I’m at LAX right now, leaving L.A. in a bit and heading back to Kuwait. My irresponsible self wants to stay here for another week or two, and maybe even just move out here for good. But thats not gonna happen, I’ve just become too responsible to do something like that (sadly).
Do I miss Kuwait? I miss my Lotus, but other than that no, not really? Usually I’m looking forward to getting back home, but this time, something is different…
43 replies on “Oh L.A.”
Same thing happens to me on every vacation.. This started like 3 years ago.. My cat is the sole reason why i comeback
Nothing irresponsible about moving to LA: it’s the best place on planet earth hands down
I thought L.A was full of crimes?
There are about 4 million people in LA. Of course there are going to be criminals. You can easily avoid the shady areas.
Hey Fanatic… are you the are only 4 million ppl in LA? maybe only in SF Valley i would say yeah! please make sure about your info before saying it! its hitting 20 million actually!
LA is 4, greater LA (which is what LA really is) is around 20 mil
Sounds more like abandon ship!
I give this blog 6 months before it shuts down as Mark migrates 🙁
From the looks of it, you seem to be in perfect position to immigrate..your family has already moved out, you are single, and have Canadian passport.
Your employment skills also look to be of the kind that can find takers in any market.
Why not just follow your heart?
You seem to miss the point that Kuwait is his Home, and it’s not easy to just pack up and move somewhere else. The treatment foreigners receive and the beauracratic govt papers and bigotry all around are a def. Push for anyone to leave though. But still home is home and change is not easy
Home where you work your ass off for a couple of decades, then when your hair grays out and your back arches they “pour cold water on your butt” and won’t renew your residency? i’ll pass..
Don’t tell me this doesn’t happen, it already did.
+1
I hold a Canadian passport and my mother is Kuwaiti. You are right about Kuwait being home but the older I get the more I realise that it’s only home if you are Kuwaiti. The foreigners that stay too long , that includes me, eventually leave. But sometimes they stay until they are really old to start something new.
Isnt if your mom is a Kuwaiti you don’t have to leave?
Nope. A Kuwaiti mom cannot sponsor her male children once they are working age. Stupid law.
yup, gonna try and have someone write about that
She can. She can sponsor her child. But there are two issues. He or she cant legally work since they are under her and once she passes on they can’t stay in Kuwait unless they have a job. I will admit things have become better recently, children of Kuwaiti women get treated like Kuwaitis with the exception that they always need to be sponsored. O and my pops was a Kuwait army vet who served in the Gulf war, too bad don’t count for nothing.
My dad tells me that before the war no one cares who you were, this locals and expats thing started after the war. I hoped that once Kuwaiti women entered politics things would change but not really.
I don’t know what the stats are, but I’m sure there is a lot of children of Kuwaiti women, ( I even thought of opening an organization called MONK, MOTHERS OF NON KUWAITIS) in my immediate family there’s 7, in my extended family there’s like 50 and that’s just my family.
It really means a lot mark for you to write about this stuff. Unfortunately, like in the post a lot of people said negative things but I like how marina FM picked it up.
They don’t always get treated like Kuwaitis, they still cannot:
Own a house
Own a business
Stay in the country without residency and health insurance and all that shit
Use Kuwaiti Only services (officially at least, it’s not like they walk around with KUWAITI MOM on their civil ID)
I feel the same way every time I have to go back to Kuwait; it’s so stressful and depressing.
Every country I go to I feel that I don’t wanna come back to Kuwait. I’m not talking about Arab countries. European countries, England and especially Japan, its like living in another world where people are respectful, helpful and down to earth. When I was getting on the plane back to Kuwait I nearly cried, but all I can say is elhamdulilah I have the luxury of going on holiday.
Not trying to dismiss what you’re saying, but as much as I loved Japan, I would never want to live there because of the amount of issues that society has. From racism to sexism, it’s actually kind of similar to how Kuwait is (in those specific aspects).
TBH this is the first time I’m hearing this, while I’ve heard of South Korea being racist, I’ve never heard of Japan being racist. Although They are very protective of their culture.
Japan is super racist
I’m sorry, but could you please explain to me in what way are they racist? Cuz I been there this year and I would say the tourist were racist not the Japanese ? We also met an American couple that moved to Japan and they said it was the best thing they have done in their entire lives. So now I’m thinking is there something I’m not getting ?
when i was there they wouldn’t sit next to me on the subway for example. they use black people on streets with signs to advertise shops because black people stick out. lots of random stuff like that. friends who had issues getting work or with work over there. if you do a google search you’ll find a lot of articles on this including https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/31/japan-racism-survey-reveals-one-in-three-foreigners-experience-discrimination
Oh! Ok I understand now. But why wouldn’t they sit next to you, we actually got approached by a couple of Japanese people making conversation with us and asking if we were enjoying Japan. Also it’s unfair to compare Japan to Kuwait. Kuwait treats foreigners horribly, even me I’m half Kuwaiti half British and they treat me terrible cuz I look foreign or I don’t wear dishdasha, also by the article you sent, it seems like they are trying to improve unlike Kuwait which will probably stay like this forever 🙁
Lol dude google this even slightly. Japan has a word for Half Japanese people because they don’t consider them Japanese, their work culture is basically slavery (did you notice how office buildings empty out around 11PM 6 days a week)?
I had a few friends who worked in Japan for a few years and they were glad to leave it at the end. The Japanese are a tight-nit community, no matter how many years you live there, you’ll never be part of their society (sound familiar?). If you get in an altercation with a Japanese person, chances are the police won’t side with you even if you did nothing wrong (sound familiar?). DOn’t get me wrong, I love visiting Japan as a tourist, but I’ll never want to live there.
The first part I’m fine with tbh, I like to keep myself to my self but try to help people if I am able to. The second part even in Switzerland they are the same when my friend was in a car crash and it was clearly the Swiss woman’s fault because she was speeding, they sided with her and told my friend it was his fault. For me the pros outshine the cons of living in Japan, not right now though maybe when I’m old and retired hehe.
In Japan people are respectful and polite but extremely cold. Their culture just values staying to yourself to such an extreme way that if someone is being harassed or needs help they’ll ignore it.
i don’t know about that but when we were at studio ghibli museum some one was calling for help outside in the park and there was a Japanese man who was inside ran to him.
When we first left Kuwait for the US in 2013 it was difficult and I missed Kuwait terribly. That lasted about 6 months. Now, other than seeing family, we dread the trips to Kuwait. Seriously consider the move to L.A. I doubt you’ll regret it. Not to mention, the employment opportunities; freelance, start-ups, UX/UI, Web Dev., Software Dev., etc.
Amen to that
Aaaaaah the million reasons why USA is better than Kuwait or that region in general. Love my life so much since i moved away. People say crime in America well guess what also in Kuwait & getting worse. Stay in LA do the smart thing for your mind & heart.
You hiring??
Imagine Managing one of his fighters.Or just become a MMA Fighter 🙂
Truth is i can’t afford either of ya lol. Make sure to watch Conor defeat Floyd Aug 26. Miss ya fella’s you know where to find me.
Well the same thing happens to me when I go for vacation. This time I took the decision which I would say is one of the best decisions I have made for me and my whole family.
Get outta Kuwait before it sinks – at least for expats. Life elsewhere is so much better than getting roasted by the weather and the lot of uneducated people at the government departments. 😀
Can you make a post where you recommend things to do/eat in LA? (expanding on your previous post?) Currently there for the next few weeks and would love to read your recommendations based on your time there!
Yeah for sure, was gonna do that today but I’m super sleepy and jet lagged but will try to get it done tomorrow
LAX??
When you have constipation you take LAXative .
That’s what I did actually, I convinced my parents to move to LA from Kuwait and its been great so far, graduated high school and going off to college now.