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Zac and Miski

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2007 5:26 am
by interested
It appears as both of you have gone completely off topic.
Katherine is free and because of a very powerful arrogant Kuwaiti father, is not allowed to re-enter Kuwait and has had to resign her position. A position she aspired to and worked hard at as a professional.
Now I think that is the topic at hand.
Teachers please realize that this is an isolated case. Having lived and worked in Kuwait for almost 10 years, I have never heard of any similar situation. As teachers and administrators we are safe in Kuwait. Open communication with parents, staff and students is a must and will help avoid other such situations.
I love my life in Kuwait, the people I have met are amazing, the culture is rich and the travel opportunities are abound.

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:16 am
by miski
I think it is a one off case and have only heard twicw in the past few years about the police etc becoming involved in a case re parent/ teacher / child : once when a rather difficult primary student was kept in isolation and recently when a student stabbed and killed another student at a bacala near the school.

I agree, for the most part we are safe as educators in Kuwait and I for one have always had the utmost respect from the parents of my students( the owners of the schools? Well that is another matter!)

Re ZacandEdie : I have answered her childishly I will admit, because I objected to her sweeping statements about life and peole in Kuwait. People come along, expecting sun, beaches, tax free salaries and illicit booze; when they come across peole who shun their way of life they turn the tables on them. Don't come to an Islamic country, walk around the Sultan Centre in your shorts and sleeveless t-shirts, get stared at and then complain about it. If someone was to walk down the local high street in Mobile Alabama, or elsewhere in an Abaya, they would get the same stares. Kuwait is not the west and don't blame it for not being.

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:47 am
by miski
Critical Thinker- I am intrigued as to the insurance issue at AIS- please inform !

FYI: BUPA do quite a good deal in kuwait- paid for a lot of root -, crowns, 2 c-sections + childcare.

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2007 10:39 am
by da3boyzs
I thought this thread was supposed to be about Katherine Phillips. Thank God she is out of Kuwait but unfortunately she lost her position.

I was wondering how this thread became about alcohol. By the way anyone who assumes that Kuwaities do not have access to drugs or alcohol is living in a dream world. I have been to many parties in my 13 years of living in Kuwait. These parties thrown by well established Kuwaities have had alcohol, and a lot of it. I was shocked and disappointed. Not only that, what about the parties that have drugs and alcohol, hum Kuwait isn't any different than any other place.

It is unfortunate that either one of you would be passed up for a job or promotion because you wear a hijab that should not matter. However, this is not the forum to discuss alcohol or hijabs.

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2007 3:26 pm
by jeffofarabia
one thing anyone coming to kuwait should know: there are rules and there are rules for kuwaitis(which means you can do what you want). if you are not kuwaiti you will never become one unless you are a beautiful young girl who dates kuwaitis just for the sex, money and booze. then you will fit right in.

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2007 3:35 pm
by miski
[quote="jeffofarabia"]one thing anyone coming to kuwait should know: there are rules and there are rules for kuwaitis(which means you can do what you want). if you are not kuwaiti you will never become one unless you are a beautiful young girl who dates kuwaitis just for the 1, money and booze. then you will fit right in.[/quote]


you are wrong.

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2007 8:56 pm
by da3boyzs
I would like to tell you about the insurance issues at AIS but not on this thread. Please send me your e-mail.

Posted: Thu Jul 05, 2007 9:23 pm
by kathryn3
to meinq8

I am not at all surprised that you are held to the laws of the country in which you travel. I only pointed out that the embassy is not there to help you.

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 2:17 am
by miski
[quote="kathryn3"]to meinq8

I am not at all surprised that you are held to the laws of the country in which you travel. I only pointed out that the embassy is not there to help you.[/quote]

If embassies such as the UK and US, who survive on tax$ and tax$ are not there to help their citizens then it is a damn shame. The truth is , yes, they are there to make money and promote business but surely part of their mission statement should be the protection of their citizens abroad.

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 2:52 am
by miski
[quote="da3boyzs"]I would like to tell you about the insurance issues at AIS but not on this thread. Please send me your e-mail.[/quote]


Sorry but your profle doesn't include your e amil, and my pm is not working on this board.

I know that expats have to ay a 50KD premium for the MOH insurance ( law says they have to pay themselves) and then all access to health services is free- with some exceptins I believe ( to cancer medicines for example).

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 9:21 am
by da3boyzs
Actually it has nothing to do with the type of health care offered in Kuwait, which I feel is adequate. The owner of the school mislead teachers by allowing them to believe they had health insurance with a company when infact there was no health insurance to speak of. He didn't charge overseas hired teachers for this nonservice but did charge local hire teachers for this nonservice.

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:24 pm
by meinq8
I couldn't believe it when I picked up today's Arab Times and saw Katherine Phillips' story on the front page again.

Only a few days ago, there were urgent appeals to get her out of Kuwait because supposedly her physical safety was in danger. ISR was asking school personnel to resign their own positions, knowing full well that it might be hard for them to get new positions at this late date. This forum, and others, was full of diatribes against Kuwait and Kuwaitis.

And today, Ms. Phillips is complaining again, but this time because she can't come back! And ISR, instead of asking why she made a fool of them, is asking people again to resign their jobs, so that she can go back to hers!

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:30 pm
by meinq8
da3boyz, I don't want to repeat everything I already wrote, but let me point out again that the families who send their children to the American and British schools, and the Kuwaitis who have parties with drugs and alcohol, are a small section of Kuwaitis; they are not representative at all. There are many Kuwaitis whom you will probably never run into, because they go to work and visit their families and go to the mosque, and they don't hang out in Salmiya or Salwa trying to be Westerners.

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 12:37 pm
by meinq8
Miski, I think with the government health insurance, expats have to pay some fees - maybe one dinar for a visit to a clinic, or something like that. And there are some services that they don't get; for example, I think they can get root -, but not crowns and bridges, etc. Of course, KD50 for the government insurance is quite a bargain compared to what one would pay for medical and dental insurance in the U.S. I thought these schools provided other insurance packages, though, don't they?

By the way, no, I'm not working now.

Posted: Fri Jul 06, 2007 1:23 pm
by miski
Only a few days ago, there were urgent appeals to get her out of Kuwait because supposedly her physical safety was in danger. ISR was asking school personnel to resign their own positions, knowing full well that it might be hard for them to get new positions at this late date. This forum, and others, was full of diatribes against Kuwait and Kuwaitis.

And today, Ms. Phillips is complaining again, but this time because she can't come back!

And ISR, instead of asking why she made a fool of them, is asking people again to resign their jobs, so that she can go back to hers!

Bloody typical- and hw many poor sods decided not to come to Kuwait because of her-hypocrite.


BOYCOTT AL BAYAN!!!!