How to make friends...and keep them

I know I am off my schedule for this blog submission, but I had a mental block over the weekend. I knew my topic would be about friendship-relationships, but I just could not find the words to express myself. Then on Monday early morning, sieving through my emails, I received an email from my colleague. “You are cordially invited to a BBQ with my family…” – this was quite a surprise; an invite from a Qatari. I could not decline, as he gave me no option to refuse. Frankly, invitations like these from a native Q is rare. The Q social web is not accessible to outsiders. I have not heard anyone lay claim to a friendly infiltration into Q hospitality. I was rather fortunate.

So how/what was the experience like? Noting the prime address/location, I expected to visit a mansion- or palace-like house, and yes, it was at least a double bungalow! But I did not score quite well on my other assumptions and it all vanished when I was greeted by my colleague dressed down in shorts, Ts and flip-flops, holding in his hand a can of beverage of the spirits kind! What a contrast, as I would normally see him at the office in his traditional arab robe and tuk.

I was quite humbled by the whole experience, of meeting his wife, son and relations, their warmth and sincerity, openness, sharing a simple Arabic BBQ dinner with foreigners, light-hearted banter under an exceptionally and unusually cool summer's evening. This was a picture-perfect setting.

In between servings of yummilicious grilled chicken, homemade hummus, fattoush and other Arabic fare, my colleague shared with me his work philosophy, and his thoughts about people. "...they are assets, yani...but we must treat them well...and what they want to feel...is encouragement...if we don’t manage relations well, they will leave…”. Although he was saying this in the context of work relations, I felt that it held true in any kind of relationship one would chance upon. The friendships I have formed in Doha have been encouraging, and I treasure them very much. Even though I am somewhat sad to leave Qatar, and unable to manage the friendship closely (ie. staying on and bonding together regularly), I take heart knowing that some time, some day, somewhere, in a not so distant future, we would cross paths, and write a new history.

Till next time, Mart

Entertaining Doha...Part 2

During the winter months in Qatar, locals and expats spend long hours outdoors, enjoying the cool air. It's really nice and you can get quite a lot of things done, recreationally speaking. So from late-ish October till about late March, Doha comes alive with sporting events galore, people enjoying picnics at the beach or on the lawn by the Corniche, camping, catching a camel race, dune trailing, etc. It's also a great time to spend lounging at open air cafes and restaurants. Souq Waqif is a great people watch area in the late afternoon till late night.

Alas, tis summer, and the air is hot and heavy, with temperatures racing towards the 50deg.C mark! Many will take refuge indoors, away from the sweltering summer heat. But life still goes on, and I would still busy myself to find something to do, albeit an indoor activity. Doha doesn't find you, you find it! You just have to make the effort to find it, then get out and do it.

There are things to do in Doha *surprise* aside from shopping and eating. Friends are a good source of finding things to do in town. And having the company of friends to do it with is twice the fun!

Take my recent excursion to Villagio's newest attraction GONDOLANIA - an indoor theme park to cater to kids of all ages. There's a 4-D cinema (that extra 1D lets you feel the thrill and excitement of the movie, including a water-spritz in the face), roller-coaster ride, ten-pin bowling and other usual arcade/fair-like games. But the main attraction for me is the indoor go-cart circuit! For 10-minutes, you buckle up for a good dose of adrenalin-rush, whizzing round a 250m track, being the Schumi, Weber or Hamilton in the bucket seat. You tackle tight corners, controlling the wheels with two foot pedals - one for brakes and the other for acceleration. The air is filled with the revving sound of go-cart engines and the smell of burnt rubber. At the end of it, it's just very happy faces having gone out for a spin on the fast-track.

So, to sum-up, Doha isn't all that boring, well, at least for 5-6 months of the year, but admittedly, you do have to have a circle of friends who take the effort to look up for happenings in and around Qatar, who bother to plan outings, arrange gatherings and include little ol' me in such sessions. Call it "group therapy", as it has surely kept me sane and alive!


Till next time, Mart

Entertaining Doha...Part 1

Sunday to Thursday - in the office grinding away. Come Friday and Saturday, and it's PRISON BREAK! :)
What to do IN Doha? I have to don my thinking cap and think for sometime, particularly during summer months (late March, beginning of April). If you want to plan an excursion outdoors in the summer, you either have to plan it very very early in the morning, or late-ish in the afternoon, just before sunset. In any case, most activities will take place indoors.
There are three over-populated malls in Doha - City Centre, Landmark, and Villagio. So, with a population of 1678568 (1274013 males/ 4044555 females), you can imagine how busy these malls are. Single men have a harder time getting into the malls, and you have very alert security guards policing entrances, making sure only "Families" make their way in. I was told by a friend that some enterprising single ladies will "hire" themselves out to bachelors - these "instant" families are in within the minute, and the affair ends when they are out of sight of the guards. Such family tales do come true in Doha.
I LOVE MOVIES, so die, die I must make my way to the cinema to catch up on the latest - Doha has it all - 2D, 3D, IMAX. I can't really complain BUT, catching a movie in Doha has its ups and downs; downside, you don't get to watch the full content of the movie. Sure, there are ratings, but hey, this is Qatar, so expect some scenes (amorous or not) to be snipped away leaving you in the director's chair to "imagine" the censored bits. More often than not, you get to hear Lady Gaga "singing" in the background, or a couple, just seated a few seats from you, narrating the entire film in Arabic, or four teenage boys deciding that it's far better to play musical chairs in the cinema without parental supervision. Now, that's what I call entertainment!

Stay tuned, folks...I'll be back...

Till next time, M