I’m a highly skilled IT professional who’s had the misfortune to spend some horrid time in Kuwait and I wish to share my experience here so that those contemplating a move to Kuwait can make an informed decision on whether or not this is really a place they want to be in.
I am an Indian national but was born and raised in Dubai so the Gulf wasn’t a place that was going to be new to me when I decided to accept a job-offer from a Kuwait-based company. I was in India at the time and had assumed that Kuwait would be just like the world-class, cosmopolitan, progressive city of Dubai in which I had spent the first twenty-one years of my life. In complete contrast however, I found life in Kuwait to be depressingly gloomy and miserable and I’ll explain why. The first thing you’ll notice is the attitude most Kuwaiti nationals have towards expatriates, especially Asians, which gives you an overwhelming sense of a lack of human dignity, particularly if you’re a brown-skinned, South (or East) Asian like me, never mind your religious beliefs, educational qualifications or economic status. You are treated like you are an inferior species, somehow not quite human enough. When I was in Dubai, never did I feel like I was in a foreign land – it felt like home. But in Kuwait every moment you realise – and are made to realise – that it’s an alien place. Whether in government offices, at work, in the streets, driving on the road, wherever – you are given the same humiliating treatment. Euphemistically referred to as a guest-worker, in reality you feel like an unwelcome, barely-tolerated slave-boy who should feel eternally obliged to be in Kuwait, having escaped a life of destitution in your home country. I of course don’t want to sound like I’m generalising – my Kuwaiti sponsor for example was an exceptionally polite, civil, courteous and respectful man but such attitudes are more the exception than the norm. Hardly surprising really, given that many citizens in this country receive second-class treatment, let alone expatriates.
Another thing that struck me was that individuals, business establishments and even city areas are identified by nationality – an Indian maid, a Pakistani grocery, a Kuwaiti locality, etc – no doubt a form of racial segregation further reflective of the mindset here.
The government departments and offices are riddled with corruption and inefficiency. When I had gone for my medical tests, I saw the staff there (mostly nationals) slapping, kicking and throwing office stationery at Indians, Pakistanis and other expatriate workers who’d come there for their tests too – it was a scene that jolted me – absolutely shocking. The place was so badly organized – with swarms of people jostling and shoving each other – getting a form typed was an ordeal more excruciating than getting your wisdom teeth pulled out. At most government offices, as an Asian expatriate you’ll be treated in a highly rude and brusque manner, basically like you’re scum.
This place is not for well-educated professionals looking for career growth and a decent standard of life. As an IT professional, I can tell you for sure that there are barely any companies here that can offer you the sort of work that’ll give you a sense of accomplishment. In that sense, India offers far more challenging opportunities. The difference in pay is more than offset by the much higher cost of living in Kuwait and the incalculable, non-monetary costs such as staying away from you loved ones and the overall sense of doing time in a huge open-air jail (which is how one colleague described life in Kuwait).
Despite being an oil-rich country, the state of development (or rather the lack of it) is quite appalling. The roads have cracks in them, most of the buildings are old, shabby and decrepit, the streets are dirty, the traffic is chaotic – sometimes it feels like you’re in an impoverished third world country. The entertainment and recreation options are extremely limited – TV and movies (those that aren’t banned) are about all.
There are expatriates here who’ve toiled for years, even decades in such degrading conditions, away from their families and loved ones. I decided I wasn’t going to be one of them and therefore left the place – good riddance. I wouldn’t advise anyone else to go there either, especially if you’re a well-educated, talented professional who wants to build a good career for him/herself, value your liberty and freedom and believe in and want to live a life of human respect and dignity.
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