I try to avoid any Ministry at all costs. This time it involved my daughter so I had to go. Ahh the lovely Ministry of Education need I say more. I remember when I first came to Kuwait back in 2004, I dealt with it then and prayed I wouldn't have to ever go back. At that time I was single and brand new to Kuwait. I had to run around that place for over a week to get finished.
Go here, go there, upstairs, downstairs and all around. One person spoke english and she was kind of nice but majority of the women just looked at me as if I were invisible. Back then it was an old building that was outdoors except for the offices and it was summertime.
Yesterday I visited there again. Although the structure had changed, it was all enclosed and air conditioned the women's attitudes seemed to be worse, if that's possible. When they see a Kuwaiti married to a foreigner it pisses them off for some reason and they won't really help. I tried to stay far behind so they wouldn't see me.
The women gathered 8 to an office laughing so loud you can hear them down the hall. The other thing they do is eat and gossip. When anyone enters their office for help they look as if they are doing you a favor to even speak to you. Some of them love to flirt. I knew guys that would get their flirt on to get their papers done. I used to just act like a dumb expat and because they didn't speak english they would just stamp and sign.
I did get into a verbal altercation with one Kuwaiti chick working in Ahmadi. She was talking major crap about me in Arabic not knowing I understood. I just smiled as she threw the passports back at me, once she finished I told her off and the policeman standing at the counter had to intervene. She was shocked when I told her in Arabic she should watch her mouth because not all expats are stupid and don't understand Arabic.
We went to get a phone line in the Mangaf location a couple weeks ago. There was no one at the counter just purses, mobile phones and food sitting on the desk. After 15 minutes a couple chicks arrived giggling as if they were at a party, not work. Once again they act like they were doing us a favor by talking to us. I've even known them to make the process hard for people just because they want to.
They send people to places that don't have anything to do with their request. God forbid you come across some female having a bad day, she will take it out on everyone. Don't you even dare to talk to them when it gets close to lunch, they will bite your head off and send you across town for no reason.
I know I will get some negative responses to this post which is usual for those people trying to hide the true happenings but anyone who has gone to the Ministries, Kuwaiti or non-Kuwaiti know what I'm talking about.
R-U-L-E-S does anyone here know what that word means?
I think this would problaby be one of the most difficult things to put up with if I moved there . Can I ask have any of these hiwana's ever flirted with your husband in front of you? Either with body language or making small side unnecasary talk with him in Arabic because they know you dont understand ?...If so what did you do or what do you think would be the best way to deal with them based on your experience living there?
ReplyDeleteI am asking because I would love to know how low they are capable of going and to know if this is something I can expect.
Actually I haven't had to deal with it, my husband is mean lol He doesn't take their crap. But before I was married my friends would help me out and the chicks would give them their numbers which I found funny. I do understand Arabic which has led to some arguments with those chicks. Fortunately my hubby isn't interested in them.
ReplyDeleteIt's a hard situation because if you piss them off they can make your paperwork disappear so I try to ignore it unless it goes too far.
you forgot lazy from the heading.
ReplyDelete