Day 22: Kuwait Oil Company

So, the group made the Arab Times today, as well as numerous other newspapers for our appearance at the National Assembly yesterday. I'm trying to secure some papers to bring home, because it's pretty cool to open the paper and see myself on the 4th page! 

As I mentioned in my last post, today the group went to visit Kuwait Oil Company (KOC). I was excited, but unfortunately a little let down by the experience. We drove 45 minutes to the oil town of Ahmadi, but it seemed as if no one was expecting our arrival. We had a short, impromptu tour of an exhibit about KOC, which was neat:

Kuwait Oil Company (KOC)

Thanking the countries that assisted Kuwait in
ending the Iraqi occupation

Me, Maya, and Dana

Unfortunately, that was pretty much it. We drove by some of the oil fields and stopped for ice cream on the way back to the hotel. We've run into this a lot during our trip, and although at times I've been frustrated, I think I'm starting to understand that this is just the way things are in Kuwait. Every experience can depend a lot on who we are greeted by and whether or not they are really interested in explaining something or showing us around. 

We took the afternoon to finish our research proposals, and were rewarded, if you will, with a dinner tonight at another Kuwaiti home; this time, at the home of a member of the Al-Sabah family, the ruling family of Kuwait. It was an unbelievably beautiful home - I still can't get over that people actually live in these places. We had delicious Indian food, something we haven't had yet during the trip. There was great conversation all around, as usual!

I've officially been in Kuwait for 3 weeks - I can't believe it. In some ways, I can't believe the trip is coming to an end, but in other ways, it feels like we've been here for months. So strange!