CHOCOLATE!

Ever since I arrived, I have been in the hot pursuit for chocolate. Anyone who knows anything about me knows I have never met a piece of chocolate that I did not enjoy. Back home my freezer always has a bag of dark chocolate chips just in case I need it. I was not intending to give up my personal stash, but Qatar had other plans. I have now checked at 4 different grocery stores and am officially convinced that the only chocolate chips in the country are the ones that are imported in a Chips Ahoy cookie. I have even asked the store clerks who either take me to the candy isle or straight to the potato chips.

Just so you are sure I am not crazy, other Americans are longing for chocolate as well (see picture of someones grocery list). Don't get me wrong, you can buy chocolate here & good chocolate at that. However, it comes in a fancy candy bar AND what I really want is nice little chip. I know I am being picky...but if I could have 70% cocoa as well that would be great!

Lucky for me, I was invited to accompany my new German friend to the Chocolate Bar on the Pearl where we live. It was wonderful! We were dipping strawberries, bananas, brownies, marshmallows, and some chocolate chip goody thing in rich milk chocolate at 4 in the afternoon. Now that is what I call a weekend!

Porta Arabia, Tower 2

Week 2 done! Another productive week at work. I finally secured my pass to the site, so that is really exciting. That means each morning I have a decision to make, to work in the city or go to site. Most days...site! That is where the action is.

My favorite part of the week was finally meeting the woman I have been corresponding with for several months. She is my expert of Doha. Her and her husband picked me up and off we went for a dinner of laughs and stories of our times here in Qatar. What fun! Next week we have a breakfast date at a place that serves breakfast all day long...can't wait!

I was also invited for a birthday party of one of my colleagues. She had traditional food from Holland and a slew of fancy cakes from around the city. I have found these gatherings exceptionally fun because you have a different mix of nationalities. The conversations inevitably turn to "how do you it in your country?". Realized the sorority and fraternity thing is just a US thing. I also learned about the "kissing thing" in Europe (i.e. 2, 3, or 4 cheat kisses depending on where you are in Europe)

Many of you have been asking about the living accommodations here. I have to say...not to shabby. As my best bud adequately described when she toured my place via Skype, "It looks like a hotel". Most of the amenities are exactly the same as what you could find in the States. There are a few differences....no coffee maker (there is a handy white pitcher looking contraction that plugs into the wall and boils water-like a tea pot but plugs in. You then pour your boiling water over these coffee grindings-again not beans, and not grounds, more like grindings. This 2step process gets you and your fiends a nice hot cup of Joe. Of course if you are in the office, you have "tea boys" who have an amazing memory and bring you coffee and cold water throughout the day-just like you like it), the electrical outlets you have to turn on before you can use them. They also require adapters and converters to work for anything bought outside the Middle East, to the bidet in every bathroom. Enjoy the view into my "flat" at the Peal....

Ammenities

Being away from home is difficult. Nothing is normal, nothing is "my stuff". However, living abroad is full of intersting learning how to do things differently, like make coffee without a coffee pot, bediet, and Arabic televison. Additionally, I have some fantastic views. This is whwere I live now....all of this in walking distannce!

Waqif Souq

What a great 1st week! I spent most of the first week in Doha because I am waiting for my RLC (Ras Laffin City-where the Pearl Project is) pass to be approved. Doha office is nice. I sit in an open area of HR folks so it is great for knowledge sharing. Plus we outlook to the bay with bright blue water. Definitely better than the scenery I am used to in Houston.

I was able to spend one day at site on Pearl GTL. There is a bus that picks those of us who live in Doha at our apartment building (only Shell employees live in this building) at 6:45am. We have an 1.5 hour bus ride to the site through the desert. Once we arrive, we have to go through government security. As it was explained to me, it is like a military zone in terms of security. We then have to pass through Shell security to enter the site. Once on site, safety takes a huge priority and there is a sense of pride people have about being there. Everyone is so nice and asks the same two questions; 1)Where are you from 2) how long are you here. You can walk down the hall and almost everyone you bump into is from a different country and have a varied story about they arrived on Pearl. VERY fun environment.

Wednesday night there was a group of 6 of us who went out for Lebanese food. It was very yummy. Kind of like Mediterranean food. We did a combo of hot and cold mettza (appetizers). I ate chicken liver accidentally. Very salty. Will not be doing that one again.

To top the week off, I went with two other colleagues to the Waqif Souq. We had a blast. We had Iranian food for dinner, which entitled us to sit on a carpet to eat dinner. No chairs! It was a blast. We had probably the best humus I have every had and some chicken dish. The souq was full of shops that sold everything from jewelry and fabric to fresh spices. It was a blast. Definitely my favorite spot in the city so far. For anyone who saw Sex and the City....I have overly excited to see shoes! Put in your orders now....give me an excuse to go back.

My saying on how to describe this place: A nice place (Qatar) in a bad neighborhood(Middle East)

Business class & Blonde Hair

I am here! I have arrived in Doha, Qatar. What an incredible ride! Tim helped me get the 3 bags the size of me for my checked bags luggage to the check-in desk. Once I walked the red carpet (Qatar Airway's colors) for business class and handed my luggage over to the very nice lady across the counter, it was off to security. I have to admit, I cried a little bit as Tim and I hugged one last time. The tears did not last long as one of the TSA agents told me "I like your hair". From what my friends and colleagues have told me, this will not the be the last time someone marvels at my blond curly locks as they are a rarity in the ME (Middle East). More on that later...

Qatar Airways is suppose to be the 5 star hotel in the sky & they proved it. From warm moist towelettes infused with lemon at the beginning of the flight, to fine Godiva chocolates after my tiger prawn dinner, to the personal television, and do not let me forget the massaging chair that folds down into a bed. The flight was smooth sailing. It felt like we were not even moving. The only time I could tell I was on a place was somewhere over Iceland(ish) we hit really bad turbulence. That was a VERY scary couple of minutes. It woke everyone up on the plane. Once we got into calmer Sky, it was back to sleep in my Qatar airways pajamas (yes, they provided us with a comfort sack which included white pajamas that looks like something my grandfather might wear-very comfortable). By the time I woke again, it was 5pm Qatar time and only 2 short hours left until landing.

Once I was on the ground, things got even better. There was a nice lady holding a sign that read "Mr. Courtney Scott" outside the airplane. She guided me into a shuttle, and then into a special lounge. She took my passport, Visa, and luggage information and said she would be back shortly. Within 15 minutes she was back and I was following her as we cut through the loooooong lines of immigration and customs with a man wheeling my bags behind me. She took me straight to my company drive, Mohammad, I was in-and-out of the airport and on Qatar (hot humid) soil within 30 min. Now that is what I call service!!

My apartment is really nice. I have a great view of bright blue water and boats. I could get used to this! I worked out this AM in the gym facilities on site. It is way to hot to run outside here. I had two missions today: find a grocery store and converters for the my laptop. This turned out to be an all day excursion. It went something like this:
Step 1) Convert US dollars to Qatar Riyal. $150= 540 QR (approx).
Step 2) Call only cab company in Qatar. Once confirmed, I have to let reception at the building know so they will let him onto the premises.
Step 3) Take 15 min taxi to City Center. (good thing we are not allowed to drive. There are no rules for the road. I saw people drive in two lanes, drive on the shoulder, etc)
Step 4) Once at City Center, I have to find my way around. This 6-level mall is HUGE and puts the Houston Galleria to shame. There is an ice rank and an ice slide that goes down several levels of the mall. Unlike the US, one the flagship stores was Carrefour (aka the grocery store).
Step 5 )Ignore ALL the stares. I stuck out like a sore thumb. I think I only saw one other blond person in the entire mall. No one said anything, just a lot of long stares.
Step 6) Grocery shop. I do not even know where to begin. I was shocked by the amount of cheese in everything. They do not have any "faux" cheese like back home, so it is fully dairy or nothing. I obviously went with nothing. Tons of desserts as well. Good thing most of them are made with some sort of dairy, so no temptation there. My cart was empty compared to the damage Tim and I can do back home at Central Market (I miss it already). I tried to buy chicken, it was in the section labeled "Chicken parts". Gross! I thought about making salads, but the only dressings they had were made with a milk product, so I bought balsamic vinegar and will use that. There was a nice fish market, but the two men behind the counter were chatting and were telling customers away because they were busy. I did manage to find some hummus and pitas. I am very excited to see if it tastes any different than back home.
Step 7) Carry my 4 heavy bags through the mall to the front entrance to catch a taxi. There were taxi drivers waiting at the front door. I used the first driver. Apparently, because there is only 1 cab company in Qatar, there is also a limo company. This gentleman was part of the limo company (although he drove a Toyota). The cab ride home was double the price of the cab there. I argued with him when we got to my apartment. He said that the rates were higher for the Limo company. I had many thoughts going through my head and I kept them to myself. Instead, I handed over the money and took it as a lesson learned.
Step 8) Unpack and go relax by the pool.

Wow! I am tired. That took all day. Tomorrow is my first day of work and I am really excited. More to come in those pink pumps....

PS.Texas heat has NOTHING on the ME.

The impact of the Pearl GTL...

This week the announcement of my assignment was made at work. I was overwhelmed by the support from my colleagues. I continue to learn more and more every day about the potential impact of the Shell Pearl GTL project on the world's future energy needs. The project is the world's largest gas to liquids plant and will produce cleaner burning fuels than we are using today. How cool is that?!! For more information about the Pearl GTL project, please visit: www.shell.com/qa

Needless to say, I am looking forward to getting there, rolling my sleeves up, and getting to work.

But before I go, I have to pack. I started today. I walked into my closet and looked at what is going to be a daunting task. I usually pack to much for a weekend trip back home. How does one pack to move across the world? I am still trying to figure that out. I am worried I will not have enough space. I need a bag exclusively for my workout clothes and shoes. What is a gal to do?