@ genesis,i was referring to projects like roadworks of a similar (or even smaller) scale started in the neighbouring Emirates @ the same time(if not later)& having been completed & the road up & running while the same project here drags on for years,for one simple reason,there is no or very little accountability here,not everything has changed since the previous regime...when any project is mentioned in Qatar & completion dates are discussed,anyone throwing up what they consider is an "official figure" is quickly reminded that this is QATAR,so the date is only one on paper meaning actual completion will probably be 2,3 or more years after that date,that is the reputation Qatar has in terms of project completion...but i refuse to buy that it can't be done & one good,well probably the ONLY example is Edu. City-QF,projects completed on time or running on schedule(convention centre),why? because Her Highness' office is directly overseeing them & any delays have to be explained to Her Highness' office,end result,all projects on schedule...someone similarly in the "inner circle" ought to takeover directly overseeing public works projects instead of leaving it to super efficient Ashghal...
Don't even get me started on healthcare standards & related facilities mate...Hamad Medical City was (suppposedly) purpose built to hand over to HMC soon after the Asian games,it's going to be FIVE YEARS & still nothing..."planning issues" is a slight understatement mate...
Anyways,i feel this way because i know it can be done & yet it isn'e being...this country has so much potential but poor prioritizing...logic would have it that at least existing roadworks be completed,a REAL public transport network be put in place & 2nd full-fledged hospital be functional BEFORE buying Harrods,bidding for the World Cup,hosting Doha Tribeca film festival(which i REALLY enjoyed may i add!!!) & other such initiatives..."TPTB" prioritize those things & they happen,someone @ a similar level ought to be prioritizing public works projects...but hey,what do i know?...
One of the gals from our clique happens to be petrified of cats and will bring the house down should one wonder into the villa imagine then how she's feeling right now? poor girl! and like you said better safe than sorry so I'll just avoid going out there tonight. Don't wanna end up cat food..lol
Fathima, i'm not saying that the 'story' might not be true on the whole, but logically speaking a tigress with 2 cubs in a place like doha with very less natural surrounding to hide, where can a big tiger hide? In the garbage drums? Makes me think of the times i go to throw my garbage out and suddenly some stupid ugly cat just jumps out and scares me..imagine the big pussy cat jumps out :P
we wish, but there's no smoke(no pun intended) without fire! I was in doubt about the authenticity of the story but it seems quite true as the people of those areas have been warned. Many of my friends stay there and mind you they have kids who tend to play outdoors there all the time! See it was a tigress and her cubs, allegedly.
This is news bout 1 tiger being found..how many are on the lose? I still fell this is just a rumor, seriously where can a big tiger hide in a place like Qatar wihout being spotted? If its hungry it will be roaming around searching for food...my theory is its just a little kitty cat named Tiger :P
The people around the Umm Salal area are aware of this. Apparently only one has been found!In fact I was to go for a "girl's night in" at my friends place which is around that area tonight, but changed plans pronto! death may be unpredictable but why take a chance? Yikes..it is scary!
Hmm Jessica you must be living in another Qatar...those descriptions sound so perfect compared to the Qatar i'm living in....can i get a visa to come there?
oh yea i love qatar this is a safe place for family, no crime such as killing, snatchers,holdapers,thief and the place is peaceful, the peoples are discipline, the city is not crowded, not polluted and some arabic people are nice and helpful. the public servant also in qatar are very nice, though they are arabic and some of them can't understand much english but they were all nice, giving you the complete details and what to do if you have problems.. ive been here in qatar 2 years and i encountered too much problem here but with the help of other nationality in immigration other municipal office here and ofcourse my husband ive done my documents completely and legal :)
This is happening simply because there is no active patrolling. Traffice police is very good at taking numbers and shooting pics at people crossing on a red light or going over the speed limit. Prevention goes far beyond that, like for example, suspending licenses to those who are driving recklessly, recklessly meaning not staying in their lane, or those who are forcing you to move over or speed over the limit on a highway simply because they are in desperate need of getting to the toilet. We also have those who cut corners at the roundabouts.
No camera can solve this situation. Police should pull this people over and give them an ass beating until they start behaving like human beings. Period!
WK you must be one brave guy..IMO its scary all the time! worse it can also be contagious. I'm sure we all know of people who drove cautiously back home transforming into reckless and vengeful drivers here.Like they want to prove something by driving like maniacs.Truly pray for this terror to end soon =(
As I've written dozen times before that Qatar started modernizing two decades later after other gulf countries as it wasn't the interest of the previous regime.
Qataris have the same complains about infrastructure & health services and blame it on the influx of foreigners.
Unlike other countries, infrastructure projects all emerged at the same time from Roads, sewage, electricity & water. Delayed are expected with lack of coordination between many different entities ( each with it's own running contract, contractors, sub contractors & consultants) and shortage of Qualified man power.
As for hospitals, frankly the reason the opening Hamad medical city was postponed many times is due to planning issue and severe shortage of medical staff. As they kept changing the specialty of the buildings , until finally they decided to dedicate an additional building as women hospital and keep the other two as Cardiology & Trauma/Ortho Hospital. This will be inaugurated in 2011 , by that time the Wakra Hospital will also be open ( which has the same capacity of the existing Hamad Hospital). Add to that Qatar foundation's Sedra Hospital which is expected in 2012.
One thing I really hope they do something about is rash drivers..
Before the usual blame game starts on that, let me say they are from ALL nationalities present in Qatar.. I see White, Black, Brown, Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos.. people from all nationalities driving like maniacs.. I don't have any suggestion as to how to curb it but it is scary at times...
1)Roads,where do we begin on this?...funnily enough,just today was reading somewhere(Peninsula?) about how brand new roads not even a year old are cracking & rutting while roads that were built decades ago are still going strong...i.e quality checks non-existent & if they are,it's only on paper...non-existent public transport system(i'm talking today not a decade or more in the future) & car-culture as a result,10,000 new one on the SAME amount of road network every year...yes new roads are coming but way too little & WAY too slowly,like AL-Sadd/Al Waab as WK pointed out,i don't even remember how long that one's been going on...
2)Infrastructure-for the country with the highest GDP on the planet,VERY POOR & again improving yes,but WAY too slowly.
And no i'm no engineer/planner/builder but i do know what Dubai looked like a few years back & what it looks like today & if they next door can do it with MUCH LESS resources at their disposal,why can't Qatar? Well Sheikh Mo personally follows up on these issues there & accountability is VERY high...doesn't matter which tribe or family the official belongs to,non-perfomance results in suspension or termination,which is as things should be...accountability here is pretty much non-existent in the public sector.
3)Telecom-well, does my phone/internet/cable tv work? Yes,but i truly dread the day something goes wrong & i have to deal with Qtel,honestly though,i know a few people to get things sorted for me but i'm presuming you weren't referring to "wasta"?!...so no,Qtel is rubbish as a regular customer with no influence...however,i would say it has marginally improved since Vodafone's arrival.
4)Health-genesis as a medical professional,it constantly amazes me how "TPTB"(to use your terminology!) have as yet not realized the DESPERATE need for AT LEAST one more full size hospital IN DOHA CITY?!?! i mean,Hamad is bursting @ the seams,pregnant women can't get a bed when they go into labour,people suffering cardiac arrests are stuck in emerg. 'cos there are no beds in cardio??? truly appalling,really,for want of a better word & all this REALLY BUGS me because you guys are not short of resources!...i mean come on,if Her Highness' vision has made QF a reality in a relatively short time,surely a full-size hospital could've been in place by now???...'cos let's face it,Hamad didn't start getting stretched today or yesterday,it's been stretched for YEARS & the need for another FULL SIZE (as opposed to health centers) hospital has been there for YEARS,so what am i missing here?...as for standards,let's not even go there,if you're in any way involved with the SCH,you would know that as per Government directives,they are attempting to bring HMC under their purview,which has been functioning pretty much by their own rules all these years & understandably there is HUGE opposition from "TPTB" @ Hamad because part of SCH's supervision is having ALL HMC doctors take a competency exam & "senior" doctors @ HMC are understandably opposed to this & fighting it tooth & nail because as an SCH official told me,more than 50% of the doctors @ HMC would fail such a test of competency,some of them even having fake qualifications from unknown/unheard of medical schools,does that answer your question on health standards? having said that,there are some VERY good doctors @ HMC but again i/my family personally know a number of them so i could get an appointment with them but that's "wasta" all over again,what about regular patients who don't know anyone? wait 6 months for an appointment or see some Egyptian quack claiming to be a doctor? That's not much of a choice now is it mate?...
5) Entertainment- what entertainment??? i'm young,have been married just over a year,no kids...this town offers me NOTHING except the film festival,since last year & which i'm looking forward to tonight & the weekend! but that's it,EVERYTHING here seems to be geared towards (boring) "wholesome family entertainment"...we're not into clubbing but the wife & i enjoy occasionally going out to a nice bar for a few drinks & dinner...not here...on the days that one doesn't have to fight for a drink,service staff are completely untrained,i know more than most of them & i'm not exactly an alcohol connoisseur!...no variety,every bar has the same damn things because of course there is only one supplier & hotels are probably not permitted to bring in their own stuff even if they wanted to...
i love Arab food so i like the restaurants but again MANY Arab places seem like they only want to serve Arab customers,waiters speak no English at all...
It's really the little things Genesis,but as they say,God is in the details...& again i can't help but compare it to Dubai or even Bahrain & Abu Dhabi right next door & how all of those places despite having lesser resources than Qatar have done SO MUCH more with their cities...
I lived here before the Asian games and then moved back this past year. I don't think enough progress has been made with the infrastructure, but I also think this regime left it late to start addressing. I sense that many Qataris see the last decade as their chance to grab unprecedented wealth and so the plans to develop towers, huge compounds and more business opportunities which resulted in a huge population boom, did not take into account the fact that the infrastructure couldn't handle it. No one wants to wait to start sucking up the cash, so they got permits to go ahead with projects that should have been delayed until the infrastructure was improved. I think that has affected the quality of life for everyone, Qataris and expats alike, and that is why I think in many respects the quality of life is declining in Qatar. I don't think it has to be a permanent downturn but you need some good planning to avoid the path of Dubai in my opinion.
I loved it 2 years ago...even a year ago. But I'm finding it tiring now. It's not as free as it used to be, it's not as fun, if anything it's more conservative now than it was 3 years ago.
Perhaps it's just that I've been in one place too long and it's time to move on. Perhaps it's that I'm finding the job market has dried up or I've hit the proverbial glass ceiling (I've gone as high up as I can as a woman and a non-National). Perhaps it's cause my hubby and I are talking rugrats and neither of us want them to grown up here in such a conservative, religiously dominated society. Who knows. I just know that I'm tried and it here and I want to leave.
However I will always have a special place in my heart for Qatar.
I like QATAR..To use a word LOVE for it wouldn't be suitable here..I have a mix feeling of being a resident of DOHA for last 5yrs..There are many things that i like about it..At the same time, there are many things too which requires a room of improvement..Hope to see it soon!
Some good comments and I can understand some comments too, but for me, Qatar is the place where I want my boys to remember, the people are so nice and polite and helpful. I spoke with lots of secretaries at government buildings yesterday, they were so polite and welcome and helpful and it was then that I actually felt like I was at home. This is my 3rd time living abroad and its the quickest that I have settled. Anyway, just going for a swim in my compound villa pool:)
In Addition to KATARA, but it will be with an annual fee for both singles & families (i've been yesterday to the place during DTFF pre opening, and the beach area was well equipped)
some level of contentment. How can you ever stay in a place if you don't love it? No ifs, no buts, either you love it or leave it. Money is not everything but it is definitely something!
You’ll only love the place, if it accommodates all your needs. At the end, it’s not your country.So no one is expecting you to have any sense of belonging
I have been here 19 months now and I see some improvement in Roads infrastructure.. Thanks mainly to one new road opening up but can someone PLEASE finish that road at Al Sadd Signal (Coming from Al Wabb, going to sports roundabout), It was under construction when I came and still is.
Health- I avoid doctors & hospitals here.
Entertainment- They have closed down couple of public beaches nearby and couple of places to drink at night so that's going downhill.
Telecom- Service still sucks.. Vodafone has come in but that has had no impact on the service or lack of it of Qtel.
No major construction finished during that time though the pearl resembles more of a finished product now. I don't consider Aquapark as something major
Government services are quite helpful actually..
It is a place for families, single guys just don't have anything going for them..
Well, it’s not about loving the place or loathing it
For any of you who lived here for at least three to five years, how do you evaluate the public facilities( Roads, infrastructure, telecom, Health, entertainment, etc) & government services ?
@ diane,as dandrough rightly asked,which layer of the cake are you loving?...allow me to hazard a guess,the layer that's called the "expat package",with the tax-free salary(that you couldn't dream of earning back home,no offence please,i don't mean that in any way as an indication of your or your spouse's skills),the compound villa with the pool,the kids school fees paid for,the big SUV/fancy motor & general easy life or the other layers that exist...don't get me wrong & as much as i sound like the wet blanket,as much as there is a lot to like about life in your situation here,there is a LOT that is wrong with this place,which you would probably never see/experience during your stay here but that doesn't mean it's not there...it's just kept conveniently out of sight...so IMHO,be thankful for what you've got & enjoy by it all means,but "Qatar rocks"?!?!...NOT...
There is nothing in world like Qatar.Clean and calm country with a good life style and finest malls around.So much of peace.It is cool life.I m loving it.
qatar is ok, the weather is not good but i love the money , the house we live in, hate the traffic but love my car, have good friends but there is not much to do on weekends................i can go on and on
last not the least on the whole i think i like qatar
Qatar is a very small country, itn is also densely layered. which layer of the cake are you loving ? I am sure it is not the one where a nepali worker in industrial area exist. I am Qatari, as one my life is a world you will never see. There is also Qatar Foundation, another layer all together. so back to my question, which qatar do you lo/ive ?
Qhris this was the second time.. First one was few months back, agreed on the quality of food.. Not the greatest but it was close and I was really hungry :P
georgia it didn't take much persuasion or force to kidnap you :P
But I am frustrated by some things that simply shouldn't be happening in a developed/developing country in 2010, such as the deplorable conditions for some labourers and domestic servants, people keeping wild animals as pets, and Landcruisers that refuse to share the roads with anyone else. I suspect most decent Qataris are also unhappy with these things.
Yes I can understand what you are saying....it is a risk to leave your country and work abroad and you have to be aware of those risks, if you work hard then you will be rewarded:)
We like and love everything here because this country is a source of income for us and our families, but when it comes to reality, as posted yesterday by somebody about the discrimination with expatriates, it hurts our feelings and we start thinking if it is our own country, no body can dare to do this to us. We are HERO in our own country but ZERO here.
We are contributing to build and develop this country, but at the end the reality is, if we do a small mistake, within no time, we will be deported. As Saeedkhan said, he born here and spend a golden part of his life here, but in case of any minor mistake, he has to leave with a permanent ban to Qatar within 24 hours and he cannot claim his rights of birth and spending his precious life here.
For these reaons, we should have to love first our home country, whatever it is, but in difficult time, they will accept us, even if we make a biggest mistake.
saeed, you are so lucky to have been brought up here. I have 2 boys and they love their school, they love the football pitches, they love their new friends, we all love the weather and we love the standards set here:)
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@ genesis,i was referring to projects like roadworks of a similar (or even smaller) scale started in the neighbouring Emirates @ the same time(if not later)& having been completed & the road up & running while the same project here drags on for years,for one simple reason,there is no or very little accountability here,not everything has changed since the previous regime...when any project is mentioned in Qatar & completion dates are discussed,anyone throwing up what they consider is an "official figure" is quickly reminded that this is QATAR,so the date is only one on paper meaning actual completion will probably be 2,3 or more years after that date,that is the reputation Qatar has in terms of project completion...but i refuse to buy that it can't be done & one good,well probably the ONLY example is Edu. City-QF,projects completed on time or running on schedule(convention centre),why? because Her Highness' office is directly overseeing them & any delays have to be explained to Her Highness' office,end result,all projects on schedule...someone similarly in the "inner circle" ought to takeover directly overseeing public works projects instead of leaving it to super efficient Ashghal...
Don't even get me started on healthcare standards & related facilities mate...Hamad Medical City was (suppposedly) purpose built to hand over to HMC soon after the Asian games,it's going to be FIVE YEARS & still nothing..."planning issues" is a slight understatement mate...
Anyways,i feel this way because i know it can be done & yet it isn'e being...this country has so much potential but poor prioritizing...logic would have it that at least existing roadworks be completed,a REAL public transport network be put in place & 2nd full-fledged hospital be functional BEFORE buying Harrods,bidding for the World Cup,hosting Doha Tribeca film festival(which i REALLY enjoyed may i add!!!) & other such initiatives..."TPTB" prioritize those things & they happen,someone @ a similar level ought to be prioritizing public works projects...but hey,what do i know?...
again and again! Lol! Lovely Qatar or should I say, fascinating Qatar! Lol!
One of the gals from our clique happens to be petrified of cats and will bring the house down should one wonder into the villa imagine then how she's feeling right now? poor girl! and like you said better safe than sorry so I'll just avoid going out there tonight. Don't wanna end up cat food..lol
Fathima, i'm not saying that the 'story' might not be true on the whole, but logically speaking a tigress with 2 cubs in a place like doha with very less natural surrounding to hide, where can a big tiger hide? In the garbage drums? Makes me think of the times i go to throw my garbage out and suddenly some stupid ugly cat just jumps out and scares me..imagine the big pussy cat jumps out :P
None the less better to be safe than sorry.
we wish, but there's no smoke(no pun intended) without fire! I was in doubt about the authenticity of the story but it seems quite true as the people of those areas have been warned. Many of my friends stay there and mind you they have kids who tend to play outdoors there all the time! See it was a tigress and her cubs, allegedly.
Aww smoke, you and your absolute fantastic sense of humour...
This is news bout 1 tiger being found..how many are on the lose? I still fell this is just a rumor, seriously where can a big tiger hide in a place like Qatar wihout being spotted? If its hungry it will be roaming around searching for food...my theory is its just a little kitty cat named Tiger :P
That's even more scary to think about the people residing in that area..
I hope that the other one should be caught soon..
The people around the Umm Salal area are aware of this. Apparently only one has been found!In fact I was to go for a "girl's night in" at my friends place which is around that area tonight, but changed plans pronto! death may be unpredictable but why take a chance? Yikes..it is scary!
hey smoke, so does it mean that the news of the TIGERS roaming freely in the streets of DOHA is true????
OMG!!!
We did have cannibals in industrial area couple of years ago..but what is that compared to roaming tigers!
Ya. No killers or theives, just tigers roaming Education City ;P
Hmm Jessica you must be living in another Qatar...those descriptions sound so perfect compared to the Qatar i'm living in....can i get a visa to come there?
oh yea i love qatar this is a safe place for family, no crime such as killing, snatchers,holdapers,thief and the place is peaceful, the peoples are discipline, the city is not crowded, not polluted and some arabic people are nice and helpful. the public servant also in qatar are very nice, though they are arabic and some of them can't understand much english but they were all nice, giving you the complete details and what to do if you have problems.. ive been here in qatar 2 years and i encountered too much problem here but with the help of other nationality in immigration other municipal office here and ofcourse my husband ive done my documents completely and legal :)
This is happening simply because there is no active patrolling. Traffice police is very good at taking numbers and shooting pics at people crossing on a red light or going over the speed limit. Prevention goes far beyond that, like for example, suspending licenses to those who are driving recklessly, recklessly meaning not staying in their lane, or those who are forcing you to move over or speed over the limit on a highway simply because they are in desperate need of getting to the toilet. We also have those who cut corners at the roundabouts.
No camera can solve this situation. Police should pull this people over and give them an ass beating until they start behaving like human beings. Period!
WK you must be one brave guy..IMO its scary all the time! worse it can also be contagious. I'm sure we all know of people who drove cautiously back home transforming into reckless and vengeful drivers here.Like they want to prove something by driving like maniacs.Truly pray for this terror to end soon =(
As I've written dozen times before that Qatar started modernizing two decades later after other gulf countries as it wasn't the interest of the previous regime.
Qataris have the same complains about infrastructure & health services and blame it on the influx of foreigners.
Unlike other countries, infrastructure projects all emerged at the same time from Roads, sewage, electricity & water. Delayed are expected with lack of coordination between many different entities ( each with it's own running contract, contractors, sub contractors & consultants) and shortage of Qualified man power.
As for hospitals, frankly the reason the opening Hamad medical city was postponed many times is due to planning issue and severe shortage of medical staff. As they kept changing the specialty of the buildings , until finally they decided to dedicate an additional building as women hospital and keep the other two as Cardiology & Trauma/Ortho Hospital. This will be inaugurated in 2011 , by that time the Wakra Hospital will also be open ( which has the same capacity of the existing Hamad Hospital). Add to that Qatar foundation's Sedra Hospital which is expected in 2012.
One thing I really hope they do something about is rash drivers..
Before the usual blame game starts on that, let me say they are from ALL nationalities present in Qatar.. I see White, Black, Brown, Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, Filipinos.. people from all nationalities driving like maniacs.. I don't have any suggestion as to how to curb it but it is scary at times...
I think it is really quite simple. Qatar should and can invest in better quality on all levels.
@ genesis mate,
1)Roads,where do we begin on this?...funnily enough,just today was reading somewhere(Peninsula?) about how brand new roads not even a year old are cracking & rutting while roads that were built decades ago are still going strong...i.e quality checks non-existent & if they are,it's only on paper...non-existent public transport system(i'm talking today not a decade or more in the future) & car-culture as a result,10,000 new one on the SAME amount of road network every year...yes new roads are coming but way too little & WAY too slowly,like AL-Sadd/Al Waab as WK pointed out,i don't even remember how long that one's been going on...
2)Infrastructure-for the country with the highest GDP on the planet,VERY POOR & again improving yes,but WAY too slowly.
And no i'm no engineer/planner/builder but i do know what Dubai looked like a few years back & what it looks like today & if they next door can do it with MUCH LESS resources at their disposal,why can't Qatar? Well Sheikh Mo personally follows up on these issues there & accountability is VERY high...doesn't matter which tribe or family the official belongs to,non-perfomance results in suspension or termination,which is as things should be...accountability here is pretty much non-existent in the public sector.
3)Telecom-well, does my phone/internet/cable tv work? Yes,but i truly dread the day something goes wrong & i have to deal with Qtel,honestly though,i know a few people to get things sorted for me but i'm presuming you weren't referring to "wasta"?!...so no,Qtel is rubbish as a regular customer with no influence...however,i would say it has marginally improved since Vodafone's arrival.
4)Health-genesis as a medical professional,it constantly amazes me how "TPTB"(to use your terminology!) have as yet not realized the DESPERATE need for AT LEAST one more full size hospital IN DOHA CITY?!?! i mean,Hamad is bursting @ the seams,pregnant women can't get a bed when they go into labour,people suffering cardiac arrests are stuck in emerg. 'cos there are no beds in cardio??? truly appalling,really,for want of a better word & all this REALLY BUGS me because you guys are not short of resources!...i mean come on,if Her Highness' vision has made QF a reality in a relatively short time,surely a full-size hospital could've been in place by now???...'cos let's face it,Hamad didn't start getting stretched today or yesterday,it's been stretched for YEARS & the need for another FULL SIZE (as opposed to health centers) hospital has been there for YEARS,so what am i missing here?...as for standards,let's not even go there,if you're in any way involved with the SCH,you would know that as per Government directives,they are attempting to bring HMC under their purview,which has been functioning pretty much by their own rules all these years & understandably there is HUGE opposition from "TPTB" @ Hamad because part of SCH's supervision is having ALL HMC doctors take a competency exam & "senior" doctors @ HMC are understandably opposed to this & fighting it tooth & nail because as an SCH official told me,more than 50% of the doctors @ HMC would fail such a test of competency,some of them even having fake qualifications from unknown/unheard of medical schools,does that answer your question on health standards? having said that,there are some VERY good doctors @ HMC but again i/my family personally know a number of them so i could get an appointment with them but that's "wasta" all over again,what about regular patients who don't know anyone? wait 6 months for an appointment or see some Egyptian quack claiming to be a doctor? That's not much of a choice now is it mate?...
5) Entertainment- what entertainment??? i'm young,have been married just over a year,no kids...this town offers me NOTHING except the film festival,since last year & which i'm looking forward to tonight & the weekend! but that's it,EVERYTHING here seems to be geared towards (boring) "wholesome family entertainment"...we're not into clubbing but the wife & i enjoy occasionally going out to a nice bar for a few drinks & dinner...not here...on the days that one doesn't have to fight for a drink,service staff are completely untrained,i know more than most of them & i'm not exactly an alcohol connoisseur!...no variety,every bar has the same damn things because of course there is only one supplier & hotels are probably not permitted to bring in their own stuff even if they wanted to...
i love Arab food so i like the restaurants but again MANY Arab places seem like they only want to serve Arab customers,waiters speak no English at all...
It's really the little things Genesis,but as they say,God is in the details...& again i can't help but compare it to Dubai or even Bahrain & Abu Dhabi right next door & how all of those places despite having lesser resources than Qatar have done SO MUCH more with their cities...
Really I can't emagine myself away from qatar.
I lived here before the Asian games and then moved back this past year. I don't think enough progress has been made with the infrastructure, but I also think this regime left it late to start addressing. I sense that many Qataris see the last decade as their chance to grab unprecedented wealth and so the plans to develop towers, huge compounds and more business opportunities which resulted in a huge population boom, did not take into account the fact that the infrastructure couldn't handle it. No one wants to wait to start sucking up the cash, so they got permits to go ahead with projects that should have been delayed until the infrastructure was improved. I think that has affected the quality of life for everyone, Qataris and expats alike, and that is why I think in many respects the quality of life is declining in Qatar. I don't think it has to be a permanent downturn but you need some good planning to avoid the path of Dubai in my opinion.
I love Qatar coz I get my daily bread here...Life isnt a rush and everything is simple...Work,pray and study is the funda here for me...
I loved it 2 years ago...even a year ago. But I'm finding it tiring now. It's not as free as it used to be, it's not as fun, if anything it's more conservative now than it was 3 years ago.
Perhaps it's just that I've been in one place too long and it's time to move on. Perhaps it's that I'm finding the job market has dried up or I've hit the proverbial glass ceiling (I've gone as high up as I can as a woman and a non-National). Perhaps it's cause my hubby and I are talking rugrats and neither of us want them to grown up here in such a conservative, religiously dominated society. Who knows. I just know that I'm tried and it here and I want to leave.
However I will always have a special place in my heart for Qatar.
diane5935...We share same sentiments :P
I like QATAR..To use a word LOVE for it wouldn't be suitable here..I have a mix feeling of being a resident of DOHA for last 5yrs..There are many things that i like about it..At the same time, there are many things too which requires a room of improvement..Hope to see it soon!
and I bet you're gonna be sipping on those Mojitos by the pool too :-(
Some good comments and I can understand some comments too, but for me, Qatar is the place where I want my boys to remember, the people are so nice and polite and helpful. I spoke with lots of secretaries at government buildings yesterday, they were so polite and welcome and helpful and it was then that I actually felt like I was at home. This is my 3rd time living abroad and its the quickest that I have settled. Anyway, just going for a swim in my compound villa pool:)
i like qatar too...
I really want to love Qatar and when I have a moment of weakness, someone or something in Qatar slaps me round the face to remind me why I don't!
Ironic as this may sound, I actually miss Qatar when I'm overseas :-(
They may not be the best at what they do... yet, but they are getting there ;-)
That said, I agree with what gadarene said, if you're the icing in the cake, what's not to love about this place?
five new public beaches were made available for the general public as of next month. This have been published in local news paper this week
http://alarab.com.qa/details.php?docId=155947&issueNo=1043&secId=16
In Addition to KATARA, but it will be with an annual fee for both singles & families (i've been yesterday to the place during DTFF pre opening, and the beach area was well equipped)
some level of contentment. How can you ever stay in a place if you don't love it? No ifs, no buts, either you love it or leave it. Money is not everything but it is definitely something!
i can't disagree with you.
You’ll only love the place, if it accommodates all your needs. At the end, it’s not your country.So no one is expecting you to have any sense of belonging
I have been here 19 months now and I see some improvement in Roads infrastructure.. Thanks mainly to one new road opening up but can someone PLEASE finish that road at Al Sadd Signal (Coming from Al Wabb, going to sports roundabout), It was under construction when I came and still is.
Health- I avoid doctors & hospitals here.
Entertainment- They have closed down couple of public beaches nearby and couple of places to drink at night so that's going downhill.
Telecom- Service still sucks.. Vodafone has come in but that has had no impact on the service or lack of it of Qtel.
No major construction finished during that time though the pearl resembles more of a finished product now. I don't consider Aquapark as something major
Government services are quite helpful actually..
It is a place for families, single guys just don't have anything going for them..
Well, it’s not about loving the place or loathing it
For any of you who lived here for at least three to five years, how do you evaluate the public facilities( Roads, infrastructure, telecom, Health, entertainment, etc) & government services ?
Has it improved? Or remained the same
@ diane,as dandrough rightly asked,which layer of the cake are you loving?...allow me to hazard a guess,the layer that's called the "expat package",with the tax-free salary(that you couldn't dream of earning back home,no offence please,i don't mean that in any way as an indication of your or your spouse's skills),the compound villa with the pool,the kids school fees paid for,the big SUV/fancy motor & general easy life or the other layers that exist...don't get me wrong & as much as i sound like the wet blanket,as much as there is a lot to like about life in your situation here,there is a LOT that is wrong with this place,which you would probably never see/experience during your stay here but that doesn't mean it's not there...it's just kept conveniently out of sight...so IMHO,be thankful for what you've got & enjoy by it all means,but "Qatar rocks"?!?!...NOT...
There is nothing in world like Qatar.Clean and calm country with a good life style and finest malls around.So much of peace.It is cool life.I m loving it.
I like QATAR.........
&
I love Qatari R....I...Y...A....L...S...............................
like you I Love Qatar and Live Ain Khalid
qatar is ok, the weather is not good but i love the money , the house we live in, hate the traffic but love my car, have good friends but there is not much to do on weekends................i can go on and on
last not the least on the whole i think i like qatar
Qatar is a very small country, itn is also densely layered. which layer of the cake are you loving ? I am sure it is not the one where a nepali worker in industrial area exist. I am Qatari, as one my life is a world you will never see. There is also Qatar Foundation, another layer all together. so back to my question, which qatar do you lo/ive ?
If you look at the OP, this is the 'Diane-ing in Doha' thread :-p
You could check out the diningindoha thread...
Website not bad...
If, like me, you have a broken ankle, then between sitting on the Corniche and eating that IS Qatar, in its completion! :)
an I love food thread...
enjoy your wet dream about me WK.... ;)
Oh yes, you ate my fries too :(
Anyway got to sleep now guys..
Good Night :)
Yeah, Mcdonalds has all kinds of animal hooves and toenails and stuff....
WK, you watched me devour the biggest mc donalds meal ever and you think im picky with my food? :P
about the guy stalking her in Villagio? Maybe the old coot could tell you like the attention. ;)
Or do I have you confused with someone else?
Lol... No she is not that picky with food....
Or are you????
Georgia doesn't need a steak or salad, she needs an icecold shower! :P
WK's company is enough torture... i don't think i could handle much else... :P
Just don't take Georgia to Ponderosa, otherwise a simple kidnap becomes torture :-p
Salad bar in Ponderosa is fab, I agree.
WK, you would have been safe to greet me as hubby was not with me. He was waiting inside already as he went there straight from work ;)
Qhris this was the second time.. First one was few months back, agreed on the quality of food.. Not the greatest but it was close and I was really hungry :P
georgia it didn't take much persuasion or force to kidnap you :P
its the bed.
Did you go there out of choice? First time?
I don't like the meat there, not great quality....good salad bar though. Still, was under-impressed :-(
talking about the same guy who sneaks into my compound at night and kidnaps me... it was definitely stalking :P
I had dinner at Ponderosa.. Saw you guys walking in to Caravan.. No stalking :P
hahaha! glad to hear you're still having wet dreams about me though ;)
Are you stalking me WK????????
It was shyte - I've not stopped throwing up since. This was the last time I gave it a chance!
There is always the couch so it's not an issue
is it because i'm crap in bed?
Never.. Can't even think of cheating on you even in my dreams :P
ARE YOU CHEATING ON ME?!?!
lol Alumnar, How was the dinner at Caravan today ;)
WK you doubletimer!!! :P
You are obviously dreaming if you love this place... it will be a hard awakening.
georgia you are the best thing that ever happened to me so that's why I love Qatar ;)
There, all shyness gone :P
WK, why are you being shy?! you can admit you love qatar because i live here, it's okay ;)
It is peaceful but sometimes I want more than peace in my life. That's when I don't like it here else it's ok..
find it a pleasant place to live and work.
But I am frustrated by some things that simply shouldn't be happening in a developed/developing country in 2010, such as the deplorable conditions for some labourers and domestic servants, people keeping wild animals as pets, and Landcruisers that refuse to share the roads with anyone else. I suspect most decent Qataris are also unhappy with these things.
obviously the novelty hasn't worn off yet.
well said saeed bro, 'say either salam, or ma'salama'
lol............I know, but the social scene and hotels pays for that:)
the price of alcohol is heartbreaking. actually, the whole socalled 'nightlife' is heartbreaking...
Yes I can understand what you are saying....it is a risk to leave your country and work abroad and you have to be aware of those risks, if you work hard then you will be rewarded:)
Hi, no sorry it was not me, don't know aljaber building???
We like and love everything here because this country is a source of income for us and our families, but when it comes to reality, as posted yesterday by somebody about the discrimination with expatriates, it hurts our feelings and we start thinking if it is our own country, no body can dare to do this to us. We are HERO in our own country but ZERO here.
We are contributing to build and develop this country, but at the end the reality is, if we do a small mistake, within no time, we will be deported. As Saeedkhan said, he born here and spend a golden part of his life here, but in case of any minor mistake, he has to leave with a permanent ban to Qatar within 24 hours and he cannot claim his rights of birth and spending his precious life here.
For these reaons, we should have to love first our home country, whatever it is, but in difficult time, they will accept us, even if we make a biggest mistake.
no...
:)so nice to hear of all the good, Qatar is just beautiful and I am proud to be part of it x
saeed, you are so lucky to have been brought up here. I have 2 boys and they love their school, they love the football pitches, they love their new friends, we all love the weather and we love the standards set here:)
Qatar...
QL rocks..its my family away from home. a place like no other *sighs* (told ya so!)
Warming....its been 2 years for me here. Its getting cold for me rather :-)
Fathimah......me too...........drmana you are warming.
hey guys, this place is wicked, just about right with everything.
Am loving it xx
ask why not! what's there not to love? (I feel a chirpy Pollyanna tonight..you have been warned!)
I like Qatar but I don't love it. That's all.
kkkkkkkkkk, would you mind if I asked why?
totally!
No