Filariasis

What is Filariasis?

Have you ever heard of it?  Neither had I before this spring.  In preparation for an upcoming move to Kuwait, I was required to go through some medical testing.  Sounds simple enough right?  You go to your doctor, give her/him the list, and get some results in about a week.  Well, it wasn’t that simple for me.  I went to my doctor. She reviewed me list.  “I can test you for STDs, but I can’t help you with the other things on your list”.   What!  My doctor can’t test me for just anything?  Imagine my surprise.  Apparently there is red tape and insurance billing issues that get in the way of running just any test on a healthy patient.   What do I do now?

I needed to be tested for STDs, malaria, TB, filarias, and a few other things.  The TB test couldn’t be the simple screening that employers in the states often do involving a poke in your arm.  I needed a chest x-ray.  I don’t know what the various diseases are that people try to bring into Kuwait, but this testing makes it clear that they don’t want to deal with it.  I went to the health department.  Surely the health department can perform medical testing.  “I’m sorry ma’am, but we don’t perform those test hear.  Are you kidding me?  What happens when people have infectious diseases.  How do they get tested?  They suggested  I call a company that specialized in immunization for travel.  I did.  “I’m sorry ma’am.  We can’t help you.”  Actually, everyone also asked “What is filariasis?”  Well, I can know honestly tell you that I still don’t know the answer to this question.  It is a skin disorder, and not at all common in the US.  This is the reason that my doctor didn’t even know how to order a test for it. 

I was starting to get really frustrated with this process.  How can I submit test results when I can’t find a doctor to test me.  Thankfully I found a angel in the form of a nurse named Jordana.  She listened to my concerns, asked what filariasis was, and took my number with a promise to call back after checking to see if a doctor at her practice could help me.  She found one!  The end of this long story is that my testing has been completed. 

I had about 5 viles of blood drawn and a chest x-ray to complete this process, but the process is complete.  Moral of this story?  If at first you don’t succeed, keep calling doctors until you get the right response.

Do you have to cover your head?

Don’t you have to wear one of those head thingies?

I will be moving to the Middle East in about 2 months.  This is generally an announcement that is met with several follow up questions or just questioning looks.  People often ask about how safe it is and warn me to be careful.  1 coworker asked me if I was worried about being kidnapped.  A concerned friend asked if I was becoming Muslim.  A very common question is about whether I will have to wear a head covering.  BTW, I have done research on all of the questions mentioned above and still feel comfortable with my decision to move to Kuwait. 

Kuwait is a Muslim country with laws that are strongly influenced by religion.  The separation of church and state that we take for granted in the USA does not apply there. Women are required to dress conservatively.  The general rule of thumb that I have read about is that I must cover from my shoulders to my knees.  This simply means that tops shouldn’t be sleeveless or revealing.  I have joked with friends that they may see a lot more of “the girls” this summer than usual before I have to hide them for a year.  

My dresses, skirts, and shorts have to be knee length or longer.  This may seem restrictive to some, but many people practice modesty right here in the good ole USA on a daily basis :).  This won’t be a huge change for me, as I don’t commonly wear really short or revealing attire.  The head covering is called a hijab.  The long dress is called an abaya.  These types of attire are very commonplace in Kuwait,  but not required for women to wear.  I have recently wondered if that requirement would have changed my decision to move. 

I just packed my bags for a two week trip.  I have a large suitcase filled with clothing.  This has not even created a dent in my closet.  It reminds me of how I can be quite materialistic at times in my practices.  I’m not one to constantly purchase trendy and fashionable clothes.  I still have plenty of clothes.  I still run into the problem shared by many American women of having a closet full of clothes and nothing satisfactory to wear to an upcoming event.  Usually this means that I just don’t like my available choices.  What if that choice was eliminated or simplified?  What if I had 3-4 abayas to choose from instead of 75 combinations of dresses, skirts, pants, and tops?  I’d like to think that getting dressed would be a lot more simple.  I don’t know if this is true or not.  As a child, I attended a school in which all students wore uniforms.  I remember that this meant we paid a lot of attention to one another’s hair, hair bows, tights, and shoes.  Would a limited choice of clothing simplify my morning preparation or lead me to develop a new obsession with shoes and designer hijabs?

I have a limit of about 4 bags or suitcases that I can take with me to Kuwait.  How do I narrow down what to take?  What really matters.  I welcome this opportunity to take a closer look at what I actually need and what items are simply “extras”.  I get to minimalize with purpose.  Sometimes thinking about this makes me a bit nervous.  I know that I am more attached to my “stuff” than I need to be.  I actually want to change this. After all,  I usually stick with my favorite 2 pairs of jeans even though there are 8 pair to choose from.  The same goes with other categories of clothing as well.  Maybe I can survive this move without taking every piece of clothing and pair of shoes I ever bought with me.   .....I can right?