Just one of the natives

We finally have our own car, a used Chrysler Sebring, a little sporty for my wife but the horsepower and handling make it a great car for getting around Doha. When you decide to enter traffic, you can’t be timid, you will get run over from behind or from the side, so you have to get out of the way. Because 80% of the cars and trucks in Doha are white, we wanted any other color, so the new car is black. Not white but maybe not the best color in a place with lots of dust and sand. At least the car washes are cheap and they do a great job, the American car washes could learn a few things from these guys.

The weather is finally breaking and this morning on the way to work it was only 81 deg F. A big change from the mornings when it was 95 at 6:00AM. Everyone tells us the weather is great from October till April, of course that may all be relative. We have added plants to our small balcony and window ledges, to have a little green to work with. The apartment is still having startup problems, this weekend the clothes washer quit and they have been by to fix it. Pulled it out from the wall, worked on it, said they would be back in 5 minutes and we have not seen them for 2 days. It will be fixed, just on Doha time.

We now have our phone which means I am trying to get it transferred to my name so I can get the ADSL line to the apartment. This will be another experience in frustration as the bureaucracy is in total control of these type things and they move at their own pace. Being a monopoly means never having to worry about customer service.

Another weather story, the cold water tap by the end of a 110 deg day only puts out very hot water, so we turn off the hot water heater in the morning and by the time we get home, we have cool water coming from the hot water tap and hot water coming from the cold water tap. At night we reverse the procedure. Being adaptable and flexible is becoming a great asset.

The first month

The first month

How time flies. We have been here for a month, and things seem to be settling into a rhythm. We have gotten on schedule for work, adjusting to the fact that the weekend is Friday and Saturday with the first day of the weekend being the day of worship, etc. A little bit of change that takes some getting used to.

The apartment is shaping up, but the fact that it is new and still has a few Gotha’s has been a challenge. We were promised a phone in the Apartment, it still has not been installed and finding the person to fuss at or who can fix it seems to be the challenge. I did a survey of the returning teachers about favorite restaurants, stores, trips, shopping and anything else I thought the new teachers would want to know. In the comment section, I got the following wisdom; “In Doha, everything is possible, in Doha, everything is impossible; you just don’t know which is coming.

We are starting to get plants and decorations, making it look and feel like our home. Have gotten the entertainment center setup for DVD’s and cd’s, have the satellite and TV figured out, I think and if I can get the ADSL (which needs the phone line) setup for the computer, we will be ready. At school, we have a high speed computer connection and have been able to use Skype to call home, check personal email, etc but the time difference means as we are leaving work, the states are just getting up for the day. Once we have the home connection, we will be able to communicate at more reasonable hours; we are learning to be flexible.

For entertainment, we have looked for a local music scene, I don’t think so. Their choice of music is not even close to anything I would listen or dance to. Is it only me, no way, have taken some other teachers from other parts of the states and other age groups, they don’t like it either. We did find a British Pub and listen to an Irish singer that was pretty good, but we had to wait an extra hour, till the Cricket match with the Aussies’ was over. That anyone can understand Cricket is one of life’s mysteries but the Brits were winning and having a good time, the Aussie lady we were with was not as happy, but she was there for the music.

How many would like to drive in a figure 8 derby, the Doha roundabouts, are the next best thing. Drivers are pulling out from the right, crossing 2 or 3 lanes to then pull off to the right, back across those lanes. They also have the habit of rounding off their turns, so the lane markers are advisory or only suggestions. At times, this also happens at fairly good speeds, it adds to the adventure. Speaking of driving, we are looking for a car and have been visiting dealers, reading ads and trying to get ready for the day we have our “Resident Permit”, which means we can own a car, etc. Should take about a month to 6 weeks, we have got the month done, hopefully soon. On one of our car looking trips, we left the dealer and saw a long traffic backup so being a smart person; we drove away from town thinking that we would find a road to turn on that would take us a back way home. After about 20 kilometers and no roads, we came to the small town on the map and could finally turn right, that took us out into the “outback”, no towns, nothing except desert for another 30 kilometers and we are looking for a road to take us back to town. Finally about dark, we turn right on the only major road we have seen for the last 30 minutes and get back to Doha.

To be continued: