The San Juan Blog in Qatar

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I went to the Gulf Driving School (behind the Nabina Showroom, Airport Road) on Monday last week. My husband accompanied me but they just stayed in the car. I stepped inside the office at 6:30 pm but they weren’t accepting applications anymore although they’re supposed to be open until 7 pm. But that’s just fine because I actually forgot the documents that I needed. The next day, Tuesday, we came much earlier, before 5 pm. The guy was already processing my application when I told him that I only need to take the half course that is 12 days for QR 620. At first, he told me that everyone takes the whole course, 25 days for QR 1800, then I explained that I already knew how to drive and that I have a Philippine license. After taking a good look at my license, he then said “you go to counter no.1 of the Traffic Department in Madinat Kalifa”, as he was showing me the portion that needed to be signed. Obviously, proceeding there would only be futile as it was already past 5 pm, so we decided to go the next day. Wednesday, we got to the traffic department at 4 pm. Surprisingly, there was only a lady waiting and 2 personnel at the counter. So I thought that it was a good sign and that this could be “it”. I went straight to counter no. 1, gave the guy my documents and my license, then he looked at me and said “you come back tomorrow morning, the person who signs this, is not here”. I wanted to shout “what!!!” but there was nothing I could do. I just had to be back again the next day. My husband and I were so disappointed at how things turned out. Three days of trying to get things done and still nothing was accomplished. I just wished the guy from the driving school had told me about it but that’s just it… they don’t give a damn. We just decided to go to Popeye’s to forget how frustrating the day had been. Thursday, got there at 10 am and by golly there were so many people waiting, most of them guys. First, I had to get a number, I got 191 and counter 1 was just serving 150. I was so worried that I won’t be able to make it before they close again. Luckily, the number skipped 12 numbers up. I guess those guys left and couldn’t wait anymore. Then goes the waiting game… there were not enough seats and no one was gentleman enough to offer me one which is just ok since I didn’t expect any special treatment anyway. In comparison to Saudi, women always get special treatment. We didn’t have to wait in long queues. In Saudi, being a woman can also be an advantage. Anyway, while waiting, there was “smell” everywhere I turned. It’s like someone sprayed a “body odor-scented” body spray or air spray all over the place. Then no one ever said, not even the guy from the driving school that I would need a copy of my license. But fortunately it pays to be observant and I saw the others bringing a photocopy of their license. It’s a good thing that there was photocopying service within the compound so I still had enough time to have mine copied. Then when I came back, I finally got to sit down. There was this man in his forties beside me. He got number 189, when he saw mine was 191, he exchanged with me. I know, it didn’t make that much of difference but I really appreciate his gesture. It was really kind of him to exchange his number with mine. So after 4 days of frustration and waiting, I was able to have my license validated and my paper signed. Then that afternoon I got to finally process my application. Although I still have to wait 45 days to get a schedule for my driving lessons, I’m just so relieved that this waiting game was over and I have yet another one to come.

A month after Xiane’s 3rd birthday, we still have balloons hanging in our living room. It’s not that we’re just lazy to put them away. Who wouldn’t want to get rid of them when they’re just starting to accumulate dust. The real reason: Xiane doesn’t want to part with them yet. But maybe, and I hope we’ll be able to convince her that we have to remove them before her 4th birthday. Well at least we’ll see if the balloons could last that long…

It is understandable that we don’t know a lot of people yet having been here recently. But who needs a lot of acquaintances when you have a few but true friends. We’ve only met them a few months back but sometimes it feels like you’ve known them forever. We feel comfortable in their presence and they’re always there when you need a hand, or just someone to spend time with. In each meeting, we feel their warm welcome that allows for each of us to learn more about each other. I once heard that we should be wary of the people that we meet here, even of our fellow Filipinos. Someone told me about the back stabbing and back biting that happen among “Filipino friends” here in Qatar, although I know that this is doesn’t happen solely among Pinoys. But I’m just glad that we didn’t have to put up with that. We’re just thankful for having such good friends especially in a place and time when real friends are hard to find.

We’ve been here for a year now but I haven’t really seen the efficiency of Karwa to provide the public with transportation when they needed it the most. When we came here and didn’t have a car yet, we would call Karwa and request for a cab but always ended up frustrated because we would have to wait an hour or so before we could book a ride. A few months back, it was made known that the company had procured more taxi units to meet the demands of the people of Qatar, of Doha in particular for public transportation. It even acquired several busses for the same purpose. Unfortunately just last Thursday, based on our personal experience, the same thing can be said of Karwa, that is rather inefficient. Our car broke down, we needed a ride to go home so I called the office and was told that the next available booking was at 2 pm. It was only 11 am when I called. Just imagine yourself having to wait for a taxi ride, for three long hours in the midst of a hot summer day in Qatar. You probably would have fainted first because of the extreme heat and dehydration before the darn taxi comes to rescue you. I know a lot of people here in Qatar have their own vehicles but for a progressive and rich country there should always be an efficient, safe and reliable means of public transportation for those who need it, transportation that is there when you need it the most.

Just last Thursday, our Citroen Picasso has yet again let us down. We were on our way home from the Traffic Department in Madinat Kalifa when suddenly these dreaded words “engine fault” appeared on the dash board just when we were approaching the round-about at the Al Garrafa interchange. Fortunately, my husband was still able to drive the car until we found a safe and cool place to park as it happened noon with a temperature reaching up to 47 degrees. Tian called the Citroen car breakdown service but they couldn’t come until after 2 hours but the guy gave us the number of an independent towing service. While waiting for the towing service, we had to go around and look for a store because by this time my daughter had drunk all the water that I was bringing for her and with the heat she could easily get dehydrated without anything to drink. 15-20 minutes later salvation finally came and since we couldn’t get a cab ride in the area, we just asked the driver if we could ride his vehicle, the same one that he used to tow our Picasso. It was a long ride going to the Industrial Area where most of the service centers including that of Citroen are located. It was a grueling long ride and the vehicle didn’t have any air-conditioning unit. We had to bear the hot air that was blowing on our faces. Poor Xiane had to be in the same predicament but she never complained. Finally, we got to Citroen… the Filipino guy who works there told us that it is the first time they encountered the “engine fault” problem with their cars so I wonder, why us? I would have thought that we were jinxed but then again I think not. Instead I think we’re blessed because in a place where getting a taxi ride is almost impossible, there he was, the Filipino staff who happens to live in our area and who was kind enough to give us a safe ride home. Hopefully, they’ll be able to fix the real problem with the car and get it this week. Inshallah!

If you're a Firefox user and can't wait for their release of Firefox 2, then probably a Beta version of Firefox would probably do. If so, grab their Beta 1 release on the FTP site. I've installed in just minute ago and one significant change for me would be the X button on every tab you open instead of it being on the very far right as before. This is great as often times, when closing tabs, one has to go to the other end click that Close button. I haven't really noticed other visual changes but everything seems to be ok. I haven't tried IE 7 Beta as I've gotten used to using the tab browsing of Firefox since last year and I'm sure MS Beta as buggier than most so I'd rather stay away from that esp. IE. Anyway, for those of you who haven't tried Firefox yet, try it and I'm sure you'll love all the functionality and the plugins you can add into it. And I can wager that it's better than IE.

Here are some of the shows we’ve completed watching the past 2 months (No Spoilers). Yeah, the Xbox, PC and TV were quite busy working together to bring us these. 24 Season 5 – He’s back; Jack Bauer. Great pacing and great plot. We both think this is the best yet although Season 4 comes really close. We finished 24 episodes in 4 nights! Can’t wait for them to start Season 6. Moral of the Story: Never argue with Jack Bauer. Prison Break – Michael Scofield gets jailed to get his brother out of jail. Not exactly your 24-kind of pacing nor Lost’s rich characterization but gets the job done. Actors are believable and great at what they do. Some plot lines are obvious and reflect some other TV Series. Moral of the Story: A tattoo is not just an art form. Amazing Race 8 – A first in the Amazing race as families travel around the US and South America to receive 1 million dollars. Great fun but challenges are a bit less exciting as the producers tamed them a bit for the younger family members. Moral of the Story: Leave the children to your parents when joining the Amazing Race. Amazing Race 9 – TTAO! The Frat Boys, MoJo, The Hippies, The Nerds, The Double DD’s and more. With all the twists and turns, no one could ever expect who’d land first on the pit stops and who get eliminated. Amazing! Moral of the Story: Luck would always be a factor but brains with luck is what it takes to win. SmallVille Season 5 – Overall, it is a great season but not for Clark. It just keeps pouring and we don’t even get to see a glimmer of light at the end of the season. Moral of the Story: Stay away from anything that comes from Krypton. Lost Season 2 – Things get messy in here. With the opening of the hatch, Pandora’s box is opened. Along with all your theories about the island (The Others, The Monster, The Island itself), confusion sets in as more people and plot points are added. Still, if you want to know what the Island has in store for Jack, John, Kate and the rest of the gang, Lost 2 has them covered. Moral of the Story: Never travel with Oceanic Air. Iron Chef Season 1 – The Secret Ingridients; Flay, Batali and Morimoto. You can’t imagine how these guys cook all 5 dishes in an hour to salivate your taste buds. Moral of the Story: Don’t under estimate Batali.

I just couldn’t believe what happened to me the past 2 weeks. My husband was talking about being plagued, his things getting busted and losing some things. But what did I ever do to have a series of unfortunate events myself, that is, a series of broken footwear. First to go was my black Figlia clogs. Xiane and I got out of the car to go inside the Sofitel (we were looking for a desktop as our laptop broke down) while Tian stayed in the car to look for a parking. We were just a few steps away from the car when I felt the top of my left clog snap. I tried hard to put it back where it used to be but it just didn’t hold. So I told my husband to just proceed and look for a PC by himself while Xiane and I waited in the car. I just had to think of ways to keep Xiane entertained while we were there or else waiting for more than 30 minutes would have been a problem. On Sunday, I decided to use my good old pair of 2-inch high Benetton strappy shoes. I say it’s old because it’s been with me for 5 years now although I haven’t used it that much, in fact I haven’t been using it for the past 2 years. My husband dropped me off the Parish Center where we go to mass, after which, off they went to his office where he and Xiane would spend the time waiting for me. We have agreed to do this since it would be difficult to bring our daughter along to mass. She just wouldn’t stop talking and asking questions while having mass. I was walking on the quadrangle when the heel of my right sandal suddenly got wobbly. When I looked, there it was, the rubber that was coating the inner heel just chipped off and the more I walked, the more it came off. But thank God I made it to the church but you could just imagine how nervous I was thinking if the shoe would last for another 30 minutes or so, plus the embarrassment that I had to endure having a sandal with broken heel. Soon enough it was time to leave. As I walked to the car, the same thing happened to the heel of the left shoe. But even in that condition, we still managed to go to Hyatt, only when we got home I realized that my lovely pair of shoes is beyond repair. We were doing our groceries on a Thursday afternoon as we usually do. This way we can avoid the “weekend rush” or almost everyone coming to the supermarkets during the weekend (Thursday night- Saturday night) to do their own shopping. I was wearing a pair of black flip flops that I bought in the Philippines. It was light yet hip, a perfect footwear when you’re expecting to be spending a lot of time standing and walking around. I pushed the cart as I walked and then I felt the strap of the left pair just came off. It’s a good thing that despite this major setback, I was still able to go through my shopping. Now here’s the thing, how could it be that these shoes just snapped one after the other. My husband’s theory is that I’ve become too heavy and those footwear couldn’t take anymore of my weight. Although it’s hard to admit, I guess my husband may be right about it. But I’m also thinking that it could be that I have a lot of black footwear and it’s about time I dispose a pair or two. Or maybe, these things just happen, the same way that we happen to forget things or lose them, the same way that a series of unfortunate events sometimes do happen.

During this time of the year, it is not unusual when people get sick with colds and flu. I don’t have a very scientific explanation about it but it seems like during this time, viruses gets thick in the air. My daughter, Xianelle, was the first to catch the colds. Thankfully, after having had fever for two days and the cold eventually developing into cough, she got well in just a week’s time. Then the children of our friends caught the colds and eventually the flu last week. Till now the older kid (Xiane’s playmate) is still recovering. And then, there’s me… just last Sunday, the cold virus got into me but fortunately for me, I already got better after two days. I guess it’s just natural if we get sick once in a while, what’s important is for us to get back on our feet again after.

This is the second time we’re spending summer here in Qatar. Last year we arrived on June, almost the same time of year. But I get the feeling that this year, is much hotter. The temperature reaches between 45-49 degrees during the day and stays at 39-40 degrees at night. During the day you get a beating from the heat of the sun and at night, you usually have to deal with so much humidity. It is the time of year when people are lazy to go out and when they do, it would definitely be after 6 pm and they almost always go straight to the malls or anywhere that’s air-conditioned. There are a few though, who also spend their time walking or strolling especially at the Corniche. Well, good for them but I’d rather do that on the “ber” months (September, October…..). Doha has been having sandstorms since Saturday, making people much lazier to go out. Well who would want to get his lungs filled with dust. Just like last Sunday, I was supposed to go to church but had to cancel because there was a sandstorm. When you look outside the window, you’ll see the trees (if there are any in your neighborhood) being blown by the wind. You’ll hear the strong wind blowing even if you’re in the confines of your flat or house. Even the doors bang once in a while and for those who experience this the first time, you’ll be thinking that there’s definitely a “presence” in the house. But think again, it’s just sandstorm. Now, the occurrence of sandstorm only indicates one thing, a change in climate. This could either mean that it’s going to get hotter or a bit cooler after the sandstorm. But my bet is that it’s going to be the former than the latter, simply because summer ain’t over yet.