Deployment to Kuwait, Mandatory MWR Trips

The military funds your plane ticket home for mid tour leave and that's it; you fund the rest i.e. meals, chargeable leave, entertainment, etc. &nbsp;This MWR trip is funding transportation and giving you free time off. &nbsp;They are basically the same. &nbsp;You mentioned that you wouldn't complain if this was your "mandatory" mid tour leave and you had to spend your money on your own personal MWR. &nbsp;However, I get the feeling from your posting that since this is someone else's version you don't really want to spend your own personal funds.<div><br></div><div>It comes down to attitude. &nbsp;You can go on the MWR trip and do nothing, spend nothing and see nothing. &nbsp;Or, you can go into the city and enjoy some time away from the FOB. &nbsp;When I went (2003) the exchange rate was about 1 KD to 3 USD, horrible exchange rate, but went anyway. &nbsp;I spent about $200 and enjoyed my time with three other Soldiers.</div><div><br></div><div>As someone else here mentioned "We are Ambassadors of the US." &nbsp;See this as an opportunity to get out and meet folks and see things you wouldn't otherwise meet and see. &nbsp;I remember meeting a young boy, about 10, named Salim. &nbsp;The conversation went something like this:</div><div>S: Where are you from?</div><div>Me: Texas.</div><div>S: Texas, I know Texas. &nbsp;"Who shot JR?"</div><div>Me: Thinking to myself, Wow, this kid knows the old TV show Dallas.</div><div>S: Do you speak Arabic?</div><div>Me: No, I only English and Spanish.</div><div>S: I speak Arabic, English and Spanish.</div><div>Me: You speak Spanish? Really? I don't believe it.</div><div>-- At this point we have a conversation in Spanish. &nbsp;Turns out this kid's dad was a Mexican engineer who came over in the 80's to develop the oil production programs and married a Kuwaiti woman. &nbsp;Never in a million years would I have thought I would be speaking Spanish to a 10 year old in Kuwait.</div>

I actually got off post with a contractor and the night life is pretty awesome... No alcohol but lots of shopping. Watch out for the little kids beggin for money. They will probably take you to the towers too and there are pictures of what happened to them during the iraq invasion. Get out and expirence the culture. Take pictures and send them to me. I lost my camera after my deployment in 2006.

What the hell, it gets you off the camp for a few hours. It's too bad they won't turn the troops loose in the Souq for a couple of hours. You're right though, Kuwait is pretty much an overflowing toilet of a country. I spent five years in SWA and I have to say the kuwaitis are NOT my favorite Arabs. The Emiratis, on the other hand.....

SSG Sheck, I'm here on Camp Arifjan as well, I'm assuming you are here. I think it all depends on your unit. When we had our in-brief COL Eubanks put out that everyone would go off post but our unit doesn't really seem to be enforcing it. My unit has been here 3 months and i have still yet to go on a "mandatory" off-post trip. That's not saying I wouldn't like to go. I'm dying to go this sat and get some Texas Roadhouse lol.

Eh, not sure if it should be mandatory, however, at least you do have the option to get out and see something you otherwise wouldn't.

For Christ’s sake, take in a good meal and pick up a few really unique souvenirs. Learn to exist in a totally different culture. Finally, be a good Ambassador for America. Some of the best meals I ever had were in the Mid East. Hit the Gold Souk, nothing like it in America.

It is very expensive in Kuwait, the exchange rate is $3 for each KD. I went to the mall in Kuwait city. For example a shirt that would cost $20 in the states would cost 20 KD

You do not have to go on any MWR trip. But, in the event you wanted to go on any trip in Kuwait, you had to take a class on Kuwait. The transportation to Kuwait city is provided by the MWR. The rest the individual paid for

Always take any tour offered. Get off base and recharge your mind. Monotonous duty is a morale killer.
Even though Kuwait isn’t the best place to visit, you can still get a falafel or some other good treat.

Off topic, but I loved the MWR trips in other countries such as Italy, Spain and Turkey. All the wine tasting tours are wonderful, if you can ever get on one of those.

Heck, seize the chance, when I was there in Jan 98, there was no camp Arifan, just stuck out in the desert in a kubal, modern Kuwait was awesome, and we also went down to the city area where the females were completely covered minus the eyes. We were told not to stare or look. Not sure what Arifan has to offer, we had camp Doha, which some were able to go,