Ladies Night ....

I think I have more of a night life here in Qatar then back at home. For all my friends who know me as "Grandma Lace" , well I have to tell you she is gone. It also likely has something to do with the fact that I don't have to work the next day , so we will see what happens in a few weeks. I went out with my Canadian friend Angie last night and her two friends one is from England and the other is Spanish. We headed to the Harp which is an Irish Pub in the Sheraton hotel. The best part was that it was ladies night and we didn't have to pay for drinks the entire night. I think the reason why bars have ladies nights often is that there are 3 guys for every girl in Doha so they need to make their establishment for appealing . Needless to say I went out ,  had a good time and paid about $14 canadian . The best part of the night was probably when they played "Summer of '69" , Angie and I sang as loud as we could. Everyone thought we were crazy and no one else knew any of the words .... it was a magical moment. What I really love about going out here is that everyone you talk to is from a different corner in the world. You really get the sense of being in an international community. Would you believe that of all the people I have talked to here and met , last night I met a girl from Thunder Bay!!! She is a teacher here and when I asked her what she missed the most she said  1) KD ( which I have found at a grocery store here ) , and 2) Sour Patch Kids. We both agreed that it is hard not having the change in seasons is probably the hardest , but she said it makes visiting home so much better.

Mike and I are supposed to move into our new apartment today , but it's now 1:30 here and we haven't been told that it is ready yet . So we wait . We likely won't have internet for a few days until we get everything set up so we will be out of touch.

Other then that Mike is training all week . He has been doing ETOPS ( rules for flying over the oceans), weather  , aircraft performance , and I think he does some RVSM stuff at the end of the week. All very interesting .....

Sorry for the lack of photos on this post and how short it is but I will make it up next time.

Hope everyone is staying warm this week and enjoying watching the NHL. Mike is pretty bummed he can't watch any hockey , but I keep telling him not to worry that the Leafs won't make the playoffs and he isn't missing much ;)

I'll post again when we get settled in ,

M&M

A Cool Breeze

It is winter here in Doha , the daily highs are only reaching a chilly 22 and the evenings are around 15ish. These are beautiful temperatures but the wind is very strong . Mike and I can't complain and we definitely haven't become "one of those Canadians" who are too quick to forget what winter actual is. Needless to say we have been wearing our long sleeved shirts and Mike even wore his fall jacket when we went out for a walk....... shocking I know. The locals here are absolutely freezing though. People have touques , mitts , and full down jackets on.  Hey at least they don't have to worry about shoveling any snow , just sweeping the dust off their patios.

Mike has been off for about 10 days , and has been studying. I have been getting a little bored and therefore a lot more annoying to Mike. Today he is in Dubai doing ditching training at the Emirates facility. They actually have a mockup of a partial fuselage that they gently drop into a pool and they are trained how to swim out. It is Mike ,a few other pilots and apparently quite a few Flight Attendants. Thankfully the pilots have to wear a shirt while in the pool , because if not it would have made it more difficult for everyone else to concentrate :) I just got a message from Mike saying there was an Oprah spotting in the Dubai airport , I guess she is off for some relaxation after the big Lance Armstrong interview.

Not Cuba ! Beach at the Intercontinental Hotel. We will take you.

We got approval to transfer to the compound that we wanted to . THANK GOODNESS. I am looking forward to being able to settle in and have a place to call home. It is three bedroom and 2 bath with a very little patio. Maybe enough for a few chairs and a charcoal grill. More importantly it means the kitties will soon be on their way , the "Day from Hell" for them is just around the corner. The new compound is near the Villaggio mall which is very lavish. There is a canal running throughout the middle where you can take gondola rides , an ice rink where the hockey league plays , and every high end shop you can think of. Not to mention TGI Fridays , Krispy Kreme , KFC , McD's , Cold Stone Creamery , and every other fast food place that does not have a salad or anything healthy on the menu. Look it up , the place is interesting. It is also close to Aspire Park which is a beautiful park with tons of green space and activities . It is where Qatar hosted the 2006 Asian games. However what is the most important really is that it is close to the alcohol and pork store. Mike has his application in already for his liquor license.

It is official !!! Mike is now a resident of the State of Qatar! Mine is also in the works , but what that really means is I still have a few weeks of relaxation before I am up at 5 am every morning for work. This work thing is really cramping my style.

Mike's new friend at the QAWS

We have recently starting spending some time at the Qatar Animal Welfare Society ( QAWS) which is the shelter from homeless animals here in Doha. We walk the dogs and play with the cats. This organization is amazing , run completely by volunteers and the food is based on donations. Every animal that they get ( and let me tell you there are A LOT) , receives vaccinations and is either spayed or neutered . There are a few donkeys , one bull , and lots of rabbits , kitties , and dogs. A lot of these animals come the Animal Souq . They are purchased as babies and then put on the street once they become older. It is sad but great to see that there are people who care enough to start a shelter. When we get visitors I will be bringing them down for a dog walk session :)

View of downtown Doha from the Corniche aka the boardwalk

Mike and I are settling in quite nicely , but it doesn't feel like we live here yet. We have our moments when we miss everyone a lot. Especially now that a lot of our family and friends are having babies. My cousin Adam is about to welcome his first little girl any day now. Our good friends Karen and Robin at then end of the month , and Mark and Geeta are preparing for their third in about a months time. It's hard not being there to celebrate with everyone , but that is why there is Skype! If you haven't already please add us to skype megan.lace and michael.pados.

I seem to have this blog figured out so try and check back once a week if you can.

With hugs and kisses

M & M

Ice Rink in the City Center mall

Downtown Skyscrapers

My lunch date today , the beautiful Maya 

Settling in ......

Well it's been 3 weeks since we left the cold true north of Toronto and we are settling in quite nicely here in Doha . To be honest we were a little sad to have missed the snowfall .... wait what am I thinking ?! No winter ops at work , delays for deicing and runway contamination , and not to mention the sidewalk and road conditions ..... we got out just in time :)

The weather here is awesome . Everyday it around 26 degrees and some nights it goes down to 16 . The days are filled with sun and clear skies , even though it is a bit windy. We had one day of rain , and from what I hear it is a rarity , and one day of blowing dust. I am sure these days will eventually get tiring and we will miss the cold , wet rain and snow of home ( maybe in 20 years or so ).

Right now we are living in a hotel apartment , 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. It is a palace and I am so thankful there is a cleaning personal to come in once a week. It is a nice place but not very homey , the windows don't open , nothing really around this area except for a nice few of a dump outside our window. We have asked to change to another compound which is almost exclusively all Qatar Airways pilots and their families. Fingers crossed we get in soon so we can start to settle in. We are still missing a very large part of our lives , which would be Winston and Bailey. We hope to get them here asap , a few paperwork issues to iron out and they should be here soon. Poor guys are in for it , we are pretty sure they are going to hate us for a long time when they get here.

Right now Mike is in serious study mode , the training is a little different here at Qatar Airways. Most of the systems are learnt through a CBT ( computer based training ) done on his own, opposed to the ground school he has done before. Our dining room has turned into a mock up of a class room and I am under strict rules to not bother him. He is studying 5-6 hrs a day, while I do encourage him to take some much needed breaks of watching Breaking Bad. He is on the Airbus 320 family and his sim training right now is scheduled in Doha which is a huge relief. Everyone else in his class are going to various sim training centers all around the Gulf for 6 weeks. But we all know Mike , you are hard to find a better pilot then him ( sorry to all our other pilot friends) , so I am sure he will do amazing in all his training.

Hard at work

So I am guessing you have been asking yourself " Well Megan with Mike doing all the work , earning all the money , what have you been doing with yourself?!" . Let me tell you my life here is no walk in the park either. I am maintaining a very strict schedule of sleeping for a minimum of 10 hours a night , going to the gym daily , and making sure my husband is properly feed , clothed , and bathed. But seriously I am not doing too much. I have some friends here who are awesome and have been spending time with them at the malls , or the pool. We have been going to the beach ( which is similar to being at a resort) , and at nights we have been going out with Mike's classmates ( who are mainly from Ireland so you can imagine what night's out them turn into) . I have all been exploring and finding where things like the grocery store are , parks , fitness classes , and just general places we use on a regular basis. My little bubble of relaxation is about to burst , I am starting my process for my Residency Permit tomorrow and am sure I will be at work within a few weeks.

Exxol Tennis Open 

Doha itself is a city on construction steroids. I was talking with a lady who has been here for 17 years and she told me there were 2 hotels and no malls , coffee shops , or other places for socializing when she moved here. The Doha we are living in is only 10 years old , and the amount they have done in that short time is staggering. Everywhere you look now there are cranes , signs for new developments , and massive skyscrapers going up . It is crazy to think what it'll be like here in 2022 for the world cup , as it seems to be the deadline for all this madness. It is really a small city and has everything you would want. Yes there isn't tons of green space that we are used to at home , but there are parks , soccer fields, beaches , and pools to fill the void. The one major problem with this city is the roads and the driving. I can't even begin to describe how terrible the driving is here . Imagine you are on a road filled with round-a-bouts and 80% of people on the road have no idea what a signal is , let alone a blind spot or rearview mirror. Everyone cuts you off , speeds , blows through stop signs and red lights , and makes their own lanes on the road. I would say if you have some anger issues when it comes to driving , don't drive here take a cab because it will drive you insane. Our friend described  what driving does to a person, " The first 6 months you are scared and nervous when you get on the road , the next 6 months you just get angry at the driving style here , and finally you learn to except the fact that no one knows how to drive and you deal with it ". I am in the first stage , Mike has already progressed to the second. You will see it when you come to visit. The Souq ( market) here is great , lots of local food and it's cheap. There is shisha everywhere , and at night it is very busy. Also they have a Falcon Souq , Mike asked one man running it how much for a falcon .... the response $30000 riyals roughly $10000 Canadian. No biggie right , I think we say a guy with a brand new Ferrari pick up two.

Camels at the Souq

There is tons more to say , but if I keep writing now what am I going to say later on?? I am going to try and update this blog regularly and put some pictures up but right now I don't know how to. We are missing everyone at home , but are excited at the thought of visitors. If you get time email us .

Until next time we miss you , love you , and have your bedroom ready for a visit !!

With hugs and kisses ,

Megan and Mike