Mrs Waze, AC and Buftar … it’s okay if you don’t recognise them. I didn’t have a clue who they were either until soon after I arrived in Doha as a newbie South African. But now, four months on, I wouldn’t be without them.

They are my new best friends.

Ehteraz used to be my best friend here in Qatar and, in a way, he still is a very good friend. But our relationship has taken a new development, as often happens over time. Nowadays, I am generally just irritated with him – annoyed that I have to be so dependent on his company wherever I go. But more of him later.

I am sure you have similar such “best friends” – those things, spaces, places and individuals you’d be lost without in your everyday life.  

Please indulge me as I tell you about these friends who have added immense value to my new-found life in this modern Middle East country of plenty.

Mrs Waze

Allow me to introduce you to Mrs Waze. If in your mind’s eye you have conjured up a middle-aged woman with a tight curly perm, cast that stereotype right out of the car window. Instead, consider a woman with a knowledgeable, street savvy and calm-under-immense-pressure persona.

That’s our Mrs Waze.

Yes, ours, because she’s as important to the H (the hubby), as she is to me. While I wouldn’t be without her reassuring guidance, the H would be dead in the water, or rather the proverbial traffic whirlpool, without her.

Mrs Waze is the choice and voice of reason when tackling Doha’s highways and byways, enabling us to get from point A to B.

Waze is, in fact, a virtual navigator and an absolute must in this busy, modern metropolis of four to six-lane highways, bypasses and ongoing road construction.

To us, she is companionable “Mrs Wave” because without her road knowledge, patience (she keeps repeating stuff!) and unflustered instructions, we’d probably no longer be Mr and Mrs ourselves.

And she’s streets ahead (pun intended) of her cousin Mrs Google Map, who’s often out of touch with all the changes. Mrs Waze apparently works through the night studying her turf to give us the heads up as to the changes – and believe you me, these changes happen regularly, particularly over the weekend.

Of course, she has had one or two off days, but really, we wouldn’t manage without her – nor would half the drivers in Doha.

AC

In my book, AC had always been the one half of DC (a ‘70s rock band), but in Doha, AC is written into the design DNA of every building there is.

AC, otherwise known as air-con or air-conditioning, was around when I arrived in Qatar in February at the start of the H’s secondment here, but the friendship has really grown on me in recent weeks.

In fact, the hotter it gets, the greater my appreciation for AC.

With day-time temperatures already in the early 40Cs, it’s hard to imagine how anyone or anything exists without AC.

Even the eight new and refurbished stadiums being used for the FIFA2022 World Cup from mid-November to mid-December have air-conditioning.

The restaurants that sprawl onto the pavements in happy chatter are surrounded by AC units, much like the heaters that are introduced in outdoor seating areas of upmarket restaurants in South Africa when the weather cools.

Buftar

I still don’t know exactly what Buftar means or stands for, but I do know what it means to me.

Buftar is a safe, welcoming space among generous, open-hearted individuals who understand what it feels like to be far from home. They understand because they are far from home too. They just happen to have lived in Doha, Qatar, and often other parts of the Middle East, for many years.

They are my new-found friends.

In fact, long-time friends from Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha), Richard and Louise Summers, introduced us to them. Even though they have sadly since moved to the United Kingdom, their friends have taken us into their homes – and hearts – as part of their friendship circle.

This group of friends from Australia, Jordan, Wales, England, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa and Ireland try to meet weekly.

It’s here that you listen and learn, or just as comfortably ask, ask and keep on asking. They never seem to tire of my endless questions:

Where to you get your hair done?

Who is a good doctor?

When is the best time to go to the QDC? (More on the latter in a later post. I need to do more groundwork on this.)

How do you survive the heat?

Why is there still so much construction on the roads?

What’s it like camping in the desert?

Every newcomer should be blessed with a Buftar bunch, who are pretty much family to one another, having spent most of their years in Doha raising children, working and living the ex-pat life, all far from their original homes.

They’re also great fun!

Oh, and did I mention, they’re pretty adept at braaiing and there’s a Jordanian Arab who is a dab hand at making his own biltong!

I will remain ever grateful for their kindness and generosity of spirit.

Ehteraz

Those who may have been reading this blog from the outset, may remember my love-hate relationship with fellow. He is Qatar’s COVID-19 health app that everyone needs to have on their phones. Without him, and his big green square heart and yellow exterior, there are very few places you can go.

So, while we are no longer required to wear masks in public, except in health facilities and on public transport, you still have to show Mr Ehteraz to get anywhere – into a shop, clinic, hospital, restaurant, stadium, church or to use public transport.

Ehteraz is my obligatory friend. I am pretty sure the feeling is mutual, and he’d like to end our relationship for good too. Our masks are gone in all public spaces (bar public transport and health facilities) and we live in hope that Mr Ehteraz will do a runner soon too!