I are lucky to be part of a wonderful play school co-op here, and while our usual meet-ups happen at the beginning of the week, we also often meet on Thursdays for some sort of outing around the country. Well, since we’d heard that there was some sort of ice sculpture exhibit happening for Hala February {ice sculptures in the desert?!}, we decided that that would be our destination for this morning’s outing. We weren’t surprised to find that there was very little information about the event online, but after a fellow mom asked about it in an expat moms forum, we found out that the event was taking place at the International Fair Grounds and opened at 10 a.m. Perfect!
Except… When we arrived, we didn’t know where the actual exhibit was happening {nor did anyone else who was there} and when we did find Snow City, the area where the ice sculptures apparently are, it was closed. Of course, by this time our munchkins had been in the car a good long while and they had trekked all though the carnival looking for the right area, so since nobody around seemed to mind, we decided we’d just have a little peek inside. ☺
Another gorgeous morning and a few new sand toys meant another day spent at Anjafa Beach today. We scoured the beach for treasures, opened a treasure shop, built sand castles, talked to stray kitties, and took about a gazillion photos… It was a good morning and I’m so, so grateful for the lovely weather we’ve been having here in Kuwait. Before long, we’ll be be melting from the heat, so we’re soaking it in while we can.
Today we ventured down to Anjafa Beach to check out the fun-looking playground we’d passed by a few days back, but were disappointed to find that while it looked cool from the road, it was basically a hot mess up close. Other than being filthy {something we’ve grown very used to when it comes to playgrounds in Kuwait}, many pieces of equipment were broken {and sharp} and the play area was surrounded by construction holes, wires sticking out of the ground, and stacks of bricks. Not quite what we were hoping for….
Luckily though, the beach area in the same park was quite lovely. Besides a few fishermen way down the way, we pretty much had the entire thing to ourselves and spent the morning finding treasures, dipping our toes in the cool waves, and making footprints and drawings in the untouched sand. It was a really lovely morning. Now if only the weather would stay just like this year round…
