Moving from Lafayette, LA USA
Could you please tell me about the American School in Doha? Is it only American children? Are the teachers American? Is Doha a safe place for Americans? Are there compounds for Americans who are overthere because of work in the oilfield? Are women allowed to drive in Doha? Is the social life for children in Doha the same as it is in America? Very scared to move there...I don't know anything about it. I am a teacher...would I be able to teach in Doha? Any answers would be helpful.
Compound is like a neighborhood/subdivision. A stand-alone villa is by itself. Both will be surounded by walls. With the compound you will have more access to amenities such as gym, playground, pool, security, restaurant, maintenance, etc. Each compound varies. They come big and small. It's easier to meet people when living on a compound as well. If you like more privacy, then maybe go with the stand-alone. A villa in a compound will have some private "garden" area behind each house and then more common areas for everyone.
Could anyone tell me what the difference is between a compound and a villa? Also, are there dancing schools that teach ballet, tap, jazz, and hip hop there for little girls?
Yes - 8 hours ahead. When we left out of Houston it was about a 9 and an 8.
Thank you. Are you about 8 hours ahead of us? How long is the flight to get over there?
We moved here from Covington, LA. Been here more than 2 years and it's been good. Landscape is certainly not the same and don't plan on any crawfish boils or block parties but it's a nice place to raise a family. Makes you really appreciate when you can go back home too! I say go for it. Best of luck.
Oops! Thank you. I am very new at the chatting scene!
the last line is just a motto dont read it with the text
If you can't change your fate, change your attitude.
I am not sure what your comment means???
Thank you so much for the information. This decision for us has been very hard. I have never lived anywhere else in my 33 years other than south Mississippi and south Louisiana. If I can deal with the heat and humidity here, I shouldn't have a problem there, correct? Nothing is final yet but we have to make our decision by Monday. We are asking that the company send us there to look around before making a final decision. Thank you again!
http://www.asd.edu.qa/pages/sitepage.cfm?page=32659
If you can't change your fate, change your attitude.
Hi,
Thought I'd comment since you'll never guess what country I'm from :) Anyway, I've lived here 2 1/2 years now... First of all, it is VERY safe here. My daughter was born here (she's 1 1/2 now) and I am not at all concerned that someone will hurt her or abduct her (like I might be in the US). As a woman here, some uninformed men might have the idea that you are loose (ugh, American movies don't help this), but for the most part ignoring them or telling them off is all you need to do. I don't worry about my personal safety around town at all. Don't let people who've never been to Doha scare you about moving to the Middle East-- they just don't want to believe that it's actually nice over here!
I hear the American school is very good. Although there are many Americans, they accept people from all countries. Be aware though that it's expensive and hard to get into. You might have an advantage since you are American and work for an oil company though.
Women can drive, no problem (although they tried to make a law against it "since women don't leave the house anyway" hahahaha, it didn't last)...
Since I'm not sure what your social life is like in LA it's hard to compare, but one thing is that things are very focused on the indoors during the hotter months. Fortunatly, everything is well air conditioned, but the kids and us spend lots of time in indoor theme parks (at the malls!) or at homes. Compounds are good for kids since it is a gated environment for them to run around in and often has a pool, gym and activities for kids. We live in an appartment which we like, but it might be more difficult when our kids get older since they cannot run around outside. Lots of people join clubs for either recreation (i.e swimming, tennis, etc) or social (I.e. American women's association)... Tonight we just spent a nice evening at Rumailah park.. They have some great grassy areas for picnics, but we went to the Heritage Village and enjoyed some traditional Qatari food and music. Lots of people since today is the first day of Eid (the holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan, most people get a few days off work).
There is a huge demand here for English teachers, either in schools or private tutors. If you want to teach, I would think you wouldn't have trouble finding a job. You might want to start looking before you come. If you are already here, the salary tends to be lower than if they have to "entice" you to come.
Feel free to send me a message if you have more questions!