The rhythm of Ramadan in Qatar
Doha, Qatar, has its own rhythm of life. While this rise-eat-school-work-eat-relax-pray-sleep routine is generally dependent on your own culture, work and family circumstances in the Middle East, it is collectively shoehorned into a new beat during Ramadan. Yes, the holiest month of Islam, dictates a different rhythm. It does so for Muslims around the world, […]
Living in Lego Land in Qatar
I live in Lego Land in the Land of Sand. Or to be more precise, my new-found home is in a compound in Qatar. Compounds in the Middle East are a far cry from the compounds of South Africa, areas that were set aside as single sex, living quarters for migrant workers, like miners. Here, […]
Living in Doha – my new neighbourhood
Constant construction, vast contrasts and cats. Throw in a couple of classic cars and an embassy or ten and you have my new neighbourhood in Doha, Qatar. It’s called Onaiza. Onaiza in Zone 66, outside the main central business district, probably won’t mean anything to you. It didn’t mean much to me either as a […]
Shopping pleasures in Doha
Shopping in Doha is akin to shopping on steroids. Everything is bigger-better-faster and more convenient in the many malls of Qatar’s capital. In fact, shopping here is pretty much a visual smorgasbord of the sumptuous first-world life on offer in Doha. Every nation (there are residents from least 115 different countries living here), every brand […]
Game, set and match – sport in Doha
The Qatari end goal is clear. As sport is a key cog in their ambitious 2030 National Vision to become a global leader, the country is ploughing endless energy, time and money into making Doha an international sporting hub. Their vision is our good fortune. In recognising the value of sport as a unifier and […]
My new best friends in Doha
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 […]
Fruit and veggie heaven comes to Doha
Snake gourd, red bananas, Jack fruit, kohlrabi, yams, pak-choy … and the list goes on and on. Fruit and veggie shopping in Doha is both a visual feast and geography lesson. Well, it is if your fruit and vegetable fare has been confined to common old garden varieties of potatoes, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, apples, oranges, […]
Dancing to a new beat in Doha
Whether it’s starting a new job, moving neighbourhoods or taking up a new hobby, any change requires us to adapt.
And. that’s what we are endeavouring to do in Doha – adapt to the new rhythm of life here.
High-rise living in Doha
When you live closer to the clouds … I now live on the 26th floor of a high-rise building. While this may be the norm for millions of others around the globe, if you’re a plat-op-die aarde (flat-on-the-ground) South African like me, living closer to the clouds takes some serious readjustment. That is, of course, […]