I got some feedback yesterday that I thought would make for an interesting post. I got to thinking how different things really are compared to my life in little old Oklahoma and it’s so crazy I had to post about it today. I started answering the questions in my mind as I was going though and it made me think, “What in the world am I doing here!?” J
The questions mainly dealt with safety and if I was scared to live here. I guess the answer is yes and no. Honestly, in some cases I feel safer living here than I do in big cities in the states. The crime rate in Kuwait is unbelievably low. The homicides in Detroit last year alone are almost a hundred more than the homicide number over the span of 20 years in Kuwait- which is a large city (Will had the exact numbers, but he forgot). So, as for crime safety I feel safe. They don’t mess around here- if you screw up you are deported or lots of worse that I don’t even want to think of.

The one thing that I am terrified of here is driving. I know I’ve said it before in my posts, but I’m not joking. I seriously almost hyperventilate each time I am in a car. It is the most terrifying thing here. They tell all of the new employees at Will’s company that they have a much larger chance of being in a car wreck here than experiencing any kind of terrorism, even those that pose little threats.

Kuwait is about the size of New Jersey and last year alone they had 45,878 reported car wrecks. Those are just the ones that were reported- there are constantly wrecks that go unreported. We cannot drive down the road without seeing a car on the shoulder. It is so weird here. Someone should come over here and start a tow truck business. They just leave wrecked cars on the side of the road for days- BMWs, Mercedes… it is just beyond my understanding. Kuwait is also home of the deadliest stretch of highway per capita in the world. So that thought always keeps you warm at night!

What is really scary is their Muslim laws about wrecks. If you get in a car wreck and call for help, an ambulance will not leave the hospital until after exactly 30 minutes after you placed the call. They believe in En Shallah (I’m not positive about the spelling), which means that if it is Allah’s will for it to happen, it will happen. So basically if you are supposed to die within those 30 minutes that is what should happen, but if you aren’t you will remain alive until the ambulance gets there. CRAZY!! I am told that if a Westerner calls for help, they will come without the wait. I sure hope so!!!!!!! Also, if you are injured, in labor, having a heart attack because of crazy women drivers, or anything else that requires immediate attention, you should just have someone take you to the hospital because the ambulances here have no medical capabilities- their sole function is to transport you to the hospital, not apply first aid. WOW. I seriously pray each time I get into a car that the Lord will watch over us. I’m not joking.

I have soooo many scary stories about driving here that I have heard over the last month that would make you cringe- people that are considered “scum” that are brought over here to do menial jobs being run over and dragged and left for dead without people stopping… it is out of this world chaos on the roads here.

So now you can understand my immense fears here. That is my main fear. Everyone back home kept asking me about terrorism and stuff since I’ve been here, but driving is truly the biggest fear I have. Kuwait has an incredible intelligence ministry and they are really good about finding terror cells that exist and getting rid of them. Obviously, the threat is always here, but that not what I wake up being nervous about every day. Does that sound crazy or what!

I could go on and on about things like that here- but there are bad things about every place you live. While I am trapped in the apartment I am trying to stay positive about being here, and there are a lot of positive things to look at too. Life here (besides the above things) is really similar to life back in the states- except I would kill to go to Wal-Mart- the store I once loathed, and everyday I wake up with an intense craving for Taco Bueno. Other than that, all of the “amenities” are here.

So was this post really psycho today?! I hope not, but it probably sounds that way. You are probably thinking what I thought yesterday, “What in the world is this crazy girl doing there!”