First Call

Calling From Qatar is my way of avoiding long random emails to some people and no emails to others! There are so many people that I do not want to lose touch with and many people that I want to share some of the interesting things about living here. This seems like the simplest way to do it.

“Here” is Doha, Qatar, a small but incredibly energetic county in the Middle East. It is a peninsula, which extends into the Arabian Gulf directly across from Iran. It is one of the top two wealthiest countries in the world. Yes – Oil & Gas but mostly natural gas. The majority of residents are expats as the local Qataris only make up about 36% of the population. People are brought in to do every type of work. From designing and building new cities to driving construction workers to and from the various projects there are enough people brought in to make it all happen. There are faces from every country in the world here.

We are living in a villa compound with seventeen other families – no Americans. Quick comradery develops when you are all living in a compound with no known address (we carry Google maps) in the middle of Area #57. Italian, Greek, Spanish, Portuguese and even proper British English can all be heard when we are sitting out front in the late afternoon. I have begun taking Italian and Spanish lessons on Tuesday mornings. It took me a while to realize that I am the only one who has two sets of homework!

We love the food! Seasonal seems to really matter here and when something is fresh and on hand – you need to buy it because once it is all gone – it is gone until next year. The cherries that are here in June are as good if not better than the Rainier cherries in the states. They are in huge bins in the grocery and it feels a little like the old Filene sales as maids, women completely covered in black and expats all fight for a space close enough to pick out the ripest ones. I erroneously assumed that we could try some and go back later if we loved them but NOT – they were all gone in a day. When I asked if there would be more I was told to have patience that they would be back next summer as always. We have tried so many dishes but every time I look at a menu – I find something new!

The one drawback I have found is the driving. These people are insane on the roads. White lines mean nothing! Some roundabouts have new traffic signals that people don’t even notice. Flashing lights and honking horns are the norm and speed is king. I have decided that my problem is when my husband is driving – I can see the drivers behind us in the side mirror. Land Cruisers driven by men with flying headdresses appear from nowhere six inches from our rear bumper and startle me every time. I don’t scream out loud like I did on the first drive from the airport in June so it must be getting better! The paper reported yesterday that 10,000 new vehicles are added to the roads every month so watch out!!