Lessons in Arabic become lessons for life (for me)
If you are seeking guidance on learning Arabic, you have come to the wrong place. But if you’d like Lessons in Arabic, as in the wonderful novel Lessons in Chemistry, then perhaps I can be of assistance. You see, I failed my beginner’s Arabic test. Yes, failed. Plugged. Three weeks after the dreaded online test […]
The great fake Eid escape
“Leave your luggage and follow me. Now.” The authoritative instruction should have been warning enough. This was not going to be an Eid break like any other. I mean, we’d already had almost three weeks of emergency alarms, missiles and ongoing uncertainty in Qatar. What was I thinking? (And you’re thinking it too. Is she […]
Adapting to a war (that’s not ours) in Qatar
Life goes on. Life goes on regardless of incoming missiles and ongoing uncertainty in Qatar, one of the six Gulf countries caught in the crossfire of the US-Israel-Iran war. In my previous post, just four days into a growing conflict that is not ours, I related how scary and surreal everything was. And it still […]
Living in a war (that’s not ours) in Qatar
Surreal and scary. That’s as it is for me – and so, so many others – living in Doha, Qatar, in the Middle East right now as I share what day-to-day life is like presently. I do so in my personal capacity – as just one of the 3 million people who live in Qatar, […]
Sniffing out cultural differences with tissues in Qatar
Tissues. Yes, everyday soft, absorbent paper tissues. They are the stars of this Doha Diaries post for no better reason than their ubiquitous presence in the Middle East. In Qatar, they’re everywhere. Boxes of tissues adorn any available surface here – they are in homes, hotels, offices and shops, taxis, counters, public toilets, checkout tills […]
‘World cup’ of rock art mystery in Qatar
From the mundane to the mysterious, Qatar’s leading rock art site, Al Jassasiya, gives you much to see and even more to mull over. Not least is that, at face value, with its stunning architecture, high-tech infrastructure and visionary focus, Qatar is a picture of modernity, when actually, it’s truly old – like 5th Century […]
Explore the quirky charm of Krakow, Poland
A goose and duck walked into a bar … Nah, it’s not a joke. A goose, a duck and a man with a pointed hat really did waddle into a bar in Krakow, Poland and, after just a few days of exploring this age old, wondrous city, I thought how fitting. You see, Krakow, is […]
All revved for Qatar’s F1 Grand Prix – and some
It’s the “and some” that I want to share. This is the fun, the mardi gras, carnival atmosphere – call it what you will – that happens alongside the high-octane racing at Qatar’s Formula One Grand Prix that I want to tell you about it. No doubt, such sideshows take place at each of the […]
Doha’s arches sparkle with meaning
They are Doha’s famous arches, the tallest and most symbolic of Qatar’s monuments, but actually, they belong to me, too. The Al Wahda Arches are mine in the same way that a building, park or any other significant landmark in your own neighbourhood becomes yours. By proximity and familiarity, we take ownership. Or, at least, […]
A strange mix of books in Qatar
Books, books everywhere, but not a jot to read. This, Dear Reader, is what I’d feared when moving from South Africa to Qatar – a proliferation of books, yes, but few of them decipherable, as they would mainly be in Arabic. I wasn’t wrong. But I wasn’t right either. It’s just strange mix. There is […]