doha daily 6/29/06

After six long months, today was the first day out on the bikes. They arrived last evening with shimmering chrome and official Qatar license plates, and you guessed it, there’s a story there – Last week I received a call that the bikes had passed inspection and I could go pick up the plates from the DMV (MOI). When the car/bikes are brand new, plates can be released to the dealer. In this case, however, no, because the bikes are 3 years old, so, as the owner, I had to go. I picked up the paperwork from Mitsubishi, drove across town to the MOI, got in line and approached the woman at the desk with all of the appropriate paperwork, EXCEPT for one teeny tiny piece of paper…INSURANCE. Being this was a Thursday and it was already 1100a, it was too late for me to go all the way back to the dealer and return for the plates, so I left – no bikes today.

The following Monday, though, I decided to give it another go. I went to Mitsubishi, picked up the papers and arrived to a very crowded MOI. It was my turn and I approached the woman at the desk, who after rifling through all of my papers decided to first help a man standing well within my “public spaces bubble” and obviously impatient at waiting his turn – what else is new? After finishing with him, she again turned her attention to me and this time summoned for a man to come and translate, I wasn’t really sure what exactly he did for he looked like any other customer waiting there, except he wasn’t wearing a dishadasha. He immediately whisked me away, grabbing my papers and said something about needing a stamp, so we briskly walked across the parking lot to another office, me following him like some bounding dog trying to keep up with its master, got the stamp returned back across the lot to the woman behind the counter. One minute later, he said that we needed to go see the Manager/Traffic Police Guy – something about trying to avoid a fine due to the fact the bikes had been in the country longer than 15 days. OY! We walked into his office as some other people were leaving. He looked up, grabbed the papers for review and asked me if I was going to be riding a motorcycle, to which I replied, “Yes!” He then said, smiling, “Be very careful…” I told him I would and smiled back. He wrote on the paper in Arabic, “Without penalty…” so I am not sure if they do that for EVERYONE who this guy, Tariq, takes into the Manager’s office or just for the ladies (of course, there aren’t that many ladies who ride here and overall there are only a total of 85 Harley’s in Qatar). After obtaining the waiver, Tariq whisked me back to the woman at the counter and instructed me to sit down, winking at me (no idea what that meant). So, here is this guy I’ve never met in my life, not wearing a uniform, no nametag, could be some dude off the street (probably is), holding our motorcycle titles, our residency cards, and has me then sitting for the next 45 minutes like a dope watching some wildlife adventure show on suspended televisions behind the employees where falcons are graphically attacking and eating rabbits and ducks. He returned and sat down next to me, handing me four license plates (one for the front?) and told me to hide them in my papers. Now, I was getting a little freaked out and it had been about two hours total that I had been there – I just wanted to go home. He got back up, spoke with the woman, asked me for my credit card and charged an amount much smaller than I expected, about half actually. He winked and again, left me sitting there. Ten minutes later, the woman summoned me and handed me our registration cards and said, “Halas.” (finished), to which I replied “Shukran,” (thank you) and went to find Tariq to give him a “tip.” Turns out, though, my tip wasn’t big enough and he explained that I needed to give him more money as he was able to save us all sorts of money on the registration as well as move me through the system in one morning as opposed to 2-3 days, blah blah blah. He won.

The ride this morning, though, was great. One and a half hours total, stopped by to say hello to Lulu and then to visit the Hotel as it’s relatively far and the roads are more open. It’s like a furnace though – I kept hoping for a cool breeze around every corner – no dice.

Many of you have asked me about the cost of living here. I thought I would run a few things by you to help you make the determination. Here are a few items bought at the grocery store:

50ct package of Pampers diapers $14.26
6 medium gala apples $1.65
package Lindt white chocolate $1.79
small box nestle after-eight mints $3.00
kraft philly cream cheese (medium tub) $2.47
box of sugar-free Jello $1.30

box of Nemo fruit snacks $5.42
medium bag of Tostitos chips $6.25
jar of Tostitos salsa $4.26
one roll viva paper towels $3.98
one baguette $.82
box pop-secret popcorn (3 bags) $2.61
package of peeled carrots $1.85
16 oz can hummus $.90
case of Volvic bottled water $15.66
12ct of nestle bottled water $2.33
frozen pizza (nabil’s brand) $4.80
box Kellogg’s fruit loops $3.78
package Oscar Meyer hotdogs $3.71
32 oz Hellman’s mayo $6.52

32 oz can of parm cheese $6.32
6 organic eggs (Dutch) $2.88
8 oz buffalo mozzarella $2.34
Gillette shave gel $2.87
Niagara spray starch $1.71
Pledge $1.99
Banana boat sunscreen $5.49
Tide $3.50
100ct Glad sandwich bags $3.78
johnson’s baby shampoo $3.98
case of beck’s beer $38.46
telephone line for the house (calls not incl) $9.05
1MG DSL one month $82.41

Condensation is now appearing on the windows in the am due to the humidity and the air conditioning in the house seems that much colder because outside it is that much hotter. Doha seems much less crowded now as schools have finished and people are leaving for their vacations.

And I had a girls night out this week with Lulu, Angela, Janice and Amanda – we started at a Sushi restaurant at the Ramada and then headed up to the top floor to a “Club.” We met a bunch of American guys hanging out on their one night off – they were Engineers working for the Military and had just returned from Iraq.

See you!

Tristan going to school the day after France beat Spain

doha daily 6/19/06

Back from the beautiful south of France and dang is it HOT! 47C (117) and the humidity is indeed beginning to arrive. I will say it was rather tough flying back into the land of three-story white villas and mosques with the patch of skyscrapers near the sea. As Tristan and I were landing in Nice two weeks ago, the first thing I noticed was the greenery…TREES!

We stayed with all of Thierry's family of course and met up with my brother Justin and his girlfriend, Becky. They brought some great things over from the States for us; well, mainly for Tristan : ). It was like Christmas, although in the past Santa Clause never put Trader Joe's dried pineapple rings under the tree.

Thierry took two days off when we arrived so we went to pool – the best time to go now is 5p when you have a breeze blowing. We were going to hit some golf balls at dusk, but it is now all about the World Cup and the matches at 4, 7 and 10pm. Since there are so many different nationalities here, everyone is buzzing about their individual team, rather than when we were in France and it was all about Les Bleus!

I brought back 4 large saucicon (pork sausage) from Nice and have learned that it could be worth gold to the expat community. When we first arrived in Doha, someone told me that although pork is NOT sold anywhere in Qatar due to the Muslim religion, it can be brought in via suitcase. This may not be the truth though, as I heard a story of a woman who brought in a large ham and it was confiscated when crossing customs. Perhaps because we arrived at 6am and Tristan was crying because he wanted the officers to put his puppy dog through the x-ray machine that he caused a distraction and they didn’t notice the sausage in my carry-on luggage (because they also x-ray your baggage when you deplane here in Qatar).

Most of my friends are leaving for their long summer vacations the first of July – Tristan and I again leave the 20th of July and take a trip to Normandy, then off to Nice followed by the US! We will be returning Sept 25, the first day of Ramadan. Thierry will be meeting us in Nice August 4 and boy let me tell you, he cannot wait! For everyone who has a license to buy alcohol here, the government doubles up the allowances the month prior to Ramadan as the liquor store will close completely for that period. Needless to say, the bottle shop will be very busy in August. I’m going to do the best I can to get stocked up now so that Thierry doesn’t have to go back.

There were a few road changes around our compound since we’ve been gone, all for the better for us. That means though, that some other people’s usual routes are now probably closed and their new daily commutes have become nightmares.

Everyone is anxiously awaiting the opening of a new grocery store just down the street from where we live – Carrefour : )

See you!

justin and tristan watching soccer match after day at st tropez

doha daily 5/29/06

Whoa. Yesterday, I was not impressed with the construction of our villa and I imagine there are many more out there in Doha who feel the same way I do. The temperature is hovering at 44-46 degrees everyday now…NO! No humidity yet. There is, however, a completely different element out there at the moment – WIND! Oh yes, and SAND! Put the two together and you have a DEADLY combination. Especially here, where, in each bathroom and kitchen you have a vent in the wall that reveals blue sky and open air to the outside world. Hence, what is supposed to be protecting us from odors, etc on the INSIDE, is offering absolutely no protection against anything entering from the OUTSIDE. Not to mention, from every other nook or crack around the house, where a splash of sand forms over hours and hours of wildly blowing wind. So, I conducted a test. I vacuumed the entire house and filled the bag with the finest of finest Arabian dust, then, I turned every vent on to make certain the wind was blowing OUT and not IN. I even vacuumed Tristan’s tub to avoid a brown bath – gross. It was “wait and see” time. Ok, it’s Tuesday now, and my test has failed me : ), although psychologically, I’m keeping those fool fans turned on. I think my next Doha home purchase is going to be brown and beige bath towels. And, everything that normally stays outside, like the patio furniture, jog stroller, bicycles, etc. has now been brought inside to avoid being pounded by the sun all summer long.


Thierry blowing sand off the bikes


Tristan and I are getting ready for a 2-wk vacation to France, leaving Friday. He seems very excited to go on the “airpane.” I’m waiting for our “exit visas” from the Hotel. As I stated before, if you see anyone out and about while running errands, the second question posed is, “So when are you leaving for the summer?”

Other than the changes in road construction and new buildings going up almost every other day, things are status quo. The newspapers (which are now being delivered directly to our front door) are pushing ticket sales for the Asian Games in Dec – people are saying, however, that participation is going to be minimal, especially if they are SELLING tickets to the local market as opposed to giving them away for free. Most sports venues that come to town, ie…Tennis Matches, Golf, etc…are provided free of charge. Thierry is still working 12 hours a day, 6 days a week. For the months of June, July and August, due to the Hotel’s lack of occupancy, he will receive an additional day off – seems kind of bittersweet as there is nothing one can do outdoors during these months due to heat : )

Our motorcycles are at the dealership this week, FINALLY, getting life put back into them as well as their official Qatar license plates. One of the batteries had to be ordered from Saudi Arabia so that is postponing the riding by a few days.

See you!

doha daily 5/17/06

For all of you Seinfeld fans; “The heat, Jerry, the heat!” It is becoming oppressive. We are now living in an air conditioned world and everyone that has experience living here in the summer months tell me, “Oh, this is nothing, just wait until the humidity comes along; walking outside is like stepping into an oven…” And when I say “everyone,” I mean EVERYONE!
Tristan celebrated his 2nd birthday last week. I dropped him off at school and then raced across the city to pick up 40 helium balloons (becoming a tradition) to take back to the nursery for his big celebration. They were a big hit as no one usually delivers helium filled balloons and now I know why. The temperature since the end of April has consistently been in the 40’s (104+F), some days 44 (111F) degrees. Helium and heat do not mix, therefore you have to turn on the AC full blast in the car and hope that none of the balloons burst from the store entrance to the car. Success! Tristan’s party went off without a hitch.
A few more temperature related tales: 1. As you turn on the shower, one actually waits for the water to cool down as opposed to heat up – we have no cold water! In fact, “everyone” tells me to go ahead and turn off the hot water as it doesn’t make a difference and you save on energy. This really comes into play after a tough “in the heat of the day” workout afternoon, and when you are wanting to peel a hard-boiled egg that has just finished cooking – OUCH! Any clothing that needs cold water, like my black and white Harley shirt…forget it. 2. Last week, I thought I would be proactive and ask Shamind (AC specialist) to come and clean all of the AC filters (each room has its own unit). Coincidently enough, that very night, I woke up at 3am to a fan of hot air blowing in our room as the AC in our room went kaput. From what he told me, almost everyone that has moved into the compound has needed a new compressor, so apparently, we are NOT alone. The air was so still, so hot. It took two days to fix – THAT was a bummer. It made me immediately think of a newspaper article I had JUST read last week about a group of workers in Al Khor (city nearby) who were striking due to many promised benefits that were never delivered. One of which was air conditioning: First of all, during the “winter” months, no AC. From June to August, however, they are allowed 5 hours of AC per night, and even then the switch is regulated by Management. FIVE HOURS! After working on the roads all day long where there is no shade whatsoever besides a bush or two where 20 guys hover underneath for a quick break, or working construction on one of the several high rises that are helping shape Doha’s new and improved skyline, you would think air conditioning would be a given, but it is not. The sad thing is, I haven’t seen a follow-up article so who knows what is happening with these guys and their demands.
After writing to our shipping company upon looking for the whereabouts to a missing box of DVD’s that we never received with our original shipment, we received an email stating that customs had been back-logged 4-6 weeks and our box was alive and well. Two days later, I went to claim them. But first, I had to swing by the shipping company to collect some release forms. I was then instructed to go to the Qatar Customs Department, a grand building along the Corniche, and “it’s better to get there by 8am…” so Tristan and I went foraging for DVD’s together as that is usually the time that I drop him off at his nursery – he happily made the sacrifice : ) We popped in on some gentlemen having coffee and reading the paper only to be given a hand-written map to an entirely different location – one that closes by 11am, as this was Thursday, time for the weekend to begin. It turns out that Tristan needed a 2-yr checkup, so I stopped by the American Hospital (although there is nothing “American” about it) to meet a new pediatrician, Dr Fayad from Egypt, but most recently from Cleveland. Tristan was given a clean bill of health and we all became fast friends : ). Afterwards, we went to our “DVD destination” and arrived by 1045am. We were escorted inside an office where two gentlemen were having tea and a rather heated discussion. I was offered tea and since I read that it is considered rude to refuse, I accepted. With all due respect…GAYROSS! Not my gig. No thanks. Never again. First of all, I’m not much of a tea drinker, but you know…green tea…that’s an easy one. I cannot begin to tell you what this tasted like, so I won’t. End of story. He offered a cup to Tristan but I declined on mybaby’s behalf telling the gentleman that it was too hot for him. I can just imagine the grimace that Tristan would have made. As I presented the man with my release forms he immediately asked me if I could come back on Sunday (3 DAYS LATER) at 1000am. Before I could answer (thank goodness) he was thinking out loud that he remembered passing this box of DVD’s through customs and that it was nearby. At the same time however, he reached underneath his desk and picked up two amazon.com boxes to make certain our name wasn’t on them – I felt bad for the senders of the Amazon gifts because they will probably never reach their recipients – how can they? when they are found underneath some arbitrary desk in some arbitrary office in the customs department?!? The man left us for about 10 minutes and returned with a box of 22 DVD’s – Thierry and I finally watched Star War episode 3 this past weekend.
I’ve included a few pictures of our compound for you to see how we all look pretty much the same – not all of the families have moved in yet, so we still have a lot of the place to ourself. The carpenters are building a few additional shelving units for us and that’s about it for now…


These were taken from the roof looking down into people's back yards (not yet moved in) as well as down the street. The Khalifa stadium (in the distance) is where the Doha Asian Games Opening Ceremonies will take place.



This last picture is taken from our roof looking out onto the main road and horizon
See you!

doha daily 5/3/06

Since we’ve last “spoken,” we’ve bought a new car, I was in a fender bender with a friend of mine in HER car and I’ve succumbed to putting up the laundry line in the maid’s room – ugh! Actually, my “wife training” (as Thierry puts it) in France for 3 1/2 months in 1999 prepped me for the laundry line experience - it’s really not too bad, just a little crowded in the maid’s room or STORAGE room, as we like to call it. Buying a car here in Qatar is not like walking into a dealership one sunny Sunday afternoon in the US and driving out with your dream car. Here, first of all, you choose the car. Then, you go to a bank where you obtain a loan – our branch happens to be at The Ritz-Carlton : ). Upon approval of the loan which is almost instantaneous, Thierry then had to get two letters from his Human Resource department - one which outlines his salary for the bank, the other, written in Arabic, gives Thierry permission from his sponsor (The Hotel) to obtain the vehicle in the first place and thus gives him permission to have the car registered in Qatar. Once the bank has these letters, it can issue the purchase order for the car, the Car Salesman picks up the papers from the bank along with Thierry’s residency card, gets the car registered and in an ideal world, calls me when it is ready to be picked up. According to Mohammed at the bank, I met with him on a Thursday, we were going to have the car two days later – WOW, done deal, a new car, can’t wait! There’s one minor detail, though…that letter in Arabic. We were totally dependant on the Qatari representative’s schedule and WHEN he was able to write the letter, so that Thierry could get it to the bank. He arrives to work anytime after 3pm and works generally until 6pm, if he comes to the Hotel at all. So 5 days later, we got the car. One thing I CAN say, we did not experience any “buyer’s remorse,” as it took much longer than expected to get the dang thing in the first place, we were just happy to get it at all. The incredible thing is it costs less to fill up the tank of gasoline than it did my Jetta. 90QR’s ($25) And when I picked up the car, the Salesman had left all of the plastic on the seats and head rests. I asked him to remove it for me and he asked, “All of it?” He explained that in the past they had removed the plastic when selling the cars, but people were getting mad, as they like to keep it on the seats to extend the, “Just bought” feeling. Also, the car cannot be released to its new owners until it is determined during registration that a fire extinguisher resides inside the vehicle on the passenger sides floor – yikes!

Tristan and I happily turned in the rental car. Damage check - no problem. Partial payment of the month - no problem. DMV check on the computer to see if I had incurred any tickets?! Whoa, now THAT was scary. You see, you can incur tickets issued by the police at any time yet NOT know it, as they can simply cite you (without pulling you over) for the infraction and inform the Ministry of Interior in charge of traffic. The only way you may know that you have a ticket is if you check your license plate number on their website, or when you are leaving the country, the ticket agent at the airport issues you a bill. A friend of mine has been driving around her husband’s company car and the company performs weekly updates on the website for their fleet of vehicles. Needless to say, she has a bit of a lead foot and her husband was given a bill, or two, or three to pay. The rental car agent turned to me smiling, however, as the results posted on his computer screen clearly stated that I had a clean slate – WHEW!

Jennifer and I went to the souq one day where we heard they sell a lot of children’s toys – BEEP! WRONG! The only things we got out of it were a) to say that we’ve been there, done that (always important) and b) we now know what to do when involved in an accident in Qatar. Stop, Drop and Roll! No wait, that’s a fire. Jennifer, while backing out of the parking space, hit a stationary pole and her new car sustained visible damage. It happened at 1130ish, (right before lunch…). The first thing you are supposed to do is dial 999 and tell the police. Whenever there is an accident, you are not supposed to move the vehicle at all – no matter if you are blocking all three lanes of traffic - this seems to be the one rule that people here DO respect (see DD 4/22/06), and unfortunately, it is almost an everyday, sometimes twice-a-day occurrence. So, we called the police, told him that no other vehicles were involved, to which he told us to bring the car to the traffic department up near the airport to file a report. I specifically asked him if we should come after 4p as we were approaching the noon hour which remember, means, no workie. He replied, “No problem, come up now please.” To the traffic department we went, which is a converted old villa. We parked the car in the parking lot, Jennifer went inside to ask what to do. The gentlemen at the counter told her to go to the car and wait, so that is what we did. 15 minutes later, after watching various men walk back and forth from car to car, some being policemen, others, regular guys, I grew impatient and went back inside to see what was up. I was instructed to see a Mr. Khalid in the back trailer. I went to Mr. Khalid, who told me he wasn’t doing any more reports as it was lunchtime – ARGH! Get my point?! After Jennifer begged and pleaded, Mr. Khalid started the report process, but she was going to have to come back the next morning to pick it up. She did go back the next day, but was asked to come back the FOLLOWING day as Mr. Khalid was off work and no one else there could do the report. (Jennifer realized that it was a case of no one else FELT like writing the report). One must go through this process if they want their car repaired, because insurance will not authorize ANY repairs to any vehicle unless a police report is written.

Until next time, here are some people in our neighborhood. Rajab is the maintenance manager – he rides around on his bicycle and checks up on the guys working in the compound. He speaks no English and I speak no Arabic, but we manage to understand each other. It’s funny – I’ll say something to him and he’ll look puzzled, so I’ll say the same exact thing, only s…l…o…w…e…r, thinking he will now understand me – same same, no comprende. I’ll then catch myself with what I am doing and go a different route. He is actually teaching me a little Arabic and probably doesn’t even realize it.


Krishna is one of the guards at the gate

Jay is the plumber (good guy to know)

See You!

doha daily 4/22/06

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 were 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!

doha daily 4/17/06

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...")

doha daily 4/13/06

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!

doha daily 4/5/06

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!

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!

doha daily 2/17/06

Here is the front entrance to our villa - there is a door just to the right that wouldn't fit into the picture. Tristan is walking around to the "backyard." Needs some greenery wouldn't you say? Next to that, as you enter there are three salons next to one another (this is the center salon). There is the second half of the ascending stairwell. And finally, the pool where you will also find the squash courts, fitness area and mini-market .








We are now living back in the Hotel and waiting for the phone call saying, "Your furniture has arrived!" Working on water, electricity and applying for a landline for the internet, the latter taking about 4 weeks time - once you get the landline, you then apply for a DSL. We have been thinking lately on some major events we have been missing and it is making the two of us a bit homesick: The Superbowl (we didn't get ESPN at the time), Justin's 30th, as everyone is together in Palm Desert, Clare's bachelorette party in Vega$, among many other events through Sydney's school, etc. Still waiting to hear from the nurseries as well to get Tristan enrolled - they are so cute. Of course, the minute he is accepted, I will be sure to send pictures. We do meet with some women who have kids Tristan's age, which is nice - and there is a women's club that gets together two times a month at the Ramada Hotel - I envision us all swapping recipes or a surprise appearance by Martha Stewart at the podium : ) The weather for the past two days has been cold and windy - the sand blasts across the streets like sidewinding snakes, and if you accidently leave your car windows cracked open as you run into your villa to take pictures for your blog, you return to a layer of sand everywhere in the car's interior.

This week I'm off to take care of landscaping, drapery and wardrobes/closets, so feel free to send ideas - all are welcome!

See you!

one month 2/9/06

I thought I would start including some pictures of the surroundings for you to see what's Doha's architecture and layout is like - it's been one month today since we landed. This is The Ritz-Carlton from Lusail Street - a 4-lane "highway" going North.

Driving south, returning to the city from The Ritz-Carlton, you can see all of the construction - The Gulf is to our left, stand-along villas to our right.

Here are some stand-alone villas.

Stand-alone villas in The West Bay (Location of The Ritz-Carlton) area - under construction. Most of the stand-alones we looked at were no LESS than 5/6 bedrooms.