the bottom line of living in kuwait

Hi Legacy:), Welcome to Expat.com

Thank a lot for sharing your views, ideas and your experiences about Kuwait lifestyles.

I am pretty sure many other members will appreciate your contribution.

Regards,
Yud;)

thank you Yud, ive been here for a while, just a silent observer, and ive witnessed first hand the power of ideas formulating on this forum and coming to fruition in real life

many thanx for the welcome, and heres hopin more people see kuwait thru this set of eyes!

hello,
i'm new in kuwait and i would like enjoying more this city, cos i think that will be more "life" appart of large malls....(i hope it..) but i dont know how to find it....

thanx

and dear Eva, what are your hobbies? your likes, interests etc? sports, dance, music, relaxing, pray do tell

I mean, remember what i said about blogs? i found out thru a blog that they are opening up a bookstore/ coffee shop right in salmiya, that actually lets you sit down, read, drink coffee, and leave!

to be quite honest, i had this idea in my head for the longest time, but somebody beat me to it!

Hi legacy,

I'm interesting in any thing that will be funny, i dont like a lot the sport but i would like to try kite surf or scuba, i like dancing and discovering new places, the photography and to stay with friends in a shisha bar or in a bowling..camp in a desert, or make a  barbecue, go to the museums, cinema, ride a camel...jajaajajajajajaj...usual things...!!!


   

eva maria r.: yeah there is lots dancing happening if u are interested?

well, for dance i would look up Deniz Cerinan, she runs a dance class every saturday from 7~8 in salmiya and it is awesome.

for camping in the desert, i would suggest the desert biking club of kuwait, cycling. they tour all over kuwait on friday morning, different places every week, u get to see alot of the country that no one else does,

barbeque is the easiest thing a group of friends can do on the weekend (ps i have a grill ),

museums, i know of a few, tareq rajab being one, coz it belonged to my old school.

cinema, theres the cinemagic kuwait, they screen movies out in the air, open top cinemas, in old salmiya, right above LG, go to their website for their schedule, they love screening foreign films. 1KD per ticket too

hows that?

Legacy,

I had no idea some of these things were going on. I really wish there was a nice jazz club to go to and just relax and enjoy the evening with others etc...I must stay on the blog scene. Honestly, I am off on weekends and spend them in my flat or walking to the store and back. It's horrendous at times!

you can have tons of fun here. retail therapy heals all, and ive been going for a few sessions myself! theres even a health conscientious aspect to kuwait, the terry fox run is done every year, just this week there was a 10K marathon, on the 27 there will be a walkathon from the yacht club to green island, and in january there will be a 21k marathon.

if you really want to enjoy kuwait, get yourself a gmail email, and cruise the blogging scene. trust me, that is where the best news is. i found out about all the activities i am currently involved with through blogs! sports, cycling, and i even picked up dance here.

so enjoy it

nice post

thanx

exactly my point! follow the blogs for the best news, whats on in kuwait, what to do and when,

great advice choco-muchacha

though kuwait can be boring at times, you can find good reasons to stay here. Its pretty much peaceful than other middle eastern countries...

i was so jobless today that i took a bus from farwaniya went to city then to mangaf and came back.

ace117 wrote:

i was so jobless today that i took a bus from farwaniya went to city then to mangaf and came back.

hey legacy,,,,,,,,nice man,nice,,,,,,,wish everyone will love kuwait more and more,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,good

Hi Legacy,  great advice.  It's nice to finally meet some people who know where it's at!  I must admit, I have been here for around 3 years and found it difficult at first but, after building up a social network and finding people who share the same interests it get alot better...I spend much of my free time scuba diving and also enjoy the old shisha once in a while!  Keep up the great advice guys. :-)

im a social smoker myself; on ocasion; tryin to quit totally tho coz im more a fan of runnin for miles than coughin my lungs out

but yeh! even sheesha is an activity with an occult following

Chaps, blokes, shabeb, et al:

Life is what you make it! Now I've flown in from the occasionally sunny and not-always-warm UK to a country I grew up in until the first Gulf War. BTW, I know what you mean about the Tareq Rajab museum, I was taken there when I was at the NES too!

So... wherever you go life can be boring - or exciting! Totally depends on what you're into. Now I know you've all been discussing activities and sports, but what I used to find most enjoyable was socialising - and I don't mean blogging! No, I mean getting together either at a restaurant, cafe or even someone's house. I'm more than happy to host the odd gathering here and there where we can play some rounds of cards (poker, tarneeb, trix, hand...), backgammon, chess, watch a movie... play a quiz... order some food in.. whatever! The more varied the group the more interesting the discussions we'll have! Even attending a bible study is better than staying at home alone! (for the record, I don't live alone).

So post a reply (or don't) !

Adios!

if ur willin to teach tarneeb, trix, hand, im in

Not a problem!

If you try to find any activity like sport club or so , you will find some friends with the similar interests & after sometimes you will have bonding by meeting them outside...
or if you are interested in reading books,novels,history...going to a library & becoming a member is useful...to find some friends there...anyway you can contact me anytime you feel bored to do some fun...!

library? in kuwait?

where?

If you know of a library with English (and preferably uncensored) books... PLEASE hand out this info... I went to Dubai a few weeks ago and was almost in tears when I went to the bookstore.... I am dying for a supply of English books... there just isn't a proper bookstore here... I would totally settle for a library....

no proper bookstores? says who?

theres Jarir, theres the one in Muthana Complex, www.q8books.com i wont count Virgin, and thres a new one that just opened up in salmiya:

Announcing the opening of
BETTER BOOKS
Kuwait's only used book store and cafe !!!

Over 25,000 quality budget priced  (most books under 3KD) titles of used and newly new books to browse through,
Hot and cold beverages and light snacks to enjoy,
Comfortable lounge chairs and sofa couches to sit on as you read,
Meeting hall available (for organizational, tutoring or private function use),
All in a relaxed, roomy atmosphere.

Book genres include:


Kuwait and Arabia themed (many of which are investment grade collectibles worthy of a place in any library)

Children's books (over 10,000 baby board books to teenage readers - all from the USA) in our special KIDZ ZONE

Archie Comics

Manga Comics

Travel, Romance, Cook books, TOEFL study books, non-fiction and SO much more.

LOCATION
Situated in the heart of Salmiya Block 10 (EASY, AMPLE and FREE PARKING AVAILIBLE). Just east of Amman Street - behind Al Rashid Hospital. Email us for a map.

*** If you have GPS or map feature on your IPhone or Blackberry, it's in Salmiya Block 10 on 1 Street between Suleiman Aldsani Street and Al Dhahhak Bin Qeis Street. ***
*** Coordinates to our front door are 29.327545 North - 48.0585444 East ****
Around the corner from the Titanic Building and Sanbouk Supermarket in the old 'Lucky Corner'.
Otherwise print these directions out.
Directions from  Highway 30: Heading north toward Kuwait City, turn right onto 5th Ring Road toward Salmiya. Stay in right lane and immediately slide over onto the service road. (If you miss this, you'll have to double back.) 
At light, turn left onto Essa Al Qatami Street.
There will be Salmiya Park on your right.
Go straight through the roundabout.
AFTER 2 speed bumps turn left.
Turn right when road ends.
Make the first left. You will see a football field on right.
Turn right when road ends.
Take the first left.
After the car mechanic shop, immediately look right and see a 9 floor building across from an empty lot. There's a banner which reads "Better Trading". Look for the Red/Orange painted door on the front of the 9 story building. Open the Red/Orange door, go down the stairs and we're there waiting for you.

REMEMBER: Look for a BIG empty lot with a 9 story building across from it. We're in the basement - down a Red/Orange painted door.
HOURS
Starting from mid-October daily ~8 a.m. to 8+ p.m.
Call us 94969650.


BUY BACK, BUY or TRADE POLICY - We also give DISCOUNTS
Better Books will give 1/2 the purchase price of any book it sells back as store credit when a customer returns it - in other words, return our books and we give you A DISCOUNT on your next purchase.
Further, Better Books will buy any quality book for store credit. Bring them in, most genres and titles welcome.

MOVIE NIGHT
Better Books will have a free MOVIE NIGHT for all. Enjoy classic movies with beverages and light snacks every week. Scheduled movies include:

Georgia O'Keeffe (with Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons),
Blood Wedding (a Spanish classic with English sub-titles),
Himalaya - the Making of a Chief (Award winning film shot in Nepal),
Butterflies are Free (popular 1972 comedy with Goldie Hawn),
Mother India (the MOTHER of all Hindi movies),
Rocky Horror Picture Show (this particular viewing is by invitation only - popcorn provided;), and many , many more.


BETTER BOOKS (& Cafe) promises to be THE place in Kuwait to meet in a relaxed atmosphere.


Forward this email to your friends.
Support Kuwaiti entrepreneurs. Stop by or call 94969650.

well, first of all... Jarir and Virgin are NOT real bookstores... Jarir is a stationary store just happens to sell books...  and it has a tiny English section... Virgin is the same, except that its a music store that just happens to sell books... I'm talking about something that would be the equivalent to Chapters or Indigo back home... or Kinokuniya in Dubai... stores where you can spend hours looking for books... and have too many to choose from..... THAT is what I meant by a bookstore... Jarir and Virgin pale in comparison...
I will check out Better Books though... it sounds pretty promising...

be sure to check out q8books.com, its located near salhiya complex in Kuwait city, its right across from the post office, after the sheraton hotel. run by a nice fellow named Jacob.

its the last "mall" on the right with an exchange office in the corner, right before you see the plaza built by salhiya. go to the first floor, it'll be right infront of u.

or, simply go to their website, and search for whatever book you want online. its that simple

im trying to organise a group of people who would have a "car boot share", where we all meet and exchange books to read etc. similar to a book-club but one-on-one, like you give me a book to read, ig ive you one, then we meet up and discuss how we found it to be, as opposed to getting 8 copies of the same book and reading it.

just an idea, reading is a lost art that definately needs to be revived, and im an old fashioned kinda guy, i need to be holding a book in my hand, with the spine resting in my palm, and my fingers eagerly at the bottom corner of the page to flip thru to the next.

i believe my most prized possession is the 24 books from the "Midkemia" series by Raymond E. Feist, i bought them online till i had the full set, well, waiting on the current releases for the full set.

I love that you mention Feist!! Ive read those books probably a dozen times.... Have you read Eddings? If you like Feist, then you would most likely enjoy Eddings as well.... I have every Feist and Eddings book published... sadly, they are back home in Canada.... I brought my ebook reader with me though... I know its not the same as holding a book, (my dad swears there's something "fishy" about ebook readers) but its allowed me to bring about 200 books here without overweight luggage

Feist Rules!!

Edding, havent heard of him, will wiki his background later

im afraid i agree with ur dad, books just arent the same without being, well, books!

but still, 200 is an accomplishment. im pacing myself with the feist series, i reward myself by reading one every once in a while, still reading conclave of shadows saga, i think.

intermittently, i like to mix it up and read something by john grisham,the man is a genius and has given me an associates degree in law! dean koontz isnt bad either, adds a supernatural twist.

but feist, greatest fantasy novelist hands down! i almost broke down after 'shards of a broken crown', puts the harry potter deaths to shame!

Well if you guys like Feist, then perhaps you should both read Robert Jordan's, The Wheel of Time series or George R. R. Martin's, A Song of Ice and Fire series. Both are long and really entertaining. Keeps you occupied during those boring moments in Kuwait.

well T-Dawg, how about a synopsis of the brief plot from your perspective?

one thing u should never, EVER do in kuwait is buy books from the friday market!

i fell for that trap once, got em @ 0.250 fils a pop, judged the books by their covers and the intro on the jacket, read two amazing stories, only to find out that they are part of a series "/

a bumming experience

Feist, Prachett, Ludlum, etc. are all heroes

Thanks for the q8books tip guys! Got fed-up of wanna-be bookstores that have nothing in stock! Visited q8books the other day and managed to grab a copy of my favourite authors from the Pendergast series. Anyone heard of them? It's probably the best series :-)


What happened to the book-exchange club?

its a work-in-progress;

i say for any and all interested, please give a brief description of the books u would like to share.

i have several titles by grisham & ludlum.

or should we make a separate post? hmm, just might

legacy wrote:

or should we make a separate post? hmm, just might

Yes, that would be nice

a little help here Julien; i cant find out/ remember how to make a new post :S

i go through the homepage, where it says recent discussions, and then i click on post new discussion at the bottom, but it just leads me back to the forum,

help..

could you please send me the address of the page you see the "new discussion" button (might be a bug - send me a pm)

Here is the Kuwait forum. You'll find the right links on this page

lol, I must be having the same problem as I cant find any new discussion button anywhere.

Same here.. creating a new post is not possible for me either..

i believe we have a serious situation up in here Julien.

one person, could be non-knowledgeable,
two people, slightly the same.
three tho, and theres something wrong here.

that's super weird ... can't you the see the button "post a new topic" on this page ? https://www.expat.com/forum/viewforum.php?id=417

ok -there's a bug. I'll sort this out tomorrow morning, first hour