Fishing for a pearl

I have now been in Doha for a little over a week...and I must say, things are looking brighter.  I am not saying that things are not still frustrating, but at least now I am beginning to laugh at the things that aggravate me.  Its an experience and I am soaking it all in.

A funny part of this last week was getting my 'medicals' as they call it here.  As part of the process in getting your residence permit here, you must first pass the medical test.  This test consists of blood work and xrays and it was by far one of the strangest experiences of my life.  Wednesday morning I was picked up by my company's public relations officer and driven about an hour outside of the city to a middle-of-nowhere medical center.  Half of the medical center was for men and the other half was for women.  Men are forbidden to enter the women's side.  (Many things are separated like this in Doha.)  I enter the building with passport and temporary visa in hand and am immediately given a number.  I glance around wondering what to do next and am pulled by the arm by an arabic lady dressed in her black abaya (head to toe robe).   She begins yelling at two Fillipino women, who were also waiting to get their tests, and demands that they stand up and give me their seat.  I at first refused, but soon realized it was not smart for me to talk back to this women.  So I sat and the two women stood.  After this, I waited in the room an hour before my number was called.  Among me there were all types of women from all over the world waiting for the same entry exams.  Most of these women were of asian decent and were most likely being brought into the country as maids. (Nearly every family in Qatar has a maid)  At last- my number was called.  I rose up only to be directed to another waiting room where I waited for an additional hour.  This was the x-ray waiting room.  (Note: no one spoke English here so I only knew what was going on by the pictures that were on the wall.  X-ray was an easy one to figure out)  I was called to get my x-ray with a group of about ten other women.  We all had to undress in one room and put on the thin, old, faded hospital gowns.  I smiled pretty for my x-ray, dressed again, and then was directed to the next waiting area where my blood was to be taken.  I hate needles and am very scared of them so at this point I was sweating and shaking just a little.  After about half an hour or so, they called my number and I entered the room.  There was a small Arabic women waiting for me, needle in hand.  I sat, closed my eyes, stuck out my arm, and screamed.  She laughed at this little American girl screaming over a blood sample.  But before I knew it, the test was over.  After three hours, I had completed yet another step towards getting my RP (residence permit).

The rest of the week went by smoothly.  Meetings at work, unpacking at home, dinner with new friends, a bbq at a swiss german's compound...but on Thursday came one of the things that I was not looking forward to here.  A sand storm.  It arrived on Thursday like a mysterious thick, brown fog lurking throughout the city.  It has now lasted for about three full days, but I have begun to get used to it.  Although everything around me is dirty and dusty and the air is a little thicker.  Today the dust let up a little and I went for a 3 1/2 or 4 mile walk along the Corniche (the bay).  It was quite nice.  I walked to the new Islamic Museum, where I met a friend.  We spent almost three hours in the museum exploring various art and artifacts from the middle east and asia.  My favorite part of the museum was a special exhibit that they have going on right now.  A pearl exhibition.  In the early 1900s, Doha was a very wealthy city from its success in pearling and fishing.  This market fell drastically in the mid 1900s when Japan became well known for cultured pearls.  It wasnt until Qatar discovered oil that the economy recovered from this enormous fall.  Sorry for the history lesson there...I learned a lot today.  The museum displayed pearls from around the world, including Marilyn Monroe's pearl necklace and some of Coco Chanel's collection.  I learn so much about pearls today- how they are made, how they are cultured, how the different colors are formed.  It was very interesting.  I've always thought pearls were beautiful but I think after today, I will have a greater appreciation for them.

The day ended with a visit to the souq. (a market where you can experience so much Qatari culture)  We ate a fantastic Lebanese dinner and smoked the traditional shisha.  (although i don't smoke normally!! but this was strawberry flavored)  I then walked the 3.5 miles back to my apartment which was somewhat dreadful.  I forgot to mention that I wore the most awful shoes today and have too many blisters on my feet to count.  So much for my Jeep brand shoes, those things will never be taken off-road again!!

Besides the blisters....I sit here as one week ends and another begins, thinking its been a good week.  I'm happy to be here.....Tomorrow I will go to take the driving test with Arabic police officers who do not speak English....for those of you who know my driving skills, be concerned....I will update you soon.

A Saturday stroll along the corniche