What happened to TIES and the AWARE Center?

 I was going through my links and I found that TIES and the AWARE Center have disappeared which is sad because they did a lot for the expats who wanted to learn about Kuwait. TIES was more religious and offered religious programs, religious classes in English and tours. 

The AWARE center offered programs, activities and tours for everyone in Kuwait. The last post for the AWARE center was November 2024 and then nothing, the Google location says permanently closed. They had been located in Surra for a long time then moved to Funaitees. It was non-profit, non-governmental and non-political NGO. I do remember them being backed by the ministry of Awqaf so maybe the government decided they didn't need the centers any more.

I had attended a lot of events from AWARE center, they were always offering tours which included transportation for a small fee. I visited a few Kuwaiti dwaniyas and interesting tops of chat gatherings. I can't find any information on when or why they closed?

Update:

I ran into the British lady who worked for AWARE center today and she told me that they shut down in May because the government said they can't be in Kuwaiti housing area. They had been located in a Kuwaiti house in Surra until they moved to Funaitees. It has been difficult both financially and trying to find a commercial location. I hope they can find a place and bring back their program in the near future.

Shadeness Make-Up Vending Machine

In USA there are so many different kinds of vending machines, from food to Labubus and now there's a make-up vending machine in Gate Mall from Shadeness Kuwait. From their IG account it looks like there might be a few vending machines around Kuwait.

They are also known for their first ever drive-thru make-up location in Shuwaikh close to Ananass restaurant.
 

New Wingstop Kuwait locations

 The first Wingstop location in Kuwait is in Bida and now there are two more locations opening soon:

Liwan Mall in Egaila 

Liwan Mall is a surprising location as that mall is dead, it's beside Gate Mall and everyone knows how crowded that parking area gets.

The second location is in Sea View in Abu Halaifa        

 

A slightly better location with more foot traffic but horrible traffic and minimal parking. You can easily get stuck inside that area. I really thought they would open a branch in The Warehouse, Gate Mall or Al Kout considering they are malls and have plenty of parking. I wonder where the next locations will be?

Junky Burger ,In-N-Out Dupe? Or?

 My mom spends a lot of time on Instagram and came across a supposed dupe for In-N-Out restaurant, or so they claim. We are from California and my sister's first job was at In-N-Out so she knows the secrets and how things are done. It's called Junky burger and their IG page is full of videos and pictures of In-N-Out type burgers and fries, even the menu is from In-N-Out. Last night we gave it a try, I'm the one that never tries new things from social media because I'm always disappointed.

Here's their menu from IG

My mom and daughter ordered regular single size burgers while my other daughter and I ordered ''Animal Style'' with mine having no sauce. The sauce they use for IN-N-Out is a thousand island type sauce and I hate it. ''Animal style'' is a cheeseburger prepared with a mustard-grilled patty, added pickles, extra spread and grilled onion topping, we ordered regular fries. You can only order by whatsapp and when you click on the above link for the location a juice shop appears, maybe they replaced the shop?

There isn't any info about delivery charge, their location is Abu Fateira and we are in Egaila, the charge was 1 KD. After a while the food was delivered, I'm assuming by the owner as the guy who handed me the bag was Kuwaiti? I opened the bag and this is what we got for 12.800 KD:

The picture above is of the regular single burger, the sauce is only ketchup and mayo mixed together, not the same sauce as In-N-Out by any means. As for my ''Animal style'' there was grilled onions, no mustard to be found or tasted and the fries were just normal frozen ones. In-N-Out make their fries from fresh hand cut potatoes, my sister told us the stories of how many hours she used to make their fries. Maybe, just maybe it might be a little better if you pick up your order but I won't be trying it again. IF you want to try them their IG is junky_burger

When I looked closer at their IG posts I figured most of the videos are of actual In-N-Out burgers from USA and a few Kuwait videos mixed in. I was hoping it was true but nope, just a regular no frills burger.