reply to summer about living in Kuwait

I'VE ADDED ANSWERS TO YOUR QUESTIONS AS BEST AS I CAN BASED ON WHAT I KNOW AFTER LIVING HERE WITH A YOUNG FAMILY FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW.

Are there any currently “Homeschooled” American kids living in Kuwait? NO IDEA, BUT IF YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SCHOOLS, LET ME KNOW WHAT YOUR KIDS AGES ARE AND YOUR SPECIFICATIONS AND I'LL GIVE YOU A RUNDOWN OF THE RECOMMENDED SCHOOLS.

Do people in Kuwait play XBOX 360 Live? HMM....SORRY...DON'T KNOW.

Can we bring our two dogs (Rottweilers) with us if we live in an apartment in Salmyia or Salwa?
YOU CAN BRING ANIMALS WITH YOU, BUT IN TERMS OF LIVING IN AN APARTMENT, YOU NEED TO AGREE THIS WITH YOUR LANDLORD BEFORE YOU MOVE IN. I HAVE FRIENDS WITH BOTH DOGS AND CATS IN APARTMENTS, SO IT'S DEFINITELY DONE, BUT AGAIN LIKE ANYWHERE YOU NEED TO GET THE OKAY FROM YOUR OWNER.

Does Kuwait have activities for the teens such as BMX racing? DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS Swimming? DEFINITELY - OFTEN THROUGH SCHOOLS Ice Skating? THERE'S A REASONABLY GOOD ICE RINK (WAS USED AS A MORGUE DURING THE INVASION AS I'VE JUST FOUND OUT!!) Ballet? THE BRITISH SCHOOL OF PERFORMANING ARTS AND ONE OF THE HOTELS BOTH HAVE DANCE CLASSES WHICH INCLUDE CLASSICAL BALLET, JAZZ, HIP HOP ETC. Dance instruction of any kind? SEE PREVIOUS Piano lessons? I HAVE FRIENDS WHO SEND THEIR KIDS TO PRIVATE TUTORS FOR PIANO, SO DEFINITELY EXISTS, NORMALLY EXPATS WHO RUN LESSONS FROM HOME Drum lessons? AGAIN, NO IDEA...BUT DO YOU REALLY WANT THIS??? HA!! Etc

I understand that most Kuwaiti’s have what I call “household assistants” (ie; maid, cook, nanny, etc.) Is this common for Expats as well? What could you expect to pay for such a service? YES, EVERYONE HAS A MAID OF SOME SORT...THE NUMBER AND THE FREQUENCY DEPENDS ON INDIVIDUAL NEEDS. MOST PEOPLE WITH VERY YOUNG CHILDREN/BABIES HAVE FULL TIME HELP, OTHERS HAVE SOMEONE THAT COMES IN TO CLEAN. AGAIN WHETHER YOU HAVE SOMEONE LIVE IN OR LIVE OUT DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU WANT. WE HAVE A LADY WHO COMES IN THREE TIMES A WEEK (A WONDERFUL LUXURY) AND WHO BABYSITS FOR US AS NEEDED. A FULL TIME LIVE IN MAID WILL COST 60 TO 130KD PER MONTH; A FULL TIME LIVE OUT IS MORE EXPENSIVE AT 80 TO 150KD MONTH; A PART TIME LIVE OUT MAID IS 60-90KD A MONTH. AS NEEDED BABYSITTING IS ABOUT 1.5 TO 2kd AN HOUR. WHEN YOU DO THE MATHS, IT'S STILL NOT VERY MUCH FOR THE BENEFIT OF HAVING SOMEONE AT YOUR BECK AND CALL. SOME PEOPLE ALSO HAVE DRIVERS, ALTHOUGH MOST EXPATS WILL JUST GET ON WITH IT AND LEARN TO MASTER THE INSANE TRAFFIC. DRIVERS ARE 70-120KD A MONTH DEPENDING ON HOW OFTEN YOU WANT THEM.

Internet (Broadband) Service in Kuwait? Plans & Prices? YES, ABOUT 250KD PER YEAR SPEED 510KBS BUT THERE ARE MONTHLY PLANS...DEPENDS ON YOUR DOWNLOADING NEEDS...(OR WHATEVER THE TERM IS)

Household electrical plugs? Will I need some type of converter to use my own appliances as well as the kids Nintendo and XBOX gaming units brought from the United States? Ours are all set up for 110volt here in the United States…
THE VOLTAGE IS 220V SO YOU NEED TO CHECK WITH AN ELECTRICIAN ON WHETHER THEY'LL WORK HERE OR WHETHER THEY NEED SOMETHING DONE TO THEM.

How much do you pay for cellular phone service? What are their plans like? Can you direct me to a website with plans/prices? YOU CAN GET A PLAN OR YOU CAN GET A PAY AS YOU GO (PREPAID) CARD - HOW MUCH YOU SPEND DEPENDS ON HOW MUCH YOU CHAT! DON'T TELL HUBBY BUT I'M SPENDING ABOUT 20-25KD PER MONTH.

What is the cost of purchasing a large SUV to drive while living there? TRY www.q8car.com TO GET AN IDEA ON PRICES. YOU CAN ALSO LEASE ONE FOR 1,2 OR 5 YEAR PERIODS FROM 169 - 300kd A MONTH WHICH INCLUDES INSURANCE, SERVICING AND ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE.

Is there a subscription satellite television service there? (ie; Dish Network, etc.) YES, SHOWTIME AND THERE IS ANOTHER ONE...HAS ALL THE USUAL CABLE TV CHANNESL SO YOU WONT'MISS SHOWS!

Can you answer what you know for me? Feel free to add anything I may not have considered. Much appreciated!! ) LET ME KNOW IF THERE'S ANYTHING ELSE YOU NEED TO KNOW.

ESSDEE 08 Nov 2008, 06:32 - Report