At the end of the last month, one of those life changing events, worthy to celebrate again and again, took place. After almost one year together, my couple and I married in the embassy of Thailand, with two girls as official witnesses and some friends, most of them from Thai community, who didn’t want to miss that moment. Besides formalizing our relationship and changing our civil status, this important step implies upgrading the quality of our lives as couple since, finally, we can live together. This is something that Kuwaiti laws forbid between persons of different genders unless they are married. This affects both local and foreigners. I will talk about this and other aspects related to the expressions of love in this country.
Regarding the cohabitation between men and women in Kuwait, here the residential buildings can be apartments for bachelors or families. In the first ones, couples are not allowed and, if you want to rent a room in the family ones, it is necessary to present a legal document stating that you are married, and this marriage is recognized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice. This applies to short stays at hotels too. In case the authorities would find that a boy and a girl are living together without being married, they could face penalties ranging from deportation (if they are foreigners) to some years in prison.
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| Source: www.npr.org |
Besides the legal policies concerning sharing a residence, it is also important paying attention to the way we express our feelings in public places. There is no problem if we walk with our couple holding hands or even putting our hand in his/her shoulder. However, kissing can be a problem. A simple peck on the lips can be a scandal. For example, last April, an Indian guy and a Filipino girl were deported because of “indecent behavior in public”, after they were caught kissing in a public place. You can check this incident in this link:http://www.atimes.com/article/couple-deported-kissing-public-kuwait/
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| Source:Twitter @Almajlliss
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It is incredible how a simple kiss can be perceived depending on the culture where one lives. My wife and I didn’t stay here so long as a couple but, this constant state of restraint when we are going out in the streets is provoking, little by little, a modification in our pattern of behavior in public, and we are starting to see this as something normal. I am sure that, although we could be traveling in other country with more open attitudes, we will keep restraining our actions until we can get used to the new local costumes. When we started our relationship, it was not easy but, we already reached a point when even a hug of two seconds looks kind of daring for us.
I hope this post, besides warning the couples who are considering coming Kuwait, can make those people who are out of here valuing more the place where they live and their freedom to display affection without fear of penalties. People don’t appreciate these details till they don’t have anymore.
Long live love!
