5 Things To Know Before Moving to Kuwait
1. You have nothing to fear
People thought I was utterly mad when I told them that I was heading to the Middle East. They had images of people shouting “Allahu Akbar” and running down the streets detonating grenades. I actually thought so too. What a joke! Kuwait is super safe in every way; even more so than many African countries. I feel comfortable and safe when I go out and I personally don’t know anyone who has experienced any crime here.
2. Women are treated like gold
Many women worry that in a Muslim country; they will lose their basic human rights or be treated as second-class citizens when compared to their male counterparts. From what I have seen, this is totally untrue. When a female goes to the ATM, men steps aside so she can withdraw money first.
If you are worried about what you are allowed to do as a woman- you can do whatever you like. Go anywhere, drive by yourself, have your own bank account, etc. You are not disadvantaged in any way purely because you are a woman.
3. There are Churches in Kuwait
Kuwait is the only GCC country besides Bahrain to have a local Christian population who hold citizenship. They number around 260 citizens in Kuwait while Bahrain has nearly 1,000. As per statistics released by the Public Authority for Civil Information (PACI), there are over 27,000 African Christians in Kuwait with several churches in different areas in Kuwait. However, these Churches are in building basements not a personal building as we generally have it largely in other countries. There is no form of discrimination or attack on Christians in Kuwait. We have churches such as “The Stone Church”, “The Redeemed Christian Church of God”, “Light House Church”, “Catholic Church” etc.
4. Restrictions? On what?
I often receive questions from people about what they can access in Kuwait in terms of news and the internet.
Well, the good news is that for the average expat, nothing is banned. Facebook, Facetime, IG, Skype, and every other social network is very much available and of course, every Kuwaiti person is constantly using some app or the other as they drive along the highway! Yes, pornography is prohibited and explicit scenes in movies are censored. However, you aren’t restricted in any other way whatever your political/religious views are. Check out Africans in Kuwait IG page.
5. Kuwait might be hotter than hell
When people think of the Middle East, I am sure they are imagining a vast desert with a scorching sun and to some extent, this is true. Kuwait is made up mostly of the sandy Arabian Desert, with a very small cityscape. I thought I was prepared for the heat after growing up in a tropical city in Nigeria but I was still taken by surprise.
During the summer months, the temperature can reach 50 degrees Celsius but really this shouldn’t scare you. Unless you are accepting a job offer where you need to be outdoors all day, the weather will barely affect you. Every place in Kuwait is air-conditioned and the average person doesn’t spend much time outside in the summertime. Stores are open until 10 pm, so most people do their shopping in the evening and some banks also open from 5 pm to 8 pm.
When I first arrived, I thought the weather would never cool down, but the temperature does drop and the change in weather is quite dramatic. October and November are the perfect months for beach barbecues, pool parties, and seaside brunches. December and January are considerably colder (below 10 degrees Celsius) but overall, the weather in Kuwait is quite bearable.
Moving to Kuwait can be the best or worst experience of your life depending on your mindset. The key to enjoying life in Kuwait is to be accepting of local culture, religious tolerance and being open to adapting to the lifestyle. This part of the world isn’t all war zones and conflict; think sand dune bashing and camping in the desert, countless hours smoking shisha in the souq and meeting many interesting people from all walks of life.
Life in Kuwait has its ups and downs, just like anywhere else in the world but remember that there are many good experiences to have in this little country. If you reach out, you will find them. If you never try, you will not know what adventures you are missing.
