During Covid, my youngest daughter Anastasia and I were in Kuwait, physically separated from my husband and oldest daughter who were out of the country. The enforced solitude and company of each other paralleled with the strict quarantine restrictions provided me with the opportunity to speak to my daughter about how I had created a successful life in Kuwait. My daughters would often ask me, “What is the greatest gift I had in my lifetime? My answer would always be "Kuwait - My second home”. During the lockdown, relating my stories brought back nostalgic and dormant feelings and memories that were fading due to the passage of time. By reliving the stories with my daughter, I slowly but steadily started my process of reconnecting to that special part of my life that I have not spoken about for almost 25+ years.
I was the second born into a big family of 8 kids and first landed on Kuwait soil as a baby. My parents from a very young age instilled in us Christian values, and this backed with living in an apartment complex very close to the Catholic Church in Kuwait City among families with common backgrounds, race and religion. Our proximity to the Church ensured we spent most of our time in Church activities either singing in the choir or some other sort of activity related to the church programs and groups. Being a part of the Holy Family Choir was an amazing and unique experience; obviously we sang, but we also got the chance to hang out with people of the same age group with like minds, which means we ended up having lots of fun and learning a lot.
I grew up in a family filled with affection which was always expressed in words or with a hug or a kiss, and this was not limited to us, as anyone who visited automatically got pulled into the vortex of love and affection. My parents had an open door policy and everyone was welcome, which resulted in a lot of strangers accompanied by acquaintances visiting us till they became family friends. No one was turned away and everyone left with a warm tummy. Kuwait gave us the value of family life more than anything else. Although the world even at that time, was progressing and modernizing, family values such as honesty, compassion, love, support and prayers were present abundantly in my family thanks to my devout parents. This helped us and continues to help us create meaningful relationships. The love I inherited from my grandparents and parents created an impact which helped me to replicate them on to my personal relationships as I grew up. Growing up was fun as we did not need too many friends to play with so many siblings; yet we had many meaningful and long lasting friends.
My father did not own a car, so we would travel either by bus, or take taxis, like most people at that time. Every Thursday going to the ‘Chabra’ was a delight as my dad would take me by bus and we would do the entire weeks shopping. Thereafter, we would hire a Red taxi and would go to the vegetable & fruit market and from there to the meat, chicken and beef market. Our shopping sojourn would end by eating a ‘falafel’ sandwich and a hot cup of traditional tea and get home by 11 am. Our taxi guy was a nice person who would really be patient with us. Across our apartment lived fishermen who would give us fish which we never needed to purchase and in return my mum would cook them home cooked meals. They were really kind people, but sadly I cannot recall their names now.
I always felt an integral part of the country since I witnessed Kuwait’s rapid growth and progress. In the mid-1980s Kuwait was developing at a rapid pace and this gave me an opportunity to interact with people from many nationalities, all living together in harmony not even realising they probably should act differently as they were from different countries or religions.
Living in Kuwait City, in the Kharafi Building Compound, which must be at least 70 years old now and which still stands, was a privilege. They are living museums. It was the epicenter with the church, the shopping centers and the sea nearby, and we thus did not lack the options of places to visit. My favorite pastime before the invasion, would be to go to the sea, which was approximately 300m away from our home, but was really untouched and pristine. Today, it stands out as developed and well maintained. Growing up in Kuwait City, Fahad Al Salem Street was like the Champs-élysées, the Paris of Kuwait, and we felt luxurious & delightful as we walked into the lobby of Le Meridien Hotel and Sheraton Hotel. I loved to window shop at the Salhiya Complex, which was attached to the Le Meriden Hotel having its high-end clothing line and Habchi Chaloub Perfumes. The Kuwait Souk (Souk Mubarakiya Souk) was a magnificent place as it was dotted with little shops selling everything one needed from traditional to modern. It was a place where East met West, an answer to everything, a place where most people went to buy their fresh vegetables, fruits, groceries, clothing and gold.
Before the invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Kuwait had cooperative stores which would give Kuwaitis and expatriates rations on basic items like rice, oil, flour, sugar, dal at subsidized rates. Every month, my father would take one of us, to help carry the ration. For us kids, it was an exciting outing and a fun time.
Kuwait Airways was the official carrier for Kuwait and one of the best airlines in the Gulf. As a child, I travelled a lot with the air-hostess as an unaccompanied child by Kuwait Airways, whose headquarters were in the Kuwait Airways Towers, which at that time was the tallest building in Kuwait.
Salmiya was an active and glamorous suburb. It would take an hour or longer to reach Salmiya from the bus stand in Murqab. Salem Al Mubarak Street was famous for the elite class and its high end fashion stores, restaurants and fast food joints. Weekend outings were a taste of luxury and a great form of entertainment. Pre-invasion of Kuwait, there were many Goan restaurants and football was an important and serious pastime with every Fridays religiously dedicated to matches at the Soor ground which was full of people attending the tournaments followed by parties at the different hotels either in Kuwait City or in Salmiya almost every Thursday evenings.
Every club had some form of entertainment. There were other forms of entertainment by the other communities of India too. I truly cannot say, I missed out on anything, as I won many dance competitions when the parties were happening.
Travelling to Fahaheel felt like we were going to another country since we used to travel by bus. The journey was long yet delightful. Although, designated taxi and bus services existed, they were very basic and by no means very convenient. Additionally, decent family restaurants were rare, as it was filled with male workers from the Oil Sector. Picnics in Ahmadi gardens were lovely.
The Kuwait Towers felt to me like the Eiffel Tower. Since I had only seen the Eiffel Tower in pictures, I loved going to spend time with friends at the beach adjacent to the Kuwait Towers. It was so peaceful and the waters were calm. I could spend hours with my friends, fishing and having barbeques.
Schooling at the Indian School of Kuwait in Salmiya was such a privilege for my sisters and brothers. On my vacations when I was in Kuwait, I loved watching my sisters sports day events. It was fun and with a lot of frolic.
August 2nd 1990, at 5 am in the morning, when we looked out of our house balcony we saw tanks on the roads of Jahra Street. By afternoon, we realized that there was something happening in Kuwait that was surreal. And then all of a sudden we heard a series of boom sounds. Our building moved to the left, then right, and then came to a stand-still. We were petrified and ran to my parent’s room. By then, we got news through our neighbors, that Kuwait was invaded. Some time during the day, we heard gun shots at the Bulbul restaurant adjacent to our building and we saw a man leave his car and running away. He was shot in his foot, but he managed to run away the soldiers. `
Like many other families, we went through a lot of difficulties. We had the army coming into homes and checking for people and things, and this frightened my mom. We saw lots of looting and violence, especially towards women. My parents decided to send the two girls, my sister and I to my aunt who was living in the Le Meridien building as that building was not exposed to the Iraqis. We stayed there for 4 days and then went to live in Salmiya with my cousins as Salmiya was a much safer place to live in. After a couple of months we travelled by a convoy of vehicles to Jordan via Iraq. We stayed in the refugee camp on the borders of Iraq and Jordan for a few days, and then went to India, via different routes as the family was separated due to the transportation mode. Some of us travelled via Jordan and some through Dubai. We were scared by this traumatic experience, but survived and reached India finally in October 1990.
Although Kuwait largely recovered from the first Gulf War in a few months, many believe the invasion opened the door to decades of devastation and reconstruction. When I returned to Kuwait in 1993, my story was of struggles but I persevered. It was during this time, I got to see Kuwait progressing at a very fast speed. Every week there were new things happening and changes taking place. I also started seeing a greener Kuwait.
Meeting my husband was not through a dating app or being introduced by friends; instead it was through the company that I was working for. My husband visited my boss to install a security system for his villa and that is where I met him. It has been 23 years and out of this marriage came 2 wonderful girls who are my greatest strength. Thanks to Kuwait, for the blessing of a husband and kids. Families are the epicenters of tradition and by sharing stories from the past from over the years, I let my kids reconnect to their roots of family, countries and friends.
One of the most delightful aspects of living in Kuwait was that I formed wonderful friendships and forged great bonds. I made many friends who have been with me in my good and bad times, both Kuwaiti citizens and expats. I shared with them my daily struggles, triumphs, and most of all laughs. I cherish my friends Mrs. Rheem Al Homaizi and her family, Shreeji Bhaskaran, Venus David and Betty Fernandes.
Kuwait gives vast opportunities to expatriates and in one such opportunity, I joined a Communication and Leadership organisation called Toastmasters. In this organization, I came across some exceptional broad-minded people who turned out to be good friends for life. They enriched not just my intellectual mind but also created some incredible friendships that would last a lifetime. Meeting one such stranger was Mr. Crawford D’Souza who from a stranger turned out to be an inspiration and finally a close friend.
Kuwait is one of the most welcoming countries and offers a wealth of opportunities to those willing to work sincerely, and I say this from my personal experience. I do believe it has provided me with opportunities and experiences I would never have got had I stayed back in my home country. Thanks to these opportunities, I came across some remarkable people throughout my career working for organizations like KPMG Al Nisf & Company, ABB Engineering Group, Al Wataniya Foodstuffs Co and Al Homaizi Foodstuffs Co, who supported me in my growth during my career in Kuwait. My shout out and thanks went to Mr. Qais Al Nisf, Ms. Louise Palmeiri, Ms. Irene Pereira and Mr. Hazem Al Halaby. A close colleague Mrs. Reeba Johnsy turned out to be a great long lasting friend. It has been a blessing to have them in my life and this blessing was given to me by Kuwait. Thank you Kuwait for all this.
Bidding goodbye to Kuwait was not easy, especially as I had been brought up in this country and I had spent most of my life here. It was a hard decision, but we need to end some journeys to begin new ones. So with a heavy heart, I bid adieu to Kuwait! I will miss but never forget you. You have given me so many fond MEMORIES and my life was enriched thanks to you!
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Marcelina Fernandes, a member of Toastmasters International is a dedicated Mom, an HR Personnel with over 20+ years of experience, and a Coach. |