Today was quite the cultural experience. We began with a tour of the Grand Mosque. It is an awe-inspiring monumental structure. It was built in 1986 and is the largest mosque in the country. Our tour guide was very gracious, kind, and knowledgeable about Kuwait and Islam. The Mosque can host thousands of people at a time in the main prayer hall which we spent a good hour inside. I was able to visit the pulpit area where the Imam speaks to worshipers. This was only the second mosque that I have ever visited, the other being the Islamic Center of Jonesboro. While the two are very different in size and decor, the basics are the same. Contrasted with the pew filled halls of Christian churches, mosque prayer halls are usually empty carpeted rooms. The carpet in the Grand Mosque was very detailed and actually designed with box-shaped areas designated for each person who comes to kneel and pray.
Our guide said that the Emir of Kuwait visits the mosque several times a year for big events, but that you can find other members of the royal family and notable members of government among the crowd on any given day. The guide told us about the careers of Imams. An Imam is similar to a pastor. Our guide said that all Imams are viewed equally, but that individuals with the best voices, grasp of knowledge about Islam, and charismatic personalities will be chosen to become Imams of major mosques such as the one we visited today. Our guide also said that anyone can be an informal Imam, as Muslims need to pray several times a day, if they are together in a group, people will usually pick the oldest person to lead the prayer at the time. I have several photos in the slideshow.
After the visit of the Grand Mosque we went to the Dickson Cultural Center which is a house-turned-museum. The Dickson Center was one the home of H.R.P. Dickson and his wife. Dickson was an Englishman who spent several decades in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East. After his wife passed away, their house was renovated and turned into a cultural center. Walking around the house reminded me of my visits to Ernest Hemingway's home in Key West as well as Robert E. Lee's home in Arlington. Throughout our first few days here sights and sounds have reminded me of most of my previous travels. I'm not very well-traveled, but I have found contrasts and similarities between Kuwait and other places I've visited. Driving through Kuwait City during the day time, seeing the palm trees, sand, beach houses and feeling the heat reminded me of southern California, but it's obvious that the two are very different. At night the billboards, street vendors, shopkeepers, and large crowds moving about reminded me of canal street in New Orleans. While there is not a Krystal Burger, there is Starbucks, McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts, and several other American chains on the street that our hotel is located on.
After touring the Dickson Center we spent a good amount of time in a local market where we visited several different booths and shops. Some of our group bought scarves, watches, and other items. I didn’t find anything that I wanted to purchase as I'm in pursuit of the perfect souvenir. Kuwait's dinar is more valuable than the American dollar as well, and I'm not wanting to spend all of my money in the first few days. However, there were several shops that had interesting things for sale. If you want to dress in full traditional garb, you can visit one of those local markets and find all of the clothes you need. While clothing, toys, and merchandise was interesting to look at, the fresh food and meat is what I will remember. It's hard to forget some of those sights, sounds, and smells. Today was the first time I believe I've ever seen some of the large fresh hides and carcasses of animals other than deer or squirrel. On a lighter note, the fruits and vegetables looked delicious and I'm sure we will return to grab some later at the "Friday market". We also bought some fresh local candy and it was great, and likely the first time I've had candy different from Mentos or Altoids in over a year.
We had lunch outside. We ate at one of the food vendors near the market, and sat outside at a large outdoor food court. We had Kabobs, salad, hummus and bread, and of course Coca-cola. After lunch we drove around for a bit with Ali Najim, who is one of our guides from GUST and also the number 1 radio host in Kuwait and the gulf region. His show is extremely popular and he boasts about 200,000 Twitter followers and 100,000 Instagram followers. In fact, we will be appearing on his radio show early next week and playing some of our favorite 90's throwback songs so I will have to decide what I want to pick. I'm leaning right now toward Third Eye Blind but I may pick a Weezer tune in the heat of the moment.
Later in the evening we visited the Marina mall for the first time. The mall has every major clothing store you'd find at a mall in the U.S. but there are several unique high-end retail stores as well. There's nothing wrong with a little window shopping.
Tomorrow we will visit KUNA, Kuwait News Agency, GUST’s graduation ceremony, and also join a Skype conference call with a group back in Jonesboro at Arkansas State. The visit with KUNA will be our first visit to a media institution in Kuwait, which is the basis of our trip. We did tour the radio and television studios that GUST students use but it was empty at the time. KUNA should be bustling and busy on an early Tuesday morning so I am excited to see how a newsroom operates here in the Persian Gulf.
There are several photos from today in the slideshow below. Some were taken by iPhone, others by a Nikon digital camera.
Our guide said that the Emir of Kuwait visits the mosque several times a year for big events, but that you can find other members of the royal family and notable members of government among the crowd on any given day. The guide told us about the careers of Imams. An Imam is similar to a pastor. Our guide said that all Imams are viewed equally, but that individuals with the best voices, grasp of knowledge about Islam, and charismatic personalities will be chosen to become Imams of major mosques such as the one we visited today. Our guide also said that anyone can be an informal Imam, as Muslims need to pray several times a day, if they are together in a group, people will usually pick the oldest person to lead the prayer at the time. I have several photos in the slideshow.
After the visit of the Grand Mosque we went to the Dickson Cultural Center which is a house-turned-museum. The Dickson Center was one the home of H.R.P. Dickson and his wife. Dickson was an Englishman who spent several decades in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and the Middle East. After his wife passed away, their house was renovated and turned into a cultural center. Walking around the house reminded me of my visits to Ernest Hemingway's home in Key West as well as Robert E. Lee's home in Arlington. Throughout our first few days here sights and sounds have reminded me of most of my previous travels. I'm not very well-traveled, but I have found contrasts and similarities between Kuwait and other places I've visited. Driving through Kuwait City during the day time, seeing the palm trees, sand, beach houses and feeling the heat reminded me of southern California, but it's obvious that the two are very different. At night the billboards, street vendors, shopkeepers, and large crowds moving about reminded me of canal street in New Orleans. While there is not a Krystal Burger, there is Starbucks, McDonald's, KFC, Pizza Hut, Dunkin Donuts, and several other American chains on the street that our hotel is located on.
After touring the Dickson Center we spent a good amount of time in a local market where we visited several different booths and shops. Some of our group bought scarves, watches, and other items. I didn’t find anything that I wanted to purchase as I'm in pursuit of the perfect souvenir. Kuwait's dinar is more valuable than the American dollar as well, and I'm not wanting to spend all of my money in the first few days. However, there were several shops that had interesting things for sale. If you want to dress in full traditional garb, you can visit one of those local markets and find all of the clothes you need. While clothing, toys, and merchandise was interesting to look at, the fresh food and meat is what I will remember. It's hard to forget some of those sights, sounds, and smells. Today was the first time I believe I've ever seen some of the large fresh hides and carcasses of animals other than deer or squirrel. On a lighter note, the fruits and vegetables looked delicious and I'm sure we will return to grab some later at the "Friday market". We also bought some fresh local candy and it was great, and likely the first time I've had candy different from Mentos or Altoids in over a year.
We had lunch outside. We ate at one of the food vendors near the market, and sat outside at a large outdoor food court. We had Kabobs, salad, hummus and bread, and of course Coca-cola. After lunch we drove around for a bit with Ali Najim, who is one of our guides from GUST and also the number 1 radio host in Kuwait and the gulf region. His show is extremely popular and he boasts about 200,000 Twitter followers and 100,000 Instagram followers. In fact, we will be appearing on his radio show early next week and playing some of our favorite 90's throwback songs so I will have to decide what I want to pick. I'm leaning right now toward Third Eye Blind but I may pick a Weezer tune in the heat of the moment.
Later in the evening we visited the Marina mall for the first time. The mall has every major clothing store you'd find at a mall in the U.S. but there are several unique high-end retail stores as well. There's nothing wrong with a little window shopping.
Tomorrow we will visit KUNA, Kuwait News Agency, GUST’s graduation ceremony, and also join a Skype conference call with a group back in Jonesboro at Arkansas State. The visit with KUNA will be our first visit to a media institution in Kuwait, which is the basis of our trip. We did tour the radio and television studios that GUST students use but it was empty at the time. KUNA should be bustling and busy on an early Tuesday morning so I am excited to see how a newsroom operates here in the Persian Gulf.
There are several photos from today in the slideshow below. Some were taken by iPhone, others by a Nikon digital camera.