Just over a month has passed and after all of my whining and complaining about inactivity, I am now seemingly too busy to post any updates, that and the fact that I do not have the internet at home yet and also the fact that the computer that I brought over had a very rapid demise when I plugged it into the 220 plug without switching the current switch on the PC power supply. So, I am still waiting on a replacement power supply and the internet to be installed... Until then...
It has actually already been a month, where to start.
It is hard to describe the feeling of excitement and intrigue one gets when they are in a strange and unknown place. I have been working mostly ten sometimes eleven hour shifts since I have been here, sometimes working a six day workweek. This leaves me not a lot of time to go out and explore the area but I have been managing to get enough excitement in thus far.
Worth Mentioning:
- The Souqs -
Although largely commercialized by the Qataris as one of their few tourist attractions, the Souqs, in particular Souq Wakif is still very interesting and there are many different local fare restaurants of which I have not nearly tried enough of. In some of the adjacent Souqs, (read market/bazaar/etc.) which are not as touristified I was able to get myself completely lost one day and managed to find enough interesting things to look at to keep me occupied for over three hours of walking around. More investigative exploring will be required though.
- The Wholesale Market/Nurseries -
Two weekends ago I decided to take my tourist map of Doha and try to find my way to the wholesale market. I had the whole Saturday off and I wanted to find out what the little icons on the map actually were. After spending an hour or so driving less than ten miles, I found the market. Although I had a bit more trouble tracking down the nurseries I was finally able to find them and several vegetable plants. To my ever thrifty excitement one tomatoes plant in a little four inch pot was only one riyal (approx. 25 cents), I bought several different things. It was kind of funny though because my largest expenses were the pots and the potting soil (the simple dirt was by far the most expensive). Enough about my green thumb excitement...
- Races/and the Entertainment of the Masses -
Let me begin by saying, there is not a whole lot to do in Doha. As far as I have been able to tell there are primarily three main things to do in Doha, (besides working and sleeping of course), The first and most popular among the local population is shopping, shopping and more shopping... strike one. The second most popular thing to do in Doha is eat. I think this is partially by default as there are not a lot of other entertainment options and though there are more ethnic varieties of food than you could ever hope to try, most places are rather on the expensive side... so strike two. The third and most supported and subsidized by the government is sports. Every kind of sport you can think of is represented in some way in Doha, it is a matter of national pride that they participate in every form of sport on some kind of national level. Anyone who pays attention to soccer knows about the 2022 World Cup in Doha, but what many people do not know is that Doha held the world championship competition of pingpong (the month before I got here sadly). The opening race of the Motorcycle Grand Prix was held last weekend which I proudly attended along with maybe two thousand other people which I am guessing is the lowest turnout the MotoGP will have during its circuit. During the woman's tennis championships several months ago they sold tickets for 25 riyal (a little over $5) and no one showed up so they went out on the streets and started giving away tickets so the video cameras wouldn't show the embarrassingly empty seats.
I am sure that as time goes on and I am here longer I will develop a better understanding of the Arab culture and what motivates their actions, until then I will continue my uneducated peerings into their culture and chuckle at some of the things they do.
Until next time, the view from my rooftop oasis...
ps. I never thought it would be possible for a nation of people to drive more aggressively than the Italians... I now stand corrected.
It has actually already been a month, where to start.
It is hard to describe the feeling of excitement and intrigue one gets when they are in a strange and unknown place. I have been working mostly ten sometimes eleven hour shifts since I have been here, sometimes working a six day workweek. This leaves me not a lot of time to go out and explore the area but I have been managing to get enough excitement in thus far.
Worth Mentioning:
- The Souqs -
Although largely commercialized by the Qataris as one of their few tourist attractions, the Souqs, in particular Souq Wakif is still very interesting and there are many different local fare restaurants of which I have not nearly tried enough of. In some of the adjacent Souqs, (read market/bazaar/etc.) which are not as touristified I was able to get myself completely lost one day and managed to find enough interesting things to look at to keep me occupied for over three hours of walking around. More investigative exploring will be required though.
- The Wholesale Market/Nurseries -
Two weekends ago I decided to take my tourist map of Doha and try to find my way to the wholesale market. I had the whole Saturday off and I wanted to find out what the little icons on the map actually were. After spending an hour or so driving less than ten miles, I found the market. Although I had a bit more trouble tracking down the nurseries I was finally able to find them and several vegetable plants. To my ever thrifty excitement one tomatoes plant in a little four inch pot was only one riyal (approx. 25 cents), I bought several different things. It was kind of funny though because my largest expenses were the pots and the potting soil (the simple dirt was by far the most expensive). Enough about my green thumb excitement...
- Races/and the Entertainment of the Masses -
Let me begin by saying, there is not a whole lot to do in Doha. As far as I have been able to tell there are primarily three main things to do in Doha, (besides working and sleeping of course), The first and most popular among the local population is shopping, shopping and more shopping... strike one. The second most popular thing to do in Doha is eat. I think this is partially by default as there are not a lot of other entertainment options and though there are more ethnic varieties of food than you could ever hope to try, most places are rather on the expensive side... so strike two. The third and most supported and subsidized by the government is sports. Every kind of sport you can think of is represented in some way in Doha, it is a matter of national pride that they participate in every form of sport on some kind of national level. Anyone who pays attention to soccer knows about the 2022 World Cup in Doha, but what many people do not know is that Doha held the world championship competition of pingpong (the month before I got here sadly). The opening race of the Motorcycle Grand Prix was held last weekend which I proudly attended along with maybe two thousand other people which I am guessing is the lowest turnout the MotoGP will have during its circuit. During the woman's tennis championships several months ago they sold tickets for 25 riyal (a little over $5) and no one showed up so they went out on the streets and started giving away tickets so the video cameras wouldn't show the embarrassingly empty seats.
I am sure that as time goes on and I am here longer I will develop a better understanding of the Arab culture and what motivates their actions, until then I will continue my uneducated peerings into their culture and chuckle at some of the things they do.
Until next time, the view from my rooftop oasis...
ps. I never thought it would be possible for a nation of people to drive more aggressively than the Italians... I now stand corrected.
Informational, eloquent and engaging. On top of that our rooftop looks like the perfect oasis. I love when you write.
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