Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

Friday, Day 1
All three of us woke up at 7 in the morning.  My husband prepared pancakes, eggs, hotdogs and ham for breakfast.  Then we spent the whole afternoon just watching our favorite TV series.  We took a nap and had dinner when we woke up.  Tian decided to have a haircut at past 8:00 in the evening.  Alas! The barber shop was closed so we thought of going to Family Food Center only to find out that it was also closed and why not, it was the first day of Eid! Why didn’t we think of that!  So we just drove around the neighborhood and checked out Shop Rite.  Bingo!  It was open!  After buying the items that we needed, like breads we went to the plant nursery near our place.  We’ve been planning to buy some plants but couldn’t buy what they sell at the supermarket.  They’re just way too expensive.  It’s good that there are good priced plants in the nursery but we decided to hold off buying a little while longer until we have checked the plants that they have near the fish market.  Then the three of us craved for some ice cream- we were thinking more of sundaes at McDonald’s.  Unfortunately, their ice cream was still too soft.  But we couldn’t go home empty-handed so we had to settle for ice cream from a small local store.  We each had an ice cream and went home.  Xiane went to bed while Tian and I watched some more of House M.D. till we felt sleepy.

Saturday, Day 2
Well the second day of Eid wasn’t as boring as the first day.  We started the day by going to church.  After mass we decided to check out Papa John’s.  We were not sure if it was open but we went anyway.  To our surprise, it was open.  Then we found out that they never closed even on Friday and they never will for the Eid.  It was of course a good thing for us since we really wanted to have pizza but I felt bad for the service crew of the pizza joint since they’re not getting any break even for a day.  But we had to do what we came there for and that is to eat.  We had the Family Feast which includes 2 medium pizzas, a starter and salad of your choice and a 2.25L of soda.  As we were eating, crew member started talking to us.  In the course of our conversation we learned that aside from not having a day off for the Eid, these people worked 16 hours/day during the Ramadan and won’t get any overtime pay for it.  They only earn a meager salary of QR 1000 every month, 850 of which is sent to their families and they have to make sure that the remaining 150 would last them a month here in Doha.  While their accommodation is being provided for, it’s still hard to imagine how the 150 would suffice for a month’s needs- food, Hala card to call their families, etc.  It was so sad to hear these stories of unfair labor practices.  If it’s any consolation, I also learned from that person that although they’re not getting paid fairly, they are enjoying their job because of the camaraderie that they have amongst themselves.

After lunch Tian had his haircut and then we went straight home as I had to prepare food for dinner.  It was a long overdue dinner invitation to our friend Marlyn and Mel and their daughter Mela.  I spent most of the afternoon in the kitchen since I had to cook caldereta, sippo eggs and fried chicken.  But I was just glad to finish on time.  They came at 7pm.  It was always nice to have friend at home and spend time to chat while having dinner.  I was also pleased that they liked the food that we prepared for them.  It is always a delight to have them at home.  They left at almost 11pm.  As for me, I left the dishes in the sink and spent the rest of the evening watching House M.D. with my husband. 

Sunday, Day 3 (Today)
We woke up at 8:00 in the morning.  We didn’t know pretty much what to do.  We actually had planned to bring Xiane to Corniche so she can bike but we decided to put it off till the afternoon.  I don’t remember doing much today other than having brunch, getting a call from a friend and spending the afternoon watching.  We were supposed to go to Corniche at 5pm but laziness kicked off once again.  I prepared dinner for Xiane and fed her while Tian had some work done in the bath.  I started writing this.  When Tian finished I had to prepare dinner for us and ate, after which I continued writing.  Now, I’m just trying to finish writing because Tian is waiting for me.  We’re about to resume our House M.D. viewing.  I know I’ve been mentioning it a lot lately, maybe I’d write on it next time.  Guess what, we plan to go on a picnic early tomorrow at the Corniche.  This I hope will push through.  Good luck to us!