Good morning my dear and honorable readers. It has been so long since I wrote my previous article. Today I would like to narrate a story or an experience I had encountered few months back here in Kuwait. This experience depicts the misery of many of our expat brothers and sisters who have come here to make a decent living escaping from the harsh conditions in their countries and yet face more critical situations.

My article's title is 'A day with an expat,' and by looking at the title you would get a hint that the story would be addressing misery and unfortunate conditions. A few months back I was invited by an expat friend who lives somewhere in Kuwait in a tiny and grave-like room. You would not imagine how that room could accommodate the rest of the necessities which should be put in the kitchen rather than in a partition room. That room contained a closet, a mini fridge, a dresser, a TV, satellite receiver, cassette player, hangers, a shoes rack, a clothesline, a tiny stove, spices rack, pots, plates, cups, milk cans, a tea kettle, and many more which I do not remember, not forgetting the person himself.

I came in and sat on the bed and was entertained with coffee and some snacks, and then I asked him how he manages to survive in this place? He replied with tears shedding from his eyes that he was a runaway because he did not receive his salary for almost 6 months, in addition to bad treatment from his sponsor who left him abandoned in the desert with almost nothing for him to survive. He said he used to borrow things from neighbors in order to survive, where his employer would come once a week to inspect the camp and leave him with KD 5 to buy his groceries.

The other thing which I had noticed that the long queue for the restroom, where this poor man would have to wait for at least half an hour in order to use the facility. As for his current work, he said that he does not have a permanent and stable job but he has got few cars which he washes and gets KD 5 for each, saying this helps a bit. When I asked him about his future plans, he replied that he was willing to give himself up to the authorities, but was waiting to collect some money to help his family, including his sick parents.

After a few hours, he wanted to entertain me for an ice cream, so we went down to the grocery shop which he knows and as he entered the shop, he took the worker to a corner and whispered in his ears, which I understood it was about the money which he could not afford at the moment.

The day ended with a big hug and plenty of tears shedding from both of us for the kind of misery some people go through in Kuwait. Many sponsors must always put Allah in front of their eyes when treating a human being before Judgment Day; when each one of us would stand along before the Creator of the universe and is asked about those helpless people.

Until the next article Insha Allah

By Talal Al-Ghannam