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Qatar considered
I've not given much info about my time here so far so if you are
interested here goes.
Arrival April 17th. Gulf air flight from Heathrow to Doha
via Bahrain arriving early morning on the 18th. Good flight with many Arabic
types over indulging in the free booze[along with us infidels of course]before
arriving. Met at the airport by the baking sun and Chris Evans my e-mail
contact,recruiter,and boss[?].
Accomodation: Taken directly to the Ramada hotel where I
have been staying for almost three months.Chris explained in his amiable
manner that I would be here for a while and that it was infinitely better
than the navy base[oh dread words!]which had been the option for previous
incumbents until they quit sighting accomodation problems.It seems like
a three/four star hotel with flight crews and such like using it. There
are four restaurants and a bar[yes indeed!]but the gym and pool complex
has become the regular hang out[believe it or not!].We don't get full board
however because two french teachers here previously took the piss eating
in Maxims[posh restaurant for those who don't know] every night which irked
us somewhat but the place is ringed by eateries of every stripe which are
significantly cheaper than Japan or England[more on this later].We were
taken to see various flats and houses which varied in quality but we were
consistently advised by 'Gulf veterans' to refuse them[the same ones are
offered to almost every state employee apparently] and hold out for a nice
villa on a compound.We were finally shown some almost completed ones about
a month ago and we are waiting for them.They look lovely so everything
is being kept crossed.
The job: Qafti[armed forces training institute] teaches Qatari
officers and their footsoldiers[arabs from countries that don't have oil/gas
basically] what they need to know to help the Americans defend them should
they need it.The school is a good looking building with a state of the
art language lab[still trying to work it out!],big airy classrooms,a cafe,and
offices with computers[alas no internet]for the teachers.The chain of command
is thus[you're in the army now!].The commandant is a Qatari navy officer
who speaks good english,hates his job,and basically is relaxed and non-invasive.The
Major comes from Sudan[big,black,portly,and hectoring]and tries to run
the place like a soldier. Sometimes he's efficent but sometimes he's evasive
and unhelpful.Neither of them try to involve themselves in teaching at
all however.Next comes Chris who is on a really cushy number.Gets paid
a lot but delegates everything to his 'wing commanders' and refers all
Q's/problems to the major.I want his job!
There are two wings,English and French[with whom we have little
contact really].Our wing-co is Elena;a fifty year old dynamo who basically
does all the work from designing courses to giving an outline plan for
every lesson and help with suppliments.She filters out a lot of the shit
and makes life very easy and holds her own in the bar with the lads.Has
had some rough bureaucratic treatment but is always cheerful.There are
five teachers,three native speakers and two muslim recruitments.My mate
is Meester Paul from Brighouse in Yorkshire,cynical and sarcastic gulf
veteran,gym/pool/bar/curry house buddy.The native speaking disappointment
is Meez Vicki who has lowered my opinion of Australians somewhat.In her
forties,front row material,divorced from an Egyptian,and never taught Tefl
before.Sporadically bossy,ignorant,snobbish,and simpering to the major.But
she's alright I suppose and seems to be relaxing with me and Paul a bit.Then
we have a Bosnian muslim woman who speaks English loudly and not too well
but has the major round her little finger with tantrums, crying etc.A sympathy
job I guess.Our new kid on the block is Sale;a Jordanian bloke who is friendly
enough but can't speak English which is going to be a problem!The poor
sod has been put in the navy base as well.
Students: Our students are all Qataris and officers[colonel
Mubarak,Major Mohammed etc.]who have on the whole been a pleasant surprise.Usually
good students,very keen to talk,friendly,and mostly polite.Most of the
120000 full Qataris are millionaires in our terms and employ servants in
large numbers.They are very arrogant to these people but we as whiteys
seem to be treated almost as equals and we have often been invited to their
palatial homes for feasting where we are waited on hand and foot by servants
who beam at us because we say please and thankyou.Last time I went to one
of these I was picked up in a white Bentley and dropped off in a silver
Rolls Royce.I had to smile as his kids played with their new pet;a tiger
cub!And like a lot of the Gulf Arabs we then retired to his semi-secret
bar room for drinks and 'hubbly bubbly' which is a very pleasant smoke!
We teach groups of around 10 usually with the odd private between
7 and 12 in the morning. Two to three contact hours a day and home for
lunch.Now it's July so we do less work!
Doha: So what else. Now it's 40 odd degrees every day and
it hasn't rained since I've been here.Apart from us infidels and the Qataris[men
always white sheet,women always black sheet]there are about 700000 Indians,Pakistanis,Sri
Lankans,Philippinos,Palestinians,Egyptians,Sudanese etc.who do the work
for the Qataris.A tribe given the land by the English who found oil and
gas aplenty and ,guided by a modernising Emir,are living happily ever after
avoiding the harshness of Saudi or Kuwait. Could be here a while, Any Q's
you may have just ask and I'll try to answer. Salaam Halekum, Mark
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