Our House

When we arrived in Doha on August 20, we received keys to our new home.  It is a three-bedroom villa provided for us by the Qatar Foundation.  It was furnished and cleaned and ready for us to move in.  The house is air-conditioned and has a double carport.  It is two levels and about 2700 square feet.

We live in a Housing Community about six minutes from Tim's school.  There are about 250 families living in our compound.  All of them work for the Qatar Foundation but not all work at Tim's school.






In the middle of the community is a park and gathering area.  There is a large playground under a big circus tent and several large gazebos.  Our house is very close to the centre of the compound so we are near to the playground, bike paths, and bridge to the Clubhouse.

This is the entrance gate to our compound.

Green grass is hard to come by here in the desert.  We are very blessed to have a small yard of our own.  This will be a place for us to eat outdoors, dry clothes, and hang out.... once the weather is more pleasant.  For now we can stand only about five minutes of our beautiful yard before we run inside to get cooled off.

Lisa's favourite room in the house is the kitchen.  It is not as "oversized" as the other rooms and the air conditioning works really well!  It came with a new Frigidaire stove, fridge, and dishwasher, utensils, dishes, and cookware.  It also has 34 feet of black granite counter top and black slate tile on the floor.  It is well laid out for cooking and now that we have a food processor and rice cooker, we are almost ready for entertaining!

Our living room and its furniture are very spacious.  With ten foot ceilings, marble floors, and white bare walls, it will take us a while to make it cozy.  It is a lovely space and we are looking forward to decorating it with colourful pillows, Persian rugs, and wall hangings.

 The dining room is also spacious and our table is bigger than any tablecloth we own.

The three bedrooms are all upstairs and the floors are wood laminate.  The Master Bedroom has lots of space for us to create a reading nook.  This is the first time we have owned a king-sized bed and we are getting lost in it.  We were surprised to find a large walk-in closet and an ensuite bathroom attached to the Master -- another first for us.

 There are four bathrooms in the house -- one for each of us!  The one item that seemed to be missing when we moved in was toilet paper.  We learned that it is not used often here.  Two of the bathrooms have a bidet and two have a douchette.  Thank goodness for the internet so that we could learn how to use it!  At first, Simon was committed to spending his allowance on toilet paper.

Relaxing Saturday

We ended the week of Orientation with a relaxing day at the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Doha.  It is a 5 Star accommodation with a beautiful outdoor pool that is CHILLED to make it more comfortable!  That's a first for us but we sure appreciated it today (41 degrees outside). 

 

The hotel is built on a small lagoon so our highlight was being able to swim in the Persian Gulf.   The sand was excruciatingly hot.  I burned my toes through my sandals.  And the water was too hot to be enjoyable.  So we lounged by the pool most of the afternoon.

The hotel also prepared an amazing luncheon buffet for our group.  Hummus and pita for starters, fish in saffron sauce, and chocolate mousse cake were our favourites.  We ate with another family on a raised platform inside a little canopy.  There were several of these set up in one of the ballrooms.  It was very luxurious feeling.

Pool Time

While Tim is in orientation this week, Max, Simon, and Lisa have been discovering leisure activities.  They have spent time at the two pools on campus.  This pool is in the Recreation Centre next door to the school.  It is a 50m eight-lane Olympic pool with a warm-up pool.  The air is cooled and the water is heated.  It is a comfortable place to do laps and hang out.  During the school year, Max and Simon will have Physical Education classes in this pool.  It is a fabulous facility.

The lifeguard, Michel, is from Sri Lanka.  He has lived here for just a couple months and would be considered a "migrant worker" that you may have read about in the news.  He works at the pool and lives in a dorm-type room on a compound with other workers (drivers, custodians, security officers, receptionists).  Michel's room and food is provided and he says that he is able to save money (which he can not do working in Sri Lanka).

Michel's wife and two children live in Sri Lanka.  He worked for four years as a lifeguard at a hotel in Dubai.  He is earning money to build his family a house back in Sri Lanka.  Michel is a Buddhist and speaks his native Sinhalese and English.

Little Bugs

When I told someone that I caught three of these dead critters in my house they were impressed.  Cockroaches are rare here inside the houses.  Hmmm.....   Now that I have found a couple of living ones, I am not impressed.  Don't be fooled by this one -- its body is 3 cm long!

It is HOT !

We have been in Qatar for 36 hours and, clearly, the biggest adjustment is going to be the heat.  Today it will be 41 degrees Celsius but the humidity will make it feel like 47 degrees.  We were only outside for short periods yesterday and as long as you don't move too strenuously, it is manageable.   Our sunglasses steam up and our faces drip sweat in seconds.   A hanky would be a great thing to have. Last evening we sat out for an hour after sunset; it was not pleasant but not unbearable.

There are date palm trees along the streets near our house.  Apparently when they fall off the tree, the dates can make a sticky mess on the sidewalk.  So the trees have mesh bags hanging to catch the dates as they fall.  The fallen ones are then taken away and the bag retied at the bottom for the next catch.

Arrived!

We arrived in Doha just a few hours ago.  It was dark when we arrived so no outdoor photos yet.  It is a desert here.  Hot and humid.

Our flights were great and we highly recommend flying with Qatar Airways.  The 12.5 hour flight was more pleasant because of the on-demand entertainment system and the delicious food served round the clock (travelers are exempt from the rules of Ramadan).

Our Customs clearance went smoothly thanks to our newly acquired Entry Visa.  All of our luggage arrived and administrators from the school met us at the airport and took us to our spacious new home.   Orientation begins tomorrow for all of us. 

Good Byes

As we prepare to move to Doha, we have spent the summer enjoying time with our family and friends.  On July 1 Lisa's parents, Carl and Freda Selig, celebrated 50 years of marriage with a wonderful party.  We spent time with many friends and family and shared stories of weddings and families. 

Throughout the year the Selig crew gets together regularly for potluck and a thrilling game of 45s.  We will miss the laughter!  Love you all -- Brett, MacKenzie, Todd, Joanne, Nana, Grandad, Shelley, David !

The Chutes also had a day together in July.  Everyone travelled to Bridgewater for a BBQ at the beach.  Besides the "locals", people traveled from South Carolina, Kentucky, and China.  Thanks for the memories everyone!

Sailing Away

As we wait for our entry Visa to be approved, we have been keeping busy with a variety of activities.  These last two weeks Max and Simon have been in a Learn To Sail program at the LaHave River Yacht Club.

It rained every day except two.  But this has not dampened their spirits.  We are not sure if there will be opportunity to sail in the Persian Gulf but they are ready with a variety of new skills.  They both became Level White Ones.  This means that they are now able to rig and de-rig a sailboat.

Max and Simon have come home each day with a new set of stories and new jargon.  Jib Sail, Centreboard, Tacking, Hiking, Gybing, 420 dinghy, Sheet Knot, Boom, Outhaul Rope, In Irons. 

One day Simon's crew even "Skied the Halyard" -- not a good thing apparently.

Our life in boxes

Our life has been packed into boxes -- again -- and started on its way to Doha.  The movers, Scott and Clyde, worked quietly and efficiently to pack up about 350kg of our most treasured possessions. The boxes will be put into a sea-worthy crate and taken to Montreal.  From there it catches a container ship to the port of Doha and in about 6 weeks we will unpack -- again.