It's a Carnival

We had an SUV in Dubai (a Honda MRV) and a 16 seater van in Nepal.  We were thirsty for a regular minivan like our days in Delaware.  Our rental was a Pathfinder and the climbing over car seats became a circus act after a while.  I am over the SUV thing. 4 kids tips the scales.  Plus, where else but the Enterprise and vans can you get Captain's chairs.  Make is so number 1... (This last two sentences were written by Axel, could you tell?)  

Minivans are rare in Doha.  You have two basic choices-Kia Carnival (equivalent to the Kia Sedona) or Honda Odyssey.  I love Hondas but the price was double and we weren't looking at living here for long so longevity wasn't a priority.  Plus, vehicles in the Middle East have a shelf life of about 5 years.  You cannot sell a car here that is over 7 years old.  There are no beaters in the ME.  The weather is too hard on cars and the price is often determined by how well the A/C works.  

As a result, we caved and bought a brand new Carnival.  It is a sellers market and the customer service was beyond horrible. Our greasy salesman fit all the stereotypes and I cringe to think that some of my money supported his smoking habit and excessive use of hair gel.  

In fact, when we asked to take a test drive, this is the van that they gave us:  

Now I know buckling your child in the ME is merely a suggestion, but do you really want to create a death trap for those parents who actually try?  

Despite the poor customer service and dangerous test drive, we gave in and bought our mini van and thankfully, the 8 seater (with seats attached and normal seating) arrived in our colour of choice.  We are happy and I am glad that there is sufficient moving room for the kids so I don't have to referee the touching game. 

We equipped the car with the necessary additions and are feeling like real Qatari residents.  I amazed at how easy it is to cart 4 children around town.  It is really true, as a mother, there isn't a sweeter ride.  

Boxed In

I have been behind on my posts because I have been digging myself out of this:

and this:
and this:
In the meanwhile the kids have been doing this:

In the shipment Asa also found his dai-dai (brother in Nepali).  He was bothered to see his dai-dai had other things to do than to just hold him; cause that is what they do, didn't he know that?

We've Been Boo'ed

We have been waiting all day for our furniture and at 8pm our beds arrived!  We haven't tested them out yet.  I know it will be sweet compared to the boards we have been sleeping on since we arrived in Doha.  

While I gather some photos and a spare moment, I thought I would share the whole 'Boo' idea.  I am sure it is old news for everyone in the states but for us it was all brand new.  Who would think there would be some booing in Qatar?

Disappointed, Again

100% must have a different international meaning in Qatar.  Just repeat what you read yesterday and that was my day.  'One more hour' turned into 'one more day' by 4 o'clock.  The bottom of an Filipino's soul is not so trustworthy these days.  

However, for your viewing pleasure, this is what Asa did two days ago to our highly prized family-sized box of Grape Nuts (difficult to find and 9 bucks a box).  

What did I do? Swept it up and put it right back in the cupboard.

"Where's My Bed?"

We received word that our furniture had arrived! This happened over a week ago and every day since we have been told it will be delivered 'tomorrow'. After much disappointment we were finally told it was going to happen today-90%. Those were good enough odds that we told the housing complex that they could take their furniture away. Today was moving day!

The day went something like this:

9am - Moved out all furniture except a select few items.

11am - Hauled everything away so the shipment could arrive.

12pm - Expected the shipment because it was supposed to arrive.

1:30pm - Called the delivery company to find out when they would show up. Reassued that it would come 'in an hour'.

4pm - Called Sbarros Pizza for dinner. Still no furniture.

5pm - Advised that our stuff will, in fact, come tomorrow- 100%. 'Definitely, Madame, from the bottom of my soul'

5:30pm -Helped children create a makeshift haunted house with flashlights and all. Provided scary noises that echoed in our hollow home. 'Tis the season.

7pm - Begged neighbors for cushions and made a indoor campsite.

9pm - Wondered how I will survive tomorrow with all my sleep deprived children.

In the Cookie Jar

Damages that Asa has made within one week:

First - Opened the fridge and ten minutes before Heavah and Xavier's birthday party decided to do this to the cake:

I did a quick 'redo' and learned that sprinkles and icing can hide just about anything.

Second - At the birthday party and while all eyes were on the children in the pool he did this:

Strangely, no one wanted seconds.

Third - Two minutes before I rushed out the door to watch Women's Conference he did this to my cheesecake:

It has become an effective way to mark his territory on all things sweet.   I suppose he must sustain his fatness somehow.

In Case You Were Wondering

This is what hell feels like during the month of October. Halloween is a forced holiday in the Middle East. I know many Muslims who don't like the idea of ghost and ghouls for small children. I get that. But truly, I couldn't think of anything more frightening than seeing this temperature in the dead of fall.

This sucks.

Making Our Mark

We were in the house less than 12 hours and the destruction began.  Heavah and Sedona decided to play a little game of tag.  Sedona had a great idea of locking herself in the storage closet.  The only problem is she did not have the dexterity to get herself out of the closet.  

After leaving her in the room for well over an hour hoping she would gain super strength and turn the key, we shamefully called the maintenance service thinking they might have an extra key.  Not so.

When they arrived they first tried to disassemble the lock:

No luck.  Without any warning they began to bash the door to pieces.  Desperate measures...

Which resulted in feelings of this:

 

...and this...

We needed to make our house feel like ours.  Who needs centerpieces and art when you have children who can make every inch of the home theirs?  Bashed doors and all.

Al Fardan

                              A stand alone in a compound 

Axel and I were determined to move into a home near Axel's work.  Traffic in Doha is a beast and I didn't want the little time that Axel had in Qatar spent in a car.  An hour is precious for our family when you consider he is gone 4 days out of the week. 

After looking at a number of homes we came up with nothing.  The perfect place (or at least seemed to be perfect) was fully occupied and we were running out of ideas.  On the way home from work one day a Real Estate agent brought Axel to an Al Fardan compound.  The Al Fardan compounds have an excellent reputation.  I wasn't too sure about compound idea.  It just seemed too close for comfort. 

 

Before the agent brought Axel to the compound he had this really strong feeling that this was going to be the place.  The minute he walked in he knew that the house would accommodate our family just fine.   It was where we needed to be, no denying it.  I had no idea why, but it was the place. 

I went to church on Sunday to tell people we were moving into the Al Fardan complex only to find out that we have 3 LDS neighbours!  All our children are close in age and we are all either across the street or right beside each other.   In fact, a Muslim family down the road said, 'We can't believe that there are more Mormon families on this street than Muslims!'  It was then followed with, '...which is great because we share a lot of the same beliefs and moral standards.'   It has become our little Utah in Doha.

So far, it has been surreal living here.  If you close your eyes and ignore the daily prayers on the loud speakers from the mosque, you can easily pretend you are in some American suburb. In fact, we were here for only a week and we were invited to a October Conference dinner while the broadcast was on TV.  Our kids play outside with their friends every evening and our doorbell is always ringing.  It has been such a stark difference to what we experienced in Nepal.  They both have pluses and minuses, but I think this is what our family needed for this time. 

Here are some visuals of the house.  The pictures are of the main floor.  I will send others as we get our stuff and after my weekly maid cleans the rooms. 

 

The Office

Downstairs bathroom

Kitchen

 

Living Room 

Dining Room

I know this is the right place for us now and I also know it won't be long before we are packing this place up to head off to another country.  I desperately miss my life in Nepal, but for now, this will work just fine. 

Beverly Hills Towers

No doubt everyone thinks I am dead or have given up on this whole blogging thing.  Not so.  I wish I had some exotic tale about how I just returned from an trip to Siberia and helped raise wolves, but no, I have just been transitioning.  We don't have all our needs, but the most important one of all arrived yesterday: an internet hook up.  Try going without the internet for two weeks.  No pretty. 

We made a sudden move from our apartment two or three weeks ago.  I don't know, I gave up counting.  It was a full day of packing and cleaning while I had all 4 kids at home because of the dumb old Swine Flu.  It was an interesting day.  The kids decided that it was their final chance to really make a mark on their territory.  Couches, chairs and walls were all coloured and painted by my Picassos.  Reminder: Never rent to a family like ours!

Beverly Hills Towers was a fine place to live for a month.  We had some outlets that helped me not go stir crazy (sometimes I was successful, sometimes not).  Plus, the place was called Beverly Hills Towers isn't that where all your dreams come true?  Or at least make you feel like plastic surgery needs to be in your future.   I didn't feel like either were true.  Dumb name for a decent establishment. 

It had a kiddie gym.  You know, for all those fat kids who need a treadmill to keep them at a healthy weight.  I have no doubt that in the real Beverly Hills they have something like this.   I had to take advantage of it while I could.  Asa was getting plump and Sedona still has thunder thighs.  They slimmed down, but not to my liking.  I am looking into a personal trainer for each.

 

Along with the exercise equipment, there were plenty of Styrofoam chairs to throw around.  As usual, every time someone walked by the window and peeked in they had to caution me that Xavier was doing something dangerous.  Sometimes I looked up from the game I was playing on my phone; sometimes not.  

It also had a Business Center and a Billiard Room, which was never utilized.  We did have the children run loose in each room for a diversion.  It kept them busy for 20 minutes and gave heart attacks to patrons. 

This is where we spent most of our time.  How many times have my children peed in this pool?  I cringe to think of it.

They even had a poolside restaurant that was open during Ramadan!!!!  It was known throughout the city as the 'restaurant open during Ramadan'.  It doesn't take much to be famous in this city.

Another place I would spend my mornings when Axel was actually in Qatar:

Finally, the place known as, 'The kid pool where kids aren't actually allowed to swim, but they do, and it is really warm'.

Beverly Hills Towers is now in our history.  It will be House #11 for Axel and me since we have been married.  On to better things...

and a preview of what is to come:

Ahhhh... home sweet home!

Honestly

How much longer can I disconnect myself from the real world? This whole process has opened up painful wounds of trying to settle in Dubai, and that process took at least 3 months. I am at month #2 right now with no end in sight. Everything depends on something else. For example:

To purchase a vehicle one must:

1. Get a visa - Check
2. Find a van in an SUV only market - Check
3. Get approval for a loan - Sort of
4. Wait for a man in a mysterious office who seems to be on vacation a lot to sign the loan documents - Nope
5. Sign post dated checks till 2050 and pass over first born child- Check
6. Give 800. bucks to the bank as an 'Approval Fee' - Reluctantly, check
7. Take the loan papers to the greasy man at the dealership who sold you the car - Nope
8. Wait for the greasy man to talk to the globetrotting banker before handing over the keys - Nope.
9. Drive away - In my dreams


This is ONE of the billion process we have to go through in this country and if there is one hiccup it adds days or weeks to the process. It seems that we have been told, 'Two more days' for the past 5 weeks. Such is life in a place that is civilized, but doesn't have a civilized system in place for residency. Seriously. Do you see my dilemma?

I am trying to keep a log of posts so that I can bulk up your reader when I finally get back on. IF I get back on. After all, it is only going to be about 'two more days'....

The Never-ending move

We are here. We are alive (barely), and we have a lot to tell. BUT, I still have no internet access and no sign of it coming soon. The good news is, Axel FINALLY GOT HIS VISA!!!!!!! The bad news is, I don't. Not yet, which means nothing can really happen before that officially happens. I have stories, I have pictures, but I have no internet....

It is a sad day in Doha.