The bat cave

Hi its leo yesterday i went to manchester zoo in england i went to the bat cave . the bat cave is the largest of its kind in the whole of the world it is a mazing in there the bats wizz around your head swerving at the last moment they are all shapes and sizes the most common are are little tiny ones that have the wing span of a large butterfly but the speed of a sparrow. I unwilling wrote this story

Old Blighty

We arrived at 6.30 in the morning at Heathrow on 17th, remarkably fresh after an overnight flight from Doha, via Bahrain. We have been staying with Clare and family at a little hotel in Bloomsbury, very homely and idiosyncratic – a change from the newly-built splendour of the Doha buildings and hotel. The weather feels cool and overcast. Just right for standing outside deciding what to do next without getting hot and uncomfortable. We have been loving it.
Clare has three kids – Tom (16), Georgina (14) and Harry (11). All the kids get on very well. So far we have been to Piccadilly Circus, Leicester Square, Hamleys toy shop (7 floors of fun), Covent Garden, Trafalgar Square and the City. We went to the Science Museum to see an exhibition called “The Science of Spying” where they send you on a spy training course and then set you loose on a mission in the building. We have been on the London Eye, and also a fun tour called the Duck Tour where you trundle around in an old WW2 amphibious vehicle through the sights of London and then whoosh into the Thames to boat past the houses of parliament and other places including the very steps (the Steps of Sadness) where the convicts walked down onto the boats to be sent to Botany Bay.
I’m writing this on a British Rail train, glancing out into the Green Countryside as I go to Waterloo Station. I’ve just dropped Robbie off to stay with his friend Harry who lives in a lovely place called Godalming in Surrey. Harry and his family, the Bartlett-Scotts lived in Ohope for a year before going back home to the UK. The boys had a joyous reunion. Robbie was last seen riding Harry’s bike around the local park before Sharon dropped me back at the railway station. We’ll scoop him up on Wednesday evening.
I’m about to meet up with Clare and the rest of the kids at Euston Station where we will catch the train up to Manchester. Clare lives at a place called Hale just out of Altrincham, near Manchester.
I’ve caught up by phone with the Murus, who just arrived back from Greece and who are about to head off to Spain. We will see each other in a couple of weeks.

Sailing lessons in Doha

One of the fabulous things we have had an opportunity to do is for the boys to have sailing lessons at the Qatar Sailing and Rowing Federation. It is next to the Marriot Hotel on the harbour. Like all facilities in Qatar, particularly those associated with anything that showcases the country, the equipment staffing and resourcing is top class.

The boys, along with sundry other kids of all nationalities, have been taken in hand by Captain Arshad who coaches the national Qatar team. He is an ex-navy man, very knowledgable and professional and he loves teaching kids. It's just as well because from what I've observed once the kids are on the water it's like herding cats and herding them from a distance with a loudhailer using at least three languages that I have made out - English, Arabic and Hindi.

We have 8 lessons in a row, from 4pm - 5.30 each day. The boys have a little lecture and then go out in the Club's Optimists. They are both really enjoying it and are doing really well. They have learned how to sail in any direction, the "rules of the road" in a yacht, and have learned how to deal with their yacht capsizing. After this set of lessons there will be an opportunity to pay a small monthly fee and have the boys go along a couple of times a week to use the Club Optimists under supervision.

I have read the new Harry Potter book during the last few days and also made friends with lots of other parents there, from all kinds of different countries.

There are quite a few local Qataris there also - sailing and pearl fishing was one of the traditional occupations here; a love of the sea is very evident when you see them. One of the Qatari dads hailed me yesterday as I was standing on the jetty. He was swimming in the water, bobbing along with his little daughter, complete with a diving mask and a lit cigarette expertly held above the water as he floated along.

Perfume

People here are fastidiously clean and perfume is popular amongst both men and women. There are whole shops in the malls devoted to perfumes and they are popular too, with lots of black abaya-clad women looking for the right perfume. I didn't know there were so many perfumes in the world.

Ian and I observed a traditional way of perfuming yourself at one of the big hotels recently. A staff member was walking around in the foyer with a container of smoking incense. A woman approached him and he wafted the perfumed smoke all around her veil, which she lifted to allow the smoke to infuse her clothing as well, obviously relishing the scent and the smoke. Apparently the most highly prized incense is something called oud or agarwood. It is burnt as a sign of hospitality. You can buy frankincense here from Oman and other countries and also something called bokhur which is a fibrous ball of oud, white musk, sandalwood oil, ambergris, mystica and rose oil. You can get ornate burners in the souqs for about QR100, or just under NZ$40.

Even our local dairy in the compound (called "The International Supermarket"!) has several shelves in its crowded interior devoted to perfumes, both men's and women's. I spied one yesterday for men gloriously called "Rectoversus". According to the label it smells like tea and tobacco. Hmmm.

Visiting the Department of Criminal Investigation

As you will have gathered from the last post, Qatar has a very healthy bureaurocracy. Another example lately has been the process of getting residents visas for Leo and Robbie. There is an extensive process involving family sponsorship (in our case from Ian), a medical check (chest x-ray in herd-like conditions) and blood tests to check for HIV, hepatitis etc. You have to get your blood type analysed and registered with the authorities also. The final hurdle is to get your criminal past investigated and to go to the CID to be fingerprinted. Luckily most firms that employ expatriates have one or two people on their staff called "Mandoubs" to act as an intermediary between the organisation and its employees and families and the various government departments that need information.
Not so long ago it was the boy's turn. We met Abdul Raziz, one of Worley Parson's Mandoubs there. We were taken into the VIP lounge to wait. All government departments have a system of numbered tokens and an electronic screen that flashes up your number when it is your turn. The boys' numbers flashed up one by one and they went up to the staff at the front.
"Will they find out about me smoking at Ohope Beach School?" asked Robbie.
I couldn't resist sneaking out my camera and taking a shot of the procedure, much to Abdul Raziz's alarm. The police here can be very severe if roused, but luckily didn't notice. The boys (as I did previously) had a full set of full-length electronic finger prints taken from each finger as well as full palm prints.

Job hunting

As the holidays proceed on, my thoughts are becoming more focused on finding a job when the boys go back to school in September. I am starting to make some good contacts now. The two main possibilities seem to be either in the private sector, probably doing HR Management, or in the health sector in the National Health Authority, possibly in a public health role. Either of these options will involve me moving away somewhat from roles I have done in the past but will use some of the skills I have.

Very sadly the disability sector does not really exist in a coherent way here. There are some good services that exist but some enormous gaps also with no obvious disability strategy, no whole of government approach, no child development service with links into schools and a very medical flavour to all of the discussions about disability. This in a country very concerned about disability services, as there is a high rate of congenital disability here attributed to the custom of marriage between first cousins in a small population. On the bright side there is ample opportunity to get in and be part of building strategies and services, just finding out where to get in is the tricky part.

As I have mentioned before, I also have to get my husband's permission to work here and register as a working woman. Here is a quote from the "Marhaba" (Qatar's information guide) on the process:

Women on family sponsorship (my situation) can work in Qatar...[and] must register in person at the Labour Department. There is a Women's section on the second floor, which is open from 7.30am - 2pm, Sunday to Thursday. When you have been offered a job, the company must send a letter to the Ministry of Civil Service Affairs and Housing Labour Department, stating the job available and requesting permission to employ you for it. Once permission is granted, you will need to take the following with you to the Women's Section:

• An original copy of your employment contract, which should run concurrently in English and Arabic. In case of a dispute, the court will only consider the Arabic version.
• A letter signed by your husband/father/brother (ie the family sponsor) giving his consent for you to work.
• Originals and photocopies of all passports and ID for you and your family sponsor
• Originals and photocopies of all your relevant academic and professional qualifications
• Two photographs. The work permit costs QR 300, paid in QR 100 stamps available on the first floor of the department.

Sounds like I'll need to start at 7.30 in the morning in the Women's Section to get through all that lot.

Aaargh holidays

Need I say more