House Guest
We’re having a house guest for the first time since we came here in Qatar. Our friend Mandy, also a colleague of Tian’s came from Saudi Wednesday night to spend 2 days in Doha. It is his first time to come here in time for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open. The ATP Tennis Tournament which is hosted by the City of Doha started on the 31st December until the 5th January at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex.
Tian fetched him at the airport with Xianelle who insisted on going with her dad even if it was already late. As soon as they arrived home, we all got into out chit-chat mode and started catching up with each other’s lives like old friends always do. Tian and I were both excited to ask him about what he’s been up to and how life has been in Saudi since we left in 2005. Mandy on the other hand was also as eager to know how life has been for us here in Doha. But our conversation had to be cut short since we all had to go to bed.
This morning I got up from bed as soon as Tian left for work. I waited till Mandy was up so I could prepare breakfast. After a nice chat at breakfast he went off to have a look around Doha. He was bringing his very own camera and wanted to take some shots of the city. He was a bit hesitant about taking photos and kept asking if it was alright to be taking photos publicly here in Doha. Coming from Saudi, I could understand his apprehension. Back in Saudi, public photography is never allowed unless you never want to see your pricey camera again. After reassuring him that photography is just ok he went on his way. I just hope that he didn’t have a hard time getting a taxi ride.
As soon as Tian is finished with work, he’ll pick us up then we’ll meet up with Mandy wherever he’s at. We plan to spend the rest of the afternoon watching the tennis match at Khalifa. Fortunately, the lens of the camera will now allow us to take nice photos during the match. More importantly, Tian and I can now watch peacefully since Xiane will be busy playing the Nintendo DS. I’ll also be bringing snacks for her just to make sure. In the past, we had tried watching tennis but it never materialized because Xiane was just too talkative to be watching tennis. She kept talking and asking questions that her dad had to leave and take her. I ended up watching by myself and my poor husband ended up baby sitting Xiane at the Khalifa grounds. Hopefully this time, everything will work out the way we planned.
After the match we plan to take him to Turkey Central so he can have a taste of the delicious grilled chicken and lamb chops. Tomorrow, we’ll be spending the afternoon at the tennis match as well. In the evening we might go to City Center and treat him to Applebee’s. At 10:00 in the evening he’ll be off to the airport for his flight back to Bahrain, from there he’ll be driving back to Saudi.
A visit from old friends especially those you haven’t seen for a very long time is always a wonderful thing. Mandy’s visit though short is such a pleasant experience and we certainly look forward to friends giving us a visit here in Doha in the near future.
