Wednesday, December 10, 2014

I Love Kuwait (and my list of favorite things about Kuwait)

Photo Credit:  "I Love Q8" by Stylish Designs on Deviant Art
(very creative!)

Perhaps I should change it up a little today.  Do I complain a lot?  My mother says, “I didn’t think I was complaining. I thought I was giving my perspective.” Maybe my perspective seems a weeeee bit negative (especially when I need to get on vacation and have an attitude adjustment)? 

Here's some stuff that I LOVE about Kuwait (free association – in no particular order).   

Fog in the desert (OMG!)
The desert 
The sea
Sea Turtles
Dolphins
Camels
True Kuwaiti old-school hospitality
Dhows 
Bkhoor 
Darabeel
The taste of chicken in Kuwait (way different). 
The taste of cucumbers in Kuwait (ditto). 
The veggie souq
Mubarakia! 
Cheap car insurance.  Cheap (for now) gas. 
Shawarmas.  (Shut up, I’m hungry!)
Kuwaiti emergency services guys in uniform (OMG)
Kabd
Khiran
Sunsets in Kuwait
Camping
Bedouin friends
My goats
Affordable healthcare
No taxes
Guys in dishtasha with misbah and a nice pen and nice cologne
Seeing guys in dishtasha in cars (because I look for them when I’m in the US!)
Kuwaiti fashion (not that I would wear a lot of it, but because it is unique)
Hearing the call to prayer
The smell of the desert after rain or in the Spring
Iranian bread (still hungry)
Kuwaiti cuisine (all of it – without exception – ok, maybe one or two dishes I don’t like)
Home delivery
KDD – Chocolate milk and juice boxes
Kuwait Towers (aka "The Balls of Kuwait" and true to Kuwaiti form - there are 3, not just 2)
Fresh fruit juice shops (still hungry)
Kuwaiti architecture
Co-ops
Mutlaa Ridge
Chickens in residential neighborhoods
Availability of cheap mechanics
Kuwaiti weddings
Dura’a
Abayas
Kuwaiti parties (not because I particularly like partying, but because they fascinate me)
Perfume and cologne in Kuwait
Bedouin weavings
Souq shaabi (basement discount markets)
Cheap movers ("half lorey guys")
Shoe repair everywhere
The fact that you can get so much stuff over-the-counter at pharmacies
BIDETS!!!  Water hoses in bathrooms (oh snap!  Those should top my list)
Lights on houses when a family member gets married
Gold
Salons everywhere
At-home salons
Variety of international foods
Variety of make-up
Old Kuwaiti men who are just happy to see/talk to everyone
The shoe souq
Opportunities I couldn't have in my own country (like writing for newspapers and magazines)
Young creative Kuwaitis - positive change
Ramadan TV serials
Ramadan food (yes, still....)
Being invited for iftar meals
Kout Mall and the fountains
Boating on the sea on flat water
Barbecuing in the desert
Kuwaiti furniture fashion
Flying into Kuwait at night and seeing lights in the desert
Area north of Kabd where they go to train falcons
Clean beaches (not the dirty ones)
The islands of Kuwait
Little fish at sunset
Qaroh at sunset and the pink oily film on the water
Saksookas
Perfume and bkhoor shops
Those round butter cookie things (don't know the name and yes I'm still hungry)
Butcher shops that marinade meat
Driving down the Gulf Road in the morning (because it's beautiful)
Watermelon Men (those guys who sell watermelons on the side of the road)
Dhub and braisi lizards
Arfaj (national flower of Kuwait)
Phosphorescent algae under the moon on Um Al Moradem
Sitting in sea water that is warm enough to make you feel like you're in a giant bath
HUGE Kuwaiti shrimp
The fish market
The Kuwaiti laugh (it's unique to Kuwait)
Kuwaiti humor and the ability to laugh at the foibles


So this is the abbreviated version.  There's more, but this is it for now.  Hope that all sounds positive!



I do.  I do. I do. I do. I do.  I do. I do. I do. I do.  I do. I do. I do. I do.  I really do.

And in case I haven't said it lately (at least out loud or in writing), "Thank you, God, for giving me the opportunity to see this country, to live here, and to see things in a different perspective (mine)."



13 comments:

Anonymous said...

absolutely perfect! From a former expat!

Unknown said...

You summed it up :)
Loved it

Anonymous said...

Arfaj you mean

Desert Girl said...

OMG anonymous 12:39. Really? OCD

Anonymous said...

SHESHA - SHESHA - SHESHA - Dham gyrl how could this not be on your list
also BOOT SALES, FRESH MANGOS,

Desert Girl said...

Anonymous 10:45 that's your list. Not mine

Omer said...

Hello,
May I ask where did you see dolphins or sea turtles in Kuwait?

Desert Girl said...

Hi Omer! I have seen dolphins off the beach on Blajat Street near Burger King in the winter and around Qaroh Island in the summer. I've seen sea turtles near Khiran and Um Al Moradim Island. My Failakawi friends said that the dolphins used to chase zubaidi up the bay every year and they could see them herding fish near Failaka Island. Turtles nest on Qaroh Island every year. They are protected animals and I don't think it is legal to approach the island when they're nesting. (I might be wrong).

Mini said...

Hi Desert Girl, I just discovered your blog and very happy to see that you take time out to tell people various good things in Kuwait. Really appreciate that!.
I'm an expat too...bit new to Kuwait. I wanted to know what Mubarakia is. I read about souk Mubarakia on one of the other blogs.is it the same?
TIA

Desert Girl said...

Omer - Dolphins http://instagram.com/p/m61sEjRAgL/

Desert Girl said...

Hi Tia. There's only one Mubarakia and it's the one everyone talks about.

Nivin said...

Hi DG,

Do you know a good shoe repair place in Kuwait? I need to get the heels of my wife's shoes fixed.

Thanks.

Desert Girl said...

Nivin, There is one at Rumaithiya Co-op next to the pharmacy. There is another in Salmiya on Salem Al-Mubarak Street. In a little pathway/walkway between buildings next to Maxx and Kinkos. Hope that helps. Under normal circumstances, most shoe repairs are 1kd. They also fix and clean handbags. :)