Coming to work for Al Jazeera English

thanks for the heads up - havent been to Dubai yet!

Miss Y yep I have the same issue - female non-girlfriend friend wanting to visit and it's a pain she can't stay in one of the spare rooms here!

I assume that you are referring to purchasing from the bulk store?

In the UAE it is possible to buy alcohol during ramadan in hotel bars and after 7.00pm

LOL...trust me when people get here they tend to take on the roads as their own carpets of the house...run, ramp and squeal all over it...LOL! And naaa i dont intend to be in the passengers seat till you prove to me you can drive well...:P

And yea every car has seatbelts just dont ask me about Airbags...LOL! And well...angry camel...aaah...just make sure you dont get run down by the camel girl...LOL!

No problem, now be nice and shell out some bucks for the poor bloke to put him at a Hotel here...dont be mean, he is coming to see you (your brother I mean...LOL!) and you dont even buy a good stay...aaaah girls I tell ya...:P

Now we dont want uncle (your dad) to not speak to you do we now...:P

Well whatever you pack just make sure as I always keep telling, your brains, sense of humour, and some good skimpy clothes for the summer (and for us...LOL!) and chocolates...LOL!

and hey just make sure it doesnt get back to you inthe wrong way, that I end up letting you have a Teeny weeny tiny winy square block...just a piece of that block... :P

Cheers girl...

LOOL @ licence to kill! You have seen me drive?? I can be a bit scary too..hope the car I get has seat belts :-D

Dump me in a desert eh??? You should be so lucky (lucky, lucky, lucky), i'll set an angry camel loose on you!

Thanks for the heads up on the boy-girl living situation..I guess he'll have to dip into his pockets and pay for a hotel. The last thing i want is to get arrested for that..my dad would never speak to me again!

And, I haven't started packing yet...i'll leave that to the night before I fly out :-p But I have started to stack up on the chocolate..if i'm ina good mood, I might just let you have one mini square block!

You dont need a License to drink...only a license to Kill (DRIVE)!LOL!

Alright, you dont drink, so shucks,,, we dont get you drunk and take you to the desert here and dump you there...o damn...!!! We have to think of other ways...o well...neeed to put on our thinking caps...

Well it is illegal for a man and woman to stay together, but I guess a Brother and sister...LOL also illegal without Parental Advice...LOL! You wouldnt want to get into that kinda situation girl, knowing this place, nobody would come and search your house but you wouldnt want to be in such a tight spot...And no you cant put that bloke at my house as well...!!!LOL!

And I hope you are packing your bags, with the chocolates included...

Wow, so I don't need a licence to drink alcohol, only to buy it? Thats alright! But like I said, not a big deal to me as I don't really drink anyhow, just good to know.

I also read somewhere that its illegal for a man and woman to live together unmarried (I quite agree, that's not something I would do either), but does this go for people visiting aswell? As one of my friends is planning to come visit me when I get there, a male friend, but he is like a brother so no funny business at all. Would this be illegal?

:)

That happens in all arab states - even in Tunisia you can't buy booze in Ramadan.

Miss Y sounds like you're sorted to me!

Supernurse - what's happening in September then?

All I am basing my comments on is qatar in comparison to Saudi and Kuwait I suppose, and in fact since I was last here last summer, things already seem to be more relaxed - this year the Qataris are now allowed to drink alcohol in the bars, and I keep seeing ever more skimpily dressed women! In fact I dont remember couples holding hands last year either....

cheers!

i am here last 15yrs. u don't worry u can live here easily. if u compare life with other countries boh u would feel quite boring

skander UK, I wouldn't say that Qatar is one of the most liberal of the Gulf states?!! Remember whats about to happen in September!!!

AJE wont give you a car but will pay the interest on a car loan to 30k

You can't teach experience

You can't teach experience

You can't teach experience

I agree, I think they should give me a car too!!

:-D

HI STAYING HERE IS ENJOYABLE,

U CAN FIND TOO MANY SHOPPING HALL HERE BUT U NEED TO BE DRIVE HERE SAFELY ,ANY AREA OF DOHA IS ALWAYS CROWED WITH TRAFFICS MEANS CARS ,

HAVE NICE JOB

You can't teach experience

vegas - omg are you under surveillance??hmmm very ineresting indeed......

i have missed something here..:)

You can't teach experience

Welcome to Doha......BewAre Of the "F1" Drivers here.....

Bogster

You can't teach experience

vegas- who is horny??pls go take a coldd cold shower.......lol

life's too short so make the most of it, you only live but once.......

Welcome to doha.

You dont worry at all, its a really nice place to live and work. you will have verything you need just respect the Qatar's rules and regulation. People of Qatar are so caring you will love to stay longer and longer.

Information here is suppose to help anyone and everyone.. so glad it came in handy to you...

i think they should give u a car!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

she will be provided with the accommodation by her company, she doesn't care about the rent level...:).. but thank for the info.. i will check it for myself..

:)

Well let me welcome you first...I have only been here 7 months now... and all I can say is.. if you want to get around in Doha, its best to drive... it may seem difficult getting used to the driving culture on the roads here.. but hey.. i used to drive on the other side of the road in my country.. and if i do it here.. why not you?

As for accomodation... a one bedroom furnished apartment... easily QR7,000 per month....depends really what you are looking for....but there are loads of agents.. so no worries... look for somethin temp.. don't rush and find yourself something.. I think Bavaria suites has 1 studio apartments for QR8,000... in absolutely township locality....check it out first... before you decide...

KSA!! Darling! stop refering gals to Khanan, if you don't want his beautiful wifie to break all your bones...;)

Dont worry life is all full of fun just get here once make some cool friends and you will enjoy living here every day.

Driving sure you need a license have to get one after getting admission in one of driving school.

Once you get with the flow here and get used to life here then sure you will love it.

Now it all depends how you like it here.

Weekends clubbing bars.

Shopping malls here plenty

Dunes desert.

Swimming beaches(well not that much but out to islands)

hmm what else.

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Hi!

Just wanted some opinions on general life out there, how people enjoy it, etc. And about driving, it seems that i'll have to drive (doh!), so not sure whether i should rent or buy..as i'm planning on staying out there for more than a year..depends on how I get on, I suppose!

Fanks!

Hi

Welcome

what are you looking for

ask again so i can understand. and give you my precious advice and advise

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Ksarat16, your reply made me laugh, you sound cool!! Thanks for your response.

And dont worry, I plan to fill a suitcase with good old Cadburys..can't live without my Chocolate!

I'm coming over on mid-october methinks, depends on when my visa is sorted and the freelancers contracts run out.

And yep, you guessed it, i'm not English! My family are Assyrians (not Syrian, Assyrian!) from Iraq, we are Christians from the Middle East (the natural inhabitants don't ya know!). I have lived in London my whole life though. So I think i'll get on in Doha ok, just going to be really homesick i'm sure!

Thanks again for your replies!

Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about aje, work/life balance/ apartments etc.

Fresh blood for our dear Dracula...Lol!

Seriously< I'm pretty sure you have got what you are looking for...

Above all, just a quick note,

Life in Qatar can tend to be a touch dull and below normalcies at times, but then again, you cant have a completely Eventful life can you now for all the 365 days of your life...

So yea, take it easy, and Driving is bad, but just remember the golden myth, always remember you are the only one who can see on the roads and everyone is blind, and if you live by this, you should be good enough to get from point A to point B...Lol!

Apart from that, Crew at AJE, is a bunch of fun-lovers and you should be fine with them for your social life, if thats not enough, then there are a few here on QL who can help you out, and even if that is enough, then you can turn to ME, Khanan, DaRude, or Smoke for sources of Time-pass...till then, you should be fine in Doha...Lol! Kidding girl...!!!

Anyways, welcome aboard, and have a great settling in (whenever that would happen) into Doha, Qatar and ofcourse Qatar Living...

Cheers!

Just make sure you get enough chocolates for the few of us when you come down here...from the UK...dont leave your brains, your sense-of-humour, and most importantly, your International Drivers License, and a few chocloate Boxes...LOL!

Youkhana, this name reads like a lebanese name, r u lebanese or British???

i have been here only for a week and believe that driving is essential ... all the best with AJE

Thanks guys, you are all so nice!

So glad I found this site, its really helped to answer my questions!

don't worry, Miss_Y.. if you don't want, you are not going to "sit on your own in my apartment every night".. not in any possible way...:0).. you will be on demand..:)

but anyway, give it some time till you meet new friends, and get into your circle...i am sure it's not gonna take too long though...

Good luck to you! :)

it takes time to get used to the place but am sure you will find it a great experience, driving a little daunting but like everything, you will get used to it.

The shopping is fine and there are always sales on.

good luck :)

Just be prepared for a culture change, Driving is not too bad, just a bit rush but no road rage like back home in the UK, however ppl dont follow the norm of driving.

Shopping some things are cheaper here than the UK, but on a whole pretty the same I guess if you will be shopping in the malls and branded shops.

Nightlife, there is a limited but vibrant night life here. I knew a few ppl in ALJ and they go out play golf etc etc..

Best of luck with your big move I hope it works out for you..

-----------------

HE WHO DARES WINS

Thank you so much for the positive reply Skander_UK (and others!), it really has eased my mind alot.

It certainly looks like i'll have to drive, i'm sure i'll get used to it and hold my patience with other drivers!

Drinking doesn't particuarly bother me (especially if it's expensive!), if anything it will save me some money and do my liver some good! I just worried about sitting on my own in my apartment every night. But it sounds like the AJE crew are pretty lively, so hopefully i'll get into the swing of things.

I don't plan to stay out there for too long, but who knows, I may love it out there. I'm certainly looking forward to the experience!

And VERY glad to hear that shopping is good over there..I did nearly faint when I saw a Dorothy Perkins shop in a picture of a shopping mall in Doha..didn't expect to see it there at all!

Thank you again everyone :-)

apologies for my terrible sin of typing "hear" when I meant "here"!!!!!

Hey - no need to worry about coming out here - it is pretty liberal compared to other Gulf states so it shouldn't be tooo difficult to adjust from UK life. Obviously things are different, but you can do most of what you'd do at home with no problems. Drink is available (but quite pricey) in all the main hotels, a lot of which also have nightclubs. If you're hear long term you'll need a resident permit, and once you have that you can also get a alcohol licence to buy from the one offie (much cheaper than the hotels).

The driving is indeed insane, and you'll see a lot of accidents, but they are mainly minor prangs. The problem is that even though there are traffic lights every few hundred metres, people seem to be in a terrible rush to get to the next queue and sit there for longer! Tailgating seems to be the national sport, but as long as you chill and dont let the locals riding your bumper stress you out, you'll be fine. As you're from the UK you don't need to take a test here - you can just show your current licence, take an eye test, and bingo you'll have a Qatari temporary licence. Your work will probably sort this kind of thing out for you.

As others have said there are loads of shops and restaurants, and plenty of other stuff to do too, depending what you're into!

I came here for a couple of months last year but have now been posted here for 2 years, and am trying to make the most of it!

Enjoy!

Hi Miss Y,

Deleted by Mod

Ta, Strats

Modified by Mod.

Mods note:

Stratty, if you search the forum you will find numerous threads about driving centres/courses together with details of obtaining a licence.

Should the above not be succesful, you could start a new thread.

Ah, almost forgot, shopping is great in Qatar, actually the only fun thing to do as a lady. Wish I could tell u more about nightlife but unfortunately I don't have one. :d Wish I would, but I guess I'm paying back now for all the great fun I had back in my home country, those endless sleepless nights. At least I know what it's like to have fun, sometimes I feel sorry for the girls born and living here, I feel that they are missing so much. But maybe it's true, the less u know, the less u want. Talking nonsense again, sorry. Good night!

U have to give driving a try, it's not that scary, but u just have to be extra careful, since many drivers have no idea about driving. My driving instructor told me as a final lesson "always drive as if ur the best driver and all the others are the worse, this way u can always expect something wrong could come along and fortunately u can avoid it". But don't worry, it's not really that bad, if I could do it, u can do it. Me also, comming here I was terrified of driving but I couldn't live without a car and I wouldn't imagine myself with a driver, just not my type of thing as long as I have my hands and legs why have a stranger all the time with me in the car. :) It's very late and I think I'm talking nonsense. Anyways, a huge warm WELCOME to Qatar and hope u'll enjoy it. All the best of luck!

Oh, i'll do that for sure. Thanks for the tip!

Dont be scared, youll be fine....Bring with you an international liscense so you can drive before you sort out getting a Qatari driving license...

Oh, and my work are providing me with a fully furnished apartment, so thankfully I wont need to pay anything for that!

Thank you so much for your responses!

Looks like i'll have to drive..doh! although in the UK i'm used to driving on the left hand side, I was just worried about crazy drivers!

I'm hoping the shopping will be as cheaper than England..LOL. I LOVE coming to Canada, purely to shop, its so much cheaper than over here!

Thank you again for your comments, i'll try not to be scared :-D

you won't have a choice.. you will have to drive.. there is no other way to move within Doha...you cannot rely on taxi .. no way..

they serve alcohol in all hotels in Doha.. there night clubs, pubs, bars....

shopping.. well.. i can compare with canada.. and i can't wait till my vacation to do my shopping in Toronto.. in Doha selection is poor and prices are unreasonable.. that's my opinion though.. you might hear something different from other ppl...LOL

anyway, don't be nervous or scared.. just come here and enjoy challenge and take it as an adventure.. it's cool in Qatar!!Unique experience…

Accomdation is relatively expensive..if you click on classifies here in Ql, lots of people advertise for available appartments etc. Its tricky to find something decent and a good price but for a three bedroom apartment your loooking for at least 9000 riyal plus..

For villas at least 15,000 riyal. SOme people epmloyers provide accomodation or allowance for one, see if you can get that because accomdation will eat up a lot of your salary..

Driving is a bit of a nightmare here, if you do a search here on QL, youll see lots of threads about driving. However if you plan on living here you will no doubt have to drive as it makes life so much easier.

I organised a few lessons with a driving instructor to get the gist of driving on the left side and after a couple of lessons i was fine..

As for alcohol and nightlife, i dont do any of these things so maybe others may shed some light on that, but no doubt there is a nightlife and places to drink..Good luck with your move.

Thanks. My weekend in Turkey is full time.

Six Saturdays and a Sunday

Thank you so much for your response!

I think I will have to give in and drive. I might try renting a car at first, instead of buying one.

Thank you again for your response, have a lovely weekend :-)

a bad day for getting answers as everyone is starting their weekend.

Sorry but I can't help you a lot personally as I am not in Qatar.

Driving I think you will find essential but it can be horrendous now (I understand) but other women do it so go for it. It will give you lots more freedom.

Accommodation varies, there is good and bad as everywhere.

Shopping is a lot better than it was as there is now more than one large store..... a lot more.

Drinking. Alcohol is now available in many hotels, I leave it to others for the details.

At least this will get it back on the page for anyone getting in late and logging on.