The 'Summer' Olympics

So, Doha was bidding to have the Summer Olympics here in here in 2016. I recently found out they were not chosen. That does not come as a surprise to me. When I first found out that they were in the running, I was excited, but then I thought, how can they have the olympics here in 50 degree weather??

That was precisely the reason they did not get it, as their overall rating was 6.9 and other cities with lower ratings were chosen to move to the next round. It seems that Doha wanted to have the Summer Olympics in October. Which is fine, only then, it wouldn't be the 'Summer' Olympics.

Oh well, after the initial excitement about it, I guess it is better they didn't get it. It's not the best way for the ummah's money to be spent.

On another note, today I was feeling very grateful for technology! When we first arrived in Qatar, for the first six weeks, we were without phone line or internet. I soon realized how much I rely on these things to help me keep in touch with loved ones, especially being overseas.

Alhamdulillah, ever since we got connected, it has been a blessing to still have a Canada phone number and to be able to talk to friends and family on a regular basis. Who would of thought that to be possible?

The downside is that we still get countless telemarketers calling us (sometimes at odd hours of the night!) to sell us their products. As soon as I say, 'Sorry, you are calling us on our voice over i.p., we no longer live in Canada', they are quite apologetic and take us off the list. But then, new ones seem to pop up every week.
That's ok, I will take the telemarketers in return for the internet and Canada phone line anyday!

Applebees?!

One of the things I was so excited about was being able to eat at halaal restaurants, but one of the most anticipated for me was Applebee's. It might sound silly, but I had heard so much about it, I just couldn't wait.

After living in Doha for about six months now, we have been to Applebee's about three times. All I can say is, the hype dies down. Sure, the food is good...not great, but good. The desserts are amazing the first couple of times, but even that dies down after a while.

The prices are outrageous and I can go to another restaurant and get twice as much food for the same price.

The best thing we've learned is that if you keep your receipt, you can go online, fill out a survey for Applebee's and then use that to get a free dessert next time you visit. Pretty good, eh?

Hey, we might be living in the middle east, but we are still desis at heart!

Conclusion: Applebee's is fun the first time, but you quickly get over it.

Did somebody say hot?

Ok, so ever since before we moved, people have been warning us about the immense heat here. It has been getting gradually hotter, but lately, ever since June kicked in, I have started to notice it more. The other day, I went out at 10 am and the temperature was 47 degree celcius! Now that's hot! But from what I hear, the real heat will kick in July and August. Can't wait!

Here is the best description I've read about it:

Reasons I hate summer in Qatar:
1) 47 degrees in the shade is not a temperature meant to be experienced by normal human beings.
2) I forget that the sky is actually meant to be blue and not yellow.
3) my Qatari I.D. melted to the dash board of my car. (I'm serious).
4) If my foot accidently touches the fire extingusiher in my car I get second degree burns.
5) I need to carry a winter jacket around in case I go into a mall.
6) I have constant pneumonia from going from one temperature extreme to the other. Look I know it's hot out, but you don't need to combat that by putting the air conditioners at -47 degrees! 25 degrees would be lovely.
7) The swimming pool is too hot to swim in
8) Any fish you get from the ocean are already half cooked
9) It takes 45 minutes with the air conditioning on full blast to actually be able to breath in my car, and by then I look like I just took a bath with my clothes on.
10) If you leave a bottle of water in your car, better leave a tea bag in it too...oh and blow on it a little before you drink it, you don't want to burn yourself.

On the bright side, the children have learned to swim. Ibrahim is almost there, jumping into the deep pool and floating, using his arms and legs...he really enjoys it.

Asma is still splashing around in the small pool, but is learning how to float and is getting more confident in the water.

At least my kids are learning to swim now, as opposed to me, a grown woman who is still 'splashing around' in the water!

In all honestly, it's not that bad (yet!) and I would rather have this than all that snow in Canada and freezing temperatures. The worst part for me here is the blinding sun. You cannot go out without sunglasses, unless you want a massive headache (even looking down doesn't seem to help). And I have yet to buy some sunglasses!

We'll see what July and August have to offer!

Sadaqah made simple

After initially being sad and upset about the treatment of workers and lower class here, I am starting to look at it as more of an opportunity now.
For example, there is all the more opportunity of giving sadaqah to these people.
I know the brothers here were going out after jumah prayers and footing the bill for a cafeteria full of workers. Imagine the rewards!

You really begin to appreciate what you have been blessed with. Alhamdulillah, all thanks to Allah, we are very blessed with everything this life has to offer. We pray that Allah keep us steadfast in the deen and make our children pious. Ameen.

Along the lines of sadaqah, here is a little story that I would like to share. One jumah after prayers, Ibrahim was out with his baba (they have a martial arts class) and while they were waiting for the instructor, they saw an old man pass by. He looked hungry (as Ibrahim said), so they asked him if he had lunch. He hadn't, so Ibby gave him 10 riyals to go and buy something.
The day after, we were on our way out for lunch and it was getting late. The kids were very hungry and while we were at the masjid for asr prayer, I went into the washroom. When I came out, Ibrahim was standing beside Asma in the now empty prayer area with 100 riyals in his hand! I asked him where he got it from and he told me a lady had given to him. Since she was talking in arabic, he didn't quite understand what she was saying...but he did understand that she had motioned to him and Asma saying, '50 for her and 50 for you.' I ran out to see if any sister was still around, but the parking lot was empty and I didn't see anyone.
When we meet Ovaise at the car, he is amazed and says, What you give for Allah's sake, He gives it back to you ten-fold.' SubhanAllah.

So, why are we here?

Now that we're all settled in and in somewhat of a routine, why are we in Qatar again?
Oh yes, to learn arabic! So now seems like a good time to get started with that goal.
Alhamdulillah, Ovaise's good friend has been to Syria and Jordan and studied the language.
He is now coming in 3-4 times a week after fajr to tutor us in arabic.
It is going well so far alhamdulillah.
The breakthrough came the other day, when, after the lesson, as usual, we went through some ayahs of the Quran and I could actually understand! Not only understand but break down the words in terms of whether they are verbs, nouns, particles and which tense they are in. It felt great alhamdulillah!

Now I just need to get someone for the kids.

Update: So, we finished up our first book with the tutor and now he is busy because his wife just had a baby. So, again, we are on the lookout for a tutor.

There are plenty of arabic programs here, including one at Qatar University, which I have the application forms for, but with the kids, the timing doesn't work out for me. That's why we are opting for the private tutor option.

Also, we have started our hunt for the kids' school, now that we have a car, alhamdulillah!
It seems that most of the schools fall into the categories of: english schools, arabic schools or independant schools. The english schools are not what we are looking for, since we want the kids to learn arabic. The arabic schools are completely arabic, and we fear the kids being totally lost there. Perhaps the independant schools will be good for us, since they usually have a balance between arabic and english.

Update: The independant schools are NOT the answer! One story sticks out the most. We go to look at one of the independant schools and Ovaise and the kids are sent back to car since the office is all women and some of them don't have their hijabs on (not a problem, I go in myself). I am made to wait for sometime (which I am used to here now), and then in walks this lady and starts talking to me in arabic. Since I obviously cannot carry on a conversation in arabic, I tell her that I speak english. She gives me a blank stare, so I say it again, this time slower: 'I speak english, do you understand english?' She is jolted out of her silence and tells me of course she can speak english. Perfect! I tell her my name and the whole story of how we came from Canada and want our kids to learn arabic, etc. She asks me where I'm from. I tell her Canada. She asks me again. I reply with the same answer-Canada! Then she says, 'No, where are you really from?' Ok, so I get that she wants to know my cultural roots. I tell her Pakistan. She tells me she'll be frank with me...there isn't any space for the kids at the school...they are only taking siblings of kids who already go there, or locals. She says I can still try to apply if I like, but it's highly unlikely that they'll get in. I try to remain calm and ask her if she thinks my kids will be able to learn arabic in her school. She says they might. Obviously I am getting nowhere, so I ask if she has a brochure or something. She hands me a business card. Thanks! At this point I tell her I am not interested at all in putting my kids there, say my salams and leave. Then I go vent to my husband in the car. Needless to say, these schools are NOT what we are looking for.

Update: There is an arabic school that we have heard good things about. We are not sure if we want to take the plunge, but it seems like a good option. At this point we have seen so many schools and they are either not our cup of tea or have a long waiting list and there is no way the kids will get in.

Then, subhanAllah, things seem to come together! Our very own Sheikh Mustafa from Windsor was visiting Dubai and ended up coming to Doha too. We find out that he is childhood friends with the principal of the arabic school we are considering. Ovaise and him go there and have a meeting with the principal and they discuss our concerns. Obviously, we don't want the kids to be lost in an all arabic school, but that is the least of our concerns. We have heard many horror stories about prejudice and teachers hitting students (and vice versa!), so we want to be sure we are at ease. The principal assures us that if our goal is for the kids to learn arabic, this will happen in an arabic school. Since this particular school is one of the better ones in Doha, the other issues won't be a problem. Also, Sheikh Mustafa sets us up with an arabic teacher in the school (who would also be Ibrahim's grade one teacher) to come in and tutor the kids! Alhamdulillah! And this teacher is also willing to tutor me and Ovaise as well!

So, alhamdulillah, he has been coming in four times a week for the kids (Ovaise and I will start with him after the summer break inshaAllah) and the best part is that he is hafidh, so he is also able to help the kids with their hifdh. He assures us that he will take care of Ibrahim in class, and that makes us so much more comfortable with the idea, along with the fact that we have connections to the principal now, through Sheikh Mustafa. The girls' school is also nice and since Asma will be in Kindergarten, the issues will be less. Plus, I just found out that one of our friends will be moving to Doha and has already registered her daughter in that school and she will be in the same class as Asma! Alhamdulillah!

You have no idea how relieved I am about the school situation. I had no clue when we moved here that finding a school would be such a journey, but it was. I prayed istikharah and now the rest is up to Allah.

On a side note, one of the top schools here is Qatar Academy. I went to see this early on and was so impressed with the asthetics of the school, but it didn't mesh with our goals. But, it was by far the nicest school I have ever seen in my life! Maybe that's why even their waiting list is full!

Life on the Compound

After living out of our suitcases for a week, we finally move into compound two and start to settle in. Alhamdulillah, after getting unpacked and buying a few needed items (such as carpets for the house!), it is starting to feel like home, kind of. One thing that's apparent, is the cold. Yes, the cold! It's not that it is cold outside. Everyday is bright and sunny and just perfect. But inside the house is different. Since there is no heating and cold flooring, it makes for a cold winter. These houses are definitely built for the intense heat of Qatar. So, we buy a heater and pray it doesn't cause a fire (that has been known to happen). We all huddle around it and wear our sweaters and slippers in the house.

Actually, the second week, we all got very sick, one by one. Most of the time was spent lying around, wondering what to eat. In one of these instances, when I had a high fever, I remember looking up at the ceiling and thinking, 'Where am I? This is not home...I am in a foreign country.' However, after going to the hospital (Doha Clinic this time), and being provided with bagfuls of drugs, we got better alhamdulillah.

Now I am working out a schedule, and starting to homeschool the kids and am again obsessed with keeping the house clean (perfect, I am back to my normal self)!

The compound we live on is quite nice alhamdulilllah. There is a small park right across the street from our villa, and a building called the 'clubhouse', where I check my e-mail (until we get our phone line) and hangout and also a pool which will come in handy in the summer. We are surrounded by other Canadians, and quite a few Muslim families with kids. There is a nice little Canadian Muslim community here, which makes our transition to Doha much easier. I have even joined up with a weekly halaqa, which includes tajweed and have already met some really amazing sisters, alhamdulillah. Everyone has been so helpful in getting us settled in, may Allah reward them all!

Our villa is right beside a little masjid, so again, the adhan being heard for every prayer is just amazing! And Ibrahim and Asma both walk next door to the masjid for prayer.

So, basically, our days go like this: Ovaise wakes up and goes to work, I wake up and homeschool the kids, we eat lunch, I clean [there is so much dust here (the off-white floors and walls don't help either!). I almost considered getting a maid to help out at first, but then it's not thaaat much work and once I figured out how to use the laundry machine (thanks to my sister in law), and got a proper mop (I miss my swiffer!), it was smooth sailing from there]. After cleaning, I usually take the kids out to the park, cook dinner, we eat, go out somewhere, come home and go to sleep. However, after going out almost every evening, the whole social scene was getting to be too much for me and the kids. Not to mention, we don't have a car yet, which means we have to rely on one of our friends to take us out. Which reminds me, driving is crazy here! I am satisfied with just sitting in the passenger's seat and watching, praying we don't get into an accident. Basically, you should stay out of the way of local drivers, since they want to go fast and just be completely on guard at all times. The roundabouts make things a bit more complicated as well. Oh, and you haven't seen real 'road rage' until you come here. Which is why (for now at least), I don't intend to drive here. Even though I know plenty of sisters who do, and they say you just get used to it. We'll see....

Anyway, I opt to only go out on the weekends and focus my energy on the homechooling and hifdh for the kids.

We have had plenty of visitors come in a short period of time: some friends from Saudi, my brother and his family also from Saudi and my in-laws. It's busy, but alhamdulillah, nice to have people around at the same time. It also gives us an excuse to go and start sightseeing in Doha. There isn't too much, but you can still find some places. I start taking the kids to the various amusement rides in the malls. However, I quickly decide that this will be a 'once in a while' outting, as I didn't want them to expect to go on the rides everytime we go shopping! One thing I notice very quickly at these places, are the amount of nannies present. I am surrounded with kids and their nannies, not their parents. It seems rather odd to me, but then I realize that it is part of life here. I have never considered getting one myself, but it is a big help to those who are working. The thing that seems bizarre to me is the fact that many of these kids are being raised by the nannies. That is the sad part.

Besides the malls and rides, there are also the souqs, which I love. I'd rather go to the souq than the malls, because they feel more traditional, things are cheaper and you can bargain.

We also quickly realize that our favourite spot to go are the deserts. In particular, there is one where the sand dunes 'sing.' Being in the desert is amazing. Just you and the sand, as far as you can see. My most memorable time is praying maghrib there. You can't help but just fall in love with the beauty of it. SubhanAllah, that is when you realize you are far away from home, but that this could be a new home.

Shopping anyone?

Sure, I have been to malls before, but never quite like this one. One of Ovaise's friends graciously offered to take us shopping so we could start to buy everything we need.

We end up going to Villagio mall, one of the newer ones in Doha.

I can tell you it is unlike anything I've ever seen before in my life! First of all, it is huge! The whole mall is supposed to be set in Italy and once inside, if you look up, they have the whole ceiling painted so it actually gives the impression you are outside, with the clouds and sky above you. Besides that, there is a boat ride that you can take through the mall, and a full sized skating rink, as well as kids' amusment park rides. We first decide to eat. Again, the halaal food is great! Finally I am able to eat without worrying. Sitting in the food court, I can see Pizza Hut, KFC, BK, Mcdonald's, Miss Vanelli's, just to name a few. We decide to have shawarmas. I know it sounds funny, but we are really craving it for some reason, and know that there will be plenty of time to experience the other food options at a later time. Which I am excited and worried about at the same time. Some friends have warned us about the 'Doha 20', which I am scared of. Basically, thanks to all the halaal restaurants here, people end up gaining 2o pounds when they move here. So far, I haven't stepped on the scale, but my jeans still fit, so that has to be a good sign, right?

As I am sitting in the food court, I start to take it all in. I am actually starting to feel quite depressed sitting there. All around me is 'bling', and yet this is my Muslim ummah. All of the sudden, I don't feel hungry anymore, but nauseous instead. I just feel that all of these resources and time are being wasted. It iss actually my first 'reflective moment' since coming to Doha.

But, one positive point, not just about the malls, but in general, is the fact that when going out, at least everyone (for the most part) is dressed Islamically. I remember looking up and seeing a sea of black and white. The women dressed in full black abayas, hijabs and niqabs (even if they are designer) and the men with the white thobes and ghutras (freshly pressed and kept in place) makes for a nice scene.

After our meal, we hit the store, Carrefour. It is probably the best comparison to Wal-Mart back home. By that time, we are really tired, due to jet-lag, and can't even make good decisions in what to buy. We end up piling our cart with whatever we can find and feel we need. Since it is a Friday night, the place is packed with shoppers. Friday and Saturday are holidays here, so on Thursday and Friday nights, everyone comes out.

While shopping, we are hit by the prices of everything. It certainly isn't cheap. Everything is actually quite expensive, pretty much the same as what we paid in Canada, some things being a bit more and some a bit less. This is cause for further sadness, since we know how many workers there are in Doha from other countries and we also know how little they get paid. How can they afford to live in Doha? For the average Qatari or westerner, it is ok, but not for all those workers. Again, we feel sick. And really tired. It is time to go home.

The Hospital!

We had to go to the hospital for some blood work and such. Little did I know this experience would be completely different from anything I knew of hospital visits!

Firstly, we are there quite early and actually only have a few minutes to get ready as the driver is waiting for us. We rush out without breakfast and arrive at the college to pick up a few other Canadians. Once we get there, we learn that there are two areas-one for the males and another for the females. Ovaise and fellow Canadian, Chris, are ushered to the male side, with a Sudanese guide from the college, Muhammad. However, my fellow Canadian, Stephanie, and I are thrown into the chaos and given 500 riyals to work with. I am very thankful that Stephanie is with me, because otherwise I would be lost. We get in and it is pretty crowded. Since neither of us can speak arabic, it makes for an interesting scene. We manage to get ourselves in an initial lineup, which, when we get to the front, the lady's only concern is if we are pregnant and when our last period was. We both inform her we are not pregnant and tell her about our cycles. Good thing we aren't prego, as all the pregnant women are being handed a blue pill to swallow!

Next we are given a paper and have to wait in another long lineup. We pay for the bloodwork and yet again wait in another lineup. Our only concern is that they wear clean gloves when taking our blood. After the bloodwork is done, the chest x-ray is still required. This poses a problem as the x-ray room is overflowing with ladies. We proceed to follow two french ladies who have a guide with them. They lead us to another x-ray room which is empty at the moment. Steph and I are about to go in, when I am very forcefully told that Ibrahim cannot come in. Of course not, he is a male, over the age of five. I tell Steph to proceed without me and go outside where I am able to locate my husband and Chris, amongst the crowd. They have finished quite sometime ago, thanks to Muhammad, their guide. I leave the children with Ovaise, who gets them some well deserved breakfast and go back to the x-ray room. I sneak in and am greeted with a room overflowing with women. The lady who works there very harshly tells me in arabic, then in urdu to take off my clothes! There are women crammed in removing their tops and putting on gowns, which don't look all that clean. Stephanie is nowhere to be seen, so I attach myself to an older Indian woman who speaks english. I tell her there is no way that I am going to take off my clothes in front of all these people and put on that gown. Thankfully, I am wearing cotton under my abaya, so I manage to get off my bra and stuff it into my purse and I am fine. Well, almost, considering the crazy pushing and shoving going on behind me. The Indian woman is quite vocal about it, although it doesn't help the situation. At last, I get the x-ray done and am re-united with Stephanie once I get outside. We all get back into the van with the driver and get some food. Yummy! Some nice desi food from a local cafeteria. You wouldn't want to go in and see how the place looks, but the food is delicious!

There is only one thing left to do, which is to get our blood types, and we have to go to another clinic for that. However, I had not understood Muhammad when he mentioned to me that first I needed some typed documents from the hospital. So, back in we go and shove our way through the crowds to get in. I am sent to a room on the other side in which I met some Sudanese sisters and pay them to get the documents typed. Again, the language exchange is quite the scene!

Finally, we arrive at the clinic, get our fingers pricked and are taken back home.
What a day, but the next day iss yet another adventure-we would hit the Doha shopping malls!

I don't remember which hospital/clinic we were intially taken to that day, but since then, I have visited some very nice hospitals here, one in particular which looks like a hotel!
Al Ahli hospital-check it out!

Arriving in Doha

So, who would have thought in a million years that I would end up in Doha, Qatar???

Ever since before I got married, I wanted to move overseas, but never even knew where Qatar was on the map.

Obviously, it is not the first choice for people wanting to go and learn the Arabic language, but it has to better than Canada, right?

Alhamdulillah, our move was finalized quickly and before I knew it, we were all packed up and on our way to Doha.

The flight couldn't have gone smoother, alhamdulillah and the kids loved their first time on an airplane!

Landing in Doha was amazing mashaAllah! It is the end of December when we arrive and the pilot is saying that it is a 'cold night' in Doha with the temperature around 15 degrees celcius! HA! For us Canadians, this is summer weather! We arrive very late at night, around one o'clock in the morning, but we were still very excited and fully awake (especially since in Canada it is daytime)!

We are greeted by a woman hired by Ovaise's college, who takes care of everything for us and we just lounge in the lounging area drinking juice and eating nuts/dates. All we have to do is sit there and someone comes to serve us. I feel spoiled and think about how different this is from Canada.

After that, we had to find our driver (also a college employee), who would be driving us to the hotel. That took a while, as we didn't initially see him, but about an hour later we are sitting in a huge van, with all our luggage and driving down the streets of Doha. It is beautiful-no snow and beautiful weather! I especially enjoy the drive along the corniche (the waterfront), which is lined with palm trees.


Communication with the driver is limited, but we manage to get by. We arrive at the hotel and are shown to our room, after a little clarification at the front desk. It is a nice hotel, mashaAllah, with a cute little masjid right below our window. By the time we got there, it must have been three o'clock in the morning. We finally fall asleep, only to hear the adhan for fajr a short time later. We pray and go back to sleep. The kids and I are out until about 11 or 12, but Ovaise makes sure to get up and go down to the free breakfast buffet. The rest of us make it in time for the lunch buffet and I don't think I have ever had the luxury of choosing between so many different selections and knowing it is all halaal! Needless to say, we eat until we are stuffed, and then have some dessert.
We do the same thing for the remaining meals over the next two days.

Ibrahim and Ovaise are going to pray salat at the little masjid downstairs, and I love it. I love the fact that the adhan can be heard all the time and that jumah actually feels like a special day-we are finally living in a Muslim country, alhamdulillah!

After our royal treatment at the hotel, we are taken to our villa to look around and start moving in. The college has three compounds and we are placed in the first one. I started to unpack, but then stopped as I am informed that we will be moving into the second compound in a week. So we were living out of our suitcases for a week.

My initial reaction about the villa is amazing! It is a three bedroom house and fully furnished. It is a true blessing from Allah to have everything taken care of when moving to a brand new place.

That same day was hospital day....quite an adventure!