Questions about moving to Kuwait

Hi I lived in kuwait for a year know that the kuwaities prefer woman to cover there legs,when you are shopping or in the public eye it will be best to wear long to the ground type dress,s or pants it is seen as disrespectful to go againest the muslim way,and will offend them how you dress in your apartment is no problem in fact when you get there you have your choice of the latest fashions years ahead of the western world so flying in and going through immirgration wear jeans or long skirt ,the pharmacist sells everything and you do not need perscription ,I dont think they will confescate your contraciptive pills in fact in best to take them then they can match them with what they sell,dvds you can get all the latest dvds there and more ,so to some it up dress with all your skin covered when fly there you will have to wait some time to get through immirgration  and your person meeting you there can not come to you they wait on the other side of the entry area ,you will have a ball shopping or you can fly half hour to bahrain and shop there and be back before the end of the day yes dvds may be taken and as any where when shopping go in twos,and remember kuwait is muslim the kuwaitie is never wrong the speed limit is 120km pr hr the drive like they own the road going from 1 side to the other ,and life there is all about respect you will enjoy .

                      take care be safe you are about to learn there is so much more to life than us western people in fact I recomend going we western people take life for granted that every1 is western when in fact there is so much more

          if you need more info heres my email
           [email protected]
                 steve

Cheers Steve, thanks for the info

Hi,

Well, I guess once you hit ground you will have way more questions

I agree with Steve with most his answers. As for dressing, I think its not big of a deal. I mean, you can wear anything you want in reason. But, pants, up to the knee kind of skirts seem to be okay (as far as i see).

Once you are in Kuwait, you will get to see by yourself what is acceptable around here and what is not. Again, this also has to do with where you live, if you are in the far south/north people are a bit isolated & I don't think they used to seeing a women in a skirt. So, you might feel weird, if you are in center (salmya..etc) i guess its okay.

any ways, if you got more questions, don't hesitate to post em up and you will get to hear different opinion, lot of people around here are very helpful.


Cheers,

As a male, I'm not sure if the "pill" is readily available but, this isn't Saudi Arabia and confiscation is a pretty rare thing...  typically people trying to bring in liquor.  I wouldn't trouble yourself to bringing in a lot of dvds.  They are plentiful here and cheap (since they're pirated).  Find yourself a good shop...establish a working relationship with them (ensuring that you will refuse to accept poor quality copies, etc)...and you can get movies for 500 fils....or, about $1.75 USD.  If you have some favorites...to save space and to make it easier to bring in your favs in a cd/dvd binder.  Oh yeah....don't know if you're a fan (or not) of condoms but, they are readily available here.  Kuwait is a lot more liberal then people generally realize.  As for the standard for dress.....

Being tall...wearing knee length skirts won't be a problem.  In fact, like most places with lots of Indians in it, Kuwait has a VAST array of tailor/dress makers that can make you virtually anything you want at a very good price.  I've seen non-Kuwaiti Arabs even wear skirts that were well above their knees but, typically...you'll just get stared at a lot by the locals..both Arab and Indian.  If you want to "blend", just go with your new coworkers to one of the MANY malls and look around.  Generally speaking, a "safe" guideline is blouses with at least short sleeves...skirts to the knee or longer.  Other non-skirt clothing is very acceptable as well.  Refrain from "offensive" material on tshirts....alcohol, scantilly clad women, etc...and you'll be just fine.  If you have any other questions, drop me a line!

Allen

Hi

I just came across your post and thought I would add to it.
I was in Kuwait for sometime a few years back, you don't need to worry to much about what to wear as pretty much anything goes... of course.. nothing too revealing I would wear jeans and a fitted t shirt and it was ok, and follow the fashion trends as normal, like mentioned earlier it is not Saudi...and you are not an Arab, so you really have nothing to worry about,

I am in Saudi at the moment where it is law to wear the Abaya (it is not fun) you will be able to tell yourself what is appropriate or not, but regular clothes are fine.

Re: the pill.... I strongly recommend you get this from your own Dr before you travel as they can normally sort you out for several months.... I had difficulty with this as did my friends... and an even worse story is that my friend actually thought she could get the morning after pill from Kuwait!! We can laugh about it now… but at the time is was horrid!!! hahaha

If all else fails most of us girls tend to get the pill in from Lebanon, Syria or Jordan where it is available over the counter and you get to have a weekend away at the same time.

If you are married the pill is available to you... now remember married being the key word.

If you have the chance to work in the middle east, I recommend it,it changes you as a person and how you view life... I started of in Kuwait, if I am being completely honest it is not my favourite GCC country…I had a better time in Qatar and of course Bahrain as it is a lot more relaxed and plenty more activities to do.
But never come to Saudi… I am counting the days that my contract will be up for re-newel to get a transfer out of this place!!! Hahahahaha


I hope this has helped.

Hi Secondrowchick

When I read your post I felt like it was me 4 years ago when I was getting ready to move to Kuwait I thought I would have no life, only wear long sleeves and long skirts, go to work and then home. when I arrived here I was surprised and also very happy seeing it was a much more relaxed country than I expected.

I pretty much wear whatever I want and just ensure it is not too short or see through. Yes there are some places you should be careful on the dressing as people seem to stare at you but other than that you should be fine. I had brought a lot of long sleeves when I first came here which I barely wore later Also, bring your party dresses as you will see Kuwait is actually more fun than you think

Since you are coming to teach here, I am sure you will adopt easily with the help of your co-workers as I know Brit and American teachers are pretty active in social scene.

As long as you dont keep your expectations too high, it should be a good experience. There will be times that you will get
really bored but you can always travel to Dubai, Bahrain for weekend.

Good luck!

Knee length skirts are not a problem, as long as you don't mind getting a few stares every once in a while. However, for comfort and modesty, I do NOT recommend form fitting skirts at all.

The Pill: Most Dr's in the States or elsewhere will dispense up to a full year of the pill. If I were you, i'd pick up a full year prescription and hope to get back to your Dr at the end of that year to pick up another years' prescription. That's what I did. They will not confiscate your prescription, but I would not readily mention it at any appointment you make with a Dr here in Kuwait unless absolutely necessary. It's somewhat frowned upon for nonmarried women especially.

I've never heard of film DVD's being confiscated at the airport. Occasionally I suppose..but it's better to travel without that anyways.

Hope you settle in quick!

Dear...

I read all the posts below, quite confusing for an expat, and very misleading in fact.
I do highly recommend you obtain your reliable feedback from Arab expats who have been living in the country for a long time.

Most of the comments are really ironic, as if people are living in a jungle.

Be cool and relaxed, life is much more easier and smoother than what u might think.

Best of luck

secondrowchick wrote:

Dear all,
I have a new job starting soon in Kuwait. I am trying to sort out things but I have a few random questions....
1. Dress - I understand that dressing modestly is a must, however I am really tall and dont expect to have easy access to longer clothes in Kuwait, therefore I am trying to sort out stuff before I move - are knee length skitrs appropiate?

2. Contraceptives - girls out there, do you have any problems taking the pill into Kuwait when you travel - the nurse at my local GP told me they may conviscate the contraceptive pill

3. DVD's - has anyone been able to bring normal film DVD's into kuwait? Again, someone told me they are likely to be conviscated at the airport!

I'm sure I will have more questions in the future but I cant remember any more right now!
Thanks

1- Dress: Kuwait has really changed and how you dress isnt really a problem, you will get alot of flirting going on though if your in a short skirt or whatever.

2- Contraceptives: im not a girl, but i do happen to know a few... they are available and there is no problem bringing them in with you ( unless its a very large amount ).

3- DVD's: As long as they are yours and you dont have houndreds of copies of each movie thats fine. and DVD's are really easy to get here you could even get pirate copies for about 1 dollar if you know where to shop lol.

Anyways any more info you need just lemme know and id be more then happy to help out

[email protected]

Hii,

I am going to move Kuwait soon. I am going to work in one manufacturing industry as an engineer. Can someone tell me what should be the ideal dressing at office place?

Sorry.
Please note, I am asking dressing for female only.

Hey, I moved here in September, for where I work, we have to wear smart dress - tailored trousers, skirts below the knee, no low cut tops and no bare shoulders - I usually wear some type of trousers/skirt and then a blouse with short sleeves adn a strappy top underneath!
Good luck, and I hope you settle in well here