Sunday, February 19, 2012

Moving to Qatar? Another Tutorial


I haven't traveled to many places in this world, but from what I hear and from personal experience, I think Qatar is a very unique country.  It is a place where you can bump up against a wide variety of cultures, literally, as in the unpleasant traffic kind of way, and figuratively, as in the beautiful smile and head wag of the Indian woman who rang up my groceries today.  Qatar is populated primarily by expats.  Everywhere you look you will see Sri Lankans, Indians, Pakistanis, Australians, Americans, Filipinos, and the list could go on and on.  There are more than 1.7 million people in this tiny country but only a small fraction are full-fledged citizens. Yes, there are Qataris but they make up only 20% of the population.

1.  As you drive around Doha you will notice that there are thousands of new cars, at least that's what they seem to be because the plastic from the car factory is still on the seats.  Well, let's just say that the owners of these cars like to hang on to that "new car smell" as long as possible and leave the factory plastic in place until it is in shreds.  They also like to leave the factory identification papers on the windows too.  You will also notice that when the factory plastic wears off, many Land Cruiser owners will have custom plastic put on the seats.  I haven't been able to understand the logic behind it, but it is quite puzzling.  I have heard that Qatar has more new cars sold per capita than other countries, but I don't have access to that research to back up that rumor.

2.  Qatar is all about how things look.  There is a lot of effort put into making the city look like a paradise in this harsh desert.  Thousands of workers make sure the roundabouts are immaculately in bloom and splendor with everything watered and manicured.  There are even spots in the city where, instead of bothersome grass, there is astroturf and workers are often seen vacuuming said astroturf to keep it looking as much like fake grass as possible.  And if you happen to be walking around the Aspire Zone you might hear the music of sweet birds singing, only there are no trees and no visible birdlife in the area.  So where is the birdsong coming from?  Well, the sound system, of course!


3.  And speaking of parks and walking areas, if you go to Aspire Park, be prepared to have security officers following you around and asking your children not to run in certain areas, throw balls in certain areas, and be too loud.  They are very strict about the kind of fun families can have at the park.  But the ironic thing is that they don't care if children ride their bikes down a very steep hill at full speed and crash at the bottom on the paved walking area.  And if you are single, forget about hanging out at the park.


Can you see the security guard behind us lecturing the children?  Another carefree day at the park.

4.  When we became expats in Qatar in 2008 obtaining a driver's license involved getting a passport photo taken (I blinked the first time and caused some frustration to the not-so-patient Arabic photographer), going to a filthy government office where there were lots of smoking men, having an eye exam with instructions in Arabic, and then watching as our company liaison officer Mohammad Ali convinced the smoking men that I had great eye sight and they should issue my driver's license.

The very next year things changed for Americans.  The rumor said that there was a member of the Qatari royal family who was denied an American driver's license, so as retribution, all Americans, after that, were put through the rigorous paces of a written exam and then a driving exam.  I've heard that the driving exam is horrible and no matter how well you do you automatically fail the first time, and then on the second try, you must execute driving maneuvers without any English instructions.  Also, if you have teenagers, they must wait until age 18 to take the driving exam and they are especially tough on American teenagers.  I know one young man who took the test three or four times, failing each time even though he is a very good driver with a U.S. license.

5.  In Qatar the rules do not apply to everyone.  For example, we went to the Cat Stevens concert last weekend and as we were going through security they wanted us to leave our very expensive camera with them and claim it after the concert.  I saw a pile of camera bags in the grass behind the security table.  I asked if they were confiscating all cameras and phones.  The security woman said, "Well, no, only big cameras."  "So people can take pictures with small cameras and phones?!" was my next question.  She said, "Yes, of course."

We asked for a receipt but they did not have any such system in place for this.  We refused to leave the camera and asked to talk to someone in charge.  Another couple was waiting for the same reason.  When a western-looking man came over to talk to us he told us that Yusef Islam (Cat Stevens) had requested that no close photographs be taken and if we were caught using our camera, we would be asked to leave. So we didn't get any inside photos or recordings of the great music, but at least we got to enjoy being around everyone else who was zooming in on Yusef Islam's beard and getting those great shots for their blogs.

Cat Stevens concert stage - as close as we could get with our LARGE camera outside the case

6.  There are A LOT of men in Qatar.  Most of them are expat workers who wear blue jumpsuits and travel around in buses from building site to first class accommodations - NOT (Qatar is on the International Human Rights Watch List).  While these men are working and traveling in their buses, they are usually staring at ANY women or girls who come into their view, especially if those women or girls have blonde hair and light skin.  It is unnerving, to say the least.  The first year we were here Abbey would bring a shayla in the car and practically make a tent for herself so she wouldn't have to see the staring faces.  At first I told her to ignore them, then I told her to stare back, then I just gave in to the shayla.  I still get uncomfortable with the staring, but I have learned to stare back and try to communicate non-verbally that what they are doing is impolite.

Someone told me that many of these men come from homes in Nepal or India where the only women they interact with are their mothers or sisters and many of them have never even seen white women.  After I heard that I was a little more tolerant, but last week when the painters at our compound would stop what they were doing, turn around on the scaffolding and stare at me the whole way down the street as I walked the dog, I had to ask the manager to remind his workers that they were being very rude.  Sadly, it didn't help much.

7.  There is a Film City, Qatar, and yes, part of one of the Transformers movies was filmed there.  At least that is the rumor.  You tell me if you think it is true.






 Notice the satellite dishes on the right - handy for Bedouin movie night
 And the movie night will be comfortably cool with these babies



 I think that is Josh Duhamel's underwear on that clothesline.

 Re-enacting the battle scene
 The oasis had hundreds of monarch butterflies


8.  Whatever you do, don't eat raw cookie dough.  You don't want to fight the salmonella monster like we did in 2009.

9.  The other day I saw a photo on Facebook of a Qatar road sign that said, "Beware of Road Surprises" and the photographer had captioned it with, "Only in Qatar does this sign make perfect sense."  Yes, if you move here you must be prepared for road surprises by the hundreds EVERY SINGLE DAY.  Those would include the road construction (it is called ROAD WORKS here), terrible drivers, huge cement trucks monopolizing the road, and plenty of Grand Canyon-like pot holes that all of a sudden get filled and then are blocked off with cinder blocks and boards - you know instead of those silly orange cone-shaped things.

And speaking of surprises on the road:

 I think this truck was on its way to a production of "Once Upon a Mattress".



10.  When you buy produce at the local Carrefour, Giant Store, or LuLu make sure and get it weighed and priced in the produce area.  It took me quite awhile to get used to standing in line in the produce area to have my apples put on the scale and given a bar coded sticker before heading to the cashier at the front of the store.  There were plenty of oranges and potatoes that I just left behind at the cashier when they were held up for ridicule when found without the appropriate price sticker.  Again, in Qatar I have learned to let my shopping list and my to-do list go unchecked many times.

Other posts on moving to Qatar


Sunday, February 5, 2012

Bragging Rights


Yes, I think I have a right to brag about how gorgeous my daughter is because I also get to experience the bittersweet feelings of watching her grow up.  We've always called her our Bonus Baby because she came along after our hope of having another child had evaporated with the passing of ten long years of trying to get her here.  Abbey isn't a baby anymore, in fact she is as tall or taller than many adults.  She is a treasure that I have tried to lock away in that family treasure chest of love, but just like my other two children escaped, so will she - and that is how it should be.  So I'm just taking a moment today to revel in this beautifully complex creation that Heavenly Father allowed us to be a part of.  Her insides are even more remarkable than her outsides and that is the most rewarding part of being her mom.  I love you, Abigail!

A Reminder From Afton


A couple of weeks ago I was sick and feeling generally down, and not just because I was sick.  Doha Days can sometimes stretch into Doha weeks around here.  If you don't know what I am talking about, you haven't lived in Doha.  I don't think I possess the vocabulary skills for describing exactly what Doha Days are like except to say that there are days here when the bland color of Qatar beige chews at your soul and suddenly hope is some distant concept that is then replaced by resignation, surrender, and the waving of an emotional white flag.


So it was on one of my many Doha Days that my neighbor and friend Afton dropped by with these flowers.  She was apologetic for disturbing me and apologetic that the lilies hadn't opened yet but promised me they would.  I thanked her as well as I could, being shocked into the realization that color and hope still existed and they had just been handed to me in a bouquet. Afton walked out my door not knowing the ripples of her delivery.

Almost instantly I felt the flutters of expectation and renewal.  Flowers can be such a frivolous purchase when we get them for ourselves, but as I received this simple gift from a thoughtful friend, the blossoms of life returned to my heart and I felt gratitude flood the bland thought diet I had been existing on.  I began feasting on the nuances of my many blessings and shook off the lethargy of depression.  Thanks, Afton.  Your flowers hung around for a long time, and the lilies DID bloom into fragrant floral paintings that let me find myself in more glorious landscapes than the sandstorms on the horizon.  And Afton, thanks for being a continuous reminder of all that is good in this world.