Reunited and it feels so gooooood....

Group 2: We were split from the beginning. One group traveled a whole week ahead of us. But were destined to meet with our counterparts halfway across the globe. Our only obstacle: the two most tiring flights ever. Our first flight: American Airlines to London. The five and a half hour flight was but a short memory as we each fell right asleep in a nearly empty airplane. When we arrived in London, however, our six hour layover would not be so pleasant. After Randall had to double bag the counselor packs Deena gave him, and after our run in with the seemingly toothpick-like Diet Coke bottles, we decided to get some breakfast at Garfunkle's in the airport. Little did we know that a British breakfast was far from, as Rami put it, a Denny's Grand Slam. The meal concluded with Ali and Ayah's fascination with sugar packets. But then, we were soon on our way to Dubai. We got on our overbooked, eight and a half hour flight. After dealing with crying babies, sarcastic flight attendants, etc. we finally landed in Dubai. The sight of swanky hotels, ENORMOUS skyscrapers, and the amazing sights that are Dubai overtook our senses. We made it to our hotel on Jumeirah beach, met up with Group 1 (G(ulf)-Unit....yeah, I know....) and we were reunited at last. But as we frantically ran to check our email, we realized that sleep for the next two weeks would have to be done away with. Presentation, press conference, alumni dessert, and much more lie ahead for tomorrow.

Group 1:
Last day in Kuwait.
Ahh...sleep. Such a luxury. Unfortuanately, May and Nadia got a little less of it than they would have liked, but so it goes. The two girls woke up for breakfast with Ahmad and Fatemah, seniors who applied to Harvard from Al-Bayan School (Khaled's old school...props to him). Talking over lots and lots of coffee, we were not only pleasantly surprised with the overly friendly demeanor of our company, but fascinated with the intricacies of Kuwaiti government and society that were explained to us. For example, there's a huge number of Kuwaitis who are born without citizenship either because of low-class standing or sometimes by chance, which means that these bedoun cannot hold jobs or even go to school, let alone be voting members of society; in one case, 4 bedoun siblings registered for school under the name of their cousin after he passed away, having not reported his death to the government. But don't get the idea that the Kuwaiti government is some backwards, uncaring body-- although it is not a democracy (there was actually a heated issue about the Emir's successor that climaxed during our stay, which I think we talked about in an earlier blog), citizens have access to free education through college, free healthcare, government stipends for child expenses for each new baby, a 2,000 KD and 2,000 KD interest-free loan upon marriage (over$13,000), and a 70,000 KD interest-free loan for housing purchases (about $240,000).

Fatemah and Ahmad really impressed us with their knowledge about the social problems of the country as well as a glimpse into the insider life of a teenager in Kuwait. We talked about their essays, extracirriculars we participate in, and really just enjoyed meeting them. Really, really ;)

Then the four of us went to an *amazing* persian restaurant (and this is coming from someone who generally dislikes persian food) and talked with two really nice women May had been contacting throught planning for this trip. We discussed, again, the society and government of the country-- the four of us really trying to get a feel for the "real" Kuwait in our short time there, and after many unsucessful attempts to get Deena to try the most amazing fish and shrimp ever, we had to RUSH to the airport. We made it *just* in time, but luckily, our flight was delayed half an hour, which was perfect. Nadia was mistaken for an Iraqi (probably from talking to Deena too much), and we got yelled at for taking pictures at our gate (to be posted...don't worry), but we, despite our thematic fatigue, had so much fun before that flight. We slept most of the way to Dubai, but were awakened by shock as soon as we stepped off the plane...

K is for Gangstas

We're finally in a real city! G(ulf)-Unit has really come to appreciate the difference between the Gulf States. After being in Doha (small, but developing quickly) and Bahrain (in the middle), we've been very impressed with the degree to which Kuwait City is developed. They have a couple pretty sweet towers (the Kuwait Towers (original, huh?) and Liberation Tower), a nice skyline, and a few really big malls (which May, Nadia and Deena milked for all they were worth, while Magdey sat and ate McDonald's for two hours). All this is especially impressive, considering the city was largely rebuilt after that little invasion incident in the early '90s.

We woke up to a headline in the local paper declaring that a new Amir had been chosen to lead Kuwait, only to hear jokes throughout the day about how frequently the situation changes. It's actually quite amazing to be in Kuwait during such a historical time - we've learned a ton about its political system - in many ways, it is surprisingly democratic and open.

The day started off on a positive note - we finally got a good night's rest! After sleeping a total of 8 hours since we arrived in Qatar, we got a solid night's sleep and woke up (somewhat) refreshed for a day of presentations. We got up later than planned, but there's always time for breakfast! We arrived at the Bayan school on time for our 10:30 presentation to encounter a slight technical problem: rather ironically, the power surges worked until the moment you actually plugged something into them. But, being the gangstas we are, we overcame this seemingly insurmountable obstacle to give a great (as usual!) presentation to 50 very enthusiastic students.

Next stop: the mall! Of course, the girls of G(ulf)-Unit flocked to Starbucks immediately upon arrival. Deena has a radar for Starbucks... and we found out that May is a magnet for stocky Lebanese businessmen. After learning that May was a Harvard student, this studly stud proceeded to ask the incredibly original pick up line: "Do you have an agreement with God? You're both pretty and smart!" While the gentleman had hoped to purchase May a beverage (and consequently her hand in marriage), this was not the case for Deena. The man seemingly offered to pay for Deena's coffee (which he thought was for May), but when Deena politely refused, he realized the coffee in question was for her and impolitely stated: "Not forrrr you! Only forrrr Lebanese goddess who will have my babies" (or something to that effect). Deena recovered from the blow by seeking compliments from Magdey, and splurging at Zara. The other ladies joined her in the latter escapade, while Magdey hung in McD's and tried (successfully) to track down where his wives would be (they're rather predictable).

After the mall, we headed over to the lovely Al-Rabe home across town. We were treated to some wonderful company and enough delicious food to feed an army. Or just Deena. In just a couple of hours, we got to know the family very well, although we only met the father breifly because he had to rush off to be interviewed on Kuwaiti TV regarding the controversial succession situation. Khaled's mom is an amazingly multi-talented woman, who is an artist in every walk of life. His younger sister is a sophomore who seems to be following in Khaled's distinguished footsteps (if Harvard's lucky!). His brother and cousin were also very cool and very hospitable, and we didn't hesitate to take them up on their offer to hang out with them at night.

Not wanting to leave the Al-Rabe home, we ended up rushing to our evening presentation (but rest assured, G-(ulf) Unit is always on time, and there when you call). We gave it our all to another 20 enthusiastic students and parents, though May won the oscar for endurance.

We came back to the hotel briefly before being picked up by Khaled's brother and cousin and cruising down the Kuwaiti highways blasting Nancy Ajram (again). We arrived at the Marina mall, walked around, talked politics, and enjoyed some quality shisha at Tche Tche. May ordered the special super jumbo shisha (aka, the heater), and Deena indulged in white coffee (aka, hot water with a punch of rose perfume). On our way back to the hotel, we were forced shut down Club Lexus Backseat as we were stopped at a Kuwaiti bolice checkpoint. The BoBo apparently do not like the smooth beats of our main man Chingy, who is, as we know, Right Thur. After an extended stop, during which Deena's Iraqi phobia of police almost lead to the wetting of Nadia's jeans, it became evident that we were not a threat to national security and were allowed to continue. We made our getaway to Nelly's tunes, as Club Lexus Backseat got Hot in Here.

It is now time to get some slizeep. We're departing to Dubai tomorrow, where we'll meet up with Team 2 (who have yet to come up with a name as gangsta cool as G(ulf)-Unit). Team 2, we love you!

Pax Kuwaitanica,

Hab, Gab, Shak, Abd

Bahrain to Kuwait---Ow ow!

Blogging the SAS Recruiting Trip

So finally it's time for us to blog again. We're still soooo tired; almost slept in this morning out of desperation to savor every last second of precious, precious sleep.

Yesterday, we had another 2 presentations in Bahrain which went, as Magdey said, fantabulously. They were at St. Christopher's School and Bahrain Bayan school. We had projectors in British schools because they're the only ones that don't work! but whatever. There were several students who really showed promise and initiative in coming up to us afterwards and asking pertinent questions, and we actually have already received emails from a few.

[By the way, we aren't going into details about the schools and their students on purpose; we really want to maintain the students' privacy, just as any admissions officer would do.]

We've gotten our presentation down to a T. We first rehearsed at Magdey's house in Qatar, and since that first presentation, our delivery has become more focused, more lucid, and more fun. We've divided up the slides in terms of our own personal interests, and depending on how much time we have, we either stick to our own slides or chip in on others with our own personal anecdotes. We've memorized each others' stories by now, and we all suppress laughter when Magdey says, "You don't go to Harvard to study accounting to be an accountant, or dentistry to be a dentist..." and when Nadia says, "And this is Harvard square! If you look closely, you can see my room riiiight there...." Deena is physically incapable of saying the line, "By the time they graduate, one-quarter of Harvard students have had some sort of international experience..." Seriously, try her one day. May says she's Canadian about five times a presentation. Eh?

As expected, the most interesting parts of the presentations are the Q and A sessions and the break-out sessions with the students afterwards. Common questions are about how to get in, of course, and those tend to be difficult questions to answer. It's hard to believe that Harvard really has no quotas, no minimums, no *formula* for admission. We shrug and we say, it really is true. We got some interesting questions in Kuwait today. How would we describe Harvard students in one word? How would we sum up the Harvard experience in a few lines? What are our favourite classes? The more we talk about it, the more we are grateful for the experience that we have been fortunate to have over there on the Charles. It really is a blessing, and I think that our love and respect for the place really comes through in the presentations. Many counsellors come up to us afterwards to tell us that they've been giving similar advice to their students for months, but it helps so much for them to hear it from real Harvard students who are passionate about where they study. ["Really really really."]

We have already received dozens of emails through the site from students who've attended the presentations. It's been a difficult balance between encouraging students and getting their hopes up. Harvard is a difficult school--even the best students don't get in. We've been stressing innovation, initiative and leadership, but we can't promise that anything will guarantee admission. I guess our philosophy is that no matter what, encouraging students to think big, to strive to achieve more, and to contribute to their communities in unique ways will never hurt the students--it can only expand their horizons, we hope.

* * *

Afterward our last presentation in Kuwait, we packed our things in 10 minutes, checked out of the hotel, and were driven to InvestCorp, a large private equity firm founded by Deena's uncle. We were toured around the new building by a senior at the company (where Taz Chaudry, the Bahraini alumna, also works) and treated to cappucinos (all skim, even Magdey's!) and cookies. In a in a room with mechanically readjustable walls, we sat down with top company executives for a presentation about the amazing success story that is InvestCorp. (I swear I saw May drool a little bit...Were the technology exit stories really that exciting, May?)

Afterwards we sprinted (in cars) to the airport to head to Kuwait City. Deena flirted an extra 25 kilos of luggage weight out of Kuwait Airways, so we didn't have to pay overages :)

All four of us, pirate eyepatches and all, absolutely crashed on that flight, and resisted getting off the plane when we landed. We eventually did, of course, to face a visa line the length of the one outside Felipe's at 2 am on a Saturday night...except, no burritos :(

We probably scared our driver (in fact, I'm sure we did--and Magdey, too) with, once again, our cacophanous singing act, but arrived safely at the awesome Safir hotel. Between burts of Britney, we did get the chance to check out Kuwait's downtown area. The director of the al-Bayan school, Brian, took us to an amazing dinner at Beit Sab3a, one of Kuwait City's best restaurants. He's a St.Paul's/Yale/Stanford grad who is a consummate education professional. He's run American schools in countries all over the world, and has been at al-Bayan for a couple of years. We crashed immediately after getting back to our hotel, resting up for the next day's two presentations.

bahraaaaaaaaaaain

first of all--let's just clear something up from yesterday. i won the bet. i changed my bid to 1, totally price-is-right style, so...I WIN. love, nadia


on to the day:
after sleeping about an hour (again) we mechanically funneled our coffee, loaded up our 1000-pound bags, and headed for the airport for our 8 am flight to Bahrain. way to schedule, deena (jk, jk)
as if the fact that we were awake so early weren't bad enough, may had a computer crashing scare, while Magdey and Nadia were tormented by the GROSS scent of....Deena.
(as i'm typing, we're taking pictures as may pays magdey $5 just to smell her sweater again....my stomach hurts...the source of the infamous scent remains unconfirmed, but deena's unwashed jacket, exhibit A, still serves as evidence for anyone who's curious)

we showed up to *two* cars waiting for us-- one for "Magdey" and "Abdallah" and a second for all four of us-- but in the end Magdey and Abdallah (aka Nadia) met up with Deena and May at the hotel. Our hotel is right across from a beautiful mosque as well as the Ministerial Compound, and we're all thinking how amazing it is to be able to city-hop like this, and how interesting it is that despite the fact that we're all, essentially, very American (/Canadian....) we all feel some sense of identity and place here in what should feel like a foreign city.

With little time to think, we split up into two presentations: one at Al-Hekma and one at Ibn Khuldoon School, and then reconvened for one together at The Bahrain School (an American dept. of defense school) where we were strip and cavity searched (lol, not really) before entering the building. Although, we did see a pretty picture of George Bush hanging inside that Magdey was sure to photograph.

Some of the crazier students from Ibn Kuldoon directed us to a Starbucks and a Subway, where we frantically raced to get our caffeine fix and some fooooooooood. Our favorite part of the food court? A banner featuring "kookle.com" (the english G's translated to the Arabic "k" sound).

After that? Sleep.
Sleep.
Magdey trying to wake us up.
Girls sleeping.
Magdey pleading for us to get up. ("You guys were such a pain in the ass!")
Girl(s) kicking and whining and flicking Magdey off (but we'll never tell who...)

FINALLY we did wake up and after a rushed primp session, took the most horrendous, smoky, smelly taxi on earth to....nowhere. First to the wrong restaurant, and then to no restaurant at all, because our driver didn't know exactly where we were going and decided he didn't want to try. Another taxi ride (and another $10) later, we arrived late to an amazing Japanese restaurant owned by Yousef Al-Essa, one of the Harvard alumns we were meeting for dinner. As we walked in, May suddenly erupts in shrieks that at some point only dogs could hear as she and a recent Pfoho graduate, Taz Chaudry, met eyes.

We lingered over sushi, talking and discussing the mission of our trip, the political climate of the Middle East, the state of the various structures of government showcased in this region and their various efficacies, and of course, Larry Summers. [and when I say lingered, I really mean sat and stared at in the case of our more picky eater(s)]

Two hours later, we were nicely driven the entire 26-seconds back to our hotel (re: the 45-minute, $20, 2-taxi trip to get there) where we're now sitting, watching an Arabic music concert on TV after about 2 hours of pillow fights, jumping on the beds, obsessive email checking, and some pretty personal, intense conversation believe it or not.

The Arab-American dichotomy has really been the theme of the day, I think, because again the question of identity as integral or periphary to our lives and the lives we want for our children came up over and over again. From May and Nadia's discussion about the implications of the hijab (Islamic veil) to Yousef's and Taz's conversation with us on the global effects of politicized Islam to varying opinions amongst our group on the importance of religion in our lives, in our families, and in our visions of our futures. Yes, we're all American (/ Canadian...) but we share this common appreciation and concern for this part of the world, which in many ways, feels like home.

Day 2 Pics

Almost there! We're so excited...



Deena with her "cousin" Tanya



Nadia is so proud of her smoke ring...


Happy faces after a successful presentation...



That's the HIGH SCHOOL. Beautiful, no?


Meeting the Emir...



On the way to the presentation...

Magdey and Wives: Day 2

9:30am: We wake up, wayyyy too early. Actually, we were all woken up/went to sleep by the call of the muezzins at 5:30; the cacophany was a little jarring, but it reminded us that we were indeed halfway across the world.

After an hour of primping (Magdey takes forever!), we jumped in the car and drove off to our first presentation at Qatar Academy. After getting a little lost--3 girls singing along to Nancy Ajram can be a little distracting--Magdey finally deposited us safely at the shockingly large and beautiful high school.

We anxiously set up for the presentation, uneasily guessing how many kids would show up, price-is-right-style; Magdey won [Nadia, nobody heard you!].

A lot of kids showed up. The presentation went splendidly, and we all had a great time giving it. We stayed around and talked with the students for over an hour, stopping only because our droopy eyes and growling stomaches were calling out for sustenance (read: Starbucks).

And of course, with Starbucks came Zara, Mango, and all our other international favorites. Magdey warned us about buying something from every place we stopped at, but we didn't heed his warnings. Watch out Dubai! ....and Jordan...and Lebanon...and Egypt.

Next stop was the lovely Al-Naib house--distant cousins of Deena, with two absolutely adorable kids to keep us entertained. May and Magdey buzzed off, only to be stuck in traffic for forty-five minutes; May passed the time by belting out to the tune of Celine Dion, and Magdey joined in enthusiastically! Deena and Nadia stayed for dinner with Aida and Mahmoud and little Tanya and Sami.

Exhausted, Nadia and Deena were dropped back off at Magdey's house, where they met up with the family, the rest of the group, and two of Magdey's local friends. May stayed behind to work on her paper, while N and D dazzled the locals with their brilliant conversation [hehehe]. Magdey's gangsta persona drove us home, and here we are. Exhausted. May's still working on her paper. We're leaving on a jetplane in 5 hours. So it's time for bed.

Can't wait for tomorrow--Bahrain promises to be filled with more zany antics from Mag, Nads, and Deen, and hopefully no more paper-writing by May.

And to all a good night!

-The Four Harvardteers [we really shouldn't blog after 2am...]

Photos from the Journey to Qatar...

Exhausted during our layover in London...


We got our ipods, we got our pillows.... we're ready to fly!

Checking in...happy faces!

On the way to the airport.... look how excited he is!

And so it begins...

Well, here we are. Sitting in the family room of the lovely Abdallah residence in Doha, Qatar, where we just indulged in some delicious homecooked food, Qatari-Egyptian-Jersey-style. Well, actually mostly Jersey style.

After an almost 24-hour journey from Boston to the Arab Gulf, we are exhausted. Our first recruiting presentation is nine hours, and we can't believe we're actually here and this trip, which has been in the works for months, is finally becoming a reality.

We already have some interesting stories about crazy experiences--from astronaut pirate eyepatches (don't ask...) to crazy extortionist cab drivers (surprisingly, still in America). More on that later.

Time for some ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZs. Okay, maybe not that many.

--G(ulf)-Unit
MagMayDeeNad

:)