School, House of Mirrors, Souk

Sunday
Today was the beginning of the work week for Laura, so she was up early, leaving the apartment about 6.15 - they get taken to school by school bus! She had arranged for us to go in about 10.30, so we were able to meet her class and sit in for half an hour or so, before her co-teacher took the students on break and then on to a different class, giving Laura the opportunity to give us a full tour of the school! As my top blip shows, the school is five years old, covers kindergarten through high school in different sections, and as you would imagine uses the latest technology. It’s located in a still-developing area of the city - in fact there is building currently going on right across the street. As you can see the classrooms are light and spacious, the kindergarten classrooms particularly impressive, including a full kitchen, and a wonderful reading nook area with a raised platform and space underneath with cushions. I loved the painted stairwells, each one with a different theme! The school has two adjacent pools, a small one for those lower school kids who can’t swim or are still learning, and a full size one, which Laura is able to use after school a couple of days a week. They of course have a big gym/basketball court, with a track on a balcony around the perimeter. On the roof, underneath the canopy is a soccer field and another basketball court. We got to meet the founder and director, a woman, but unfortunately didn’t get to meet the head of lower school, as she was tied up with a meeting or parents the whole time. I was able to get several photos of Laura with er class, but it would be inappropriate for me to share them on social media, so I just chose a picture of Laura in her classroom. A fascinating morning offering us a closer glimpse into Laura’s world. Afterwards we tried to get a taxi to the Scientific Centre - Laura explained it wasn’t the best area to be trying to get a taxi from, but suggested we might be lucky if we walked up to the next intersection, however, we weren’t in luck, so ended up returning to the school, and calling Laura’s regular driver, which then ended up costing us more, as he is based in Mboulah, where Laura’s apartment is. On the way back to the school, we passed a juice bar, so thought we would have a juice while we were waiting. Unfortunately it got “lost in translation” and we ended up with an ice cream! At least the security guard at the school had pity on us and let us wait in the air-conditioned waiting area! We didn’t have too much time at the Scientific Centre, but long enough to see one of the IMAX movies, and a walk through the aquarium area. Next on our agenda was the Mirror House, and once again we had trouble getting a taxi, and even when we did, the driver didn’t know where it was, so Roger had to guide him using his phone! However, we finally made it, albeit a few minutes late - the house is still privately owned, so you have to make timed appointments. Having arrived, we could somewhat understand the taxi driver not knowing where it was, as it is basically a residential area in a non-descript area of town. Laura’s boss had kindly agreed to her leaving school a little early, leaving her class in the capable hands of her co-teacher, so she was able to join us. We only got to have a quick glance of the outside before going in, a white brick building with a great array of broken pieces of mirrors, forming collages depicting stars, butterflies, palms, planets and even calligraphy. Inside, almost every surface  - walls, ceilings, floors, benches, even a bathroom are decorated with mirror mosaics. The House of Mirrors belongs to Italian born Lidia al-Qattan, sculptor, jeweler and a painter, who was married to Khalifa al-Qattan, a renowned Kuwaiti artist, now deceased, and it is Lidia who gives the tour, explaining how she began. Their little daughter, Jalila, had broken a mirror and the superstitious  belief held that keeping a broken mirror at home would bring misfortune to the family. But for Lidia these pieces of broken glass inspired her to create something artistic and from the fragments she made a piece of glass art which was appreciated by Mr. Khalifa after returning from his business trip, and he encouraged her to continue. Lidia and her daughter greet their guests in the front room, with tea and cake (very welcome since we had skipped lunch!), while they give their introductory talk. She then shows you round the house, occasionally rambling off into little discourses about astrology or sociology! She’s obviously an extremely intelligent and well-read woman, but is getting somewhat eccentric in her advanced years! Upstairs was a little less interesting, as it largely featured her late husbands work, which for the most part didn’t appeal to me, and the tour was taking far longer than we had imagined, so when another group explained they needed to leave as they were going to a concert, we made our excuses too! We then made our way to the Soukh area (top right) a rabbit warren like area of alleys, where you could buy just about anything - food, fabrics, housewares etc. we had a little wander round, then got something to eat - typical Middle Eastern fare. By now, it was time to head back, as Laura is up early in the morning, and we continue our travels to Dubai!
One year ago: New bridge