Newbie Coming To Qatar, maybe with family
By BritOverseas •
Hi
I will be coming to Qatar in January to work up in Ras Lafan and I am hoping to bring my family with me some time after May.
What I am looking for is some advice on schools, housing and all that sort of stuff.
I will need to be on the north side of town or have easy access to the highway up to Ras Lafan as I will be trying to have the shortest commute.
Have a bit of a funny situation where I am a Brit and my wife is American and has never really lived anywhere overseas so any advice to make her life easier would be appreciated. 2 kids of 5 and 3 (will be 6 and 4 when they arrive).
Thanks in advance.
Brit
As long as your family is with you, you will never get bored. keep attached to QL. you will learn a lot here about qatar.
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"I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. the proper function of man is to live not to exist. i shall not waste my time trying to prolong them. i shall use my time."
Ditto what JoJo said! She took the words right out of my fingertips, regarding trying to arrive by May, before school lets out and everyone takes off.
Could your wife join you in May and June and visit family during July and August? We arrived from the States in early August and had a hard time meeting anyone--everyone was on holiday! Then September with Ramaden was a difficult time to set up house. She might enjoy getting the villa personalized and meeting folks in May and June, then getting away from the heat and isolation of the summer. Once school starts the kids will have kids they already met in the Spring. There are many groups for Moms and kids, and many just for expat wives to get together and visit, study books, go on field trips... Once the logistics of the first few months get worked out it is great here! We just had a wonderful fall festival at our compound and the kids trick or treated afterwards. Best day my daughter has had since we got here!
I'm from the U.S. and would be happy to chat with your wife it you'd like. Just send me a PM and I'll send you my number. If you are in the U.S. you can dial even dial my U.S. number :o)
Like novita77 said, I'm starting a Doha Expat Mums & Kids Group; that will be a good place for her to meet other mums and get started.
Best,
Expat Sueño
P.S. I live in West Bay and love it.
Arien, my neighborhood is all villas not flats, but over near City Center you can get flats for maybe 8-12,000QR.
Mandi
Just a lil thought of what you and your family may encounter when you get here. :-)
"Everything in this book may be wrong." Illusions: The Adventures of The Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach
Good luck.
Mandilur.. what would be the rent out there wher you have put up. for a 2Bedroom flat.??
brit, pm me your email, i will send mums the word news letter for your wife. So she can have a peek what is like living in Qatar with young children.
And when she get here, do drop a line to expat sueno. She is an american lady trying to make a group for mums with young children.
School place hard to come by. So as soon as you get here approach the school asap.
Some people who works in Ras Laffan settle the family in Al Khor. I never been but i heard is a nice small community. Although some people said that nothing much in Al Khor, it is really depend on the preference what do you like? If your wife is an easy going lady, maybe you should live in DOha and commute to Ras Laffan daily. I know alot of companies provide shuttle bus for the employee, maybe you can clarify that with the company you going to working for.
There are plenty of ladies gathering in doha. American Woman Association, Ladies Tuesday Group, International Potluck, expatwoman, and i run Qatar Living Mums Group.
If you have anything else more perticular to ask do shout :)
Good luck.
Hey Brit and welcome. We live in the north part of town in West Bay. It's very nice, near the golf course, and not too much traffic locally. You could start by looking around here. The only problem with your wife coming after May is that it gets so hot here that it's hard to get around so shopping and looking for furnishings becomes a real ordeal. And the social activities ratchet down a notch in the summer. I don't have kids so can't advise you there, but there are lots of Americans and Brits here and while it may not be the prettiest place in the world it's fun and lively and a wonderful culture..
Mandi