Day 8: Women's Social and Cultural Center

Week 1 in Kuwait: check!

We've only been here a week and I already feel like I've learned more about Kuwait and the Gulf Region than I could have possibly learned in a full regular classroom course. 

Today was an interesting day. In class we discussed the expats in Kuwait. Expats account for more than 50% of the population and are an issue that most Kuwaitis do not care to talk about. Since it's late, I'll talk about them more in a later post. 

This afternoon we had a good amount of downtime, or "siesta" as we've begun calling it, so I treated myself to a mocktail:

Bora Bora - passionfruit, pineapple, grenadine

This evening we visited the Women's Social and Cultural Center in Kuwait City. We had an interesting discussion with 3 women from the center, two of whom studied in Boston - Tufts and BU! One also got her master's at SOAS! Quite a popular school, apparently. We not only talked about women in Kuwait, but we also discussed our impressions of women in Kuwait compared to what we had expected before we arrived. My biggest observation - and one of the aspects most fascinating to me - is the wide variation in women's dress. Some women wear no veil at all, while others are completely covered in the burka. Dr. Lugna of Kuwait University described what she has labeled the "4 F's," in other words, the four reasons for which Muslim women might decide to be veiled: freedom, force, fashion, and faith. I've definitely noticed the fashion, as many women who wear burkas also wear incredible jewelry, high heels, and have extensive eye makeup. This is something I never would have expected to see before coming to the Middle East. I have always had just one impression of what being veiled as a Muslim looks like; I had no idea there was such variation, and it is incredibly fascinating. We also talked about how politicized the veil has become, especially in recent years. It represents something to outsiders who understanding nothing about it.

We then went out to dinner with Hala, one of Professor Bailey's former students who lives in Kuwait. We went to a delicious Lebanese restaurant and had great conversation. We then had sheesha, and I tried some for the first time! Sorry Mom and Dad - when in Rome, right?

but interesting to try!

Not my favorite pastime, 

I even made a friend in one of the servers from Egypt, who I was able to speak to in Arabic! He asked me if I had even been to Cairo, and I told him that I hope to visit one day, inshahAllah (God willing). We stayed and talked for a long time, so it's now late and I'm super tired. This will probably be one of my shortest posts ever - so don't get used to it! 

Before I go, here are some pictures I've stolen from my fellow classmates from the past few days of the trip! Enjoy!

Group photo at the AWARE Center

Room of expats at newspaper I mentioned yesterday

Grand Mosque with other visitors

Group photo at Kuwait Towers!