Kuwait and Bahrain expats describe sleepless nights as sirens sound, schools shift online
Irish expatriates in Kuwait and Bahrain say nights of sirens and distant explosions have upended daily life this week, prompting schools and universities to move classes online as families weigh contingency plans but try to carry on.
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Jake McAllister, a school principal originally from Portstewart in Derry who has lived in Kuwait for more than seven years, said the atmosphere changed less than a day after he, his wife, Marlene, and their almost 8-month-old daughter, Elena, returned from a mid-term break in Egypt.
“I’ve been here since 2018, and I’ve never felt unsafe in Kuwait at all,” McAllister said. “But last week, less than 24 hours after we were home from our holiday, sirens heralded the threat of missile strikes.”
He said the rumble of explosions has continued into this week, breaking sleep and fraying nerves across the capital. “I think last night was a pretty sleepless night for a lot of people,” McAllister said. “From almost everyone I’ve spoken to, and from our experience as well, we were hearing the explosions, we’re hearing the sirens going off in the middle of the night.”
While his family’s experience has been mostly auditory, he said they have twice watched debris drift down from the night sky. “We can’t say exactly what it is that’s coming down,” he said. “But from what we’re hearing and seeing from people, it seems like the air defence system is doing its job.”
Beyond the noise, the disruption has been swift and practical. McAllister said schools across Kuwait mounted a “humongous effort” to switch to online learning to ensure students don’t miss out. “People are a bit tense and apprehensive,” he added, “but the community spirit is strong, with everyone checking in on everyone else.”
Asked whether he is considering leaving, McAllister said it remains “early days” and he hopes “things will settle down.”
Across the causeway in Bahrain, Paul O’Farrell, a lecturer in biochemistry who moved there two decades ago, described a similar mix of caution and resolve as families adjust to the rhythms of alerts and interceptions.
“We feel relatively safe,” O’Farrell said, noting his home is far from major American military installations. “We do hear noises — a lot of the noises we are told are interceptions rather than bombs landing — and Patriot missiles taking off to intercept things before they get here.”
O’Farrell said his 17-year-old daughter has shifted to remote schooling. As of today, he added, his university has also pivoted to online lectures, a now-familiar pandemic-era tool redeployed to navigate a different kind of uncertainty. “We’re in no rush to try and run away and escape to anywhere,” he said, “but we are making some plans as to how we would evacuate if we are told to.”
He called the family’s stance “cautious, not panicked,” with routines reshaped around alerts and official guidance. “We’re keeping our eyes open and adjusting to the vagaries of what’s happening at the moment,” O’Farrell said.
For expatriates in Kuwait and Bahrain, the week’s pattern has been consistent: night skies that echo with sirens and interceptions; daytime WhatsApp check-ins and neighborhood reassurance; and classrooms that have, once again, migrated to screens. Whether the situation eases or intensifies, families say they will continue to balance vigilance with the practicalities of work, school and community — and hope the calm that long defined their lives in the Gulf returns soon.
By Abdiwahab Ahmed
Axadle Times international–Monitoring.
