Mobile phones Key words – essential, caller-ID, emergency It is essential to have a mobile phone in Kuwait as you cannot rely on getting access to a phone if you stop. If you break down in summer it could be a life saver. Maybe this should be in the section on breathing or driving as people in Kuwait don’t appear to be able to do anything including driving a car without using one. I would recommend mobile phone makers and car manufacturers get together to ensure that one won’t work while the other is working hence you could not drive if the phone was on and you could not make a call unless the engine was switched off. On second thoughts, some bright spark will get the car to coast in neutral which is probably even worse…. Don’t try to call someone’s mobile phone who does not know you from a landline – you will find that the call is not completed. This is because the mobile pays a high rate for receiving such a call and it is typical of people to cancel the call rather than receive it and tell you so. Try a mobile to mobile call or sms them if all else fails. Wrong numbers at any time of day or night – they don’t like it in return that is for sure. Kuwait is noted for the frequency and enduring nature of wrong number calls and it makes you think that people are dumb or have a very short memory – like 10 seconds. It is not unusual to get a wrong number call then immediately get the same person calling you as if the second time will be right – “alo, alo Mustafa”? . It seems that saving numbers as in the phones memory or actually writing them down is not the thing that is done and as we know memory can be unreliable, it is better to try again just in case. I understand this is a cultural thing as names, numbers etc are remembered not written down. If you take over a place then the wrong numbers can be plenty and it is good to get someone who speaks Arabic to write down the phonetic “wrong number” expression – “rakam ralat”. This won’t always work for the above reason and this can be a hopelessly circular argument. Persistent nuisance callers can be dealt with in various ways although they usually involve you knowing the number that is calling you which makes a caller-ID phone pretty essential. Keep a list of the time and date of the call and what the caller sounded like – Arab man, Asian man, Asian woman, etc. The same numbers will indicate a pattern of course and by passing the number to your Kuwaiti boss for instance, a call from him might be all that is required to stop the caller. If the caller is not an Arabic speaker then a different language speaker would be needed to the same effect. If all else fails the police will follow up such instances of harassment and a record of times and dates is evidence to this end. Women do get hassled on the phone and you probably have to expect to experience it if you stay for any length of time. I hear that some men who are bachelor’s here like to hear a woman’s voice and even better if they talk to them so asking them to try to find out what the reason for the call is for is not a good idea unless you are lonely as well. Switch the caller off and user caller-ID to recognize the caller and don’t answer. As above if the calls persist then keep a record etc. In an emergency your mobile phone is your life line. home