doha daily 3/24/06

Our last last last night in the hotel, this is it! We are finally starting "Doha Life." These past 10 weeks don't really count when they've been spent in the hotel. 'Tis not quite the same, as I've mentioned the smoked salmon for breakfast... Our kitchen looks as though a bomb hit it, quite frankly. Compared to all of the space we had in Pasadena, we have 1/3 of the space here. Hence, I am frantically searching for shelving units to accommodate and unpack the remainder of the 6 boxes still stacked against the wall. I did get smart today by going to the hardware souq to buy weather strips for across the bottoms of the doors. Without them, sand and dust keep blowing underneath, and ultimately ON everything in their paths, like, our SOFAS! Dust is EVERYWHERE! And it just keeps coming and coming. I think the only way to combat the dust is to buy carpeting! Under the doors, through the bathroom vents…ok, enough about the dust.

Since today is Friday, I was unable to go shopping for any shelving units as there is nothing open until 4p, (including the Malls) and even then, most private retailers are closed. Grocery stores Friday morning, however…PACKED! Another thing: you have to plan your shopping for either the morning or afternoon, as everything (except Malls) close down between 12noon and 4p. Luckily, this is when Tristan takes his naps. But if you are on a shopping “role,” beware.

As the guys were unloading the container yesterday, you could spot immediately the packages where "customs" performed their random "sampling." They must pick various items to inspect, unwrap, inspect and re-wrap; rather shoddily I might add, throw some tape around the re-wrapped object and toss it back into the container with no rhyme or reason. I still have about 20 boxes to open, but so far have only lost a few wine glasses, a teacup and a Pyrex dish. The BIG damage happens to be on the back of Thierry's bike, his top case. It took them a total of 5 hours to unload and unpack. But the 20+ boxes I am referring to, being left unopened are due to the fact that I am not sure WHERE we are going to put everything. Lesson learned: pack light, they are just "things."

Aside from being bitten three times in one day by the same child, Tristan has been adjusting quite nicely to the French nursery. THAT situation couldn’t have been better timing with the move, etc. Mother’s Day was this past week, March 21st for the Arabian countries. I found it kind of odd it was on a workday. The Nursery handed out roses to all of the Moms, though.

Doha Daily NEWSFLASH! New special correspondent section of the Doha Daily: “Airline to start e-Ticketing” (Qatar Air). “Verdict soon on maids held for a year over theft.” (Here, you are guilty until proven innocent) “Indian woman in court on rash driving charge.” “Qatari who stole credit card says it was a prank.” “Public to help nab hose ban violators.” (This pertains to the drought in London and those who do not comply to water rationing) “Killer brew death toll rises to 40” (This is about a home-made alcohol in India and how it has killed 40 people within the last 5 days) “Malaysian women police must wear scarves to events.”

I read it is considered rude and inappropriate here in the Middle East to drink with your left hand, by the way. So if you are right-handed…big trouble.

Since we are leaving the hotel tomorrow, we are also leaving our Internet connection. I am supposed to contact Q-tel (The Telephone/Internet “Monopoly” here in Qatar) for an appointment. A 1MG connection costs 300QR’s/month or $82/month. Whoa! But there is no choice. If you want Internet, you MUST get a landline, which we’ll probably NEVER use and then apply for a DSL line, and you must use Q-tel. There are connection choices, ie, dial-up, but I’ve heard that it is a portal for viruses. And I’m learning that some sites are blocked here. Similar to Shanghai (when I write Malia) – she is unable to view certain websites.

See you in a week, I hope!

doha daily 3/21/06

BIG NEWS! Tristan started attending the French Nursery today. We arrived at 800a and although he cried for all of 5 minutes, he soon forgot I was there and after an hour of hanging out, I walked out the door no problem. NO PROBLEM! WOW! I was able to accomplish more errands this morning than I could have ever imagined! So THIS is what it’s like to be an “expat wife,” as everyone keeps telling me J. Tristan has been on waiting lists for three other nurseries and it just so happens that across the street from the US Embassy is this French Nursery. I walked in, spoke some timid French, and two weeks later, Tristan is a full-time “student.” The kids begin their day by playing outside, breakfast is at 8a, singing class with French songs, thereafter. Then there is painting, working with computers, lunch, more playing outside and then home for a nap! The official hours are from 630a to 200p, 5 days per week, all for the price of 850QR’s per month – that’s $234/month for all of you Mom’s out there slinging hash on the side to afford daycare. The BEST thing is…Tristan is now spending time with children his age and can expend all of that almost two-year old energy as opposed to sitting in his car seat all day long while his Mom schleps him from appointment to appointment.

Speaking of the US Embassy, I had to go yesterday to get something notarized for the sale of our house. One signature and notary stamp costs $30! I’m writing a letter to GW. I thought the Embassy was supposed to be a safe haven for those citizens visiting foreign countries.
NO GAUGING ALLOWED!

MORE BIG NEWS! We are moving into our villa Thursday afternoon! AND…the motorcycles are being delivered at the same time! Thierry has been silently worried about the bikes since we’ve arrived. I went to the store today to get some cleaning supplies – felt like I was in College again; only there is no “Target” here : ).

A landscaper is meeting me tomorrow morning. I imagine he’ll just tell me grass and bougainvillea, due to tolerance to the heat. And maybe some rock. And I haven't seen any cactus...

What else? It’s hard to think, as this morning was such a HUGE milestone for Tristan. I’m very excited he is going to get more French and me too, for that matter.

Toni&Guy just opened at The Mall. No really, it’s called “The Mall.”

Tomorrow I call for the DSL installation appointment, so I may be “down” for a few days. We officially check out of the hotel Friday am, and will be in Villa #5 thereafter. Now is the appropriate time to utilize the expression, "In Shaa-allah."

I have a new cell number as I have given the phone I was borrowing back to the hotel. It is now (011) 974 650 7634 (I like this # better :). Our home number is (011) 974 413 4853.

See you!

doha daily 3/18/06

Wardrobes, blinds and phone line – CHECK! Clean house, semi-free of dust - CHECK! NOW WHERE'S OUR STUFF?! It has been 17 days since it arrived; could be any day now...so they say. But I've also just learned that the more video's/dvd's/books/music you have, the longer it takes to sort out as Customs could very well be sifting through each one to make certain there is no offensive or forbidden content. And we brought quite a few. Hope the Disney dvd's clear ok : ). Once we move, I think the hardest thing I’ll have to teach Tristan is that smoked salmon and capers don’t just magically appear on a plate each morning for breakfast…as they do here in the Hotel :)

We were walking around the Hotel the other day when I walked into the Shisha tent where the Employees were cleaning and serving the pipes. They are very interesting looking as I have mentioned before and I now I know how they are prepared. The base of the pipe serves as a water reservoir and the tobacco is packed tightly into a cap-like piece at the top of the pipe covered in foil with several poked holes – almost looks like a showerhead. Red-hot coals, 3 or 4, are then placed on top of the foil to begin cooking the tobacco. There is a long mouthpiece connected to a long tube connected to the water reservoir. It is placed along side you as you sit with your friends holding the mouthpiece in your hand taking the occasional toke, while sipping tea, talking about life and eating dates – at least that’s what I see them doing in the Shisha Bar. As Tristan and I were watching them prepare the pipes, they prepared one for ME! Grape. Of course, I HAD to try it, so I took 2 puffs and blew out the smoke, probably in Tristan’s face. It kind of tasted like grape, but smelled very sweet and spicy. Tul, the Shisha attendant egged me on to take more so I took two more puffs and gave the pipe back as a small rush of some sort entered my head – I think it was more of a headache actually. There is no nicotine and I've been told there is no scare for addiction. Everyone started laughing at me and I was told that it could be a normal reaction to the first time (or two…) The tobacco should normally last for about ½ hour. And I was shown a special ball of foil which contained the “hard-core” tobacco that only “old men” smoke. Interesting...

I visited the dermatologist the other day – ironically enough, it took me moving to the desert to be concerned about taking care of my skin. Since moving here, I’ve had extremely dry skin and the Dr. thinks it may due to the water here and the extreme way the seawater is processed and then reprocessed again. Whatever it is, I’m now applying oil to my skin after a shower or bath and using Bioderm, an intense moisturizer made in France to find a cure. I will return to the Dr. in 3 days from now to see if there has been a difference. I guess Vit C doesn’t prevent skin-stuff : )

As we decided a used car was the way to go, I was scouring the classifieds, websites and shopping center bulletin boards for any used car deals. Tristan and I went to a used car dealer last week – Boy…THAT was fun. As we were looking at an SUV, Mohammed, the car Salesman let us into one to see how it performed and began small talk with, “Where are you from?” etc…When I told him the US, he asked me if I could get him a Visa to go there. WHAT?! He then asked me if I was married, to which I immediately replied, “YES!” CREEPY! I cut the car-hunting short needless to say, and told him I planned on returning with someone in the afternoon. Because virtually all businesses shut down between 1 and 4pm here, except shopping malls. And believe it or not, you would think that all of the fitness centers and spas would be PACKED with people between those times, but it’s quite the opposite – that is the time to eat lunch and take a siesta. Ok, back to the used car salesman. As I was leaving, Mohammed started following me to my car (don’t worry, there were PLENTY of people there). He was asking me what time I would be returning. I stopped before I got anywhere NEAR my car and asked, “Why do you want to know?!” He backed off and started walking away, but it was so frustrating! I’ve heard this is a common occurrence with the men here, even if you are at a bar and standing NEXT to your spouse – it doesn’t seem to make a difference.

Thierry, Tristan and I went to Lulu and Nick’s house last evening (The Scottish couple we almost had the pleasure of living next to back in January). They had a dart competition for their friends and ordered carryout from a place called Caravan – the menu is a 6-page foldout with a diverse variety of food – Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Indian, and the food was GREAT! Spicy, but GREAT! So now we know there is a carry-out/delivery service that will deliver in all of Doha. I just need to get ahold of one of those menus. And their friends are all so nice. It’s nice to hear everyone’s stories, where they come from, how many other places they’ve lived – I feel a bit sheltered when chatting with them as this is my first expat experience. Lulu and Nick have a 13-old son, named Jack. Tristan calls him Jack Jack (after the Incredibles) and has taken to him, so BAM! We have a babysitter! And they live quite close to our new place J.

Tristan and I visited the Souq Waqif today (the old souq). Here are some pictures for you: A cobbler in the “cobbler’s pose” and some falcons for sale.

Until next time, See you!








falcons for sale
spice shop in souq waqif

a cobbler in the souq waqif

doha daily 3/12/06

Dunestock Stage

Food Tent







Kids Tent
This past Friday, Tristan and I attended Qatar's 2nd annual "Dunestock 06." (A "sandy" version of Woodstock out in the desert) At 10am we met up at Angela's house and caravanned West with 5 other cars past the US Army Base in the direction of the town, Mesaieed. I had planned to be out in the desert for only a few hours, so we just brought a cooler full of water, juice for Tristan and a few bites to eat. After this excursion however, I will take going out into the desert a bit more seriously. We were well prepared, no problem, but there are things you need to think about, like...make certain someone knows where you are going to be, have a full tank of gas, make certain your cellphone is juiced up and since this is a concert in the desert, do you have a blanket to sit on or perhaps something to SHADE you from the sun!!! (Luckily, Angela brought her "soccermom" gazebo - we were like sitting ducks on a pond) And, oh yes, the WATER. I was a bit hesitant about going in the rental KIA, but everyone assured me the sand/rock would accommodate. We stayed on a paved road until we arrived at some large sand dunes and then the lead car careened off the beaten path to follow some tire marks in the sand that swerved in a snake-like fashion and contained chunky jagged rocks, until we came around the corner of a large sand dune, like in the movie "Planet of the Apes." (It made more sense to me to go as the crow flies from the street to where everyone was parking their cars in the sand, but it seemed that everyone before us followed the same route, so that must have been the thing to do...the entire time I thought my tires were going to pop) The wind was blowing hard and as we pulled around the corner you could see the diehards in their tents, which were leaning with the strong wind, who slept there the night before. Occassionally, someone would drive by in a Quad kicking up dust, or a Pathfinder could be seen and heard venturing its way up a dune to ride along the top ridge. It's sad to say, but one of the highlights of the day was a GMC truck that rolled down the side of the dune. It was totalled with a smashed windshield and flat tires. I ran up the dune to see the end result, which is NOT an easy task, by the way, I don't care how many miles one runs on the treadmill during the week. Tristan and I took a tour of the food and kids tent. The stage was situated at the base of the sand dune, so for 50riyals you could enter the stage area, park yourself somewhere on this sand dune and watch a concert. OR, I imagine...if you just climber up the backside of the dune, you could get a great seat for free : ) They had 2500 in attendance last year and were expecting 4000 this year. Tristan was a trooper and hung in there until 315ish, when HIS MAMA started getting tired, so he and I left before the concert kicked off (400p). But it was a great experience and I'm glad we went. Cars were filtering in as we were leaving. I wish Thierry could have joined us - I think he would have had fun seeing all of the hippy expats in their H3's with their kids and mini-hibachi's. Our friends returned at midnight, completely exhausted, I was told.

Some other things going on: Car shopping. There is certainly alot to choose from, and unless you are a Toyota Landcruiser, Nissan Pathfinder or Mitsubishi Pajero, you are kind of the odd-man out. There are alot of gold "action" stripes as accessories and it's easy to pass a car that still has the manufacturer's plastic wrapping on the seats, even after one year of owning the car. I've been told that is because it creates an image of the car still being new.

We went and checked on the progress of the wardrobes yesterday - they are coming along nicely. When Thierry and I were walking around the house at 1230p, the workers were all sleeping on the floor in the maid's quarters and along the wall - it was kind of creepy, but we couldn't help ourselves speaking softly so as not to awaken them - lunch break!

It's nice to see Jay Leno and Conan O'Brien on here at a more "reasonable" time - beginning at 9p - the content is always at least one day behind.

I've started downloading NYT's, NPR and Slate's daily podcasts on my ipod to play them in the car as there is only one radio station that is broadcast in English.

Thierry Tristan and I went to a great restaurant yesterday for lunch, called "Mint." Here is a picture - See you!

doha daily 3/5/06

Thierry's Dr's Office

MALADIES! Here's the deal. Thierry has been sick 3 times since arriving, Tristan picked up a 7-day bout of gingostomavitis (or whatever it's called - fancy term for mouth infection), and me, as soon as I felt something coming on, I started popping 2000mg's of Vit C per day and staved it off. We did visit Thierry's Doctor this am. It's funny - it went just like the pediatrician's visit with TBG. The Dr. asked Thierry for the symptoms, took his temperature, the NORMAL way, however, took his blood pressure, checked his glands and determined right then and there it was a virus. He asked if we had any Ibuprofen and prescribed some Panadol (which is like Tylenol). No throat culture, no prick of the finger, no nothing. And 10 minutes later we were out the door. Tristan's appt went exactly the same way only they wanted me to give him a suppository. Um, excuse me, I haven't seen suppositories since I was 8 years old. No thank you! Long story short, Panadol seems to be the "cure-all" here. And according to Thierry's Doctor, these viruses are caught up in a vicious cycle. You arrive here from another country to meet up with a bunch of new viruses that you've never been exposed to before, so if you happen to be working 12-14 hours per day INSIDE in AIR CONDITIONING where the air is constantly RECIRCULATING around you, you are going to keep getting sick until your body becomes immune to everything. Almost every person we know here has confirmed this fact. If you are like me, however, and are out at the pool : ) almost everyday...fresh air and vitamin c seem to be doing the trick. And I am now wearing 30 sunblock on my bod and 50 on my face. Tristan too - the sun is way too intense. Luckily, he wears his hat without a gripe, no problem - I'm trying to get him used to his sun glasses. That's a bit trickier.

I went to the one bookstore (called Jarir Bookstore) that all ex-pats seem to know about and frequent for anything from english written books, to electronics, to cards and office supplies - it seems to be the closest thing to an Office Depot that I've seen yet. One of those kinds of places which, when I was speaking with an American woman my first week here, exclaimed, "OH MY GAWD, YOU HAVEN'T BEEN TO JARIR BOOKSTORE YET?!" Puleez. Up until this point the only reason I would go to Jarir is to browse ipod accessories (pretty much, only leather covers) and webcams. HOWEVER, now that I am no longer working all day, I have found reading again! So, Tristan and I visited this week to find a bonafide book that I could read - I actually had to go up the stairs where the directory read "BOOKS - English and Arabic." There are PLENTY of children's books, coloring, picture dictionaries, etc, PLENTY of romance novels and PLENTY of fictional books and at the very end of the aisle...well-picked over I might add, are "New Releases," where the majority seem to be centered around self-help. At any rate, I went to the counter to see if they had a book in stock, "Devil in a White City," (recommendation of a great friend), The gentlemen there scanned his computer and said to me, "We do not have one here, but I can get you a copy in about two weeks from Saudi." Now, if I were in Pasadena, the clerk would have most likely said to me, "I'm sorry Ma'am, but we are currently sold out. Allow me to contact the Manager at the Glendale store and I'll have her bring one here tonight as she lives here in Pasadena. Can you come back around 7p?" At least...that is what I was thinking to myself while this gentleman was telling me I was at the mercy of their store in Saudi Arabia. I ordered it : ). Seems to be the way things are here. Our blinds for example, are being manufactured in Dubai and the majority of the cost is paying for the actual shipment from Dubai.

This week, I phoned and gravelled with the Manager of "Tots Corner" nursery. Apparently, Tristan is #6 on the list, OY! That could take months! He's on the waiting list for another nursery as well, called "Tinkerbells," but I prefer Tots as they have actual grass. Tinkerbells has laid down some green carpeting as if it is supposed to simulate grass - seems to be a problem here - shortage of nurseries for kids who are Tristan's age.

Also, this week, I headed back to the grocery store to buy a supply of nutri-grain bars - that way, Tristan has a "Gateau" supply. Last week and weeks prior, they have cost 7QR's, which amounts to $1.92, and for an American product here in Doha which creates a week-long supply of happiness, THAT is a GREAT deal. Hence, I've been buying 4-5 boxes at a time, like all the other American Moms - They have been flying off the shelf! The store obviously wisened up as the price went from 7QR to 19.50QR, now costing $5.36. I can imagine all of the Moms out there sighing the silent "Bummer," as they pass over the nutri-grain bars in search of the next big "deal."

Based on the above, I am thinking of opening a store: We shall sell air purifiers, a great selection of books and a nursery attached located around the back with a huge yard, etc...Oh! And a coffee nook that offers imported pastry delicacies and sells coffee at more reasonable prices than the Middle Eastern Starbuck's seem too!

Well, we'll be watching (maybe just me) the Oscars at 4a tomorrow!

See you!

doha daily 3/4/06

Sorry I haven't written in awhile. We have been BI-ZY! Our furniture was supposed to arrive the 25th of February, so when I called the sea-freight service the gentleman told me to expect 3 or 4 days either way due to weather, etc...We received the call yesterday, however, that it's here! : ) Now, we just need to clear customs and we can start our official "doha life." When I learned the arrival date of our stuff, I panicked as remember, no drapes, no wardrobes, landscaping is a non-issue at this point. So, Tristan and I set off one morning to knock it out. After asking around to several different people where to buy curtains, blinds, etc, one store name kept coming up, so I tried it. I walked in, met with a man named Tasleem, explained what we needed and BAM! The next thing I knew, he was in my car (he doesn't have one - just relocated from Sri Lanka) and we were off to our place for him to take measurements. He explained along the way how easy it is for ex-pats to live here with the rents being covered by their employers, etc, but for a "local" and/or "GCC," (Gulf Cooperation Council - includes all Gulf states here - United Arab Emirates, Bahrein, Oman, etc). He paid 2000 QR's for driver's license, when I only had to pay 150 QR's (due to the fact I hold a US license) and how his employer won't pay for a place for he and his new wife who is still waiting for him in "Lanka" as all of the newspapers call it here - I felt bad for him. Needless to say, he was a very nice man, quite efficient and I was able to order custom blinds for the entire villa by the end of the afternoon. ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO. The next morning, Tristan and I visited Osama, (quite a common name here) our compound Manager, to review what types of wardrobes his carpenter could construct for us. He showed me some another tenant had had built that resembled the church pews we had back at the apartment. With a wood-type change and more contemporary hardware, we too are now set on the wardrobes. TWO DOWN, ONE TO GO! All will be installed/constructed within the next two weeks, so that means, blinds installed Mar 14, wardrobes finished Mar 15, place cleaned Mar 16, move in March 17! If all goes according to my little plan...this has been the closest stressful down-to-the-wire experience I've had since leaving LA - it feels good to be back in the game alittle bit. The only bummer though, is construction happening on the roadway JUST ALONG our back wall - here I am secretly hoping it will be finished by late March - instead, I've been told "by December." Or to use a great phrase of the Arabian People, "In Shaa-allah!" This basically means, "As Allah wills it so," something like that, so if a job is quoted by the contractor to take 2 weeks, it could actually take FOUR, in Shaa-allah.

At the pool the other day, I struck up a conversation with a woman from Chicago (as I do with ALL American's I come in contact with). Her husband is in the Army and stationed in Iraq and had stopped in Doha (there's a base here) for a few days. They haven't seen each other in 3 and 1/2 months. She was waiting to hear from him so that they could meet. ALOT of redtape though, not supposed to be leaving base to see one's wife, and although he had been in Doha for the past 24 hours, she still had not seen him. While we were chatting, though, a fit, bald man walked up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder, she turned and realized it was her husband, Sean and screamed in excitement. THAT was cool. I cried.

Tristan went to a pediatrician this week - he had been feeling under the weather. I'll include a picture of the building next time. Anyway, they still take babys' temperatures here in the derriere - he wasn't too pleased about that. To take his height measurement, they have him lie down inside a carved-out wooden box. Again, not too pleased...

I'll write again sooner as lots should be happening within these next 10 days.

See you!