ice pond in the desert

weekend two in doha and the weather is gorgeous!!! what a change from last weekend! i started my day by reading out front in the sunshine, well at least i tried to read!! as it is the holy day the mosques broadcast 'extended' call to prayers - like i am talking close to 20-30 minutes long!!! AND...i was mistaken , there is not just one mosque but 4 mosques outside of every corner of the compound!!! so having said that, you can imagine the 'surround sound' of arabic - 4 mosques 'in stereo' seemingly trying to out do one and other...

after mike played hockey (yep, you read me right - more to come...), friday brunch at the ritz was next up! apparently, this is the thing to do in doha on friday, kinda like our sunday brunch buffets back home except there is no bacon, eggs, pancakes, etc. instead there is sushi, crepes, lamb, a seafood and pasta bar...but the best thing of all was a chocolate fountain (with marshmallows for dipping - my favourite thing!).

later that night we decided to check out the gold souq (another one of my favourite things, hehe). unfortunately, we left it alittle late and we were only able to go into a couple of stores before they closed for the night. most of the jewelery we saw was on the tacky side however, they had quite the selection of stones (including diamonds) for bespoke/custom pieces. i think the prices are quite reasonable but not too sure as my past shopping days for jewelery are numbered.

now, over to mike...

finally….my turn for an update…..long and overdue. also, sorry if my update bores you, but my skills are clearly nowhere near those of our blog prodigy kris. i guess the best place to start is with the physical tests that i needed to complete. although i had all the tests (HIV, TB (x-ray), eyesight and blood group) done in the UK a local test is required to get my residence permit.

my only saving grace was that the company organizes everything down to the last detail. a bus picked a large group of us up at education city (where temp office is located) to drive us to the large testing centre on the other side of town. when we arrived (after 1.5h on the road to cover 10km……rush hour) we parked briefly only to have some guy in a beat up mercedes pass an envelope through the window of the bus with all our passports. yep, passports with a bunch of papers and a 100 riyal (CDN $24) stuffed in it. scary, but felt reassured that everything would be okay. the women had to get out and go to their side of the building and the men carried on to the other side. i imagine that this is what school in the 1800’s felt like.

the only way i can describe the scene was “organized chaos” – people were moving everywhere at a ridiculous pace talking in seemingly 20 different languages…..felt like cattle herding. there were three tests to be done: blood taken, x-ray and general inspection. here are the highlights:

• while taking blood the “doctor” twists the needle = pain. i am shuffled to the x-ray area and notice a golf ball-sized lump where the needle was. alarms ringing. i ask another “doctor” if i should be concerned. the response, “hahaha. no, don’t be concerned. he ruptured your vein, so put some ice on it for a few days and you will be fine"...fine? fine?
• for the x-ray, you have to move to a large room and are told to remove your shirt and get in line. so here i am half naked with about 30 strangers from every walk of life. 18 to 65. seasonal workers to vp’s. non-deodorant wearers to whiffs of decent cologne (the smell will haunt me). i ask a doctor about the grapefruit on my arm…..he says, “don’t worry, happens all the time”. all the time? terrified for the general inspection…
• should not have been worried. they weighed me, measured height, checked breathing, blood pressure and asked some questions. breeze. the funny thing was, none of the values that they wrote down matched the values that i witnessed...?

anyways, what an experience. 3 days later and i still have a lump, bruise and pain bending my arm. i never wish to repeat that process, but i am really looking forward to kris’s blog update when she goes through it…….

on a much more pleasant note, i managed to get a game of hockey in this morning. the rink is at the villagio mall - full-size with everything you need. 60 guys showed up. you believe that? almost all were canadian - bancroft, moose jaw, hamilton. amazing to drive through the desert to play in an ice rink with a bunch of canadians. cool, eh? the amazing thing was the audience that gathers to watch – about 100 people!!!!