It was about the lifestyle and events in Kuwait from 1983 to 1990. Like any other Islamic country, Friday is celebrated as a day of rest in the State of Kuwait. People in a particular place frequented by a specific nationality gathered. Each nationality had a meeting place for their families, relatives, boyfriends, girlfriends or colleagues of the same nationality. It was the place to meet, eat/dine, chat and have fun that was not against Islamic laws. Most women wore a lot of jewelry from necklaces, earrings, rings, brooches, and other adornments made of gold and diamonds. They wore jewelry that was solid and heavy, not to mention that they wore it on top of each other at the same time. Gold Souk or gold shops can be found quite adjacent to each other. You can find more gold souk than places to eat. Since the gold souk was everywhere in Kuwait, wearing gold was like a fashion where everyone wore jewelry. Kuwait was a safe place before the war.
The safe and happy life in Kuwait ended when Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait by surprise. It happened in the early hours of August 2, 1990. The neighbors were preparing to go to work when the news arrived in the morning on the television set. Soldiers were shooting at each other on the borders of Kuwait. There were hundreds of war tanks passing through the main road with thousands of Iraqi soldiers. Despite what was happening outside, the expats tried to live as normal as possible. Most British, American and other European citizens fled the country via Saudi Arabia and other possible routes upon hearing the news. Others were taken by surprise and did not manage to leave the country. Iraqi soldiers entered each and every hotel in Kuwait and asked for the list of guests staying at their respective hotels. Other companies in Kuwait tried to operate normally as they used to and employees were paid in Iraqi dinars for services.
After a week or two, groups of trucks and cars go from house to house carrying furniture, electronics, clothing and other items. The owners also left behind many cars. There were many war atrocities during the Gulf War. The hotel had only a 6 month supply of food from storage. After two weeks, food shortages became apparent. The remaining group decided to leave Kuwait and had to pay 2,000 Iraqi dinars just to leave Kuwait for Iraq. The driver was an Iraqi with an escort next to him. The refugees took bars of soap and drilled a hole and created a void inside where the jewels were hidden, then plugged the hole with the same pieces of soap. Others who had put their jewelry in shampoo bottles. they were discovered later. The Iraqi soldiers had two checkpoints before reaching Bahhdad. Escapees were advised to bring blankets to protect themselves from the unpredictable weather. Most of the personal belongings were left behind except for a blanket and a couple of clothes which were easily taken as there was no way of knowing what was going to happen when leaving Kuwait. The refugees took more than 10 hours to reach Baghdad.
