Street Talk

Have you ever had a thought in your head or made some comment to yourself, and then opened the papers the same day to find a columnist basically expressing your same thoughts in print?

This morning I was driving out of Hawally and onto Istiqlal Street, heading towards Shaab, to show an inspector from the Ministry of Labour where our little Hypoxi Centre is located. I had given her the address, but she had no idea where anything was. I drew a primitive map for her on a piece of paper, but she still didn't understand where to go. I finally gave up and asked her to just follow me there. Bear in mind, that she goes on regular inspections as part of her job and yet she had no clue how to get from A to B!! While I was driving, I suddenly realized why she was so lost. Istiqlal Street had been renamed Issa Bin Salman Al-Khalifa Street, after the late diminutive ruler of Bahrain whose mouthful of a name belied his size... I silently cursed the ass-kissing sycophants who ordered this ridiculous renaming of a street that once had a proud name - it doesn't get any better than "Istiqlal" (Independence), you idiots! - and wondered why in the world they couldn't have named a new street in a new part of the country after him.

When I got to the office, I opened Al-Qabas and found Ali Al-Baghli making the same complaint about the exact same street! He called Kuwait the only country that changes street names like people change clothes, and lamented the lack of respect for streets whose names are part of our vocabulary and history.

In the end it doesn't matter though, since I defy anyone living here to give an address to a Kuwaiti for any place without having to give turn-by-turn directions (i.e. turn left at the Co-op, and then right at the mosque, then 2 speedbumps later turn right at the school). I know several people (mostly spoiled rich girls, coincidentally) who have no idea what their own street address is. They just know how to get there!