I have been back in Kuwait for a week now, and it seems already like I never left.  It's amazing to go so far from home (St Marys) and feel like I have come home too.  While I was home Kuwait was so far away that it seemed sort of like a sandy dream I had once,  and from here, it's hard to remember that people are living "normal", non-desert lives at home. 

Being in the Middle East has brought some of the global issues that I was peripherally aware of much closer to home (both geographically and metaphorically).  The current fighting in Gaza is a very hot topic around here.  The official stance of most Muslim Arabic countries is in support of Palestine.  In fact, when I teach here under Minsitry of Education guidelines, I refer to Israel as Occupied Palestine.  Students and their families take the issue very seriously, and many have personal, emotional ties to its outcome.

It is sometimes difficult to answer questions that students ask me, knowing that there is an "official" answer, and an answer that I would give as their teacher if we were in Canada.  I sometimes struggle with trying to have respect for the customs, beliefs and traditions of Kuwait, while at the same time considering providing information that students are asking for that may contradict official information.  It's a fine line to tread, and I hope I am doing it well.

So dear students, while you are grinding your teeth over all the information that you have to cram in while studying for exams, consider the benefits of access to all that information, without anyone to tell you what you can and cannot learn.

Miss Jewson