Everyonce in a while, we all feel like this....

Hey there,
I hope you give me the honor to have this discussion with you.First let me make it clear that I am not a Qatari,in fact I am an Egyptian and I've only been here for 5 months with my wife and two year old daughter,so it doesn't hurt me that you don't like this place but I felt that urge that I wanted to help you have a better understanding of this community,I do care for you even though I don't know you and I've been in a similar situation when I have lived for 4 years in the USA. I've faced a lot of bias and prejudice,I know what it's like not to feel safe driving down the street alone and not knowing your way around.
Dear spanish lady (I am a big fan of spanish language by the way,learned some but not so good at it), my advice to you is to just give it a little more time.There are a lot of nice people who care and who are very well civilised and know how to treat a lady and how to live in peace in a multicultural community.
Doha is like any other metropolitan city, always shocking in the beginning for any outsider but then you will get to enjoy all the fun around the world brought to your feet without having to travel around.
Good luck and God bless you and your family.

Well, I guess it's my turn.
First off, I see where you're all coming from and you're all making very good points. But the biggest mistake that people make when the come here is not making any qatari friends. This isn't like anywhere else in the world, if you make friends here, you will DEFINATELY love it here. Just get your husband to invite a colleague from work and then you'll hopefully get to know his wife. When you do, you'll be a part of that circle of friends in no time.

About the staring, well, you can't justify that - that's what they do. But how would you know if you weren't looking yourself ;) Just don't look at them and you won't notice they're staring.

Yes I've been to Cairo... and the traffic there is INSANE. It's like all the cars in the world put next to each other and I think dentist will agree.

The people here are really good drivers. It's just too bad the driving ethics aren't up to par, lol. But if you get used to the driving here to the point where you drive like them, you'll see that you get to your destinations much faster. The round-abouts are also being upgraded to include flyovers and underground tunnels, so technically that should cut the traffic at those round-abouts to about half.

All in all, if you stick to a saying, you'll love this place and never want to leave (much like a bunch of teachers in my school) - "When you're in Rome, do as the Romans do".

I agree...courtesy is very important but just as important are rules. I posted this to remind the drivers in Qatar:
Navigating the roads of Doha!

Hello College girls

Now I know about the souq, but when I first arrived I thought Friday evening it was the best time to visit, it thought it would be more lively, a bit like in Dubai, nothing beats the fun of going to the souqs on a Friday in Dubai. Of course here is different. Anyway, when I went I only stayed for a couple of seconds before I went back to my car and headed back home, almost in tears, and for the days that followed I was convinced that I had moved to the worst place on earth…(now my opinion has changed slightly)

Ok, clothes, what’s the big deal? Exactly why can’t you show too much flesh. Ok, so I’m from Spain and when the weather gets hot we dress accordingly, and we are also a bit of fashion victims, let’s face it. And I do think that some girls dress too sexy which I find very vulgar and tasteless. But here is just a nightmare, 50C flipping degrees in the shadow and you still need to cover your arms!?!? Now that’s crazy to me, and sorry to sound culturally insensitive in that respect. Nevertheless, I haven’t worn any of my pretty, fashionable mini skirts and tops since I got here…:o(

Do people really stare in Europe??? Funny I’ve been in almost every country in Europe and never felt uncomfortable. I mean, of course we look at each other, I look at others and I enjoy being looked at, but we do not stare (long fixed look that invades personal space and is likely to make the other person uncomfortable). But perhaps I’m wrong, it happens often.

Hello there, i understand what youre feeling right now. I was also in the same situation before i went to Doha. My wife also works for Qatar Airways which is a big advantage i assure you. Maybe youre asking why. It's because you can go to Doha almost free of charge and try the way of living here. When i first got there i said to myself what am i doing in a place like this but as the days went on i found myself living ok, of course theres no place like home but hey if home can give you a great job your husband wont be in Doha working anyway, am i right? Just don't knock the idea til you try it, anyway you can fly as much as you want and go back to your home anytime you want. Life in Doha depends on how you live your life. what i mean is if youre a private home body and you go to a partying kind of country then life would suck for you, but if youre a party goer and you live in a quiiet country then it would also suck. It may be boring but at least yu get to live a decent, quiet, safe and comfortable life. Doah aint so bad. That is just my opinion, just try it first :)

What i mean by partying kind of country is a place where theres enough time to visit all the night spots, bars, maybe girlie bars etc. Here in Doha its just plain living, very slow and relaxing. You're right about not much place to go for an unaccompanied women in Doha but hey doesnt it help making the family go together anywhere they want to. i mean if you want to go somewhere your fmaily goes with you, thats why its a good place for family. but then again it depends upon the kind of family that you have. On my opinion life in doha makes the most out of a family. They bond and become closer. I hope im making a good point here. It's really kind of hard to explain, you have to experience it to know it.

It's not just here. Anywhere you go you have to pick the places you go to wisely. Don't tell me that there's a country in the world (of normal-ish size) that is completely 100% safe, cuz that just can't be true.

1- Being able to Walk anywhere. Doha is probably the smallest Capital I’ve seen and distances are short. In theory every place should be reachable by foot. Yet it is impossible for me to walk from, lets say, my house to the Corniche. Many roads have no pavement and often is far too risky to cross the road because there are no traffic lights and drivers have little respect for those who walk.

Walking is not only pleasant, it allows you to know and love the city you are in, it would have a positive impact on traffic ( I wouldn’t take the car if I didn’t have to) and er…obesity rates wouldn’t be so high here.

2- Jumeirah Beach. Or something similar. Take Wakra , make the beach nice, put some green areas and parsk to make barbeques, picnic tables, some shade, walkways, food stalls and kiosks, lifeguards, toilettes and showers. Charge a small fee and don’t allow dodgy looking single man in and BOMB! You’ve got Doha’s best tourist attraction.

3- Al Dhiyafah. Or something similar. I’d like to see lots of charming restaurants and cafes in the street, where you can sit outside and have a nice meal, not as expensive as if you were eating in a hotel and you are likely to have a much better time.

4- Manners. And not only driving manners. I mean general, universal manners. Knowing how to stand on a queue. Not sounding your horn to a woman that walks by. Waiting for your turn to be served in a food stall. Holding the door open for the one who’s is entering a place just after you. That kind of thing.

5- Women. I’m fed up of seeing men everywhere. And women who feel comfortable dressing according to their culture and background.

6- Nice souqs pleeease.

7- Better, cooler weather?

That’s my party life.

we all hope that dentist, we can't waint for all that to become true!!! more restaurants, beaches, stores, malls, most of all more people! well, with time..

Hey Rider,
Sorry if you misunderstood my comments,I never refered to Qatari people when I was criticising some acts,I was just talking in general,and honestly the Qatari people are one of the kindest nationalities I've ever met,and the funny thing is that Qataries only contribute to 20% of the population in Qatar.
So you don't have to defend the Qatari people,they are already known for their generosity and kindness.

Hey periodontist,
Welcome to Qatar,I'm currently with HMC, if you are interested in governement job which i think is more secure than provate clinics then you can apply on www.hmc.org.qa
If you would like to apply to private clinics then you will have to take a lincesure exam first to qualify you to practice dentistry in Qatar,the exam is held 4 times/year, the next one i think will be on Feb.2006, you can get more info from the ministry of health right accross the street from Hamad General Hospital
Good luck to you and please don't hesitate to contact me if you have any further questions.