Back from Zekreet

We ventured off the path well travelled and found one (with a lot of looking), less travelled.  With no GPS and no good map, it was a tad challenging but out on a peninsular what really can go wrong?  Thankfully, this time, nothing.

We found a beach (of non-NZ sorts) and picnicked, Teagan style (in Otago colours for those that notice the beach shade), then spent time gathering beach treasures.  We continued around the end of the peninsular absolutely thankful for a 4x4 and continually telling ourselves that we were complete novice, sand based, off-roaders.  After taking the long way around the tip of some peninsular part of Qatar (the North East) we found some kind of village thingie and then found a desert movie set.  The movie set was rather a "hoot" as these two sudanese blokes insisted on "hosting" us and supporting a photographic shoot...all worth it though and the tea they provided was superb (including one guy feeding it to Teagan so she wouldn't spill it)....I think we made their day with a tip!

We barely saw anyone, other than some local Qatari's who were leaving the peninsular the way we were entering and asked us for exit directions!  Our next job is to get ourselves a handheld GPS - we are sure that would have made finding some of the sights (buried in sand) a lot easier to locate.

Sick days in Doha...

Teagan and I have been unwell.  Firstly it was Teagan with a moderate chesty cold keeping her away from school (i.e. not spreading her disease) and then she gave me the bug.  While Teagan was off school we took the opportunity of enjoying the sunshine and learning to ride a two wheeled scooter.  Teagan has a severe passion for school work to the detriment of outside biking....so biking is our current focus!

Trains? Dinosaurs? Disney Princesses? No...the Tudors!

Many many young children become experts in a topic.  Dinosaurs, trains, princesses and so on.  As adults we are not necessarily all that impressed (it is what we have grown to expect)...but in reality we should be.  The assimilation of the information and application in their everyday life is rather impressive; how many of us can name all of the dinosaurs or train types, in fact, I failed horribly (as did Teagan) on a Disney Princess quiz provided over Skype by a five year old cousin/niece, thankfully the "Big Mac" got them all correct.

Then we get to some quirky topics.  And for this, I must thank my mother!  Teagan has become a five year old expert in basic Tudor history.  She can name Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, Mary I and nearly do Mary Queen of Scots via their portraits.  But more graphically, she can explain their deaths with a particular fascination with Anne Boleyn and what life was like "a long time ago then".  It began with a full day visit to Hampton Court (now referred to as "Henry VIII's place" where there is a whispering ghost) and has continued ever since.  Most weekends now, Teagan will wear her Elizabeth princess dress and become quite offended when someone does not know it is Tudor!

To add to the detail she is often asking for the story about Mr Rat who had Yersinia pestis who made everyone "get dead" but then came the big fire and all of the rats and fleas "got dead".  Yes, this was established in her mind at the Museum of London in the Great Fire exhibit.

We are planning our next break out of Qatar and it will be to London and the surrounds (thanks to cheap National Day flight tickets).  A key feature will be Teagan escorting Ross to Hampton Court (she must go back!) and a visit to the Tower of London.  The V&A will be on the list this time as we want to introduce some finer historical appreciation.

Comparing Doha to Kuala Lumpur

Comparisons are very very fickle.  Through my working career I have seen comparisons made between one milk and another (both technically very different) but with inappropriate analysis and the lack of a simple human eyeball over the data the product is deemed the same.  Hence, this comparison is personal and is seen through my eyes only.  There is no standard and living circumstances and family size are drastically different.  Nevertheless, it is fun, so here I go on making an absolutely opinionated comparison between two vastly different countries.

Firstly, my home country, as I assume with many expatriates, is the best.  Tell me, who can easily beat New Zealand from a lifestyle perspective?  That statement made, I can now move to my only two expatriate countries without feeling that I have abandoned my home country.

So starting on the absolute opposites!  Cars, oh no, I mean Honda C90 step through scooters.  Yes, we have a drastic difference in family mobility.  Imagine, if you are able;  toddler in front basket, preschool aged child standing up behind the handlebars, father driving, small child located behind father, then mother cradling a baby in her arms behind the father......all six family members aboard a Honda C90 in the suburbs and outskirts of Shah Alam (just out of Kuala Lumpur).  Then we move to the massive beasts here in Doha.  Predominantly there are Toyota Land Cruisers.  All loaded with unrestrained children, chomping at the bit to see out the front.  Still a family of six but with vastly different wealth and expectations.  One thing I can say, is while there is no shortage of car accidents here, I am yet to see dead motorcyclists lying covered on the side of the road as we did observe in Malaysia.  Note: I do not have a photo of the family of six but I do have father and son at a Port Dickson Petronas outlet taken in 2003.

Humidity versus the desert leads to another direct opposite.  In Malaysia we enjoyed the lush feel of the tropics.  We took off to the jungle on several occasions and also had the absolute good fortune to make it into the jungles of Borneo aboard a wooden longboat with my mother, Ross and a guide.  We watched the proboscis monkeys taunt us from their jungle home and saw orangutangs and their beds, elephants, hornbills, and much much more (noting that the developed nations love of cheaper fast food is decimating their homes).  Here in Doha, we enjoy the lack of humidity, we do not have furniture going mouldy, we do not worry about dengue fever and we are not forever soothing mosquito bites.  Rather, we are sweeping away the dust, keeping our eyes covered and fighting off dehydration.

The other massive difference for us is that it is now Ross as the breadwinner.  I am the mortal at home keeping the home coolers cooling and tending to the needs of a very independent third family member.  Malaysia was a tough time for me, whilst I worked, I fought against the real feeling of hopelessness and illness associated with infertility and its multitude of treatments.  It was a lonely time as it is a very private challenge especially when you are struck down with the nasty side-effect of OHSS and the fear of being admitted to one of the local hospitals (that caused the OHSS in the first place).  Now we have the hope and company and love that a child gifts to you.  Ross and I are also so fortunate that through five year fertility struggle we really can understand the gift a child is - for those who do not know how blessed they are - we know for them!

So onto the expat lifestyle change that a child brings.  First up it is about the long-term values you want to life with.  As kiwis we want Teagan to live "sort of like" a kiwi.  To cut to the chase that means NO maid, NO driver, and NO nanny....one little madam has to help around the home (pink Mr Muscle cleaning fluid helps with that) and it also means that "yours truly" ends up on the end of a mop and vacuum rather too often to think she made a good decision (with short-term glasses on).  Then the other key difference is the opening of networks. One's child does not care what country their friend comes from: can they communicate (in a form) and do they have a similar interest in play?  So the net result is you make friends with their parents.  I am blessed to have met some lovely people this way.  Teagan has made our expatriate experience more valuable for us, we try harder and we think harder about what we intend to do and none of it is take for granted (well we really try not to!).

So what do I prefer?  That personally, I can say is Doha because it is easier for me; I am well again, I am not worked stressed and the country is far more developed than Kuala Lumpur and Shah Alam were nearly a decade ago.  That said, Qatar is not like other countries, we are guest workers here in a nation that has extreme wealth.  Here because the country is growing rapidly and needing to import new skills.  Things are not perfect, they are not all smooth running but hey, if I don't like it, I could return to NZ and miss out on the true time wealth that an expatriate experience brings.  I wonder what Doha will be like in 5 to 10 years time?

Where rain brings excitement...

Yesterday it rained, last night it rained and this morning it was still raining; not heavy, just slow, gentle and comforting.  But not to be complacent.... WAKE UP MOTHER, WAKE UP CHILD, heck we have to get to school.  Outa bed, down the breakie, slam on the clothes and out the door 30 minutes early to arrive at school 10 minutes later than normal - but at least we were there that is more than could be said for over half of the class.

Doha is in the desert, what happens in the desert?  The sun shines, the sun shines, the sun shines, oh you get really hot but for a very very few times in the year the rain falls and it is actually cold.  In many areas there are no drains, the main roads have some (but not full guttering), however, when you get out of the built up area, the roads turn into near "non-roads" and this is where a lot of the newer schools are located.  So this morning, we had fun listening to Rasputin (Teagan has a fascination of the Tsar and his children at the moment) by Boney M (over and over and over) and taking some photos of our drive to school.

One week into the new year....

It is one week into the new year.  Technically, I should be writing a blogpost and it should be meaningful; a summary of the year past and promises for the year ahead.  But, unfortunately, I don't have any plan on what to write just yet!

Ah ha, how about, our return trip to Doha, now that was an interesting expedition.  It started with Miss Independent doing all of her airport work herself and progressed with that same someone in "naughty spot" at the back of luggage collection shouting "Mumma Mumma" for 30 minutes and finished with our whereabouts unknown.

Here in Doha, you kind of don't really know what is happening, it just happens.  I think I blogged about trying to get to the airport and needing to drive and park in the very expensive long-term car park. Well that was at the terminal that we departed from.  To our surprise, when we landed, we landed at a new temporary arrivals terminal, so where were we?  Naturally, I sent Ross off on the midnight investigation while Teagan and I waited in "a" carpark with luggage and trolleys.  Sometime later he arrived back to say we weren't where we were when we left - DUH.....and the news was, get a taxi to find the car...and the adventure was....to find the taxi...found!  Yes, we were quite a distance from the old arrivals terminal and not within any adventure distance.  All worked out well as the carpark's charging system was not working and we were let out for free.

Now, I must admit, it is two weeks into the new year.  My brother has been now married for a lengthy stretch and I realise that I am still the same person that slept in those bunk beds in the Kurow camp some 21 years ago..... but what has happened since....a lifetime...

Yes, a digression but it does bring in a break in the "spouting" as I bridge a one-week gap where this blog post sat in draft format.  In Doha, we have had a fairly quiet week, albeit, watching Queensland (in particular Oakey) through the floods and now we watch the news with the tragic death toll in the Brazilian landslides...there by the Grace of God...

As to school, our news is that Teagan figured out how to read...all the stars lined up during December (properly).  It is quite funny when she writes now as she does it purely phonically and has such a limited knowledge of the real spellings that the outcome is rather interesting.  It was on Friday morning that we were greeted with the below shopping list.  We were surprised and accordingly bundled into the car to go shopping (with doll's buggy attached).  Now, I daresay we have the enormous task of learning to spell!!  All in all, it is fascinating and a privilege to observe the early stages of a child's schooling.

Last full day in Munich

Our eleven sleep White Christmas is closing in on us rapidly. Teagan has loved it, even though she is practicing becoming a boss and a big kid (typical for 5 year olds?), Ross is recovering from his allergy (although still dependent on medication) and I am "just normal".

For our last day in the city it decided to snow and Teagan decided to be super grumpy and tired. All was solved with a lovely morning tea and a very long visit to the Alte Pinakothek. Teagan slept for about 3 hours though the gallery and the snow so we had a lovely time looking at paintings of our choice! I was taken by a fabulous depiction of the Holy family, only to discover it was a Rembrandt - a bit like being taken by clothing here and to find that my tastes are only fit for a King's pocket purse! Bruegel, 16th century, also took our eye as a depict or of peasant life...personally, I loved his portrait of an old woman, Ross liked his landscapes.



























Of course we finished up up at another beer hall for a less touristy beer hall expensive. Teagan happily played with her blocks and we tromped through the snow back to Hotel Uhland for our final night (see www.hotel-uhland.de).

Location:Munich