Planning for my trip around the World...

So, a few years ago it was a dream of mine to travel around the world. At the time, the trip was being planned with my 'boyfriend' ( I cant think of the right word, so boyfriend will have to do), and we had called it "Flying Pigs". This name was given because at the time, given our circumstances it seemed impossible that it would ever happen--but it was something that we were both striving for, and I know that I can pretty much do anything I set my mind to--and this was no different. 
Since the inception of Flying Pigs a few years ago,   he has moved on to a life without me--choosing instead to settle down with a wife and a home and hopefully--a picket fence.....However, not to be undaunted, I continue my adventures solo, and am wondering on this rainy morning in August, why I abandoned that dream? 
This year is my last year of formal working. This is the year I retire. I refuse to go down easily though, and am currently planning my trip around the world commencing September, 2016. 
Flying Pigs is back on. This blog will be about the planning, organizational and logistical formalities of this adventure. Inshallah. ;)

Life After Kuwait-Moving Forward.

So I am back from Kuwait, and have had the summer to process all I have learned, all I have experienced, all I have done. Except, I haven't. 
How is it, that life gets so busy that unless you consciously plan time to sit down and schedule in a 'time to think' hour into your day, it feels like it never really happens? 
I know that since I have been back, I feel somewhat alienated from my current society. I feel like I have changed, grown, and become somewhat different, yet back in my life, nobody stops and points and goes 'omg you are soooo different!!" Yet--I feel different, and am not sure why it's not obvious on the outside. 
I have just recently returned to Kuwait, to pick out some suitcases that I have left there. I was looking forward to going back--I miss some aspects of life in the Middle East. I miss the food, the freshness, the abundance of vegetables, the variety and the flavour. I also miss being treated like someone special. In Kuwait, when you walk into a shop or a store, the clerks cannot serve you fast enough. Being a white woman, you are treated special. It's like you are royalty, and I miss that. Here, I walk into a store and nobody bats an eyelid. I am not talking about obsequiousness, or differential treatment ( for there is that too) I am talking about a genuine friendliness and acknowledgement of my presence. I also miss the mindset of being on an adventure. I liked saying " I work in the Middle East". Now, I am just another drone in the regular world. 
I also miss the intrigue and mystery presented by the people. Arab men are truly eye -candy, and the women are intriguing and mysterious. I liked having my senses bombarded with different sights, sounds and challenges.I like the 'different'. 
So, now what? This is my last year of working, and I am pondering what to do next year, as a retirement trip. I have so many ideas and so many different opportunities--I am excited to consider them all.
Currently my idea is to plan an "around the world trip". Stay tuned for my next adventure. 

Kuwait: Shocking Culture?

I understand that Culture Shock ( CS)  is a normal process even if you have worked abroad or have traveled extensively. 
It's perfectly normal for one to feel alienated, displaced and physical and emotional discomfort. The length and breadth of CS though, depends on one's emotional, mental and physical health. 
Like many emotional things, CS symptoms do not occur on a direct linear continuum; the more common experiences occur in more of a spiral, with emotions and symptoms ebbing and waning as time passes. More often then not, the symptoms might be leap-frogging over each other, one might skip a few stages, and then go back to the beginning...and for me, it could be all in an afternoon!

The first stage is the Honeymoon stage: 
This stage probably starts even before you get on the plane to fly off into the unknown. Everything is great, you are excited about your new adventure. People are in awe of your courage, you feel confident, proud and scared. You arrive...you are thrilled at all the new sights, sounds, food, experiences. You meet new people! Your just so darn proud of yourself! Your emails home are all about how great of an adventure you are having!! Its amazing here! You are meeting people and seeing new things!! Its great, Mom, really!!! 

This stage for me, hits me at different times, still. I might be walking along the ocean, looking out over the ocean and imagining a globe in my head, and me, a teeny tiny pin prick on that globe--somewhere in Kuwait. My loved ones in Canada, Italy, England, South Africa are other teeny tiny pin pricks evident only if you spin the globe around...I think " wow, look at me, this is incredible". 
I feel proud and happy about my confidence to get out of my North American rut and pursue this adventure. I am grateful for the opportunities I have in this amazing life.

The next stage is Shock:
This is where you are irritated by daily experiences such as driving conditions, You are fed up with the pushy, demanding, ridiculous foreign procedures that you have to deal with. You are lonely, moody, angry and resentful. You miss your culture, where you know the rules.  

I am experiencing this stage a lot now and only  when I am driving. The sheer arrogance, dangerous and preposterous!!!! driving practices of these people, makes me wonder about the state of humanity. 
Knowing that there are people on the planet that have total disregard for someone in the next vehicle over, is shocking to me and quite frankly--I feel despair. I do not understand the psyche that would cause someone to drive as impatiently and dangerously as they do here. I am considering getting a driver, but would not enjoy the lack of control that I would experience, trusting my life into someone else's hands, who is an expert maniacal driver. 

The third stage is Negotiation: 
You gain some understanding of the culture. You find pleasure in daily life and your humour returns. You might feel angry at times, but more frequently you feel confident. 

I experience this stage at all times as well. I truly enjoy my life here in Kuwait, there is much good about it. I miss aspects of my life in Canada, I miss the familiar, and I miss my loved ones, but I enjoy my new experiences and being immersed in the culture here. 
I feel blessed and grateful for the opportunities and I love my job. 

The "final" stage is Acceptance/Independence: 
This stage is experienced by people who see both the good and bad aspects of the new culture, and they are beginning to assimilate into their new life.

There are 4 different styles that people adopt at this stage:
Integration: maintaining old cultural identity but participating in the new culture
Separation: maintaining old cultural identity but avoiding contact with the new culture
Assimilation: adopting the new culture as your own and having contact with its members
Marginalization: rejecting your old culture but suffering rejection by members of the new culture.

I am happily entrenched in the 'Integration' stage, except on the days when I am tired and fed up and then I flip over to 'Separation".  I go regularly from " I really enjoy it here, quality of life is good and all is well" to " Oh my god if I get run off the road one more time I am going to go insane and I cant wait to go home and how can these people be so RUDE!!!!"...and that is just fine. 
It's normal and expected. 
The important thing is to be aware and not to panic...the new phase will come round. 

So much of the success of a 'new life in a new country' depends on how one looks after one's mental and emotional health. It is also affected by one's previous identity and successful socialization in their 'old life'. 

( There are a lot of ex-pat whackadoodles here...just sayin'.)

All in all, it's all good. 
I continue to monitor how I feel, and on the many days that are good, I enjoy life here to the fullest. 
On the odd days that are bad, I hole up in my home and binge on familiar American TV shows like "Gilmore Girls."...and I stay off the road. 

Kuwait: "I will run you down"

The time has come for me to make a comment on the driving habits of people in Kuwait. 
In a nutshell: Never in my life have I had the misfortune of sharing the road with such arrogant, entitled, pushy, aggressive and dangerous drivers.

If you are a pedestrian, and you want to cross the street at rush hour--forget it: they will run you down. I have no doubt in my mind. 

But its not just their behaviour on the road...today, I parked my car in a regular, designated parking spot, in front of a shop.  The shop, and so the parking spot was right outside a mosque. It was Friday prayer time. 
When I came out of the shop, I saw,  much to my dismay that someone had parked right behind me. Not only was he blocking me in and another car in, he was blocking the lane on the road. 
I ask you--who does that???? 
Who is so arrogant, self-centered and self-important to think that its OK to park behind a couple of vehicles that are legally parked  thereby blocking them in??
Would you want anything to do with this person? (It was not lost on me that the man was, presumably, at mosque.)
I was speechless at the audacity and total lack of caring that this man displayed about anybody else other than his need to park his car and get to mosque. Unbelievable. 
What would this driver be like on the road?
Well, what he would be like, is what is evidenced by myself every time I get behind the wheel. 
They drive like they are driving bumper cars. 
They don't stop at stop signs, they don't signal, they are texting, talking on the phone, playing with their kids ( who are often on their laps) and otherwise totally disengaged from the driving process. 
And...they will run you down. 
They push their huge vehicles into spaces that will not accommodate their car causing you to back up....just to advance a few inches when there is a bottle neck of traffic.
They consistently swerve in and out of lanes, trying to gain those few inches before they get to the next light.
If you are not driving as they think you should be driving ie texting, talking on the phone, or playing with your kid who is sitting on your lap, not going 30 km over the speed limit, or generally obeying the rules of the road, they will honk and ride your bumper, all while talking on the phone.

They do not care if your car is there, if you are where they want to go, they will run you off the road.
If they want to stop, they will stop, who cares if it is in the middle of the road??Heck, people stop in the middle of the road, to make a phone call!!!

Who does that??

I have met some wonderful Kuwaiti people here--but seriously, what happens to them when they get behind the wheel? 

Drive at your peril--but bear in mind: They really will run you down. 

Kuwait: Trust your gut.

As a follow up to my comments on the road to the Iraqi border and trusting your gut...I would like to make the following observation:
Sometimes, when we act out of fear, we deny ourselves some pretty great experiences.
Case in point. I was really nervous on that deserted road, in the middle of nowhere in my teeny tiny Toyota Corolla. In fact, I was very inclined to turn around. I probably should have turned around--because in reality it really wasnt wise to go alone. However. Should I have turned around, I would have denied myself the exhilarating feeling of doing something I was afraid of doing.
In addition, I would have not experienced the thrill of having some camels stick their heads in the open windows of my car, demanding food. And I would have missed the camel nuzzling me, encouraging me to feed him
Also--another important fact that I would have missed was the wonderful experience of communicating with the locals. My mom and I got totally lost on the roads that go nowhere, and are unmarked...and we had no choice but to ask for directions ( something that I was reluctant to do, as to not to draw attention to ourselves). Anyway, after driving around aimlessly for 2 hours, we had NO choice but to ask for directions, and the experience of connecting was quite charming. The men were very, very helpful, we were certainly an oddity, and a point of interest and we drew attention from most of the neighbours in the community. It was even suggested that we follow  the man in his car and he would take us to the main intersection we were looking for.
Of course, we were also asked in for tea--a lovely offer, but we declined.
Here is my observation. If we live our lives in fear, we do nothing. Fear can paralyze us. If we venture out in fear, but with caution, and calculated risk, we open ourselves up to some pretty great opportunities and experiences--and somehow the fear, only adds to the enjoyment. 
Kinda like riding a roller coaster ( where you dont get sick and throw up. )

Kuwait: Time Out Part 2

So to continue on our " Things to do in Kuwait when you have nothing to do" is the camel market. 

Fun Facts about camels: 

• Camels might not drink for months. 
• Baby camels are born without humps.
• Camels dont store water in their humps
• There are over 160 Arabic words for "camel"
• Camels have two rows of eyelashes to protect their eyes from dust.
• Camels can close their nostrils when they need to.
• The camel is the only animal to have replaced the wheel, when the wheel was already established. 

The Camel Market:
The Camel Market is, just as the name implies, a market where all they sell is camels. Yeah--I dont get it either. I really dont know what commodity camels are in this day and age--its not like the desert in Kuwait is inviting, as is the Sahara for example, with its burnished golds and sand dunes. The desert in Kuwait looks like an old beach after the tourists have gone home for the fall.... without the ocean. Anyway, I heard that the camels are used for wool, meat, milk and hobbists--but still, whats the point? I think perhaps its more of a link to the past then anything else. 
Camels that are a year old can be 1200$ and some camels ( especially the white ones) can go for over 20,000$! Thats a lot of money for a camel.

There must be over a 1000 camels in pens, the market is huge. Very enjoyable day. 

Camels as far as the eye can see

Just sitting there, waiting....

Feeding the camel bits of apple. Notice the direction of the lower row of teeth, they slant out. This helps them scoop up plants etc from the desert floor. 

A prized " White Camel" 

 They are very cute, dont you think? 

Closed nostril.

So, if someone can explain to me what the whole camel market thing is about, it would be appreciated!

Kuwait: Time Out Part 1

My Mom came to visit me for a few weeks, and we spent the time doing all the things that one does in Kuwait, when one is looking for things to do. Surprisingly, there is actually quite a bit to do in this small little corner of the world. The constant bad reputation that 'working and living in Kuwait' has is getting a bit tiresome, quite frankly. 
I feel that perhaps, the perceived lack of activities is much more about the lack of an obvious drinking culture, and less about activities. In addition, I think we have become a society that demands to be entertained, and we are much less willing to work at seeking our own amusement. Very similar to being a child in today's world, with internet and techno-gadgets up the whazoo vs being a child of the 1950's where playing 'cops and robbers' outside was the highlight of the summer. 
Anyhoo....here is a map of Kuwait, for reference. 



1) Drove to the Saudi Border. 
This was actually not a huge investment of time, as Kuwait is fairly small but  we did make a day of it. The drive from Shaab ( Kuwait subdivision) south, to the Saudi Border beyond Fahaheel takes one through some interesting land marks along the way--one of them being the Al Ahamdi Oil Refinery, which, according to Lonely Planet's Guide to the middle east, is the largest in the world. 
It must be about 5 km long, and looks very much like something out of a Mad Max Movie ( the first one, and btw, the sequel's sucked). 
The road follows the coastline and drives through some of the ugliest desert, in the world..in my opinion. 
In the desert we saw camps and tents that had the ubiquitous large vehicle ( here they make sense) parked outside. I am not sure why these tents/camps exist so if someone can help me make sense of that, that would be appreciated.
After about a 2 hour drive  ( with no detours) we arrived at the Saudi Border--which was  kind of anti-climactic. But in all fairness, there might have been a proper border crossing beyond the depth of this photo.

Kuwait/Saudi Border

2) Drove to the Iraqi Border
For our next adventure, we drove north along the Persian Gulf to the Iraqi Border. This drive was much more interesting, as the desert was a bit different--the "feel" was different, and it was a bit more picturesque. We did not take the main road, but rather we chose to take a back road, running up along Bubiyan Island ( which is now a military base). This seemed like a really good idea at the time, but after about 5 minutes driving on the road--I had toquestion my judgement. What the heck was I thinking?? Here we were--two western ladies, ( I in a sleeveless dress) driving a teeny tiny Toyota Corolla, down a deserted road in a fairly conservative Middle Eastern Country, into a war zone....not really sure why we did that, quite frankly, but there you have it. 
The road was long and very deserted except for the yahoos who would go racing by us in their pick up trucks and Four wheel drive vehicles....I prayed that the car would not break down, for we would truly be at the mercy of Allah. 

Road from Kuwait to Iraq...

All fear was erased however, when we stopped to look at a small herd of camels that were strolling along the road. The camels were obviously quite used to people and cars, for they came right up to the car, and were obviously begging for food. My mom fed them some apples we had in the car. 
It was a very nice and happy moment...but I was still nervous, as we were now out of the car and making our presence known to the passers by. 

Camel coming to the car, begging for food.

Kuwait/Iraq Border

The border crossing was a bit anti-climactic though. I think I expected more hoopla and security All we were met with was a very nice military guy who was helpful, respectful and courteous--as he told us to turn around and that entry into Iraq was forbidden. ( Actually kind of glad he put his food down--or lord knows what we would have done. :) )

Kuwait: Ain't got no soul?

So I was talking to someone the other day about Kuwait. It is funny, but whenever you meet someone for the first time, within a couple of minutes, you are talking about Kuwait. The dialogue goes something like this: 

Stranger: So, how long have you been in Kuwait?

Me: Ohh about two months now

Stranger: ( laughing with a knowing laugh) ha ha ha...what do you think?

The conversation always goes like that with very few variations. The variation is in the tone of the 'what do you think?' which ranges from amusement to a 'what do YOU think?" as if we are comparing types of diseases. 

For some reason, Kuwait has this reputation in the international community  of being "not good" or not a good place to be working and I cant really put my finger on why. 

I am not saying I agree, or disagree with that general sentiment, but one cannot deny that the sentiment is there. 

So while I still have to ponder whether Kuwait is loved or hated by this author, I will write about what I do know:

1) Kuwait is not 'cool'. Sorry but it's true. 

Specifically, there is very little that is 'cool' about Kuwait.  Some of the architecture is cool, but somehow the cool buildings don't seem to belong here, they are more of an adhoc thing. Are they trying too hard? Kind of like an awkward teenage girl who wears too much makeup in an effort to look like something she is not?

I feel that Kuwait is trying to be cool, but somehow falls short. ( Dubai wannabee perhaps?). 

There is no cool graffiti, no cool teenagers trying to be hipsters or punk or goth, very few fashionistas that ooze that cool factor that the women of New York or London or Milan ooze. This is because by and large, the abaya prevents women from expressing any cool factor, and the sunglasses/hijab only can take them so far. When out and about, I am not inspired by a cool outfit, or a cool way of wearing a belt, or a cool advertisement. 

ie cool outfit, women: 



The men here are good looking, but they are not 'cool' in the way that men of London, UK can be cool, with their skinny jeans, blazers and scarves.

ie cool outfit, men. 


But on a broader scale, why are some cities cool and others are not? Why is Rome cool, and Kuwait city is not? 

Florence vs Munich

Paris vs Moscow 

Dubai vs Doha

Montreal vs Toronto

New York vs Dallas

Beirut vs Cyprus

Is cool factor determined by the demographic of the people? The history of the city? The fashion sense of the people? Their collective philosophy of life?

Kuwait is many things, but its not cool. It does try though, I will give it that.

2) Is Kuwait Soul-less?

While having this conversation with a British expat, she suggested an opinion that she heard from another expat. The idea was suggested that Kuwait is 'soul-less'; that there is no 'heart' in Kuwait. 

We discussed why that could be and it was determined that with the large population of expats who don't really belong here, perhaps that rubs off in the atmosphere? 

The majority of people that one sees when one is out and about are not Kuwaiti people. The drivers, clerks, shop keepers, delivery personnel, construction workers, waiters, waitresses, are Egyptians and Lebanese and Syrians and Filipinos and Indian and Pakistani and Canadian and American and Russian and Ukrainian and Serbian and, and, and, but not bred and born Kuwaitis.

Because the majority of people living in Kuwait, are not from Kuwait, their hearts belong somewhere else. Their soul is somewhere else. 

Honestly, they ( we?) are in Kuwait for the money or to get experience or to have a better quality of life then they would in their home country or for a combination of reasons--but their loved ones, their family, their kids, their wives and daughters and husbands and parents and friends...are all somewhere else. 

In turn, the hearts of the people living here are somewhere else, so the collective consciousness of Kuwait is not about Kuwait. 
The minds of the people are here, doing the work they were hired to do--but the hearts of the people here are back home, wherever that home may be.

With all that love energy consciously and consistently leaving the country and sapping it dry,  does that make Kuwait, soul-less?

I am not sure--just another thing for me to ponder on this great adventure of mine. 

Kuwait: The Old Souk

I truly don't understand people when they say there is nothing to do here. That has not been my experience at all. There is much to do, it just requires going to do it. Perhaps people feel that their social life has been curtailed because there is a lack of pubs and no drinking culture--that I do understand. Going out drinking in other cultures, is viewed as "entertainment" and so not going out to drink--would indeed put a damper on one's social calendar! 
However, not being a drinker--I don't have to worry about that, and in fact am finding plenty to do here in KW. 
Case in point, my trip to the Souk ( old market). The people in the stalls were very friendly and congenial--and I truly enjoyed my experience trying to chat with them. All photos have been used with permission. Honest. ( of course I think they are used with permission--perhaps they agreed to something totally different, what with the language barrier and all) ha ha

As with most markets, the goods are arranged according to theme...if you want olives, for example, you dont need to go running around the whole market to try to find your olive stall. All the olive shops are conveniently located in the "olive aisle" ( just like at your local grocery store). I dont know what that does for price competition, but its worked for centuries and who am I to argue with that?

Butcher Alley:

I am an idiot for cutting this guys head off...but you get the picture. 
The butcher alley was amazingly clean and orderly, as you can see from the cleaning implements in the top photo. I have no idea what happens to all the meat they dont sell. 

Perfume and Gold Alleys:
If you have been a reading regular--you might have remembered reading  that scents are big here in the middle east. At the market there is a whole alley devoted to perfumes and smelly concoctions. Now--make no mistake--they sell your bog standard perfumes that you might see in Duty Free..but of more interest to me were the shops where you get to make your own scent choosing essential oils and spices ( or whatever they make perfume out of??). After you are done, the next bit of fun is to choose a lovely decanter, atomizer and attractive gift box. No wonder the wise men gave baby Jesus "Frankincense and Myrrh" I always thought it was a bit of a lame gift, but now...I understand. 

Maybe I will invent my signature scent before I leave KW? Hmmmm will ponder.

The Gold Alley--is, as one might expect full of shops selling...over the top pure BLING!!! 

Fish Alley:

I smelt fish alley long before I arrived in it. But thats ok--nothing wrong with that. Loved all the sea creatures....again--what happens to the fish that doesnt end up on the grill? 

This guy was descaling the fish--they had this handy dandy wire brush that really did a great job of sending the scales flying...but man--what a job. Wonder if they ever get the smell of fish out of their hands? and if not, does it bother them? 

t

Teapot and useless enamel container Alley: 

This area cracked me up!  The photo below is a sampling of the many shops that sell exactly the same thing: Tea pots and enamel ware. How many of these pots can they possibly sell in one day?? And what's to make me choose Shop A over Shop B? The whole thing is a mystery to me....

Where I am going to have dinner on this week for sure!!:

In kind of the center of the market, there is a large open air courtyard. The courtyard is surrounded by cafes/restaurants all selling authentic Arabic food. 

These people are waiting for their meal. 

 Kudos to these guys below for letting me snap a picture of their meal. Hummous and vegetablesand "fool" a kind of warm bean concotion, eggs, flat bread...no cutlery--amazing!! Soooooo coming here one night!

All in all it was an amazing experience. I was not shopping so did not buy anything--but even so, I feel that to successfully navigate that minefield, I will have to bring along someone who speaks Arabic. Not a lot of English was spoken here ( and rightly so) so while price negotiating would not be a problem ( one can hold up the right number of fingers, after all) I do feel that getting exactly what you want, might be. ( see above comment on Signature Scents). Also--since the shops are largely empty- and the clerks are very insistent--it is pretty intimidating to start looking and seriously negotiating a deal, unless one means business. I will go back for all that--but for now, it was just a recognizance mission! 

Generally speaking though there was much less " Miss Miss, come look,come look" then in other countries from the same type of venue--India or Thailand for example.

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!!!!!!!!

Kuwait: Ode to the Bat Mobile Pt 1

It's time to have a frank discussion about the driving in Kuwait. I have eluded to it in other posts, not wishing to sound petty or critical--but it's time.
But it must be said: the drivers in Kuwait exhibit some of the most arrogant, aggressive, inconsiderate, rude and dangerous practices that I have experienced any where else in the world. Sure, there are bad drivers everywhere, but understand,  the drivers of Kuwait are not 'bad' they just operate like they are the only vehicle on the street. Ever. 
The driving experience requires more than one post, so for now, I will start with the Type of Vehicles Favoured in Kuwait. 
The most popular vehicle in Kuwait seems to be the Land Cruiser Prado. Its a big useless hunk of a car/truck that guzzles gas and leaves a huge carbon footprint.



This is for sure the vehicle of choice for the Kuwati driver. Most of the time, there is only the  driver in the vehicle, although it seats 6, 8 in a pinch. Everyone drives in Kuwait, as its too hot to walk. People drive a block. Really. There are other types of vehicles that are the same basic shape and size, but to me they all look the same. The common feature is: BIG

Another Popular vehicle here in Kuwait is the Range Rover. Yep, its big too. Note the off-roading experience in the photo below. They dont have grass/trees in Kuwait, so obviously I took this photo from the Range Rover website. From what I can see though, the only off-roading that is done is when they drive up over curbs and park on the sidewalks...so again, I am not sure why such a huge truck/car is needed, but there you have it. One cannot ask "why"?? in Kuwait. 



The Grand Cherokee Jeep is also a very popular car here. Again--not sure what they need such a huge vehicle for--my theory is that they like the big vehicles because accidents, which inevitably happen ( more on the driving, in another post) are less fatal if the passengers are protected by a big car. 

The fact that I find very curious about the size of the vehicles is this--aside from the main roads and thoroughfares, the roads are very small and narrow. A smaller, compact car would be much more convenient, practical and save much aggravation, as traffic is impossible on those narrow streets ( more on that later) but noooooooooo people "need" to have the huge honking vehicle instead, and they dont seem to mind being stuck in traffic for hours because the whole street is blocked off by trucks parked on the sides ( and in the middle) of the road, and so nobody can get by. I dont understand that. 

The poor suckers ( like myself) who dont have these big vehicles, are driving Mitsubushi Lancers, Toyota Corollas and Nissan Altima's. 




Yep, its  a lot smaller than the majority  of vehicles on the road...and yep, I have to use my horn a lot to 'be seen'. I have been run off the road, quite literally in this small car...ohhhh for the Bat Mobile, then I'd show em. 

Just an FYI....To fill up (from empty) this medium sized sedan with premium gasoline, costs me 12$. To fill up my similar vehicle in Canada, from empty, costs about 100$.
I have no idea what the gas mileage is on the gas guzzlers the Kuwaiti's drive--but seriously, I dont think it matters. When it comes to cars here, bigger is better and size is indeed, everything. 













We are run off the road. 
Literally--but like I said--thats another post. 

Kuwait: My trip to the hospital

Ok so I did not really go to the hospital...well yeah, I did, but it was just to buy some coffee ( there is a Second Cup there) and not to have anything poked, prodded, x-rayed or repaired. This is what the hospital looks like from the outside:

I know right? Pretty civilized--wait until you see inside!

This is the Emergency Department. What's missing from this picture?? Thats right--PEOPLE! Either they dont get sick here in Kuwait, or the wait time is 2.3 seconds. Just an fyi? It's the latter. 

This is Pediatric Emergency...one kid was in there. Check out all the rooms down the hall. Empty.

I wonder if they hold balls here....the stair case looks very " Gone with the wind" dont you think?

Part of the Emergency Department

The main entrance...is it just me that thinks this looks like a hotel lobby?

Radiology

So here is how hospitals work in Kuwait. There are private hospitals ( like the one above) and there are government hospitals. Private hospitals are pay per use, government hospitals are free. Private hospitals, you get served right away, the care is fast and efficient and it's how a lot of the Kuwaitis get their medical treatment. It's also how all the expats that are here on a cushy compensation package get their medical treatment. ( myself included)

The Government hospitals are for everybody else. The scores of people in Kuwait who do the down and dirty work. The cleaners, the maids, the cashiers the shop girls the bag handlers the waiters and waitresses--all the people that keep Kuwait running in the style that it is accustomed to. 

I would suspect that those hospitals are not quite as pretty. 

Will track one down, and perhaps do a compare and contrast for you? That should be interesting....and kinda scary. 

Plastic surgery is big here. Think...Joan Rivers big. And so is gastric bypass surgery. From what I can surmise, the Kuwaitis believe that throwing money at problems ( aging, obesity) kinda makes the problems go away. I guess it does--for a while, but money really doesn't solve all our problems for long. Honest. 

Another hospital. Private. Note the curved building. They liked that curved building look here--very "Dubai-esque, eh?" ( yep, I just said "eh")

Life in Kuwait: Things I didn't realize before.

The value of my Language:
If you have a passport that is issued by an English speaking country, and you are an English speaking native...that is a big deal. You, my dear, have a commodity that a lot of people want. 
You speak English. People want that. People will pay big bucks for that. If you are a native English Speaker and know another language, you can probably work anywhere in the world. If you are reading this, and English is your mother tongue, you are lucky, 

The value of my nationality:
If you have a passport from a country that speaks English--you can travel anywhere in the world without hassles or the nasty complication of a lengthy visa application. People from other countries are not so lucky. The only countries a lot of "non-western" ( read middle east) people can travel to, without a complicated and lengthy visa process are: Turkey, Syria and Iran.  
Some countries, they will never get to.
A lot of people go to a lot of trouble to get that desired passport, marriage is only one way.  
On the world stage,  I am privileged because I AM CANADIAN. My kid, and nephew are lucky.



The Value of my Education:
I appreciate having an education. Because of my education, I get stuff.
A lot of people working in Kuwait ( most people working in Kuwait) have to work very hard to earn a living. Very hard. 

Some jobs are excruciatingly boring: standing at a pillar in an underground parking lot all day pointing drivers to the exit ( because drivers cant read the EXIT signs, I presume? ) or standing by the escalators all day long, making sure people ride the escalator properly (???) 

Some jobs are excruciatingly painful: working outside in the heat tending to the gardens in the median of the highway. (Today the temperature registered 55 degrees F.) 

Some jobs are just ridiculous: wiping the toilet seat in the bathroom, before I use it.  ( really??) 

We are not treated equally:
If your skin is white, you are treated differently ( read better). You might want to think you aren't, but you are. It's there in the subtleties..the deference, the attentive service, the engaging smiles, the eagerness. There are a lot of whitening creams sold in the stores. 


I have to wonder: If you hold a North American passport, speak English, have white skin and an education... are you golden? 
And if you are lucky enough to be born having those criteria--and aren't grabbing that brass ring..why? 

My trip to the grocery store.

I messed up my first trip to the grocery store. I went when I had actual shopping to do. I should have gone just to observe, with no goal in mind. Next time.
Here are some random observations from my trip.

Grocery stores are the same world wide. Food is arranged in aisles, one walks up and down with a cart. Fairly simple...except when:

                             A) One does not recognize the food:

Fresh Dates--I asked 

B) The store does not seem to be organized in any fashion that makes sense:

Why is the tuna next to the pineapple? ( is this an aisle devoted to canned goods?)

C) One doesn't know what size to buy:

The jar on the right is normal size..the jar on the left..I truly don't know what that is about. Its the size of a large toaster oven--or, the size of a bread box. Who needs that much Nutella. Ever? 

D) Food names are switched up:

No wonder we cant get along!! We don't call our squashes by the same thing! Perhaps unity should start by common squash names? ie Butternut squash ( left)  and Spaghetti Squash ( right)

E. One does not know one's countries:

The photo does not show the lettuce, but it's below the sign. If one didn't know that Jordan was a country--chaos would reign.

F. One does not comparison shop:

The Squash on the left, would be about 2$ a kg. Probably about 4$ for one  squash. That's probably because they are from Egypt. 

However, if one buys local squash, you can get a whole BOX containing about 5 squash for 5$ish.

I know right?? Exciting stuff!!