So many friends have asked me about coming over to Qatar.

I'm not sure if they're actually interested to visit me ( which means they care for me and wonder if all is well with me in this foreign land?....ahhh... my big ego!!!) or are they the typical tourist who's just wanting to "shop till you drop" and "eat till you're sick" and take photos to brag about their holiday?

Honestly, I'm not keen on either type of guest.

Firstly, I'm not looking for comfort or consolation ---- I'm excited about carving out a new life here and, at this point, I don't think many people understand my thoughts and dreams for my stay here.


Also, Qatar is not a touristy place.

Their zoo, singing sand dunes, beaches, etc are well advertised in handbooks. But when you get lost, people never tell you which road will lead you to your destination ---- they tell you how to get there by the number of roundabouts and landmarks!

Anyway, I have yet to see a tourist coach.

Moreover, souvenirs which reflect the Middle Eastern flavor ---- the Aladdin lamp, the treasure chest, the colourful fabrics and jewellery, etc ---- are made in Turkey, India, Thailand, China....everywhere else except Qatar! And if you are no sheikh, why would you want to buy Escada, Moschino, MaxMara here if branded goods are cheaper back home?

So having said that..... Qatar is a place to eat different foods and produce from Lebanon, Jordan, Kuwait, India......At the supermarket, they hang the Australian lamb, the New Zealand lamb and the thinner Syrian lamb. Have a pick!

Qatar is a place to experience fast and impatient drivers, 4-wheel drivers who go on to the pedestrian kerbs to avoid traffic jams. And yet it's a safe place to walk alone at night.There are no beggars ---- just poorly paid foreigners who work hard to make a living.

It's where the locals are friendly enough yet even when you are first in the queue, remember they are the 'king of the land'. Move over!

BUT if you want to eat saccharine sweet Arabic sweets and experience a natural facial sand exfoliant when there's a storm in the desert, if you want to see life behind the veil (hey....I think it was a man in the black abbaya in the carpark recently!), if you want to know how it feels to be treated unequally, if you want to open your eyes to this part of the world AND if you are not going to compare and complain about things, then YOU ARE WELCOME!!!