Sometimes I have to stop and appreciate the little joys of life in Qatar...so I don't forget while I am white-knuckling it through traffic that there ARE joys to be found here!
Today, for example, I went to the dentist for the first time here. Before this, I had gone while in the States but with a longer gap between visits this time around, I decided to go here. Of course, I waited until the husband had found some place he liked and tried it out, then I took the kids to the pediatric dentist at the same office to see how they fared (the dentist was SUPERB with them, by the way), and THEN I went myself, but my visit today was one of my best dental visits ever. Turns out, the office cleanliness standards, equipment, and practices were all top-notch, at a fraction of the cost our check-ups have been in the US. And, there was an added, unexpected bonus: after years of going to the dentist and being berated and shamed for my flossing technique and given dire, scornful warnings about my gums, the dentist here complimented me on my obvious care of my teeth, my regular cleanings, and the general good condition of my mouth. What?? Because, in comparison to most patients she sees, she says, I am a shining star of oral hygiene. Hooray! Positive vibes at the dentist? Who'd a thunk it??
After almost drowning in the fluoride trays (no dentist trip can be completely drama free--this isn't Utopia!), I went grocery shopping and remembered something else I love about living here: the Middle East loves its bread. Their love affair with baked goods rivals Europe's, actually, and the range of delicious bread available at your average grocery store, not to mention dedicated bakery, is mind-boggling. Today, for instance, I walked out of the store with mango muffins, mini carrot cake cupcakes for after-school snacks, Viennese white bread rolls, and, of course, still warm from the oven pita bread you have to taste to believe. I could have gotten about 50 other varieties of products, everything from scones to filled croissants to naan to bread filled with coconut and sweetened condensed milk. It's not good for your waistline, but it tastes and smells amazing!
Then I went to get gas. I know I've mentioned the cost of gas before, but it's still incredible to me that I can fill up my Honda Pilot AND get all my windows washed for 57 QR or $15 and change. And that price includes the generous tip I gave the guy who both pumped my gas and washed my windows! This little perk alone almost makes up 50% of the aggravating things I run into around here!
What else? Oh, I also love how the underground information networks operate here. First, the covert garage sales: because many things are so expensive and/or difficult to come by and because it costs so much to ship things home when it's time to leave, people are always selling things for rock-bottom prices either to simply get rid of them or to help out fellow expats. Just last night I headed over to a woman's villa in a nearby compound and bought a bunch of books for 1 QR each (about 30 cents), including a brand-new, still-in-the-box set of the Game of Thrones series, which I have been meaning to read. I found out about this particular sale through my friend who is a member of the home schoolers network in Doha. While we were there, the woman running the sale told me about the Doha International Book Fair, which apparently starts in two days but about which I have heard nothing until this point. So now, thanks to this helpful woman, I know about somewhere new and interesting to visit. I have stumbled onto other fun events or sales through Facebook, a local mom's group, the women's group at church, and through friends in my compound. In a world where there is no such thing as flyers or a comprehensive events website, it never ceases to impress me how much information we expats are able to share through these informal channels. Of course, it takes a bit of assiduous digging to ever really know what's going on, and I'm convinced that somewhere out there a comprehensive website listing everything that's happening does exist...but it's probably in Arabic. Oh well!
Today, for example, I went to the dentist for the first time here. Before this, I had gone while in the States but with a longer gap between visits this time around, I decided to go here. Of course, I waited until the husband had found some place he liked and tried it out, then I took the kids to the pediatric dentist at the same office to see how they fared (the dentist was SUPERB with them, by the way), and THEN I went myself, but my visit today was one of my best dental visits ever. Turns out, the office cleanliness standards, equipment, and practices were all top-notch, at a fraction of the cost our check-ups have been in the US. And, there was an added, unexpected bonus: after years of going to the dentist and being berated and shamed for my flossing technique and given dire, scornful warnings about my gums, the dentist here complimented me on my obvious care of my teeth, my regular cleanings, and the general good condition of my mouth. What?? Because, in comparison to most patients she sees, she says, I am a shining star of oral hygiene. Hooray! Positive vibes at the dentist? Who'd a thunk it??
After almost drowning in the fluoride trays (no dentist trip can be completely drama free--this isn't Utopia!), I went grocery shopping and remembered something else I love about living here: the Middle East loves its bread. Their love affair with baked goods rivals Europe's, actually, and the range of delicious bread available at your average grocery store, not to mention dedicated bakery, is mind-boggling. Today, for instance, I walked out of the store with mango muffins, mini carrot cake cupcakes for after-school snacks, Viennese white bread rolls, and, of course, still warm from the oven pita bread you have to taste to believe. I could have gotten about 50 other varieties of products, everything from scones to filled croissants to naan to bread filled with coconut and sweetened condensed milk. It's not good for your waistline, but it tastes and smells amazing!
Then I went to get gas. I know I've mentioned the cost of gas before, but it's still incredible to me that I can fill up my Honda Pilot AND get all my windows washed for 57 QR or $15 and change. And that price includes the generous tip I gave the guy who both pumped my gas and washed my windows! This little perk alone almost makes up 50% of the aggravating things I run into around here!
What else? Oh, I also love how the underground information networks operate here. First, the covert garage sales: because many things are so expensive and/or difficult to come by and because it costs so much to ship things home when it's time to leave, people are always selling things for rock-bottom prices either to simply get rid of them or to help out fellow expats. Just last night I headed over to a woman's villa in a nearby compound and bought a bunch of books for 1 QR each (about 30 cents), including a brand-new, still-in-the-box set of the Game of Thrones series, which I have been meaning to read. I found out about this particular sale through my friend who is a member of the home schoolers network in Doha. While we were there, the woman running the sale told me about the Doha International Book Fair, which apparently starts in two days but about which I have heard nothing until this point. So now, thanks to this helpful woman, I know about somewhere new and interesting to visit. I have stumbled onto other fun events or sales through Facebook, a local mom's group, the women's group at church, and through friends in my compound. In a world where there is no such thing as flyers or a comprehensive events website, it never ceases to impress me how much information we expats are able to share through these informal channels. Of course, it takes a bit of assiduous digging to ever really know what's going on, and I'm convinced that somewhere out there a comprehensive website listing everything that's happening does exist...but it's probably in Arabic. Oh well!
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