Expat Life in Kuwait

I am nearing my fourth year in Kuwait now. I can say I have pretty much settled in

I now have my favorite hunts, I have restaurants I frequent, a gym I *try* to regularly go to. In a way, Kuwait has felt like a semblance of home.

I always knew that moving to Kuwait can possibly become something long term. I’ve had seen friends come and go in the short time I am here. From what I’ve seen most expats go through phases while settling in. I would like to categorize them as: Absorption, Accumulation and Acceptance.

Absorption: I arrived in Kuwait at about 11 PM sometime in July. First thing that greeted me was a temperature of 59 degrees Celsius. The weather was just the tip of the iceberg, it took 3 days before I went out anywhere outside work. As I stepped out, I was in awe over women who were all covered in black, men wearing dishdashas and holding hands at the mall. At the grocery, I get to see my favorite brands in Arabic. It was a definite feast for my senses!

Eventually, the newness of things had worn off and I’m left collecting, assimilating what I have absorbed. That’ll be the next phase, which is…

Accumulation: As days developed into weeks, weeks turned into months, I am now facing anniversaries of staying here in Kuwait. This phase can be experienced differently by different people.

One of my friends, an Italian expat, has decided to open himself up. He struck friendships with people in and out of work, went to get-togethers with mixed nationalities and feels that its the best way to spend time in Kuwait. He says: “My decision to open myself up enriches my stay in Kuwait. People expect that if you’re in Kuwait, you will bore yourself out but I decided not to waste my time here like that”

Another person I know took a different route. An Indian flight attendant, said she decided to keep to herself. Not to the point of being a loner but she decided to make friends only with her colleagues, most of them Indians like herself. She says: “It allows me not to forget my roots, by having a limited number of friends, I protect myself from the absurdities happening outside [men not taking female expats seriously] and I have more time to communicate with my friends and family back in India”

Whichever way a Kuwait expat decides to while their time away in this country, the Accumulation phase determine the amount of experience and growth you’d be bringing from Kuwait.

Acceptance: Sounds like a phase in grieving, but there is no sense of surrender here. I suppose this is where I am in right now. I have settled into a way of living, made adjustments and though some people don’t really want it– I now have a routine.

Living in Kuwait has been an experience. Some of them happy, some heartbreaking. It’s a complete set of discovery that I’d always be grateful for.

2010

08/14

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q8huntahan

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