I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to sit
down and finally write my ‘Middle Eastern’ blog. I’ve been here in Kuwait for 4 months now, which has flow past – in a bit
of a whirlwind to be honest and it is completely different to my first 3 months in
Australia. More about that later.
So, it’s hot. Damn hot. Like 45 degrees plus
every single day. But it’s not humid which is something I am thankful for
- it just feels like the skin on your
face could spontaneously combust at any moment....and that your eyes have dried
up to the size of raisins. But apart from that, it’s fine!
Living in a Muslim country has opened my eyes
to a number of things. Most notably, is the religious aspect. I’m not going to
preach my views here, as to be honest, I am of the opinion of whatever floats
your boat – but what I do now have is a deeper understanding of why women cover
their faces, heads and bodies in the name of Islam. And do you know what? It’s
not for me to explain it to you. If you want to know why they do it, go and
research it – you may be pleasantly surprised. But don’t judge women who wear
burkha’s on some facebook group that’s trying to incite hatred. People, if you
have the knowledge, you have the power. Simples.
We have just finished the 4 weeks of the holy
month of ‘Ramadan’ in July. It was tough. We worked reduced hours due to the
number of employees who would be fasting, but to not have that bottle of water
on my desk, or those nibbles in my draw to eat, was really tough. Turns out, I can
go a few hours without eating – who knew??! I did notice that my nails started
to split and my skin was really dry from the lack of water. And I was SO
lethargic! But we had little kitchenettes we could go into to drink water and one
of our canteens was open so we could take our lunches and eat in there. But
obviously, I was never organised with taking my lunch in and I would forget to visit
the kitchen regularly. I am such an ejit sometimes.
Okay, so let me give you a rough guide to
living in Kuwait. There are no trains here. None at all. Don’t think I’ve ever
been to country that doesn’t have trains before. Driving – now there’s a whole
new concept. I cannot begin to explain how much you take your life into your
own hands by driving in Kuwait. It is absolute madness. People on their phones,
kids running wild in the car (no car seats here, by the way – I actually saw a
man with his 3 year old on his lap whilst he was driving). No concept of safety
– its all ‘Inshallah’ which means ‘God Willing’. If you’re in a crash, it’s
‘inshallah’. There are car loads of
women with 4 or 5 maids in the back seat and the front seat empty. Because they are maids. Single women throw their mobile phones into
the cars next to them for the guys to add their numbers into their phones –
some even have diamante phone numbers on the back of their cars for men to call
them. Can’t decide if that’s genius or terrifying! And the men are just as bad
– with their supercars, racing down the highways. Madness. I also have a driver. It sounds a lot more glamorous
that it actually is. I have a taxi driver who picks me up every morning and
drive me to work. I do NOT want to drive out here....I relish my life far too
much. The taxi’s here seem to be on a good thing. Petrol cost £4 to fill up a 3
litre SUV. Yes, you read that right. And most taxi journeys cost between £3-5
one way. So yeah, I think sometimes I’m in the wrong job.
The houses are enormous. As a Kuwaiti, once you
are married, the government hands you a piece of land. However, because Kuwait
is now getting a bit congested, they keep their land outside of the city, and
instead build upwards on mum and dad’s house. There are no gardens, as it’s too
hot to sit outside. So the buildings just get taller and taller – with rooftop
covered pools. If you are born in Kuwait, you are not considered a Kuwaiti
unless both your parents are born here. So many children are born here, but are
not allowed a Kuwaiti passport.I heard a great saying the other day – if a
Kuwaiti could drive up to bed, they would. Which pretty much sums up how the
lives of the rich are here. When I go to the supermarket and try and pack my
shopping into my recycling bags, I get looks of complete shock from the workers
as they can’t comprehend why I would want to pack my own bags. And not use 700
plastic bags to take everything home in! There’s no recycling here either,
which goes against what I’m used to.
On the whole, I am loving living in Kuwait. I
was fortunate enough to find out that a very old friend was already living here
when I arrived, and she kindly offered for me to rent a room from her. With a
pool on the roof, air con and all modern amenities, how could I have said
no? I literally cannot believe my luck.
Someone was definitely looking out for me. Thanks Mum. Work is making the time fly. I am learning so
much on a daily basis, that my head feels like it going to explode every
evening. For the first time in my
career, I am concentrating wholly on my work – I know it will surprise most of
you to know that most weeknights I come straight home, have dinner and go to
bed! The weekends seem to last longer out here – I am assuming it’s because I’m
not hanging every Saturday morning with a raging hangover and spending half the
day in bed. I do miss drinking, but not as much as everyone else thought I
would. Although everytime I Skype with my dad & pat, they both have a glass
of vino on the go – thanks guys!
Homesickness isn’t a problem this time around.
It has occurred to me that when I was in Australia, I actually wasn’t homesick
- I was lonely. Even though I made an amazing group of friends, there were
still nights I was home alone, and that’s when I felt it the most. I’d never
really spent time alone before then – as most of you know, my diary was always
full with meeting so-and-so for drinks or going to someone’s house for dinner.
So my time in Australia taught me that having time on your own is amazing –
that, to be able to spend time alone is crucial. And, as it turns out, I’m
quite good company! Who knew?
Also recently, it’s been that spate of
birthdays for most of my friends now turning the big 4-0. And it’s only 6
months until I hit mine. A few of my friends seem to be having difficulty with
this big birthday approaching, but I cannot wait. As you know, my 30’s started
with the most life changing situation to have ever happened to me (losing my
mum 2 months before) and I’ve come to realise that I’ve now lived my entire
30’s without her. And I’ve learnt a lot in that time – about who I am, where I
want to be and who I want to become. I know that when I was in my 20’s, it was
assumed that I would be the one out of most of my friends who would be married
and have children by now. Isn’t it funny how life turns out? I have accepted
the fact that biological children may not be in my future – but I do hope that
one day, someone may call me mum, whether via adoption or fostering, but who
knows. It’s hard to know how that will pan out. But for now, I’ll enjoy the
path I am taking and know that whatever lies ahead for me, it was already
mapped out long before now.
Love, always x
