Middle East | Kuwait | Monthly Challenge

Arab Hospitality Kept Me Warmer Than The Scorching Sun

Reflections on the concept of hospitality after a month in Kuwait

The view from my home at sunset. On the left, the skyline of Kuwait city; and on the right, a mosque and the blue sea. All photos by author.

“Of course, I am going to take care of you,” she stated, surmounting my pleas not to become too inconvenient. “You are my sister.”

But I wasn’t her sister. Truth to be told, we had just met.

Salima was the first person I encountered upon arriving in the Kuwait office. She had helped me organize my travel, and we had exchanged a few cordial emails beforehand, but nothing more than that.

I landed in Kuwait on a hot Thursday afternoon, the weekend only a few minutes away. I knew Salima was waiting in the office for my arrival and I felt increasingly more guilty every time my slow drive from the airport stalled in the rush-hour traffic.

And yet, when I crossed the office door for the first time, Salima looked genuinely happy to see me. I was taken aback by her smile, with the power to shake off the thirteen hours of flight hunching down my back.

“If you need anything, you come to me. You are my sister,” she reiterated.

To my utmost surprise, Salima was not the only one. Other colleagues had stayed behind…