Mishref’s Curiosity
I have heard about the elderly “Ma39ooma” in Al-Shamiya’s Co-Op, how she shuns random people and is extra friendly toward young boys which – from what I have heard – is because she lost her son(s) in a catastrophic parting, or something along those lines. There is a story behind these characters, a dark something that a common person would not be able to relate to but hopefully understand.
Yesterday, I passed by one of Mishref’s curiosities. I do not know if it is kosher to speak of these two women, but I am not going to mention their names (because I do not know them in any case) and I doubt that they blog so I am going to go ahead and label them as one of Mishref’s oddities that surprisingly make me have one of those warm and fuzzy feelings of hominess with a sprinkle of mystery.
It was a little bit after three o’clock in the afternoon. I was driving to the district’s ladies salon in an attempt to get in and out without having to deal with the crowd that will crowd the place in the hours ahead. My car was still hot from the time it spent basking under the merciless sun. I passed by the public walkway and as expected, no one was strutting along the path just yet, “Who the heck walks in this heat anyway?” I wondered to myself.
That is when I saw them, the two women.
Unlike ordinary Homo sapiens, the two were walking on the sidewalk that joins the main street with people’s front yards and entrances. They have not changed since I started to notice their presence about a decade ago if not more. Like always, they were dressed in bright, layered clothing that is not particularly suitable for their long, sweaty walks. Yesterday, one woman was in a Hawaiian-esque blouse, white pants and a flowered scarf while the other was in an orange shirt and light, beige pants (yes, I did slow down and I did get an eyeful…I am curious!). To top it off, both were wearing large straw hats with a little colorful ribbon.
About seven years ago, my father and I were driving to pick up his laundry on a slow Friday evening when I spotted them down the street, “Look! Baba! There they are!” Being the usual joker, my father said that they are spirits who roam the streets of Mishref, “They have no home, they just walk around hand-in-hand like they usually do…” Of course, being the ultra-gullible person that I am, I believed him before my mother set things straight, “No, they are just middle-aged women…who usually walk in funky attire.”
I wonder, have you noticed these two women? If not, do you know of any oddities that exist in your district?
MP3's...
The Big Wu - Precious Hands
Foo Fighters - Everlong (Acoustic)
Porcupine Tree - Radioactive Toy
Bjork - It's Oh So Quiet
at 1:23 AM
24 Comments
In Jabriya it's Ibraheen who looks a lot like Adrien Brody and is always hanging around the jam3iya.
I worry when I don't see him around.
Tupac isnt dead,..... he lives n marina mall,... and ummm got a bit shorter.
seriously, if youre bored one thursday night, go tupac hunting in marina, the likeness is uncanny!
despite the height deficiency.
still havent seen elvis round these parts yet tho.
Go to any mall on a weekend or on a good day, lots of oddities there. :P
I noticed that old lady in Shamiya & those two in Mishref (im an ex-starbux junkie, went to rehab tho.). Weird if you ask me.
There's this one guy on the Co-op Road (3al ba7ar)opposite Salwa. He's always walking (exercising) and wearing the same outfit. All black, with black backpack and he walks like a robot. Rain or shine, he's always there like clockwork in the middle of the day!
Ok....i know M39oma...i actually met her in the hospital....not in Shamiya! Finally i know from where everyone knows her!! Cuz i saw a group on facebook dedicated to her, and i was like whaaaaaa?
I know the Jabriya guy also.
Theres another guy in 3dailiya, ull find him near the jam3iya.
I saw the dark guy with all the gadgets that everyone was talking about on marks blog the other day. I was like ohhhhhh thats him!
Oh and there's that thin guy that walks on gulf road everyday.
Emmmm theres The Shark...search for him on Mark's blog if u dont know him by name...im sure u know him by face.
Thats about it.....
;* missed u!
i knew ma3soma we used to have a meal together in the cafeteria where i used to work long ago. such a sweet soul.
This comment has been removed by the author.
shurouq: An Adrien Brody look-a-like...Well, that's something to look forward to! :P~
skunk: Looking for a vertically challenged Tupac at Marina Mall on a Thursday sounds like a hassle. I'd rather wait for the real one to come out of hiding :P But I never heard about this guy before...I'll be on the look out if I ever visit Marina...
miniR: Personally, good days in malls translates to early weekday mornings. But you're right, there are a lot of characters that emerge everyday. I never saw Ma39ooma but running into the two women who prowl the streets under the scorching sun in Mishref make my day in a weird kind of way. And I never saw the guy in black before! I, however, do remember seeing the black man who runs along the Gulf Road. I saw him probably three times (during my high school days) and from what I have heard from friends, he's still doing his daily run. I wonder where he gets all that energy from and what his real job is.
ra1: I was at work when I read your comment and I could not help but laugh out loud. Now, if I was a Jewish Kuwaiti woman, the last thing I would do is take a mid-day stroll in fluorescent clothing. I don't know if what you stated is true and no offense, but I kind of doubt that it is (!) Either way, I hope that no credulous extremist would read this comment and head over to Mishref with a handful of rotten eggs to pelt the so-called Jewish twosome :>
DR: I didn't know that they created a facebook group based on Ma39ooma, I'm going to check it out. She's literally a real-life celebrity with an unknown past and probably, a gray future. I wonder where she lives. As for the Shark...Heh, where the hell should I start! This guy...I don't know...can I laugh? Seriously, he's nearing his mid-40's and...*chuckles* I'm not going to even start on this one...
(and thanks :) *)
I can't help it...El Qirsh!?! Puleaaase! *chuckles a bit more*
abdulaziz: That's nice :) I'm curious about your little lunch. Sounds sweet :)
q80demon: You were saying? :)
There is this poor kid with down syndrome in Adailiya, always hangs around the coop especially Starbux. I have seen him work there once, but I guess that didn't go well. What is funny is that he says hi to every passing organism from a mile away, usually while crossing the road. There had been times where he would stand at the door of starbux and gives everyone a big fat F#$% you.
Erzulie: sorry, I removed my comment because it touched on the lifestyle of someone whose need for privacy I respect very much.
Actually not lunch, rather dinners, which answers your other question, she sleeps in the dark corridors of Amiri or mubarak hospitals(on the floor).
equalizer: That's a bit alarming, seeing as how he's still not an adult and that he has down syndrome; khofik la a7ad yit'jara2 3alaih aw shay...
q80demon: Understandable :)
abdulaziz: That's really really sad. I doubt that the answer is no but does she have any family? 3ad bil corridor!? I feel bad now... :/
Erzulie: Actually he has an open license to behave as he likes since he has down syndrome so no one would dare touch a guy with disability and short life, plus he is known around the area so he is cool.
equalizer: You're right...Then again, there are some sickos out there that prey on the disabled minority in Kuwait and anywhere else for that matter since they are less capable of defending themselves against harm when compared to mature and mentally stable adults. Individuals with down syndrome (or any other mental/physical disability) are highly susceptible to being taken advantage of in every manner possible, and that, in my opinion, is the sad truth.
skunk: elvis lives. He used to go to College of Science (or was it engineering?) at KU a few years ago hahaha
oh yeah tethakart the starbucks adaliyah guy, like equalizer said, he has Down's syndrome, and I think he lives in adaliyah, he's from a good family too.
And he's hilarious.. Seriously, he doesn't just say hi to everyone, he sits right in front of you and makes funny faces, I swear I just cry from laughing whenever I see him.
enigma: I'll be on the look out for him :)
AbdulAziz....last time i checked shes was in Psychiatry hospital...i guess shes safer now....thing is awal mara shift'ha was bl Amiri...o kanat ts2alni "ilsa3a cham?" thalat sbo3 kamil o ihya ts2alni ilsa3a cham...a year later (this year) ligainaha bl pschiatry. Bs tara 7adha character. One of my favourites there.
DR thanks for informing me , you really made me feel a bit better , although im not sure the mental hospital is the best place for her. But at least she has a clean bed and warm meals everyday !
Thanks again DeaR :)
DR: Hmm, I never knew about this...
Abdulaziz: I think I'm going to digress into another topic here (I'll save this for another mile long post) but I think she'll be in unfortunate situations if she stayed outside of the Psych. hospital (risk of being harassed, taken advantage of, etc.) or in. I think it's great that abandoned individuals who are mentally unstable have access to meals and a place to sleep, but the level of care in mental institutions here in Kuwait is an unknown thing, at least for me it is. I don't like the idea of people being admitted there viewed as "crazy" or "mental cases." You know, I think I'm going to save this for another post :)
The care there is more than adequate.
I was impressed, i expected worse.
But still....and i know this will sound very unmedical and unscientiftic....i dont think its healthy for 'crazy' ppl to live together like that....i just get the feeling it will make them even 'crazier'.
Ignore i said that.
DR: No, what you said is somewhat true. I mean, there are levels of mental disabilities and cramming everyone into one place, well, maybe the staff is conditioned to treat all of them as subhuman. I also think that caring for them on an intellectual level is void here. People with down syndrome and autism do make up for the lack of expressing themselves, but I don't know if that vent is nurtured by medical professionals here. It is proven that they are very intelligent. I don't know how it's taken care of in medical institutions, but it saddens me whenever I see a 17-year-old with autism being hauled around by his philipino nanny.
hi can i know the blog "mark" who mentioned THE SHARK in one of his posts?
Om Jaber: Mark's blog is www.248am.com
He has a little search engine on his blog; I'm sure if you search for "Shark of Kuwait" in there you'll find him in the archives. I actually saw the Shark of Kuwait (*chuckles*) in Sharq (Shark in Sharq!) on my lunch break and well, it was an experience :P
Thank u :)
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