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[manonatrain]

This is a piece I read on DavesJobInformationJournal under Kuwait.
I was impressed with the accuracy and level headedness of it. I believe
if offers anyone thinking of coming to the GULF REGION in general
a realistic picture.

Even though it is about Kuwait, it sounds like Oman, UAE, and Bahrain...
and Saudi....nadamuchadifferenthuh? The thing about the students
is SOOOO TRUE. As much as you try to be a rational teacher, you
have these weepy eyed 25year old boys uh men ? Asking you for
one more point on the test...pluuuuzzzz ttteeeecccheeerrr ...yayaya..

Here is the reprinted story

26 January, 2003 (Sunday): [email protected]

The truest statement that I could ever begin with is this: any country could turn out to be "for you" depending upon how open-minded/flexible you are willing to learn to become. All experiences are meaningful and educational life lessons � even if they are not "fun" every single second.

"Fun," after all, is 100% relative.

I lived and worked in Kuwait for two years and would like to share some general information from MY experiences that I think could help.

KUWAITI WEATHER:
I begin with this because it is the very first thing you will experience; and, depending upon when you arrive, it can be an absolute shock. During my stay:

Approximately May-September were DRY and HOT!!!! (See "SURPRISE!" below for some tips that worked for me.)

Approximately December-February were quite cool � you might find yourself needing surprisingly substantial outerwear (remember: during all those other months, your body became a little oven and got used to it,... so 21C/70F can feel bitterly cold)!

March, April, October, and November were pretty "comfortable."

SURPRISE!
I - When you sit down, you may notice quite a bit of heat rising from the toilet water to your skin, � don�t be startled.

II - Shower water is not to be toyed with in the summer. If your cold water comes from a receptacle on the roof and is exposed to the sun, you can feel scalded. Here�s a trick: Try showering with the hot water alone turned on. It probably comes from an interior source and will not be as hot as the cold water from the receptacle on the roof. Anyway, never turn on the water and just "jump in." Use the same "toe test" that you would before getting into a hot bath.

III - The sun is no joke.
A) Its bright, glistening glare will blind you. I went to Kuwait able to thread the eye of a miniature needle under a moonless, starless night sky in less than a second. Two years later, I need goggles and a pair of police search lights to do the same job in just over a minute. WEAR QUALITY SUNGLASSES AT ALL TIMES!!

B) Skin burns. Severely. If you are with a company that offers good health benefits, at the first sign of skin discoloration, blistering, or literal "crunchiness," go to a dermatologist. Usually, VASELINE BABY JELLY works excellently and immediately � both on the skin and inside the nasal passages. Cover exposed areas as much as you can (ankles and wrists get sunburned, too)!

IV - Begin to understand that sand is "weather." Some places have "Snow Days" (when we stay home �cause we can�t get around very well). You will learn what "Sand Days" are in the desert. My advice?

A) WEAR QUALITY SUNGLASSES AT ALL TIMES!!! (even though the sand can still get in via the open sides and irritate your eyeballs)

B) COVER YOUR NOSE AND MOUTH WITH CLOTH(ING) to lessen:
1. the inhalation of sand into your lungs
2. the irritation/cutting of your nostrils� inner lining
3. sand getting between your teeth and around your mouth

C) SAND CAN "CUT" HAIR, SO COVER YOUR HEAD!!!

D) SHOWER REGULARLY to rinse all that sand off (and OUT) of your body!

...All that long, black, cover-your-whole-bodywear of the Middle East seem more sensible now?... It visually interrupts the sun�s glare (as does jet black/kohl eyeliner on the lower lid), stops the ingestion and inhalation of sand, protects skin from the searing sun...

PROCESSES
It may take MONTHS to get "legally settled" in Kuwait; and you will develop patience and trust beyond your wildest imagination.

You�ll need TONS of photographs of yourself,... but get them done IN Kuwait as it is much, much cheaper there AND you can provide the photo dimensions and head positions required.

NEVER expect similar things to be in one logical place, for example: you will more than likely have to take blood in one area of town, get a physical in another, X-rays in a third, fingerprints in a fourth, etc.

Smile through the "stamps" process. It is literally out of control.

YOUR PERSONAL RIGHTS!
In general, a smile and a respectful attitude will get you the world in Kuwait. Don�t ever try the "tough guy/gal" approach if you�re not in charge � it�s offensive, completely ineffective, and sincerely unnecessary.

It IS possible to live in Kuwait with no real problem ever arising, but here�s some advice to live by:

I - Check in!
At your very earliest opportunity, go to your country�s embassy and make friends/make yourself known.

Get on your embassy�s "Information/Emergency" alert-type e-mail list; and learn the name of your contact.

Get in touch with your embassy IMMEDIATELY if you lose documents, I.D.s, etc. from your country of origin and/or if some person or agency is unwilling to give you back your passport.

II - Your passport!!
You will find yourself being asked to hand your passport over to folks aaaaaaall the time. This is not usually risky at all, but you should never leave your country of origin without two or more very clear photocopies of all pages � front and back � of your personal identification (passport, citizenship papers, marriage license, driver�s license, credit cards, etc.). Also leave a set of copies with a trusted and trustworthy individual in your home country � someone with whom you intend to maintain regular contact.

There are companies in Kuwait that wish to keep your passport on their premises (you may have to fill out paperwork and get various approval stamps and signatures before you are allowed to have your passport back... after an arbitrary waiting period, of course).

To my knowledge, no individual or agency is allowed to keep your passport once you have requested it (and after it has been used to secure your legal status in Kuwait). If your passport is being held despite your request(s) to have it back, get in touch with your embassy IMMEDIATELY to inform them of any intervention they might need to perform on your behalf.

III - Your salary!!!
Keep track of A) your hours worked and B) the pay rate for them YOURSELF. If you have trouble getting monies earned for labor already completed, flash that gorgeous smile of yours and pour on that respectful attitude to the maximum. Do this several times over. If all seems to be failing, inform your embassy, and they will probably educate you about shu-OON.

EXPRESSIONS YOU�LL NEED (phonetically written; and capitals show you where to STRESS your voice)!

shu-OON - The sort of "Better Business Bureau" of Kuwait. If you are having trouble getting paid, call them. You can get their number and address via your embassy.

manDOOB - Representative. Usually, your company�s representative assigned to help you get through the processes of legal status paperwork, perhaps getting an apartment, a vehicle, etc. May also help out with other situations (for example, if you need to talk with police because you lost your purse/wallet somewhere, etc. since not many police station officers speak English). REMEMBER TO ASK YOUR manDOOB A MILLION QUESTIONS! Getting most things in Kuwait accomplished requires going through numerous steps!! You need to know and "checklist" each and every step if you are ever to get anything done!!! ASK QUESTIONS ALL THE TIME!!!!

HARRiss - Security guard (at both your place of work and your living quarters). Your HARRiss acts as the "building super" and expects small fees for doing things such as light repairs around your flat (apartment), washing your car, helping you take groceries to your door, etc. Ask him to list the numerous steps for getting a phone line and electricity if you're personally setting those types of accounts up in your apartment. Both arrangements are so much more complicated than you might think.

WASta - If you "have WASta" (with someone), s/he can help you get things done without any problems... know what I mean?

SHIZma? - What�s the name (of that thing or person)? "al-SHIZma" approximately means "The whatchamacallit."

SHU? - What? (best used when shocked or surprised)

NA�am? - What? (Yes?) Especially after your name was said/called out. Nicer than saying "SHU?"

NA�am. - Yes.

LA� - No.

SAHHH - Right./(It�s) true.

SHUNnu? - What?/What�s that? (meaning: "Repeat that, please?")

LAYsh? - Why?

MA�lish - Don�t worry about it./Forget about it./It�s no big deal.

CHEM HAAdthy? - How much is this? (be ready to understand the numbers in Arabic if you use this!!!)

assalaamu aLAYkum - This is an important greeting � do not forget to say it when entering or leaving any room with Arabs present. They will tolerate your not saying it with no problem whatsoever, but it is a sign of "good manners" and "courtesy" to say it.

aLAYkum salAAM- The appropriate response to "assalaamu aLAYkum".

SHUKKran - thank you!

�AFwan - you�re welcome!

KEEF HAAlek? - How are you?

alHAMdulilah - This is the only answer that you will ever need in response to the question: "How are you?" (KEEF HAAlek?). It, in essence, thanks God for HOWEVER you are (from fantabulous to horrendous)� because you still... ARE!

As soon after you arrive as you can, get a "Kuwait Pocket Guide for the Citizen, Resident, & Visitor." If you go to Kuwait in 2007, it will say, "Kuwait Pocket Guide 2007 for the..." It has INVALUABLE information that you will need for daily life (and to understand your rights!) in Kuwait.

More important than anything else is this: make time to make friends. You CAN find some of the loveliest people alive; people who will make you want to stay in Kuwait, even after you�re quite ready to leave.

Kuwait was not "easy," but I deeply LOVED my time there... because I was willing to learn things that I now carry with me through life; things that I could never have learned without being there.

Be respectful, observe with humanity, be patient, be kind.

Become a world citizen. It�s so worth it.

Best wishes,

[email protected]
Posted: January 26, 2003

[shmooj]

Manonatrain... thanks for pasting this here. Very very insightful and, if I every make it back there as an adult, useful too.

Cheers...

[grand fromage]

I't's very informative-wish I had read it before coming to the UAE. It might have prepared me for the initial cultural shock.