I have yet to see this one being enforced...at all.

It's like Foot Locker.

No comment.

Birthday party number whatever.

I can't remember the number of birthday parties that we have gone to.  I have missed three of them, so Linds is up three on me.  They are always over the top and this one is no exception.  It was at the Grand Hyatt Mall in the Jungle Play Area.  It is a huge indoor play area (common throughout Qatar) complete with games and rides.  There were 15 or so kids there from Nate's class.  The party was hosted by a Filipino crew of men and women.  They played games with the kids and at one point broke out into a dance number.  The cool thing about this place is that it appears that they hire staff with disabilities.  There were two staff members, the face painter and the DJ, both of whom were disabled and they had work.  Good for them, and good for the company who runs the place.

Anyways, here are some photos from our day...

One of the kids' henna tattoos.

Check out the nanny behind Ais and Nate.

One of the many workers here.

Culture clash.

Health and Safety Anyone?

Here is a few photos of the scaffolding in our school parking lot last week.  The scaffold is set up to replace the light bulb.

The scaffold is tied off with string in two locations on the pole and as you can see, two of the four wheels are on cinderblocks.

It passes code in Qatar because the wheels are locked. : )

 Check out that angle!

See...the wheels are locked, so it is safe.

How to get out of jail?

Female Prisoner in UAE Released After Memorizing Qur'an

Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News, 2014-05-28 

A female prisoner sentenced to life in a UAE jail has been rewarded with her freedom after memorizing the entire Holy Qur'an.

Fatima bin Mohammed from Cameroon, is believed to be the first woman in UAE history to learn Arabic then completely memorize the Qur'an while in prison.

Bin Mohammed who was serving 25 years for importing hashish, reverted to Islam while in prison and spent almost six years memorizing the Quran,

Now that Bin Mohammad is released she regularly goes back and forth to her tutors at Dubai Central Jail to get the exact pronunciation and meaning of the words.

Fatima has returned to her native Cameroon and plans to set up a restaurant and travel.  She is currently living with her sister and enjoying family life. “They had a little family event for me when I came home. It was very special,” she said.

You need a lot of patience,” said Fatima. “It is not easy. But I put my faith in God and knew I wanted to see my family again.”

Amal, a Quran tutor at the department of Islamic Affairs taught Fatima and found her an excellent student.

“She was so dedicated to memorizing the holy book. She showed a lot of interest in reading the book and spent most of her time revising different verses of the Qur’an until she got the whole of it in her head,” said Amal.

She said that Fatima failed several tests but passed her sixth exam.

“The Dubai International Holy Qur’an Award (DIHQA) gave her a prize of Dhs10,000 for managing to completely memories the Holy Quran,” added Amal.

“We now have 70 women prisoners trying to memorize the Qur’an so they can be pardoned or have their prison sentence reduced.”

Bin Mohammed was released in March under a scheme introduced by UAE Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.

Al Makhtoum decreed that prisoners be offered their freedom in return for memorizing the Qur’an and said that he hoped to give prisoners something to which they could aspire.

Reflect your Respect

Local modesty campaign ‘reflect your respect’ to relaunch in Qatar

By: VICTORIA SCOTT | May 20, 2014 | 240 COMMENTS

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Lawrence Wang/Flickr

A grassroots campaign to encourage men and women to dress more modestly in public places in Qatar will be relaunched next month under a new name, the campaign’s organizers have told Doha News.

Previously called “One of Us” when it began in 2012, the campaign has now been renamed “Reflect your Respect,” and will restart in June, with a weekend of leafleting in public parks and malls.

Speaking to Doha News, spokeswoman Umm Abdullah explained that the name had been changed because many expats had responded to the previous slogan by arguing that they did not feel like they are part of Qatari society.

@reflect_respect on Twitter

She explained that the new slogan was simply calling for expats to “respect” local cultural values by covering their shoulders, midriffs and knees, adding that she believed many Qataris now avoided public places because they were offended by the clothes many expats were wearing.

“People say they don’t meet enough Qatari people, but this is because we don’t want go to these places and see these things,” she said.

“Our kids as well, we don’t want them to end up imitating this – we want to preserve our traditions and our values. They (expats) have their own places where they don’t have to be covered – but we have the right to go to hospitals, to the market, to the malls, to the beach, without seeing these things.”

Umm Abdullah explained that on June 20, groups of Qatari women and children will begin visiting public places – venues will be announced a week in advance – to hand out leaflets explaining the campaign to expats. She said many simply aren’t aware that they are causing offense.

But some expats have pushed back against the idea. In 2012, one commenter on a Doha News story about the modesty campaign said:

“I have never seen in my life (and I’ve traveled in many, many countries) such abuse of make-up in plain daylight, such high heels that I wonder how come they do not stumble, such abuse of perfume that sometimes the smell in the lift is unbearable (even after they left)… I think this campaign should be fair and expended so as to cover what being modest should mean for all of us living here.”

To avoid offending people, Umm Abdullah said that the group plans to hand out chocolates, flowers and shawls along with the leaflets, and hopes to engage with people in a friendly way:

“I will just speak to them quietly by myself, with my little daughter who is only seven. It’s embarrassing to be preached at in public places.”

Abdullah is also aware that some would argue that Qataris have no right to demand that foreigners adhere to their cultural norms. In response, she said that when she travels, she makes an effort to fit in by not wearing a niqab in France for example, and expects expats in Qatar to do the same.

She explained that June 20 had been chosen due to the approach of Ramadan at the end of next month, and because it signaled the end of national exams, giving Qatari families more time to devote to the campaign. Leafleting campaigns would however continue throughout the year, she added.

‘Lack of support’ from QTA

In November 2012, the “One of Us” campaign organizers announced that they had received backing from the Qatar Tourism Authority, which they said had promised to display the posters in public spaces, and on their literature.

Umm Abdullah said that these promised actions however have not materialized, so the group had decided to continue without support from the QTA.

“We applied to them because without their approval, it’s illegal to distribute leaflets” she told us. “But nothing else has happened. But, we think we are enough. We think women are best to deal with this. If they are not to do it, we will do it.  It’s in constitution, we have the right, so why not. If you want something done well, do it yourself.”

The QTA did not respond to a request for comment.

The law

The campaign’s organizers argue that this call for modest attire is enshrined in Qatari law. They point to article 57 in the Qatari constitution, which states that “abiding by public order and morality, observing national traditions and established customs is a duty of all who reside in the State of Qatar or enter its territory.”

However, there appears to be no specific element of the penal code that targets dress code, although many malls and parks have their own clothing rules, which are enforced by private security guards.

For a brief period in October 2012, for example, Aspire Park introduced unofficial dress code rules that mandated sports clothing or Qatari national dress only, effectively banning most expat families from the park. However, these regulations were droppedjust weeks later, and Aspire Park authorities denied they had ever existed.

Additionally, men have also reported being turned away from Traffic Police buildings for wearing shorts instead of trousers, and there’s anecdotal evidence that similar dress codes for both men and women exist in other government buildings in Qatar, although these are patchily enforced.

Anybody for some Chinese food?

It's gettin' hot in here...

Smokin' at the Starbucks

There is a sign that clearly indicates that smoking is not permitted outside of Starbucks at Landmark Mall.  On top of that, there is a family and a young baby just behind this man.  I haven't included his photo, but I have one.

Rules, what rules?  Rules are apparently meant to be broken by some and followed by others.

What's the word that I am thinking of...

Hey, they cut "Poop Hill" in our compound!

There is a raised patch of grass in the centre of our compound. This tall grass is the result of hundreds of cat droppings from the resident cat population that exceeds 20 at least. The cats have made it their business to do their business in the only area where the kids could potentially play....but they don't! 

The trouble is, cat droppings cause Toxoplasmosis, a parasitic disease caused by the protozoan Toxoplasma gondii. The parasite infects most genera of warm-blooded animals, including humans. During the first few weeks after exposure, the infection typically causes a mild, flu-like illness or no illness. However, those withweakened immune systems, such as those with AIDS and pregnant women, may become seriously ill, and it can occasionally be fatal. The parasite can cause encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) and neurological diseases, and can affect the heart, liver, inner ears, and eyes (chorioretinitis). Recent research has also linked toxoplasmosis with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, and schizophrenia. Numerous studies found a positive correlation between latent toxoplasmosis and suicidal behaviour in humans. (Source: Wikipedia.com)

Here is a link to an article about the disease:

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/cat-poop-parasites-may-pose-public-health-hazard-study-suggests-f6C10574506

So after a great deal of complaining from someone in our compound, they finally "cut the poop", and spread it around.  So in essence, they are distributing the poop, maybe sharing the poop, or possibly dealing the poop.  

It doesn't change the fact that the cats are still here and the cats will still poop.  

What a crappy place!

4 weeks to go!

Cuttin' Poop Hill.

Sold the Car = Grey Hair

Geez!  I have been itching to share the adventure of selling our car.  I will try my best to make it short and sweet and help you understand what it takes to sell a car or do anything here.

So, our car was posted on Qatarliving.com, Qatarauto.com and at the Lulu Hypermarket, a grocery store.  We had a few low ball offers and on the night that I was about to accept one of them, a Syrian guy called and I agreed to meet with him that night.  So I got in the car, braved the local traffic and heat, met with him and his buddy and settled on 45000QR.  We originally paid 59000QR for the car, a loss of 14000QR.  We bought the car in November, so it works out to about 2000QR a month.  Not bad, considering our other option was a rental at anywhere from 2000QR to 3500QR per month, and no return in the end.

Old Traffic Department

New Traffic Department

We agreed to meet at the traffic department the next night at 5:30pm.  The new office closes at 7pm and I was all in a panic.  I showed up and the police officer told me to leave because I had shorts on.  I made a slight, yet respectful stink about the fact that I had worn shorts to the traffic department before.  When I challenged him on why, he didn't have a reply.  So I got back in the car and headed for the nearest sports store to buy a pair of pants.  At this point it is 6:30pm and based on past experiences with customer service here, the deal was not going to happen.

So I get back to the traffic department and I am waiting for my guy.  I phone him...turns out that he is at the other traffic department...the old one!!!  WHAT!  Now I have pants on, it is 40C outside, I am on the wrong side of the highway and I am started to get a little fired up.  I got in the car and let out a big loud blast of choice words and hit the road.

The fastest fingers in the East!

After getting directions from a couple of people who don't speak english, I found the old traffic department.  I ring my guy up, we meet, get the transfer of ownership paper work typed up on a typewriter and and wait.  Seriously, the guy typed our paperwork up.

We exchanged keys for money and he gave me a lift home.  Nice guy.

That's the most money I have ever put in my backpack.

The next day I began the process of finding a rental car.  Again, it is the most frustrating thing trying to do business with the migrant workers here.  A) they don't speak clearly because it is not their first language and B) more often than not, they want to do a decent job but incompetence prevails.  After several texts and phone calls, I find a place and agree to pay 2500QR for a Mitsubishi Lancer.  What a beauty!

After school, our neighbour gave us a lift to Landmark Mall and an Indian fella dropped the car off.

Long story short, if you buy and sell a car in Qatar, good luck!

We made the best of it.

Last night we headed out into the desert again, about 25 minutes from our compound.  Our quest, to see the shooting stars.  Apparently, the meteor showers were supposed to begin around 9pm.  There was not a meteor to be seen.

On our journey to a dark area of the desert, we saw a Jerboa Kangaroo Rat.  That was pretty cool.

We also spotted a bag that seemed to be leaking.  Turns out that it was a rather smelly lamb in a bag.  Nice.

And some dude wandered out of an area with three old school buses and a bunch of shacks.  It was a camel farm and he was the caretaker.  Not a lick of English and what a wonderful smell!

Anyway, the kids had fun, pecked out their indifferences and my buddy Wayne and I got a chance to mess around with some night photography.  The kids helped with the shots too.

You gotta be kiddin' me!

Just found a new web site and thought that I would share some of the treasures with you.

ENJOY!