Daily Life in Doha.

I have been in Doha for almost a month and everyone has asked: "What do you do with yourself?" I can honestly say that I have yet to be bored. I am up from about 7am and start my day with a local newspaper (delivered to my door courtesy of hotel management), then shift to the computer to check emails, moving on to the Globe and Mail to keep ahead of news back home. I usually have some or other correspondence to write, or household specifics to manage - it has become a three ball juggling act to manage the ins and outs of rental property in Calgary, the house in Burlington and our local 'home' here in Doha - paying bills, finding directions, obtaining licences, etc. At about 9.30 I haul myself off to the gym for an hour of extremely necessary, but extremely boring walking on the dreaded treadmill, and then some equally dreaded weights. By the time I have re-engineered myself, it is about 11am. Back to the computer for about an hour on organizing, and editing photographs, and another hour to compile a photo album or learn more from my Photoshop manual. After that a quick bite to eat, maybe read a chapter or two, knit, write, plan a trip, practice Spanish, go back to photographs, emails, try my hand at web design - and before you know it - it is 4.30 and I have to trot off to the local grocery store to buy dinner. Then it's home to cook, wait for Patrick, eat dinner and relax for the evening.
There is always the pool downstairs or a trip to somewhere if I want. There is no time for TV and too many new experiences to take in for me to mope or feel bored. And still so much to do: the possibility of volunteering, getting involved in social organizations - currently signed up with South Africans in Qatar and the Canadians in Qatar clubs. There are many universities here - so looking into courses, research and committees as well. I will also be taking Arabic lessons. The most exciting of all: Patrick and I have taken the plunge and will start our first scuba diving lessons shortly.

So, as you can see - plenty to keep me busy and active and out of trouble.

Camel spotting.

We have completed our first trek into the desert. We went exploring in the interior of the country (Qatar being only about 50 miles by 150 miles, it will not take long to do it all). There are very few interior roads to navigate outside the city, and it was very soon that we found ourselves in the middle of the desert with no habitation anywhere. We saw our first camels - pretty exciting!, but the roads leave much to be desired.

Actually, the roads are a talking point: in the desert you bump and shake your way round potholes, and heat ridges, coughing on the dust, and watching out for sleeping policemen. In the city of Doha, on the other hand, there is an enormous amount of ongoing road construction that impedes travel everywhere. Side roads are in a really poor state and perform like obstacle courses. On the main roads, either double or triple lane, the speed limit is between 80 and 100kms. There are no left turns available for the most part, so everyone has to u-turn at the interspersed traffic signals, or wait for round abouts to appear. We have seen some questionable driving practices: using the median as a convenient third lane if you are in a hurry to turn left; seat belt use is unpopular - have actually seen an infant held on the drivers lap, and 'speed demons' with very heavy feet on accelerator pedals.

Horn honking has been raised to concert performance levels - proactive hooting to let you know they want to go...now!, horns blaring within nanoseconds of the light turning green is a very popular device used by at least 3 to 5 people behind you, and, of course, the ever present "hey, you nearly hit me" situations that build to a crescendo at peak driving times. Staying within your designated lane in the execution of a round about drive, is a rare phenomenon - it is not unusual for someone to cut from the inside left to the far right to exit, because heaven forbid you should have to go round again if you are caught in the wrong lane.

I have viewed driving with trepidation, and so far been reluctant to sit behind the steering wheel - I prefer to let Patrick practice his defensive driving techniques first. I will take my turn...when I have to.

Insha'Allah

First Days in Doha

So here we are in Doha - sitting in my living room with a view of older Doha (that is to say, no huge intricate skyscrapers to be seen from this vantage point). We started off in a hotel room which felt pretty restricting - you can feel like a caged lion when you only have the bed and a couch and nowhere else to go. However, we have since moved into a suite, which is quite a luxurious combination of living/dining room with a reasonably well-stocked kitchenette, as well as a place for that all important item, the computer. Then there is also the bedroom on the other side, and two bathrooms no less. What is really great is that we have access to the pool, a gym, at least 5 restaurants, bars and coffeeshops. The real bonus - no housework at all!

Patrick's work week has changed to reflect the Muslim Holy week. and it takes a bit to get your head around the new schedule. So Friday is a Holy day when everything shuts down until about 4pm - everyone gets this day off. Saturday becomes the new Sunday and if you are lucky you will get this day off too. However, many business' work either a 6 day week or give every alternate Saturday off (so Patrick works 11 days out of 14, which means an extra 25 days a year, which means he works for 13 months in a year). So now we start Monday on Sunday - however, neither of us get up on Sunday morning feeling like it's the start of the work week. And the rest of the week is a confusion..."Is this Monday or Tuesday? no - feels like Sunday...check the calendar - Oh dear, it's Wednesday".

Blogging as a communication option.

I have finally decided to immerse myself in the new technology. I am moving my email newletter to this site in the hopes of becoming more consistent in my correspondence to family and friends. Hopefully it will be more accessible, and will also create better opportunities for photo viewing. Being a 'leisure princess' has its benefits as I have had the time to learn to create this site. However, if this is anything like my attempts at Facebook, I still have a long way to go. Trial and error will be my constant companions I am sure. So here goes....