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The Top 5 Things I Miss About Living in Qatar
By: Rachel Charlotte
The Top 5 Things I Miss About Living in Qatar
My husband and I have recently returned to England after having spent two years living in Qatar. We had a fantastic experience and although we are very happy to be back in our home country there are a number of things that we miss about living in Qatar...
1. The food
Qatar has a fantastic array of restaurants offering foods from all around the globe. Most of the restaurants offer fantastic value for money and deliver an impressively high standard of service and care.
In the two years that I spent living in Qatar I was privileged to be able to try an array of delicious Arabic foods which I would probably have struggled to find in my rural English home town. My favourite restaurants in Qatar include Damasca One at the Souq Waqif and Wafi Gourmet at Landmark Mall. I was also very fond of the popular, conservatively priced Thai snack restaurant in the Al Nasr area of Doha.
2. The sunshine
As a sun starved Brit I always appreciated waking up to the sunshine in Qatar. I found the climate comfortable for most of the year and I was more than happy to wave goodbye to the harsh English winters that I was used to.
For most of the year we enjoyed evenings spent outdoors with friends in cafes and parks and weekends by the pool. Often times the air could be dusty and the summers were far too hot at 40C and rising but on average the weather was a plus point!
3. The parties
The Expat lifestyle in Qatar can be a very sociable one, strong bonds and ties between families, communities and friends often develop as we attempt to fill the void that results from leaving our loved ones behind in our home countries.
With plenty of sunshine and time to fill there’s usually a fun and exciting boat party, brunch or BBQ on the horizon to look forward to. The old Work hard, play hard saying definitely fits the lifestyle of many Expats in Qatar!
4. So many things to see and do
There is usually something going on in Qatar, whether it’s a musical, a show, an exhibition or a cultural event. My favourite Qatar events included the annual Doha film festival and the African festival at Katara Cultural Village.
It was great to have access to so many big events and shows in Qatar whilst I was there and as a result I now make the effort to keep up with events in England as a way of keeping a small part of my Expat lifestyle alive!
5. Diverse friendships
I made some amazing friends in Qatar including a few other barmy Brits, some groovy Greeks, sassy Syrians, friendly Filipinos and a fabulous Aussie- Hello Jas!
I would recommend that everyone make an effort to get to know people from other countries as you can learn a lot and get an insight into interesting new cultures, ways of living and attitudes towards life.
About the author
Rachel Charlotte is a British expat living in Qatar. Blog description: The content of this Blog & Info site is intended to be mostly related to Qatar. It is also a platform for publishing what the people of Qatar have to say.
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Eleftheria Li wrote 11
years ago:
Absolutely agree with all the above..Special friendships are precious ! The food's delicious from all nationalities..and the weather especially this time is lovely ! There are plenty of reasons to love Qatar ! :) Great article !!!
WhitneyJoanne wrote 11
years ago:
I loved reading about your experiences, living in england seems so dull until i read your page and almost feel like i'm there with you! The way you present and talk about life in qatar is brill and i would recommend anyone needing a good read to view your blog. Keep Posting!!
Kiara Gallop wrote 11
years ago:
Good points there Rach! As a Brit I think we're always going to hanker after the sunshine, and because food can be so different away from home, it always seems more exciting. I think when we cook our own food we always tend to stick to the same few recipes so in places where it's cheaper to eat out we experience a much more diverse mixture of flavours and ingredients. As for diverse friendships, that's one of the things I miss most about travelling - the fact that you meet people from such vast range of countries and cultures and backgrounds but you all have a shared interest and that is a strong desire to explore the world and the people within it :-)
Alex wrote 11
years ago:
Thinking back there is plenty I miss about Qatar. Personal favorites include spending an evening strolling around the Souq (subject to time of year), sunsets over the dunes and of course brunch at the W! Great article - good memories!
