It's kind of weird to have a warm weather Christmas. I can remember growing up as a child living in New Orleans. One just never knew whether it would be warm or cold. It's kind of like that here. Except here we expect it to be nice weather with very occasional rain. Between Christmas and New Years it was very nice. I think we had some rain one night. The day and night time temps have been low 70s/mid 60s. Pretty nice weather for winter.
Craig finally arrived after spending almost two days in Amsterdam. The surprisingly early snow storm in Europe definitely caught everyone by surprise. There were flight cancellations in German and both airports in London were closed for a short time. Craig's flight going from Amsterdam to Frankfurt was canceled because of weather conditions. They put him on a flight going through London. He doesn't wear a watch anymore because he relies on his mobile phone for time. His mobile phone would not work while in Europe because he did not have it unlocked before he left the US. Therefore, he asked someone what time it was. Unfortunately, it was a British person and their watch was one hour off. Therefore, Craig thought he had plenty of time to get to the gate. When he arrived at the gate 15 minutes before flight time, they had already started to off load his luggage. He went back to the check in counter to get on a different flight. They put him on a flight through London that would still let him get to his connecting flight on time. He gets to his gate at Heathrow 30 minutes before flight time and they tell him that he is not signed in for the flight. He shows them is boarding pass, but they tell him that they will put him on standby. Finally, they let him on the flight. All of this left me with a couple of sleepless nights, trying to get him on the right track. The first night in Amsterdam, he went and spent the night at a friends house. It was very snowy there also, so getting around on public transport was a chore. Everything worked out in the end.
We had a nice week showing Craig around Doha. To his surprise, he discovered Doha has a lot more to see than he first thought. He had a relaxing week enjoying some mom & dad time and getting over 9 hours of jet lag. Craig had not been up that early in the morning since he did this last year in Holland. He managed to be over jet lag before returning to Holland on Dec. 30th. He wanted to have New Year's eve and some additional days to spend some time catching up with his friends.
Jim and I had a nice quiet New Year's eve. The compound had a party in the clubhouse, but we were very tired. We sat outside for a while enjoying the Blue Moon and turned in early.
Friday, December 25, 2009
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Airshow on National Day.
It's a plane that flew in the airshow for National Day. I got to watch them practice 4 days in a row before Qatar National Day. They are very noisy when they fly directly over you.
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Friday, December 18, 2009
Various photos
Aspire Tower (my favorite landmark)
Light Show at National Day
Qatari Flag
Stage at National Day
Light Show at National Day
Qatari Flag
Stage at National Day
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18 December 2009 Qatar 131st National Day
Today is Qatar's version of our Independence Day. I think that it is kind of funny that it is raining today. I guess it is Allah's (Arab god) will, like everything else in this Country. I have some photos of the parade and will post them after I post this update.
In the last week, I finally accomplished buying my Hummer Truck. I am now Queen of the road! The first day when I was out driving there were several Arabs that looked at me driving and continued to stare. LOL! There was another Arab that stared at me and even made eye contact with me through his review mirror. It was if he was thinking "What is the world coming to?" "A woman driving a Hummer Truck?" He probably had to go the mosque a few extra times that day. On my first day of having my truck, I went out to the Industrial Area of Doha on a hunt to find tiles for my upcoming mosaic projects. My first dumpster dive! I found a couple of tile places and took all the broken tiles they had, as they were free. The manager told me to give him a call next time and he will have them ready for me to pick up. Some of the tiles are so thick I don't think that I can cut them without different equipment, which I may have to check in to. The interesting thing about that part of Doha is that it is the desert and looks like a desert. The temperature was even higher. The area where we live and most of the city has many green spaces and the flowers (this time of year) are beautiful. However, Industrial City (area of Doha) has no green at all. My truck was very dirty by the time I got back home.
My new cleaning couple worked out very well last weekend. They spent 3 hours here and the house was very clean, ironing done and Jim's car was washed. They come again tomorrow. Less ironing this week, but they have Jim's car to wash. Jim washed the very dirty Hummer yesterday, while I was away having a manicure and pedicure. That was nice of him!
My little kitty that showed up a couple of weeks ago, we finally decided to name him Jack. He is still very afraid of men. He only wants my attention. If Jim is anywhere around he runs and hides. That's probably because the men around the compound chase him away. Jack's war wounds are getting better and his hair is growing back. Most of the time I still can not get him to play because he is afraid of any sudden movements. Although today I spread peatmoss in the backyard and Jack thought this was his play area and litter box. There was a wind kite in my tree with four long strands of outside fabric and beads attached to it and Jack decided that he wanted to play with this thing. I moved it closer to the ground, so that he could reach it. He climbed into the tree and got it unhooked from the hook holding it up in the tree. I put it back on the hook and he kept playing with it and was trying to get it unhooked again, but no luck. He finally jumped out of the tree and played with it from the ground. It was good to witness him playing. Of course, there were no men around. Actually it was only me, so he was comfortable with that.
Craig is finished his classes for this semester. He will come to Doha for a week long visit this Sunday, and then he will go to Holland to celebrate New Year's with his friends. He will return to San Antonio January 6th. We look forward to showing him around Doha and taking him to Duhkan (The field where Jim goes to about once a week.) We are also going to take him to the souks.
Merry Christmas!
In the last week, I finally accomplished buying my Hummer Truck. I am now Queen of the road! The first day when I was out driving there were several Arabs that looked at me driving and continued to stare. LOL! There was another Arab that stared at me and even made eye contact with me through his review mirror. It was if he was thinking "What is the world coming to?" "A woman driving a Hummer Truck?" He probably had to go the mosque a few extra times that day. On my first day of having my truck, I went out to the Industrial Area of Doha on a hunt to find tiles for my upcoming mosaic projects. My first dumpster dive! I found a couple of tile places and took all the broken tiles they had, as they were free. The manager told me to give him a call next time and he will have them ready for me to pick up. Some of the tiles are so thick I don't think that I can cut them without different equipment, which I may have to check in to. The interesting thing about that part of Doha is that it is the desert and looks like a desert. The temperature was even higher. The area where we live and most of the city has many green spaces and the flowers (this time of year) are beautiful. However, Industrial City (area of Doha) has no green at all. My truck was very dirty by the time I got back home.
My new cleaning couple worked out very well last weekend. They spent 3 hours here and the house was very clean, ironing done and Jim's car was washed. They come again tomorrow. Less ironing this week, but they have Jim's car to wash. Jim washed the very dirty Hummer yesterday, while I was away having a manicure and pedicure. That was nice of him!
My little kitty that showed up a couple of weeks ago, we finally decided to name him Jack. He is still very afraid of men. He only wants my attention. If Jim is anywhere around he runs and hides. That's probably because the men around the compound chase him away. Jack's war wounds are getting better and his hair is growing back. Most of the time I still can not get him to play because he is afraid of any sudden movements. Although today I spread peatmoss in the backyard and Jack thought this was his play area and litter box. There was a wind kite in my tree with four long strands of outside fabric and beads attached to it and Jack decided that he wanted to play with this thing. I moved it closer to the ground, so that he could reach it. He climbed into the tree and got it unhooked from the hook holding it up in the tree. I put it back on the hook and he kept playing with it and was trying to get it unhooked again, but no luck. He finally jumped out of the tree and played with it from the ground. It was good to witness him playing. Of course, there were no men around. Actually it was only me, so he was comfortable with that.
Craig is finished his classes for this semester. He will come to Doha for a week long visit this Sunday, and then he will go to Holland to celebrate New Year's with his friends. He will return to San Antonio January 6th. We look forward to showing him around Doha and taking him to Duhkan (The field where Jim goes to about once a week.) We are also going to take him to the souks.
Merry Christmas!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
The Wet weather
The wet weather has appeared! We even had thunderstorms yesterday. It rained the entire day. That does not happen very often in this part of the world. I was told that it will rain for a few days (which it has) and then it will be nice weather and the rains will come again for a few days, maybe even a week!
Driving in wet weather here is very interesting. The sand just turns to mud. They like to go around traffic on the side of the road, which is limestone and mud (when wet). However, they probably have a person at home just to clean their cars.
Here is a photo of one of the streets.
Saturday, 12 December 2009
We had a nice tour around the city by a woman that is hired by Shell. It was nice to learn where all the souks, medical clinic, etc. are located. She also took us out to the Pearl. It's very pretty on the Pearl, which is on the coast. There are a lot of upscale restaurants in that part of Doha.
We looked at another car for me, but we are still looking. We are getting closer to making a decision.
I now have a cleaning couple that came and were finished in 3 hours! They cleaned the house, car and did some ironing. They will come every Saturday, until someone leaves and I will get a day during the work week.
We looked at another car for me, but we are still looking. We are getting closer to making a decision.
I now have a cleaning couple that came and were finished in 3 hours! They cleaned the house, car and did some ironing. They will come every Saturday, until someone leaves and I will get a day during the work week.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Friday, 11 December 2009, First day of the weekend
Today was woke up to it raining outside! First time in probably 9 months. It actually rained off and on all day. I'm sure my new plants are enjoying it. It's not a good day to go out in the car. The road get very dangerous when it rains because with all the dust all the time, they are pretty muddy. We had lots to do around home, so we stayed put for today.
I finally unpacked my last two boxes and even put the stuff away.
There is a young cat that showed up on my patio a couple of days ago. He had been in a cat fight or a dog and cat fight and is missing a lot of fur on one side of his body. He is definitely domesticated, as I was sitting outside on the patio yesterday and he climbed into my lap! I started feeding him because he seemed very hungry. I will continue to feed him and then I will be able to trap him and bring him to a vet and see if he has a RFID tag. I think that he was dumped in the area and was looking for a new home. There are other cats in the compound, so he probably knew that this was a friendly place. He likes to sit on the water tanks behind our house. It's dry, but very dusty. I put a soft blanket in a box turned sideways and protected it from the rain that may happen again tonight and tomorrow. He crawled in his new bed and has been snoozing this afternoon. I put his food in the box, so that he can protect it.
Tomorrow will be a busy day.
Last weekend... Believe it or not!
Jim enjoying Krispy Kreme Donuts! You can purchase them in Doha, Qatar, but NOT in Houston, Texas, USA.
The dining room and kitchen (before painting)
Here is a photo of the Dining room and kitchen before the walls were painted. We call it the "hospital look".
The Camel Track
And now, for something completely different. Jim and I went a bit too far out Duhkan Road and found the camel race track. They were out running the camels. The following are photos from my phone, so the quality will not be as good.
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Eid is over/Back to Work
It was nice having Jim home for a whole week. The time went by very quickly. Almost all the boxes were unpacked. It was pretty quiet around the compound, as most people were away on vacation.
I have not been very good at daily updates, but I will try to get better at that. There are so many funny things that happen here daily. I will try harder to put them on the blog.
Yesterday Jim was told to leave the building at work. Qatar Petroleum (QP) declared the building to be unsafe because about a week ago the ceiling fell through in one office. It's about time that they figured out that the building was unsafe. It takes a whole week to do that! They told all the employees that they were not to enter the building on Sunday until they were cleared to enter. We shall see how long this weekend may last.
I'm going to post some photos, and then I will write about today.
Happy Weekend!
I have not been very good at daily updates, but I will try to get better at that. There are so many funny things that happen here daily. I will try harder to put them on the blog.
Yesterday Jim was told to leave the building at work. Qatar Petroleum (QP) declared the building to be unsafe because about a week ago the ceiling fell through in one office. It's about time that they figured out that the building was unsafe. It takes a whole week to do that! They told all the employees that they were not to enter the building on Sunday until they were cleared to enter. We shall see how long this weekend may last.
I'm going to post some photos, and then I will write about today.
Happy Weekend!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Thanksgiving Photo
Shannon, the host, talking on her mobile and has her camera in the other hand ready to take a photo of the 3 week old baby that had just arrived with her parents.
Thanksgiving
I did not actually post anything about our Thanksgiving dinner, which was on Friday instead of Thursday. There were about 50 people that gathered for the big feast. The host fried 8 whole turkeys and at least another 8 turkey breasts. We met a bunch of our neighbors, which all remember my name and I don't have a clue what their names are. There were some people that work for Exxon/Mobile, Shell and Qatar Petroleum.
There is a group of bench sitters that sit on a bench across from the clubhouse in their PJs in the morning waiting for the bus to pick up the children. I'm not sure what time this occurs. In the afternoon when the children return home from school around 1:30 PM, the bench sitters are there again to watch the children play. They have a name for themselves in the afternoon, but I'm not sure what it is. I will go and join them every now and then, so that I can learn their names and get to know them.
A lot of people in the compound have praised my garden. It is coming along nicely. I'm not done yet. I think that it has encouraged others to make their yards look nicer.
There is a group of bench sitters that sit on a bench across from the clubhouse in their PJs in the morning waiting for the bus to pick up the children. I'm not sure what time this occurs. In the afternoon when the children return home from school around 1:30 PM, the bench sitters are there again to watch the children play. They have a name for themselves in the afternoon, but I'm not sure what it is. I will go and join them every now and then, so that I can learn their names and get to know them.
A lot of people in the compound have praised my garden. It is coming along nicely. I'm not done yet. I think that it has encouraged others to make their yards look nicer.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Monday, November 30, 2009
The Photo
The photo is Khaleef Stadium and Aspire Tower. Khaleef Stadium looks like a roller coaster, but is where many international sporting events are held every year. Jim and I went to a tennis match there when I first arrived. It is beautiful inside, but it is not a closed in stadium, therefore, can only attract events in the cooler season.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Happy Thanksgiving
I has to be Thursday if it is Thanksgiving! It's amazing how I have a hard time keeping track of what day it is. When Jim goes to work on Sunday, my brain still says that it is Monday. I understand that other people here have the same problem. I'm glad it's not just me.
A lot of stuff has happened since my last post.
-The inside of the house got painted. Now it does not look like a hospital anymore.
-I finally convinced the maintenance staff to clean the floors, after several attempts. I had to get to the Manager for 9 Pearls. I explained to him that my floors did not look like the office floors. I asked him Why? The floors got done the next day. They did not rinse them very well, so I mopped them with clean water. Then, I applied a polish. I had my maid, Maria do the first coat of polish downstairs, and decided that it would be too much work to explain to her how I wanted it done. Therefore, I dismissed her for the day and did them myself. Maria is convinced that I have the cleanest house in 9 Pearls Compound. She is very sweet and calls me "madam", which is ok, but in about 4 hours she says it about 100 times! It drives me nuts. She is concerned about me because she thinks that I don't have anything to keep me busy. She thinks that I am very lonely. She will learn with time.
-Jim & I can put the house in order now.
-I can find my way to and from Shell without getting lost.
-I'm not sure that it is a good idea to take a Shell defensive driving class, only to walk out to my car and have a parking ticket attached to the window. People park there all the time! I am told that they randomly go around about every 3 months on one day and give parking tickets. How lucky can I get!
-I know how to get to the Sheraton parking lot where it is free to park when I go to Shell. There is a van that drives people back and forth. Now that would be a boring job!
-Driving here is really not so bad. The only difference between Houston and here is that there are roundabouts here and no major roundabouts in Houston. And they even have roundabouts with cameras! OOoooh!
-The locals don't make their children wear seat belts. I saw a woman driving the other day with her child in her lap! I have also seen children sitting on the dashboard. The police only enforce the rules when they feel like it.
-I had my Shell practical driving test yesterday. I gave the instructor only one mild heart attack, as we were in a roundabout and someone in the left lane wanted to exit the roundabout abruptly. In my opinion, he should have moved over a lane before he wanted to exit. Actually, if I had hit him, it would be my fault because the center lane is for going straight through. The inside lane is for making a left turn or U-turn. The outside lane is for turning right. The problem comes in when each driver does not follow the rules. That's why you have to be a very defensive driver, especially in a roundabout. The instructor said that I was a good driver and very comfortable behind the wheel of a car.
-The sunset now lasts about 10 minutes.
-It is quite an adventure to go to the fruit and vegetables market just before Eid al-Adha. I bought a bunch of cilantro and one of mint and it was about $1.
-Eid al-Adha starts today. Therefore, Jim has a week off of work. Yeah!!
-We are having Thanksgiving dinner Friday afternoon with a large group of neighbors.
-My garden is coming along nicely. I purchased a few more rose bushes and another bouganvilla at the flower & plant market.
-I went to a very big imported foods store. Most things I can do without, but it is nice to know that they are there if I want them. They even had Blue Bell ice cream! Most things are pretty pricey.
-I have not decided/bought a car yet. I am still driving Jim's Kia Sportage.
-I have managed to attract some birds to my feeder, but they do not know how to open a sunflower seed. They like the peanuts though!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
-
A lot of stuff has happened since my last post.
-The inside of the house got painted. Now it does not look like a hospital anymore.
-I finally convinced the maintenance staff to clean the floors, after several attempts. I had to get to the Manager for 9 Pearls. I explained to him that my floors did not look like the office floors. I asked him Why? The floors got done the next day. They did not rinse them very well, so I mopped them with clean water. Then, I applied a polish. I had my maid, Maria do the first coat of polish downstairs, and decided that it would be too much work to explain to her how I wanted it done. Therefore, I dismissed her for the day and did them myself. Maria is convinced that I have the cleanest house in 9 Pearls Compound. She is very sweet and calls me "madam", which is ok, but in about 4 hours she says it about 100 times! It drives me nuts. She is concerned about me because she thinks that I don't have anything to keep me busy. She thinks that I am very lonely. She will learn with time.
-Jim & I can put the house in order now.
-I can find my way to and from Shell without getting lost.
-I'm not sure that it is a good idea to take a Shell defensive driving class, only to walk out to my car and have a parking ticket attached to the window. People park there all the time! I am told that they randomly go around about every 3 months on one day and give parking tickets. How lucky can I get!
-I know how to get to the Sheraton parking lot where it is free to park when I go to Shell. There is a van that drives people back and forth. Now that would be a boring job!
-Driving here is really not so bad. The only difference between Houston and here is that there are roundabouts here and no major roundabouts in Houston. And they even have roundabouts with cameras! OOoooh!
-The locals don't make their children wear seat belts. I saw a woman driving the other day with her child in her lap! I have also seen children sitting on the dashboard. The police only enforce the rules when they feel like it.
-I had my Shell practical driving test yesterday. I gave the instructor only one mild heart attack, as we were in a roundabout and someone in the left lane wanted to exit the roundabout abruptly. In my opinion, he should have moved over a lane before he wanted to exit. Actually, if I had hit him, it would be my fault because the center lane is for going straight through. The inside lane is for making a left turn or U-turn. The outside lane is for turning right. The problem comes in when each driver does not follow the rules. That's why you have to be a very defensive driver, especially in a roundabout. The instructor said that I was a good driver and very comfortable behind the wheel of a car.
-The sunset now lasts about 10 minutes.
-It is quite an adventure to go to the fruit and vegetables market just before Eid al-Adha. I bought a bunch of cilantro and one of mint and it was about $1.
-Eid al-Adha starts today. Therefore, Jim has a week off of work. Yeah!!
-We are having Thanksgiving dinner Friday afternoon with a large group of neighbors.
-My garden is coming along nicely. I purchased a few more rose bushes and another bouganvilla at the flower & plant market.
-I went to a very big imported foods store. Most things I can do without, but it is nice to know that they are there if I want them. They even had Blue Bell ice cream! Most things are pretty pricey.
-I have not decided/bought a car yet. I am still driving Jim's Kia Sportage.
-I have managed to attract some birds to my feeder, but they do not know how to open a sunflower seed. They like the peanuts though!
Have a Happy Thanksgiving!
-
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
18 November 2009, Wednesday
The sun was shining again today! You would think that it does that everyday.....well it does. I am very thankful for that after spending 8 years without it. It is nice to get up every morning and know that the sun will be out shining. I am sure by March when the temperature starts to rise, I will be a little less excited.
Yesterday, the painter showed up after 6 PM, as promised. His English is not very good but he came highly recommended by my neighbor, Shelly. He understands enough to get the paint on the wall and that I want all the crown molding painted white. He is doing this job after his normal job, so he will be working this weekend.
This is the first time every that I have let someone else plant my garden. However, the gardener came to the garden center with me to haggle over the price as I told him what I wanted. So far the garden is looking great. We are not quite finished with all the plantings, so I will take some photos when the gardener has placed everything where I requested. I am sure my neighbors appreciate the fresh smell of cow manure! Best fertilizer in the world.
Screwdriver man found me a Filipino cleaning lady. She started work on Monday. She will start coming 4-5 hours two times a week. That's to keep my house from becoming a sand dune. I don't understand these people that leave their front door open because it is nice outside. The sand is so fine, it just blows around in the air.
Yesterday, I had my first early morning excursion in the traffic. I did pretty well, I only got lost a few times. Thank God for maps! I few people tooted their horns at me, but they are really mistaken me for someone that cares. LOL! I had to go to Shell for them to take us to some government agency to be finger printed. Of course, the women and the men are done in two different buildings. The lady finger printing me did not know what to do about the fact that I am missing about 1/2" of my right ring finger. She asked her co-worker what to do, and the other woman did not tell her what to do, she just pushed her out of the way and finger printed all but the partly missing finger. They want to make sure that they have all the basis covered, so they do all four fingers at one time, and then every finger separately. And finally they take a palm print. They want to make sure that they can make positive identification that is you sitting in jail.
We were transported back to Shell. Now, the challenge to make it back home. I did OK, but had to pull off the side of the road to look at the map. I still got lost a few times. But I did make it home in one piece.
I drove around for about an hour looking for this paint store that was recommended by the painter. Finally, I found it and picked out colors for the different rooms.
Yesterday, the painter showed up after 6 PM, as promised. His English is not very good but he came highly recommended by my neighbor, Shelly. He understands enough to get the paint on the wall and that I want all the crown molding painted white. He is doing this job after his normal job, so he will be working this weekend.
This is the first time every that I have let someone else plant my garden. However, the gardener came to the garden center with me to haggle over the price as I told him what I wanted. So far the garden is looking great. We are not quite finished with all the plantings, so I will take some photos when the gardener has placed everything where I requested. I am sure my neighbors appreciate the fresh smell of cow manure! Best fertilizer in the world.
Screwdriver man found me a Filipino cleaning lady. She started work on Monday. She will start coming 4-5 hours two times a week. That's to keep my house from becoming a sand dune. I don't understand these people that leave their front door open because it is nice outside. The sand is so fine, it just blows around in the air.
Yesterday, I had my first early morning excursion in the traffic. I did pretty well, I only got lost a few times. Thank God for maps! I few people tooted their horns at me, but they are really mistaken me for someone that cares. LOL! I had to go to Shell for them to take us to some government agency to be finger printed. Of course, the women and the men are done in two different buildings. The lady finger printing me did not know what to do about the fact that I am missing about 1/2" of my right ring finger. She asked her co-worker what to do, and the other woman did not tell her what to do, she just pushed her out of the way and finger printed all but the partly missing finger. They want to make sure that they have all the basis covered, so they do all four fingers at one time, and then every finger separately. And finally they take a palm print. They want to make sure that they can make positive identification that is you sitting in jail.
We were transported back to Shell. Now, the challenge to make it back home. I did OK, but had to pull off the side of the road to look at the map. I still got lost a few times. But I did make it home in one piece.
I drove around for about an hour looking for this paint store that was recommended by the painter. Finally, I found it and picked out colors for the different rooms.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
11 November 2009 **Veterans Day**
Unfortunately, "Veterans Day" is not recognized here, but I do appreciate that there is a place in the world that the Veterans of the USA are recognized and appreciated. I am thankful for all the men and women that have served and fought for America. God Bless You!
We continue to unpack boxes and having spurts of entertainment provided by the locals. On the Compound there is a man in charge of maintenance, and I decided that I will refer to him as the "screwdriver man". LOL! When I call him to come to the Villa for various reasons, mostly because the Villa was not cleaned before we moved in and his maintenance crew (worker bees) need to clean it. Screwdriver man makes an initial visit to see what I want done. There was something on the entry floor and he whips out his little screw driver and scrapes on the stuff on the floor and decides whether his crew can clean it or not. Screwdriver man does this for everything, stuff on the dishwasher, baked on food in the oven, grease on the back splash, etc. Then, he makes an appointment for him to come back with his worker bees. I think that all of them are Philippians. They are all very nice and polite.
I braved the crazy drivers yesterday to go to the garden center, which is an outside place with a tarp for cover. This one guy was helping me pick our some hibiscus plants as tall as me, and all of a sudden he turned and walked away. The reason for this was because a male Arab appeared. It's always nice to understand where you are located on the Totem Pole! The poor little guy was doing the best that he could to please the Arab, and not lose me as a customer. He would go back and forth between the Arab and I. Finally I picked up two of the hibiscus plants and headed to the front of the shop, and he ran up to the front and said "oh Madam, sorry. Where is your car." We had a discussion before because I was concerned that all four of them would not fit. I went out and showed him the car and he said Madam, no problem. I will fit them. I picked up a tray of coleus and paid him. I had already got to haggle with him over the price of the hibiscus, which was fun. It was just like I was in Nigeria again. I asked the price and he said 50 Riyals. I said that was too much. He went and asked his boss for a better price. His boss stuck he head around the corner and said "Madam 40, last price."
Driving here provides constant entertainment. They will drive wherever they can put their vehicle. They not only cut you off, but they will honk their horn just because you are in front of them. I'm not sure where they are going in such a hurry. The 3 lane roundabouts are absolutely the worst. They ignore the lane dividers. From the inside lane of the the roundabouts they will exit, making a right turn right in front of you. Or the reverse they will be on the outside lane that is suppose to exit the roundabout, therefore instead of turning right they will just keep going in the roundabout and cutting right in front of you. You have to be an extremely defensive driver. The joys of learning to drive in a different country.
I think that God prepared me for this place many years ago, when we lived in Nigeria. It is kind of scary every time something happens and Nigeria automatically pops into my head. I just thank the Lord that He prepared me for this place because it is so much easier living here, and now I can understanding why it was in His plan so many years ago.
Today, was a very different excursion day. I went to a modern mall with 4 floors, which includes an ice skating rink. There is a Starbucks there, but it was the afternoon and I did not feel the need for a Starbucks. The grocery store is in this mall also. It's a Carrefour, which is a lot like a Super Wal-Mart. The Mall has just about anything you would need. I have not found the hardware store yet, but that will be another adventure.
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Have a Great Day!
We continue to unpack boxes and having spurts of entertainment provided by the locals. On the Compound there is a man in charge of maintenance, and I decided that I will refer to him as the "screwdriver man". LOL! When I call him to come to the Villa for various reasons, mostly because the Villa was not cleaned before we moved in and his maintenance crew (worker bees) need to clean it. Screwdriver man makes an initial visit to see what I want done. There was something on the entry floor and he whips out his little screw driver and scrapes on the stuff on the floor and decides whether his crew can clean it or not. Screwdriver man does this for everything, stuff on the dishwasher, baked on food in the oven, grease on the back splash, etc. Then, he makes an appointment for him to come back with his worker bees. I think that all of them are Philippians. They are all very nice and polite.
I braved the crazy drivers yesterday to go to the garden center, which is an outside place with a tarp for cover. This one guy was helping me pick our some hibiscus plants as tall as me, and all of a sudden he turned and walked away. The reason for this was because a male Arab appeared. It's always nice to understand where you are located on the Totem Pole! The poor little guy was doing the best that he could to please the Arab, and not lose me as a customer. He would go back and forth between the Arab and I. Finally I picked up two of the hibiscus plants and headed to the front of the shop, and he ran up to the front and said "oh Madam, sorry. Where is your car." We had a discussion before because I was concerned that all four of them would not fit. I went out and showed him the car and he said Madam, no problem. I will fit them. I picked up a tray of coleus and paid him. I had already got to haggle with him over the price of the hibiscus, which was fun. It was just like I was in Nigeria again. I asked the price and he said 50 Riyals. I said that was too much. He went and asked his boss for a better price. His boss stuck he head around the corner and said "Madam 40, last price."
Driving here provides constant entertainment. They will drive wherever they can put their vehicle. They not only cut you off, but they will honk their horn just because you are in front of them. I'm not sure where they are going in such a hurry. The 3 lane roundabouts are absolutely the worst. They ignore the lane dividers. From the inside lane of the the roundabouts they will exit, making a right turn right in front of you. Or the reverse they will be on the outside lane that is suppose to exit the roundabout, therefore instead of turning right they will just keep going in the roundabout and cutting right in front of you. You have to be an extremely defensive driver. The joys of learning to drive in a different country.
I think that God prepared me for this place many years ago, when we lived in Nigeria. It is kind of scary every time something happens and Nigeria automatically pops into my head. I just thank the Lord that He prepared me for this place because it is so much easier living here, and now I can understanding why it was in His plan so many years ago.
Today, was a very different excursion day. I went to a modern mall with 4 floors, which includes an ice skating rink. There is a Starbucks there, but it was the afternoon and I did not feel the need for a Starbucks. The grocery store is in this mall also. It's a Carrefour, which is a lot like a Super Wal-Mart. The Mall has just about anything you would need. I have not found the hardware store yet, but that will be another adventure.
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Have a Great Day!
7 November 2009
7 November 2009, Saturday
I have been a bit busy! The moving company delivered our shipment on Monday, 2nd of November. Everything went very well. There were six people unloading the container. The front feet on one of my Dutch antiques was broken, but Jim is fixing it himself. I'm not sure how well the worker bees would do with it. The worker bees are mostly from China, Philippines, and Pakistan. The unpacked all the furniture, set up the beds, place the 50" TV on it base and unpacked all the kitchen glassware.
We are still unpacking and trying to put away our winter clothes. I am still hanging up my summer clothes. That means that I probably have too many summer cloths. However, when I leave the compound I "should" have my arms and knees covered. Most of the time I do, but occasionally we go to the mall and for some reason I did not know we were going. Most of the time it is because I am wearing shorts above my knees. I usually get a few smiles from the men, so not such a bad thing.
On Wednesday, November 4th, I had to go to the Shell office for an appointment at the Hospital. They told us the appointment was at 9 AM, but we did not leave the office until 9 AM. It is very interesting that the women and the men have different sides to enter the hospital. Men are NOT allowed at all on the women side. I think that it may be one of the few times that they can go out someplace without the men. I was there to have another blood test and chest x-ray. There are no appointment times! It is somewhat organized, but I cannot understand why they did not split up this huge group of people, having one group doing x-rays and the other group doing blood tests. No, that would have made too much sense. The x-ray room was rather comical, as there were only two changing rooms and all these women in burqas. This group of french women talked me into changing out in the open (everyone was wearing a t-shirt anyway) and I definitely received a few dirty looks from the nuns (at least that is what the women in burqas remind me of), but I was not showing any inappropriate flesh.
We arrived back at the Shell office around 11:30 AM. I had an eye sight appointment at 1:30 PM, so I got to hang around the office for 2 hours. Jim came over to the Shell office to see if we could go next door to get my bank card, but they needed a letter from Shell stating his salary. We did manage to get the letter we needed, but by the time we got back with the letter the bank had closed only 30 seconds before. They close at 1 PM. Now that is pretty good hours!
I went back to Shell and got in an elevator with two Arab women (their faces were showing) and an Arab man. The elevator arrived at the Arab man's floor first and it was more than a few moments before the guy knew it was his floor. Once the elevator door closed the two women started laughing and of course, I knew what they were laughing about, so laughed with them. One of the women said, "he wasn't sure how to act being in the midst of three beautiful women at once". It's little things like this that catch you by surprise a little.
When I was getting my eye test an Arab woman came in, escorted by her man. He face was fully covered, however, once she realized that there were only women in the room, she completely unveiled herself. I was asked to read two lines, that's it! She was required to read several lines both in Arabic and English.
The next day I went back to Shell to get my temporary license. I will get my permanent license after my residence card.
Friday, Jim got me to follow him from the transient flat to our villa at 9 Pearls. Driving on Friday is not as bad as other days of the week. Friday is like Sunday for them, and major prayer time is 11 AM til Noon. Jim thought I did very well. Driving is definitely the big challenge here. Most of the time they don't even yield when entering a round about. If you hit them, then it is your fault. So, why should they care.
I am sure my friend, Sue and I could get into a lot of driving trouble here. We sure did in Holland, and it is easy to drive there. Sue, there are some cameras here that we have not yet had go off for us. Getting caught by a camera here works a little different here. They don't mail you a ticket, mainly because there is no mail home delivery. It is your responsibility to check the website to see if your account is clear. After you get so many "marks", they suspend your license. If you have a ticket on your record when you go to leave the country, they won't let you leave. You have to go to the police station to settle your fine. Then, reschedule your flight. If you have a non-refundable ticket, too bad ....you lose.
Last night was our first night to sleep at the Villa. As I was filling up the bathtub, the water got darker and darker (rust in the water). I must say it reminded me of our time in Nigeria. The hot water heaters need to be replaced. Jim spoke with the maintenance men today, and they will replace one tomorrow morning at 9 AM and another one at 3 PM. Then they will have three more to do, but they are in the process of replacing all of the hot water heaters for all of the compound. The villas have 4 bathrooms and a maids quarter bathroom shower. Some have 3 bathroom, also with a maids bathroom shower. That is a lot of hot water heaters!
The maintenance men here physically go around and turn on peoples sprinkler systems everyday! Actually it turns out that they visit each persons yard three times a day! They turn on the back on the first round and the front sprinklers on the second time around. Then, they have to make another round to turn off the front ones. Wouldn't it be easier to have them on timers?
I am really enjoying the nice warm temperatures. The humidity gets to be a bit much in the middle of the day, but in the evening it is very pleasant outside. It's fun to be able to see the sunset and the moon rise everyday!
Sunday is the first day of the work week. Jim goes to Dukhan on the other side of Qatar in the morning. It's a great road with speed cameras. That's a good thing in an Arab Country.
I hope everyone is well! Send me an email if you have time. Email is hrhholland@gmail.com
If you want to be notified every time I post you must become a friend (by clicking Become a Friend). You can also leave a comment at the end of each post.
I have been a bit busy! The moving company delivered our shipment on Monday, 2nd of November. Everything went very well. There were six people unloading the container. The front feet on one of my Dutch antiques was broken, but Jim is fixing it himself. I'm not sure how well the worker bees would do with it. The worker bees are mostly from China, Philippines, and Pakistan. The unpacked all the furniture, set up the beds, place the 50" TV on it base and unpacked all the kitchen glassware.
We are still unpacking and trying to put away our winter clothes. I am still hanging up my summer clothes. That means that I probably have too many summer cloths. However, when I leave the compound I "should" have my arms and knees covered. Most of the time I do, but occasionally we go to the mall and for some reason I did not know we were going. Most of the time it is because I am wearing shorts above my knees. I usually get a few smiles from the men, so not such a bad thing.
On Wednesday, November 4th, I had to go to the Shell office for an appointment at the Hospital. They told us the appointment was at 9 AM, but we did not leave the office until 9 AM. It is very interesting that the women and the men have different sides to enter the hospital. Men are NOT allowed at all on the women side. I think that it may be one of the few times that they can go out someplace without the men. I was there to have another blood test and chest x-ray. There are no appointment times! It is somewhat organized, but I cannot understand why they did not split up this huge group of people, having one group doing x-rays and the other group doing blood tests. No, that would have made too much sense. The x-ray room was rather comical, as there were only two changing rooms and all these women in burqas. This group of french women talked me into changing out in the open (everyone was wearing a t-shirt anyway) and I definitely received a few dirty looks from the nuns (at least that is what the women in burqas remind me of), but I was not showing any inappropriate flesh.
We arrived back at the Shell office around 11:30 AM. I had an eye sight appointment at 1:30 PM, so I got to hang around the office for 2 hours. Jim came over to the Shell office to see if we could go next door to get my bank card, but they needed a letter from Shell stating his salary. We did manage to get the letter we needed, but by the time we got back with the letter the bank had closed only 30 seconds before. They close at 1 PM. Now that is pretty good hours!
I went back to Shell and got in an elevator with two Arab women (their faces were showing) and an Arab man. The elevator arrived at the Arab man's floor first and it was more than a few moments before the guy knew it was his floor. Once the elevator door closed the two women started laughing and of course, I knew what they were laughing about, so laughed with them. One of the women said, "he wasn't sure how to act being in the midst of three beautiful women at once". It's little things like this that catch you by surprise a little.
When I was getting my eye test an Arab woman came in, escorted by her man. He face was fully covered, however, once she realized that there were only women in the room, she completely unveiled herself. I was asked to read two lines, that's it! She was required to read several lines both in Arabic and English.
The next day I went back to Shell to get my temporary license. I will get my permanent license after my residence card.
Friday, Jim got me to follow him from the transient flat to our villa at 9 Pearls. Driving on Friday is not as bad as other days of the week. Friday is like Sunday for them, and major prayer time is 11 AM til Noon. Jim thought I did very well. Driving is definitely the big challenge here. Most of the time they don't even yield when entering a round about. If you hit them, then it is your fault. So, why should they care.
I am sure my friend, Sue and I could get into a lot of driving trouble here. We sure did in Holland, and it is easy to drive there. Sue, there are some cameras here that we have not yet had go off for us. Getting caught by a camera here works a little different here. They don't mail you a ticket, mainly because there is no mail home delivery. It is your responsibility to check the website to see if your account is clear. After you get so many "marks", they suspend your license. If you have a ticket on your record when you go to leave the country, they won't let you leave. You have to go to the police station to settle your fine. Then, reschedule your flight. If you have a non-refundable ticket, too bad ....you lose.
Last night was our first night to sleep at the Villa. As I was filling up the bathtub, the water got darker and darker (rust in the water). I must say it reminded me of our time in Nigeria. The hot water heaters need to be replaced. Jim spoke with the maintenance men today, and they will replace one tomorrow morning at 9 AM and another one at 3 PM. Then they will have three more to do, but they are in the process of replacing all of the hot water heaters for all of the compound. The villas have 4 bathrooms and a maids quarter bathroom shower. Some have 3 bathroom, also with a maids bathroom shower. That is a lot of hot water heaters!
The maintenance men here physically go around and turn on peoples sprinkler systems everyday! Actually it turns out that they visit each persons yard three times a day! They turn on the back on the first round and the front sprinklers on the second time around. Then, they have to make another round to turn off the front ones. Wouldn't it be easier to have them on timers?
I am really enjoying the nice warm temperatures. The humidity gets to be a bit much in the middle of the day, but in the evening it is very pleasant outside. It's fun to be able to see the sunset and the moon rise everyday!
Sunday is the first day of the work week. Jim goes to Dukhan on the other side of Qatar in the morning. It's a great road with speed cameras. That's a good thing in an Arab Country.
I hope everyone is well! Send me an email if you have time. Email is hrhholland@gmail.com
If you want to be notified every time I post you must become a friend (by clicking Become a Friend). You can also leave a comment at the end of each post.
Sunday, November 1, 2009
1 November 2009, Sunday
Sunday is the first day of the work week. Jim drove to Dukhan for meetings and such. Dukhan is on the west coast of Qatar.
I overslept by 1 hour. Fortunately, there is a bus to take me to the Shell office every hour. I was kind of silly anyway because some of the people that I was suppose to meet with, were not there. What a surprise! The main person I met with was Enos and she is suppose to set up for me to have yet another blood test and x-ray. Shell did those in The Hague before we left Holland. They want to make sure I don't have Aides.
I came back to Golf Gardens, our temporary flat and took a nap until Jim came home, which was about 12:45. And then, I could not stay awake, so I went for another nap until about 15:00.
This evening we went to the World Final Tennis match between Venus & Serena Williams. Serena won, but Venus did her best to beat her sister. It was held in an outdoor stadium. It was warm, but not unpleasant. It was great to see this live, as TV does this kind of game no justice. There was also a doubles match following the singles match, which we stay for some, but not all. We took a few photos, which I will have to post another time.
Tomorrow is move in day. So, I am not sure I will have time to post.
I overslept by 1 hour. Fortunately, there is a bus to take me to the Shell office every hour. I was kind of silly anyway because some of the people that I was suppose to meet with, were not there. What a surprise! The main person I met with was Enos and she is suppose to set up for me to have yet another blood test and x-ray. Shell did those in The Hague before we left Holland. They want to make sure I don't have Aides.
I came back to Golf Gardens, our temporary flat and took a nap until Jim came home, which was about 12:45. And then, I could not stay awake, so I went for another nap until about 15:00.
This evening we went to the World Final Tennis match between Venus & Serena Williams. Serena won, but Venus did her best to beat her sister. It was held in an outdoor stadium. It was warm, but not unpleasant. It was great to see this live, as TV does this kind of game no justice. There was also a doubles match following the singles match, which we stay for some, but not all. We took a few photos, which I will have to post another time.
Tomorrow is move in day. So, I am not sure I will have time to post.
31 October 2009, Saturday
Jet lag is getting harder and harder to deal with. Since the rest of the world has changed daylight savings time to standard that make Doha 9 hours ahead of CST.
We got up on Saturday morning, but I had to go back to bed by noon. I slept for 3 hours. Maybe in future years to come, there will be time travel with no jet lag. That will be one happy day!
Jim woke me up around 3PM. We went to 9 Pearls, which is where our permanent villa is located, to check up on things and see if they were making the necessary changes or not, which they were.
We went and had dinner and then we went for a walk along the Corniche. We sat along the wall and enjoyed the view of the water, and an almost full moon. Jim pointed out the different buildings, etc.
We got up on Saturday morning, but I had to go back to bed by noon. I slept for 3 hours. Maybe in future years to come, there will be time travel with no jet lag. That will be one happy day!
Jim woke me up around 3PM. We went to 9 Pearls, which is where our permanent villa is located, to check up on things and see if they were making the necessary changes or not, which they were.
We went and had dinner and then we went for a walk along the Corniche. We sat along the wall and enjoyed the view of the water, and an almost full moon. Jim pointed out the different buildings, etc.
Saturday, October 31, 2009
30 October 2009, Friday
Today is the first day of the weekend. We waited around for my surgeon, Dr. Zeeger to call us over Skype. However, a little before 10:00 he sent an email message saying that he needed to start early with our conversation, but we missed his attempt to call us. I called him and we arranged for an evening meeting at 20:00 Doha time and 18:00 Germany time.
Jim and I went to the City Center Shopping Center with four floors of fun. The ground floor is an Ice Skating Rink. It is a huge mall where there is a Carrefour. Carrefour is like a super Wal-Mart. Lots of food and everything else under the sun. It's very Air Conditioned! Some stores in the mall were closed because Friday is like their Sunday. It is family day, and you are not allowed to go to mall alone on that day.
We also went to the Villigio Mall to eat a late lunch. We walked around the mall so that I could see what shops were there.
We went over the the villa at 9 Pearls. It is quite big, but I am sure will figure out a way to use up all the space. The master bedroom is so big that we decided to make it the guest bedroom. And when we are not having guests, I will use it for an art room.
We returned to our temporary flat at Golf Garden. We had a nice conversation with Dr. Zeegers. Basically, I decided not to have any surgery done to my spine this year. At first they thought that my spinal cord was being compressed, but the MRI shows that that is not the case. Now I just need to find a physical therapist.
Jim and I went to the City Center Shopping Center with four floors of fun. The ground floor is an Ice Skating Rink. It is a huge mall where there is a Carrefour. Carrefour is like a super Wal-Mart. Lots of food and everything else under the sun. It's very Air Conditioned! Some stores in the mall were closed because Friday is like their Sunday. It is family day, and you are not allowed to go to mall alone on that day.
We also went to the Villigio Mall to eat a late lunch. We walked around the mall so that I could see what shops were there.
We went over the the villa at 9 Pearls. It is quite big, but I am sure will figure out a way to use up all the space. The master bedroom is so big that we decided to make it the guest bedroom. And when we are not having guests, I will use it for an art room.
We returned to our temporary flat at Golf Garden. We had a nice conversation with Dr. Zeegers. Basically, I decided not to have any surgery done to my spine this year. At first they thought that my spinal cord was being compressed, but the MRI shows that that is not the case. Now I just need to find a physical therapist.
Friday, October 30, 2009
28 October 2009, Wednesday & 29 October, Thursday
My flight left Houston on Qatar Airlines about an hour late at 21:45. I arrived in Doha at 19:55. Now I know why Qatar Airline is rated as a 5 star airline. In business class they pamper you the minute you get on the flight. All the flight are very soft spoken, most are Asians. Since business class was not full, I asked if I could be seated next to an empty seat so that I would not have to get my bag in and out of the overhead bin. I explained that I had a lower back problem and that it was difficult to lift things over my head. Before the plane took off I was moved to a window seat with an empty seat next to me. The TV screen is about 20" and is placed in the back of the seat in front of you. I had a nice salad and dessert and started watching a movie, but fell asleep. The seats go completely flat. They provide you with PJs and a very nice blanket (much nicer than the thin blankets you get on other airlines). When I woke up about 6 hours later, the flight attendant asked if I would like something to eat or drink. I told her that I wanted some hot water for my tea bag. She said that I had not had much to eat at dinner and that I should consider having something more substantial. I looked through the menu and picked something to eat, as I did not want to offend her. After I ate I watched a movie called The Proposal with Sandra Bullock. Then, I had a 3 hour nap. Then, I watched another movie called Management with Jennifer Anniston. Both movies were good ones, and ones that I had not seen before. Another 1-1/2 hours and we landed in Doha. As I got off the airplane there was a lady standing there with my name on a sign, and she instructed me to get on the bus to go to the terminal. Then, I was escorted into a small room and was offered something to drink. They processed my paperwork, and returned to get me. It was about a minute to go through Immigration Control and then we went through some doors and this man was waiting for us with my luggage. We went through Customs and then I was released to Jim. We were very happy to see each other. The interesting thing about landing in Doha at night is that the ground looks like it has snow on it instead of sand. The reason for that is the ground is made of lime stone!
Jim drove along the Corniche, and we looked for a parting space, but did not see any so we headed for the temporary flat where Jim has stayed since he arrived 7 September.
Jim drove along the Corniche, and we looked for a parting space, but did not see any so we headed for the temporary flat where Jim has stayed since he arrived 7 September.
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