We are back to being a two car family! As of early evening, we officially purchased a car in the great nation of Kuwait. The process went a little something like this:
1) Walk to your gym every day and while darting cars screaming at you, notice a "For Sale" sign written in Arabic in the window of the car.
2) Take a photo of said Arabic sign
3) Rush to the school to connect with a staff member who speaks English and Arabic and ask if he would mind calling on the car
4) A day later, go with staff member to look at the car where the owner nochalantely hands over his keys and says "take it around the neighborhood"
5) Back the car out onto one of the busiest roads of Kuwait in rush hour traffic, praying that some crazy Kuwaiti driver does not take you out right in front of the owner
6) While you are out test driving (Do we take a right or a left at the falafel stand?), the staff member negotiates the price down on the vehicle
7) Pull safely into parking spot, wipe sweaty palms on pants, and have the staff member tell us the final asking price while asking in front of the owner, "Do you want to buy it?"
8) Agree to price and then staff member tells old owner he will return with our money in a few days -- God willing
9) The next morning, get to work only to find the car has been purchased and the money has changed hangs and now the car is waiting at said staff members house for us to pick up
10) Drive to the house of the staff member, drink tea with the family, watch 15 videos of his daughter's wedding, agree to tutor his two younger sons in English FOR FREE, and then collect keys and be on your way.
Who ever said things in Kuwait were not easy!!
1) Walk to your gym every day and while darting cars screaming at you, notice a "For Sale" sign written in Arabic in the window of the car.
2) Take a photo of said Arabic sign
3) Rush to the school to connect with a staff member who speaks English and Arabic and ask if he would mind calling on the car
4) A day later, go with staff member to look at the car where the owner nochalantely hands over his keys and says "take it around the neighborhood"
5) Back the car out onto one of the busiest roads of Kuwait in rush hour traffic, praying that some crazy Kuwaiti driver does not take you out right in front of the owner
6) While you are out test driving (Do we take a right or a left at the falafel stand?), the staff member negotiates the price down on the vehicle
7) Pull safely into parking spot, wipe sweaty palms on pants, and have the staff member tell us the final asking price while asking in front of the owner, "Do you want to buy it?"
8) Agree to price and then staff member tells old owner he will return with our money in a few days -- God willing
9) The next morning, get to work only to find the car has been purchased and the money has changed hangs and now the car is waiting at said staff members house for us to pick up
10) Drive to the house of the staff member, drink tea with the family, watch 15 videos of his daughter's wedding, agree to tutor his two younger sons in English FOR FREE, and then collect keys and be on your way.
Who ever said things in Kuwait were not easy!!
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| Our new ride ... a 2002 Jeep Cherokee. It was the wife's car and she only used it to drive the baby, unbuckled in the front seat without a car-seat, around the neighborhood. |
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| Our first foreign car purchase. A grand success. |
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