My life in Kuwait almost seemed ideal but when arriving to the United States to finish my academic studies everything changed. Having a family servant meant I could avoid the mundane tasks of picking up after myself, cleaning and cooking my daily meals. It was idyllic in the sense that what was required of me was to be respectful, conduct myself with integrity and attend to my studies. I suppose it could be said that I pretty much took everything for granted. I lived in a nice home and was quite comfortable with this arraignment; I had everything a person could ask for. When desiring a snack all I needed to do was request one; need some clothes laundered, sure, I merely told the servant and my laundry would be clean, fresh, folded and returned to the proper places within a matter of two hours or so. While this description makes it seem as if I am a spoiled child, let me preface this by stating that my carefree lifestyle made it far easier to focus on my education, and it allowed me to play a sport that I enjoy immensely: soccer.
For boys growing up in Kuwait soccer seems almost to be in their blood. We begin learning the fundamentals at a very early age and by the time we reach the age of 10 most are very good at the sport. There is a term here in America that refers to mothers who take their children to soccer practices and games as being “soccer moms”. But my experience living in Kuwait was slightly different because my mother seldom delivered me to such events, meaning that when I was a young boy the task was left to the family servant. Beyond academics there was only soccer and I enjoyed competing alongside my teammates. We were committed to winning and more than willing to sacrifice our bodies if it resulted in a well-executed offensive or defensive play or when scoring a point during the last seconds of a game. Playing soccer was not only a means of recreation; it was also the way in which I formed camaraderie and friendship. But after coming to this wonderful country, everything about my life changed.
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"From Kuwait to America: A Very Drastic Change".
While the term “culture shock” applies to my experience upon arriving to America, I had anticipated that the daily rigors of living on my own would be a bit different than what my life in Kuwait had been. I stress this because, in truth, I had no idea what it was that I was headed for. I now must do the things that my family servant did and found this to be quite difficult. I knew nothing about cooking or doing mundane tasks such as my own laundry or keeping my home clean. When visiting the grocery store I was relatively lost amongst the various aisles of food and household items. I couldn’t be sure if one product was better than another and spent a great deal of money and time finding the products that worked best for my situation. Cooking was stressful because it almost seemed as if I didn’t even know how to boil water. But over time I’ve acclimated to my new life here in this country, and with the help of friends and a few easy-to-follow cookbooks I have managed to forge through my cooking duties with a great deal of confidence, pretty much meaning that I very rarely burn the food. I don’t necessarily miss the fact that my needs were taken care for me in Kuwait, I appreciate the fact that I am learning to basics of life and becoming increasingly more independent. But I really do miss soccer.
I think that when a person does something for much of their life when they can no longer do it they experience a sense of loss. My studies at school take up most of my time and find it impossible to fit in the sport that I treasure the most. During my studies I will sometimes find myself reflecting on some match my former teammates and I played in years past. I would hearken to my own contributions as one of the key players, but when returning from this daydream I would merely heave a sigh and carry on with the task at-hand. I sometimes reflect on the vast differences between my life in America and back in Kuwait. I miss many things about being in my home country but also appreciate what my experience in this country will ultimately mean. I am grateful for the fact that I am becoming increasingly independent.
