Eyebrow Threading

A few weeks ago I went to one of the salons here in Qatar to get my eyebrows "done". In the States I have always gotten my eyebrows waxed so when I made the appointment I didn't expect anything different. When I sat down in the chair and leaned my head back you have to imagine my surprise when there was no wax involved. I have to say that before this I had never heard of threading before. It was much less painful than waxing and it was faster as well which was nice! 


Here is a website that explains how threading is done:
http://eyelashtint.net/eyebrow-threading-and-how-it-is-done/

Qatar Family Visa

 

When I came to Qatar for the first time I was able to buy a tourist visa at the Doha airport at immigrations. Each one is good for 30 days and then you can pay to renew it for another 30 days and after that you have to leave the country and come back and buy another visa. I believe that you can do this as many times as you need to, but I'm not sure.
However we decided to go ahead and get a family visa for me.
There are two medical appointments that you must have before you can get a family visa. The first medical appointment is to verify your blood type (they take a blood sample from your finger) and have your picture taken. Once the results come back your next appointment is scheduled.

For this appointment you go to the Ministry of Health. You go into the building and take a number and then you go into the waiting room and wait until your number is called. Once your number is called you go up to the counter and show your passport and pay for what you are having done and they print you a slip to take to the next phase of your appointment. You then wait in line to have another blood sample taken (this time it's a bit more) to test for HIV. After that you wait in line to have your chest x-ray done (this is to make sure that you don't have TB).  This whole process took me about 3 hours because of waiting in the lines. I have been hold that at times it can take up to 4 hours so I guess that I was lucky! A bit of advice: go in the morning (it's not as busy) and make sure you have an appointment.

All of the results come back in a few days and then you are issued a family visa, which is good for 6 months. If you then apply for a resident permit at a later time you have to go through this process as well. Family visas do not allow you to work and they don't give you medical either. Once you have the resident permit you can buy your health card (this is good for one year) and you can work. The easiest way is to have a sponsor before you come to Qatar to take care of all of this.

One thing we didn't know until I got here is that my husband has to show 6 months of local bank statements with a certain amount in them in order for me to be sponsored to work here (and get a resident permit). Once the 6 months have passed we can then apply for my resident permit. The resident permits are good for one year.

I wanted to explain this process because it's kind of complicated.  Hopefully this helps anyone else coming here to Qatar to live.  Plus it's very different then the US so it's kind of interesting for friends and family to read about! Hope it wasn't too boring though!


Here is a website that explains some more of the documents you need and other details.

http://qatar.angloinfo.com/moving/residency/family-residence-visa/ 

Eid Al-Fitr Will Soon Be Here!

Eid Al-Fitr begins here in Qatar on the first day of the 10th month of the lunar calendar, which will be this weekend (Sunday August 19).  Eid Al Fitr translates as the "festival of breaking the fast". This holiday marks the end of Ramadan and the end of fasting with three days of daytime feasts. Yes this means we will have our Doha brunches back! This is a national holiday so banks and schools will be closed for these three days and all Muslims will be off of work.

I've read in some articles that Eid Al Fitr is to Muslims what Christmas to Christians. Family and friends dress in their finest clothes and gather together and exchange gifts. Some even buy new furniture for this event.  Muslims also take this time to make sure that the poor in the community have enough food so they may celebrate as well.

I've also read that during this time expats can find good store sales.  I'll have to report back to you about this one!

Restaurant Review

 Vapiano!

When we were in Germany our friend Jenny took us to a restaurant named Vapiano. The food is all natural and fresh, the prices are affordable, and they cook your meal at a cooking station right in front of you. You couldn't ask for anything more! Well tonight we found one here! Not by chance actually, our neighbor told us about it.  I have to say it was all that I expected and hoped it could be!

Bolognese on Tagliatelle pasta

Beef Carpaccio

First you pick whether you are having a pasta, salad or pizza. You can also get a soup and an appetizer as well. For the pasta first you choose what type of pasta you want; papardelle, spaghetti, conchiglie, campanelle, tagliatelle etc. Then you have four categories to choose from for your style; traditional, classic, deluxe or premium. There are several choices under each style. Each category is a different price. Other choices include chicken and they also have ravioli and of course beef bacon (yes we are still in the Middle East). If you want pizza you pick your style also (classic, traditional, deluxe and premium).

Tacchino Piccante

When you walk in you are given your "chip card" and then proceed to the cooking station counter to order your made-to-order food. I ordered the classic with a bolognese sauce with the tagliatelle pasta. Yum! My husband got the Tacchino Piccante which has marinated chicken breast with chili-orange sauce, pok choy and capsicum. We also ordered the beef carpaccio appetizer (thinly sliced beef tenderloin covered with rucola leafs, mushroom, and shaved parmesan cheese and cipriani sauce), and we each had a drink all for $127 Riyals ($34 USD). It's like fine-casual dining! Plus the decor has urban upscale Italian feel to it. Vapiano is located at the Gate Mall across from City Center mall.

Our First Ramadan Suhour (or Suhoor)!

We went to the Ritz Carlton last night for our first Suhoor meal. It was awesome!  There was a band there playing Arabic music and singing. The decorations of the "tent" were beautiful. They call it a tent even though it was in the ball room. We arrived early (for Ramadan anyway) at 8pm so we were able to go around and take pictures with minimal obstructions. The food wasn't exceptional but it was good.  The whole experience was amazing though. I would recommend to anyone who has never been, to at least try it once. They (Suhoor and Iftar) can be a bit expensive so be prepared for that. The prices are listed in the Time Out in Doha magazine or online. Make sure to call ahead for a reservation. The buffet food selections, the Arabic juices and the live music make it truly a unique experience that you can only witness one month out of the year!

Another Fire in The Pearl Qatar, in Workers Cabins!

Another fire in Pearl Qatar, in workers cabins

Last night we were out walking our dog and saw a bunch of fire trucks and police go by.  When we went back into our apartment building we saw this. Apparently there was another fire in the Pearl. This time it was at the employee cabins. Thank God no one was hurt!

Road Trip, Day Trip

 http://goo.gl/maps/AUwN (Here is a link of our day trip route)

To the left is the mosque and to the right are the two Barzan Towers.

The Mosque at Umm Slal Mohammed

This is the second tower.

Today we went on a road trip around Qatar to explore our surroundings and the culture of our new home. We left from The Pearl (which is near Doha) and we headed up Northwest to Umm Slal Mohammed. Here we saw the Barzan towers originally built in the 20th century but since has been rebuilt. This used to be a Fort but now all that stands is two towers and a mosque. Admission is free and if the gate keeper is there he will let you in to roam on your own.

This is the first tower.

This is inside the second tower.

 From the top of the towers you are able to see the whole town.  It's interesting to see the extreme gaps in wealth. On one side of the fort walls you can see expansive houses, many still being built. On the other side you can see tiny makeshift shacks in close proximity to each other.

As we drive west a few minutes we are able to see the other tower that is in Umm Slal Mohammed. This one shows it's age as it has not been rebuilt. Also, there is a family that lives at the base of this tower.


 


As we drove through this town we were able see some of the old architecture and an example of the ornate Arabic doors.

Here is a modern mosque in the right photo in comparison to the fort mosque in the left photo. In these photos you are also able to see huge modern homes in the background, a lot of which are still being built.

Next we went to the Al Zubarah Fort, which is now a museum. This was built in 1938 and is one of the most complete and well known forts in Qatar. Admission is free and there are trailers with bathrooms in the parking lot. Very nice bathrooms, if I do say so myself (Western toilets available), with soap and running water. When on a road trip decent bathrooms are sometimes hard to find.









 This site is also famous for it's archaeological dwellings nearby. The newest excavation site was started in 2004 and is still going on now. It is currently closed and we are told it will reopen in September.  We will be coming back for that.

Inside Al Zubarah Fort

 Once refreshed in the bathrooms (it is very hot to do a trip like this in July!) the gate keeper let us into the fort to look around on our own.

You can climb the internal stairs up to each of three watch towers. There are holes in the thick tower walls that allow you to see out and also let light in. These holes are curved so that enemy fire can not enter the fort. I read somewhere that this fort is now a museum with archaeological pieces inside it, but right now it is empty.  They must have had the pieces here at another time. Would have been interesting to see!

Inside Al Zubarah Fort.

One of the watch towers at Al Zubarah.

Next we drove up North near the coast to check out three old fisherman's villages; Al Areesh, Al Khuwair and Al Jemail. All were closed with guard towers and signs not permitting entrance at this time. This knowledge was not anywhere on the internet prior to our trip.  We were disappointed that we were unable to see these villages! They are completely abandoned today but serve as a great insight into the way of life for people along the coast. You have to get special permission to enter these sites. Probably with a guide of some sort since they are gated and locked.

Our next stop was Al Jassassiya, which is another excavation site. This particular location is supposed to have petroglyphs.  But you must have special permission to enter this gated area as well (I believe through the museum in Qatar). We will be looking into this and hopefully coming back to these places!

Next we went to Al Ruwais. This was supposed to be a great weekend get away town with beautiful beaches and resorts and plenty of things to do.  It is a pretty town and may one day have many beautiful resorts and things to do but currently it does not! There is a lot of construction all around and some very nice large homes near the ocean. The water is blue-green and the view is pretty. But there isn't very many places to eat or things to do. We were able to see everything of interest from our car as we drove through.











 Next we went to Al Khor (which means "sea on three sides"). This is really a pretty town about 50km from Doha. We really liked it and will be coming back to spend more time here! This town is a little more built up so there are things to do and see here but yet it still manages to be more tranquil than Doha. This would be a good place to go if you wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the "city" life.