ECCH accommodations ***Please reply***

King_King does have a point, the maintenance here is pretty quick. Usually anything you ask for, they can and will do.

You don't like it? Go home.

ECCH Housing - don t complain, its free. You don't even have to change a lightbulb or water the "garden".

Everyone hereis very nice and you'll make friends very easily.

Club house has never opened therefore no pool on site.

Closed compound with security, so kids are safe uless they run into the road, bur there are speed bumps.

You will need a car as life is nearly impossible without wheels and taxis ae unreliable.

If you're living life on the edge, you've got too much room.

I think nannies or maids get about QR700 - 1,200 pm, live in.

Alhamdulillah

Hi,

My husband and I visited ECCH back in December to check it out. We too are planning on moving there towards the end of the summer. We only spent a few days, so I cannot speak from authority, but what i saw was beautiful and I spoke to some ppl who have lived there btw 2-20 years and they all seemed to really like it. I hear from others that Doha is very child friendly. We visited both the apartments and the villas. If u will b living in ECCH then that means teh villas from what I know. The apts are gorgeous..atleast the ones we saw that were downtown Doha. Huge and spread out with a gorgeous view surrounding you. However, it is not a child friendly neighborhood bc there is a major road outside and u would have to drive everywhere, even to the playground. Which for me, with 3 young children 1-5 is not ideal. I loved what i saw of the villas. They are very big, 3 bedrooms with bathrooms attached to each one. A nice big master bedroom. You also have your own wash n dryer which is great with kids, nice big kitchen with new appliances and a nice big dishwasher. Big dining room table that seats 8 and nice size living room. u also have a kind of side yard, backyard area that you could bbq in, have breakfast or just chill out or even garden. There are quite tall/high stars from the first to second floor which is a bit scary for kids, but i suppose they will just learn right?! There r also lots of playgrounds in the ECCH complex. The perceived 'niceness' of the housing will of course depend on what u are accustomed to.

I did see some children playing in the playgrounds. I cant remember how much I was told a nanny would cost, but it sounded affordable given the salary we have been offered. I know u can hire a live in nanny, or just someone to come in and help clean for a few hours. You should contact the HR dept at ur husbands new job and see if they can help. I hope u enjoy ur time there. Perhaps I'll see u around ECCH. Like i said, I have 3 children myself, so maybe our kids will meet up in the playground

Hi!

I do live in the ECCH housing (we live in a 3BR villa - it's huge and very sterile looking - depressing)and it is probably not what you are expecting. The villa's are nice enough, I have never been in the apartments though. I am sure they are nice as well. These places are furnished by are by no means childproofed. They are among the most child unfriendly places I have ever lived in. Everything is tile, marble and concrete. My 4 year old has calcium deposits on her head from hitting her head on the floor when she fell a lot as a toddler.

As far as a pool, no there is not one (I don't think) there is what is supposed to be a "club house" across the street that was supposed to open like 2 years ago, but it is still closed and there is no indication as to when it will open. There is supposed to be a day care in it as well, still closed. As far as kids, there are many, but you have to go out to the playgrounds and meet them (may be different in the apartments)

Nanny's are hard to come by and housekeepers as well. You will probably have to go to an agency and hire one and pay for their visa and such. I have lived here almost 3 years and still have not found a steady maid or a nanny for that matter without going to the agencies, but we personally can afford them and we are making probably 5 times what your husband will be making. (I read the other thread) If I were him, I would be asking for a lot more (especially from the Qatar Foundation), just remember, it needs to be above and way beyond what you made at home in order to be comfortable. On that note, it is extremely expensive to live here. Food is outrageously high, and the stores don't always keep in stock what you are used to buying, so you end up hoarding quite a bit.

Medical care...this is a 3rd world country who has money and is trying it's best to catch up with the first world countries. Remember that when you go see a doctor here. It is not always a great experience. My 4 year old was just prescribed a medicine that you are not supposed to take unless you are over 12 in the US. This is not the first time this has happened. She gets prescribed medicines that are banned in the US because they are unsafe, etc.

I am sure you have read by now that the driving here is atrocious, they have traffic laws but they are only for the expats to obey, and that never happens either. Be warned!

Sorry to put such a negative twist on my post, but I was a happy go lucky person before coming here 3.5 years ago. Now my husband and I are negative and filled with anger and a bit of hatred. This place has bad karma in my opinion, and it spreads quickly.

My advice to you is do a lot of searching here in QL and read a lot on what it is like to live here before you get committed to coming here. If we had know what we know now, we would be happy and safe in the US and never have stepped foot in this country (again, my biased hatred filled opinion)We still have another 3.5 years to go unless we hit the lottery back home or our financial investment works out and we get the hell out of here after paying everything off.

Good luck though, some people really enjoy it here in Qatar, but not us.

Motherhood...The hardest job you'll ever love! : )