See you next year

Last Thursday we ended the school year 2018-19 at my school after a couple of hectic weeks which, by the way, coincided with Ramadan. Our schedule was reduced so we have almost no time to finish what was pending. Finally, luckily, we could let everything arranged, so I started my holidays very relaxed and satisfied with this year. It has been very positive, not only at labor level but also in terms of personal life. It was simply a great one.

Of course, as I wrote at the end of August in last year, changing work has been key this season. It was not only a great professionally and economically progress, but also it allowed me to live closer to the working place, therefore my quality of life highly improved too. I have finished very content with my first year at the school. As I said, I had many opportunities for growing professionally and accomplishing my duties as a counselor with the support and the resources I missed the last year. I also had time to continue training and accumulating experiences and knowledge which will be helpful in my future. Moreover, the working environment and the relationship with my colleagues have been marvelous till the last day. There were some stressful moments but, in general, my final judgment is very positive.

Things like this give meaning to my work

This school year, to be truthful, I didn’t explore Kuwait as I did in the previous season, despite being closer to the city center. It was not because I didn’t go out. Actually, I did often but Kuwait, as you know, is not the best place in terms of interesting landmarks. But anyway, my attitude towards this country has been more positive, either because the improvement of my living conditions or simply because I got used to things that previously annoyed me more. Even the extremely high temperatures affect me less and I cope with it more calmly. Finally I always find more reasons to feel happy than complaints.

This year I also was lucky to visit two incredible countries: Lebanon and Jordan. I enjoyed a lot in both, especially in the second trip, which is the first I do with my wife. They were two totally different experiences, but both were very pleasant. I recommend you if you are living or traveling in Middle East, or you are planning to come soon to this area.

But, if I have to highlight something really satisfying which is making this period one of the best I have ever lived, that is starting to share my life with one of the most loving and caring person on the Earth. Since we married, at the end of November, and we started to live in the same apartment, my wife and I had enough time to confirm our expectations and feeling lucky that we have each other. We hope it will be like that also in future years.

I was considering adding a question mark at the end of the tittle. Recently I have been thinking if it is worthy continuing writing and publishing posts here. Throughout this year I could realize how the visits and comments have been decreasing, in both here and in the social media where I publish. Sometimes I feel like I am writing only for me, like in a personal diary. In part, I understand that Kuwait is not so attractive for the readers as India or China, for example. But, besides this, I see that the phenomena of blogs in Internet is starting to fade out gradually. People prefer that everything can be summarized in a photo in Instagram or Facebook, a thread in Twitter or a video in Youtube.

But still, I think I will continue writing again the next year. The main purpose of this blog is telling my loved ones how I am doing here. If these persons are still reading me, why should I stop now? On the other hand, this is also a way to compile content for the second part of my book, “With my own eyes”😊

As long as there is a person who shows interest in what I write, I will be here. So, see you after summer. I wish you a great vacation and, for those who are Muslims, a great Eid Al Fitr festival, which starts today in Kuwait.

See you in September!

Unpopular opinion

One of the recurring topics which usually appear when two or more foreigners meet for the first time in Kuwait is the general opinion about life here and how each one is coping with it. It is very interesting the way in which each person addresses the issue depending on the length of time living here. Even though this country is always in the last positions in the surveys about the favorite countries for expats, sometimes there are people with more favorable perceptions who wouldn’t mind staying in this place some years more. They mainly value the possibility to save some money, the safety and the tranquility. Personally, this is not the ideal country where I would like to settle down, but I already reached a point at which most of the negative aspects I highlighted one year ago upset me less and less and I have been learning to appreciate more the positive factors.

If someone read at that time my first posts in this blog, he or she would remember that my thoughts about Kuwait were not hopeful at all. I especially felt annoyed because of the distance between my residence and my work, the time I spent on the bus, the extreme heat, and the absence of areas for walking and going out. Once I also mentioned the difficulty for socializing, something related to the previous factors. All this made me think about the idea of leaving after the winter holidays. It is good that I didn’t give up and I decided to finish my contract, because otherwise I couldn’t meet who is today my wife and the main reason why I started to change my attitude towards my life in this place.

Benditas carreras de camellos

At that moment, I still thought it was a joke when someone said that Kuwait is not so bad. Now I understand that, at the end, it is not the country but the circumstances around each person what condition our opinions. In my case, I already commented at the beginning of this school year how my conditions improved at every level, both economically and professionally. Of course, there are still some annoying things here but they almost don’t upset me.

On the other hand, I have been widening my social network and discovering areas and places where it is possible to spend a good time.

Regarding boredom, which is the main complaint among expats, I actually I almost have no time to feel it since I don’t stop doing things but, talking about leisure activities, you just have to investigate a bit to find something to do every weekend.

I talked once about Aware association, which organize a lot of activities for both locals and foreigners. It is very convenient subscribing to their newsletter to be informed about their program. Besides, there are some websites compiling different cultural, sport and entertainment events for all kind of people. I usually check the agendas of 248AM or Kuwait Upto Date. It is also important to review some groups in social media where people publish some interesting things.

As I said, I don’t see Kuwait as the best place in the World to live, regardless how each one is doing, but it is true that at the end each person decides how to cope with it. It is possible to live with a negative attitude, complaining every time for everything and missing better times, either trying to value the positive aspects that we still have (even living in Fintas). And if you can´t find anything good, there are still 193 countries else where you can try to have a better life, although I think that who is pessimist will be pessimist here and in the Bahamas.

All the best for everyone and try to see life with more optimism and humor.

Beware of affection

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.

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/

Source:Twitter @Almajlliss

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!