Our journey to Qatar was uneventful but exhausting, taking us through Frankfurt, Germany and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The customs official who met us in Doha was far more interested in flirting with his female colleague at the next customs station than speaking with us. I say this with confidence despite the fact it was all in Arabic - some languages are universal!
College representatives met us outside customs and there began a whirlwind two days of orientation, moving into our villa, shopping (ironically) for all the things we had just divested ourselves of in Canada, and just plain trying to het over jet lag (still a work in progress).
As we walked out of the air-conditioned airport, my glasses instantly fogged up in the sauna-like conditions and I immediately re-thought choosing jeans as my travel garment. Entering our nearby air-conditioned hotel brought the same kind of relief you feel when entering a warm building on a -40 degree day in Canada. I now walk from building to building with the same sense of desperation as I did on a cold winter day at home - but now desperate to be cool!
The College has looked after us well, providing a one-hour 'survival' orientation the morning following our arrival and supplying drivers to ferry us around various and sundry shopping facilities to ensure we settle in to our villas comfortably.
Our second day took us to the College itself, a beautiful and modern facility with lovely courtyards, fountains, and reflecting pools which I'm certain I will enjoy sitting near once the cool weather arrives in mid-October - a pleasant 23 to 26 degrees. My HR friends will appreciate it when I describe that day as "running the HR gauntlet" with many people to see and forms to sign. One of my colleagues turned out to be our tour guide so both John and I got to see our offices. We saw John's first, at which point he made the comment (those who know him will appreciate his sense of humour), "I wonder if my office is bigger than yours". I cannot for the life of me understand why men are obsessed by size... For the record, I will simply note that my office is bigger and leave any sarcastic but satisfying comments to your own imaginations...
Since then, the College has been closed in anticipation of Eid, the celebration marking the end of the holy month of Ramadan (Aamer and Saman - we will miss your Eid celebration this year). With Muslims fasting from sunrise to sunset, we are not permitted to eat or drink in public during those times, something which has presented a challenge on our frequent shopping forays, particularly for Kate who has a voracious appetite most of the time. I discovered her chewing gum as we left our villa for the mall yesterday and she was perplexed to find she needed to spit it out. She is also still somewhat incredulous regarding the need to be modest in her clothing choices (not that she is all that bad to begin with). I sent her back to her room twice the other day as her shirt sleeves were too short and her fashionably ripped jeans show some flesh. Around the compound she can wear what she wants but she needs to get used to trousers and skirts below the knee and sleeves that cover the tops of her arms. It is true that you do see exceptions to this in public but it is also true that it invites stares and comments. I find the vast majority of my wardrobe is suitable for Doha.
Her are some fun and interesting things we have learned so far:
1. Hot and cold water taps are reversed in the summer. More accurately, we have hot water coming from our cold taps and warm water coming from our hot taps. We won't actually have any cold water until December or so once the outside weather cools down.
2. The water supply is controlled by a switch behind the fridge. Don't shove the fridge against the wall and then call the maintenance guy because you have no water...
3. Be sure to have your vegetables at the grocery store weighed and affixed with a sticker BEFORE you go the check out. This will eliminate holding up the 20-person deep line while a helpful employee saunters (and I mean saunters) back to do it for you.
4. Do wear protective gear while shopping. This will eliminate any injuries you incur wrestling with other shoppers to keep your clearly-earned spot in line. Don't be shy or you will find everyone butting in front of you. Also wear proper shoes to avoid shopping trolley mishaps at the hands of aggressive shoppers intent on getting home to prepare post-sunset meals.
5. Drive as if you are the only person on the road and everyone else simply must get out of your way. This is complicated greatly by the fact EVERYONE drives that way, especially around the thousand or so roundabouts in Doha.
6. Triple the amount of time it would normally take you to get stuff done in Canada. A case in point: Yesterday we went to buy Kate's school uniform at the only shop in Doha that carries it. Don't expect detailed directions or addresses from anyone. The shop told me, "we are on Salwa Road near the Decoration Roundabout". Okay. Here are some other things it would have been helpful to know:
a) You can't actually access the shop from Salwa Road which is currently under construction. Expect to drive up and down the road several times trying to figure out how to get to it.
b) Don't expect the shop name to be prominent or in English. Ask for things it is near like, "across from the Mercedes dealership" or "right next door to Alwan Furniture" if they have a huge sign and yours is so minuscule as to be unreadable from Salwa Road.
c) You need to park in the back and then risk heat exhaustion by walking the entire length of the strip-mall like building and double back again. Don't expect signs in the back either to tell you which shop is which.
All of these things (and others like them) combine to make going to any new location a somewhat time-consuming albeit interesting adventure. On the upside, you make serendipitous discoveries as you continually get lost, such as the big vet centre we found yesterday that offers grooming, boarding, and medical services for our spoily little dog, Penny. She lost her collar, tags, and halter somewhere between Amsterdam and Doha so we were able to outfit her again and now know where we can go for help with her.
Work starts on September 4 and Kate's school on September 11 so I'm sure I will have more tales to tell from there. Please do post comments - even short ones - so I know someone is out there reading this from time to time!
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Location:Doha, Qatar
