Hello all!
After our visit of Iraq, Kuwait almost seems to be artificial: new city, new buildings, proper streets, everything modern, traffic organized, many shopping centers and other shopping location wherever you want. But still we are in the Arabic world. Very surprising how different it can be some kilometers away from Iraq/Basra: In Kuwait it feels like a totally different world, but built on the same foundation, and that is oil and Muslim religion (but obviously countries in a totally different state). We asked ourselves ‘how can it happen that two countries with that same setup are so different’? Obviously it depends on the focus of the government: one took care of aggression and war for decades (Iraq), the other (Kuwait) focused on using what was given (oil) while developing welfare and economy without loosing it’s Muslim roots and values.
Another thing that was obvious in Kuwait was: the Kuwaitis themself are not seen often at work. They are the owner of properties and companies. Very many foreign guest workers e.g. from India and Pakistan do the work on the ground, in the shops, in the streets, everywhere. Kuwaitis own, all others work. From a western perspective that feels a bit strange when there is no local been seen at work…
Again: very enlightening to travel in the Arabic world…
Best wishes from
Heike and Carsten
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