Sunday, October 24, 2010

Same, Same, but DIFFERENT

I am now back in the balmy weather of Doha.  I had a wonderful two weeks in the US visiting family, friends, running a marathon...the usual.  The number one question I got was "What is it like over there?"  There is a simple answer...same, same, but DIFFERENT (which is a favorite saying for this part of the world when describing things that are similar, but very different-ex. whole and skim milk).  What do I experience in every day life....
Food-Humus, breads, LOTS of dates, gorgeous desserts (personal opinion-look better than they taste), camel meat (no, I have not had any yet), juice stalls-AMAZING!
Driving-Few rules of the road, even fewer rules enforced, round-a-bouts with stop lights, heavy congestion during rush hour
Clothes-Abaya's and Thobe's for the Qataris. All others are conservatively covered from shoulders to knees. High-end runway fashion, beautiful handbags and a Rolls are nice accessories.
Families-Very familiar society, which is different than the US. Families in Qatar are considerably larger than you might find Stateside.
Water-Everyone drinks bottled or filtrated water.  Not sure why....
Nightlife-Expats and locals tend to find themselves at either one of the 5 star hotel's restaurants/clubs or at the Souk smoking shisha.  Alcohol can be found at a select few establishments, but most spend their nights sober.
Environment-One word-Beige. Very sandy with mostly neutral colored housing structures.  However, Doha is an architects dream. There are some amazing structures here.


That is all I can think of for now.  Let me know if you want more....

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