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Kuwait is a perplexing country; it strives to be a developed nation but yet it is hindered by its religious and constitutional trappings. It is a complex enigma, with its odd mix of the insular and secular, its archaic male chauvinism, indolent attitudes and its discriminatory class system which permeates its social and working environment. The Iraqi invasion of 1990 that wreaked extensive devastation to the country as well as spawning one of the world’s worst environmental catastrophes is but a distant memory. Lessons of the strength of the human spirit, humility and solidarity have sadly been forgotten. Derelict buildings riddled with bullet holes stand forlornly as reluctant memorials to the war. A trip to Kuwait’s beaches or desert is foolhardy, as not all landmines and other unexploded ordnance have been cleared. This is yet another vestige of the Iraqi invasion.

Tourism in Kuwait is not even in its early foetal stages, in fact it is still trying desperately for conception. Frankly, it is non-existent and practically unheard of; to the locals it is a laughable concept. There is only a handful of less than exciting places to visit, such as the tri-globular Kuwait Tower, which is the landmark of Kuwait and is in fact a working water tower, the Liberation Tower, built as a monument after the Iraqi invasion, the unremarkable Grand Mosque, a museum, a scientific centre and a few old amusement parks. There are no pubs or discos, the only forms of entertainment are shopping, dining and going to the cinema which can be a frustrating activity as most movies are heavily censored and the running time usually falls around an hour after the cuts. To gain admission into Kuwait, an ‘invitation to visit’ visa has to be obtained beforehand. A Kuwaiti sponsor is mandatory for the application of this visa. The sponsor will effectively be responsible for you. He has to guarantee both your good behaviour and subsequent departure from Kuwait. My boyfriend had to acquire my visa through an agent in Kuwait, and then hand it to me in Dubai before entering Kuwait. Technically, photography is forbidden, unless a photography license has been obtained from the Minister of Information. But this rule is rarely enforced. When it comes to taking pictures, a little common sense goes a long way to stay out of trouble. Photographing any structure that even hints of the military, government or oil production should be avoided at all costs. Never take photos of their women! It is safer to ask before taking any pictures of people, but truly, its best just not to do it! Kuwaitis tend to be very sensitive about and suspicious of photo taking. Even hotels discourage photography. In fact at most hotels, all cars are stopped and checked for bombs before entry, bags are x-rayed and guests have to go through a metal detecting gate. I assume this is a residual consequence of the Iraqi invasion.

Kuwaitis make up approximately 25% of the entire population, the remainder are imported workers. Filipinos, Indians and Egyptians make up the largest proportion of their foreign labour. As the very virtue of being Kuwaiti bestows great rewards and privileges, the government actively seeks to keep their bloodline pure by fervently encouraging Kuwaiti men to marry Kuwaiti women, as the alarming trend of Kuwaiti men marrying Jordanian and Lebanese women is gaining popularity. The government hands out a 6 figure sum to Kuwaiti women who marry Kuwaiti men. Also, to stimulate the declining birth rate, the government offers a cash grant of around SGD$100,000 per child per annum. The Kuwaiti constitution guarantees, amongst other things, jobs for their citizens. 93% of Kuwaitis are employed by the government which provides them ridiculously high paying jobs with unbelievable benefits, like interest free loans, and other astounding perks. Armed with these assurances, they proceed to live in luxury, replete with fancy cars and lavish houses. In the private sector, companies must be partially or entirely owned by a Kuwaiti. So foreigners interested in setting up a business in Kuwait, must seek a Kuwaiti partner. The partner will be, more often than not, a sleeping partner who comes up with little capital but still rakes in a substantial chunk of the returns. This could explain the relatively low figures in foreign investments for their country.

Being an Islamic country, alcohol, drugs and pork are strictly forbidden and banned. Conservative attire is strongly advised, but unlike Saudi Arabia, it is not demanded of non-Muslim women to wear the abayya, the long black all encompassing tent which leaves only the eyes exposed, except when visiting a mosque. Interestingly enough, there are no religious connotations with donning the abayya, or any of the veils and headdress, it is purely a personal choice, with the exception of the more fanatical and extremist Middle Eastern countries where this practice is strictly enforced. Foreign magazines and newspapers will have any provocative pictures of women who show a little too much cleavage or leg dutifully blacked out with a maker pen. Kuwaiti television and newspapers are, by international standards, extremely tame. Cooking programs have women presenting them completely cloaked in their black abayya! The internet is heavily monitored, most pornographic and politically inflammatory sites are blocked. Billboards and posters are discreet and chaste usually featuring just the products and a slogan. But ironically, with the magic of satellite subscription, one is bombarded by an endless selection of international programs from all over the world. There are even hardcore triple X pornographic channels available for your viewing pleasure in this deeply religious Islamic state. Men and women are strictly segregated in Kuwait, unless bonded by family ties or marriage. As such, it is common knowledge that young unmarried males will experiment sexually with each other as they have difficulty gaining access to females. But this will be vehemently denied as the practice of homosexuality is a grave sin in Islam. Furthermore, they do not consider these trysts as acts of homosexuality, but more as part of growing up and satisfying basic instinctual sexual needs.

Kuwait is another wealthy Gulf country that is a major producer of oil, and their oil reserves are estimated to last another century. Their immense wealth probably explains why the Kuwaitis are predisposed to bigotry, racism, narrow mindedness and indolence. But it still does not explain why the country’s infrastructure is so appallingly bad. The Kuwaitis possess great egos and a superiority complex to match. Many jobs are beneath them, which accounts for the legions of foreign workers from poorer countries who will man the eateries, clean their streets, clear their trash, pave their roads, construct their buildings, staff their shops and so on and so forth. All foreign workers, from menial labourers to consultants, Asians to Caucasians, are referred to in official Arabic documents as servants. Their currency, the Kuwaiti Dinar (KD) is frightfully strong. The exchange rate is a staggering 1 KD = SGD$6 = £2, thus making Kuwait extortionately expensive! Besides oil, Kuwait has no other natural resources. Everything has to be imported, thus contributing to the high cost of living. Arabic is the official language, but English is widely spoken. Taxis have meters installed, but these are rarely used, so agreeing on a price before getting onto a cab is highly recommended. Life in Kuwait is concentrated mainly in Kuwait City; the rest of Kuwait is made up of large desert wasteland where their oil fields lie under. Therefore Kuwait has neither trains nor a domestic airport, furthermore almost everybody drives!

Kuwait International Airport is old, tiny and poorly lit; a far cry from the dazzling state of the art mega structure that is Dubai International Airport. Honestly I was taken aback, with Kuwait being a wealthy oil rich state I was expecting an airport of comparable, if not equal, grandeur. After disembarkation, I was greeted by a surly immigration officer who literally snatched my papers from me and proceeded to process my documents. A few grunts and glares later, I breezed through immigration with one more hurdle to cross - customs. Everybody gets their luggage and bags x-rayed for alcohol, any bottles of alcohol found will be confiscated. Customs was not as nerve wracking as I had anticipated. In fact, it was more perfunctory than anything else. The customs officers were more absorbed with their coffee, conversations and cigarettes, paying little heed to the no smoking signs plastered all over the airport! Every now and again, when they could bear to tear themselves away from their scintillating discussions, they would throw a cursory glance in the direction of the monitors every now and again, and then return to their loud guttural banter. As I came through, I noticed many American soldiers milling about in the arrival hall. I can only assume that they must have just got back from a mission from Iraq. American presence in Kuwait is visibly prominent. Appleby’s, Hardee’s, Subway, Dairy Queen, Baskin Robins, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Burger King, the ubiquitous McDonalds and many more American chains line the streets and fill the malls.

The climate in Kuwait is very arid and extremely hot. Summer temperatures vacillate between an uncomfortable 38 C to a searing 50 C. The indoor and outdoor temperature differential can be as much as 20 C to 25 C as most homes, office buildings and shopping malls constantly maintain their air conditioners at its blustering maximum to stay cool in this desert climate. During summer, it is strongly advised to avoid staying outdoors for long periods of time, as the blistering heat poses the very real risk of heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Drinking copious amounts of water is essential. While Dubai continuously endeavours to transform their desert environment into a lush garden city, Kuwait’s half hearted attempts covers the outskirts of the airport with a few pockets of greenery scattered around the city. Elsewhere, inexplicable open sandy expanses and buildings of varying shades of sandstone dot the urban landscape. On windy days, fine sand gets whipped up and visibility is obscured, it settles everywhere, covering any inanimate object with a layer of dust.

Civil planning is poor as buildings are randomly erected with little discernable order or system. Road are convoluted and conditions are horrendously bad. Major roads are far from smooth, side roads lack street signs, are atrociously paved and full of potholes. Road humps are curiously unpainted making them almost invisible which results in erratic shuddering halts. Driving in Kuwait is extremely dangerous; statistically 2 people are killed everyday in road accidents. This is by no means an exaggeration, as the Kuwaitis are infamous for being negligent, inconsiderate and extremely reckless drivers. Accidents are a daily occurrence, as established by the numerous burnt out, smashed up and overturned cars abandoned by the side of the roads. Car parks are a popular dumping ground for these damaged vehicles too. Kuwaitis seem to find it simpler to just buy a new car rather than go through the hassle of getting it repaired. Kuwaitis believe that they are invulnerable and untouchable as they were brought up to believe that they are better than everyone else. The fact that this is a nation of In Shaa’Allah (If God wills) does not help either. They cross the streets without looking and if you come to a screeching halt with horns blaring and nearly running them over, they will glare at you incredulously and make a shooing gesture with their hands like you were some bothersome gnat spoiling their lovely walk. Simultaneously driving and chatting ceaselessly on their mobile phone is another leisurely Kuwaiti pastime, which results in the graceful art of lane drifting. Roundabouts are wonderfully chaotic as the Kuwaitis are incapable of grasping its concept and utilisation; it’s generally a free for all, where the annoying practice of waiting, signalling and giving way is completely dispensed with, it is more practical to just charge in. The pièce de résistance has to be the classic cutting through 3 lanes to get to an exit at the last minute with no regard to oncoming traffic. Also, road weaving and speeding are an absolute must for young Kuwaiti men as it is a display and expression of their masculinity and machismo. Besides cars like Ferraris, Porches, BMWs and Mercedes Benzes, great big motorcycle behemoths are a favourite racing mode for the male youths. Naturally, helmets would be an embarrassing fashion faux pas. What’s the point of riding a motorcycle if your hair is not whipping sexily in the wind and your handsome visage is obscured by a silly visor. A major expressway called the Arabian Gulf Street comes alive every night with horrific traffic congestion. It is a popular venue for hundreds of vehicles belonging to single men and women. They head to this coastal highway, called a corniche, which becomes their playground for their quaint courting rituals. They continuously ply up and down this long road hoping to make contact with a member of the opposite sex. It is not uncommon to find bumper stickers with phone numbers and e-mail addresses on them. The bolder boys will sometimes throw scrunched up pieces of paper which undoubtedly contains their contact details into the cars of females. This practise came about to circumvent the strict custom of gender segregation where it is taboo for a single female to be seen in open public with a man. All these and more make up the delightful and common driving traits and etiquette of the Kuwaitis.

Kuwait is relatively safe as crime rates are low. Most offences are usually drug, alcohol or traffic related crimes. However, single women travelling in Kuwait need to be extra cautious. Unaccompanied women very often get followed by frisky males, who try their hardest to strike up a conversation, in the vain hope of a chance sexual encounter. While standing by the kerb, it is not uncommon to witness cars stopping to offer these lone women a lift. Declining these offers would be wisest! It is best to avoid eye contact and feign deafness. To dampen their over-enthusiasm, staring wordlessly and blankly into the distance helps tremendously. Usually these forms of treatment are sufficient to deter these pests. In the case of the more persistent individuals, a loud public telling off should do the trick as Arab men dislike drawing attention to themselves and are averse to being publicly humiliated. Again due to gender segregation, single Kuwaiti women are sexually untouchable. Therefore foreign women, Asians in particular, end up being the most vulnerable and easiest targets of sexual crimes. Reports on abductions and gang rapes of Asian women make daily appearances on their newspapers. The Kuwaitis cannot fathom the idea that an Asian woman who is in Kuwait is not necessarily a maid. The Kuwaitis generally regard Asians as inconsequential domestic help or menial labourers. They feed on the fact that most of the workers here desperately need their jobs and fear losing their livelihood and are thus not so quick to lodge a report. As such, it is exceedingly plausible that the statistics of sex crimes are vastly higher than reported.

A Kuwaiti will, more often than not, receive preferential treatment, the term impartiality is unfamiliar. In most car accidents involving a Kuwaiti and a foreigner, a Kuwaiti’s words are the gospel truth. For example, if a Kuwaiti violently slams into the back of a Caucasian’s vehicle, whatever the circumstances the Caucasian will always be in the wrong. However, here’s the class system at work, if a Caucasian slams into the back of an Indian’s car, the Indian will invariably be in the wrong. At most levels, there is a very distinct pecking order. At work, Kuwaiti men, never women, customarily claim top management; other Arab nationalities and Caucasians will take up supervisory posts and Asians form the lowest working class. Kuwaitis and other Arabs abhor the very idea of being told what to do, they much prefer giving orders and making others do the work. Ensconced in their little world, they have actually come to believe that they are a superior race and all other races are below them. Americans indulge them this fantasy as the financial motivation and benefits for the US is enormous. Millions if not billions of dollars stand to be made in neighbouring Iraq which is in dire need of reconstruction and pro American Kuwait conveniently serves as a relatively safe base.

Kuwait is very much a society that revolves around shopping malls, restaurants and coffee chains. The streets and malls usually come alive at night as Kuwaitis are nocturnal by choice. In the day, Kuwait has the air of a deserted town. Personally, I prefer to venture out in the day as most places are not crowded. However, shopping as an Asian in Kuwait has been quite an eye-opener. Kuwaiti clients are treated with reverence, while Caucasian customers are treated politely. Asians tend to be treated with disdain. When I went to purchase a jar of Clinique moisturiser, I was given the third degree by the presumably Jordanian shop manageress. I was viewed with suspicion and subsequently interrogated on why I wanted to make this purchase, my ability to use this product, the current product I was using, and if I’ve ever used this product. Finally, she suggested that I try shopping at a pharmacy instead. Naturally, I paid her no heed and proceeded to buy my much needed moisturiser. Far from being offended, I was bemused by the whole comical episode. At eateries, the service rendered to Asians is rather poor too. While taking my order, the Pilipino staff tends to address me in Tagalog. And when it becomes apparent that I had no idea what they were saying, and I tell them that I’m Singaporean, they react with disbelief and seem disappointed. Once after dining at the Hilton, I went to pay my bill. The cashier asked me if I worked at the Hilton and proceeded to inform me that hotel staff receives considerable discounts. I politely replied that I was actually a guest at the Hilton. He seemed sceptical and as if to make certain that I did not lose out on this wonderful discount, he asked me again if I was sure that I was not hotel staff. I can only speculate that I probably would have received better treatment had I been Pilipino!

Taking a stroll in their malls can be a little disconcerting. As an Asian, I drew many stares and glares. The youths were either curious and offered a smile or they nudge each other, sneer, point and laugh out loud. Older Kuwaiti men are normally characterized by their national dress, the dishdasha. It is a long crisp white ankle length robe worn with a headdress consisting of a triangular piece of white or red and white chequered cloth worn over a skull cap and fastened with 2 rings of black cords. The dishdasha is worn with immense pride as it is an emblem of their status as Kuwaitis. Foreigners should not be tempted to put on the dishdasha, as Kuwaitis will be terribly offended and feel that you are making fun of them. With youths, preference for the dishdasha is divided. It is equally common to see them in modern western dress as well as their national dress. It is quite effortless to distinguish the Kuwaitis from their other Arab counterparts. Apart from the tell tale dishdasha, Kuwaitis tend to walk around like they own the world, with shoulders wide apart, chest out and arms swinging at their sides, making for a distinctively cocky gait. And they expect others to make way for them and never the other way around. The air of arrogance exuded by both the men and women is unmistakable. The looks of undisguised hatred and undiluted loathing I received, especially from the older Kuwaitis, were admittedly, unnerving. They seemed to be incredulous and outraged that a mere Asian like myself, had the audacity to go shopping instead of working behind a counter at McDonalds. Whenever I had coffee at Starbucks or one of the other numerous coffee places, it was quite typical for the women to pass me and feel affronted, then glare at me angrily and whip out their mobiles and call their friends or family to noisily express their displeasure. Besides shopping and eating, the women really have nothing much else to do, which explains why they are constantly on their mobiles, relating their mundane day to day experiences and encounters. Instead of shirking back and being meek, I thoroughly enjoyed returning the favour by throwing back imperious and contemptuous looks which confused, infuriated and exasperated them even more! It was hilarious!

When visiting Kuwait, it is imperative for sanity’s sake to get used to the Arab customs and attitudes. Rapid acceptance of the fact that narrow and closed mindedness pervades all ranks, will evaporate most frustrations. To put things in perspective, we must bear in mind that even though Kuwait is an Islamic country with strict rules and traditions, hypocrisy and double standards are rampant. Despite the restrictive Sharia’a (Islamic) law that governs the country, everything that liberal people of more cosmopolitan and secular cities partake in, be it sex, drugs or alcohol is also happening in Kuwait albeit covertly. Even though many would agree that Kuwait is a less than desirable country worth visiting, I am glad to have had the opportunity to come here and personally experience how these people live, interact and behave. Undoubtedly, it seems very different and unreal but it was truly an intriguing, humourous and interesting study of human dynamics. Wouldn’t the world be extremely dull if its citizens were all homogenous?