I did the dreaded residence permit renewal drill down at our intimidating post office this morning.
You know, I can browse the aisles in an old rundown paint store with my head held high in the dregs of Doha by myself while being eye raped by a multitude of male workers and customers hanging around, but send me to that post office and I become a total wuss. Maybe its the fact that you have to figure out on your own the ins and outs of the whole process and being a menial woman (
wink!) that's no easy task. They have a "wait in line and pick a number" system, so that you can sit around and wait, again. Then when they do finally call your number, there's that fear of wondering if you have everything you need because they could have changed the rules while you were waiting in line. I used the word "dreaded" to describe the trip since it took me three trips to the post office before having everything right for my original residence permit two years ago. I don't have a reputation for being early (
or even on time), so imagine how proud I was when I arrived this morning before any of the workers. Oh, wait, maybe they were late. After all the guy did stroll in at 7:42 even though the "working time" sign clearly said 7:00am. After doing the mandatory
ghutra flip a few times and bellowing out a few yawns and stretches, he was ready for his first customer thirteen minutes later. Thank goodness I was number four because I could tell this was going to take a while. Each new employee that showed up had to be greeted with conversation, handshakes, and more conversation before settling back at the old workstation.
You would think I would be happy with the interruptions, since it meant new blood to help out at the counter, but the two extra guys that showed up didn't do squat. I can't complain. I was still out of there in record time of one hour and only one trip. Now, I'm good to go for two more years.
To read comments, please click on the thoughts box above. Thanks!
It's a great day in Doha. Our favorite pastime has just put a few more options on the table. A new Applebees, Caffe' Vergnano, Quiznos, and Burger King opened up on Friday night in the Qatar Handball Complex on Markhiya next to the Qatar Sports Club (near the post office). It seems like an unusual venue, but a pleasant change from the mall food court that all these places seem to be housed. David and I gave them a break on their opening night (surprise!), but couldn't resist checking them out last night. Applebees served us up some complimentary lentil soup to lead into the fiesta lime chicken that we ordered. Our waitress was a little green, to say the least, as she asked if we wanted our dessert with our meal. She was so nervous, bless her heart, as she proclaimed that she was a "fresh" graduate and had only been in Doha for two months coming from the Philippines. Welcome to Qatar, Ruth. After our meal, which was quite tasty by the way, we hopped over to the Caffe' Vergnano just next door to top off our meal with a coffee. We opted for an outdoor table so that David could thaw out after drinking his four glasses of iced tea. I know it's hard to believe, but the evening air was really nice at 95F with a low humidity. We ordered a couple of lattes which came in make your own fashion. Our waitress, Ethel, insisted that this is how it is served in Italy. Hmm, I've been blessed with the opportunity to visit Italy, but never had I been served my latte in two parts. Actually, it was sort of fun. It's all about the entertainment value for me. We will definitely make it back their way to try some of the Italian fare on the menu. Bon Appetit!
.jpg)
