When it's cold...

I wasn't here over last winter, but my husband was. He said he spent most evenings in a bath of hot water! (bit like richard and his hundreds of clothes on in bed) so I guess he wasn't kidding me. His comment was that the weather was OK outside during the day but our flat was built to keep the heat out, so once the temperature dropped ... need I say more ;)

I'm in UK at present and am looking out some shawls!

Cheers.

yep... it's certainly not going to be freezing ... but as i own jumpers right now, i thought it might be worth bringing some if it was worth it... also i've got African blood and have spent much time there ... and know that nights can get cold... and that the cold spells do normally feel colder than comparable temps here in UK.

Am really looking forward to the move. Thanks again guys for all your advice - sorry to be a wee bitty controversial. S

i have been considering options for qatar for a while and never thought about cold there:) and still thinking i wont have problems with it.. try to be some man:) u r mostly coming from north:)

Thanks all... this has been v.helpful - and interesting to read the debate!...

I think i'll bring some jumpers etc ... and see what happens - although on the debate - often it's the type of cold that makes it cold - my friend from Alberta, Canada - used to ridiculous tempretures was soooo cold when she was in UK because the humidity was different! ... So perhaps that's why?

Anyhoo - i'll think about getting a vehicle too!

Thanks for the tips folks, and welcoming me to Qatar - only 6 weeks to go!

S

But I don't think its a matter of being tough...we're all just a product of our enviroment. Being from Canada would make me much more used to colder weather, the downsied is I can't take heat well...anything over 20C is too hot for me, so you can guess how well i'm doing in Qatar LOL.

Everyone eventually acclimatizes, but it usually takes a LONG time, and I didn't think people would have been here THAT long. So since most Europeans and North Americans come from MUCH cooler climes I just deduced (erroneously apparently) that none would get cold in Qatar. Shows you how much I know ha!

But you bring up a very good point about the contrast making it seem worse. I did notice however that the temperature changes are VERY gradual in Qatar (especially compared to Canada)...like how the temperature rises by a degree every few days in summer, and then gradually comes back down. I remember in Canada when we got a sudden warm spell in winter and the temp would jump from -30C to +10C in under 12 hours (anyone remember the "storm of the century" ice storm in Montreal a few years back)?

Man, all this got me thinking about how much I miss snow!! Now I WANT to de-ice my car and shovel the walkways LOL...and Gypsy's comment on another thread about the indoor ski slope in the Mall of the Emirates just had me cracking up!

Be safe all.

Perfection does not exist. The question therefore, is: what level of imperfection are we willing to settle for?

I lived in Moscow for a couple of years in the 90s and it was very very cold there but somehow you prepare for it. NYC is also unbearably cold at times.

I have been here now for two years and I am used to the climate. I went to Kiev in May where the temperature was 18C. It felt a lot colder than that.

Here in Qatar the cold just takes you by surprise. I think it is because it doesn't last long and the contrast is so extreme in just a matter of days.

Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi

Sorry Richard123, the OP was European, my mistake.

As for being from the US, the New England States can get quite cold, and so you must be used to a LOT colder than this...you still found Qatar cold man? Wow I must say i'm schocked. Have you been here so long that maybe you've totally reacclimated yourself to THIS climate?

I haven't heard from other Canadians, but Europeans, and even Americans seem to feel the cold here, so clearly i'm in the minority.

Anyways, sorry to threadjack smethers...I thought these guys were just playing a practical joke, but maybe i'm just the weird one.

Anyways, good luck again in your move and stay safe all.

Perfection does not exist. The question therefore, is: what level of imperfection are we willing to settle for?

and I am not European. I was born in New York and raised in the cold NE USA. I was seriously cold in January and at times just sat in my crib wearing everything I owned. I'm not kidding, really.

Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi

The humidity comment kinda threw me off....doesn't the temperature determine if it's cold or not (or factors that affect temperature, like wind chill factor lets say)?

The examples I can cite are back home. I lived in Montreal (very humid because it's an island in the St-Lawrence river) and it was cold in winter....and i've lived in Edmonton (not humdity at all), and it was cold in winter. Humidity had nothing to do with it....the temperature gets cold (ie -40C).

In Qatar, the absolute coldest I saw on my thermostat was 5C for a few hours in the middle of the night and most of the night was 10 with daytime temps of 20 or over (all in Celcious btw). Come on guys....that's T Shirt weather....sweaters and space heaters?? You MUST be joking...I mean I did not expect this from Europeans! Other Asians maybe but not you guys!

Be safe all.

Perfection does not exist. The question therefore, is: what level of imperfection are we willing to settle for?

for a few weeks. I had the space heater on all the time and bought extra sweaters. It felt very cold because the hunidity was so low. Having said that, last January was unusual. January 2006 was wonderful, sunny and warm during the day and cool at night.

It can get cold here and when it does you feel it but it doesn't last long.

Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi

Please tell me you guys are just pulling smethers' leg so to speak...Cold in Qatar? Not a snowball's chance in hell!

I have been here for a year and half....so I was present for this last winter's (ha!) supposed cold snap. I was shocked to hear people were complaining that the Carrefour was out of heaters! Heaters?? Come on people, my Air Conditiong was turned off in ONE room of the house (and that was my new born daughter's room) for 2months! My home has this red button in the barthroom to turn on the hot water....I have never used it....the showers scald my skin here in winter and that's with the thing off...I shudder to think what turning it on would do!

Unless you come from Saudi Arabia, there is no such thing as cold in Qatar....you will be dying from heat 90% of the time, and the other 10% I'll describe as "bearable"...and that's it.

Good luck in your move to Qatar, and stay safe all.

Perfection does not exist. The question therefore, is: what level of imperfection are we willing to settle for?

it was cold this winter! i had a radiator and wore several layers of clothes

did anyone go to watch the rugby 7s during Asian Games??? freezing..

i had on two sweaters a coat and a bobble hat....i was still cold!

during the day the weather is lovely

actually cardigans are useful for the fact when u go into places the air con is too high!

my car i bought off the notice board at the supermarket... and well worth the QR25,000 - waiting in the street trying to get a taxi is not pleasant.

a car will increase your quality of life.

lots of helpful people here - join the social group

don't know about you smethers but i like socialising with folk who have a different job to me

qatar is super great for making friends from different countries

pm me if you want any other advice :) and i will give u the low down.

remember just after you arrive it is ramadan.................

Sounds like a not bad deal. With housing costs covered off, you're only responsible for food, transport, entertainment/travel and savings. If you rent a car, look at spending 1800-1900 QR/month, so buying is definitely a good option. I got a 4-cyl SUV used for about 25000 QR (about 40% of new) and I'm pretty happy with it. I know people who rely on chauffeur services at about 50 QR round trip so they don't need a car (but they do need to plan all their outings to the 5 minutes), so car/no-car is a personal option. I would agree with TJ not to rely on public transport--it frankly sucks here. Food is pretty cheap for one person (maybe 300-600 month depending on personal preferences--food from home always costs more).

Housing construction is basically cindercrete and concrete so houses have a great deal of thermal mass, meaning they retain daytime heat through the night and take some time to warm up in the daytime. So even if temps drop to 5C overnight, the house takes longer to cool down (unless daytime temps don't get much above 15C like they did in January). I found a sweater/fleece by day, and a quilt by night was enough to keep me warm. I know some that did invest in electric heaters for their living rooms.

Hope this helps. Welcome to the Gulf! (I say this while I'm on leave in cloudy western Canada where it's only 20C today)

firstly welcome to QL and ope u get all the help u need from here..also welcome to doha...

as for ur queries...

1.in 8.5k u might not be able to save much though otherwise u shud manage pretty much since ur utilities and other things r paid for by ur firm....u can get a variety of fones here ranging from qrs 200 (35 quid) to qrs 3000 ( 500 quid)....transportation is relatively cheap compared to many other countries...otherwise the ammount is enough for entertainment movies hanging out clubbing etc...basically provided ur flat,utilities etc r paid for,...8.5 k seems enough for ur personal expenses...

2. even in winters it doesnt get really really cold as it does in U.K so u dont need to carry a lot of warm heavy comforters and quilts...probably a warm blanket might suffice....

3.getting taxi's is a major problem here and local buses aint like the ones in uk so its beter if u have a vehicle of ur own....u will def. be able to get any vehicle ranging from 10k to whatever u can afford...

if ur lucky u might even get a decent vehicle for less than that..

hope this helps...

cheers

Smethers.

1. Saving depends on your life style. You can save 75% or more. Also you can easily spend the whole salary. But being realistic you can and should at least save 50%.

2. Get you cold gear with you but be reasonable. When it is cold here, temp would drop to 5 deg celsius. Keep in mind that you are not travelling to the North Pole.

3. You can manage to buy a banger (I have suffered to know what does it mean) for 10 to 15000 QRs. In such case I can figure out who would be your boyfriend (the mechanic). Alternatively, I would recommend that you buy a good car that would not depreciate much like Honda, Nissan, Toyota, so that when yu decide to sell you will not loose much

Welcome to the club.