Doha times and Sunshine!

Well, its been quite a while it seems since my last blog post! We are now getting to the end of the first half term, and I have to admit, its been quite a long half term! Eid is being anticipated by everyone and we got the news today that we will be breaking up a day earlier than planned! Whoop! Can't complain about that!!

My last blog post was, I think on reflection, quite 'heavy' however I do think that I needed to tell everyone how much of a bad time I was having. I'm glad to report that it is still getting better, the children are becoming more of a joy each day and I no longer have that 'dread' feeling in my stomach when I am on the bus each morning. The children are characters and as well as me teaching them English, they are teaching me Arabic!! I don't know enough (yet) to be able to understand them when they talk at me in full Arabic sentences, but I can pick up a few words! One of the children said to me the other day 'Najla mafi halas' Which means 'Najla hasn’t finished' and I responded correctly (In English of course) My TA was like 'Wow you know it!!' So funny!!

I'm going to have to try and remember not to say random Arabic words when I am at home; otherwise I'm going to get a few weird looks!!

Anyway, enough about School!! Being in Doha isn't all about work you know!! Doha is a really up and coming country and there are quite a few things to do!

The main attractions that I have done so far in Doha are the Malls, City Centre, Landmark and Villagio, The Corniche, The Souq Waqif and The Hotels. The lifestyle here is really good, as long as you embrace it and are willing to travel around. The taxi's here are really cheap, we live about 15mins from the City Centre and a taxi costs on average QR15, or £3. When there are 4 of you sharing a cab, its buttons!! But still, we try and barter with the taxi drivers as sometimes they won't put the meter on. Also here, there are a lot of men who offer you a lift in their car, nothing sordid like - they're just trying to make a bit of extra cash. It’s good to also have a 'Driver' someone that you can call to come and pick you up who is reliable. That way, if you are ever caught somewhere and can't get a cab, you just call him. I have thought about getting a car to drive, however, the way that they drive in Qatar is quite horrendous – I feel like I’m putting my life in my hands each time I get into a car!! I’ve actually lost count of the amount of accidents that I have seen on the roads here – they drive right up the back of one another and don’t think twice of cutting you off. Also they’re quite backwards here driving on the other side of the road… so I think I’ll give that one a miss!!

Entrance to the City Centre Mall

One of the main things to do of a weekend is Brunch. You pay a set price and eat and drink as much as you like. Brunches can be Alcoholic or Non-Alcoholic and the food is just amazing! I have only been to one brunch so far, and the one that we went to was a Non-Alcoholic Brunch. Not that I’m complaining, I’d had quite the night the night before!!! We went to a hotel called the Grand Wyndham Hotel, which is like; 10 minutes walk from our Apartment Block. It’s lovely inside – but what do you expect from a 4* hotel!! As you can see… it was the desserts that I enjoyed the most!!

 Another place to visit is the Corniche. The Corniche runs right the way along the edge of Doha, from the Souq to the City. It’s a really lovely walk and a great spot for taking photos. There are lots of things to do along the Corniche, like Dow Boat trips, restaurants and even an outside gym!! It’s a runners haven, but when you only do walking like I do, dodging the runners is quite the experience!! We went for a walk along the Corniche one night when we had all had a bit of a bad start to the week and needed something to do to cheer us up! We also ended up going for a walk around the park. Is a lovely place the park, even at night it’s filled with families and people just enjoying the cooler temperatures. For us, it was nice to actually feel the grass between our toes, instead of the usual sand… only it turned out to be fake grass!!

The City from the Corniche at Night

Obviously, being here in Doha has its perks with the weather too, as it is nearly always sunny. So heading to a pool or a beach is obviously the thing to do. At the moment, it’s still a bit hot to be going and sitting on a beach or by a pool as all you do is sweat and that’s not pleasant! I'm pleased to say though; I have managed it twice and am managing to pick up a bit of a tan!! I have spent the day at the Marriott Renaissance in the City – which is quite the surreal experience as you are on the 7^th Floor of the hotel, outside, surrounded by high rise buildings!! And have spent the day at the Oasis Beach Club, which is a cheap and cheerful place to go and spend the day with friends and swim in the sea, chill on the beach and enjoy the sunshine!! The beaches here are all private, so you can’t just head to the beach – you have to go to one of the big hotels or to the Oasis.

I’m hoping that when half term comes next week – we can go somewhere each day and enjoy the sunshine a little bit more!!