Moving to Kuwait from Australia

Shopping is not a problem, it's the primary recreational activity of Kuwaitis - they live for malls.

Prices can be significantly higher on branded clothing items, but you will be able to find everything you require.

Making friends can be more difficult here but not impossible; joining clubs or activities helps and there are coffee shops and US fast food and restaurants everywhere, as well.

Welcome to the forum and soon to welcome to Kuwait.

Hi
Welcome to Kuwait, are u coming on holiday or on business? According to this, u can be helped by our advice as expats.
Great regards.

I have yet to meet a person who is coming to Kuwait on a holiday.

Hi there,

Welcome in advance to the desert.

You can mostly find anything here ( besides pork and alcohol of course but there are "under the table" methods to get them).

As for making friends, it's a bit tough and takes time. You need to find a group of people with mutual interests. There are some sites where expats organize various trips/events. Will PM them to you ( as it seems I can't publicly post links)

welcome dear
That's very easy to make a friendship here in Kuwait

Hi!

Kuwait is pretty boring at start but eventually you will find some comfort if you make some decent friends, i would say being friends with women is much safer cause many men think if a girl want to talk to you she wants to sleep with you, its my opinion do things as you wish.

being social not easy!!!!
expat group is good to help you out.......

never talk about pork no homosexuality whatever you think and do keep it to yourself share only if you really trust someone

And you get most of the stuff here in market so shopping is pretty easy.

these are few measures to stay safe here.

so good Luck
enjoy your stay earn some and back to home

Wish you safe and a happy Welcome.
Take Care!

Best Regards,
Sneha Jain

@Imsnehajain

"i would say being friends with women is much safer cause many men think if a girl want to talk to you she wants to sleep with you"

Waw what a great generalization here! Thank you

I am Sorry! If you felt bad..
I had bad Experience that is the reason i said so
I will advice things according to my Experience.....
and in the end its her decision i even mentioned its my opinion you should do  things as you wish!!

Again I apologies !!!

Do not apologize, my friend. You said about something, it's exist here and true. Not all men,but 90%

@virtusik

Nah you are wrong...your numbers are inaccurate...i think it is 98.56% 🤔

Stock up on ladies products 😂 that's probably one of the few things I have a difficult time finding!

As far as shopping there's no shortage of malls here but if you're more into boho or contemporary designers you'll have a harder time finding your favorite brands and it is more expensive compared to the states but probably not as bad when compared to Oz.

Work will probably be the first and easier way to make friends. Everyone always tells people to sign up for expat groups or gyms to meet people but honestly that hasn't worked out for me at all. I found the best way was to meet new people through the friends I made.  It will take you longer to make friends here than elsewhere but I found that once you do make friends they're friends forever 😊

Feel free to PM me if you have any other questions!

Ribosom wrote:

I have yet to meet a person who is coming to Kuwait on a holiday.

Hello Ribosom! I volunteer for a youth group and students usually leave Kuwait for higher studies. Most of them tend to spend their college holidays in Kuwait, esp. the first 6-12 months after they've left. I can understand why, but it did sound odd to me when they say that they are in Kuwait for holidays! lol

-is there anything that you could recommend bringing over/ have not been able to buy in Kuwait?

you can find anything except alcohol

-what is the shopping like over there? (Style and pricing)

prices are high in the malls

-tips on making friends? How to meet people and become social?

just dont talk to strangers in the streets

make friends from your work

hasoon-965 wrote:

just dont talk to strangers in the streets

make friends from your work

This sound a bit too creepy. Never had a problem when talking to strangers on the street. Then again, I am not a girl in a country where allegedly 70% of population is male.

my only talking in the streets that i do is if someone is blocking my vehicle (by  parking it in a way that I can't pull out).

The last time I stopped when someone asked me to do so, I got mugged. Didn't stop to anyone (literally, even if they are bleeding and dying) after that.

well, if you attend to injured people on the street, you'll be blamed for harming them and will need to be their evidence. So why bother!

Interesting, considering you describe yourself as "Jovial, helpful, compassionate and very understanding." in your profile.

Hi  Rbosom,

Thanks for highlighting that. I'm still that description what I did added ages back while creating this profile, once I knew that I'm moving to Kuwait.
Kuwait has changed me in a lot of ways. Sad to say, one way how it changed me is that it made me be bitter and angry, and I stopped respecting others.

This Friday, I was at a tailor in my locality (salwa) to get some clothes altered. I was with my 2 year old son and wife. As I was explaining what needs to be done to these clothes, a native woman (I assume) walked in, butted right in front of me and flung her clothes at the tailor- the only person in that shop working that day and asked for her task to be carried out.

The tailor also stopped listening to me and took her orders.  Being a woman and the tailor being a man, she asked my wife if she could take her measurements (the tailor also asked for help). I told my wife to help them and after a whole 10-15 minutes of she explaining what needs to be done, left.

Tell me, what would you do if you were in my situation? This is true story, i'm not making it up. Maybe the woman and the tailor felt that the Kuwaiti needs to be tended first, and this pest called 'Indian' can wait. With Indians being the highest number of people on this world, patience might be an inborn quality in them along with it comes the characters that I've described myself

I get you. It is a sad truth that this place can change you, and not for the better. I am also sometimes struggling to keep my spirits high, but I won't give up just yet....however for Asian people it is much more difficult.

Ribosom wrote:

I get you. It is a sad truth that this place can change you, and not for the better. I am also sometimes struggling to keep my spirits high, but I won't give up just yet....however for Asian people it is much more difficult.

Sure I've had more pleasant experiences than unpleasant ones. But the unpleasant ones are really really unpleasant, especially coming from a society that has one of the highest per capita income in  the world. Maybe I shouldn't set my expectations high! lol

Another note; I've had western friends say similar unpleasant experiences. I won't go into details, to save time Bottom line, in spite of Kuwait being fancy, rich and multi-cultural, it does not live up to the expectation.

Good day!

@Imsnehajain
Sorry to hear that about nation but it's true or I can say most of people now a days like that

It's great people in Australia I was studying health science at Unisa as well as I learnt English language in the G.C lovely place really, so everything easy in Kuwaite, u can do what u want here but No ALCOHOL 🍺 it's only under the table .. shopping is much cheaper than Australia there r a lot shopping like  Kmart  but at the same time u can find expensive things.
About activities u can go to beach , Aqua park, marine mall and Souq Al Mubarakeya. All the best to you and welcome again to Kuwait 🇰🇼.

Ribosom wrote:

I have yet to meet a person who is coming to Kuwait on a holiday.

😂😂😂

Imsnehajain wrote:

Hi!

I would say being friends with women is much safer cause many men think if a girl want to talk to you she wants to sleep with you

I concur! Being a girl and a filipina at that, makes it triple the trouble, lol. I've had numerous indecent proposals alone from this site, and a few off site. I was waiting for a bus one day by myself, and this guy approached me, asked me if I am Filipina. By that fact alone he became bold. He said 'take my number and call me, you love your family? Call me' and oh he said he works in a bank.
Go figure! I don't even go out wearing skimpy, tight fitting outfits or thick make up.
To survive in this part of the world, one has to develop a certain kind of armour that makes you impervious to all the discrimintion a lady of 'my' nationality, are subjected to on a daily basis by ignorant, narrowminded shitheads.
So yeah, welcome to Kuwait! Cheers!

Imsnehajain wrote:

Hi!

Kuwait is pretty boring at start but eventually you will find some comfort if you make some decent friends, i would say being friends with women is much safer cause many men think if a girl want to talk to you she wants to sleep with you,
Sneha Jain

It's sad but it sounds true 😳😕

tin78 wrote:

Imsnehajain wrote:

Hi!

I would say being friends with women is much safer cause many men think if a girl want to talk to you she wants to sleep with you

I concur! Being a girl and a filipina at that, makes it triple the trouble, lol. I've had numerous indecent proposals alone from this site, and a few off site. I was waiting for a bus one day by myself, and this guy approached me, asked me if I am Filipina. By that fact alone he became bold. He said 'take my number and call me, you love your family? Call me' and oh he said he works in a bank.
Go figure! I don't even go out wearing skimpy, tight fitting outfits or thick make up.
To survive in this part of the world, one has to develop a certain kind of armour that makes you impervious to all the discrimintion a lady of 'my' nationality, are subjected to on a daily basis by ignorant, narrowminded shitheads.
So yeah, welcome to Kuwait! Cheers!

It sounds painful......... but my undrerstsnding is that here police takes action in favor of women. If you report to police, I m sure the guy who teases girl will be in trouble

bubbu wrote:

If you report to police, I m sure the guy who teases girl will be in trouble

You cannot be going to the police everytime someone teases you,can you? You just have to deal with it best way you can. I was walking on the street with a male friend one time,and a car passes by one young lad in the car put half his upper body outside the car waving and shouted at us,screamed at the top of his lungs. Said something like 'Filipini and gibberish...'
Now tell me, should I have gone to the police? Or one time when we went out for grocery group of lads sitting on pavement, suddenly stood up and barred our way and one cupped my friends breast. Or the one time they spit on our taxi window. And those are just young lads. The older or adult men are cunning. My co worker after having a chat with him for couple of hours texted me the next day that his wife is in Egypt and I have no husband or bf here,we should just go to bed.
It's more than painful, it's disgusting.

Hi EP,

Welcome to Kuwait. Just like you, I asked a lot before coming to Kuwait. Browsing online wasn't the best way to get more info so before signing my contract I flew in twice to just get a feel of the country...

I decided to move here last October with full knowledge that Kuwait is still very conventional, that some people are narrow minded while others are ill mannered, etc.

Here's a few things as a heads-up:

For recreation, there are parks, running treks, farm and beach that you could visit with friends. Museums, boat trip to Khubbar and Failakka Island, Health Club Memberships and a few things depending on your interests. Most of the expats here who can afford a weekend elsewhere flies out to Dubai, Bahrain, Oman and Qatar for a quick stop and back on a Sunday morning to go to work. Some do that once a month while others do every weekend, every other weekend or every quarter.

Food complex is everywhere, it's a lifestyle. You'll find every cuisine around here. And food seems tastier. Watch your weight though, i gained 5kg since October!

Salon is pretty pricey (i believe I am paying almost twice as much here than when I was in Kuwait) - I only go to two actually, La Plus Belle and Miss Hilton Hotel (both are salons inside 5 star hotels, could be the reason it's expensive).

There's plenty of time and opportunities for shopping, not much of occasions to wear them though as Jeans and T-shirt seems to be the fashion here. Wearing skirts, short shorts, dresses is not a problem as long as you are surrounded  with like-minded people. Price is more expensive here than it was in Dubai (but you'll earn KWD so you wont feel it not unless you start converting).

On meeting friends, I've tried to make some friends from expat.com however I have now categorize them into 4 types of expat.com member solely based on personal experience.

1. People who would like to meet people who share the same interest (sports, dining out, Travelling, etc.)

2. People who would like to have "friends with benefits" while they're in kuwait (mostly married man or women who would like to make money out of someone else's hard earned money)

3. People who are looking for advises, support groups and are genuinely interested to make new friends in Kuwait.

4. People who appear and disappear (only wants to hang out when it suits them, just to pass time)

I was able to make friends though through the embassy events and other

Men on the streets are pretty rude. Asian as I am, I feel discriminated almost always but I don't let that get into me. Kuwait could be a lot of things but it's a choice we made to be here, we better stop complaining and take it as it is.

Im sure you'll figure things out once you are here. Kuwait is not for everyone. Just come with an open heart and open mind. Let me know if you would need some help, I would be happy to help you with your move.

Cheers,
Mary

As a female moving to Kuwait, you should be well taken care of as Kuwait is super friendly towards women and it is very safe here.  Be prepared to be bombarded by men who will want to start a "frienship" or most likely a relationship though oftentimes dealing with a local will come with a major degree of culture shock.  You will most likely meet a lot of people here especially if you work in a place that has expats as well; so making friends wont be much of an issue.  You wont really need to bring anything from Australia except maybe vegemite?  Other than that you will most likely find everything you need.  As for pricing, the Kuwaiti Dinar is the strongest currency in the world so often times you will think that you are either sending a lot of money compared to back home but if you factor in your salary, it shouldnt be a problem... Hope I answered all your questions and have a safe trip to Kuwait!

Moe

Hi, have you already arrived?... feel free to inbox me for any queries!

tin78 wrote:

bubbu wrote:

If you report to police, I m sure the guy who teases girl will be in trouble

You cannot be going to the police everytime someone teases you,can you? You just have to deal with it best way you can. I was walking on the street with a male friend one time,and a car passes by one young lad in the car put half his upper body outside the car waving and shouted at us,screamed at the top of his lungs. Said something like 'Filipini and gibberish...'
Now tell me, should I have gone to the police? Or one time when we went out for grocery group of lads sitting on pavement, suddenly stood up and barred our way and one cupped my friends breast. Or the one time they spit on our taxi window. And those are just young lads. The older or adult men are cunning. My co worker after having a chat with him for couple of hours texted me the next day that his wife is in Egypt and I have no husband or bf here,we should just go to bed.
It's more than painful, it's disgusting.

I think you are right but remember that every society has bad and good people. If you don't believe then try to go to Ghetto neighborhoods in USA 😉😉

I think you are right but remember that every society has bad and good people. If you don't believe then try to go to Ghetto neighborhoods in USA 😉😉


I am aware of what's been happening in the world. I may not been to the US, but I am well aware that it's not all peaches there , NOT everyone living the American dream.  I do watch the news locally and internationally, and I try to keep myself updated. I can only comment on what I experienced personally. And if you are barraged with harassment eveywhere you go, you will be as wary as I am. Not looking for or expecting sympathy, and definitely not saying that other people's troubles weighs nothing compared to mine. Just telling how it is for others on this side of the rock. We all face discriminations one way or another wherever we go. Whites/Caucasians are constantly overcharged in taxis. That's stereotyping people, simply because your skin is paler than others. If I were in their place, I would be pissed too. And if you were in my place, you would feel the same. Only human.

Hey everyone,
Im a kuwaiti national living in kuwait, I would love to make new friends and show anyone around kuwait if youre new. Drop me a message of youre interested!

Eszi wrote:

Hey everyone,
Im a kuwaiti national living in kuwait, I would love to make new friends and show anyone around kuwait if youre new. Drop me a message of youre interested!

You are so kind and helpful. You look like a great ambessdor of your country.... 👍👍

Check PM