The Kuwait advantage
I have a couple classmates in statistics who are from Kuwait. I realized how little I know about Kuwait. Ali is in his mid 20s, and he's studying engineering here so he can go back and get a good job in Kuwait, for Cisco Systems. Cisco employs many people in his family, including cousins and older brother. Ali will be way ahead of the competition because he's learning English, and he says he's way ahead of any American competition because he speaks Arabic. That's why his parents are paying thousands to send him here for school. His other cousin is also in my class.
I asked if he can swim in the Persian Gulf--he says you can, it gets about 130 degrees in the summer there, so it should be refreshing, except that it's really polluted with oil from the war 14 years ago.
Alcohol is not sold anywhere, and no one eats pork. He wears the traditional white dress type uniform thing, just to keep cool. He says the speed limits are rarely enforced, and drivers routinely go 160 mph. Cars are specially made for them--cars imported from here would probably melt. He misses Kuwait, the food and the weather, and can't wait to get back and get a job.
As I stood outside the classroom talking with him I couldn't help but feel a little weird when he told me about the competition for jobs there, and what opportunities are like for Kuwaitis. Sounded kinda like what I heard about opportunities in the technology industry in this country, about 8 years ago. I didn't ask what he'll be paid.
I asked if he can swim in the Persian Gulf--he says you can, it gets about 130 degrees in the summer there, so it should be refreshing, except that it's really polluted with oil from the war 14 years ago.
Alcohol is not sold anywhere, and no one eats pork. He wears the traditional white dress type uniform thing, just to keep cool. He says the speed limits are rarely enforced, and drivers routinely go 160 mph. Cars are specially made for them--cars imported from here would probably melt. He misses Kuwait, the food and the weather, and can't wait to get back and get a job.
As I stood outside the classroom talking with him I couldn't help but feel a little weird when he told me about the competition for jobs there, and what opportunities are like for Kuwaitis. Sounded kinda like what I heard about opportunities in the technology industry in this country, about 8 years ago. I didn't ask what he'll be paid.
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