I haven't written in a while so I have lots to talk about. I finally got my residents permit a few weeks ago. Now if I can get my license. As they say here inshallah, which means "God willing". American translation is maybe, we hope so!!! Yesterday, Alan called and said for me to go by the traffic department and get an application for my license and get an eye test. So a friend went with me. We drove up and a guy met us at the gate and of course I couldn't really understand him. I told him I was coming to get driving license application, so he said follow me. He took off like speed lightning and I could not keep up. My friend was behind me. We followed him to this dump of a trailer and he asked for my RP card and he started typing on a manuel type writer. The keys were all in Arabic . Then he asked for a photo and I didn't have the passport size photos I had been using on all my documents and stuff. So he took my picture for 20 QR. Then he said follow him, off he went like speed lightning again and we took off trying to keep up. He went into another building and they had round piece's of poster board cut out and the muslim lady said to cover my right eye and she put the numbers and letters on the wall and I told her what they were. I passed and then we went outside with the guy and I asked him if I was finished and he said that would be 30 QR. I said ok what for and he said "I type your paper"! He then put the money in his pocket. Whatever! We will cross our fingers for my license now. Normally you take driving test and they fail you several times. But Alan has a Qatari sponsor that likes him and is doing this for us. Yea!!!
One of my least favorite things to do here is to go grocery shopping. It is a very stressful thing for me. You can never find everything that you are looking for and you have to go to several stores or be like me and just make do with whatever that store has. Anyway I say all this to tell you I went the other day and as I was driving up and two young men started running towards the parking space where I was going to park. Before I could get out of the car they were shoving each other and fighting over who was going to wash my car. They ask you everywhere you park if you want a car wash and you pay them 20 or 30 QR. Well I get out of my car and say to them "hey hey I don't want a car wash". So needless to say they were very disappointed. It was too funny. I felt like I was dealing with my boys. Not that my boys would be fighting over washing my car, trust me. At all the compounds here they have workers that wash your car and you pay them so I never get one at the malls or stores.
The other day I was at a Home Center Store shopping. This store is like a Hobby Lobby or Kirkland's just not near as good. All stores here have these carts that all four wheels spin around in different directions, so they move sideways. This is very important to my story. I was shopping around and looking at some tall candle holders. So I put them in the cart to go and try to find candles for them. Of course there were no candles for them. So I wheel the cart back over to put them back on the shelf. I lean down in my cart and pick up these three rather large glass candle holders. My arms are very full. I turn around to put them on the shelf when my cart moves so slightly sideways. In slow motion it barely touches these very large vases and one by one they slowly start falling like dominoes and crashing and breaking. YIKES I can't stop them because my hands are full with glass. I want to run away but all these little Indian people rush over to start picking the glass up and I say I will pay. I only said that because I have seen other people break things in there and they had to pay. They were only 12 QR each and I had to pay for 3, that is like $3.28 each and they were knee high. I am so happy Alan wasn't with me he would have died!!!
The other big thing that has happened recently is that we got our villa painted on the inside, the outside is another long story that will have to wait for another blog. It makes it so much better and feels like home. A little paint always makes things feel cozy.
Yesterday was a huge day for the U.S. with the news that Osama Bin Laden was killed. I started thinking about this and the fact that we were living in Pennsylvania on 9/11, so close to NYC and Washington, and had been to the twin towers just weeks before. Now I'm in the Middle East when this momentous event happened. I was a little worried at first being over here. But now I truly feel safe and I just know that it is in Gods hands and I can't let this freak me out to much. If Alan's company thought for a second we were in any danger they would take us out immediately.
Alan has been out of town two times and I have had to stay by myself, but it wasn't too bad. Just glad it was only a couple of days each time. I would die if it was for weeks at a time. I think I would have to go with him. I have to say I slept fine and felt very safe, which is more than I can say when I am alone at home in Houston. I am already dreading staying alone this summer in Houston without Alan.
We finally bought a car from a family here in our compound that was moving back to France. The for sale sign went up around the end of March. I saw it and called and we test drove it and told him we wanted it. He said he wanted to keep it till April 11th. That was ok with us because we had two rental cars. The 11th came and went and there was still paper work to be done. To make a long story short it was another thing in Doha that wasn't easy. We finally got the car a week ago last Sunday on Easter Sunday. The guy that sold it to us is not moving now. But he said all the money had already been transferred to his account and he wasn't going to back out of the deal.
We did celebrate Easter here at the Grace Fellowship Church. Of course it was on Friday. The service was great and very moving, I loved it. They did have a sunrise service on Sunday and one that evening too. We were hoping to go to the evening one but we ended up having to go to the traffic department one more time for the car. Everything takes several trips. Oh and the car I got is a 2009 BMW X3. It has four wheel drive and that is what you need here.
The next time I write our youngest son, Jared will be here and were are going to go to Brussels with Alan on his business trip and then to Bruges and Amsterdam. So I can write about that adventure.
One of my least favorite things to do here is to go grocery shopping. It is a very stressful thing for me. You can never find everything that you are looking for and you have to go to several stores or be like me and just make do with whatever that store has. Anyway I say all this to tell you I went the other day and as I was driving up and two young men started running towards the parking space where I was going to park. Before I could get out of the car they were shoving each other and fighting over who was going to wash my car. They ask you everywhere you park if you want a car wash and you pay them 20 or 30 QR. Well I get out of my car and say to them "hey hey I don't want a car wash". So needless to say they were very disappointed. It was too funny. I felt like I was dealing with my boys. Not that my boys would be fighting over washing my car, trust me. At all the compounds here they have workers that wash your car and you pay them so I never get one at the malls or stores.
The other day I was at a Home Center Store shopping. This store is like a Hobby Lobby or Kirkland's just not near as good. All stores here have these carts that all four wheels spin around in different directions, so they move sideways. This is very important to my story. I was shopping around and looking at some tall candle holders. So I put them in the cart to go and try to find candles for them. Of course there were no candles for them. So I wheel the cart back over to put them back on the shelf. I lean down in my cart and pick up these three rather large glass candle holders. My arms are very full. I turn around to put them on the shelf when my cart moves so slightly sideways. In slow motion it barely touches these very large vases and one by one they slowly start falling like dominoes and crashing and breaking. YIKES I can't stop them because my hands are full with glass. I want to run away but all these little Indian people rush over to start picking the glass up and I say I will pay. I only said that because I have seen other people break things in there and they had to pay. They were only 12 QR each and I had to pay for 3, that is like $3.28 each and they were knee high. I am so happy Alan wasn't with me he would have died!!!
The other big thing that has happened recently is that we got our villa painted on the inside, the outside is another long story that will have to wait for another blog. It makes it so much better and feels like home. A little paint always makes things feel cozy.
Yesterday was a huge day for the U.S. with the news that Osama Bin Laden was killed. I started thinking about this and the fact that we were living in Pennsylvania on 9/11, so close to NYC and Washington, and had been to the twin towers just weeks before. Now I'm in the Middle East when this momentous event happened. I was a little worried at first being over here. But now I truly feel safe and I just know that it is in Gods hands and I can't let this freak me out to much. If Alan's company thought for a second we were in any danger they would take us out immediately.
Alan has been out of town two times and I have had to stay by myself, but it wasn't too bad. Just glad it was only a couple of days each time. I would die if it was for weeks at a time. I think I would have to go with him. I have to say I slept fine and felt very safe, which is more than I can say when I am alone at home in Houston. I am already dreading staying alone this summer in Houston without Alan.
We finally bought a car from a family here in our compound that was moving back to France. The for sale sign went up around the end of March. I saw it and called and we test drove it and told him we wanted it. He said he wanted to keep it till April 11th. That was ok with us because we had two rental cars. The 11th came and went and there was still paper work to be done. To make a long story short it was another thing in Doha that wasn't easy. We finally got the car a week ago last Sunday on Easter Sunday. The guy that sold it to us is not moving now. But he said all the money had already been transferred to his account and he wasn't going to back out of the deal.
We did celebrate Easter here at the Grace Fellowship Church. Of course it was on Friday. The service was great and very moving, I loved it. They did have a sunrise service on Sunday and one that evening too. We were hoping to go to the evening one but we ended up having to go to the traffic department one more time for the car. Everything takes several trips. Oh and the car I got is a 2009 BMW X3. It has four wheel drive and that is what you need here.
The next time I write our youngest son, Jared will be here and were are going to go to Brussels with Alan on his business trip and then to Bruges and Amsterdam. So I can write about that adventure.
Teresa, you are amazing! Love to read the blog - feel like I am right there too! You are right, of course - everything is in GOD's hands and that knowledge gets us through anything. Take care and PLEASE keep writing!!
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