Calling Doha's 'British Community'
By silversurfer •
Further to a thread last week, where the British Embassy got a bit of a pasting (having advertised their closure times over the holidays), I was fascinated to see in yesterday's Gulf Times that the embassy hosted a carol evening for 'the British Community'.
Are there any Brits out there who got an invitation to this event?
And who among you didn't get invited?
It would be great to hear, so we might judge if the 'community' is open to all UK passport holders, or if it is something of a closed shop.
Look forward to hearing from you doughty Brits.
Keep in line, and keep that stiff upper lip, by jove!
SS
Perhaps the Ambassador might be able to bring some of the Dubai Spirit across.
Institutions like the rugby club are a corner stone of the British Ex-pat community - sometimes the FCO need to recognise this issue and show visible support - not just blend into the background.
well it certainly sounds like a selection of all humanity was there MattyHardingLower :)
There was me, The Queen, Charles and Camilla, Posh Spice, Geoff Boycott, Dale Winton, Jade from Big Brother fame and the Man from Del Monte. Apparantly they wanted to keep it small and classy. It was a good until Jade and Camilla started fighting over the Mince Pies.
Humanity is simply a parade of fools....and im right at the front twirling the biggest baton anyones ever seen.
I posted this to undertake some realatively neutral 'market research'.
The responses have painted exactly the picture I expected.
I shall be passing these points to the Ambassador, and asking him who he means by 'the British Community'.
It's all a bit puzzling.
Well, toodle-pip, and have a great Xcessmas.
SS
an invite sometime in the 90's. Not bad for a 15 year stay in Qatar.
I didn't get one, nor did my wife.
From the photo, it was six people stood round a pianist in a smoking jacket. I have preferred more mulled wine and mince pies myself.
--nigel
http://qatarjournal.com/
scampino I am part of the British community, a teacher at the embassy sponsored school even and I didn't get an invite, nor did any of my colleagues...am not too devasted though as the embassy building does look slighly like a local northern Netto...Still- maybe they serve excellent canapes!
You say the same as me, it must be true !
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Typical Embassy Organisation about people not getting their invites.
I have travelled and worked all over the world and I have to say that the British Embassy here is the worse one for kepping fellow expats up to date with things, and providing functions and events for the British Community to get together.
This is just bad show - they are only interested in their own - ie the people who work there, and keeping all other nations happy, let alone the British Community.
For one of the oldest standing Embassies here in Qatar it has the worse reputation for, doing documentation, asking for information/assistance, communicating with its expats and generally doing public events where all are invited/tickets can be bought.
Think they could learn a little in public relations!!!!!
Hubby and I registered over 2 years ago, but didnt get an invite. In fact, besides an initial email confirmation, havnt heard anything from them.
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"Every adult of sound mind, should be able to choose to do whatever they want, as long as they cause no harm to others".
The skippers bought it ! Etc etc.
Every one knows that the embassies are here only to represent the country, not its people !
The Brit embassy here has a list of things it will NOT do for Brits here, the list is longer than what it will do !!
Mind you, i had drinks at the Brit embassy the other week...Nah na na nah na!!
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So I probably can't complain at not receiving an invite.
Having said that, I wonder if we would've received one even if we WERE registered with them!!!
*jauntie wanders off muttering under her breath*
I wonder how many Brits there actually ARE in Qatar - anyone got any idea?
Perhaps we should get Mr Paul on the case since he's the Captain of our QL Brits Group! We could be missing out on lots of 'holdyer cocktail glass by the stem with little finger erect' events that we don't know about!
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I tried to register with them recently but the website address they gave me was screwed up. Anyway there were only about 4 or 5 people in the photograph published in the Gulf Times.
Mine must have got lost in the Christmas post....
Still waiting for the invite.\lol
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It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived
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