Kuwait: Garbage Cats

The Area: Hawally is a dirty area that used to be the Palestinian district of Kuwait. However, all 400,00 of them were forcefully kicked out of Kuwait after the Gulf War, due to Yasser Arafat’s support of Saddam Hussein. Hawally has stayed true to its expat roots and now houses (Indians, Bangladeshi’s, Egyptians and a small collection of Westerners). Cars overflow on the roads, sidewalks are non-existent and garbage blows freely on the streets. New dumpsters were purchased in 2013 for the street corners, creating new habitats for the feral cats. 

The Cats: Why are there so many cats in Kuwait? The story goes that after the Gulf War in 1990, many public services were destroyed. As the garbage began to stack up and rot in the streets, the rats took over. The solution was to bring in Egyptian cats. The cats rid the streets of vermin and then started to multiply in numbers. The cats have stayed and flourished, due to a never ending supply of garbage. I have yet to see a single rat in Kuwait thanks to the garbage cats. 

Rambo - RIP (Sept 2003 - Jan 2014)

Rambo Spending Time with Family - Beatrice (Top Left), Rupert (Bottom Left) and Cindy (Bottom Right)

Weasel R. King (KNES School Cat)

Randy Houser 

Jimmy 

Lucy 

Luuucy

Adopted Garbage Kittens that Colleagues Rescued - Penny (left) and Heinz (right)

Kuwait: Water Use

Water Use Kuwait 

Once upon a time humans lived in the desert. They conserved water and the other scarce resources they had. When oil was struck, all this changed. 

1Litre Gasoline: 70fils/27centsCDN (May 2014)

As a result of the oil, energy became dirt cheap in the Gulf States. In 1951 the first desalination plant was built in Kuwait. Since then, other desalinization plants have been going online. 

‘Murica’ is fading and with it the traditional American dream. Affording a big house and two cars is no longer viable for many Americans. Californians are facing widespread drought and it is not uncommon for some suburban residents to spend $500/month on their water bill. Don’t worry ‘Murica’ – Kuwait is keeping your dream of living big alive. One way of doing this is using as much energy/water as possible. 

Why do people use so much water in Kuwait? 

“While 1,000 imperial gallons (4,545 m3) of water costs the Ministry of Electricity and Water (MEW) (US$ 11.00) to produce, the customer is charged (US$ 2.72) for it. Furthermore, water metering and billing are only loosely applied to nationals. Some Kuwaitis have not been paying their water bills for over fifteen years and no action has been taken by the ministry yet. Moreover, to make matters worse, recently the ministry has accredited (US$ 6,800.00) to every Kuwaiti household on their water bill.” (1)

Drinking Desalinized Water:

During my first 6 months in Kuwait, I drank tap water. My kidneys hurt and my urine stank like a street blanket. Since then, I have switched to bottled water. Most people in Kuwait cough up the money and drink bottled water that has been imported into the country. Sometimes I wish my body ran on gasoline, as it would be cheaper.

Bottled Water Cost: 43cents/L (In Bulk using 1.5L jugs)

Gasoline: 27cents/L  (May 2014)

Kuwait: Obesity

McDonald's Locations in Kuwait 

Obesity in Kuwait 

Although reports differ due to the inability to accurately track the BMI of countries, one thing is for certain; Kuwait is one of the top 5 fattest countries in the world. Personally, I would argue it is both the laziest and this fattest.

But Why? 

1. Cradle to grave welfare system. Over 90% of Kuwaitis are employed in the government sector. Although the workday is 7:30 – 2:30, many only work around 3 hours a day. 
2. Traditional clothing is ‘one size fits all’ in the waist. Men wear a white dish dasha, women a black Abaya. These pieces of clothing are better than maternity wear and also work well in hiding the girth. 
3. A Kuwaiti household is not complete without live-in maids (usually Filipino) . They act as nanny, cook and cleaner.
4. Drive everywhere. Sidewalks/bike trails are almost non-existent. 
5. More American fast food outlets than Canada (17 Krispie Kremes, 69+ McDonalds’). 
6. Kuwaitis don’t like to get out of their vehicles. When you got to a convenience store you lay the horn down, until a worker comes out to take your order. 
7. No taxes. Fast food is quite cheap. A Big Mac Meal will run you $5.80.