The small stuff can be a game changer in Doha.

Every country has its own quirks or, at least, that’s how these so-called differences or peculiarities are perceived by outsiders. But they’re normal to those who have always lived there and therefore, hardly worth a mention.

In Qatar, there’s a wealth of small things, that you won’t necessarily read about ahead of your visit or stay, but boy, have I found them baffling, amusing or even downright irritating.

I wonder if others who live in this city of plenty, will agree?

HE

There’s nothing insignificant or small about the pronoun he. Newly arrived in the country, I was aghast at the overuse of “HE” in the local newspapers. I was soon knocked off my grammar-nerd-soapbox, however, when it was gently pointed out that the repetition of HE in every second news item referred to His Excellency!

The Emir, otherwise known as HE (His Excellency), is the ruling monarch, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. HE is also used for other senior Ministers, as in HE the Minister of Municipality …

(Like the acronym ANC, HE is so entrenched, there’s no need to explain it … unless, like me, you’re a newbie).

Anyway, there’s nothing small about HE. In this case, HE, the Emir and his family have been ruling Qatar for more than 200 years. The executive power of the Shura Council is vested in the Emir and HE has a personal net worth of $2.5 billion.

(But, by all accounts from those in-the-know, HE is a decent, caring man who is successfully implementing the country’s exciting, visionary plans. It helps when you have loads of oil and natural gas!)  

Tea

I came prepared. I stocked up with Five Roses. But given the tealcoholic that I am, my stash soon diminished, and I needed a replacement. After a trial-by-taste period, Lipton’s snuck in ahead of the Red Tea, Ahmad, Dilmah, Tata, Tetley and other tea brands.

So while I am now sorted on the home front – brewing from my red teapot (which was also bought along for the Middle East sojourn), getting a decent cuppa at a respectable price at a restaurant, take-away or coffee shop, is a mission.

The cups are too small or plastic and the bag is left brewing in said receptacle with neither a spoon nor saucer to dispatch and dispense of the offending tea bag. Rarely does the cuppa come with milk and if it does arrive, invariably it’s scalding hot! And then there are those who offer you tea in a pot that has been used to serve coffee …

I cringe.

You see tea, for me, is as coffee is to Starbucks. It’s part of who I am. A decent cup of tea (like a hot bath) solves a multitude of ills, or at least puts them in perspective. And so, while tea is hardly worth a mention for many, it’s high on the priority list for me.

I am pleased to report that I now resort to ordering Karak as my go-to when out and about and in need of a revitalising cuppa. Karak is actually an Indian tea that is popular in the Middle East.

While this rich, tasty and caramel-coloured tea is not good for the hips (it’s full of sugar, evaporated milk and cardamon), it’s no trouble on the bank balance, setting you back between QAR2 and QAR5 (R8 to R20).

You won’t get a small latte for much less than QAR13 (R50) here.

The sniff factor

You can smell your way through Doha – from home to home, shop to shop and mall to mall. Doha, and perhaps the Middle East generally, has a great love for perfumes. There are shops that sell just perfumes, or just body fragrances or smelly soaps.

The sniff factor comes in the form of diffusers, air fresheners and scented candles too.

And then there are the tissue boxes. They’re everywhere too for your convenience. 

Smoking

Smoking cigarettes rarely impacted on my life in South Africa. Very few family or friends smoke, and those who do, usually take themselves quietly around the corner for a quick drag. It’s a non-event.

It’s a non-event here too in that smoking cigarettes is literally “in your face”. It’s a common practice here – with loads of people puffing away in the streets.

You can’t smoke in the malls, public transport or other indoor public spaces, but everywhere else seems to be acceptable. As far as I can see, there are very few designated outdoor non-smoking areas because smoking is still very much part of the culture.

Coming from a country that outlawed smoking in public spaces as long ago as 1994, the everyday experience is still a tad surprising.

And, of course, the traditional hookahs are everywhere! (And with them, come those aromatic smells again)  

Left

Look left, look right, look left again.

This was drilled into us as children, having grown up in the UK and South Africa, when it came to safely crossing the road as a pedestrian.

In fact, it’s so deeply ingrained in me that having to adapt and give the right-hand side of the road greater focus, is proving a challenge. I end up checking the roads – and we’re talking highways of up to eight lanes (four on either side) – dozens of times before I venture forth, heart in my mouth.

I am, however, getting better at it. At least, I have stopped trying to get into the driver’s seat, instead of the passenger’s seat!

This switch – that of driving on the right-side of the road with the steering wheel on the left-hand side of the car – seems to extend to everything else too.

It’s mirrored in the way you stand on the elevator, how you move politely through the malls and large crowds, and even when you reach for the toilet paper. The latter, of course, is culturally guided by Islamic expectations of cleanliness and etiquette.

Arabic is also read from left to right.

Dust     

Before moving to Doha in February 2022, dust was simply the stuff removed from furniture once a week or the reddish covering the car received during a trip through the Addo Elephant National Park.

Now dust is a daily customer who, if left unattended, will cause you great grief.

The thing with dust is that it’s mainly invisible until you run your finger across your laptop, cellphone or a piece of furniture.

And now, as Qatar moves into the hottest months, it’s no longer simply invisible. It’s in your face, literally, as the sandstorms come. You’re advised to stay home, and if you do need to venture out, you’re glad of a mask that doesn’t just protect you from COVID-19.

On the dust-free days I marvel at how the dust finds its way indoors. We have no windows to open on the 26^th floor of this high-rise, and yet there’s still dust under your feet.

Miniscule it might be, but dust has big clout here.

We have air quality (read dust and dander allergy) forecasts, so that those who have allergies caused by pet hair, dander, mould spores and dust mites, are forewarned.

When the wind blows (the Shamal winds that come from the north) and the dust mass puts visibility at 2km or less, motorists are given the heads-up too. A recent 14-car pile-up here was attributed to low visibility because of a sandstorm.

I didn’t need a warning via WhatsApp, the radio or social media, as I woke up to a dull yellow world in mid-May (see below).

They say that it’s the little things that matter most, the things that make life wonderful … like smell of the veld during a thunderstorm, the sweet call of birdsong, the hugs of family and friends and a quiet cuppa of decent tea at the end of a long day.

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