September 10th, 2017 I landed in Kuwait City. Exhausted, carrying more luggage than one person should be able to hold, and nervous but surprisingly calm.
A year ago I was in a rush, desperately trying to get my work visa back to me, constantly emailing the school, them sending me a flight with a 48 hour notice to when I'd have to say so long and begin a very new chapter of my life.
Last September felt like your heart beat when you've run just a bit faster than you usually do and you're trying to make the whole mile without having to walk over the finish line. I remember driving myself to the airport on the 9th, leaving the car in the lot, taking the shuttle to the airport, and patiently waiting to get through security. When I sat down with my last round of Dunkin'in my lap, my luggage strewn around me, and everyone just living their own life without any idea that I was about to get on a plane with the Middle East as my final destination....that's when I finally felt relaxed. I should have felt anxious maybe, scared even, but I wasn't. To be honest partly because all I had to do for the next 24 hours was sit, eat, sleep, and hopefully watch a few good movies.
Even landing in the chaos of the Kuwait Airport after the cool, calm, and collected layover in Doha, Qatar, and wondering if my bags were as luckily as I was to have made the 9000 mile journey (they were), I was okay.
Sure, the chaos ensued once more as I scrambled to figure out what branch I was working in, leaving school almost every day to sort through all the final paper work with HR since I was over 2 weeks late. It is no surprise that Kuwait was similar to a brand new houses, the foundation shifting those first four months, attempting to settle and feel solid.
Coming back to Kuwait this year felt completely different. I walked into my apartment exhausted, but with a put together space, I unpacked and was able to crawl into a bed already made. I did not wake up in confusion at 3am to the call to pray from a near by mosque and instead slept straight through to the next morning ready to actually attend orientation.
The list goes on and on but as I'm getting close to already being back in Kuwait a month I've been able to appreciate the reasons why I'm looking forward to the year ahead. My school is just a quick walk (and a quicker bike ride) from my flat and I've moved from teaching early years (4/5 year olds) to primary school. Not only that but last year after much heckling and insider pestering I was asked if I wanted to teach music this year to which I replied with an enthusiastic of course! Even two weeks in I can't explain how refreshing it is to teach music. I made time for it last year and now it's what I do and I'm happy to feel that I still love it and have been loving teaching my new students.
Gaelic football has begun, training is outside because we're sadists trying to create the perfect scenario to obtain data on how many ounces of sweat per hour we can produce per unit of ten unsuspecting individuals at a time. In truth it's been great to get back into it, Gaelic was one of the most important things I joined last year, it truly added and supported my positive experience so far in Kuwait.
Other than that Kuwait is, Kuwait. It's airport makes you want to scream, cry, or my personal favorite: lay down on the luggage belt and wonder if they'll put you back on the plane to Doha and their calming airport. The weather is hot, dusty, and it's always a realization that you're wearing full length jeans and a cardigan in 110 degree weather.
Everything will continue to unfold and settle but I've enjoyed getting to press play on this part of my life after a few wonderful months in the states with my family and friends (new and old). To everyone in the Northeast I desperately request that you enjoy the start of Fall, drink some cider, knit a scarf, fall in some leaves, pick a pumpkin, etc.
Until next time!
~Ms. O'Leary, Primary School Music