A little about Doha Qatar and the Arabian Peninsula

The top 10 questions asked of Ben and I when people heard we were moving to Doha Qatar for 2 years:

Where in the world is this place you are going?

You can see more maps posted below, but the State of Qatar is a sovereign Arab country, located in the Middle East or Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the Arabian Peninsula.  Its land border is with Saudi Arabia and depending on which map you look at, United Arab Emirates to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf.  A strait in the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island Kingdom of Bahrain.  In 2013, Qatar's total population was 1.8 million.  Only 278,000 are Qatari citizens and 1.5 million + 2 are expatriates.  

Why are you moving there for two years?

We are moving to this little known country to work and travel!

Ben is working with his engineering company to lead in the design of all the transportation infrastructure for the 2022 World Cup. 

This is the building where Ben works:  The Qatar Ashghal Public Works Authority Building

This is Ben's desk

I will be working at an international school teaching 10th grade Integrated Science and the first class of 11th grade IB Biology.  

Above is the outside of the school.

The view to the right shows the school and some of the surrounding area.  
I will post more internal pictures once I start work in August.


What is the native language in Qatar?

Arabic is the official language on the Arabian Peninsula.  There are significant differences between the MSA (Modern Standard Arabic), the official lingua franca of the Arab world, used in schools, administration and the media, and the colloquial language (the every day spoken version).  The Arabic variety spoken throughout the Arabian Peninsula is known as Gulf Arabic.  Qatari Arabic is the local dialect.  The first Arabic word I am trying to learn:  ahlan was ahlan  or merhaba  These both mean hello!  We learned merhaba while in Turkey, thinking it was just Turkish, but we now know it is Arabic!  

Do they speak English in Qatar?

English is widely spoken and understood, and is considered to be a rising lingua franca, especially in commerce, to the extent that steps are being taken to try and preserve Arabic from English encroachment.  English is particularly useful for communication with Qatar's large expatriate community.  We have experienced that most of the help in our hotel from India, Asia, and the Middle East have a large range of English speaking abilities.  

Will Cindy need to wear a burka or cover her head with a scarf?

No.  The cultural don'ts for clothing are to not wear revealing clothing.  Nothing causes more offense than exposing shoulders or thighs in shopping centers and other public spaces, or wearing tight and provocative clothing, and that goes for men as well as women.  At work a suit should be worn, with a tie for men.  Women should cover knees, cleavage and shoulders.  Attempts at dressing in local-styles, like burkas, head scarves, dishdasha (an ankle-length garment, with long sleeves, similar to a robe for men) or abaya (a cloak or simple robe-like dress for women) are deemed ridiculous.

This was us going to our first party, celebrating the first night of Iftar with Ben's work folks.    

Will Cindy be able to drive?

Yes.  Saudi Arabia is the only county on the Arabian Peninsula that does not allow women to drive.  We have no plans to visit Saudi Arabia.  To drive in Qatar we can initially use our Washington State drivers license to rent a car, but then we must get a temporary driving license that is good as long as our visa is good.  Once we have residency, we plan on buying a used 4-WD vehicle and Ben is considering a motorcycle!  The motorcycle depends on where we end up living.  I will need a vehicle to drive to work.  We are hoping we live close enough to Ben's work so he can walk or take the FREE bus.  If we end up further out, Ben will consider a motorcycle.  

The picture is our free bus ride on Al Corniche Road along Doha Bay, returning to our hotel.  

Is it just a hot dessert in Doha Qatar?

Yes!  Well, so far that is what we have seen in the few days of July we have been here.  It is excessively hot.  For example today it was a low of 86F/30C this morning, but will get up to 105F/40C .  We have abundant sunshine with a heat index near 120F, winds at 10-15 mph.  At 105F/40C, it will feel more like 118F/47C due to the humidity of 40%.  Later in the week it will only go down to only 91F/32C and as high as 113F/45C.  What does all this mean?  When we go out and walk more than a block, we are wet everywhere.  You can see the moisture on all exposed skin and you can feel water drops run down your chest and back.  We are told it will get worse in August!  But, we look forward to September and beyond and will appreciate the livable weather.  

What is the food like?

This month traditional foods are more available than European or American foods because it is the holy month of Ramadan in July.  This means most places offer a buffet of traditional foods after sundown.  To find food during sun-up, we must go to a place that will cater to non-Muslims.  We have found that most European restaurants are just closed for the month or they have switched to serving Iftar buffets and offer a small amount of other foods.  
Some traditional meals:
  

Breakfast eggs in any form, salty white cheese, buttermilk or labneh (thin yoghurt) to drink, tahini sweetened with date syrup, ful medames (a bean dish with olive oil), lentils with garlic and copious quantities of bread.  On holidays pickles and olives for garnish.

Lunch rice flavored with cardamom pods, sitting on top some kind of delicious spiced stew, with okra or grilled and seasoned chicken, lamb, goat or even camel....but of course never pork which is haram (forbidden).  Some popular spices includes cardamom, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili, ginger, pepper, and turmeric.  Not surprisingly for a rich coastline, fish of all kinds are eaten; Hamour (grouper), beta (mullet), kingfish, and tuna are grilled, fried or barbecued and served with rice and chopped raw cabbage with lemon or lime.  Sardines are seldom eaten and usually dried for animal feed. 

Dinner is when the traditional folks eat where and what they want. Children want hotdogs or hamburgers, women like sandwiches from Starbucks, grandmothers make and eat sweetmeats, aubergine dips and dates, fathers like to go out for kebabs.  In the city families likely go out and dine on Mongolian lamb chops, crab rangoon, spaghetti Bolognese, or Lebanese food with its copious selection of mezze.  

Can you drink alcohol?

Not during Ramadan!  It is not available in restaurants, bars are closed, and it is not available to buy elsewhere.  At the end of July alcohol is available in restaurants, cocktail bars and even pubs.  All alcohol is imported and high prices are intended to keep consumption low.  You can't buy alcohol to take off the premises unless you are a resident and are eligible for a monthly quota.  There is only one place in Doha to buy alcohol for personal consumption!

What will you do during Ramadan?

The Holy Month of Ramadan is a time of spiritual contemplation for Muslims.  For us it can be a time of heightened frustration as everyone works less and more slowly and drive more quickly.  We are trying to look for a place to live, but most of the sales executives that will show places and give you rental information stop working by 2:00 or 3:00pm and don't work on the weekends.  This limits the time both Ben and I can look together.  

Muslims fast from sunrise (4:50am) to sunset (6:30pm) during Ramadan.  We are not expected to fast, but we should not smoke, drink, eat or chew gum in public during daylight hours.  

Our hotel provides a huge breakfast buffet, so Ben and I eat a huge breakfast.  During the week, Ben goes to work for 6 hours and eats a snack in our hotel room when he returns.  It took Ben a few days to find out where and how he can take a sip of water at work.  I am lucky to have food and drink in the hotel room and that's a good thing because I get hangry.  We can then wait until after 6:30pm to go out to eat dinner.  

With this change of routine and given the hardship for Muslims of abstaining from water during the long hot summer days, it's not surprising that tempers easily fray, as Ben already witnessed at work.  The standard of driving deteriorates, so it is highly recommended to be extra vigilant on the roads and to be extra tolerant. 

Please join our blog and ask any questions you may have about our adventure.  We will do our best to answer.