Serseree

Serseree in the local dialect means a womanizer (macdaddy, player, etc.).  I have a friend who is one and he’s such a pig that it has actually influenced me to write something on the subject.

Here in Kuwait, “playing the field” is, as a competitive sport, an art form.  Both genders do it; married or not.  Both genders complain that “there is no one good out there.”  I wonder if they would say that if they weren’t out there playing?

“Single” in Kuwait does not necessarily mean “single” as we know it in the Western world.  It may just mean that the married person does not have a girlfriend or boyfriend at the moment.  Wait – it’ll change. 

My serseree friend is dating more women than I can count.  (He tells me the names, but I just can't remember.) He lies to all.  About everything.  He meets women everywhere – even doing the (low-class) phone number exchange in the car.  He and his friend put on national dress (which they normally never wear because they’re either in shorts or jeans); borrow different high-end cars and drive around giving women their phone numbers.  As he says, “You can only make 1 round on the Gulf Road wearing qutara and aghal because it is feshla (a shame).  You get 6 or 7 numbers and go to another street.” 

[Sidenote:  Personally, I’m sick of seeing Kuwaiti men in western attire.  You can’t tell who is who anymore.  I loved the days when they all wore national dress.  But it seems like there are less and less of those guys anymore; unless they’ve just come from a wedding or a funeral – or maybe have had some work at a ministry.  Maybe other women out there feel the same way I do – which is why guys like these can get so many phone numbers wearing national dress and driving hot cars.]

Dude confides in me because he was formerly dating one of my friends (who thought he was being faithful to her) and now I am that girl that he can tell anything to.  Yes I’m judgemental.  Yes I will throw it back at him and tell him how I feel about it.  (Okay, I’m not opposed to punching him when he says something truly repulsive - and Serseree Boy has the bruises to attest to it.)  But still, he feels that he can tell me anything.  I’m semi-okay with that.  It is giving me a unique perspective into the mind of a player.  Do I tell my girlfriend?  Hell to tha yes; but not everything.  I don’t want to hurt her – she’s been through enough.  I’ve told her maybe 1/3 of what he’s told me.  But it is still shocking.   I feel bad because I betrayed her by not telling her how much time I've been spending with him. (I have to admit, the morbid curiosity has become a short-term obsession/fascination.)  I’m sure that it must hurt even to know that he is being so blatantly honest with me when he couldn’t have been with her.  But that’s because he knows he will never have a relationship with me.  He’s not trying to get one over on me because I just don’t care.

Sometimes he calls me and wants me to talk to them on the phone. "Here, Desert Girl, talk to my girlfriend."  (Whyyyyy?  Am I some kind of reassurance/confidence instiller that he can be trusted because he has a female friend?)   I have to raise my voice to match their mini-mouse squeeky/supposedly sexy talk.  I imitate them and they don't even seem to get it.  Bimbos.  

If you saw Serseree Boy, you would think that he’s lying about all the women.  Maybe he’s not the best looking guy, but he’s incredibly charming and immediately makes you feel special.  He knows all the right things to say and makes the rounds to ensure that he’s spending enough time with each female friend (he’s 41 and has a decent retirement income. He’s also from old money, so that’s he’s got plenty of free time and money isn’t a worry.)  And no, this isn’t just a mid-life crisis for him; it is a long-term lifestyle:  Wake up, shower, drink some more, visit women and/or search for more, party, sleep.

Oh, and let me tell you about the places he has.  He had a camp this year.  Divided his time between ladies on alternating days.  He has a farm in Kabd.  He has a yacht for the summer (supposedly reserved for only one woman - the mother of his illegitimate child).  He has a family chalet with a pool.  And he is soon to get an apartment.  His "real" residence is at home with his mommy, but he is okay with sneaking different women downstairs to have sex.

I hope that I have never been in love with someone like this (but my type would have a job), but alas, I probably have; because they are so sneaky and conniving that you (as an honest person) would most likely never be able to tell.  Honest people don’t think like serserees – or so I would like to believe.  Maybe I’m naive. 

He lies constantly. Even when he doesn't have to.  It is like training for the next lie.  He tells different women different stories; often in conversations in front of me.  He laughs about it, but at the same time, complains that they “don’t give him space,” and take up too much of his time.  I wonder then, why he can’t just be honest and tell them that he’s playing the field and dating other people?  Why is the honesty part so difficult?  If I lie, for example, I am always found out because I can never remember my lies and have to confess later.  There is only so much you can deny. 

So why is Serseree Boy telling me all of this?  I dunno, really.  I guess because I listen. (I can also glean any intel I want by calling him at 3:30 am and asking him because he's always drunk and it is like he's got truth serum in his blood.)   He has told me that he can tell me anything and be relaxed around me because he isn't worried about what lie he has told me.  He doesn't have to worry that he will say or do the wrong thing.   Because we are platonic (defined in the Urban Dictionary as, "To love someone in an 'I don't want to do you' kind of way").   In my different groups of friends, I am always “one of the guys” (and it isn't because there is a "I don't want to do you" factor, but I hope I have morals/ethics/standards).   Most of them feel free to be themselves in front of me.  Maybe I have one of those faces that says that I’m empathetic to people.  In this case, I’m not empathetic, just curious.  

Serseree Boy has told me all about his adventures; even how his marriage ended when his wife found pictures of himself and his girlfriend on a European vacation in Germany and France.  (Oh, and girlfriend even went to see him at his house while the wife was upstairs!)   Serseree is still seeing the girlfriend (she has been married since they met).  His X-wife is busy filing court cases.  I personally think that he thrives on drama.   I asked him why he even got married to begin with.  “To have children.”  Wow.  Is that all that it comes down to?  What kind of father does that make him?  Why couldn’t he marry a woman who he could be honest with?   As he says, he would never “allow” his wife to do the same things he does.  Maybe she would demand her rights too if he told her the truth.

Which brings me to another point:  What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.   We, as women, have a 6^th sense.  In most cases, we can determine when a man is cheating – even if we don’t want to face up to it.  If a wife knows/suspects, she’s more likely to be cheating on her husband (and many of the married women I’ve known here – “religious” or not – have had long-term, multi-year relationships with their boyfriends).  It is not uncommon.

So everybody is cheating on everybody.  Is anybody practicing safe sex?  Serseree Boy has a child with a girlfriend who is married to someone else.  Her husband doesn’t know that he’s not the father.  Serseree is happy about it.  “I love my other son...”  How many cases like this are there in Kuwait?  And that brings up the subject of STDs and AIDS.  In his case, he says, “I know the women I’m with are clean.  I can tell.”  How?  Does he have portable blood testing equipment?  HIV can stay dormant in the blood stream for 5 years.  How does he know?  How does anybody know?  And you aren’t going to find accurate statistics in this part of the world because supposedly, no one is having extra-marital sex. 

Yup, it is all very Jerry Springer, but without the DNA testing. 

I have met more and more men (and women) who don’t want to get married here.  Or – if they do, just want to get married to have children and then get divorced.  If we were in a Western country, I think there would be a lot of unmarried mothers – just because they could do it legally.  People don’t want to be tied down anymore. 

I wonder how long Serseree Boy can maintain the facade:   At 41, he may be headed to become a low-rent Hugh Heffner with a grotto and some bunnies.  To me, that is just sad because you never know true love (although he throws the word around like it’s chicken feed at a Naif farm).  He may end up as one of those 70-somethings you see hanging out all night at the male-only coffee shops, talkin trash with their other toothless friends about the good old days when their junk used to work.  (Toothless - isn’t that they can’t afford the dental care.  It is because they are afraid.) Or, lamenting the fact that their kids don’t like them very much because they never were there when they were growing up (or were bad to their mothers).    Or hosting parties for 20-something girls in skin-tight mini-dresses that barely cover their hoo-hoo.  He’ll be the fat old weird guy who owns the house where the bunnies are partying.   How many bunnies would go to visit him in the hospital if he ever got sick?  Can he call a bunny if he needs help?  Je think not.     

These are just my observations.  Isn’t there more to life?   Am I being too judgemental?  He seems perfectly happy.  Maybe it is just a life choice that I shouldn't be judging.  Dunno.

Captain of Her Heart

I LOVE this song.  After years and years, I never get tired of hearing it.

Salt and Sugar

My friend, Traveler, wrote a post on his blog after reading my last post on "Packing their tents and moving on."  He said very eloquently,

"It is easy at these times to open myself and allow my spirit to be taken to a place that is not happy or joyous but tends to be rather blue or melancholy. I've never been one of those who feels that we were ever supposed to be happy all the time, there are events in life that will always get us down but even if we bring ourselves down by remembering things and events in our life that were less than joyful this is not a bad thing. To me it is how you keep in touch with the root feeling of who you are – – it reminds you that there are things of value that were part of your life that are no longer there for one reason or another.  You must allow yourself to wallow in times that were lonely or sad and therefore caress the human side of your spirit. I think that Americans spend too much time trying to ensure they are continually happy when allowing themselves to indulge in a blue mood now and then would actually make them appreciate happiness more and make them well-rounded individuals. All those blues songs were written for a reason – – listen to the lyrics, allow the music to bathe you, and enjoy the down feeling for a moment or two."

This is very true.  Sometimes you have to know the taste of salt to understand the sugar.  Not everything is perfect.  However, I hope all my posts aren't all "singin the blues" -  It just is what it is.  That's life.  That's what I ramble about.  That's why my one follower (whoever you are) reads this crap.

I went through a period in life here in Kuwait where I was on anti-depressants.  I had a series of traumatic events happen that were life-altering and I needed to regulate my emotions.  I shouldn't have stayed on the meds as long as I did, but at that time, they really helped.  I was able to function for a time without feeling at all.  I could have been the poster child for a similar-to-Botox-induced-face; all the emotions were the same; one face for all. Nothing affected me, good or bad.

Sometimes living in Kuwait, I feel like life gets to be so routine with no real highs and no real lows.  I don't laugh as much as I do with family in Virginia, but at the same time, I don't have periods where I feel as low - or even as lonely.   Here, life is a continuity of events rather than peaks and valleys.  I don't know if that is a good thing or a bad thing.  Sure, melancholy sets in and I have some times that are better than others, but overall, we're talking about a flat surface rather than mountains and valleys.

Right now, I'm on a plateau.  The winter was great and I'm just waiting for summer activities to set in.  Meanwhile, Spring is my favorite time of the year.  Spring is all about re-birth and renewal.  I'm there. I'm also doing a little Spring cleaning; evaluating what I should keep and what I shouldn't.  It is all very fassssssssssscinating and I'm up for the challenge.
 

Packing their tents and moving on

My dad used to tell me that Arabs pack up their tents and move on in the middle of the night.  Perhaps years ago they did;  Our camp took 2 days and a team of workers, 2 flatbeds and a crane to dismantle.

I feel like someone tore down my house.  It is a horrible feeling.  It is the end of the season and everything has to be moved, but it has been a really traumatic experience; maybe more so because Desert Guy and I broke up (again x3) at about the same time.  (We got together again briefly and it was the happiest I've ever been with him, but very short-lived).  Anyways, a whole lifestyle has been shifted and I'm feeling very unbalanced and out-of-sorts.

I know I'm not grounded when I unconsciously stop calling my mother for days at a time.  She knows there is something wrong by the tone of my voice, so I avoid calling her.  Not intentionally, but time passes. 

I haven't felt like socializing.  However, a dear friend asked if she could have her birthday party at my house and I agreed.  I'm not so sure it was a good decision because (one reason but only part of it... read on....) my mood has been so bad that I was in no state to have visitors.  I haven't entertained at my house since Thanksgiving and there was a reason for it.    I hope everyone had a good time at her birthday.  I think they did.  It wasn't until a few days later, upon reflection, that I got really upset over it.  I hope it hasn't ruined our friendship.  Time will tell.

I've become best buddies with Desert Guy's cousin and close friend, Teddy (I'm going to call him that because when The Romanian and I first met him, we kept saying that he was a big teddy bear).  He was, until recently, The Romanian's boyfriend.  My friendship with Teddy annoys DGy to no end (The Romanian knows me and has encouraged our friendship); DGy is not happy with it (jealousy is a bad bad thing) and in some very childish and hurtful maneuvers, has communicated it to me in ways that vocal chords apparently can not.  (Why can't people just talk?  I don't get it.)  The birthday party was just a culmination of events.  By 3 am, I was alone in a tearful rage, burning Desert Guy's ghutara and aghal in a temper tantrum on my barbecue grill.    He wasn't there (had left it behind).  I sent him pictures on WhatsApp and then posted in on Instagram.  Tee hee.  I didn't know that aghals could burn so quickly.  Who knew?  Up in flames:  quite dramatic and symbolic. (Yes, it felt really good.  Don't judge me.)

This shit is all going into my book/film script later.  You'll see.

I was left with an achy heart, an incredibly messy house and a flooded terrace, a ruined carpet and no leftovers in my refrigerator.  Not a happy weekend por moi.  2 days of cleaning and disappointment.  Calgon, get me the phuck out of here....

Due to my poor judgement (wanting to spend holidays with Desert Guy), New Years Eve sucked, Valentines Day sucked even more, National and Liberation Days weren't much better (only in that I wasn't with him).  The next major event on my calendar is my birthday next month and I'm determined not to let it be sucky:  I'm going back to Virginia for a little while to be with my family.

Pity Party moment:  Like... no one is going to throw me a birthday party here and if they did, it would be at my house and I would end up hosting and cleaning.  No thanks.  Now, just so I'm not such a whiny coyote, complaining about negative things:  Let's have some positive now....

I've been quietly visiting with old friends at discreet and remote locations.  I've been effectively packing my own tent and moving on.  I've been spending time with friends with horses and animals and a few with camps that are still up until the end of this month.

I spent last night at my friend's camp under the stars, laughing until an unreasonable hour and I was sure I wouldn't make it to work on time (although I did - nursing a hangover, but an Absolut-ly gooood one).   I've known Bu Nawaf for 30+ years.  He and my x-fiance are my oldest (longevity) friends in Kuwait (although the X doesn't keep in touch as well as Bu Nawaf has over the years.   BN says, "People change," and they do.  My x used to be my very very very best friend in the whole world and I thought that nothing would ever break up our friendship.  People change.  Bu Nawaf has managed to stay in touch and is always there if I need a shoulder or just to recharge the positive energy batteries.  He's the kind of guy who could call after 10 years of not seeing him, and we would pick up right where we had left off.

This weekend, I'll be back in Kabd visiting other old friends.  Bu Khalaf has his diwaniya and yet again - I'm the only female allowed.  I love being one of the guys but being a girl at the same time.  His friends are all religious and there are even a few mullas in the mix. We talk about cars; our common ground.  They go to pray together and then return and make chai 7alib.  Bu Khalaf would rather be with his old buddies and his animals than in the city; although he lives only a few short blocks from my house.  I go to his farm, hang out with him and the guys, look at the goats and walk around while the weather is still good.  I go home and sleep well.

I have new friends with horses.  I think that animals are my grounding element at the moment.  Although this will all change when it is 150 degrees outside.  I might find the grounding hard at that temperature.  It suits for now.

and then on to the next thing.

Alghanim Auto Service Center - My First Experience

Prior to arrival, my first impression was good:  Website is great, provides information and pricing. Tells you numbers to call.  Gives a customer feedback form.  So exciting....but....

Looks can be deceiving.

The information that the website provides is incorrect.  You don't need an appointment and should you TRY to make one, neither the numbers nor the feedback form work.  No one ever answers the phone and the form on the site isn't working at all.  What are your options?  You go there.

So, on arrival (around 1pm):  Alghanim's car service center is bagorgeous; everything  you could ever want in a shop.  It's clean.  Dudes wear uniforms. They take your tag number and assign a lane so that you can speak to a service advisor.

Looks can be deceiving.

Once I got into the lane, the service advisor really didn't have an understanding of 1) my vehicle nor 2) what I was requesting.  I asked for a tune up and oil change and for him to check the brakes.  I also asked for a license plate holder.  I was advised that my car would be ready the same day.  I went to their car rental office (which they say they have on their website).  No available cars.  And there were no taxis in site, so I had to wait.  Thaaaaanks.

Service Advisor Man (SAM) said that he would call me about the brakes.  He called before I left the service center to tell me that the license plate holder was not in stock.  Apparently, he promised a phone call - and yup - that was the only one I was going to get.  I started calling him at around 4:30.  No answer.  I called the main number (et voila) an operator answered and I asked to speak to SAM.  No answer.  I kept calling until 7pm when they closed.  (And I still didn't have a car.)

Next day, I start calling SAM at their opening time (7am).  Several hours later, he picked up the phone and acted surprised as if he had never promised to have my car back the same day.  I checked the service ticket and he had written 5:30 the next day (ok, I get it - he said one thing, but wrote another and so it became my fault for not reading the paper).   SAM said his duty ends at 4:30 so he wasn't there to answer the phone.  Gee thanks.  Apparently, no one else answers the phone either.

So, I go back to pick up the car at 5:30 and had to wait an additional 45 minutes while someone washed my car.  OMG.  Didn't they know I was coming?  Ya have 2 days to do an oil change and a tune up and you can't squeeze in a car wash and git er to me on time?  Whutup?

During the Time of Waiting and Contemplation, a cashier hits on me and gives me his mobile phone number "just incase I ever need anything from Alghanim" - like money maybe?  Then, I pick up one of Alghanim's pamphlets on service for my particular vehicle.  It says some tasks are performed at every service (it does not say "checked" at every service.  It says "performed".)  Dayum!  Did my tires get rotated?  Did I get new windshield wiper blades?  I just paid 200 KD for what amounted to a tune up and oil change.  I want my free shit!  So, I go to the customer service dudes.  THREE people (including a Senior Supervisor)  try to explain to me what the brochure means.  Hey - I know English purty good:  performed vs checked.  I know the difference.  They don't.  Sigh.   Never get an answer to my questions. I fill out a very unfavorable customer comment card and I leave.

I drive the car.  It is running rough (engine vibration).  I call SAM.  He's incredulous. He asked me about how the service was on the car and I tell him that it was not a good experience.  He's sorry.  Asks me to bring the car back in.  Yada.  (At this point, do I reeeeeally want to bring my car back?  I dunno...)

About the same time, my Irish Cousin gives me the mobile phone number for the service manager (harps playing, angels singing).  I send dude an SMS the size of encyclopedia Britanica telling him what happened.  He called me; asked me to bring my car back in.  I tell him fine, 8:30 the following morning.  Then SAM calls, upset that I've spoken to Service Manager Dude (SMD).  Calls me many more times later.  More SAM calls even as late as 9:30 pm on Saturday night.  Dude WTF - I'm a customer not a family friend.   Whatever.  SAM promises to be there at 8:30am.

I go in at 8:45.  Where's SAM?  Where's SMD?  Oh.My.God!!!  WTF.  I start sending SMSs to SMD.

I pull into Lane #7 (my lucky number) where this tall, gorgeous guy named Bader trys to help me.  I know his name is Bader because, like the professional he turned out to be, he has a large, legible sign hanging in his kiosk window.  Cool.  Et he speaks Camaro!  He knows the problem and tells me that many of them have the same problem:  large engine, manual transmission = vibration at idle.  Ok fine.  As long as someone knows what the hell they're talking about and makes me feel confident, I'm good.  He says he'll have it checked on the computers and let me know.  I also ask for a wheel alignment and balancing (desert + Camaro = no good, baba).  Bader calls me back in the afternoon, tells me that everything is normal with the car and explains how the tires might affect performance (needs new tires) and to stop trying to bend my rims on sand dunes.  Understood.  I feel completely at ease and confident with this person.

So anyhoo, SMD sent his second-in-command to help me that morning.  Sent me to my office in an Alghanim provided vehicle and driver and even offered to lend me his X5.  (Ok, flirting and sexy boots are really beneficial in these cases.)  Great service at that step.

Get back to my office feeling good about it all and then SAM calls me.  Oh.My.God, what NOW?!  Leave me ALONE!  Get this.... no.... I mean, get THIS:  SAM says to me, "I thought of you last night.  I was late to work because my son had diarrhea last night.  (As if that wasn't bad enough - he goes into more detail) He had loose bowels..."  No.He.Di'in't!!!  Seriously?  Do I care?  I have one of those faces that people feel that they can say ANYthing to.  Here's what SAM should have said, "I am very sorry I wasn't there to greet you.  I had a family emergency."  What he should have done was to send me an SMS - either at night or in the morning - to let me know someone else would have to handle the car.  I didn't even laugh when he told me about the kid with the squirts; I just told him, "good luck with that" and hung up.

As it was, it was a complete blessing SAM's kid got the trots and he (SAM) wasn't there because whenever I go back, I will ask for Bader.  He knows his stuff and is 100% professional.  THAT is the kind of guy I want to be looking after my vehicle.  So, if you have a Camaro and you have to go to Alghanim, go see Bader.  (If you're buying the 700 HP, 24,000kd super-duper Camaro.... for sure see no one but Bader.)

Also, if you need anything electrical diagnosed, go see Ehab Zamel in Bumper to Bumper. I ran into him there.  He used to work on my Stealth and is a magician with electrical systems and diagnostics.  (My Stealth sat at Al Mulla for 2 months with an electrical problem that they could not diagnose.  I had it towed to Ehab and within 2 hours, he found and resolved the problem.) G E N I O U S

So that's my story.  The end.

100 Most Powerful Arab Women

Arabian Business revealed picks for the 100 most powerful Arab Women.  Mark (248am blog) posted about the top Kuwaiti women and I think it is important so I am re-posting.

I find it (how do I put this) uncomfortable, however, that so many of the women were picked because they were film and music stars.  While I find their careers "influential", I don't know if I would place an importance on acting and singing unless it is making a positive change somehow either socially or politically.  It is like saying that Britney Spears should be among the US' most powerful women.

Anyhooser, here is Mark's post (and thank you for formatting it so well!)

The most powerful Kuwaiti women – 2013

Arabian Business released their “100 most powerful Arab women 2013″ list and 11 Kuwaiti women made the top 100. This year the most powerful Kuwaiti women was Suad Al Humaidi who came in at number 10. Compared to last year, 13 Kuwaiti women made it to the list in 2012 with the most powerful being Sheikha Al Bahar at number 8. Below is the current ranking of all the powerful Kuwaiti women who made the top 100.

10 – Suad Al Humaidi
16 – Sheikha Hessa Bint Saad Abdullah Salem Al Sabah
21 – Sheikha Al Bahar (pictured above)
34 – Maha Al Ghunaim
44 – Donna Sultan
55 – Rola Dashti
58 – Sara Akbar
63 – Maha Hussain
78 – Riham Fouad Al Ghanim
88 – Ghosson Al Khaled
94 – Faten Al Naqeeb

For the full list and article, visit the Arabian Business website [Here]

Sinkholes

There's a lot in the news about a man in Florida who was sleeping peacefully at home in his bedroom when a sinkhole swallowed him whole.  They haven't found his body and now they are demolishing his house.  (link to CNN story here.)

This is a sinkhole that appeared after heavy rains this past week on Fahaheel Expressway at Wafra Road, Khiran.  The photo was taken before there was an accident (I later heard that someone died, but couldn't confirm it).  When I arrived at about midnight, the police had closed most of the road except for one lane and there was a wrecked car at the side of the road.  The very next day, the hole was fixed and it was like nothing had ever taken place.

Cheetah Attack in Kuwait

This from my friend, Areej, on Facebook:

 Cheetah attacks a group of 7 Kuwaiti men.

Today i found in Al Rai about cheeta attack at 7 guys. The complete scene has printed in Arabic but this is what I got that at Muttala (Desert) 7 Kuwaiti guys were enjoying BBQ around 10pm and then one cheetah invaded in the tent to join their BBQ, one of them was wounded badly but in a moment all guys escaped the tent and hid in their car.

For complete Arabic version
http://kuwaitup2date.com/2013/02/17/cheeta-attacked-at-bbq-in-kuwait-kuwait-q8/

One commenter said:   "I read that the guys that got into the car started chasing the Cheetah and then the guy that owned it started yelling at them that was his Cheetah I said he was hunting with it..."
___

I think they should put the owner in jail.    Usually what happens in Mutlaa stays in Mutlaa....  
(I better call my friends to make sure it wasn't their camp that got attacked.  Dayum...)

These animals are wild and have the instincts of wild animals.  You will never be able to domesticate them.  It is genetic.  Keeping wild game cats as pets is just unnatural and WRONG.

Has anyone heard anything?

A rolling stone gathers no moss

I haven't been posting for a while as I've been in a rut and just plain haven't felt like it.  Desert Guy and I are kaput.  There's no fixing it.  It is what it is.  That was last Thursday (not Valentines Day, thankfully). I don't stay still very long.  I don't like being pre-occupied with negative things (but God knows, I am), so I keep busy.

The day after the Massive Fight, The Romanian and I drove down to a restaurant in Zor Village where she believes the best sheesh tawook sandwiches are made.  I'm kindof... they're okay.  The area is really funky.  It is a forgotten village.  I guess O&G workers used to live down there.  Now it is kind of a shanty town that reminds me a lot of places in Mexico.  There are a few dive restaurants. We stayed in the car - there weren't any women in sight.

I don't think that DGy liked the fact that the very next night, I was out with friends.  Too bad.  I have a life. I'm not going to stay home to pine.  I went out to visit a friend's camp. It was something to do and I caught up with old friends that I haven't had the time to get together with lately.

The day after, I woke up to a phone call from another friend telling me to be ready to go to the desert in an hour - North this time.  An hour in Arab time is more like 3 hours.  So, 3 hours later, we were off to Khuwaisat.  To get there (the easiest way), you take 6th Ring Road North all the way past Jahra towards Subiya.

I had no idea where my friends were taking me.  All that I know is that my friend/friend's husband drives like a bat out of Hell and it tested my driving (or reckless driving) skills.

I have a Sheikh friend who used to have a chalet at Khuwaisat.  I drove around looking for it, but nothing is the same there anymore. (Like now, for example, the roads are paved.)   I wouldn't recognize it if I saw it (I probably wouldn't recognize him if I saw him - lotta years have passed.)  The area is gorgeous (from my perspective).  It hasn't been developed yet and there are low-lying areas where the tip of the Bay meets the land.  It doesn't look like anywhere else in Kuwait; although that's about to change.  It is being developed and fast.

We turned off the road and went through a bunch of trees et voila!  There were a group of about 20 cars in an area next to a small pond. Totally unexpected and lovely.  I saw friends that I hadn't seen in years.  It was such a nice surprise and like a gift, really.

[I also ran into one of the friends who knows Stealth and his group.  He tried (in vain) to convince me that our argument (back in November) was stupid and that I should get in contact with the group again.  Stealth was able to find my door for 2 and a half years.  Funny that he can't find it now - or back in November when we could have talked and maybe worked things out.  It's the same door.  Its in the same place.]

While we were all sitting there next to the pond, a group of guys rode up on horses (totally surreal).  They had a foal with them.  They stopped and let people ride the horses and take pictures.  I made new friends.

It's not that I'm weepy and upset about the break-up with Desert Guy, but it is never good to see anything end.  And it wasn't in a warm-and-fuzzy kind of way.  I just haven't wanted to think about it.   Anyhooser....  The Romanian wanted to say goodbye to the dogs and pick up her stuff (she broke up with her guy around the same time too for different, yet similar reasons; "I'm right and you're wrong and I don't want to hear what you have to say.  That's it"  Okey dokey.  Also known as "cutting off your nose to spite your face.").  We went to the camp when no one was there to say goodbye without saying goodbye.

So this weekend....   Forget Valentines Day.  That was just sucky.  Although my BFF, The Romanian, had flowers (and the NICEST card I have had in such a long time) waiting for me on my counter when I got home.  It was so nice of her.

The next day, I got another surprise invite (little blessings) from an OLD friend to have lunch on his yacht.  It is the largest of 3 that he owns.  He and his crazy brothers have been my friends since 1997.  I adore them all.  We fall in and out of touch, but when we finally get back together as a group, like we did this weekend, it is lots of fun.  We took the boat out to the middle of the bay and had lunch - which turned into dinner.  The sunset on the water was gorgeous.  I can't remember the last time I have laughed so hard.  Oh yeah - it was with my sisters in DC...

From there, back to another friend's desert camp in Julai'a.  He is just always happy to see me and he's just full of life and positive energy; rare.  We sat around with him and his girlfriend (and her trashy friends) for a while and then to McDonalds near Desert Guy's camp because we were close - maybe hoping to run into them -  and back home again.  I think being out on the water just made me completely sleepy.

Yesterday, we went back up North again to visit the horses.  Unfortunately, the weather was crap (dusty) and we weren't able to ride.  They take the horses to the beach on warm days to cool them off in the water.  We were planning to do that, but it was too bad outside.

Then we went to eat sushi. Then we went home.

Dudes have been tracking my (/our - The Romanian and I) whereabouts via Instagram and Facebook.  Fascinating.  I don't care, really.  It is all very childish.  If we post one photo of us having fun somewhere, they counteract with 20 photos of them (doing the same old shyt of lounging with refreshments around a campfire or barbecuing - BFD).  I miss the camp.  I miss the circle of friends.  Sometimes you just got to keep rolling.

Find out about your traffic violations by SMS

Find out about your traffic violations by SMS

(Repost from 248am Blog)

The Ministry of Interior launched a new service where you can sign up to receive notifications on your traffic violations by SMS. They will also send you a notification when your Civil ID or car registration are about to expire among other things.

The subscription fee is KD1 and then it’s 40fils per SMS. If you want to sign up click [Here]

I just did this.  Cool.  Thanks Mark.

Ship your car to Kuwait

Are you moving here?  Is your car paid off?  Why not consider shipping it here, rather than buying/leasing/renting once you get here (and going through the hassle of financing)?

When I moved here in 1996, I intended to bring my car with me.  I waited for 6 months to see if I wanted to actually stay in Kuwait, and then shipped over my 1990 Nissan 300ZX twin turbo.  I felt like a piece of home was with me and I felt much more "settled" living here with my car.

You can import any car, 2007 and later (they don't import cars older than 5 years unless they are classified as "classic" - I don't know what the stipulation for that is).  There are a lot of shipping companies (call any moving company in your home country - like exship.com, borderlinx.com, etc.).  The cost for shipping it here is around 300KD ($1065 at today's rate).

I met with a dealer in Hawalli and for a fee of around 150KD, they will receive the car:  Do the customs clearance, have your car cleaned, obtain 3rd party insurance, and get your car registration/tags once it arrives in Kuwait.   (Note that you can check around Kuwait at any used car dealership where they sell imported cars and ask if they will provide the same service.    You can also elect to do all this yourself, but with a lot of time and hassle.

You should consider the type of vehicle and if they normally import that type to Kuwait.  For example, if you own a Saturn, there are no Saturns in Kuwait, no dealers, and most importantly NO spare parts.  I used to have a Dodge Stealth. Although there is a Dodge dealership here in Kuwait, they never sold Stealths here.  So, it was a nightmare to obtain spare parts for the car.  Most brands are sold here.  (If  you have questions, you can ask me.)

____________

2016 Update:

If you want to ship your car to or from Kuwait, contact:

Haydee is a great help.  Will assist you in completing all the formalities and paperwork.  They are in alliance with Allied Pickfords - a US Shipping company.  GFS does local and international moves.  The moved me in/out of several different apartments and stored my apartment contents during my problems with my landlord.

Foreigner Trying to Get a Car Loan - The Outcome

Here was my main problem:

If your company utilizes the service of one bank  (to consolidate their banking services/fees), that bank will then transfer salaries into employee accounts (at various banks).  For this reason, your incoming salary on bank statements will appear as a “transfer” (or "hawlat maleeah" in Arabic transliteration) rather than “salary”.

The Central Bank of Kuwait has passed a law stating that your bank can not provide credit with this verbiage on an employee’s bank statement.  This law was probably enstated to combat money laundering and to ensure that banks are repaid their loans.

This issue will cause difficulty in your obtaining loans or credit through your bank; as the bank is not allowed – by law – to give you credit if the statement does not say “salary”.  Even if the company name, and salary amount matches your salary certificate issued by your employer.  Even if you have just obtained your bank statement from the same bank.

Not all bank representatives will understand this law - or know about it.  So, you can sit with someone for several hours and they can try to find a solution (or wastah) and you still won't be able to get the loan.

I wish someone at my company would have told me this in advance, so that I wouldn't have had to waste the time, stress, frustration, and humiliation.  That might have been nice.  I'm sure that other employees at other companies in Kuwait are facing the same difficulties.

The CBK law does not apply to finance companies like Commercial Facilities, Al Manar, Al Soor, etc.

I got a loan in a day from Al Soor and they were extremely kind (although I hated having to sit in an office where everyone is allowed to smoke).  They asked that my employer provide a letter stating that they use one consolidated bank (X) and then transfer my salary to KFH.  No co-signer.  No hassles.

Al Soor (or any finance company) will ask you to go to your bank and have a standing order signed so that they can automatically debit your account for the loan payments.  (In my case, it took KFH an hour and a half to sign it because.... nevermind...)

Outcome:  I got my baby, Mashallah.  (Looks like this.)

And by the way, just incase anyone is interested:  Alghanim has a 2013 Hennessey, HPE700 HP (Corvette engine), Camaro with a manual transmission in dark gray, at the dirt-cheap price of only 27,000KD.

My Other House is a Tent

One of my Kuwaiti friends told me today that he no longer likes to camp in Kuwait because it has become, "too ghetto."  There is an area in Southern Kuwait right around Julai'ai (exit 245) that is always so crowded and full of lights/noise that it looks like a circus to me.  I hate the places that are set up right next to each other with loud music playing all night and screaming kids on ATVs.  That's not my thing.

Our camp is further South - towards Wafra.  It is still close to a McDonald's ('Baby, will you bring me an apple pie?'), a convenience store, a Starbucks (where ISN'T there a Starbucks??), and a great little restaurant where they sell kababs and machboos.

It is also located far away from other camps (although we can still hear loud music from 2 of the other camps in the distance).  I love the solitude and the nature.  There are only 7 of us who stay there.  We have only one other person who is invited (but doesn't stay as he has his own camp closeby - I don't know why because he's always with us).  We don't invite visitors.  We don't have parties.  We talk.  We laugh.  We listen to music ("Oh my God!  Not "Diamonds" again, Desert Girl!").  We joke with each other.  I love that.

I'm extremely blessed that we're out there with nature (ok, and optional conveniences...).  I like sleeping in a tent instead of a trailer (although we've got 2 trailers and one has a Jacuzzi (no, not the one with the pop-up TV, but close).  I like taking showers in the kirby bathroom that is absolutely freezing until the hot water steams the entire enclosure. I still have to have my hair dryer and thank God, the generator is big enough to accommodate all 1500 watts. The ice maker I brought (Desert Guy's favorite toy - he loves that thing) is another story.... usually trips the small generator.    Most of the time, we sit outside, but we've also got a tent that is enclosed.  That tent has a 60" TV (F soccer!)  It also has a mouse who we feed.  He usually only comes out after 4am.

The other morning, I woke up and the newest addition to the family, Bibi, an Aikita-mix puppy (who is much more aggressive/territorial than the older German Shepard), was barking frantically.  It had just rained and I was already half-awake listening to the sound of the rain on the tent roof when Bibi jolted us out of bed.  Camels were grazing behind the camp and apparently, she had never seen one before.  I couldn't go back to sleep, so I got up to take some pictures.

Best friends, Rose and Bibi

I don't want the camping season to end.  I'm loving it too much.  This has been the best time for me ever in the desert, Mashallah.    Since early December, I've been living there every weekend.  I leave work at 6 on Thursdays, pick up my stuff, and head to the camp.  We don't go home until late on Saturday (and everybody is in a bad mood because they don't want to go).  

I've grown so accustomed to this life that I don't know what I'm going to do when we have to take the camp down.  I'm already feeling depressed thinking about it.  I don't want it to end.

Diamonds

At first sight I felt the energy of sun rays 

I saw the life inside your eyes 

So shine bright, tonight you and I 

We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky 

Eye to eye, so alive 

We're beautiful like diamonds in the sky 

Want to go to a desert camp?

There are several options.  Nuzha Tours (http://www.nuzhatours.com) offers day trips to the desert at their camp.  TIES Center (http://tiescenter.net/) and AWARE (www.aware.com.kw/) are also offering day trips this month.

The camping season usually ends on March 1st (unless the Government decides to extend), so all the camps must be dismantled and removed.

Personally, I haven't spent a weekend in my apartment since early December (because I'm at our camp) and I wish this season would never end.