First stop: the church.
Every Friday, Catholic churches in Kuwait celebrate anticipated masses in Tagalog. (In lieu of the obligatory Sunday mass, the Catholic Church allowed a celebration of a Sunday mass during Fridays; Friday being the usual weekend in Mideast countries).
The Tagalog mass in Kuwait City is at 3pm; in Ahmadi (where I usually attend mass), it's at 6pm.
These are some photos I took during my last trip to Kuwait City last Friday.
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| Correct me if I'm wrong: I thought the depiction of St Joseph in this painting at the church's altar is the most credible depiction of him, an Arab-descent. |
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| The Filipino congregation inside the church. |
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| Outside the church. I heard there's a plan to put a covered walk here. |
Second pit-stop: UTC tambayan.
One place which is also a favorite among Pinoys in Kuwait is UTC. Even before I came here, Saudi-based Pinoys who've been in Kuwait always refer to UTC as the 'Pinoy tambayan' in Kuwait. (I guess it's like Batha in Riyadh and Rahmaniya in Alkhobar).
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| UTC's front signage. |
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| Eastern promenaders on a typical Friday. |
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| The 'mall' is old and but it still is a favorite meeting place among our kabayans. |
There are other malls in Kuwait like The Avenue and The Marina Mall but on two occasions that I've been there, I didn't see as many Pinoys as I see in UTC.
Yung depiction of Joseph. It's actually the way they dress in these area during those time. Mapa hudyo man o arabo.
It's good you notice that nobody comments in your post. It's because they can't find the "post" button in your site.
Thanks, Ed. I will look into it.
Wow Nebz, mukhang masaya ka na dyan sa Kuwait. Nakita ko pa yung ibang Pix mo sa FB mo. Ingat ka dyan.
Thanks for sharing the photos nebz, I am glad that you have adjusted to your new place. And regards to our fellow kababayan dyan.
saya naman..na-miss ko tuloy ang bawat linggong punta ko ng simbahan. thanks for sharing sir :)
Glad to know there are specific "Pinoy Tambayan" in Kuwait, it makes each Kabayan anticipate weekends more. And there's more to the social "life".
Dito sa Dubai, we see Filipinos everywhere. There are even streets (Satwa and Al Rigga) where eight out of ten persons you meet at 11pm are Kabayans. Tagalog masses are filled with Filipinos too, it's overwhelming. Only thing is, most of us go our own/ individual ways on weekends... I think this is what happens kung we can feel a higher level of belonging-ness as a race in a particular place.
pards, napapasyal karin pala sa utc, marami pang nakatagong lugar dyan...
teka kelan ba tayo magkikita...magbabakasyon nako di pa kita nameet..:)
Thanks for sharing the photos Nebz, i particularly like image #3 and # 4. With your photos, kahit paano nalalaman din namin what is like in Kuwait. Sa first image, parang si Joseph na naka-kandura ang dating at si Mary parang may sheyla (head cover), naiba lang yung image ng Jesus....arabong-arabo ang dating:)
By the way, thanks for inviting me to share some of my photos sa Kablogs kaya lang hindi ko naman alam kung ano ang dapat kong i-share. Sa month of September kasi Gustatory Journey ang theme, wala naman akong makitang kuha ko na related sa theme. Wait ko na lang ang suggestion mo kung ano ba dapat ang i-share ko.
naks naman, photoblogging na siya hehehe, nice pics ha...miss you na ah tagal ko na kasing di nakakdalaw sa mga blogs pati sa blog ko. Grabe ang daming Pinoy kahit saang lugar. So Friday pala ang Sunday ng mass ng mga catholics dyan...good thing to know
Hi! Welcome to Kuwait and thanks for visiting my blog.
Between the Ahmadi Church and the one in Kuwait City, I like the former better because the size makes the mass more intimate. Wherein at the City, people steps all over you.
I hope this is not sacrilegious, but those murals/ paintings at the City Church kinds of scares me. Theres something about their protruding eyes and skeletal structures that makes me cringe.
If you like books, pass by Q8 bookstore where they buy and sell used books. I loved that place when I first came here eons ago.
Happy blogging! =)
mabuti pa dyan malaya kayo nakakapagpuri. hope someday ay maging open na rin dito sa saudi.
Hi Nebz! Kuwait looks clean and nice. You are lucky to have a church to go to on Fridays - unlike where we used to live.
Nakakatuwa how Pinoys always manage to meet up at a certain place. That mall reminds me so much of Ramaniyah - pero mukhang may SM sign akong nakita in the last photo - or are my eyes just deceiving me?