Are You a Qatari living in London, England - Do You Know a Qatari who Lives in London?
World in one city
In July The Observer revealed a remarkable project by two London comics to see if they could find someone living in the capital from each of the 192 nations in the world. Now, with just days to go to their one-year deadline, Alex Horne and Owen Powell have just nine more countries to find.
Alex Horne and Owen Powell started their quest on a rainy 24 October last year in London, where they found Carl Sissons from the Philippines manning a motion simulator in the basement of the Trocadero Centre. By July they had reached 112 people, each of whom they profile on their World in One City website.
Now, with just days to go to their one-year deadline on Wednesday, Horne and Powell have just nine more countries to find: the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niger, Palau, Qatar, Tuvalu, Guinea-Bissau and Gabon. The last two they have leads for, but Nauru only has a population of 10,000 'and going down'. Another rule the two friends set was that they cannot hang around outside embassies to catch their prey, although they might succumb to ringing some in the final hours, admitted Horne.
The two friends hope to write a book and have a party for all 192 'countries'. 'That's the ultimate aim, to get them all in one place,' said Horne. 'So it's definitely not the end on Wednesday.'
Are you from one of the 'missing' countries, or do you know somebody who is?
Contact the project on [email protected].
www.worldinonecity.blogspot.com
Sunday October 21, 2007
The Observer
http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,,2195996,00.html
Then... this case is closed now . Amnesia & diamon could you please get out of this thread because we 'll close it once for all :D
Some are Wise ... Some are ...Otherwise
Salam Amnesia, actually he is quoting official figures which state that the current expat population is 80%.
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Love is the answer...
this is SO not fair! I just came back a couple of weeks ago.
I go back on the 24th for a week though. (nov)
edit: I find it funny that an ex-ambassador doesn't know that the ex-pat pop is 60 not 80% :P
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Nasser is a great pick to represent Qatar :) I'm glad they could cross off Qatar from their list of outstanding countries!_______________________________________________________
Love is the answer...
If he is to be our final find, we couldn't have asked for anyone more appropriate or erudite than the former Ambassador of Qatar, Mr Al-Khalifa. We met at 6pm, six hours before our deadline, in a perfectly cosmopolitan cafe in Mayfair, where he now resides.
[Here are some of those soundbites!]
Some Qatar Quotes:
On Londoners:
'I don't expect people to smile when walking around. You're busy, you have to get somewhere! People in London are nice.'
On London:
'Now it is a global city. No one can claim it. You find yourself in places now and you don't know where in the world you are.'
On multiculturalism:
When people move around they become aware of each other. They understand each other. That way, there are no more wars. Unfortunately politicians all over the world are backwards when it comes to multiculturalism.'
On Ken Livingston:
'The Mayor is a good man. He is ahead of his time. He understood what people who come from abroad can do for this city. It used to be dark after 5pm on the streets. Not any more!'
On Doha:
'You can't compare it to London. It's a much smaller city. It's a new city with new people. 80% of the people are non-Qataris. There are people from all over the world there. You could find someone from every country in the world there.'
"Halleluliah!
Alex Horne - 24th October 2007 (United Nations Day)
We met our Qatari at the appointed time! He used to be an ambassador but isn't now so he counts! And he's extremely good at soundbites!"
http://www.worldinonecity.blogspot.com/
I flashed off an e-mail to them this morning telling them I had enquired here in Qatar about their project and asking if they had found their Qatari. They came back to me within about an hour. Here's what they said. I'm ridiculously happy about it! lol
"Dear J,
Thank you so much for your email - very much appreciated.
We have now made contact with a Qatari and are meeting them this evening... and we have also been contacted by a couple of others too so thank you for your help! I'm sure we'll be able to tick Qatar off by our deadline at midnight tonight.
thanks again,
Yours,
Alex and Owen"
Yala!
You don't need an exit visa if you're Qatari lol...but I guess you know that. J/k, I'm just teasing you ;)
What do you mean exactly, 'are you that complicated?'. To what are you referring?
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Love is the answer...
Ok Ok Diamon You won :D I don't wanna be Qatari anymore :( I thought that was simpler :D I'll get more training for my accent, and I'll get a loan and an exit visa too lol :D are you that complicated ?
Some are Wise ... Some are ...Otherwise
oh yes...prr...prr...love Maybach
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Love is the answer...
Ha Frog...you don't need a landcruiser, they are soooo common. Go up market...you need a Range Rover Sport or a Porsche Cayemnne or a BMW 7 series or a...Rolls Royce ;)
And no ready made thobes...naff..strictly made to measure if you please...
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Love is the answer...
I actually find it a very interested project! I only read the complete blog etc a while ago when I posted about finding a Qatari, and I found it fascinating.
Perhaps one of the people I contacted in London decided to help out...so glad they have found someone to represent Qatar :)_______________________________________________________
Love is the answer...
I could very easily be ... a Qatari. I need one Landcruiser though and a nice Arabian dress . For what is left it's God's gift hahahaha :D
Some are Wise ... Some are ...Otherwise
You aren't a Qatari, are you? Oh! where ARE you from, then ... I took the ID 'frog' to mean you are a French speaker.
I'll get the Palau citizenship :D
Some are Wise ... Some are ...Otherwise
So it wasn't me :( I've made plans :(((((
Some are Wise ... Some are ...Otherwise
...made it onto the list for World In One City!
I just checked their blogspot and it looks like they have found a Qatari in London! Wonders will never cease :D
"Wednesday, 24 October 2007 (sic)
On this blog we're recording our encounters with the people we've met. Our current total is 186. According to the UN, there are 192 countries in the world, so we've proved that at the very least, London contains over 95% of the world's countries!
*
Countries that we're still very much looking for:
We are still looking for people from six countries:
Guinea-Bissau; Marshall Islands; Nauru; Palau; Qatar; Tuvalu.
(We have meetings arranged with people from Guinea-Bissau and Qatar, however - so it's really only FOUR countries that we're looking for ...)"
The entire list so far can be seen on their blogspot:
http://www.worldinonecity.blogspot.com/
woo hoo!
isn't there Oryx?
Courtesy of Wikipedia (good map on this site also - well it shows the names of the places anyway lol)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Niger_River
The Niger River is the principal river of western Africa, extending over 2500 miles (about 4180 km). It runs in a crescent through Guinea, Mali, Niger, on the border with Benin and then through Nigeria, discharging through a massive delta, known as the Niger Delta of the Oil Rivers, into the Gulf of Guinea. The Niger is the third-longest river in Africa, exceeded only by the Nile and the Congo River (also known as the Zaïre River). Its main tributary is the Benue River
Novita.........
Niger is very poor landlocked country in West Africa.
It is largely Muslim and is meant to have beautiful desert.
Qatar has done quite a lot of charity work there.
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/destinations/africa/niger
I would love to go there but I think you have to fly to Accra in Ghana and then go... starts working out expensive.
Bradt guides publish a book about Niger travel their neighbour Burkina Faso. Another country I would love to visit
you should e-mail the project leaders!!!
worldinonecity[AT]hotmail.com.
www.worldinonecity.blogspot.com
Tomorrow, Wednesday, is the day they close the project. If they haven't found their Qatari by later today they will call the State of Qatar Embassy in London to get a name from them!
GO! GO! GO! Pinkie!!! Don't miss that party! :D
Nauru is a series of islands in the Pacific. For many years it was incredibly wealthy, with an abundant natural resource providing a high standard of living for the ruling elite. Over time, that elite came to believe they knew it all, and began spending money in an increasingly frivolous manner, and listening to so-called 'advisors' as to where and how to spend it(sounding familiar?). Suffice to say it all ended in tears, and Nauru is now one of the poorest nations in the world. The Australian government now pays the people of Nauru to look after political refugees, rather than let them into Australia. It is their only source of income. BTW - the resource? Superphosphate, less politely known as birdsh*t!!
where is Nauru? And is Niger the same with Nigeria? Sorry my geography at school was bad :-(
me im a qatrai, and ive lived in london ever since i was born :p , i still have Residency but im living here now, well atleast till december :p
" Remember Kids Beer is Good For You :P "
Must be SOMEONE from Guinea Bissau living in London (or don't they travel well) :P
Where is in anyway? Somewhere near New Guinea? (Not London, Guinea Bissau I mean lol)
Jauntie... I have been to Guinea Bissau! but I guess that doesn't count for their studies!
I would love to go to Gabon
Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Niger, Palau, Tuvalu, Guinea-Bissau and Gabon.
Wish I'd been more attentive during Geography classes, cos I don't think I've heard of ANY of those Nations.
I know he spends time in London, just not sure he has a home there. He strikes me as the sort of chap who would be up for this type of malarkey :D
ha ha...I'll tell them to expect you and invite you to their next knees up.
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Love is the answer...
I meant they seemed a bit elusive when I went there. Visa section, anyway, opened latish and closed early (probably cos of all that partying!) They were very nice though.
When I go back to renew my Visa, I shall mentioned your name (diamondgirl from qatarliving) and say you said to invite me to their next party :D
They don't come out much...ha ha ha...you've obviously not been to the right parties J!!!_______________________________________________________
Love is the answer...
Yes, please do - because it would be such fun! Also a great shame if the people organising this project had to phone the Embassy just to find ONE Qatari!
I've been to the State of Qatar Embassy - they don't come out much :D
I know some people in London who could fill the Qatar spot. I'll pass this on. Hope they will want to...
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Love is the answer...
wold be fun if they will discuss if fish have balls
If you can't change your fate, change your attitude.
Looks to me like just a fun project to find out if London does indeed have someone living there from every Nation in the world.
It is only ONE person from each Nation being sought out and then invited to the party.
Do you mean because they live in London one assumes they probably work there and speak English and therefore will be able to chat together over a Can of Coca Cola at a party? ....
So it's fair to say that the medium of communication will be English..... so many possibilities open up for argument and counter argument
If you can't change your fate, change your attitude.
Quite interesting. Can Expatriates living in Qatar participate ? :D
Some are Wise ... Some are ...Otherwise
Just imagine being invited to a party where one person from each of all the World's 192 Nations is represented - Sounds great!