Bits of Beauty in Mahboula

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One thing I adore most about children is their innate ability to see the beauty in the world around them. And our adventures in the desert space near our apartment remind me of that admirable quality every time we go on one.

While I often suggest going on a ‘desert adventure’ as a way to get out of the house {and stay sane} when we’re vehicle-less, Gracen is always thrilled with the suggestion and often shouts, ‘Yay! We’re going on a treasure hunt!’ before running off to retrieve a bag to house her findings. She returns, pops her shoes on her feet and cheers, ‘Let’s go!’ anxious to see what sort of beautiful things she might find today.

Truthfully, in the stereotypical sense, our neighbourhood is far from beautiful. It’s filled with piles of trash, mounds of sand are scattered throughout, dumped building supplies are plentiful, and plastic bags float around at your feet. But Gracen? She sees mountains to climb, things to investigate, and treasures waiting to be discovered. If only we could all be so optimistic.

Well I’m up for trying. Here are the bits of beauty we discovered in Mahboula today…

Mahboula Life

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Sometimes I forget just where we live. While our actual building and apartment are nice, the area of Kuwait we live in? Ehhhh, not so much. It’s a newer area, so it’s definitely in development (we just got roads recently which was huge, and we’re hoping waterlines might make it in before our time here is through) and it’s largely inhabited by third world nationals whose extremely low paying jobs are sadly still better than what they could find in their home countries. And while it can be sad and draining and frustrating to live here sometimes, I’m actually really glad that we do. In a country where {I think} it’s very easy to slip into the ‘more! more! better! more expensive!’ mindset, living in Mahboula keeps you grounded. Humble. Grateful.

And Miss G? Well, she’s just as happy exploring sandy lots and rubbish piles. In fact, today when I suggested we go out on an adventure, she quickly retrieved a bag to collect treasures in. I was skeptical, but sure enough, she found a few things she just had to take home (a pretty rock, a marble, and a plastic figurine). Here is our morning in photos…

iPhoneography // Around Mahboula

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Life back in Kuwait is treating us well. Our apartment is slowly starting to look like a home, Gracen and I have fallen into a nice routine despite the fact that we have very little mobility right now, Brad’s enjoying his new job, and I’m tutoring 4 afternoons a week, which is perfect. Here’s a peek at our new {old} life in Mahboula… It’s not one of the country’s loveliest areas, but strangely enough, it feels a lot like home.

early morning sunrise over the Gulf

Mission Accomplished

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Today Gracen and I headed out on a mission. Flash drive in hand, we left the apartment on foot in search of a photography studio to develop some pictures for us. I’m pleased to say that our mission was successful and the combination of the walk, the heat, and the air (I almost always automatically type ‘fresh’ in front of ‘air’ and then have to go back and change it when I realize we’re talking about Kuwait where the air is almost always too hot and/or dusty to have the title ‘fresh’ ) earned us a great nap for Miss G, our recently reluctant napper. A few shots from our adventure…

blow up toys at the bacala // i spy a construction site

iPhoneography // Moseying Around Mahboula

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She may be 3 now, but this little monkey still needs her afternoon nap. The trouble is, It’s happening maybe 3 out of 7 days a week right now. I’m fairly certain that it’s due to the fact that we’re not out and about burning off energy and soaking in fresh air right now like we usually are… Case and point – every single time we journey down to the Gulf Road for a Starbucks date, she goes down for her nap super quickly and without a issue. We’ll have a vehicle and more freedom very soon, but in the meantime, we’re working with what we have. Some days, like today, that means making laps around our apartment complex while observing all of the construction going on around us. Did it earn us a nap today? Nope, it certainly didn’t. But it was worth a shot. ☺

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iPhoneography // Bacala Run

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Gracen’s new favourite thing to do? Walk to one of the nearby bacalas (tiny little hole-in-the-wall corner stores of sorts). We could need absolutely nothing at all, but she begs to go, even if it’s just to look. Really want to make her day? Take her and let her pick out a little package of nuts as a treat – nothing beats it.

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iPhoneography // Desert Trekking

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For the time being, we’re still without a vehicle. We’re very lucky to have a super spacious apartment and many common areas around the complex (we have a big courtyard, a kid’s play area in one of the lobbies, a book exchange and games lobby, a gym, and a pool which is currently green, but hopefully being fixed soon), but both Miss G and get out and explore people, so staying at home day after day sometimes gets a bit repetitive. Mahboula, the area of Kuwait we live in, isn’t walker friendly (we’re still in the process of getting roads and street lamps, and hopefully one day in the near future we’ll get waterlines too), so it’s quite an effort to make it to any sort of destination. Add in the heat and the fact that I need to push my little lady and our Bob through sand, construction sites, piles of trash, and groups of stray animals, and it makes for quite the adventure.