Abu Nicolas’ memories

Our Lebanese friend Abu Nicolas, who worked in Kuwait for many years, recently retired and returned to his homeland. He provided education and medical care for his children in Kuwait and was forced to leave the country during the Iraqi Invasion. Commenting on the last attack on expatriates in Kuwait, Abu Nicolas said that each time he picks up a newspaper or a magazine and finds any news item about Kuwait, he leaves everything aside and reads it first.

Kuwait has been imprinted on his mind for 35 years. He started his family here and named his daughter ‘Dana’ after Kuwait’s pearls. They had a very friendly relationship with Kuwaitis as well as people from other nationalities. He said he remembers about all his good times and memories in Kuwait. Especially that one time when his daughter had a severe pain in her ear and he wasn’t at home and since it was a Friday, their doctor was not working. His wife asked their Kuwaiti neighbor Maasouma for help and she responded positively.

Maasouma accompanied them to Daeya polyclinic where Maasouma registered Dana in her name and gave her father’s name Abdelrahman to over- come admission problems. The Iraqi doctor on duty treated the girl as she spoke to the doctor about “Father Christmas” as Christmas was approaching. Her talks surprised the doctor who asked Maasouma, who is a Muslim, about teaching her children such things that are alien to the society and its traditions.

Maasouma told the doctor what he heard from the young girl was influenced by her foreign school and promised to correct the matter. All this took place while the real mother kept silent, as she did not want to get into an argument. When they left the center, Maasouma told Dana: “What do you want from Father Christmas? Then looked at her mother and said: “Is he a doctor or a clergyman?”

I am writing to say that many have left Kuwait for good and they are sad for leaving a place they loved and that was good to them, or about feeling that they wasted their time in a place that did not respect their humanity. So, it is our responsibility both humanly and patriotically to make the stay of the expat among us more comfortable, so that they can remember us in their good memories always. —Translated by Kuwait Times