Life on the Spot! Life and Leisure in Doha, Qatar

Since we arrived here in Doha in 2005, we have always stayed in the same flat in the Old Airport area, also popularly known as 'Matar Qadeem'.  Al Matar Al Qadeem is actually just the name of the main street in the area but has become a name people use to refer to the Old Airport area in general. 

It is a nice and busy yet uncrowded area.  Along Matar Qadeem is an array of car wash and auto repair shops, barbershops, cellphone shops, vegetable and fruit stands, bakery and pastry shops, bookstore, pharmacies, restaurants selling grilled chicken and shawarma, LPG dealer, travel agencies, fridge and ac repair shop, convenience stores, banks, etc. on each side of the street.  Just last year Pizza Hut and Papa John's opened their branches on the opposite ends of the popular street.  This is just to show how busy and progressive the place is.  Yet the inside streets are residential where you'll find a number of buildings that rent out flats and also a number of villas.  It is a very peaceful place. 

We actually chose this area mainly because it was very near Tian's place of work which is Ras Abu Abboud.  We also loved the fact that it is near to Lulu Hypermarket, Family Food Center,Giant Stores, Shoprite and The Mall.

We loved our flat and if only the situation didn't call for us to leave we probably would be staying here much longer.  However certain developments in life require some changes as well.  It wouldn't be sane to drive from here to the other end of Doha, where Qatar Academy is located 5 days a week, with all the traffic.  So even if we've loved our flat and our area, we must leave and move on.

At first my husband and I agreed that we should look for a new place that's near the new school, so when we first searched for a flat we were inclined to search within the Clipp and Bin Omran area which is just near the TV roundabout.  But this meant that Tian would be much further away from work.  We searched and searched to no avail.  We never really found one that really stood out.  Well there was one at the Clipp area, howvever it doesn't have electricity until now and later on we realized that the rooms were quite small.

Then we thought it would be a good idea to search within the Al Sadd and Prince Nasser area.  About 2-3 years ago, we had this impression that the flats in these areas are way beyond our budget.  I guess it may have been true since these areas are like in the heart of Doha.  We realized that it would be perfect for both Tian and Xiane as it is in the middle.  Not too far from from school nor Tian's office.  Thankfully, having persevered in our search we found the perfect place for us.

I am sure that moving and staying in Al Sadd would be as good as our stay here Matar Qadeem.  We are thankful for all the happy memories we've had for the last 4 years and we look forward to more fun, memorable and happy times we'll have in a place we'll soon call home.    

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Last night, I wrote that it was actually a toss between 2 flats, a 2-bedroom flat in Al Sadd and a 3 bedroom one in Prince Nasser area.  Today we went back to the one in Prince Nasser in the morning since we wanted to see the flat at daytime.  But then we still got side tracked by the array of new buildings we saw along the way and still ended up looking at 2 buildings today.

But in the end, we decided to see the one in Al Sadd tonight before we finally make a decision.  So after a month-long search for a new place we've decided that the place that we liked the most and the one that suits us best is the 2-bedroom flat in Al Sadd.  Although I must admit, ultimately my husband let me decide. 

It was surely a long and tedious process but as with other aspects in life, once you are content and happy with your decision it is always worth the wait.  I am glad that we waited and searched patiently.  Now 4 weeks and probably 20+ flats viewed later, I am happy to say that the search is over.  I am so looking forward to making our flat into our new home.  Can't wait to be there and get settled.  I know it's not going to be easy but I'm sure that we'll get through it in no time at all. 

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Our having spent the entire afternoon searching for a new place to move into has definitely presented us more options.  Now, it's time to make a decision as to what we really want for us.  It has come down to 2 apartments, one located in Al Sadd and the other one at Prince Nasser, both are good areas. The one in Al Sadd is a 2-bedroom apartment, located in a building with 24-hour security.  It has good-sized rooms and has very nice fixtures.  Aestically speaking, it is one of the few flats that really caught our attention.  Best of all it is reasonably prized. 

The flat in the Prince Nasser is a little less sophisticated than the one in Al Sadd as the fixtures are not as nice.  However, it has centralized airconditioning and most of all it has 3 bedrooms and all for the same price as the one in Al Sadd.  Having an extra room for the same price is definitely a bargain.

We would like to take a second look at the flat in Prince Nasser tomorrow morning as it was already late when we saw it tonight.  I am very particular with natural light coming into the house, it is actually one of my criteria for choosing our new place.  I want a place that's really bright during the day even without having to turn the lights on.  We'll find out tomorrow, then and only then will we decide.  I do hope that whatever we decide on will be the best one for us.

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Xianelle has a date with the tooth fairy tonight.  We went to the dentist today for our dental prophylaxis/ cleaning which we do every 6-months.  We usually go to the company's own dental clinic but since there wasn't any available slots for the 3 of us for another 2 months, we decided to go to Queen's Dental Clinic at City Center instead.

However for our daughter Xianelle, what should have been a regular cleaning turned out to be the day when she'd have her very first tooth extraction.  This of course is one of the most significant milestones in a child's life as much as having his/her very first tooth.  A month ago, she started growing her 2 front teeth on the lower jaw.  We took her to the dentist then, however the dentist suggested that we wait for a month to see whether the milk teeth would then become wobbly.  A month later, the milk teeth stayed intact.

So today the dentist, who's a very nice Filipina, reckoned it would be best to extract the teeth as the new ones are about to come out completely.  Upon knowing this, we of course had to condition Xianelle's mind at such short notice.  Of course she was a little whiny about it at first but as always she understood it eventually.  Plus her dad promised to give her something special as long as she tries to be brave.  Tian and I were the first to go, saving Xiane for last. 

When it was her turn, the dentist gave her a pep talk to make her feel relaxed.  Then she applied topical anethetic on the gums to numb it a little for the injection.  After a few minutes, the dentist administered the injection on her gums.  I had to cover her eyes to make sure that she didn't see the syringe as it might scare her.  I also had to hold Xiane's head to make it steady.  However, once she's been injected, her eyes started to well-up.  She was crying although very quietly.  We thought she was just anxious of what's going to happen next.  But  tonight we found out that she was crying because she actually felt the pain from the injections. 

Being the brave girl that she is though, it only took a short time to console her.  Then the dentist was able to extract a tooth at a time in no time at all.  Tian and I were so relieved to see that Xiane has surpassed this ordeal triumphantly.  But most of all we were relieved to see her so happy when she got hold of her 2 front teeth which were placed in a tiny clear. plastic  After biting on cotton for a few minutes to stop the bleeding, she was completely ok.  Then we ate sundae from McDonald's.

It's such a relief that Xianelle didn't have a traumatic first tooth extraction today because as the saying goes, "first impressions always last."

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