Memoirs of a Qatar expat

Moving to a new place is exciting but can be confusing at the same time.

Coming to Doha brings a lot of anticipation and challenges to the table. Challenges; if you don’t know the right places to find your answers. When I moved to Qatar several years ago, the charming pace and sensation was refreshing, but I needed to maneuver my way into the Doha stream as best as I could. I had already started online research before moving here, and I must say, to every query I googled, I got an answer from this very website. Qatar Living has been a pivotal part of helping me ease my way into Doha.

After moving here I saw that my home required finishing touches for its comfort and décor (I had brought furniture with me). The first thing I did was to pop the words ‘furniture in Doha’ in the search engine, and my quest began. I spent hours perusing through the classifieds section at Qatar Living (I’m a picky buyer). In the end I shortlisted a number of potential picks, and contacted the advertisers.

All went smoothly, even to my surprise. I was thinking this might take a lot of moving back and forth. But the deal was conducted swiftly and painlessly. Within two days of my search, I had found just the right cabinets for my kitchen and laundry, along with a few other knick knacks that the seller was advertising.

This was easy!

After the instant hit, I was on a roll. The next thing I looked up was a face cream that is available only in Korea. I struck gold again! As soon as I entered its name along with Qatar, a Qatar Living link came up with the precise product I wanted. I contacted the seller and she replied promptly. We met the next day and the deal was done effortlessly.

Being the choosey buyer I am, I started exploring more options on how to find the best of everything in Doha. I stumbled upon the Qatar Living forums. I can say with all honesty that my queries and doubts were all answered by the helpful replies. They made me feel at home.

I realized that there are lots of places and events in Qatar that go unnoticed, but regular perusal of Qatar Living opened up a world of possibilities.

I am happy to report that I found a good cleaning service through the same portal. And happiest of all to have found a hobby I love through advertisement of an art skills workshop. Is it any surprise that I found the job I wanted through this very website? It is not too good to be true; it is all amazing and true!

My latest scrutiny is that of house hunting. Several searches have proved useful here, and I have viewed a few properties with the intention of narrowing it down to the perfect house before making a final decision. Right next in line is my agenda of buying a car. Owing to all previous experiences, I have a good feeling about this one. I know I will get the perfect match, eventually!