Day 8 - Kuwait
It seems I've developed a daily routine which flows pretty well. I start by turning off the beeping alarm clock at 4:30am and rolling over. I then spring out of bed at around 5:27am at the sound of an incoming Skype call from Basma. We chat for about 45 minutes before I get ready to walk out the door for the day. I have an OPEC breakfast (Omelet, Pastry, Emulated bacon made from turkey and Cereal) before making the 25-minute drive down to work. Class runs smoothly, during which time I consume about 6 or 7 half-litre bottles of water. There is a sign in my classroom that strongly encourages me to drink a bottle every hour, but I let one go because of the lunch smoothie.
Ah, the smoothie. Just when you thought you heard the last of my liquid lunch, here we go again. I finally figured out how to have a sand-free smoothie for lunch: I don't take it outside. Today, I sat down by the counter and drank it while watching a cricket match between India and Sri Lanka. Now cricket is about as interesting to the untrained spectator (me) as baseball is to the casual observer. In fact an American sitting nearby made a comment, "I wonder what's more interesting - watching this or T-ball." To which I replied, "I usually have a stake in the T-ball game."
After class I wander past a shop or two before heading back to the hotel. On my way I'll grab dinner from a restaurant, head up to my room and check e-mail. I grab a book and read until I can't read anymore.
Tonight I remembered that my car is low on gas. So I tossed a book in my backpack and headed out to the car. As I stepped outside I noticed heavy traffic and cars circling the parking lot looking for a space. There were extra guards directing traffic in areas I'd not seen them previously. Then it hit me - today is Friday, which is the "off" day here in Kuwait. Most people don't work, and instead use the day to catch up on shopping, socializing and cruising. So I knew better than to try to go out tonight and lose my parking space. Instead I went back into the hotel to the Song Bird Cafe where I treated myself to a slice of layered chocolate cake with cream cheese filling and chopped hazelnuts and a cup of green tea. It was quite the complement to Charles Feinberg's book, Millennialism - The Two Major Views. As I sat there luxuriating in the rich cake and the richer book, I couldn't help but notice the ambience - Kenny G being piped in softly over the speakers, tobacco smoke from the group of men at the table directly behind me, tables filled with chatter in several different languages.
In the opening pages of his book Dr. Feinberg made a compelling argument for the literal interpretation of the Bible. He observed that if God could simply speak creation into existence, why would the literal meaning of his words escape in subsequent utterances? Now as Dr. Feinberg cautions, a literal approach doesn't preclude the understanding of imagery and allegory when it is presented as such. Rather, the literal approach is the one that best respects the author's intent. I certainly can't imagine anyone allegorizing this blog entry, and good luck if you try. So the easiest and most consistent way to approach the Bible is to read it at face value. If God were trying to hide himself, then any revelation would have to be self-defeating. So the fact that God has spoken means that God is interested in making himself known using the words that we have today.
After reading that opening section, I had no idea how quickly those thoughts would come back to me.
I paid for my tea and cake, and headed back up to the room. No sooner did I arrive than my phone rang. It was the cashier back at the cafe. Apparently I left my backpack at my table. I hurried down to reclaim it, all the while contemplating the promises of God, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," and, "My God shall supply all your needs according to his glorious riches." I picked up my backpack and, at the urging of the cafe staff, checked to ensure the contents were as I had left them. I smiled and said there wasn't much of value in the bag except for two items. And as I reached into the bag, I pulled out my passport and the vehicle registration of my rental car.
Some might be thinking, "Well of course nobody would steal your bag - they'd cut off their hand!" First, that happens in Saudi Arabia and I'm in Kuwait. Second, US passports are worth quite a bit on the black market. Third, not that anybody would have to steal it but if it were turned in and locked away it could have been a long time before I was reunited with it. Suffice to say, God knew my need was to retrieve my back quickly with all its contents. And he did it in a simple yet effective way. It gave me an additional opportunity to interact with the staff and thank them for their attentiveness.
I don't want to miss the significance of that last statement. You see, unlike the "politically correct" world of the West, here things are as they are. There is a pecking order of sorts, and those on the bottom of it are reminded of their standing by people who take them for granted and extend them no courtesy whatsoever. I have observed that my simple smiles and words of "Thank you" generate a far more enthusiastic response than what I've seen towards those who can't do that. Yes, my parents brought me up with manners. But they also taught me the importance of God's love, and that it should flow through to touch the lives of others.
Tomorrow is Saturday, and I am teaching again. I'll be teaching every third Saturday in my time here, and that's OK. So I'm going to bed because, as my father says, "The bed doesn't come to you."
Ah, the smoothie. Just when you thought you heard the last of my liquid lunch, here we go again. I finally figured out how to have a sand-free smoothie for lunch: I don't take it outside. Today, I sat down by the counter and drank it while watching a cricket match between India and Sri Lanka. Now cricket is about as interesting to the untrained spectator (me) as baseball is to the casual observer. In fact an American sitting nearby made a comment, "I wonder what's more interesting - watching this or T-ball." To which I replied, "I usually have a stake in the T-ball game."
After class I wander past a shop or two before heading back to the hotel. On my way I'll grab dinner from a restaurant, head up to my room and check e-mail. I grab a book and read until I can't read anymore.
Tonight I remembered that my car is low on gas. So I tossed a book in my backpack and headed out to the car. As I stepped outside I noticed heavy traffic and cars circling the parking lot looking for a space. There were extra guards directing traffic in areas I'd not seen them previously. Then it hit me - today is Friday, which is the "off" day here in Kuwait. Most people don't work, and instead use the day to catch up on shopping, socializing and cruising. So I knew better than to try to go out tonight and lose my parking space. Instead I went back into the hotel to the Song Bird Cafe where I treated myself to a slice of layered chocolate cake with cream cheese filling and chopped hazelnuts and a cup of green tea. It was quite the complement to Charles Feinberg's book, Millennialism - The Two Major Views. As I sat there luxuriating in the rich cake and the richer book, I couldn't help but notice the ambience - Kenny G being piped in softly over the speakers, tobacco smoke from the group of men at the table directly behind me, tables filled with chatter in several different languages.
In the opening pages of his book Dr. Feinberg made a compelling argument for the literal interpretation of the Bible. He observed that if God could simply speak creation into existence, why would the literal meaning of his words escape in subsequent utterances? Now as Dr. Feinberg cautions, a literal approach doesn't preclude the understanding of imagery and allegory when it is presented as such. Rather, the literal approach is the one that best respects the author's intent. I certainly can't imagine anyone allegorizing this blog entry, and good luck if you try. So the easiest and most consistent way to approach the Bible is to read it at face value. If God were trying to hide himself, then any revelation would have to be self-defeating. So the fact that God has spoken means that God is interested in making himself known using the words that we have today.
After reading that opening section, I had no idea how quickly those thoughts would come back to me.
I paid for my tea and cake, and headed back up to the room. No sooner did I arrive than my phone rang. It was the cashier back at the cafe. Apparently I left my backpack at my table. I hurried down to reclaim it, all the while contemplating the promises of God, "I will never leave you nor forsake you," and, "My God shall supply all your needs according to his glorious riches." I picked up my backpack and, at the urging of the cafe staff, checked to ensure the contents were as I had left them. I smiled and said there wasn't much of value in the bag except for two items. And as I reached into the bag, I pulled out my passport and the vehicle registration of my rental car.
Some might be thinking, "Well of course nobody would steal your bag - they'd cut off their hand!" First, that happens in Saudi Arabia and I'm in Kuwait. Second, US passports are worth quite a bit on the black market. Third, not that anybody would have to steal it but if it were turned in and locked away it could have been a long time before I was reunited with it. Suffice to say, God knew my need was to retrieve my back quickly with all its contents. And he did it in a simple yet effective way. It gave me an additional opportunity to interact with the staff and thank them for their attentiveness.
I don't want to miss the significance of that last statement. You see, unlike the "politically correct" world of the West, here things are as they are. There is a pecking order of sorts, and those on the bottom of it are reminded of their standing by people who take them for granted and extend them no courtesy whatsoever. I have observed that my simple smiles and words of "Thank you" generate a far more enthusiastic response than what I've seen towards those who can't do that. Yes, my parents brought me up with manners. But they also taught me the importance of God's love, and that it should flow through to touch the lives of others.
Tomorrow is Saturday, and I am teaching again. I'll be teaching every third Saturday in my time here, and that's OK. So I'm going to bed because, as my father says, "The bed doesn't come to you."
