Kite flying reminds me of happy childhood memories.

In Philippines we have long summer vacations. Starting from April to May. School starts once again in June so we had plenty of idle times to kill. In these long summer days, kite flying is best with summer days, windy but not stormy. Children ´s laughs is the music you hear, running barefoot here and there.So innocent, carefree and yes–no restrictions.

Just days full of fun and play.

Before we left Kuwait, we had the chance to see the Kitesurfing and Flying in Bnaider Desert .It was a whole new experience to me. I have never seen those huge kites before in my life. Too bad my daughter is just a baby back then, she missed to see and enjoy this event. We drove to the barren Bnaider desert, where the sight of the rows of power lines and dusty roads is not really appealing without anything to do. Nevertheless, this event truned out to be awesome and one-of-a-kind, thanks to all these beautiful kites!

As a child, me and my cousins always love to make and fly our own kites. Have you done it as well?

For us, we gather old plastic bags, cut it in rectangular form and knot it on a padded stick of forming the frame which holds the kite in place.Then we cut some more pieces of the plastic to serve as a tail, as we all know, a kite cannot fly without a tail.Everything is recycled back then. On some occasions, we would also make kites made out of paper, crafted by our own imagination. Learning how to fly a kite become a childhood skill, just like climbing a tree, or riding a bike. We all did it by ourselves and it makes us very proud. My fondest memory was flying a kite in a newly-plowed ricefield. I remember, the soil would be knee high after plowed by a manually plowed with a carabao… so the hurdles are stronger and yet so fun! Yes, those simple farm life where we have the whole fields as our playgrounds.Sometimes running in the mud, catching frogs…and tadpoles.

But the tricky part is when our kites landed to trees and we need to climb it and get it.

Nowadays, it´s very rare that I´ve seen kids flying a handmade kite. Here in Germany, I have never seen it.Although there are many ready made kites sold in the shops and it just take an eager kid with interest to get hooked into it. Still, it´s still a very rare sight for me. Everything now is modern, with gadgets and everything.

Once we prepared everything, we help each other fly the kite. One holding the kite, and one holding the thread. We ran as fast as we could and find a good spot in an empty field where the wind is good enough to let it loose. After some attempts, we let it go.

Kite flying for me signals a ray of hope; it might tear down and fall on the ground, but it can be fixed and adjusted for a new game. I mean you cannot easily give up after a few tries. It shows how much you persevere, patience is a key. For children, it´s a mixture of being competitive and yes, being courageous.

So when I saw this Kitesurfing event in Kuwait, memories flooded to me. These kites are huge, colorful and very eye-catching. I think it´s just necessary that these kites to be flashy in colors since the desert is such a barren place and all around is just dust, dust and acres of desert. This event was under the guidance of Andrew Beattie. Andrew Beattie is a member of Al-Farsi Kite team in Kuwait. Al-Farsi with cooperation with Peter Lynn broke the World record of a giant Kite that successfully flown into Britain´s skies.

Childhood memories of flying a kite, of my feet on the ground, of my spirit untethered, of the playful wind, of rooftop cries, of joy and curses, of a day ever to remember. 

–Norma D Mahanty

While writing this, I suddenly remembered the novel that I´ve read, the Kiterunner, by Khaled Hosseini. Luckily, I also got the book in German ” Drachenläufer” which I scored from a Book flea market. This novel also features childhood stories of two boys which plays with a kite.

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There were giant inflatable slides for children, kiosks and restaurants and a giant outdoor hall where traditional Kuwaiti songs and dance were performed. I have seen many families enjoyed their day in the desert and everyone was just admiring the kite figures being flown into the skies.It was unforgettable.

Al Farsi Kite Team entered the Guinness Book of Records in 2005 by flying a 1,050 square meters kite of Kuwait Flag. Later in 2018 they broke their own record by flying a kite, Our Planet, of 1,200 square meters.Seeing this once in a lifetime event made me realize that sky is the limit of your imagination. There can never be enough figures of Kites in the skies, whether it would be Tweety Bird, whale, lizard, bear, dog or Cars—anything can soar high.

I knew from experience that Kuwait always love to grabe world records–whether the largest, the longest, or the grandest! I couldn´t forget witnessing the longest Fireworks display there and having the biggest Dhow Ship as my background on my wedding day!

Truly, Kuwait has some hidden gems more than it´s oil!

Have you ever flown a Kite?

Until then, Tschüss!