Kuwaiti print stories on our trip

Here are two links to Kuwaiti print media stories from the ASU Middle East Studies' group trip to the Middle East.


http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1854127&Language=en

http://www.kuwaittimes.net/read_news.php?newsid=NTk3ODg0MzQy

(Note: The Kuwaiti Times story got the attributations for Andy's and my quote mixed up. Easy to do though when you have an Andy and Andrew on the same trip!)

A busy two days

After a whistle-stop like two days in Kuwait visiting news agencies, fish markets, and a local aquarium, our time left in Kuwait is down to just one more day.

Saturday we visited the traditional market place including the smelly aromas from the local fish market.



Sunday we met with attaches at the U.S. Embassy in Kuwait City in the morning. We also toured Al-Waitan news agency which owns both mulitple print publications and also a television network. The network' student interest show showed interest in doing a report on our trip and scheduled an interview with us for Monday before we leave.

The Kuwait News Agency or KUNA did an interview with our group earlier in the week and has now posted its' story to their website. If you haven't seen it you can read it here.
http://www.kuna.net.kw/NewsAgenciesPublicSite/ArticleDetails.aspx?id=1854127&Language=en
The story is available for use by any media outlet.

Also on Sunday we were blessed with the opportunity to have a traditional Kuwaiti dinner at the house of Faheed, one of the GUST students we meet during the week. The cultural experience was one that we will never forget. Look for more on our night later.

Our schedule for Monday is fluid, but we plan to participate in a press conference in the morning, have lunch in the afternoon at the Kuwait Towers, and later interview with Al-Waitan before catching a little college recruiting fair in the evening before heading to the airport for our flight.

Thanks for reading and check back for even more about our trip to Kuwait.

Failaka Island!!!

I can't even begin to tell you how cool our trip to Failaka Island was today! There is so much history in one small space, which pretty much makes it one of the coolest places ever! I'm seriously thinking about writing a letter to the Discover Channel...

Ok not really, but it really was an awesome experience! Failaka Island is the oldest Kuwaiti area civilization (thanks Google!). It's located about 20km off of the mainland, which makes for about a 30 minute boat ride. During the Gulf War the Iraqis took over the island and used it as a military base. They pretty much cleared out all of the Kuwaiti people, and destroyed as much as they could. Failaka Island was then recaptured by allied forces, and Iraqis were pushed off. Very few people live there now, but it has become a huge tourist destination and a vacation spot for many Kuwaiti people.

We went on a bus tour around the island and had the chance to see exactly how much damage had been done. It was amazing and humbling both at the same time...if that is possible. There is one particular area where the bus stopped that showcased many of the Iraqi tanks and vehicles that were used during the war...that was an incredible thing to see!

The next stop on the bus tour was a camel farm (I guess it's considered a farm!). Not quite sure just exactly how many camels there were, but I'm sure it was in the hundreds. Coolest thing I have ever seen! I love camels. Oh, and did I mention that I GOT TO RIDE ONE!!! Seriously, a dream come true for me! I didn't ride it at the farm though, it was in the built-up area of the island. Anyway, most of these camels belong to the royal family. Camels are a symbol of power, and their meat is also considered a delicacy. Stephanie got some AMAZING pictures, that I can't wait to share with everyone!

After the camels we rode to the site of ancient Greek remains. There is a special museum, but unfortunately by the time we got there it was closed.

The next stop on the tour was what many Islamics believe is the gravesite of Joshua, the friend of Moses. Yes, the same Joshua and Moses of Christianity. Many believed that if they wanted something (health for a family member, etc.) that they must visit this grave, walk around it in a circle seven times, and make a sacrifice of some sort, in order for their "wish" to be fulfilled. The former Amir, however, decided this was pretty much nonsense and ordered for the gravesite to be destroyed. There is still a small area that remains, where a few people (Dr. Masoud says the crazy ones) visit to pray for something they desperately need.

Basically all we did after the tour was walk around the remodeled area of the island, I RODE A CAMEL, we drank tea, and rode the boat back to the mainland. That pretty much sums up the coolness of Failaka Island.

Hope everyone enjoyed their history lesson for the day! Thanks so much to Dr. Masoud Al-Kandari and our new friend Nasser for sharing this experience with us! What a great day!

More pictures from Kuwait

A view from the roof of our hotel, The Corniche in Kuwait City, Kuwait.



During our trip to Failaka Island (see more in below post) we toured a graveyard of military vehicles. Iraq controlled Failaka Island during the Gulf War after seizing it from Kuwait. Before the war 20,000 Kuwaiti's lived on the island, now it serves as a tourist area. Here is an Iraqi tank that was destroyed by a U.S. missile.



Later we met some camels just before sunset.



Saturday we are planning to visit an aquarium in Kuwait as well as make a trip to the fish market.

Don't forget to check for video updates from Kuwait and our trip to Failaka Island at www.asutv.com.

Failaka Island

Today we visited Failaka Island ... which is home to several old-style Kuwaiti houses, Iraqi tanks from the 1990 invasion, a camel ranch and many other interesting sites ...

Memorial Museum Turns Negative into Positive

So ... today we visited Kuwait University, had a great lunch then toured KUNA ... the Kuwait News Agency, similar to the AP ... and finished off the night, visiting a memorial museum dedicated to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in '92, walking through the biggest mall I've ever seen and a rockin' dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe (yeah it was cheesy I know ... just go with it) ...

The memorial museum was really amazing ... they opened and operate on donations and contributions and what they've done with such little money is really impressive ... they covered every aspect of the invasion including a brief history of Kuwait ... they also included a section on the capture of Saddam Hussein and they even have the head of the Hussein statue that the American soldiers pulled down in Iraq ...

Part of why we are here is to learn about the culture of Kuwait ... the history of a country or place is a major contributor to its culture ... to truly appreciate the Kuwaiti culture you first have to learn at least some of its history ... I think we were all affected by the museum ... and the effect it had on us will definitely influence the way we view Kuwait and its traditions