Day 26: The End

If you had told me 2 years ago - before I started college - that I would be spending a month in the Middle East studying politics and oil at this point in my life, I would have been seriously doubtful. I had no idea that I would become so interested in learning about the Arab World, but I couldn't be happier with where life has taken me this past month. Although I'm so happy to be home (after a long, tiring journey across the Atlantic), I miss Kuwait and my new friends already. 

Although I could probably write a small novel reflecting on my experiences abroad, I know that anyone reading this right now probably doesn't want that. So instead, I'll leave you with a couple of my favorite memories, as well as some lessons I learned during this past extraordinary month:

Highlights:

• The Old Souk (all 3 times we went!): By far my favorite place in Kuwait.
• Dune Bashing: the sickest thing I've ever done, and something I'll never forget.
• Men's Diwaniyya: Our first introduction to the massive wealth that is everywhere in Kuwait, and  to the diwaniyya, one of the centers of Kuwaiti life.
• Women's Diwaniyya: A girl's night full of new friends!
• Burj Khalifa: Being able to say I've been to the top of the tallest building in the world is pretty cool, not to mention the incredible view of Dubai. 
• Kuwait National Assembly: I don't think you would be able to just walk in to the National Assembly and speak to members of parliament in many other countries.
• The Grand Mosque: My first time in a mosque was a unique cultural experience that I'll always remember.
• Al Jazeera: Being able to experience this incredibly influential news station (both Al Jazeera English and Arabic) firsthand was too cool. 
• Jumeirah Beach: A horrible sunburn, but a beautiful day swimming in the gorgeous, warm Arabian Gulf with my friends. 
• Zumba: Doing Zumba for the first time was crazy enough, but being able to see Kuwaiti women in another realm was eye-opening. 

Lessons Learned:

• The Gulf is vastly different from the rest of the Middle East. The culture of oil and wealth separates it so much from the other Arab countries.
• Kuwait is extremely westernized in many respects - but then not, in many others. 
• Most people I encountered loved Americans and were interested in speaking with us. 
• The Middle East is a region full of kind and open people and rich culture, and I cannot wait to go back. 

Before I sign off for the final time, I'll leave you with some new pictures from the last few days of the trip:

Group photo with Bader!

Kuwaitis

Final Kuwaiti dinner

Group photo with Mahesh, one our bus drivers and one
of the nicest guys I have ever met!

Group photo with Shoukri, the manager at the Holiday
Inn Salmiya who made us feel so at home this past month!

For those of you who have kept up with my blog throughout this past month, thank you! I hope that you enjoyed following my experiences through the Gulf. My next trip abroad will be a semester in London next Spring at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS). Stay tuned!