Qatar National Day

December 18th was Qatar National Day.
Since this is my first December in the country, I was not too sure what to expect.  Now that I have had the experience, I would say it is like the United State's Fourth of July...times 10!

National Day is the commemoration of the historic day in 1878 when Shaikh Jasim, the founder of the State of Qatar, succeeded his father, Shaikh Muhammad Bin Thani, as the ruler and led the country toward unity. The holiday was established by a June 21, 2007 decree of the Emir and Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani. It is intended to maintain a knowledge and appreciation of Qatar's heritage, and to encourage pride among Qataris.

My celebration started on December 17th at work.  Thank you to Qatar Foundation and Sidra Medical and Research Center for allowing us to enjoy Qatar heritage in the afternoon while we were supposed to be working!  At lunch we enjoyed a free lunch of traditional food.  Yummy lamb!  The desert was a cake and cupcakes.  Always a plus for any meal!

We were presented with gift bags complete with scarves and flags.

After lunch we were entertained by: Playing traditional games: FYI I lost, but I was playing with an experienced Middle Eastern!

 

 

Then I enjoyed getting a Henna tattoo.  Although this practice was started in India, it  has spread and is very popular in many countries of the Gulf.  This decoration is usually done on the hands but since it needed to dry for several hours, I decided to get it on my leg so I could could do work at my computer whenever I returned to my office.  Settle down mom.... it only lasts 3 weeks!


My favorite part of the day was holding a Falcon!

 We also had a traditional music group to entertain us.

A wonderful afternoon to celebrate the culture of Qatar.

Certainly not the lunch time I am used to having in the United States.









Now onto the 18th!

Here are the rules of the day as I now understand them:
First get up really early and get to the Corniche.  Walk, the roads are closed.  Everyone in Doha is going to the Corniche area so just follow the crowds.  You must leave your condo by 7am.

 

The first entertainment of the day was a Military Parade like I have never seen before.  Tanks, multiple type of armored vehicles, guns, boats, troops, horses, camels, etc.  It was all there to enjoy.  I must say, I feel very safe seeing all that they have to offer in an emergency or national disaster.

 

There was also an airshow and a boat parade.

Afternoon was filled with family activities around Doha.  My friends and I went to lunch because as all my friends know...it is all about the food for me.
After a nice rest we were onto our evening activities which included a free concert by the Doha Philharmonic Orchestra which was on a temporary stage that had amazing lights.
 The evening was finished with amazing fireworks as the orchestra continued to play.



 

 

 

A wonderful way to  spend a day and enjoy the heritage and pride of Qatar.

P.S. they would not let me keep the Falcon.

 

I am American and I want a Driver's License

As most of you have correctly surmised, I really like the country of Qatar.  It is a wonderful standard of living and I have met some amazing people - both Qatari and Expats.  But.......every so often you are reminded that behind the beautiful buildings and the amazing progress, is a country that has some skeletons in their infrastructure.  Case in point......the process of getting a driver's license.

If I was from almost any other country in the world and had a nonexpired license, I would simply submit paperwork and a free Qatar license would show up.  However, if you are a new driver or evidently an American, you have to go through the painful process of going to this ramshackle disgusting building no less than 3 times.  Luckily 7 of my coworkers experienced this with me.
The rumor is that since the United States requires the Qatari people take a driving test to get a license in the U.S., they reciprocate the law and make us do it here. The difference is that I have seen how they drive and I demand that we make them take a driving test when coming to the United States!

 

First visit:  Eye Test. We were told it was 30QR ($8) but suddenly when we arrived the price was 50QR ($14) - CASH ONLY.  They tested our eyes in order to see if our sight was good enough to drive.  Good idea, but can someone tell me why they test our eyes one at a time?  How many of us drive with one eye closed?  Is this in case I suddenly decide to wear an eye patch?  Luckily I passed.

Ok back to my job.

 

Day 2: Up at 5, out the door by 6 to get the Traffic Department to take my written test.  Wait around for awhile and then get called into a room.  Sat down in a chair and had to tell the tester what 4 different signs meant.  Yes, just 4 signs.  That was the entire test!   Great use of my time!  Ok back to my job.

 

Day 3:  Up at 4am, out the door by 5am.  If you are a women, they only give the driving test on Thursday at 530am.  Or let me clarify that.  They demand that you arrive at 530am so you can submit your now pile of paperwork (haven't they heard of computers!) and pay 180QR ($50) - CASH ONLY.  The purpose of arriving so early is so you can sit for no less than 3 hours in their disgustingly dirty chairs and pray you do not have to visit the bathroom. 

 

 

(If I look happy, it is only because I brought Pepperidge Farm cookies to eat as my breakfast)  So happy my friends were with me!

 

After about 3 hours, they load groups of 20-25 women onto buses.  The bus leaves the parking area with a car up ahead.  Every so often the car and bus pull over and the "student" driver changes with someone in the bus. 

 Finally, it was my turn.  The instructor (a women) said exactly 4 words to me: roundabout, straight, left and park.  She was truly warm and fuzzy! (I think she really enjoys her job!) I drove no more than 500 feet.

After the fun bus ride, we returned to the disgusting chairs to wait and wait and wait..... Finally a pile of papers show up (again please someone introduce them to computers!)  The man at the desk starts calling names.  Individually, you have to go to the front of the room with about 200 women watching you.  The man at the desk then says either:

COME AGAIN! That means you failed and another man makes you leave out the door immediately. So Respectful!

Or PUT YOUR PHONE NUMBER HERE! Evidently that is their disrespectful way of saying "Congratulations on passing.  Please put your phone number here and we would be glad to print your official license"  He was also speaking mostly Arabic which I have to tell you I have made no progress on learning. (Luckily one of my coworkers with me spoke Arabic and she was able to translate for me.)

 

Unfortunately out of the 8 Americans that I was with, 2 women did not pass. Yes, that is not a typo.  Both of them have driven for more than 30 years in the United States but they do not drive well enough for Qatar??? Really? If you need a refresher on the driving skills required in Qatar, I recommend my previous blog on the subject.  I believe one of them Yielded during her driving test and we all know there is no Yielding in Qatar!

 

I however did pass.  I was instructed to a window where I was told to pay 250QR ($69) - DEBIT CARD ONLY! (Now I think I am on Candid Camera).

 

I was so proud to be done with the process! Again, I think I heard "We are the Champions" by Queen in my head.

 

My pride was only broken when I looked on the back and saw the the man who did my final paperwork, marked me as Handicapped!

 

Oh well........I think I will get an eye patch!

 

 

 

 



Flutag Comes to Doha

Flutag came to Qatar for the first time! Thank you Red Bull!

 

For those of you that do not know what this is, let me fill you in on this fun event.  It is basically a flying competition of home made, human powdered flying objects that adults launch off of a 30 ft. pier into a body of water.  So it is adults building large toys that they hope will fly.  Points are given to the competitors based on originality, design, flight length (which I have to tell you is very little) and the entertainment factor of the flight crew themselves who have to give a preflight skit.

 



This is happens in about 35 cities all over the world but this is the first time in Doha, Qatar.  Lucky for the people of Doha it was the usual perfectly sunny day and the usual Fall temp of 90 degress.

 

The designs were by engineers, pilots, friends and even a group of moms.  Some had sponsors such as VCU in Qatar and many were financed by the individuals themselves.





 

The only problem with this competition is something called Gravity. The phenomenon seemed to occur surprisingly quickly on each of the flying objects.  Most of them went off the pier and downward with no apparent forward movement.  Hilarious!

 

 

After the nanosecond flight a boat picked up the passengers and a crane removed the debris from the water.  Quickly it was time for another ill fated flight.  Clearly none of these people work for the aviation industry.....actually I am just assuming that based on the total lack of uplift noted.

 

 

I ask you, what is not fun about watching adults launch really big models into water? If you ever see it advertised, I will expect you to attend. 

 

Thanks to Red Bull, tens of thousands of people in Doha had an entertaining day and according to my observations, many of them are nursing sunburns tonight. (You should see my scalp!)

 



 

Sheikh Faisal bin Qassim Al-Thani Museum

Sheikh Faisal is one of the most successful entrepreneurs in Qatar. He has been a leader in strengthening the Qatar economy.  He is related to the ruling family (Al-Thani) but I could not figure out exactly what relation he is to the present Sheikh.
For the people of Qatar, the benefit of this success is his love of collecting.  He buys because he can and lucky for us he has put his collection in a lovely castle like building way out in the desert.

If you buy a boat, then you just build lake for it! 

Or you build your museum big enough to place them inside.  This museum just keeps going and going!

 

Now maybe boats aren't how you like to travel, well there is a collection of trucks, cars, carriages, etc.  

 

                                         There are so many vehicles that soon there

                                         is going to be a special section just for vehicles.

 A 1925 ambulance.


Look! a 82nd Airborne US Army jeep!

He also assembled an amazing collection of weapons - guns, knives, daggers, etc.  Many as old as the 17th century.
There were walls of just rifles.

 

                                                                                 

There was glassware, pottery, art, clothes, jewelry, housewares and absolutely beautiful carved wooden doors and amazing decorated metal objects.  Too much for one blog....will complete another blog on the other sections! An amazing museum.  I enjoyed it and look forward to visiting again. 

 

But for now I must say goodbye from Doha!

Souq Waqif

One of the top tourist destinations in Doha is the Souk Waqif which means "the standing market".  This historic market sells traditional clothing, housewares, souvenirs, material for clothing, handicrafts, spices and so many other things.  This market is quite old but a few years back after a devastating fire, it was renovated using the traditional building techniques. A wonderful way to spend an afternoon or evening is to walk and get lost amongst the narrow alleys.  Since I have no sense of direction, I would still be wondering if not for the help of my companions and a map.

I do not usually visit anywhere if food as not a part of the journey, so of course there are many ethnic restaurants lining the main walkway through the Souk.  Below is a wonderful Egyptian restaurant where I enjoyed a wonderful lamb stew.  Actually we were not sure if it was Egyptian but we were starving, they had food and even better they had air conditioning.  The temperature during our first visit was about 110.
The ceiling in this restaurant was beautiful.

 

 

 

The Souk is separated into different areas:
The Gold souk is somewhere I would like like to visit again soon - preferably after a payday. Store after store of beautiful gold craftsmanship.

 

There are many stores with material for dress making.  There are tailors right there to make anything you need.

Or you can buy traditional clothing already made.

 

 

 

Even children's clothing....

 

 

 

I especially love the Turkish pottery.  The colors are vibrant and the design of the decorations are unique.  I am definitely going to ship some of this back to the US.

You have to be careful in the Souk because the "made in China" products are also abundant.  But if you look you can find some beautiful items.  I made one major purchase so far.  I bought myself a wool, hand embroidered wrap.  This was made in Kashmir.  The owner of the store is from Kashmir and he spent time showing us how to tell if it is hand made vs. machine embroidered and how to tell a quality piece from a cheap piece.  We really appreciated his time and I will be visiting his store again.  (I will not be able to find his store but my friends with the compasses in their heads will be able to find his alley) He said that many people use these wraps as a table runner and it would make a beautiful table.

 

There are ship builders that make miniature models of the historic Dhow boats.  There seems to be disagreement where the design of the traditional sailing boat came from but you can still take a cruise on the Arabian Gulf in boats that have been preserved for tourists.

 



 

 

There is another section of the Souk that is for pets and Falcon.  This is a whole future Blog by itself.  Stay tuned.....

 





If you plan to visit this market - and I would strongly encourage it - just remember to go when it is below 100 degrees, if not the alleys look like this:

 

This past time when we visited the evening was cool and we sat out at a cafe for a long time just taking it all in. The people watching is amazing but you need to go when the people are willing to come out of the air conditioning of their homes!