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? 

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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")

Kuwait: Really good ideas here that we should adopt in Canada.

Kuwait is different than anything I have ever been exposed to...and I have traveled a fair amount. I am trying to pin point exactly how and why it's different, but I am processing all that. When I get it figured out, I will let you know. For now, I will highlight some of the things they have here that are pretty cool.

People here like to smell good. You know those annoying people in the malls,who insist on spraying you with the latest scent that you DONT want to smell like? Well--Kuwaiti people, love those people. They are everywhere..they wander the malls with little sticks of the scent they are trying to push on you. Everyone that passes them, takes  stick. Men, women children--they love the smell stick. At the market, there were scores of these knock off perfume tables. Any perfume/cologne/smelly thing you want--there it is. For cheap. People at my school spray scent in their classrooms. Scented candles are everywhere. People here, are not afraid to smell good. There is no "scent-free policy". I like that. Smelling good is nice.  

Corn in a cup. Corn in a cup is a big deal here. Love that. Nuff said. 

Ok so this LOOKS like Bar-B-Que chicken right? And it is..but here is the rest of the story. So the other day at work, lunch was brought in for the staff. It was probably the best Lebanese food I have ever tasted. Really, really good. Anyway--I was unpacking the containers, and the Shish Taouk ( Chicken chunks on a stick) came wrapped in foil. I unwrapped the skewers of chicken and noticed that they were resting on a very large pita. I said ( somewhat foolishly) " ohhh cool ,they come with a Pita" and my director said " No, that's what they do to absorb the juices; the pita for eating, is in another bag". At the time I thought--"Ok, great idea" and didn't give it much more thought  ( I don't want you to think I spend a whole lot of thought on these burning issues) So anyway, the other day I bought a Bar-b-que chicken..and lo and behold--here it is again. The "pita as absorbent towel" concept. They throw the chicken on a pita and wrap the whole thing up in foil. Isn't that a fabulous idea?? Not only can one consume the pita if one chooses too ( the chicken also comes with a pack of pita bread) but the pita absorbs any juices, so there is no nasty spillage. I love that. 
Great idea, that we should use in Canada for all take out food that has spillage potential. 

Kuwait: The Friday Market

Today I played tourist and went to the Friday Market. This is an enormous covered market that sells everything from nylons to industrial size fridges. I have been in Kuwait for a few weeks now, and thought it was time I played tourist. 

 These large covered circular areas are the roof tops of the market. A protection of sorts from the glaring sun. It was 45 degrees today--but really need to do something besides hide inside and watch Netflix ( how great is Downton Abbey?? ) 

This is the furniture section. As you can see you can choose from a lovely assortment of sectional sofas. "Dewaniya", is the term that is used for those low lying cushion seating arrangements we might see in a Moroccan restaurant.  This term refers to the custom of men sitting around smoking, drinking coffee and discussing all manner of things, from politics to religion. 

Kuwaiti folk really love the whole concept of bling and bedazzled. A lot of their garments are beaded and glittery. This..living room accessory (??) is an example of that. 

The market is a great place to buy an Abaya. I made a horrifying discovery today. Abaya's are not made of cotton, silk or natural fibers. Abaya's are basically made of--polyester. Think...non-breathable, man-made, flame resistant fabric. Think of that in 45 degree heat. I have no idea how these women are not keeling over from the heat.  

A big seller at the market is clothes/shoes and general flea market, second hand stuff. Acres and acres of this kind of clothing. I have no idea how anybody makes a living selling this stuff. If one's mission was to sift through all the hanging garments on offer at this market--they would be there for days and days and days. 

This is my 'carpet guy'. He is Iranian, and his carpets are "antiques" ( she said sarcastically) from Afghanistan, Iran and Syria. I treated myself to a lovely 70 year old carpet from Afghanistan. The colours are amazing. I put it in my bedroom It started off at a price of 200$ but I got him down to 120$. I am sure I could have paid less--but to me, it was a good deal and I was happy with that price. 

This is the 'fitness equipment' area. Anybody need a bowflex?

I was there for 3 hours, and could have spent another 3 hours there--and still not covered the whole market. I just couldn't take the heat anymore. I was literally dripping wet by the time I left. Have I told you how hot it is here? 

The beauty of Kuwait

There are things about Kuwait that are'nt beautiful, but one thing I can say about it is this: They have done the coast line right. 
In a lot of coastal cities (think Cancun, Mexico), the coast line is miles and miles of big hotels, with private beaches and very limited public access; that is not so in Kuwait. Sure, they have their share of big hotels,but none that I can see are up against the beach.  For the most part, the coast is lined with a lovely promenade for walking, jogging or simply relaxing. 
There is often direct access to the beach. The parking lots are interspersed periodically along the causeway--and the parking is free. It is a really great set up, and very user friendly. Granted--its too hot now to enjoy it, but in a few short weeks, that is where I will be spending a lot of my free time. 

Photo taken from my car, the palm trees are lining the ocean promenade.

The promenade. Off in the distance is Kuwait City. The promenade goes all the way to the buildings off in the distance and just as far in the other direction.

The other direction away from Kuwait city, the promenade goes as far as the eye can see. 

The parking area. 0cean/Promenade to the right, city to the left.