Kuwait

The Darnells hosted a second wedding reception for Allan and me, this one in Southern California to include their friends who couldn’t travel to the ceremony in my hometown in Northern California. This is where I first met the middle eastern community. The beautiful women gave me affectionate and flowery complements. I thought these amazing complements were offered because I was a bride, but they continue to this day.

I recognize these sweet words and lovely women in the Kuwaiti television programs available on Netflix. I started with Juman, the Romeo and Juliet of Kuwait. I skimmed through In the Bosom of a Thorn and My Pride. I particularly enjoyed The Terminal due to some interesting character choices (there is more than one series on Netflix called The Terminal, so look for the Kuwaiti one). I will admit that after all these dramas in which women strive for equality, Allan and I hopped over to Egypt to watch The Last of the Schmucks (also on Netflix) where the struggle between men and women takes an unexpected and hilarious turn.

To recognize Kuwaiti artists and writers who take women and minority issues more seriously, I recommend:

· The art and story of Thuraya Al-Baqsami: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=672qokUJUmg

· The creation of Suzan Bushnaq’s art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLsrfsGPfhQ

· A review of Suzan Bushnaq’s art: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVzuIXS4GZY

· An interview with Mona Kareem: https://www.wordswithoutborders.org/dispatches/article/the-feminist-novel-is-on-the-rise-in-the-arab-gulf-an-interview-with-mona-k

· Representative poems by Mona Kareem: https://arablit.org/2019/06/07/friday-finds-13-poems-by-mona-kareem/

· The Old Woman and the River by Ismail Fahd Ismail

I also found several historical works that gave me a lot to appreciate and enjoy in Kuwait. First, I time-traveled to the 1930s to sail with Alan Villiers as he joined a Kuwaiti expedition down the coast of Africa and back. This trip taught me about both Arab sailing practices and about the concerns and ideas of Villiers’ Kuwaiti crewmates and the Kuwaiti traders with whom they worked. Villiers described his voyage in The Sons of Sinbad. The excitement of the last leg of the journey when they race to their homeland through the Persian Gulf is beautiful. I found The Sons of Sinbad in Open Library. Each loan period is for an hour and when the hour is up, you can click on the "Borrow Again" button: https://openlibrary.org/works/OL4540956W/Sons_of_Sinbad

Another historical work, the series The Prize is fascinating as it reviews the history of oil as outlined in Daniel Yergin’s book of the same name. The episode that explains the twenty-year-long history leading to Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait is “The Tinderbox.” I watched it on Kanopy. It is also available on Amazon and here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_proohDhmI

I chose one more historical work which Allan and I watched together. Fires of Kuwait on Hulu is beautifully filmed (it’s an Imax movie) and amazing in what the fire fighters accomplished.

I found several fun musical resources from Kuwait:

· A festival called Gergean in Kuwait where children sing for treats: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvXRhcoBAxY

· A children’s choir: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1p79z-FZ_s

· Traditional Arabic music from Kuwait: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn-8v9n9Zu4

Episode 3 of My Greatest Dishes on Amazon Prime includes a recipe from Ollie Dabbous’ childhood in Kuwait and here are three other recipes I want to try:

· The National Dish of Kuwait: https://nationalfoods.org/recipe/national-dish-of-kuwait-machboos/

· A fish recipe because I am trying so hard to be pescatarian! http://www.artopedia.com/kitchen/Mutabbaq%20Samak.html

· Cake and a good blog https://amiraspantry.com/kwaiti-gers-ogili/

Ten of the best things to do in Kuwait are listed here https://www.roadaffair.com/best-things-to-do-in-kuwait/ and yes, it would be so much fun to go! I am looking forward to a time when we can travel again and hoping we all survive, thrive, recognize our mutual humanity, learn to deal with our conflicts, and allow peace and health to flourish in Kuwait and throughout the world.

Photo Credit: Hamad M https://www.flickr.com/photos/meshal/32387696137/