It's slow right now so I'll tell you my Kuwait airport story and try to convey the American in Kuwait feel of it all. Normally American's travel to/from Kuwait via a US or European carrier in the international check-in. Flights in the mid-east are handled on the domestic check-in side. Most of the times that I've traveled via this method I have been with someone. I can't think of a time where I was alone for domestic check-in. Sometimes I fly business, sometimes coach. Most flights are short and the class of service all depends on the fare. I prefer business because no one wants to get stuck sitting next to a light haired American female on the flights. I am a leper.
So it was with this awareness of my leper status that I got into the economy line for the flight to Bahrain. Two lines over was business and two Kuwaiti women were in that line. The line to my left was economy and a bunch of Indian guys were in that line. In my line there were two Filipinos (one male, one female) in front of me and a bunch of Arab women behind me.
We were all too early and hanging out waiting for the line to open.
The ticket agents arrived, took their seats and surveyed their lines. One anomoly stood out and it was me.
The ticket agent in business came over to me and asked for my passport. Stunned, I gave him my passport (still in it's pink cover to match my pink shirt - how Paris Hilton of me) and he checked me in before anyone else even though I was flying coach. Everyone had been ignoring me and pretending I didn't exist until that moment when all eyes were on me. I felt many things but mostly the desire to flee so I did.
I left my Visa at the counter.
I'm standing in a crowded line at passport control when a man walks up to me and says "Miss Karen?" I look at him and he has my Visa which I need to exit. I guess I was easy to spot.
Two hours later I'm boarding the plane and going through the last passport/security check. The man looks at me and says "did you get your paper?" Even the gate security guy spotted me and knew what had happened. Worse, he had looked at the document and told me that we had the same birthday - April 28. Us and Saddam. Yay.
I'm telling you, there's no privacy in Kuwait. At least if I ever go missing, someone is sure to know exactly where I am.
So it was with this awareness of my leper status that I got into the economy line for the flight to Bahrain. Two lines over was business and two Kuwaiti women were in that line. The line to my left was economy and a bunch of Indian guys were in that line. In my line there were two Filipinos (one male, one female) in front of me and a bunch of Arab women behind me.
We were all too early and hanging out waiting for the line to open.
The ticket agents arrived, took their seats and surveyed their lines. One anomoly stood out and it was me.
The ticket agent in business came over to me and asked for my passport. Stunned, I gave him my passport (still in it's pink cover to match my pink shirt - how Paris Hilton of me) and he checked me in before anyone else even though I was flying coach. Everyone had been ignoring me and pretending I didn't exist until that moment when all eyes were on me. I felt many things but mostly the desire to flee so I did.
I left my Visa at the counter.
I'm standing in a crowded line at passport control when a man walks up to me and says "Miss Karen?" I look at him and he has my Visa which I need to exit. I guess I was easy to spot.
Two hours later I'm boarding the plane and going through the last passport/security check. The man looks at me and says "did you get your paper?" Even the gate security guy spotted me and knew what had happened. Worse, he had looked at the document and told me that we had the same birthday - April 28. Us and Saddam. Yay.
I'm telling you, there's no privacy in Kuwait. At least if I ever go missing, someone is sure to know exactly where I am.
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