It's raining in Doha!

Whoa! It has finally rained here! I've even taken a photo to prove it... (some drops on our dusty pavement - most of it evaporated quickly).

It was pretty fun actually, everyone came out of their homes to feel the rain. It hasn't rained for two years apparently...

Mind you, it wasn't a big shower, and now the dust has turned into mud.

Close Ups!

Just took these pictures of the girls as they were sharing a packet of biscuits... so cute!

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Matilda's favourite song, and she is just working out the hand movements! She is a little groover, just loves to dance and bop along to any tune!

October & November all rolled into one!

Hello!

Wow, what a busy two months we've had! Actually, looking back, I have no idea what we did in October, just that we were busy!

Of course, we had a HUGE Halloween Party for the kids in the compound (imagine 100 kids in scary costumes and face paint, fueled by fruit juice, candy, cake, chocolate and more candy!). We decorated the club room with spiderwebs, flashing skeletons, ghosts, and pumpkins. It was awesome... and LOUD! I have put some photos on our blog... Halloween fun continued the next night with endless trick-or-treaters. Matilda and I sat at the front gate happily chatting to all the witches and vampires, showering them in candy!

Brendan had another trip to Scandinavia (lucky bugger), and was spellbound by the fjords of Norway. He can't remember what the meetings were about, because he just kept staring out the window at the amazing view! (This is what he tells me, but I'm sure it may also have been due to the Akvavit!) He had 8 flights in as many days and saw bits of Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Was there in time for the first snowfall of the season, and grabbed snow gear for the girls for our upcoming White Christmas. He thinks Scandinavia is a really beautiful place, but could probably live the rest of his life without touching Lutfisk (local delicacy - jellied fish) again. Little does he know, we'll be sampling that again at Christmastime!

We went to The Qatar Caledonian's St Andrew's Ball, which was great fun. I think Brendan was the only person there without a skirt (sorry, kilt) and we definitely looked out of place when we got up for a jig, not realising that you needed a third person to join in! Oh well! They had flown in a true Scottish band, and I got a tear in my eye when the pipers entered the room (from PLC days). We left at 1am, but I hear that there was jiggin' tae the wee sma' hours.

Of course, I have been studying (ie. procrastinating) hard and have handed in all assignments and journals, and sat my exam. So, I am officially on summer break. I'm finally getting out and about in Doha, experiencing what all the other expat ladies have been up to. Brendan is getting worried, and is strongly encouraging me to look into summer school, because I have booked the painters, started sketching a mural for the garden wall, buying and planting potplants (I know! Me doing the garden?!), and eyeing more furniture for our home. I've just discovered some great shops with local and gorgeous amazing I-gotta-have-it furniture, very hard to resist. Also, went to the markets and found some treasures. Off to the gold souk (market) this week, which apparently is super cheap, because you're paying for gold by the weight and no labour costs, and you can get any design you want. I'm getting excited just telling you about it!

Anyway, change the topic. The weather has cooled down a lot, and we're all complaining about how cold we are. The airconditioners have slowly been shut off, and we're running on 2 out of 10 now. Today was especially 'cold' at a max of 27 degrees. Brrrrr.

Doha is now really gearing up for the Asian Games (of course, there has been major construction for about 2 years), with only a fortnight to go to the opening ceremony. We have tickets to the sellout show, Jose Carreras is performing, and a heap of other international stars who we are not familiar with, but are huge celebrities in Asia - think Hong Kong popstars, Bollywood actor/singers, Lebanese songstress etc. Apparently the budget for the opening ceremony (choreographed by aussie David Atkins) is 5 times the opening ceremony at Sydney Olympics. The Qatar airspace will be closed to all aircraft during the show, even emergency medical helicopters - so Brendan's work has been notified that they may not rescue anyone offshore during 6pm and midnight!

The girls are doing well. Matilda chats to anyone, including her reflection in the oven door, all day long. She is not saying anything we understand yet, but hey, maybe it's Arabic? Or Danish? French? Whow knows, she could have picked up anything in this compound! We don't see much of Isabelle... she comes home from school, eats a huge bowl of pasta, changes into her bikeriding clothes, and is gone... until she is hungry again. She sure is her father's daughter! She spends her time cycling around the whole compound, which is fairly large (101 villas), with so many friends. It is really fantastic living like this, there is always someone to play with. Plus, we always seem to have more (than our 2) kids at our house - the other day we had 6 kids in our kitchen, all thirsty for juice! And whenever I am baking, which is several times a week, I always have a couple of helpers to crack eggs, mix dough, or lick spoons! Matilda loves it, but sometimes I think she wonders if we have swapped Isabelle for a new sibling for her.

So, things are great. We're counting down the weeks now until we go to Sweden.
Hope y'all have a great lead up to the festive season.
Love, Samantha, Brendan, Isabelle & Matilda xxxx

Overnight Trip in the Desert

Brendan and Isabelle camped out in the Qatari desert by the inland sea.
Not much sleep, but great fun! (Here you can see Saudi Arabia in the background.)

Happy Halloween!!

We had a HUGE party in the compound. Just imagine 100+ kids running around in evil costumes, powered by candy and fruit juice! The noise levels were phenomenal! A great night was had by all, and there has been requests for a Christmas party now... oh boy, I need a week off at least!



Here are a couple of photos of my girls, but I will upload more soon... No time now, I have to get ready to scare the Trick-or-Treaters!












As promised, here are more pictures from Halloween...










Some more scary costumes...

Tea Parties & Rock Bands!

During the Eid school holidays, the kids are entertained with daily tea parties with the neighbours...








... and dressing up as rock stars! We were getting really good!

Beach Day!

We went to the beach in our 4WD. It was so wonderful to be away from the dust and traffic and just lay in the very warm water (which is extremely salty!). Not quite Cottesloe Beach, but if you closed your eyes, you could imagine it! I actually missed the cold water...

The girls had a great time playing in the sand & sea! Brendan was also able to go out on his surfski! It was a great day for all! (Riding home absolutely exhausted...)

The Bike Gang of Green Village

Here they are - the Bike Gang of Green Village! It is very difficult to catch them on "film", because they are so fast and whizz around the streets so fast. Matilda loves to sit out on the verge and watch them go by! I bet she can't wait till her legs are long enough for the tricycle...

Brendan's Boat

Here are a couple of photos of Brendan's boat - Queen of Snow. We are really looking forward to spending a lot of time out exploring the little islands around Doha. Anything to get away from the sand & dust for a few hours!

September update

Hello!

Wow, another month has passed quickly!

September was a super hectic time here. While my parents visited I completed my teaching practice, in both primary and secondary schools. It was great fun, but totally exhausting too! They are so short staffed (especially maths teachers!) here that I was pratically offered jobs on the spot, but I had to resist the temptation... must finish my degrees this time! (For those of you who asked, I am finishing my math degree and I have just started a Bachelor of Education.)

Matilda was left to entertain her grandparents, and I believe that they had a lovely time together. Brendan was glad to have another guy in the house, and made the most of it with night golf, boat trips, 4WDing on the sand dunes, and endless games of table tennis. We indulged in many delicious meals out trying local delicacies, and spent many lazy afternoons at the pool.

Other big news is that Isabelle is now riding without trainer wheels! There is a bike gang in this compound and their meeting place is right outside our villa, so Isabelle rushes out and joins them as soon as she hears to 20 or more kids congregate. She has now begun her training for Le Tour de France 2007, and hopes to join her Dad and Grandpa on their rides in France next (northern) summer.

Ramadan started a couple of weeks ago, so most things have shut down (during the day anyhow) and we are spending more time at home. The traffic is even worse now once the sun sets, so it is best that way. For those who don't know what Ramadan is, it is a time for the Muslims to fast and reflect on their spirituality. We have to be more aware of dressing modestly, and absolutely no drinking or eating in public, not even sipping some water in the car. There have been so many occasions when we have brought snacks for the car, but have had to put them away forgetting that it is Ramadan.

Thankfully, the temperature has dropped and it is now only mid-40's during the day. The mornings and evenings are fairly pleasant and it is almost possible to sit outside and eat. I was excited the other morning when I drove Isabelle to school and it was 29 degrees (at 6.45am)! First time ever that I have seen it under 30!

We have booked our tickets to Sweden for Christmas. I am super excited about sharing this very magical time with Brendan and the girls. It will be so wonderful to finally introduce them to my extended family who are busily planning the festive week in anticipation of our arrival. We will spend one week in the south of Sweden, and then one week in Stockholm. Finally a White White Christmas!

Thanks also to everyone who sends us emails! We absolutely love being updated with what's happening with you!

Lots of love, Samantha, Brendan, Isabelle & Matilda xxxx

August update

Hello!

Thank you for all the emails. It is just lovely hearing from friends & family... we love it!

Let me update you on the month of August... The big news is that Isabelle was accepted to two schools, so we ended up having a choice, which was great. She started school today at the Doha Montessori & British School, which runs a Montessori kindergarten then a British curriculum school. She is in the reception grade, which is equivalent to pre-primary in Australia (before first grade). We went to the tailor to get her school uniform made, and it is adorable! There are half a dozen kids from our compound attending her school, so plenty of friends nearby for Isabelle.

Matilda continues to develop in leaps and bounds, is actually running around the house, and playing dressups with big sis. As soon as she hears Daddy come home from work, she rushes to the front door with her bathers in her hand, hat on her head, and goggles around her neck! We spend every afternoon at the pool with all the other families, yes, very relaxing.

Brendan celebrated his birthday on Sunday (which happens to be the Qatar national day, so he is guaranteed a day off every year!) by flying to Copenhagen for work. I have heard from him - he's enjoying the rain, cycling & the bacon! We had a cocktail/pool/dance party on Friday for him, which was a huge success (photos from that night are available only on request, not for general viewing!!) - see photo of Matilda enjoying her first Mudslide!

I am struggling a little with uni, getting completely distracted by anything... like writing emails to you all! My parents are coming to visit next week, which we are all super excited about (of course, this has nothing to do with the suitcase packed full of gluten free food for me!!).

Keep the emails coming!


Love,
Samantha, Brendan, Isabelle & Matilda xxxx

July update

Hello Everybody!!

It has been 2 months, 1 week, and 5 hours… and I am back online! Our computer arrived in one piece (yay!) and the ADSL man finally (it took 5 weeks!) hooked me up. So, now I can email daily, and talk to those of you who have Skype. I am so excited!!

We have been here almost 6 weeks now (plus another month for Brendan) and have settled in well. Lots of great new friends, mostly young families, which is super, and the best thing is that most of them live walking distance away (in the same compound). People from all over Europe, Asia , the Americas – I fit right in, lots of "mixed" people just like me! Being the only Aussie in our compound, Brendan is handed the BBQ tongs whenever we get invited anywhere, but I don't think he minds.

We swim almost everyday, we have a lovely big pool here in Green Village, and on weekends we can head to the beach. Unfortunately, it has been a bit too humid to spend time at the beach, so we have only ventured out to the sand dunes in our 4WD once. Apparently October onwards the weather calms down. The hottest temperature so far has been 51 degrees – that sure was a quick walk from the mall to the car! (We even need a chiller on our water tank because the 'cold' water would burn the kids in the bath!)

So, apart from the VERY HUMID HEAT, which we have somehow grown accustomed to, there are no complaints. We have just moved into our amazing 2-storey house, which is covered in marble and has extremely high ceilings. The rooms are so massive, it makes our furniture look minute. I have splurged on six Persian rugs so far, I think I could get addicted! Brendan would argue that I already am…

The girls are doing really well, both adjusted easily. It seems so long ago, but the exhausting flight on our own went relatively smoothly, both girls being super-cooperative, but boy were we glad to see Brendan at the other end! Isabelle is making lots of friends, and has a full social calendar. In regards to her schooling, we still don't have confirmation of a place in school yet, but hopefully we will in the next couple of weeks. There has been such a big influx of expats that the schools are supersaturated and the waitlists are bursting. Everyone tells me you just have to harass them until they give you a spot.

Matilda had her 1st birthday here, and was serenaded with the Danish birthday song! She is running now, babbling non-stop, and eating a lot! Loving following her big sister around, they are starting to play together which is lovely, but Matilda sure is feisty if she doesn't get her way.

I have been setting up home, shopping for the home, sewing curtains, and chasing up tradesmen! I could write a whole book about the hair-pulling experience of getting things done here, but I won't! Let's just say you have to be persistent or nothing would get done. I am 3 weeks behind with my uni studies, due to the delay in our container being delivered, so am busy trying to catch up. Fortunately I learned from last semester that a full load is probably not such a good idea after all, and I am only doing 2 units this semester.

Driving here is scary! Most cars are 4WD and are driven like "Qatari Ferraris"… too fast and with absolutely no regard for road rules. There are only a handful of traffic lights with all other intersections being roundabouts where you take a deep breath and just go for it! Brendan takes the car to work, so during the day the girls and I get picked up by our limo driver. All the malls here (there are at least 7) have huge indoor kids arcades with full size rollercoasters, merri-go-rounds, jumping castles, ice-skating rinks, water-parks, etc. It is amazing! So there is always something to do, we are not getting bored at all!

I would like to end this lengthy email by telling you that we have 6 extra sleeping spots, 8 at a squeeze, so would love visitors anytime! Keep in touch!

Lots of love, Samantha, Brendan, Isabelle & Matilda xxxx