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Today, Tristan had a field trip with his nursery – they went to Palm Tree Island. 
Well actually, WE went to Palm Tree Island. Thierry did not have a day off this weekend due to a large oil conference that took place at the Hotel involving Qatar Petroleum so I, along with a few of the other Moms went along. Hopefully, he will have two days off NEXT weekend. We met Tristan’s’ classmates at the dhow dock on the Corniche and went over on together on the boat. It is getting HOT here, today’s temp to be 35c, tomorrow 39c (102.2F). But as soon as we arrived on the island there was a cloud cover and breeze so the weather turned out to be quite pleasant. Basically, Palm Tree Island sits out by itself in the gulf and is surrounded by a curving Corniche. It includes several jungle gyms, slides and swings with a restaurant, which coincidently enough is closed due to the latest health inspection – they’re “crackin’ down.” And behind the restaurant, there are two teeny tiny pools and a large rocky beach when the tide is out. I looked at the two cloudy swimming pools and thought to myself, “Oh God, am I going to have to get in there with mybaby?” YEP! I was the only adult who got in, actually. There w
ere some assistants there but they hung out on the sides of the pool pulling toys from one child’s hands and giving them to the next one who was crying the loudest. It was a fun two hours for Tristan at least and when he started getting tired, I took the opportunity to return home for his nap – whew!
Tomorrow, I’m scheduled to go and get my permanent driving license – now that I have my residency card, I qualify. I’ll also be making a stop at the bottle shop to become a “legal” buyer of alcohol and tack onto Thierry’s license as a “family” buyer.
Construction and road closures/diversions here are crazier than ever and the buzz is out that the city is not going to be ready in time for the Asian Games. Boy, it’s going to be GREAT once they finish that road just outside our bedroom window! The trucks and jackhammers start at 5am. We live between two stadiums, one of which will host the opening ceremonies, so you KNOW this road just outside our window HAS GOT to be impressive!!! Hoping for a lot of trees and greenery. Speaking of, our garden is k…i…n…d of taking off. I am out watering every morning at 6a (beating the heat) and talk about watching a garden grow…
We’ve decided to buy a car, so being that Mitsubishi is handling the sales of Harley Davidson’s here in Qatar, we’re sticking with them. The original HD dealer we visited when we first arrived lost its license so there is a new showroom going up in Al Wakra. Thierry and I were thinking that maybe when I return from summer vacation in Sept, I could jump into Sales for them, we’ll see. Anyway, with a 4x4, the type of car we are buying, we’ll be safer. I know I’ve already told you this, but people drive like maniacs here! Even when an ambulance or police car passes you from behind, you can count on a line of SUV’s following behind it trying to get through the paved way of traffic that the ambulance created so they too can pass everyone. Thierry nailed it accurately when he said that there was no respect here for your neighbor. No one seems to care about rules here. Say there are 3 lanes of traffic backed up for a ¼ mile waiting to go around a roundabout, to avoid waiting, someone will inevitably drive up over a curb and out onto the desert rock/sand. The trouble is, if it bothers you, and a lot of times it does, you can drive yourself crazy - one just needs to let it go – “not my battle.” There just seems to be a lot of ego here, and we all got one, know what I mean?
See you!
Happy Easter! Things over here were pretty calm as far as Easter and Christianity were concerned. Some of the hotels put on Easter Brunch. Traffic was slightly lighter than normal. Tristan still went to school, Thierry still went to work :)
I performed the Cardinal of all NO-NO’s here in Doha…I lost my phone. I am pretty sure it was at the beach, but the point is, I lost it and 4 months worth of phone numbers, misc birthdays, calendar items. The cell phone is one’s lifeline out here. LUCKILY, I saved two numbers on speed dial on our home phone and am now in the process of re-building my link to the outer world. The thing with the prepaid phone cards out here, which are HUGELY popular I may add, ANYONE with a passport can obtain a sim card and then you just go and buy a phone to put it in, which range from 300QR’s ($82) to 1800QR’s ($494). There are no, “Sign a one-yr contract with AT&T and get this fancy cell phone for only $50 more,” deals. Here, when you run out of minutes, you just buy another HALA card to recharge your account. The nice thing was, in losing my phone, I was able to go to the Qtel office and for 50QR’s replace my sim card and all of the minutes I had had when I lost it.
The other day, Tristan and I met Jennifer and Markus over at the beach across from the Lagoon near the Ritz-Carlton to go “Blokarting.” (sand sailing on three-wheel carts) The wind was GREAT and it was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, the next day, Thierry’s day off, we took him over to try it out, but there was no wind. No wind, no blokarts – but it is a sport I know he will enjoy and here there is plenty of sand (and normally wind) for him to try it some other time. 
All of the friends I have been hanging around with are now starting to talk about summer vacations, as the city virtually empties out due to the heat. Most of us will be gone from mid-July to middle of September. The temperature here lately has been 33+ (92F) degrees with low humidity and low winds. I understand there will be 50C (122F) days here July and August.
Happy Birthday, JM! (You too, Becky!)
See you! 
(tristan is going through a "jello phase...")
Thanks to my last entry and a very thoughtful Jennifer whom we’ve met here after she, her husband Markus and daughter Ellie relocated from New Orleans via Houston (Katrina “victims”) I am now the proud owner of a clothes line, BUT I AM NOT PUTTING IT UP!!!
The garden is starting to take off which is nice - we could use a little greenery around here. As I penetrate more and more of this county its systems are getting more and more frustrating. Soooooo much time is wasted going back and forth from office to office when you need to get a process completed. As an expat, one needs special permission for practically EVERYTHING, ie…obtaining a liquor permit. Thierry and I did that this past weekend. Luckily Lulu gave me an application in advance so that I could prepare us for everything we needed: Letter signed and stamped from the Hotel outlining Thierry’s salary, a copy of his passport, his residency card and 1000QR’s refundable deposit, CASH ONLY! What is that? ! Everyone here seems to want just CASH. For example, the satellite was hooked up this past week, and I KNOW I’ve spoken about this before but now that I’ve been through the actual process, it is worthy of another go. We get basic satellite in the compound which includes 1000+ Arabic channels and perhaps ONE English speaking news channel on number 647, but who is going to take the time and scan through 1000+ channels to check? To make it easy, we ordered the “Showtime Total Plus Package” which includes about 20 channels in a variety of sports, movies, US sitcoms (last season’s American Idol, Jay Leno from the week prior, Oprah), etc…They came and installed the box and for 2200QR’s we have these cool Showtime “Feel as though you are in the good ole USA” channels for one year (that’s $51/mos). HOWEVER, if I want to watch these satellite channels on say, a TV upstairs, I have to buy ANOTHER Showtime subscription for 2200QR’s, so basically, ONE TV, ONE SUBSCRIPTION – ugh! We have since added a sports package for an additional $37/mos, but the whole reason I began this story is because I had to pay CASH for the sports package. Two guys arrived one night at 730p, programmed our TV to accept certain channels included in the package, collected a large sum of cash from me and then left. I just found that bizarre.
I’ve heard a rumor that Doha is going to remove all roundabouts as they have in Dubai and put traffic lights up in their place. In heavy traffic, they seem to be a complete bust. During rush hour police stand at each point of the roundabout directing traffic as if there were a light there anyway.
Newspapers here are not delivered to your door - instead, for 2riyals you buy them from the guys on the street, so as you are sitting at the roundabouts while police have stopped your lane of traffic for oh, say, 7-10 minutes, there is plenty of time to buy a paper and even read some of the front page articles.
If you want mail delivered you need to buy a PO box so we are just using the hotel in the event someone needs to send us something. I do not encourage any mail though, as a few packages sent to us in Feb. have not yet arrived : (
I’ve actually been getting out to hit some golf balls which is nice :) Thierry’s only day off usually falls on a Saturday and I’ve just found a place who sells very powerful transformers so he can now wash his bike and dry it with the air compressor he bought in the States, so THAT’S a plus – the dirt and dust blow pretty hard though at this time of the year, I’ve been told, so as soon as he washes it, it’s going to get dusty again. We are waiting for the compound carpenters to enclose the carport area and make it a garage to better protect the bikes. And as more and more people move in, the carpenters are VERY BUSY, so I believe we have them “reserved” at the end of the month. In Shaa-allah! Tristan has really adjusted to his daycare and seems to be speaking more French. He plays there from 8a until approx 130p and then conks out for 3 hours at home. In the summertime, everyone stays inside, so all of the homes have playrooms for the kids. When I asked a woman who lived in Bahrain before moving here what there is to do in the summer, she replied, “Go to your girlfriend’s houses and drink tea while the kids play together…” yikes. I was thinking more like soccer or baseball in the street or tag with all of the kids in the hood (there are a lot of them here), but now…doubt it.
The guards at our compound are so nice, there are two of them, both from Nepal, Rana and Krishna, both work 7 days a week, either 6a-6p or 6p-6a, both make 600QR’s per month. That’s $165 per month! Krishna sends 500QR’s home to his wife and 4 kids. Rana does the same to his wife and two kids. Tristan and I give them groceries occasionally and I am researching a way to reach out to expats who arrive here and have furniture or clothing/kitchen items they no longer need and would like to donate so that we can somehow get them out to people like Rana and Krishna. They are however, making more money here than they would in their home country…
See you!
thierry's bike just before unloading from container - note misc items scattered to and fro as well as damage to top case
It has been more like 2-3 weeks actually. Lots of things to write about since the 24th of March. Everyday since then, I have been picking a room to finish unpacking and getting things in order. Every time I walk from upstairs to down or vice versa, I am always putting something AWAY! There is STILL stuff sitting where it does not belong, but I’ve been told after only 2 weeks, “that’s normal.” I attended a coffee morning just three doors down the other day for all of the ladies and their kids in our compound. It was great to meet everyone and the villa is furnished so different than ours – it’s fun to see the difference actually and get ideas. I suggested we do a “pub” crawl so to speak and check out everyone’s villas once they are moved in. There are quite a few Danish families in our compound; several Scottish, a few Australian and I did notice a Muslim family, although the woman did not attend coffee. There is also a couple from Wyoming, but I haven’t met them yet.
The landscaper came March 31 and spent two days arranging the garden and spreading fertilizer. With fertilizer comes lots of flies. And the minute you crack open the door THEY GET IN, WATCH IT!!! Now that it has been a week, they have gone, but everyone in the neighborhood seems in the process of getting their gardens completed as well, so there will be more flies arriving…Every morning I take Thierry to work (until we figure out the car situation), Tristan to school and return to the house to water the plants/flowers which takes about 40 minutes. We have two water spigots along our perimeter wall where the water is controlled by the government. In the morning, the water is available from 6a-11a. In the evening, 6p-9p, so unless you want to hook up your hose in the house at the back of your washing machine and deplete your homes’ supply, you need to make certain you can water the plants within these allotted times. And there is no pump to create any type of pressure – the water practically trickles out of the hose. Of course for 700+ riyals we can get a pump – BOY! This place is going to go for millions after Thierry and I and all of the other villas move on. We’re doing all of the work getting everything up and running – it’s the families that follow who get to reap the bene’s of the garden growing in, the blinds being installed, wardrobes built and now, I’m fighting for a dryer. I swear that when we signed on the bottom line, we were told a washer AND a dryer would be provided. Albeit, they are the European sizes, which means SMALL, but I’ll take it! And once you start that wash cycle on the clothes, there is no turning back – that door locks tighter than tight once the light comes on. For now, I’m having to dry clothes across some metal shelving units in Tristan’s play area. At least he has a play area, I cannot complain too too much : ). I could go out and buy a drying rack, but I REFUSE! I WON’T DO IT!
The Internet connection seems great – the unfortunate thing is, we may have lost skype. I’ve been told that Qtel has blocked any VoIP programs that provide free telephony service. The hotel doesn’t seem to have a problem as they receive their Internet service from Malaysia. I’m still checking on this…
To sell the house in Pasadena, Thierry and I needed to go the US Embassy to get something notarized, TOGETHER, ugh! Mine just wasn’t good enough. While we were there a woman in an abaaya walked in – she knew some of the people waiting; mostly there for passport issuance for kids, etc. Anyway, she was clearly American but married to a Qatari man. Thierry immediately thought to himself, (to quote a line from the great movie, “Dances with Wolves”), “Turned Injun dincha…?” She sat down and showed pictures of her kids to another woman. She owns a party favor store that sells Halloween Costumes, etc…I commented how it must have been easy to get a good sponsor (Her Husband!) to have the business here in Qatar. In order to have a business here, it must be at least 51% Qatari owned and from what I understand, you pay your sponsor a fee each month, similar to a Management Fee. One woman told me that you have to be very careful who you do business with, but actually as I write this you have to be careful ANYWHERE, so never mind. When it was Thierry’s and my turn, the man asked for payment of 110QR’s. I had only 90. The American Woman spoke up and offered to us the missing 20QR’s. She was so nice – I dropped the 20QR’s by her store yesterday, but she wasn’t there.
Last week I went for my blood test and X-Ray to obtain my residency card for Qatar. THAT was an experience. The nurse from the Hotel accompanied me and thank goodness, otherwise I would probably still be there in line. We arrived at a building WAAAAY outside of town. There are tons of people standing around outside, I assume waiting for their loved ones (mostly female) who were inside in the blood test queue – women have a separate entrance where men are not allowed. I’ve heard that the local women here want the “separate entrance rule” changed by the way, to foster more “equality” between sexes. So, Sylvia (the nurse) and I shuffle through all of these men and enter where we find a desk to check in. She does this with EVERY SINGLE employee of the hotel, so she knows what she is doing. I just smiled and stayed close to her back. And it’s not one of those buildings that give you a warm and fuzzy feeling, like my Doctor in the States for example. This place is quite sterile and all aside from the check-in desk and a few of the nurses desks most of the employees are behind Plexiglas and you are required to speak though a small circular cut-out. Take the elevated noise level from all of the people trying to get through this process and mix it with a language barrier and you don’t really hear or understand a word that is being said – just smiling and nodding. The woman at the desk asked me for my cell phone number. I started saying, “6 5 0…” when she interrupted me, “ 5 0…what is rest?” in a thick Arabic accent. I said, “No, it’s actually “SIX 5 0…” She interrupted me again, “Cannot be! All cell numbers start with FIVE!” We went back and forth for literally 2 minutes and I offered to show her my phone, until her two friends intervened and told her Qtel is now issuing cell numbers that begin with a SIX because they have run out of numbers. BUT, if they had not said anything, this woman was steadfast on not believing me and was definitely NOT going to take my word for it. I knew that my number was bizarre, but had heard on the radio that Qatar has started issuing cell numbers beginning with a SIX the day before I received mine. It is in the news and I STILL to this day get business owners challenging me on my phone number. Well, we FINALLY leave that desk and Sylvia whisks me away to a corral-type line. It was my turn and I walk up to the Plexi and slide my paperwork underneath the glass to a woman who begins to enter some information into her computer. She asks for 200 riyals and as I am looking around, wide eyed in awe I’m sure, I turn back to the woman to find myself staring directly at a digital camera. It seems suspended in mid-air because she is sitting, yet holding it straight up in the air with her left arm as she continues to type on the computer with her right - she never takes her eyes off the computer screen. After a long pause I realize she has just taken my picture through the plexiglass. No warning, NOTHING! It was worse than the Cali DMV. I can’t imagine what my ID is going to look like. Next, I followed Sylvia to the next room where I had my blood drawn. That was quick and painless and over within 5 minutes. Then, I followed Sylvia to the next room where I met a line of 20 women wearing old hospital gown tops and waiting to get an x-ray. (To rule out tuberculosis) Sylvia told me that I could just turn my shirt around wouldn’t have to put on a gown. She then grabbed me and took me to the front of the line. There was big darkened room with a suspended x-ray machine in the center. Two large women behind a glass partition were yelling, “NEXT!” as we entered. Sylvia took my paperwork and through it on top of another woman’s who had probably been waiting in line like everyone else. Like Edna Mode ( The Incredibles), one of the ladies yelled, “GO HUG MACHINE!” All I could think of was…NO CAPES! And then she said, “TAKE SHIRT OFF!” Ugh, here I am in front of all of these women whom I just butted in front of in line and who are wearing the proper hospital issued gowns, and I have to take my shirt completely off and hug this machine to get an x-ray of my chest. And, I may add, there are two smooth circles imprinted on the front of this machine to indicate where one’s breasts should be placed while hugging – yuck! I hug the machine and hear Edna yell again, “TAKE DEEP BREATH AND HOLD.” After 2 seconds, “OK, FINISHED!” I put my shirt back on, grabbed my paperwork and followed Sylvia out the door.
To speed up the paperwork process I went to the American Hospital and got my blood typing to give to the Immigration office. And just yesterday, I went to get my fingerprints. WHY CAN’T THEY DO IT ALL AT THE SAME TIME AND AT THE SAME PLACE?!?!? HOW LONG HAVE THEY BE DOING THIS NOW?!?!?! HAVEN’T THEY LEARNED TO STREAMLINE THE PROCESS?!?!?! Sorry. A little lapse of frustration there…The fingerprint place was WILD. It’s like an old beat up trailer (the ladies section is at least). There were 3 ladies in Abaaya’s taking prints at 3 different stations. I entered (with Sylvia again) and stood in line. One of the ladies yelled to me, “Where are you from?” I told her the US and she pointed to Sylvia to take me directly around the line to the woman to check me in. After a quick check in, I went back to the women to get printed – she put me at the front of the line, took the prints of my fingers and whole hands and let me wash up with soap in a private bathroom, whereas everyone else was washing their hands at a trough-like basin. So that’s that. I should get my card within 3-5 days and then I am legal. Tristan too.
See you!
Well actually, WE went to Palm Tree Island. Thierry did not have a day off this weekend due to a large oil conference that took place at the Hotel involving Qatar Petroleum so I, along with a few of the other Moms went along. Hopefully, he will have two days off NEXT weekend. We met Tristan’s’ classmates at the dhow dock on the Corniche and went over on together on the boat. It is getting HOT here, today’s temp to be 35c, tomorrow 39c (102.2F). But as soon as we arrived on the island there was a cloud cover and breeze so the weather turned out to be quite pleasant. Basically, Palm Tree Island sits out by itself in the gulf and is surrounded by a curving Corniche. It includes several jungle gyms, slides and swings with a restaurant, which coincidently enough is closed due to the latest health inspection – they’re “crackin’ down.” And behind the restaurant, there are two teeny tiny pools and a large rocky beach when the tide is out. I looked at the two cloudy swimming pools and thought to myself, “Oh God, am I going to have to get in there with mybaby?” YEP! I was the only adult who got in, actually. There w
ere some assistants there but they hung out on the sides of the pool pulling toys from one child’s hands and giving them to the next one who was crying the loudest. It was a fun two hours for Tristan at least and when he started getting tired, I took the opportunity to return home for his nap – whew!
