I am trying very hard to solidify and settle into a life here in Kuwait. Over the few days I have had several incidents that have rocked my foundation (which I won't get into now...).
Our division in the company went through a "restructuring" last week, one that in the coming month I am sure will change again as more H.O people join the team. Who we lost was our VP- and American who made going to the office each day fun and reminded all of us alittle of home. He was charasmatic and funny, but for personal reasons left the business. The mood in the office on thurs. was bleak and stressed. I'll be the first to admit that I felt worried for the stability of my life out here when the news was announced. I wondered if the company was really "on the rocks" and if our captain was jumping ship in response to some unknown coming storm. Coming back to work on Sunday, I felt the mood had shifted and that everyone was filled with a renewed sense of team effort.
The second thing that has happened came about because a great friend ( "E") from work told me about a fire at our local animal shelter. Kuwait people are not known for their love of animals or being up to fire code. An electrical fire distroyed a large animal shelter and killed 39 animals. The remaining animals who survived moved to temporary accomidations waiting to find foster homes. Those of you who know me well, know how important animals are in my life. I have always felt a draw to help rescue/adopt cats or dogs. "E" connected me with a woman from the Friends of the Animal league who needs volunteers for fundraising. I am very excited to be able to still participate in charity work while living here. The second part is that I am now a proud foster mom to "whisper"!! She's a shy, 4yr old Saluki who is scared of the "temp" kennel the rescues were staying in. She's incredibly freindly to people but is scared of cars-elevators-loud noise. I hope to teach her confidence and housetraining (!) while I have her.
Who knows maybe she'll teach me how to relax and stay awhile.
Good night- and wish me luck with my new found purpose.
March 29, 2010
March 22, 2010
I am still here...
Dust off the cobwebs of this Ol'blog. my apologies to all the curious friends and family out there who wondered why I stopped writing. This past month has been super busy over here.
We got the Dubai PBK up and running and the store is doing FANTASTIC sales results! A shout out to jenny and her team in Dubai for overcoming some big challenges prior to the March 16th grand opening. I travelled to Dubai on Feb26th and my first impression of the Mirdif City Centre (mall) was that we were literally lost in the desert with about 2000 migrant workers. I had to wear safety gear (hard hat, and vest) up until March 15th. I will post photos in the coming days of the mall and the store
In addition to the Mirdif opening my management team started so I had that on my mind too. 2 of my 5 team has joined (the other 3 are awaiting work permits). No one warned us about just how lengthy and complicated the "visa" process is. This job has been extremely rewarding and challenging.
I can honestly say I like Kuwait. I missed it while in Dubai..I even refered to it as "home" while in conversation. Strange how quickly a person can settle into a new life 1/2 way around the world.
I missed canada when the WSI Team came to help set up the Mirdif store. Pam, my old manager from Canada, was one of the people selected to help us get the store ready. She filled me in on everything about friends and the city and I felt "homesick" for the first time here. It actually put me into a funk during the store opening. I also had a chance to talk over skype to my 2 closest friends and THEY made me miss Canada too! I felt as if at any moment I could just step outside my apartment and meet them at the Second Cup for coffee. The earliest I will see any of them is August- heart breaking!
Thats enough of my ramblings, nest time I promise a more composed entry. Just letting everyone know I miss them!
We got the Dubai PBK up and running and the store is doing FANTASTIC sales results! A shout out to jenny and her team in Dubai for overcoming some big challenges prior to the March 16th grand opening. I travelled to Dubai on Feb26th and my first impression of the Mirdif City Centre (mall) was that we were literally lost in the desert with about 2000 migrant workers. I had to wear safety gear (hard hat, and vest) up until March 15th. I will post photos in the coming days of the mall and the store
In addition to the Mirdif opening my management team started so I had that on my mind too. 2 of my 5 team has joined (the other 3 are awaiting work permits). No one warned us about just how lengthy and complicated the "visa" process is. This job has been extremely rewarding and challenging.
I can honestly say I like Kuwait. I missed it while in Dubai..I even refered to it as "home" while in conversation. Strange how quickly a person can settle into a new life 1/2 way around the world.
I missed canada when the WSI Team came to help set up the Mirdif store. Pam, my old manager from Canada, was one of the people selected to help us get the store ready. She filled me in on everything about friends and the city and I felt "homesick" for the first time here. It actually put me into a funk during the store opening. I also had a chance to talk over skype to my 2 closest friends and THEY made me miss Canada too! I felt as if at any moment I could just step outside my apartment and meet them at the Second Cup for coffee. The earliest I will see any of them is August- heart breaking!
Thats enough of my ramblings, nest time I promise a more composed entry. Just letting everyone know I miss them!
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