THE HEAT IS ON (GEARING UP FOR SUMMER)

Hottah! Hottah! yan ang sigaw ko ngayon dito sa Qatar as in mapapasigaw ka sa init ng tubig tuwing maliligo ako. Imbes na mapreskohan ako e lalo akong pinagpapawisan after maligo. Ikaw ba naman ang maligo ng mainit na tubig pati itlog ko eh nagiging hard boiled!

Seriously, the weather here in Qatar has changed already and all i can say is it's summah time!. If people are going to the beaches to relax, here all you can do is just stay home and cool yourself because going to the beach will not make you relax, instead it will burn you hahaha. Well, if you are rich enough like the locals here and afford to spend summer in Europe why not? And it's the season also where Qataris migrate, yes, they leave their country with their whole family and spend  3 months in Europe and thus making us people in travel agency busy.

Going further, how do you prepare for summer? Buying swimming attire? Looking for vacation places? Well for me, stocking water on plastic bottles and cooling them on the fridge and use for my daily bath hehehe. Water coming from the faucet is extremely hot and we do not have water cooler. Damn! this is the most annoying season where in going out is not a good idea. And to date yesterday was about 47 degrees outside and temperature could rise up to 50 specially during the month of August. So expect nose bleed from me during this time.   

STILL SURVIVING AT 7 MONTHS

Seven months na pala ako dito sa Qatar, parang kelan lang nung umalis ako ng Pinas. Sobrang bilis talaga ng panahon at ilang buwan nalang at pwede na akong magbakasyon.

Dati nagbibilang ako ng mga araw pero feeling ko lalong bumabagal ang panahon and besides nakakapagod magbilang ng araw hehehe, kaya ayun hindi ko namalayan na nakalahati ko na pala ang taon!

Nung una akala ko magiging mahirap ang buhay ko dito, siyempre ibang bansa ito malayo sa nakasanayan kong mundo. Major adjustment ang ginawa ko lalong lalo na sa klima. pero mga two weeks lang ata at naka pag adjust na ako, siguro talagang madali lang sa akin ang makapag adapt ng new environment.

Sabi ko before ako umalis ng Pinas ay lilibutin ko ang Qatar, well sa liit ba naman ng bansang ito imposible atang hindi ko yun magawa, kumbaga para ka lang nag city tour. Second day ko pa lang dito ay naka pag mall na agad ako, ganun kalakas ang loob kong mag libot pero may kasama ako siyempre.

Nung unang dating ko, hindi ko nagusuhan ang location ng villa namin. Malayo sa kabihasnan, mahirap ang transportasyon dahil halos mga tao dito ay may kanya-kanyang sasakyan, at talagang ramdam mo na nasa disyerto ka talaga.Walang pwedeng maging libangan, may tv nga kaso puro arabic ang channel, tpos since wala pa akong laptop noon wala akong pedeng gawin kapag day off kundi kumain at matulog lamang.So far never akong na homesick at never din akong nakaranas ng lungkot marahil siguro alam kong i divert ang anxiety sa ibang bagay tulad ng malling. Kahit malayo ako sa mga malls, hindi naging mahirap sa akin ang mag shopping.

Masaya naman ang buhay ko dito, na e-enjoy ko naman at kaylangang i-enjoy. Akala ko ang mga bagay na ginagawa ko sa pinas ay hindi ko magagawa dito tulad ng pagpunta sa mga bar at uminom. Pwes, simula nung ma release ang residence permit ko ay naging madalas ang pagpunta ko sa mga bar, ang akala ko ay tuluyan nang magiging boring ang life ko dito at buti nalang kahit papano ay nagagawa ko pa rin ang lifestyle ko dito.

Hindi naging problema ang distance ko sa aking pamilya at kaibigan (puwera na lang sa love life), salamat sa modern technology, it keeps my loved-ones closer to me at kahit papano ay updated ako sa mga nangyayari sa Pinas.

Marami na rin ang mga pinoy dito, parang nasa pinas ka lang din lalo na pag nasa mall ka na halos mga pinoy ang mga makakasalubong mo. Nagsimulang dumami ang mga pinoy dito nung 2005 at ngayon ay hindi na mabilang ang dami nila. Isa rin yun siguro sa mga dahilan ay kung bakit hindi ako na home sick, feeling ko wala ako sa ibang bansa. Sa mga groceries at supermarket, mga sales lady at waiters ay mga Filipino rin kaya at home na at home ako dito. May mga Filipino restaurants din at nakarating na rin dito si Jollibee at meron na rin Chowking.

Sa trabaho ko, marami akong nakikilalang tao, iba't-ibang lahi, marami na rin akong nakilalang mga pinoy, ang hindi ko na lang nakikila ay ang taong aking mamahalin char! (may ganun talaga?) Masuwerte na rin ako at maayos ang naging kalagayan ko dito, sa trabaho naman hindi ako masyadong pressured so thankful talaga ako.

Sana tuloy tuloy nalang ang ganitong buhay ko dito sa Qatar, kahit malayo eh enjoy naman ako and besides mukhang gusto ko na rin naman dito. I just hope yung remaining months ko dito bago ako mag isang taon ay lalo pang maging masaya, at lalong magiging masaya kung mahahanap ko na SIYA (at talagang isingit ba?)

GETTING READY FOR WINTER

This morning when I woke up I noticed that there is a moist on the window, so when I opened it I saw a thick fog outside that almost hides everything. I thought I was in heaven because I've never seen such thick fog in my life. So I guess the hot summer here in Doha is over and winter is here. I've been waiting this for long and now I'm excited for this season. So right now I'm planning to go jogging during my day off and probably visit corniche in the morning and will spend the whole morning outside exploring the whole city coz I haven't done that during the past months. Oh by the way, I'm excited too to wear my scarves since they've been in my closet for some months now. So I guess I have to start going to H&M now to check their winter items hihihi.

CLIMATE UPDATE

I have noticed the past few days that temperature here in Doha is not that hot anymore. The extreme heat coming from the rays of the sun is not annoying anymore. Is summer ended already and hmmmm.....should I prepare my scarves, sweat shirts, jackets and gloves already as the cold wheather is coming or is it too early for the winter days???

I'd better check H&M stores here now for their winter collections. Yikes so excited!

DESPERATE FOR BIG SALES?????

Actually I don't have any plans of writing this stuff anymore since I know (on my point of view) not all of us or 100 percent of us will do this thing. Last saturday, during our weekly general meeting, our CEO asked if how many communities are there in our company (e.g Arabs, Filipinos, Pakistani, Indians et al) and started grouping us and appointed community leaders. He wants us to reach our own communities here in Qatar and bring them in our company to book their tickets with us.

He mentioned that our travel agency should be number 1 in each of our communities. He wants all Filipinos, all Patans, all Indians to book or avail our services and each of us were given a crucial task that we should be bringing customers to our company, and take note this is to be monitored on a daily basis. I don't wanna be serious about this thing and I admit that I can not do this and I am not hypocrite not to admit this. I am already having a hard time in increasing my own sales on implant where I am assigned and here comes another task which I think difficult to accomplish, besides I don't have ample time to look for my kabayans and approach them to book with us since I don't go out that much and my day off is just being spent by attending meetings and doing household chores.

I don't know what came to our CEO's mind in implementing this. Are we losing sales already? Are we not getting the target customers on a daily basis or is this a new marketing plan? I don't think so, we are already number 1 in Qatar, in middle east and in the world for 3 consecutive years , what else can we ask for? We are already the trusted company in terms of travel services and established a benchmark in all of our clients, stakeholders and how come there is still like this?

Ayaw ko na sanang patulan pa ito kasi I know not all of us can do this, pero teka talagang seryoso sila at heto nag email blast pa sa lahat na out of personal effort daw ito at eto ang special note na nakalagay : The sale will be monitored on a daily basis and community leaders who achieve the target will be rewarded and those of you who do not will be dealt with accordingly. O may incentive naman pala sa makakarami eh and isang major threat sa mga hindi makakagawa, siguro termination hehehe. Oh well goodluck sa lahat and after reading the email binura ko agad and I will just wait na lang for my disciplinary actions hehehe.

INTERCON DOHA

Kahit maliit ang pwesto at mag-isa lang ako dito sa branch namin sa Intercontinental masarap naman palang mag duty dito. Kahit 2 araw lang ako na assign dahil nka Eid break ang isang staff namin dito sulit sulit naman ang araw ko. Maghapon lang akong nag pa cute sa mga guests at pati na rin sa mga gwapong front desk officer at bell boy hehehehe. Dami talagang gwapong mga arab guests not ot mention pa yung mga europeans. Halos oras oras nga ang pag punta ko sa may sauna area para para mag cr dahil makikita mo dun ang mga cute na arab na nag sa-sauna hehehehe. Imbes na mapagod ako sa work, napagoad ako sa kakatitig sa mga guys na nag che-check in and can't wait to get my complimentary pass sa sauna at swimming pool nila bukas courtesy ng mabait na ate sa may sauna area hehehe.

EID AL FITR: LAST 10 DAYS

Hay buti naman at malapit nang matapos ang Ramadan. Balik na ulit sa normal ang work schedule at higit sa lahat hindi ko na kailangan pang kumain nang patago!

Isang buwan ding pagtititts ang ginawa ko though hindi naman ako nag pa-fasting kagaya ng mga muslim pero kaylangan mag adjust lalo na sa schedule ng trabaho at pagsunod sa mga super strict rules during the holy month of Ramadan.

Ngyon lang ako naka pag observe on how muslims celebrate Ramadan. I already mentioned on my previous blog on how they practice it. I find it weird because I can't see the main point of their fasting. They fast in the morning and they feast at night. Pagsikat kasi ng araw ay bawal na silang kumain, uminom at manigarilyo, maari lamang silang kumain during sunset around 6pm which they call it IFTAR. During that time, they break their fast by having feast. Since most of my housemates are muslims, I saw how they do iftar, they prepare lots of food, tinalo nila ang Pinoy fiesta as in literal na maraming pagkain silang hinahanda every night. Kaya tuloy lamon kabayo sila pagdating ng gabi. Siyempre sino ba naman ang hindi gugutumin sa maghapong walang kainan at inuman, kaya tuloy mukha silang PG pag kumain na.

Sa atin kasi, kapag holy week, when we fast, we only try to lessen the food we eat by not eating pork at all and of course we dont feast after the fasting. Sa kanila parang equivalent ng christmas ang Eid sa kanila. Tinanong ko sila on what is the essence of Ramadan to them. Sabi nila, they fast because they want to experience how the poor feel without having food, they try to empathize with the poor people. Sabi ko naman since arabs are mostly rich, why don't they share their money with the less fortunate para hindi na sila mahirapan sa pag pa-fasting nila. Pero literally, kapag ramadan eh time for gift-giving din sila and they make donations talaga to the poor, so parang christmas din, it is a time for sharing and loving. Kapag end of ramadan nga meron sila ditong trick or treat din kung saan yung mga kids ay pupunta sa mga bahay to knock on doors and ask for candies and food.

Ang maganda lang sa Ramadan is the Eid Celebration wherein yung last 10 days is declared as holiday, and yung ibang companies dito specially government hindi sila pumapasok for 10 days straight. Yung office ko kung saan ako naka assign will have their 10day-holiday pero siyempre ako kylangan kong magduty sa head office kc 2 days lang ang wala kong pasok, hayyy sayang naman.

Good thing matatapos na rin ang ramadan, medyo marami din kasi akong nkitang bad na nangyari dito, I am not speaking for myself here but for other people. Meron kaming pinoy na guard na nahuling naninigarilyo at mismong CEO pa namin ang nkahuli, at dahil dun nakulong siya at hindi namin alam kung papalayain siya after ng ramadan, pero ang balita na deport na siya. Meron naman dun sa katabing villa namin na kung saan ay mga jai ho ang nakatira ay may nahuling nag iinuman. Alam naman nila bawal uminom ng alak ay ginawa pa nila. Ang worst pa ay nalasing at ayun nag rambolan pa. Dumating ang Gen. Mgr namin at ayun instant termination silang tatlo. On my funny experience naman, alam ko bawal uminom ng tubig sa public places at pag nahuli ka instant kulong ang abot mo. So kahapon dahil sobrang uhaw na uhaw nako at ang init pa sa labas, I asked my driver to stop on a nearby store to buy water, dahil sa sobrang uhaw, nakalimutan ko na nasa public place pala ako at ayun after kong bayaran yung tubig e ininom ko agad. kaya pala sinita ako nung jai-ho na cashier kasi nga I was drinking. Buti na lang walang arabo dun kung hindi nadali sana ako.

Oh well, konting araw nalang tpos na rin ang pagtitiis and everything will be back to normal. Sa mga mulim diyan RAMADAN MUBARAK!

SA CR AKO KUMAIN!

Dahil Ramadan ngayon dito, lahat ng muslim ay nag aayuno kapag umaga, meaning bawal silang kumain at uminom. Dito sa office namin sarado ang pantry kaya naman sa aming non muslim, there is no other place to eat. Alas sais pa kasi ng gabi binubuksan ang pantry after ng iftar. So kung pang umaga ka it's either hindi ka iinom at kakain ng buong umaga. Pero siyempre hindi ata kaya yun dahil maduduling ka sa sobrang gutom, kaya naman ang ating mga kababayan dito sa office ay kanya kanya ang paraan para lang makakain. Yung iba kumakain sila ng heavy breakfast para hindi masyadong gutumin sa buong duty nila. Pero ang iba hindi pa rin maiwasan ang magutom kaya nagdadala sila ng pagkain na pwedeng kainin nang mabilisan. Kaya ayun sa CR sila kumakain nang patago dahil mahirap na pag nahuli.

Ako since sa ibang office naka assign kaya malaya akong nakakakain at hindi na kailangan pang mag tago. Pero itong araw na ito dahil sa head office ako na-assign at pang umaga pa, ayun sa sobrang gutom ay kumain ako nang patago sa CR. Buti nalang at bagong linis iyon at walang gumamit kung hindi kawawa ako. Grabe ang feeling kasi para kang katulong na hindi pinapakain at kailangan mo pang magtago sa banyo para lang wag mahuli hehehe. Buti nalang at medyo madaling kainin ang baon ko kaya pasimple ko itong kinain.

Nakakatakot lang kasi baka mahuli. Kamakailan lang meron ditong pinoy na guard na nahuling naninigarilyo. Ang malas pa niya at ang CEO pa namin ang nkahuli sa kanya. Ang balita ay pinateterminate siya ngunit parang ayaw ng HR. Ayun nalaman nalang namin na nakakulong na pala siya at pagkatpos na ng ramadan dun siya palalayain. Nakaka-awa naman siya, sana nag ingat na lang siya dahil isang mortal sin ang mahuling kumakain at umiinom lalo na ang naninigarilyo kapag buwan ng Ramadan.

CULTURAL DIFFERENCES

ayaw ko na sa villa namin!!!!! Im so sick being with the IPIS people. I'm so tired being with them who doesn't know how to clean the villa and do nothing but to mess the kitchen everyday. It's so hard to share accommodation with other nationality not to mention the cultural differences. They don't have breeding and manners, I just can't take it. Akala ko nakapag adjust na ako sa knila pero hindi pa pala. Ayaw ko nang makasama sila lalo na yung isa sa kanila who is so very childish.

I can't stand him anymore because he acts like a KID. Ayaw ko na lang patulan because I am a civilized person and I have diplomacy and tact. It's just that he is becoming so annoying because of his psychotic attitude. I am very sorry man but as much as possible I don't want to be rude but you've reached my boiling point. at first sinasakyan ko pa yung mga childish attitude mo, porket nakikita mong okay lang sa akin umaabuso kana, masyado mo nang inaabuso yung pakikisama ko. You always act like a retarded person, please man act like a civilized person, what is the sense of coming from the cradle of civilization and how come you are acting like a cave man? Sorry tsong but you crossed the bounderies already and pls don't let me lose my temper or else I will mummyfy you alive and throw you at the nile river where you came from. You are not the person who will ruin my entire stay here in Doha. Okay lang na pagbigyan ang ganyang attitude mo kaso unforgivable ang amoy mo. Char!!!!Mahirap talagang magsama sa iisang bahay ang magkaibang lahi. Sa umpisa walang problema, pero sa katagalan malaki na ang problema.

GETTING READY FOR EID :RAMADAN KAREEM

No food and drinks allowed in the office during the month of ramadan. This is a strict compliance to the conservative laws of Islam. This is a tough sacrifice for us non-muslims because we have to obey with their laws.

Muslim festivals are timed according to local sightings of various phases of the moon . During the lunar month of Ramadan that precedes Eid al-Fitr, Muslims fast during the day and feast at night and normal business patterns may be interrupted. Many restaurants are closed during the day and there may be restrictions on smoking and drinking. Some disruption may continue into Eid al-Fitr itself. Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha may last anything from two to 10 days, depending on the region.

It was officially announced last saturday during the meeting that all pantries are close in the mornings and only will be open after 6pm, that is to prevent non -muslims on eating and drinking. Anyone caught doing this will face a serious sanction. This is Quite scary because it is a mortal sin for them. Imagine not eating and drinking for almost 6 hours is very difficult to do. You can only eat upon reaching home, now I'm still thinking on what to do for me not to starve myself and mind you this is for 0ne month!

Schedules were also revised because most companies here are only until 1pm or 2 pm and will resume at 6 in the evening. Malls will open at 4pm until 2 am so if your schedule is in the morning, you still have ample time to do shopping hehehe. I m still waiting for my schedule since I am assigned on implant and the company I'm assigned with is a semi government so most likely my shift is until 1 or 2 pm also, but i will still report for work at the main office from 6pm to 8 pm to complete my 8 hours not quite lucky huh?

Oh well, I guess I have to do my fasting also since most of my housemates are muslims and it is un ethical to eat in front of them while they are fasting. After all after Eid there is 3 days straight of non working holidays yippeee!

NEW WORK ASSIGNMENT

After spending my one month and a half at the callcenter, I am now officially assigned as a implant travel consultant! This morning I was called by one of our sales manager and officially informed me that I will be transferring to one of our implant offices. I know since the beginning that I will be pulled out from the call center and will be given a new task either at the front counter, on the branch or implant but I wasn't expecting it to be so soon. I am quite prepared for this but i think it is too early for me to be assigned on the implant office alone!

I'm quite overwhelmed somehow because our managers have trusted me to give this new assignment and i hope I won't disapoint them in choosing me. I'm just quite nervous because this is a big task for me to bring a good sales to the company, but i know Allah will help me (hopefully). I'll just do my best here and prove them that I am the right person for this (crossed fingers).

i will be missing my callcenter job because there the work is not that heavy and I am enjoying it. This is a new challenge for me that I have to face here in Doha.

Just got my company laptop and mobile plus a managers' office, oh well am I just lucky to have these?

TURNING A MONTH OLD

Yippeeyayayooo! I survived one month on the desert and I can say it is quite an achievement for me. I am happy because in just a few time I was able to adjust so quickly. Before I left the Philippines I was kinda feeling anxious because I thought it will be difficult for me to adjust because living a million miles away from my family and friends is not easy, but I was wrong. I know myself very well and I know it would be easy for me to adjust. I can say that I was able to adjust with the people i'm sharing villa though most of them are Egyptians. I was able to bend with my new work environment, the people at the office and the work process. The only thing that I'm still adjusting is the hot climate. The heat here is not tolerable, i even had a nose bleed twice because of the extreme heat reaching as far as 52 degrees. But nonetheless, everything is going well with me (praise allah!)

Sometimes I find life here very difficult because I AM VERY FAR WITH THE MALLLLSSS! It takes a lot of effort for me to reach the malls because my place is quite far from the city center not unlike when I used to live in makati, Greenbelt is just a few tumbling away. I have to walk at least 15 minutes to reach the market to buy my groceries.

So far I don't feel homesick (but I guess it's just too early to say, i still have 11 months) and I hope on the coming months I won't feel any. But hey as I've told before I already know what to do in case anxiety strikes me hehehe.

During my off, I always make it a point to roam around Doha, During my first 2 weeks here, I was able to explore some parts of the city, went malling, dining out with housemates and watch movie, and now i am confident to see the whole Doha alone.

Living independently is quite tough, though I share villa with other people but still I can say i live independently because I have to do all chores all by myself (except cleaning the house, somebody will do that for us). Sometimes it is quite very tiring, good thing I am good in time management. There are days that I feel like I'm living in the US (feeling lang heheh), Wake up at quarter to five in the morning, take a bath, prepare my breakfast and get ready for work. Kulang na lang eh mag drive ng mag isa papunta sa office. My life here is very routinary that's why I feel bored most of the time. After work, I'll do my laundry, then go to market to buy some groceries then while doing the laundry I have to prepare for my dinner, then hang the clothes, eat my dinner then watch tv for a few minutes, chat with my housemates then meme time.

The only thing I enjoy doing is going to the groceries and cooking! Yes, cooking has been my past time here, my cooking skill is being put into practice, I cook almost any kind of dish and I find it enjoyable because I love our kitchen! Very spacious and I have all my utensils I need. Sometimes i get frustrated because when I want to cook something i don't find the ingredients at the market.

Right now I'm just enjoying my stay here, I hope I can make it till the end and I know God is with me all the time.

ARABIAN NIGHTS

Yesterday was my first time to roam around Doha at night. Since it is my rest day, Miguel, I and the rest of my Egyptian housemates decided to go at the Souq Waqif. Getting around Doha at night is quite good because it is not that hot, besides the best way to explore the city during summer days is at night wherein shops and malls are upto 11pm and mostly people go out at night.

Doha is an interesting city, a well developed city with lots of modern buildings and hotels scattered all over the area. There is one place in Doha called Corniche. It is like baywalk in the Philippines and at the same time Victoria Harbor in HongKong overlooking Doha's skyscrappers. It is so nice to see Doha at night because the duildings are like diamonds sparkling at night. the best time to walk around this place is during winter months wherein you can jog or walk along the bay whether at day or night.

We arrived at the souq around 9pm, I was excited to see this place because it is one of the most popular sights in Doha wherein shops are everywhere. It is like Divisoria where you can find a lot of good stuffs. Souq waqif is an important souq in Doha, literaly translated to the "free standing market." The place is like intramuros, an old place turned into dining haven. It is a home to tens of restaurants serving cuisines from all over the world as well as shisha lounges.

Since my Egyptian housemates wanted to try shisha (is a single multi-stemmed instrument for smoking tobacco in which the smoke is cooled and filtered by passing through water) we went to a moroccan resto called Tajin, some of my housemates tried shisha, I wanted to try it also however I don't smoke, probably next time when we go there I will, just to experience it.

The place is so nice specially dining along the street (now I miss Malate) and I think I found a place where I could hang out. Afterwards we went to another restaurant wherein my housemates ordered their traditional food, it is my first time to try egyptian food though I see them eat the same food at the house but still it was my first time to try it. though the taste is not bad, but still not my type of food, somehow i have the idea how that food taste like.

Truly, it was a great night for me. A bonding moment with my housemates, somehow I am now confident and comfortable going out with them. I didn't mind going to bed late and waking up early for work.What a wonderful time spending arabian nights with my new found arabian friends.

MGA ECHOSERO AT ECHOSERANG JAI-HO

Mahirap talagang mag trabaho sa abroad, bukod sa malayo kana sa pamilya at kaibigan, kailangan mo pang makisama sa mga katrabaho mo lalo na kung ibang lahi ang mga ito. Iba kasi ang ugali, iba ang personalidad at higit sa lahat iba ang kultura meron sila. Ika nga "what you think is good, may not be good to them." Minsan nag iingat din ako sa pakikipag-usap sa kanila baka kasi may masabi akong ikaka-offend nila, alam mo naman may pagka sensitive ang ibang lahi lalo na kung ang usapan ay tungkol sa kanila.

Dito sa office kung saan ako nag tatrabaho, kahit 3 linggo pa lang ako dito ay may napansin na agad akong kakaibang pag uugali ng ibang nasyon dito lalong lalo na ang mga jai-ho.

Sa department kasi kung saan ako naka assign ay may isang hukluban na kung makaasta ay daig pa ang manager. Feelingero ang loko, bansot na nga kasuklam-suklam pa ang pagmumukha, kung tutuusin ay trainor lang naman siya. Wala kasi siyang office kaya sa pwesto namin siya naka upo. Porket binibilinan siya ay akala niya siguro ay may authority na siya sa amin, kung makapag mando ay parang bisor. Pwede ba umasta ka lang nang naayon sa iyong posisyon hindi yung parang kung sino ka kung magbawal at sumita dahil hindi ikaw ang manager namin. Spell the word EPAL, ikaw yun. Okay na sana eh, kaso nakakasira ka ng araw. Tama nga sila, mahilig sumipsip ang mga jai-ho, magpakitang gilas at umepal. Tolerable na sana kaso sobra ang bilib sa sarili, mabaho pa hehehe.

ROAMING AROUND DOHA

It was my first weekend in Doha, since it is my day off, my housemates and I decided to go malling since staying the whole day at the villa is quite boring. Though it is 40 degrees outside still we didn't care going out and besides it is also my way of familiarizing myself to the city. We decided to take a bus instead of taxi, it is my first time to commute, in that way I can see the whole Doha. Upon reaching the bus terminal which is located at the souq, I was surprised to see a lot of "jai-ho" (terms I used to refer people from India) around the city. I felt like I was in Bombay. Afterwards, we took another bus going to Villagio, a premire mall in Doha where signature shops are to be found similar to Venician in Macau. I was keyed up to see this mall since I see this only on the internet. Upon entering the facade, I did nothing of course but to take pictures! I was just too thrilled with its interiors. I felt like I was in Italy! The only difference about this mall is that the artificial sky is not changing unlike in Venician, but everything was just superb! Too bad we were not able to ride gondola, probably nextime. We just ate there, roam around and feel the ambience. I just bought 2 shirts from H&M because its too cheap. Good thing that Villagio is quite far from my place otherwise my stay in Doha will just end up into shopping. I am looking forward to see this mall again, probably next week hehehehe.

SURVIVING THE MIDDLE EAST LIFE

Finally, after a long break on blogging, my first entry on my life in Doha.

It's been 2 weeks now since i arrived in Doha. Extreme heat to the highest level greeted me as soon as i arrived at the airport, my nose almost bled. Though im already inside the car, still i can feel the heat. I have to wipe my face with wet towel to lessen the heat.

As soon as i arrived at the airport, i was taken directly to my villa which is approximately 30 minutes away from the airport. While going to my villa, i tried to look around where I'm going, Doha is a very organized city, developments are everywhere. Lots of constructions going on, nice and wide roads, no traffic, but there is one thing that I observed, most houses here are alike. It seems that people here are afraid of using other colors aside from beige and khaki. It is easily to get lost and houses are almost exactly the same.

As soon as I reached my villa, I was impressed by the place, it is quite larger the way I expected it, probably because I'm sharing with 14 other people. It is 3 storey villa with 6 bedrooms, a roof top and a private swimming pool. The whole villa has centralized air condition, fully furnished with high-tech appliances. I was quite disappointed with it's location. I was expecting it to be on a prime location, but the villa is quite located on an isolated place. There are no establishments near it including internet shops that is why it took me a long time to create this blog. there is only one hypermarket near it which is a 10-15 minutes walk.

Upon entering the villa, I was welcomed by my filipino housemate whom I'll be sharing a room with. he arrived there 3 weeks ago, there were only 4 of us filipinos at the villa, the other 11 are Egyptians. It is my first time to share flat with other nationality. I felt like I was inside big brother house teenternational hehehe.

The Egyptians are okay they are fun to be with, they are just very noisy and they outnumber us, as if they own the whole place. So far I don't have any problems with them. It just took me some time to memorize their names and distinguish one another because they all look the same to me.

After fixing my things, I had a small chat with my roommate and some of the Egyptians, afterwards I felt starving so I asked my roommate to help me go to market. It is 11am and temperature outside is like 40 degrees, there is no other way to reach the market other than walking. So whether we like it or not we went outside and took 10 minutes walking and oh my, I felt like i was on top of a barbeque grill! The sun is burning us like hell! That was my first time to walk under the heat of the sun. I just told myself, ''Welcome to Qatar!"