I know I am going to piss off some people by this, but hey - maybe they can help me and readers have a better understanding. Fer real.
First, why does it cost 15KD to have anything notarized - per stamp? Is the embassy self-sufficient or are they appropriated funds? If they are appropriated funds, why is the price so high and where does the money go? (Please see paragraph 5 below for recommendation.)
Can I continue to complain about the parking? Just a leetle?
I don't go to the Embassy of Kuwait in Washington, DC and create a new middle lane of parking (not that I could because the parking is on the street, but it would be the equivalent of me parking in the middle of the street). Why is it that the US Embassy allows people to park willy-nilly-as-you-please in their lot? I park correctly - what the F? I give those "keyfi" people dirty looks when I see them doing that.
Otay and the other thing is - even the cheapest places I go in Kuwait have covered parking. Et tu, American Embassy - why you no have covered parking for your visitors? I don't get it. It was like 120 degrees F in the parking lot today and the little rubber thingies on the bottom of my stillettos were burning off. That no gooooood.
What I do like about the parking lot is that after X years of being located at the "new" complex in Bayan, someone finally got around to creating several handicapped parking spaces. (Let's see if handicapped-only parking is enforced, however.)
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American lady living in Kuwait commenting on daily occurrances through her warped perspective. Her travels take us beyond the boundaries of normalcy. E-mail amerab@gmail.com. Twitter: @DesertGirlkwt
About Me
- Desert Girl
- American semi-Kuwaiti living, working, eating, boating, and observing in Kuwait. Born in America, but raised with Kuwaitis, I get culture shock on both continents. No one understands me, but my dog, and she still gives me strange looks once in a while. I do not accept payment for advertising; I won't entertain the thought. If I think your product or service is worthy of discussion, I will post about it. If I help you, you can send me pink roses. If you are interested in reading about the Bedoun cause in Kuwait, see my posts which are tagged "Bedoun Civil Rights Movement".
Life in the Desert
I danced in the desert,
I swam by the shores,
I spent warm nights under starlit blankets of silver,
I made friends from far-away places
I ate and drank and savored it all
I loved and was loved
What more could anyone ask for?
(Desert Girl, Kuwait)
I swam by the shores,
I spent warm nights under starlit blankets of silver,
I made friends from far-away places
I ate and drank and savored it all
I loved and was loved
What more could anyone ask for?
(Desert Girl, Kuwait)
Links
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14 comments:
egyptian embassy takes 8 KD for anything! i thought that was too high till I saw the 15!
Oh don't get me started .....
I want to know the racket of the guy (or spy or terrorist) who sells newspapers in the parking lot of the US Embassy in Kuwait.
Why does HE get to sell papers as I didn't see the solicitation....I asked and low and behold --- get this, the newspaper's seller's friend is a guard at the Embassy.
Nirvana - there are similarities.
Anonymous 10:08 - that is a very good question and I hadn't thought about it until you mentioned it. I guess the embassy doesn't care because the only targets within distance would be embassy customers and their cars. Force protection takes care of the embassy structure/grounds, so hey - just collateral damage.
And how did pages added to your passport go from free to $82?
And why do I have to pay Burgan Bank 48KD to process the tourist visa for my wife for the U.S.? They have a teller inside the embassy. But you can't pay the fee there. The Embassy's website says the fee is $160 but by my calculations 48KD is closer to $172 Where is that extra money going? At least use NBK. They have branches everywhere.
How about the British Embassy parking? First time I went there I thought I'd driven into Basra!
Boy are you brave to write this? I bet next time you pay a visit to your friendly(?) neighborhood US Embassy in Kuwait, they may just figure a way to charge you more after you wrote this, just a quick knife to your side or maybe you won't be on the invite list to the next barbeque. It's Kuwait, and nobody cares, but at the end of the day, they represent the US government and should care.
Anonymous 12:17 -
Why "brave"? We as Americans believe in freedom of speech and hope also, for transparency in government. Simple questions; and since I am an American with a blog in Kuwait, others write in with the same types of questions and would like clarification. Call it "process improvement." Should some take it negatively, then unfortunately they aren't seeing the potential for positive PR and should probably think more outside the box. It is an opportunity to take the lead - in a friendly way - and state reasons for why issues are necessary.
It isn't about being invited to barbecues or happy hours.
K-dude: The prices in dinars are not current rates. They are set by the Department of State. The currency exchange rate may or may not be in our favor depending on the daily rate. It would probably be best to pay in USD for that reason.
Oh BTW - I have been to the US Embassy 3 times in the past week and the newspaper guy has not been there. That comment I made about collateral damage may have been a little out of line. Sorry, panties-in-a-bunch people. However, if you don't have people pointing these things out (like the person who commented above) then those in charge may never take notice. The newspaper van has been parked there for as many years as I can remember.
And yes, the US embassy's parking lot is way better than the British lot (although you have a much shorter distance to walk). For some reason, even without painted lines, the people going to the Brit embassy park in an organized fashion also. Pro's/cons...
That's 'cos we're British - we're masters at queueing! ;)
I had a friend a few years ago that made a complaint about this Embassy in a Kuwait newspaper, he recieved threatening e-mails (I saw them). I would be very 'diplomatic' when addressing your complaints about this particular Embassy that seems at times to forget what 'good old fashioned American civility' is all about. I firmly believe that when US companies/Embassies are overseas, they should be true representations of the values that America stands for and I have seen many examples of inappropriate behaviour by US companies in this country. Take Care. "Americans believe in freedom of speech and hope also, for transparency in government" - Not in Kuwait, baby! A whole different ballpark.
Anonymous 11:28
Thanks for the tips; however, I came to realize that just about everyone at the US Embassy knows my name (and phone number) several years ago.
I HOPE that I have done more help than harm to them over the years; assisting (in some small way) people transitioning to life in Kuwait even as DOS employees who have access to a variety or resources on their host country. However, it is good to get a well-rounded perspective from people who have spent a long time living in the country. I try to "keep it real" and to be quite honest, I have never felt intimidated writing about anyting on the blog. It isn't going to stop now with something like writing about my own embassy. Yeh!
I guess i believe the us embassy in kuwait are amazing comparing how i get treated by my own Saudi embassy :)
I also don't think you should be afraid of anything you just want them to be better thats called loving your country
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