I'm a highly skilled IT professional who's had the misfortune to spend some horrid time in Kuwait and I wish to share my experience here so that those contemplating a move to Kuwait can make an informed decision on whether or not this is really a place they want to be in.
I am an Indian national but was born and raised in Dubai so the Gulf wasn't a place that was going to be new to me when I decided to accept a job-offer from a Kuwait-based company. I was in India at the time and had assumed that Kuwait would be just like the world-class, cosmopolitan, progressive city of Dubai in which I had spent the first twenty-one years of my life. In complete contrast however, I found life in Kuwait to be depressingly gloomy and miserable and I'll explain why. The first thing you'll notice is the attitude most Kuwaiti nationals have towards expatriates, especially Asians, which gives you an overwhelming sense of a lack of human dignity, particularly if you're a brown-skinned, South (or East) Asian like me, never mind your religious beliefs, educational qualifications or economic status. You are treated like you are an inferior species, somehow not quite human enough. When I was in Dubai, never did I feel like I was in a foreign land – it felt like home. But in Kuwait every moment you realise – and are made to realise – that it's an alien place. Whether in government offices, at work, in the streets, driving on the road, wherever – you are given the same humiliating treatment. Euphemistically referred to as a guest-worker, in reality you feel like an unwelcome, barely-tolerated slave-boy who should feel eternally obliged to be in Kuwait, having escaped a life of destitution in your home country. I of course don't want to sound like I'm generalising – my Kuwaiti sponsor for example was an exceptionally polite, civil, courteous and respectful man but such attitudes are more the exception than the norm. Hardly surprising really, given that many citizens in this country receive second-class treatment, let alone expatriates.
Another thing that struck me was that individuals, business establishments and even city areas are identified by nationality – an Indian maid, a Pakistani grocery, a Kuwaiti locality, etc – no doubt a form of racial segregation further reflective of the mindset here.
The government departments and offices are riddled with corruption and inefficiency. When I had gone for my medical tests, I saw the staff there (mostly nationals) slapping, kicking and throwing office stationery at Indians, Pakistanis and other expatriate workers who'd come there for their tests too – it was a scene that jolted me – absolutely shocking. The place was so badly organized – with swarms of people jostling and shoving each other – getting a form typed was an ordeal more excruciating than getting your wisdom teeth pulled out. At most government offices, as an Asian expatriate you'll be treated in a highly rude and brusque manner, basically like you're scum.
This place is not for well-educated professionals looking for career growth and a decent standard of life. As an IT professional, I can tell you for sure that there are barely any companies here that can offer you the sort of work that'll give you a sense of accomplishment. In that sense, India offers far more challenging opportunities. The difference in pay is more than offset by the much higher cost of living in Kuwait and the incalculable, non-monetary costs such as staying away from you loved ones and the overall sense of doing time in a huge open-air jail (which is how one colleague described life in Kuwait).
Despite being an oil-rich country, the state of development (or rather the lack of it) is quite appalling. The roads have cracks in them, most of the buildings are old, shabby and decrepit, the streets are dirty, the traffic is chaotic – sometimes it feels like you're in an impoverished third world country. The entertainment and recreation options are extremely limited – TV and movies (those that aren't banned) are about all.
There are expatriates here who've toiled for years, even decades in such degrading conditions, away from their families and loved ones. I decided I wasn't going to be one of them and therefore left the place – good riddance. I wouldn't advise anyone else to go there either, especially if you're a well-educated, talented professional who wants to build a good career for him/herself, value your liberty and freedom and believe in and want to live a life of human respect and dignity.
It’s a life without dignity in Kuwait
I agree with you, although I have not personally observed all the issues you describe. It appears that Kuwait is really one large trading post, not surprisingly, since this is the way it originally and historically developed. The ruling families, generally with a trading history, also dominate parliament and lawmaking, effectively ensuring how way Kuwait Inc is run. My own assessment is that the country is still at a similar level where the Netherlands was around the era of the 16th century, where powerful ruling classes run the country, with a certain level of democracy as a sop to the masses.
This affects every aspect of life including the administration and the infrastructure which are there to further trading profits, obviously at a minimal cost, and to ensure that the expatriate workers, the majority of the population, remain under control and not too comfortable.
Based on some peculiar laws I have seen in Kuwait, not least the Employment legislation which is well out of date and is repeatedly in parliament for ratification and passing but never quite gets there, my own hypothesis is that Kuwait Inc passes laws and introduces regulations that benefit trading.
The ruling classes have also created a situation whereby oil revenues create an attraction for foreigners to come and work, but by ensuring that the cost of living stays high and under control through the use of monopolization, the funds earned by expatriates remain to a large extent in the country.
Although the initial perspective may be attractive to professional expatriates and other workers tempted to move to Kuwait, in terms of the salary and package proposed on paper, the reality on the ground, after taking into account the cost of living and the intangibles, some of which you have listed in your writing, ensure that a stay in Kuwait usually ends up being a zero sum game if one compares the risks and costs of being in Kuwait with the rewards.
I am glad that you have written this piece as, when we were exploring our move to Kuwait in July 2008, not much information was available on the internet in terms of the negative factors related to Kuwait, which would affect our stay and make it highly unpleasant.
It is not only expatriates that necessarily make these comments either, as many Kuwaitis have similar thoughts. One only needs to consider the huge outflux of Kuwaitis and others each time there is a major holiday in Kuwait. One could argue that the lack of seats available signifies the inefficiency of airline operations. I hazard a guess that it more related to the desire of the inmates to get out of Kuwait to experience a more normal way of life before returning to the "open air" prison you mention.
F Balfoort
Well written and true to the last bit of it.
I don't know how many of my grey hairs come from that one year I spent in that beautiful country, but I'm sure it's a few.
I have never ever expected anything like that.
Overpriced apartments for Western Expats, after every sand storm you have to clean the whole place because the dust gets through the windows. Hellholes for Asian workers, I don't even want to describe their living conditions.
Trash everywhere and idiocy wherever you go.
Trying to get to a place with a taxi is an ordeal, even when you have a map and you can show the place you want to go.
When you are fair skinned they try to cheat you out of your last penny. I had more than one verbal argument with taxi drivers and I can tell you people don't like women arguing with them.
Even when you are decently dressed you get rude stares and more than rude offers. They are even worse to their own kind though. I've seen men molest women dressed in Abayas with small kids in their arms.
Crime is getting worse by the week. Murder, rape and whatnot is in the papers daily.
I am glad we did leave.
It took my husband 4 weeks to get the Visa canceled through his company. Screw up after screw up.
For me things like "No Photography" really got me.
For example going to Green Island they told me at the entrance I wasn't allowed to take pictures.
Totally insane.
(Green Island out of the air - nobody could tell me "No" there 
)
For the ones that still will go / have to go to Kuwait, I have a few bits and pieces of Information about what you can do and where you can go on my website.
It's far from finished, I always keep adding small things, but it's at least a little bit of the big picture 
nicoleb.org/Countries/Kuwait/Kuwait.html: Kuwait Info
I wrote a lot of rants on my blog during the time I've been in Kuwait.
/nicoleb.org/b2/index.php/ramadan-2007-in-kuwait: Ramadan, nicoleb.org/b2/index.php/new-law-against-homosexuals: freedom of religion & expression, nicoleb.org/b2/index.php/modern-slavery: modern slavery, nicoleb.org/b2/index.php/the-other-day-at-the-police-station: our day at Ahmadi police station, nicoleb.org/b2/index.php/debt-relief: about debt relief for Kuwaitis.....I sometimes go back, read them again and am just glad we are out of there.
And I tend(ed) to generalize sometimes. I don't really mean to. I met quite a few decent Kuwaitis there myself. Many that are not happy with the country and the situation there.
But most people just have the "Inshallah" attitude and I doubt much will change there.
I'm gonna post some more pics, I would have now, but I must have deleted a folder 
Somehow the pics once again don't want to show...I'll dig through my archives later and get the original file names...
Some glimpses of Kuwait
To the left a health center, in the front some living quarters
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/people/drive%20080%20copy.jpg
fixing a truck
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/people/people%20mangaf%20truck.jpg
fishing in a sand storm
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/people/people%20fishing%20dust.jpg
Insanity in driving (Kuwait city)
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/drive%20029%20copy.jpg
These buildings are normal
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/drive%20035%20copy.jpg
My kitchen table after a storm
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/duststorm2%20May%202007.jpg
A Ferrari stopping to get some refreshments
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/ferrari.jpg
Green island from above
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/green%20island-3.jpg
Kuwait city
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/kuwait%20citylife.jpg
Kuwait towers
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/kuwait%20towers.jpg
Liberation tower with Kuwait city view
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/liberation%20tower.jpg
Why you never get mail in Kuwait / or why your mail never reaches its destination
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/mailbox%20Kuwait1.jpg
Souq Mubarakiya
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/souq.jpg
A beautiful beach....
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/NicoleB/kuwait/trash%20beach2%2011042008.jpg
Nice photos Nicole, you have a knack for it.
As regards employment conditions in Kuwait, please refer to articles written in 2006 as per the following link (ipsnews.net/news.asp?idnews=35236). There are many such articles on First Kuwaiti General Trading and Construction company. The case discussed is now in court in the USA and I am sure it will raise some interesting issues about employment regulations and Kuwaiti business practices. See link to Columbia District Court. (dockets.justia.com/docket/court-dcdce/case_no-1:2009cv00198/case_id-134993/)
Ferdinand
Dear Nicole,
I have a good friend who is also exiting Kuwait currently, and asked me for some help on the formalities etc. As your husband went through the whole process, would you be able to provide a list of steps, either on this forum or send it to [email protected].
Thanks in advance,
Ferdinand Balfoort
www.balfoort.com.my
Ferdinand, I'm fairly sorry.
His company did most of these things for him.
But they screwed a lot up, the government did it's own part, the Amir died and that slowed it all down.
I know that he needs to get his work Visa canceled.
I guess that would be done at the same place where he got it?
If I remember right, they also need passport pics for that (don't ask me why)
Maybe he could call his embassy for help / instructions??
Shouldn't his company be doing that stuff? Man, it's a really weird place!
They probably have changed all the laws by now anyway.
He should also make sure that he has no traffic tickets, he can check that online. I can give you a web address if that's an issue.
He should make sure that he gets in writing from his landlord that everything (I mean everything) is paid and that he has no open bills or anything. Same for phone, Internet and whatever you can think of.
He should also keep those records, take them with him to the airport and also keep them just in case he ever wants to go back.
That's all I can think of for now.
Sorry I'm of no greater help. Since I stayed on the visitors Visa, I didn't have to go through that crap.
Thanks Nicole,
much appreciated, it provides good pointers to an expatiate's exit from Kuwait. I think you are correct that any employing company should normally take care of these matters, but unless the employer is reputable and ethically above board one should expect plenty of challenges as this is a good opportunity for any unscrutable parties to make life difficult.
I will relay some of the points to my friend just in case, and I think your advice to ask the embassy for help is a very sound one,
Best regards,
Ferdinand
Dear South,
I do not have detailed statistics at hand but it appears that the total population of Kuwait is approximately 3 - 3.5 million, of which nearly a third are nationals and the rest (2 - 2.5 million) are therefore foreigners. Of these foreigners/ expatriates, a majority is from the Indian sub continent (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi) and they are represented strongly at all levels of organizations.
Your question is very apt, and your comment was reflected by a Danish executive from a well known Scandinavian company in Asia I met last week who has decided not to do any business with India, mostly due to the very different cultural perspectives between Denmark and India.
In the interest of being brief, an Indian national working for McKinsey many years ago as a senior professional consultant defined the business and social hierarchies in his country as as "Kiss Up and Kick Down". The same mentality has to this extent been exported to Kuwait based on the population statistics I noted above.
Best regards,
Ferdinand
www.balfoort.com.my
Nicole i like your pictures!!!!!!! TNX ...
Dear Lea,
yes, it is a good quote and yes, I quite understand the sentiment. Hope you read and got the gist of what I wrote in response to your other query. Although economically attractive initially you will find that the actual costs, both financial and emotional, exceed the expected revenues.
Good luck for the future,
Ferdinand
Hi Lea/South,
Thank you for your posts and I'm glad you raised the points you have. I have found pretty much the same sort of questions being asked of me by those who wish to counter the observations I make about expat life in Kuwait (though most aren't as civil as you). Interestingly, almost all such folks don't actually point out a single positive aspect about Kuwait, which after all is what the debate is all about – the good and the bad about expat life there, and to that extent they are in substantial agreement with me even though they may not realise it. As a side note, I have also found that these folks either don't understand the point the debate is about, or seek to needlessly obfuscate the topic at hand or just do not have the bare minimum intellect to engage in a serious, informed and healthy discussion – and I'm not suggesting even for a moment that you fall into either of these categories.
Right, so firstly I believe that the issue of how lower classes are treated in India, or the situation in India in general, in not really relevant to the topic here because what we are really discussing is expat life in Kuwait. To say “yes but it's worse in India” is to my mind a red herring and an attempt to avoid answering tough questions. I would've appreciated counter-arguments and perspectives that show the other side of expat life in Kuwait, if indeed you have any, as we would've then had a well-rounded discussion. But I will still address your questions so I'm not seen to be avoiding them.
Firstly, I don't really identify much with India since I was born and raised in Dubai as I have stated in my post. However I have lived here long enough to appreciate the fact, and to wholly agree, that lower classes don't really have it so good here. In fact there are serious issues in the way they are treated and discriminated against and I could discuss them at length in an appropriate forum. However, as an objective observer I would also point out how much things have changed over the decades. Social attitudes towards the lower classes have changed to the extent that people from those classes routinely rise to the top in fields as diverse as politics, business and the arts. So much so that we have had people from the lower classes occupy the highest constitutional office in India. Something comparable has only recently happened in the US (with the election of Barack Obama) and is still quite unthinkable in Europe which is where you hail from.
Perhaps a point that you could've raised which would've been more in line with the topic would be the way expats are treated in India and how that compares to Kuwait. It is quite a contrast really – at least for white expats in India. They have memberships to the best clubs in town, their companies give them the best accommodation and cars, they are given special perks and “hardship-allowances”, they employ domestic help to handle every tiny domestic chore (a luxury they simply wouldn't be able to afford in their home countries) and best of all, they have people fawning all over them, thanks to the feudal mindset and colonial hangover that a vast majority of Indians still suffer from. I'm sure there's another side as well – I'm just mentioning what I've seen.
The one thing I find quite disconcerting about your posts is the implicit suggestion that I should not really be saying anything here in this forum just because of the situation in my own country. Your comment about “people living in glass houses shouldn't throw stones on others” and how I should “behave in life” betrays more than a hint of condescension towards Indians and perhaps third-world citizens in general. I certainly hope that wasn't your intention. I am sure it cannot be your case that freedom of expression is a right that should be restricted only to a privileged few. It's interesting that other people in this thread (from western countries) have equally uncharitable things to say about life in Kuwait but you haven't directed any questions at them. How about the situation in the so-called “civilised and enlightened” west then? It is no secret that western powers are hypocritical about human rights – Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib being cases in point. How about the presence of fringe extreme right-wing political groups in your own country and their attitudes towards immigrants, especially from non-white, non-Christian countries? Would you deny me my right to the freedom of expression when bigoted journalists in your country can cynically use the same right as an excuse to denigrate the most revered personality of a great religion?
I too don't seek to blame you for the ills in the west; I just seek to make the point that we're all living in glass houses. Should no one then say anything about the ills that one observes? No, one should therefore be all the more forceful in bringing to light things that are simply unacceptable and go against basic civilisational values and human dignity. After all, isn't that how over centuries of struggle we've gained the liberties we take so much for granted today?
In a way we're extremely lucky to have these forums that allow any and everyone to express and share their thoughts with the rest of the world and that's what I have done. You may not know, but there are a lot of people here who think of Kuwait as nothing less than a “promised land” and it's only once they land up there that reality dawns on them. Unfortunately, unlike me not everyone has the luxury to just get up and go if they don't like the place (most people take huge loans to pay for their air tickets and visas to reach there). Through my post I want people to know of this reality especially those who have better options.
I trust you will now appreciate my motivation for writing this post. Thank you once again for being part of this discussion and I wish you all the best.
Sherafghan
south wrote:Hi Ferdinand
Thanks for your post.
As I guess you know my point was: "dont through with stones if you live in a glass house" (Danish way of saying), and "treat others like you want to be treated". Not because I want to accuse the author of this thread; just a general comment to how one should behave in life :-)
BR
Lea
you are 100% right, i appreciate your way of thinking.i travelled to many westren and asian countries, and all of them have advantages and disadvantages but i never treat them badly.we should respect the others becouse we are not 100%perfect.
Hi all ,
I am new to this topic , but I really like the way of thinking of ashrefghan .
myself I am a moroccan citizen living in kuwait for the past 14 years . I am married to a kuwaiti national since 11 years , i have 2 daughters and they dont have the same advantages like other children who are of kuwaiti male father even if married to a foreign lady .
Well , i totally agree with you ashref on all your comments , on the other hand Kuwait is safe and is reeally a place where you may start a business (with some complications of course) but no taxes and barely custom fees ...
I am sure only of one thing , the Emir of Kuwait is an open person and the prime minister is too a very educated and decent person and you may feel they want to raise up the country to an outstanding level , but you know what is the problem here in kuwait ( The parliement ). they are behind all the underdevelopment of this country .
Yes I would not advise anyone to start a life carrer here coz of the rules and the discrimination that exists here inb kuwait , but we keep on hoping that things will change oneday , hopefully ...
Regards
Adel
To Sherafghan:
I know I'm a bit late in reading this post, but from what you've written, I suppose racism, prejudice and discrimination hasn't changed all that much.
My father was posted on assignment in Kuwait from 1979-1986. I spent my early childhood and pre-teen years over there. My parents sent us to study at the American School of Kuwait (ASK) in Salwah. My family moved back to the US when I was 12 years old.
When my family was living there, Kuwait was definitely not a color blind society. Wages and salary depended on one's nationality and skin color. The lighter one's skin, the "better" the person was in the eyes of most Kuwaitis. Indians, Sri Lankans, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis, Filipinos and Thais (there were quite a bit of them in Kuwait during those days) were at the bottom of the barrel in terms of how they were treated. It was quite common to hear locals say those aformentioned nationalities were "donkies" or "(Insert one of those nationalities above) no good" in their rudimentary English. In addition, there was a very high incidence of abuse (mostly rape) among domestic helpers of these nationalities by their Kuwaiti employers.
The Palestinian, Egyptian, Yemeni and Qatari laborers/'guest workers' were paid higher wages than their Asian counterparts because they were "Arab brothers."
Looking at NicoleB's photos, Kuwait definitely looked nothing like that. It was desolate and dusty. The streets had no names. And I am not exaggerating, as I spent 7 years of my life in that country, before I ever lived in my own country, the US. Whenever my parents were invited to parties or other kids from school invited us to their birthday parties, it was standard to include a hand-drawn map in the invitation. We used embassies as landmarks. If the venue said "2km from the Lebanese Embassy," you better know what the Lebanese flag looks like.
There weren't that many cars as shown in NicoleB's photos. You can drive up to 120 km/hr. Kuwait's population back then was less than 1 million. The expats/foreign workers outnumbered the local Kuwaiti population. It was a very safe, albeit boring, place. My dad used to leave his car doors unlocked. And this was in Kuwait City and Salmiyah, the only 2 developed downtowns back then. These were the only 2 places with high-rise buildings and 5-star hotels.
As for cost of living, we lived in 3-bedroom flat in Salwah and my parents paid US $1,200/month. This was in 1984-1986 dollars. This wasn't a prime area, mind you. Just a mid-range area. There were about 5 or 6 other brick flats mostly occupied by Lebanese and British expats. Everybody had the same view outside their window-an endless view of the desert. Most of the roads were unpaved. My shoes were always filled with sand after walking for more than 5 minutes. I used to hear my parents say that we might as well be living in Manhattan with that amount they were paying in rent.
It took 1-1.5 years to get a phone line.
The only thing that was cheap in Kuwait was petrol and health care (free). Everything else was over-priced. Heaven knows how much my parents complained about it when we first arrived.
That photo of NicoleB's kitchen table, the one after a sandstorm with all that dust on it made me smile. Brought back memories.
There were no McDonalds, Starbucks or Burger King. The only places/restaurants to choose from were: Hungry Bunny, Pizza Italia, Hardees, Chicken Tikka, and Popeye's and that Swiss chain Movenpick, if my memory serves me correctly. If you wanted fine dining, you had to go to the 5-star hotels. That would be the Meridien in Kuwait City, The Marriott Hotel (it was a yacht back then). Are those establisments I mentioned still around?
Life was pretty simple since there wasn't much to do with very limited choices. For us kids, the highlight was going to that huge Safeway or the Sultan Centre in Shuweikh. We'd get really excited about it. There was just one toy store called Kids R Us. Pathetic, I know. But that was how it was. Entertainment City was a rare treat since it was pretty far from Salwah. If I remember it correctly, it was close to the Iraqi border. But correct me here if I'm wrong.
My mom learned how to make wine by using apple cider. Actually, most expats did. Whenever there were get-togethers,they would each bring their own creations and share tips on how to increase the alcohol content.
My mother found it very difficult to cope. She couldn't go out on her own, she was often gawked at by the men even though she wore long skirts to cover her legs. I remember she would tighten her grip on my hand when the cat calls in Arabic started (I assume that's what they were) and 'that look' they gave her, and this was just a trip to the corner store.
There's one particular thread here in the Kuwait forum asking how one made friends there. If you're finding it difficult now, it was much more difficult during my parents' time. There were no forums like this, no Internet and Skype. Most expats depended on their sponsoring companies for social activities. Or, for trailing spouses like my mother, she networked with the other mothers at my school.
Anyway, if you've gotten this far, thanks for reading. I was compelled to share the Kuwait of yesteryear because inspite of the negative things about Kuwait, I have fond memories of that country. I spent my formative years there. I saw it slowly develop from being a segregated society in the early 80's (men and women were not allowed to stand in the same line) to a more integrated (gender-wise) modern society. It was a privelege to watch a nation reap its new found wealth (from oil, obviously) by building itself as a modern nation in every aspect-physically, culturally and socially. It was as if I was growing up with Kuwait, if that makes any sense.
I am 34 years old now and have been curious how this country, "my first country," has developed. It sounds like not much has changed on the social/labor front from what I gather on all responses to this post. That's very sad.
Wow, Iam glad you all shared your thought s and the things you observed.I have witnessed these things too and sometimes think we (Americans) should have stayed away in 91...I feel disrespected here. I dont think my military service is appreciated, and I don't think the young people here know what the United States did for them..I don't believe it is taught in schools here.n
More than that though...there is a huge lack of respect here for everything and everyone. A look at the driving here says it all.
To Sherafghan:
I am a Kuwaiti gentleman that just happened on this forum. I decided to register to give other readers a more balanced view than yours which possibly may have been negatively affected by some teething problems associated with your move to Kuwait. Is it possible that your few bad experiences set you against Kuwait so badly? Or that you may have some other issues (e.g. job not up to expectation, etc.)that made you hate Kuwait so much?
You make it sound like Kuwait is hell on earth and that the locals are just plain awful, with the exception of the few that "are the exceptions to the norm". I work with many expats (including Indians) in a professional setting and all are treated with respect. So many Kuwaitis are decent people who work hard, take care of their families and have expat friends or colleagues.
You say that some citizens receive second-class treatment. This is true sometimes but did you know that ALL citizens receive a government job if they desire one, free housing, a rental allowance, free education, free health care (including intensive care) and an allowance for each child. Also, you will excuse my saying so but don't they have a class of people in India known as the "untouchables"?
You then go on to say that Kuwait is like an "impoverished third world country". I may be biased because I am a Kuwaiti, but believe me I have traveled to a few third world countries and they look nothing like Kuwait.
I personally think that you did not get what you bargained for in Kuwait or else have some other issues to contend with and so decided to take it all out on Kuwait (hint: sometimes its best to look inward than to project outward).
Although Kuwait is in no way perfect, we Kuwaitis and I assure you a lot of expats like it here and enjoy a very good life. Best of luck with finding your nirvana!
dear sherafghan
I do sympathize with you
I'm an arab too (lebanese) and allow me to appologize to you for the way ppl have been treating u
my advice to u is to ignore such maniacs and focus on ur career
dont let them get to u
you're obviously smart and educated to let an illiterate make u feel down
Hey guys,
I was in Kuwait in summer of O8 to visit my families who live there. I personally, noticed the segregation among other people who lived there particularly on people who are from eastern Asia.
Personally, I was treated great, considering I am half ameircan half arab. Also if were to be treated poorly, I would never come to Kuwait.
I think that it's sad how an Islamic country can be so racist and arrogant. I was saddened to witness hardworking laborers to be treated like dirt by some Kuwaitis. I never witnessed such acts in the States.
I totally agree with AmericanArabGirl, its terrible, i lived long years in UAE, i visited Saudi. but i never seen such arrogant and rude people as in Kuwait. as u said well, they are called Muslim!, the ladies are so arrogant, they dont even say thanks when it happened many i helped them. i just reply ironically ''you wecome''!!!!!!!!!!! I got so many good friends in uae, even saudi ladies, but kuwait its really impossible, they are really rascist and against other arabs thats worst part. I really happy i resigned and get away from there. how they can live amd sleep like this. Allah kareem
With all of the bad things said about Kuwait people keep coming. I don't see the TCN folks running for the border because of ill treatment. If it's so bad go back home or find a new Gulf country because no matter what anyone says people keep on coming. Considering there are millions of Asian people looking for jobs I doubt immigration to Kuwait will cease. The movie slumdog millionaire gave me a look at India and Kuwait is a paradise compared to there. Just read the newspapers and see how corrupt expats are with murder, rape and robbery.
The Asian population have developed serious attitudes recently towards people. They are as rude as anyone else. They screw up the highways with their driving. My sister was waiting for her husband in the car and one Indian guy decided to pee in front of her. How disrespectful is that? They were in Sultan center and one Indian guy decided to swipe his and accross her butt and her Kuwaiti husband beat the crap out of him.
The single guys are so rude and stare. They have no concept of taking a shower and using soap. If you decide to be nice to them they just want more. I moved out of my apt and had some extra items that I gave to the Indian mover. He kept insisting on taking more stuff then he tried to charge me a ridiculous amount because I'm American. The reason Kuwaiti people treat others like crap is if they give you people one inch you want a mile.
Sometimes I feel sorry for them, that is until I go out and I'm stared at by some gross worker guy. Obviously you are not taught respect. I've worked with some guys who fart, burp,blow snot out of their noses without using a tissue and spit like nothing. That's disgusting. If you don't like it leave as there are 100 million others waiting for your position. Easy come easy go.
Dear all,,,
On behalf of Kuwaiti citizens and who are living in Kuwait, I apologize for any bad action and any wrong acts.
I would like to tell you that in the State of Kuwait more than 5 million people live , mostly from other nationalities, many of them speak the Kuwaiti dialect fluently and wear uniforms of Kuwait and this does not mean that there is no Kuwaiti misbehave but must take into account that not everyone speak the Kuwaiti dialect Represents the Kuwait and its people.
Thank you,,,
NicoleB wrote:Some glimpses of Kuwait ........[/url]
You see these pictures in all countries, there is no one complete,AND THER IS MANY GOOD THING IN KUWAIT TOO.
By the way, many women in Kuwait Naturally shy, especially in contact with who is coming from an environment different from their environment and may lack self-confidence and lack of knowledge of English language makes them abusers act in many situations.
On the other hand I am a Kuwaiti girl try to show the good side of my personality being a Muslim girl and we all know that NO ONE IS complete , and my religion does not allow me to cause harm to others Muslims or other religions, not in words or even dispositions.
I would like to ask everyone here Have you ever been abused by someone Kuwait sexual man or woman?
If this had happened I hope you make it clear how and why?
So I can help you and ALSO my country.
kuwaiti girl wrote:NicoleB wrote:Some glimpses of Kuwait ........
You see these pictures in all countries, there is no one complete,AND THER IS MANY GOOD THING IN KUWAIT TOO.
Indeed there is & I apologize for not showing it. During those days I was a little bit on the negative side.
Sometimes it is easy to slide down and only think negative.
We are back in Kuwait and I am glad about it.
I could in the meantime, add one more country to my list of experiences and honestly, I currently prefer Kuwait over the last one
One can find negative things & negative experiences everywhere. I have heard horror stories from my home country regarding employment and it's getting worse by the month.
So to balance my other photos, here some more beautiful ones:
Kuwait has a big variety of beautiful birds. I love birdwatching & this is a real Gem for birdlovers
nicoleb.org/b2/media/blogs/nature/2010kuwait/birds/.evocache/bulbul%200725%2004%20edit.jpg/fit-520x390.jpg
nicoleb.org/photo/cache/birdwatching/birdwatching-kuwait-2010/plover-mangaf-0726-34-beach_600.jpg
Beaches
One at Fahaheel, but there are many more
Nature & wildlife and recreation on Failaka island
with ancient Greek ruins
Nature
Interesting places, malls and architecture to visit:
The Kuwait towers:
View from the towers
The Scientific center:
The dhow harbor at Souq Sharq
with the Liberation tower in the background
The Calligraphy museum:
Beautiful mosques:
The Grand mosque
Mosque in Fahaheel
nicoleb.org/photo/cache/countries/kuwait/mosque-fahaheel-0725-01_600.jpg
Lots of things you can do:
Jetski in Salmiya for example
Fishing
Edit to say:
There's much more to see, couldn't list it all in one post
NicoleB ... nice pictures you know now more than any one in kuwait
kuwait girl 411 .. thanks honey for clears up many things to ppl )
saraa .. you can not talk about one side from your position and leave the other .. at least in kuwait you can live safe and in dignity
you just know the rules as you are in any other country
wish you all a good life in my country
Yes Saraa you are absolutely right in that sense, even i never seen such arrogant people in my life time.
ok, this is a topic of debate but it is wrong to sterotype the entire populace as arrogant, lazy, disrespectful, or rude.
the most unfortunate thing is that good deeds are kept in private, whereas bad ones are publicised (its a rough translation of an arabic proverb الحسنة تعم والسيئة تخص )
just yesterday i was at the gym, as i was leaving to my car i found that some geniuses decided to park their cars in the middle (illegally), making it next to impossible for those parked correctly to exit. next to me there was a Hummer H3 attempting to get out, without looking at the driver, i got out behind them and directed them on how far back to go etc.
in the end, it turned out to be a lady, and she said something very sweet afterward that made me smile.
Just like any population, there are those that do good, and those that do not.
One time during gaelic football practice in a sports stadium on the 30, some of the local children were mocking the players. its not an isolated incident, it happens, yes. but there are good kuwaitis out there.
no one took mention of how Kuwaiti Girl (Um Saqer) just apologised to all for the hardships they had to endure as a result of some "kuwaiti".
and like she said, there are other gulf citizens here who for all intents and purposes fall under the "kuwaiti" umbrella.
i see a guy in a dishdasha and ghitra and i automatically assume "kuwaiti", tho at times they are syrian, bedouins or something else entirely.
as the good book says, let he who is without sin cast the first stone.
are there human rights violations? Yes. is there cruelty to maids etc? Yes. But you cannot generalise and say all Kuwaitis are bad.
There was a video floating around youtube of a lebanese man and his wife trying to go to a pool with their ethiopian maid, and the man refused her entry saying "her kind was not allowed".
so, racism is a big problem around the world, not just in kuwait. what we as a people have to do is find common ground and build bridges that transcend geography, religion, beliefs, gender etc.
Walk around with a song in your heart and a smile on your face is the best advice i can give.
Maybe then the bad-apples of the bunch will be able to follow your example.
oh man there is so much to read,and i am so lazy.
legacy wrote:Walk around with a song in your heart and a smile on your face is the best advice i can give.
I can't smile when i see others suffering.
Last week one of our company employee (Kuwaiti guy) came to my office asking for some equipment, i told him you need to get finance approval, we went to finance, i met the finance manager who was from India, he was friendly, after we finished our discussion about the equipment, while we were walking out me and the Kuwaiti guy, he said about the Indian manager, “do not listen to them, man i never listen to these people, and do not care about them, do not even give them attention!!! “...i was socked and felt sad ... till now i can't forget how he said that.
[Moderated: No offensive language please]
It is true unfortunately. Kuwaities in majority specially the young generation does have a crisis of ethics. No human consciousness. And that too sprawled in all directions, other nationalities. And the reason is very simple. No faith, faith is fading away. If you fear God not, you'll probably do anything.
I agree with our friend Kuwait girl, there are of course many humane and people who are true Muslims/Christians. But I dont agree with "looking like kuwaiti but they're not" theory.
And Kuwait has around 3.6 million.
Been in Kuwait for only 2 and a half months. Spent 13 years of my life living and working abroad in three countries. Travelled to many other countries. My take on Kuwait and Kuwaitis? They are the worst people I have ever encountered.
Recently went to celebrate my 10th Anniversary with my wife and kids. Were minding our business and taking some snapshots in a restaurant when one Kuwaiti man threatened to 'break' my camera if photos of his family were not deleted. Apparently he was sitting a few tables behind me. Told me off to look at him while he was speaking and asked to respect his religion.
This is the sort of nonsense which is going on. I bet he wouldnt have done it if I was a Kuwaiti. Which is my main point. If u're an expat in Kuwait, they treat u like a second class citizen. In this past 2 half months, Kuwaitis have been cutting the queue in front of me on so many occasions. The women never say thank you when I open the door to them. The lack of civic courtesies is just amazing. One time there was this road bully, a Kuwaiti obviously who was so incensed that I had changed lanes in front of him in a heavy traffic that he continuedly tried to brake his car in front of me. Obviously trying to teach this filthy, no good asian a lesson to 'respect' Kuwaitis.
There had already been three attempts to molest my wife. To the Kuwaiti who informed that an Indian expat was beaten the crap out of him coz he swiped his hands at a KUwaiti girl's ass, tell me, does this give me the right to beat the crap out of that Kuwaiti who tried to molest my wife? Is that how issues are settled around here? How civilised.
People say its unfair to generalise, but nobody can say they know every Kuwaiti. People base their opinions on their experience as a whole. And as a whole, I can say that Kuwaiti's are the worst. I've talked to many expats here, and none of them have a good thing to say about Kuwaitis apart from '....but there are a few Kuwaiti who are nice, but too few'.
For those who doubt what I'm saying, talk to people who have lived in Kuwait and worked there, most likely they wont have nice things to say about it. The saying that most Kuwaitis are arrogant, lazy, rude and obnoxious is just so true. Go to any government counters, most of them are just sitting there talking to each other ignoring the many clients. For the amount of money the country gets from oil, it's a tragedy to see that the country is a slum. Public works take almost forever to complete. Not surprisingly since most of them are too lazy to work. It's not like they are doing the work themselves, they hire labours to do it for them. But still.
Children too are very rude here, obviously taking notes and imitating what their parents do. I can't leave my wife 5 minutes alone in public or not there would be a group of male Kuwaiti's thinking that coz she's Asian they have a right to 'have' her. If a Kuwaiti woman was to be fond of an Asian man, let he be warned that his dad, brothers and uncles would soon come-over to beat the crap out of him for trying to seduce their girl.
In short, I have at least another 2 years here in Kuwait. I dont earn my money from a Kuwaiti, their corporations or government and I dont choose to be here. I hope my stay here would improve but I doubt it. The only Kuwaiti I met which was different was one who worked for the biggest bank here. But he grew up in the States, and had served in the US Army. He was very respectful, treating me like a client of a bank, like most anywhere else in the world. Unfortunately, so far, that's the only good experience I have had with a Kuwaiti.
Hi Everyone,
Thank you mindingmyself for your honest description. I am reading more and more of this as we get closer to making the big move this summer. I have to say I am really scared. Mostly of my children picking up bad habits, attitudes, etc. I really would love to hear from parents about their experience in Kuwait as well as what kinds of things they are doing to ensure their kids are still exposed to and learning good manners, civic responsibility, and general courteousy. I suppose also it's easy to become very materialistic in such a rich culture - any ideas??
Sadly that description fits for the Life of Asian Expats here as far as I can tell.
Most men these days stay far enough away from me, maybe because I have trained my 'I'm gonna kick you where it hurts' look.
But that just doesn't work with Asian girls.
A friend of mine from India was sitting in the hallway of the place we live and got asked first by a woman and later by her husband what in the heck she was doing there. He had the balls to ask her if she's a hore. Needless to say that her husband was ready to kick them. Those guys were Western Expats btw.
The Kuwaitis I met (besides the ones that hit on me from time to time) were decent and nice people.
But I stay away from most people most of the time and don't have to deal with them at work.
I would go nuts.
I tried to send mail last year, quite a bit of it in 2 or 3 goes.
80% got lost and of the 20% that got to Europe 5% got wet and the ink smeared.
Doing business here must be a nightmare...
A PS. to the respect part:
I had to tell off three Asian women a few weeks back in Fahaheel. One was cutting in in front of me and two told the cashiers 'Just a minute' because they needed to finish a phone call.
Needless to say that I lost it.
And lids will always be kids. I've met good and bad, but mostly they were nice enough.
I was afraid of some of them going to throw stones at the dogs and me, but so far they were more curious or scared, some even came for a closer look or even a pat.
I hate to say it, but I think Life is easier here for Western Expats than it is for Asians. 
in a country where the very nationals have levels of locality, printed on their passports, do u really expect a hierarchal attitude not to exist?
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