I like your post above. I do not thouroughly agree with some points, but at least you look at things from a more 'rounded' perspective.
The thing is, you are a national of Qatar, right? You have rights that you can fight for, and I am pleased to see that you have mentioned that you will actively enforce positive changes in your country using your law degree. But the fact that you are Qatari, separates you from the majority on this site which are expat, and share none of your confidence and hope that things will change to benefit the expat community.
Qatar assists it's citizens in ways that expats will never be assisted.
I've actually said this to you before, I disagree that Qatar is cheap. I have lived in the ME for 30 years, and I have seen an incredible increase in the cost of living. The only reason that it is still chosen as a place to work, is because the salaries (usually) are higher than in home countries (which is particularly true for my country). But cost of living is not only calculated by how much a person spends for food. It is calculated by other factors too.
Standard of living versus cost of living is probably very easily misunderstood. And due to ethical/moral/ politically correct reasons one cannot even detail certain things for fear that the majority on QL will jump down their throats.
I can only speak for myself a european expat.
Interest payments on my monthly car payments are well above what a qatari would pay.....because I'm an expat
Cost of food is more expensive because I choose to buy some products that are imported for the simple reason that I prefer to eat the kind of things I am used too.
Health Care is more expensive because I pay for health insurance because expat hospitals charge an arm and a leg.
Rental, not all expats have accomodation paid by a company. As soon as a landlord sees that you are an expat he'll skyrocket the prices because he knows that if a company wants to hire you, they have to make sure you can pay the rents.
I pay twice as much for internet here as I would at home for the same type of service, and it's slower. :(
Amnesia, it's not a question of complaining. I still make it at the end of the month. But please don't say it's cheap. It's not cheap for 99.9% of expats here. It's like if you go to the US to study,
you pay as a foreign national (out of state resident) an enormous amount more for your tuition fees then a us citizen, in state would.
So you see my point? You cannot compare the cost of living between different nationalities. They all have different indicators of importance within their own sub-groups.
"Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage." ~Sri Aurobindo
I like your post above. I do not thouroughly agree with some points, but at least you look at things from a more 'rounded' perspective.
The thing is, you are a national of Qatar, right? You have rights that you can fight for, and I am pleased to see that you have mentioned that you will actively enforce positive changes in your country using your law degree. But the fact that you are Qatari, separates you from the majority on this site which are expat, and share none of your confidence and hope that things will change to benefit the expat community.
Qatar assists it's citizens in ways that expats will never be assisted.
I've actually said this to you before, I disagree that Qatar is cheap. I have lived in the ME for 30 years, and I have seen an incredible increase in the cost of living. The only reason that it is still chosen as a place to work, is because the salaries (usually) are higher than in home countries (which is particularly true for my country). But cost of living is not only calculated by how much a person spends for food. It is calculated by other factors too.
Standard of living versus cost of living is probably very easily misunderstood. And due to ethical/moral/ politically correct reasons one cannot even detail certain things for fear that the majority on QL will jump down their throats.
I can only speak for myself a european expat.
Interest payments on my monthly car payments are well above what a qatari would pay.....because I'm an expat
Cost of food is more expensive because I choose to buy some products that are imported for the simple reason that I prefer to eat the kind of things I am used too.
Health Care is more expensive because I pay for health insurance because expat hospitals charge an arm and a leg.
Rental, not all expats have accomodation paid by a company. As soon as a landlord sees that you are an expat he'll skyrocket the prices because he knows that if a company wants to hire you, they have to make sure you can pay the rents.
I pay twice as much for internet here as I would at home for the same type of service, and it's slower. :(
Amnesia, it's not a question of complaining. I still make it at the end of the month. But please don't say it's cheap. It's not cheap for 99.9% of expats here. It's like if you go to the US to study,
you pay as a foreign national (out of state resident) an enormous amount more for your tuition fees then a us citizen, in state would.
So you see my point? You cannot compare the cost of living between different nationalities. They all have different indicators of importance within their own sub-groups.
"Life is life - whether in a cat, or dog or man. There is no difference there between a cat or a man. The idea of difference is a human conception for man's own advantage." ~Sri Aurobindo