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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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| 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.
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| Camels at the Souq |
Until next time we miss you , love you , and have your bedroom ready for a visit !!
With hugs and kisses ,
Megan and Mike
Great first post Megan! I love your idea of blogging your experiences in Doha and I will be you most dedicated follower! Miss you and sending you love!!
ReplyDeleteKristen xx
I love this blog. Since the position of most dedicated follower has been taken, I would like to note that I will be your most devoted follower. Keep the posts coming!
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great experience so far Meghan!!!! I can't believe you are so far away!! Will have to make a point to go and see your Mom.
ReplyDeleteXO
Carla