- 6th grader: “Mister, you seem stricter than 22.” – Not sure exactly what that means…
- 8th grader: “Wow mister, you are really mature for 22. I’m not going to be like that when I am 22.” – First time I have ever heard a student call a teacher mature. This pretty much sums up why I kept it a secret the entire year.
In a blog post that will be coming shortly, I am going to share a few of my thoughts after my first year teaching internationally. However, I wanted to share a unique experience I’ve had over the past three weeks. Downtown, there are many souks that sell anything you could ever want. One of these souks is called the fabric souk. I had heard of the souk throughout the entire year, and I finally had the opportunity to make it downtown and check it out.
Upon arrival, we entered a long building containing rows upon rows of fabric stores and tailors. As we entered “Fitwell Tailor,” a man greeted us ready to take our exact measurements. About five to six men sat behind him sowing everything from pants, to custom suits. One by one he took our measurements and wrote down how much fabric we would need to make a shirt and pair of pants. I opted not to get a suit made this year. Inshallah, I will go again next year and get a custom suit made!
After the measurements were taken, we went down to one of the fabric stores. Below, you can see a picture of a small part of the store. There were three levels of fabric that patiently waits to become clothing. It was difficult to visualize how the fabric would look as a shirt.
I picked out enough fabric for four shirts and two pair of pants. We picked out the 100% cotton for the shirts and fabric from Italy for our pants. If we’re getting custom clothing, we might as well spring for the best.
We brought the fabric back up to the tailor and set up an appointment for a first fitting. We were told to come back a week later to try on unfinished versions of the clothing. This insures that if the measurements were not exactly correct, it can be noted and fixed before the clothing is made.
After our first fitting, a week later our fabric had become our new best outfits. After purchasing the fabric and paying for labor, I paid the equivalence of about $290 for four shirts and two pants. The cost of the fabric was about $218 and the rest was the labor. That comes out to about $48 a piece for custom fitted clothing. Not too shabby!
Jayme and I rocked our new pants and shirts on Sunday. It was the first time I wore a shirt that actually fits me. I’ll probably be making a trip back there in the fall for round two!
Kuwaiti Fact of the Day:
Ramadan is beginning on June 6th (still to be confirmed). This means that workday will be shorter by law; I cannot eat or drink in public; and I need to stop wearing shorts in public, even though it is about 110-115 F. From what I have heard, if you are caught eating or drinking, there is a hefty fine and possible jail time. Not sure about the exact consequences, but I know I am not ready to find out!