When I tell people I travel to Kuwait on a regular basis, people always ask me where I stay at. Most people think that I literally go out into the middle of a desert, set up a tent, and live among the Bedouins.

Or worse….

The reality of it is that my housing arrangements in Kuwait are far better than my living arrangements here in USA.  When I’m home in America, I live in a slightly run-down apartment in one of the saddest cities in the country.  My building is old so it’s creaky, and it doesn’t help that I live dead center so I hear every little sound through these thin walls. In Kuwait, I live in a tower with marble floors and a view of the sea.  The atmosphere really is my favorite thing about my Kuwait apartment.

My Kuwait apartment has two bedrooms, one bathroom. It’s fully furnished, which is the biggest convenience for me ever. I do not pay rent year round, I only pay for each night that I stay there.

In lieu of a dishwasher, there is a washing machine  in my kitchen.

Much to my surprise, there isn’t any holders for toilet paper in the bathroom. Instead there is a water hose attached to the toilet.

I also learned that you need to turn the water heater on BEFORE you get in the shower. (Here in USA my water automatically heats itself. Yours probably does too.) I probably took 3-4 cold showers before I finally complained to my fiance about freezing. He got quite the laugh… Also, the light switch for the bathroom is outside the bathroom for some reason.

My favorite room in my apartment would have to be my living room. I have two giant windows and a sassy purple couch.  Plus it’s big enough to drag the extra mattress into so we can lay in the floor and watch Arabic tv. I don’t understand what they’re saying, but somehow it heals my jet lag.

The downstairs in the apartment is pretty neat too. There is a front desk in case you need to speak with a maintenance man. There is also a small lobby with sofas and televisions, plus a small gym. The door locks after dark and only opens for a key, which helps me feel safe so I know that strangers can’t wander my halls all hours of the night.

I wish I could live in Kuwait year round. I’d much rather listen to the sound of the ocean waves over the sound of my neighbor bringing home a drunk guy every night of the week.  Hopefully I will live somewhere equally awesome when I move this fall, but I guess only time will tell. Thanks for reading, and viewing my crappy cell phone quality pics.

Peace be upon you,

Kendra