Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Almost 25 years in Kuwait!
Twenty-five years in Kuwait is a milestone of sorts. A time to reflect on my life in Kuwait, the country in which I chose to live out my life. Living in Kuwait can be a culturally rewarding experience, but can be a frustrating experience as well. Living in Kuwait is a place where those of us who chose to live here can share our experiences - good and bad - of our lives in Kuwait.
# posted by AmericanQ8 @ 7:34 AM 
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Your blog is very interesting. Although I live in Kuwait since many years, I never saw such a nice sunset or a desert view as you have caught in your pictures. Amazing!
# posted by 
: 12:24 PM
: 12:24 PM
Hello,
I am moving to Kuwait in the spring, I am an American too. I am very nervous about the move. I have been there 4 times, but never longer than 8 months at a time. Maybe you can give me some advice. You can read my blog too. Thanks
I am moving to Kuwait in the spring, I am an American too. I am very nervous about the move. I have been there 4 times, but never longer than 8 months at a time. Maybe you can give me some advice. You can read my blog too. Thanks
Carly, I hope this helps. I'm sending an article which appeared in the Friday Times here a couple of months ago. It was written by a young American who, after growing up in Kuwait, was contemplating his life upon returning to the States:
A Farewell to Kuwait
By Josh Boone
For most expats, Kuwait is just a stop-over in the wide spectrum of life, a place where one can work, live relatively cheap and make as much money as possible and then move on without giving Kuwait another glance. Yet for the few who have made this small desert nation their home, it is much more than that.
When I moved here I was seven years old and my family only planned on staying here for five years. I can still remember waking up the first morning feeling like I was in another world. Everything was different from living in an apartment, to the food, to getting used to people speaking in a different language. Nevertheless, adjustment was made easily as soon as I was enrolled in school which was another experience all in itself. Being used to the very bland cultural mix at too many American public schools, I was surprised by the diversity at my school – so many cultures all converging in one place to interact. Instantly, I made friends and within the first month I was adjusting just fine, even picking up a little of the native language.
For me, the opportunity to attend school in such an international environment is one of the best experiences I have gotten out of Kuwait. Through this I was able to gain irreplaceable knowledge about other places which over time has made me more open-minded to different cultures.
Another opportunity Kuwait gives its youth is the ability to be a kid and keep your innocence. Unlike most places in the West where kids grow up much faster and experience things at a younger age, Kuwait has a way of shielding its youth from things such as drugs and sex. This was a major shocker for me when I returned to America for two years in 1997 while my mother was going back to college. Once again everything was different. At my new school, the majority was white and although everyone could wear what they wanted to wear, they still looked uniformed to me. It was a small town in Florida called Navarre and everybody who went to my school was from that town. Yet, the hardest thing to get used to was the fact that all the kids were not into playing outside or video games like my old school. Here they talked about girls and going to parties – some even mentioned smoking pot. Even the curriculum was different. We had classes where police officers would discuss what happens to drug abusers and to kids who break the law and other classes on sex education where teenage mothers would inform the class on the dangers of premarital sex. To say the least I was shocked about how kids in the States behaved vs. Kuwait and desperately wished to return to a much simpler time which I eventually did a year later.
Of course things were never the same after returning to America for those two years, but I also got a chance to see what my life could have been like had I not left the States and I was more than happy to return to Kuwait a year later.
Now the time has come for me to once again leave my global citizenship behind and return to America and I can’t help but have a couple of questions racing through my head. The first and foremost, am I ready not to live the “cushy” lifestyle I live here with the housekeepers, drivers, cheap gas and three dollar valet parking? Not to mention cleaning and cooking for myself which I am ashamed to say I have very little experience. Secondly, can I really deal with the ignorance associated with the people who spend their whole lives in one place? I mean every time I have returned to the States and talk to people about where I’ve been and my experiences I start to realize that almost no one can relate or see the world as I have. Finally, I wonder how the States is changed this time and will it be as big a shocker as when I returned eight years ago? The truth is I have no idea but at least I have had the chance to see what life was like outside the bubble and now I will see if I can stand life inside.
A Farewell to Kuwait
By Josh Boone
For most expats, Kuwait is just a stop-over in the wide spectrum of life, a place where one can work, live relatively cheap and make as much money as possible and then move on without giving Kuwait another glance. Yet for the few who have made this small desert nation their home, it is much more than that.
When I moved here I was seven years old and my family only planned on staying here for five years. I can still remember waking up the first morning feeling like I was in another world. Everything was different from living in an apartment, to the food, to getting used to people speaking in a different language. Nevertheless, adjustment was made easily as soon as I was enrolled in school which was another experience all in itself. Being used to the very bland cultural mix at too many American public schools, I was surprised by the diversity at my school – so many cultures all converging in one place to interact. Instantly, I made friends and within the first month I was adjusting just fine, even picking up a little of the native language.
For me, the opportunity to attend school in such an international environment is one of the best experiences I have gotten out of Kuwait. Through this I was able to gain irreplaceable knowledge about other places which over time has made me more open-minded to different cultures.
Another opportunity Kuwait gives its youth is the ability to be a kid and keep your innocence. Unlike most places in the West where kids grow up much faster and experience things at a younger age, Kuwait has a way of shielding its youth from things such as drugs and sex. This was a major shocker for me when I returned to America for two years in 1997 while my mother was going back to college. Once again everything was different. At my new school, the majority was white and although everyone could wear what they wanted to wear, they still looked uniformed to me. It was a small town in Florida called Navarre and everybody who went to my school was from that town. Yet, the hardest thing to get used to was the fact that all the kids were not into playing outside or video games like my old school. Here they talked about girls and going to parties – some even mentioned smoking pot. Even the curriculum was different. We had classes where police officers would discuss what happens to drug abusers and to kids who break the law and other classes on sex education where teenage mothers would inform the class on the dangers of premarital sex. To say the least I was shocked about how kids in the States behaved vs. Kuwait and desperately wished to return to a much simpler time which I eventually did a year later.
Of course things were never the same after returning to America for those two years, but I also got a chance to see what my life could have been like had I not left the States and I was more than happy to return to Kuwait a year later.
Now the time has come for me to once again leave my global citizenship behind and return to America and I can’t help but have a couple of questions racing through my head. The first and foremost, am I ready not to live the “cushy” lifestyle I live here with the housekeepers, drivers, cheap gas and three dollar valet parking? Not to mention cleaning and cooking for myself which I am ashamed to say I have very little experience. Secondly, can I really deal with the ignorance associated with the people who spend their whole lives in one place? I mean every time I have returned to the States and talk to people about where I’ve been and my experiences I start to realize that almost no one can relate or see the world as I have. Finally, I wonder how the States is changed this time and will it be as big a shocker as when I returned eight years ago? The truth is I have no idea but at least I have had the chance to see what life was like outside the bubble and now I will see if I can stand life inside.
Hi! I want to share with you and with the ones visiting your blog part of an article about Kuwait written by Jane Harman.
“Life is good for the citizens of Kuwait, the small emirate on the banks of the Persian Gulf, called here the "Arabian" Gulf because of the strong dislike for Iran.
Kuwait sits atop the world's third largest proven oil reserves, and gas is only 60 cents a gallon. It takes just 15 bucks to fill up an SUV like the GMC Envoy! Citizens enjoy free health care, electricity, and water, and the per capita income is $19,000. Lots of folks work just 4 hours a day, from 10am -2 pm.
And the United States has eliminated the country's mortal enemy to the north - Saddam Hussein.
….a key to Kuwait's success is that the ruling family has shared the wealth with the people. That prosperity has led to greater political openness. Indeed, Kuwait is one of the more progressive countries in the Gulf.
This past May, the Parliament passed legislation granting women the right to vote. Women will begin voting here in 2007, and there is already one female member of the Cabinet.”
http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/9/28/154327/556
“Life is good for the citizens of Kuwait, the small emirate on the banks of the Persian Gulf, called here the "Arabian" Gulf because of the strong dislike for Iran.
Kuwait sits atop the world's third largest proven oil reserves, and gas is only 60 cents a gallon. It takes just 15 bucks to fill up an SUV like the GMC Envoy! Citizens enjoy free health care, electricity, and water, and the per capita income is $19,000. Lots of folks work just 4 hours a day, from 10am -2 pm.
And the United States has eliminated the country's mortal enemy to the north - Saddam Hussein.
….a key to Kuwait's success is that the ruling family has shared the wealth with the people. That prosperity has led to greater political openness. Indeed, Kuwait is one of the more progressive countries in the Gulf.
This past May, the Parliament passed legislation granting women the right to vote. Women will begin voting here in 2007, and there is already one female member of the Cabinet.”
http://www.tpmcafe.com/story/2005/9/28/154327/556
Just loved the text you posted from the Friday times.
Sometimes I wonder how it would be to live there...
Sometimes I wonder how it would be to live there...
Completely agree with Josh Boone's article. Especially to the part about the 'innnocence'. It's truly a different world, even though much more westernisation has infiltrated the seeps of Kuwaiti and foreign culture...it still is the best.
am planning to go there soon and a from nigeria but i dont realy know how life goes there and the citizens relationship with the black foreigner..can someone give me a tip?
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