|
A newcomer’s guide to Kuwait
Key words – expat, guide, experience
Before I came to Kuwait, a pompous ass of a colleague from a large ex-independent oil company explained to us plebs that you do not know how strong your marriage is until you spend three years overseas. Some time later when his new venture went belly up, his marriage fell apart because of his long office hours and he took a younger woman, it became clear that expats talk in a language that mere mortals who only ever live and work in the west do not understand. To demystify the expat experience, the following has been compiled to help the new arrival and hopeless eternal expat to better understand their lot and to see things in perspective. It probably won’t be your perspective because only you can do that and I make no apologies for what follows. You are invited to contribute further your experiences and advice to build on what is here.
Kuwait is not that bad a place to live and work. Let’s face it, if you can continue to live a normal life in a country on the front line of a modern war if you believe the western papers then that can’t be bad. There is also little crime in the way of muggings, theft, etc.
Some expats stay in Kuwait for years, decades even despite wars etc so consider that Kuwait for them is home and that they enjoy living here. You might be a recent arrival from the west or have transferred from another country but one thing is for sure, Kuwait is different.
Always carry your Civil ID and drivers licence with you at all times. Until you get your Civil ID you need to carry your passport.
Rule number 1
NEVER, NEVER, NEVER BELIEVE THAT BECAUSE YOU DON’T HEAR ABOUT SOMETHING THAT IT IS NOT IMPORTANT. Important things like expiry dates on documents do get forgotten and you pay the penalty (literally) even though it is not your fault. Always ask someone if there is something, anything that should be explained because even outwardly sane expats who have been in Kuwait switch off after some time. It is better to keep asking “what else do I have to do” because people will not help you and you don’t want to keep hearing “well you should have done this”.
Every autumn there is a "introduction to Kuwait" evening which traditionally was held at the British Embassy but recently at a major hotel. It is a place to see what is going on in Kuwait and meet people who have similar interests and is recommended that you go at least once, preferably early in your stay in the country. A bloke I knew did not go (was not so informed) and got pissed off when people recommended it as a place to find out what was happening. These people of course never thought to tell him beforehand that it was on.....dumb or what? Expats in Kuwait have their grey matter go soft after a while and become lemmings - seemingly doing time and not seeing what is happening to others around them so new people have to look out for themselves.
Cheer up - there are worse countries to live and work in and I hope the attached pages will give an understanding of what the country has to offer, what has to be done, what can be done and what you should avoid.
|