For the love of....Bureaucracy!!!

I have been in Qatar for just over 2 weeks now and I am thanking my lucky stars that I am a chilled out person!  I had read up before I came and I knew that this is not a country of speed (unless you are driving on the roads)!  As soon as we arrived, our buddies and teachers around the school started talking about the time that it would take to get things done, especially if it involved licences or paperwork that needed to be signed off by whatever Ministry and I am fine with that – they must have made the word ‘Inshala’ for something, right?!

Last week, when we attended our welcome breakfast at the school, we had been given a list of documents that we would need to provide HR in order for them to process certain applications that were, understandably, written in Arabic.  They needed various copies of our passports, drivers’ licences, about 20 passport sized photos with blue backgrounds.  This would allow them to collate the necessary paperwork for our temporary drivers’ licences, residence permits, alcohol licences, etc and when 50+ new members of staff arrive in one go it is bound to take some time to sort out!

Having a drivers licence and being able to drive a car in Qatar has been high up on most people’s priority list.  Public transport here is possible but not amazing and trying to find published bus times is like looking for a needle in a hay-stack (or so I have been told, so I haven’t even bothered looking).  We were buddied up with existing members of staff when we arrived anyway and so we have been managing to get around the place easy enough with people offering lifts into Doha for shopping trips, as well as the school laying on busses to collect people from various compounds to bring them into work, or to the beach club or other events put on to help ease the new staff into the swing of daily life in Al Khor. 

So yesterday, a wave of excitement went around the building when a list of names was sent via email of people who had got all of the relevant documentation and therefore could be taken to the Ministry of Transport in Doha to arrange temporary driving licences.  This was great news because as British Citizens, we have only been allowed to drive on our UK licences, according to the FCO, for 14 days.   After this, a temporary licence is required until you get your RP.  Busses arrived and we all crammed in clutching our bundle of papers and photographs. 

30 or so people walked into the Ministry building and were greeted by an empty room with a long desk that could have seated 10 staff to process applications.  There was no one there.  There were 4 ladies, however, in tiny little rooms next to this, employed to do the eye tests required to get the licence.  One of the Arabic speakers had come with us from school and so he collected up our payments of QR150 and went off to the office to pay for the licences we were all so desperately after.  Eye tests complete, we had to find the next office, where our documents needed to be checked and signed by the Chief of Police, or his representative (I’m guessing).  We also had to collect a ticket to enable us to actually make the payment to the ladies behind another long counter, who were again checking the paperwork and producing the highly cherished temporary licence.  What a palaver!! 

So, I passed my eyesight test with relative ease – the biggest issue I had was keeping up with the speed the slides of numbers and letters were being flashed before me!  The next test was to find the Chief of Police.  Someone was positive that they knew where we were going and so off we trundled to the furthest building only to be told to go back to the place we had come from and the building we needed would be found directly opposite.  Once I was in there and in front of the Chief, he told me that my paperwork was incorrect as I had not photocopied my driver’s licence front and back on the same page.  I initially suggested that he just sign 2 sheets of paper, but this was clearly not possible and would have been too easy a solution, so I had to go and find some portacabin full of African descended men, who could rephotocopy my licence so it was all on one page.  I guess it all goes to help the local economy of workers employed to perform single tasks....

Back I went, eyes following me, across the car park to the Chief.  This time I was signed off with no issues and I could take a ticket for the ladies who would do the final checks and take the payment on the card that had been loaded up with the cash that we had paid some bloke in the first building. 

And then I had it – MY Licence!! WooHoo!!!  Two and a half month of driving freedom awaited me!! Yippee!! 

Oh wait.... 17 days!!! Bugger!!! 

So what had gone wrong?  I had my new visa stating that I was a temporary worker waiting for my RP to come through.  So why the 17 day limit?  Oh that’s right – my passport stamp.  When I arrived, my visa application had not been processed in time and so I had to pay for a tourist visa to enter the country.  This allowed me one month before I would be required to exit Qatar.  And this still remains the stamp in my passport, even though I have a piece of paper stating otherwise with my new visa details.  And so 17 days of driving bliss (or total anarchy awaits me) once I have my hire car.....

Bureaucracy at its best!!

Qatar, Qatar, Qatar!!

Sunday came along very quickly and before I knew it, I was in the car heading for the airport.  Not Heathrow, but Gatwick to collect my parents and sister from their holiday in Greece.  I hadn't seen them for 2 weeks but the time from dropping them off to collecting them had flown by and now it was my time to leave.  They came off the plane all tanned and smiling but there was no time to hang about as I had my own plane to catch - in Heathrow, which could take anywhere between 30 mins upwards to get to depending on how kind the M25 was feeling at the time!  Luckily, it must have known that it was an important day and I didn't have to crawl along the road to the airport, which is one of the busiest stretches of motorway normally.

I had already checked in online the day before, booked my seat and sussed out where I needed to go in the airport.  I couldn't believe how quick it was to check in - there were loads of people waiting to do it at the desk but I went to a dedicated queue and was straight through - yippee!!  I met Gina standing next to me at check in.  She had some interesting news for me - the school had not sorted out our visas.  In my blasé way I didn't feel too worried about this at all and the check in lady said I could buy one at the airport in Doha.  Ok, not ideal but a solution at least.  There were now only 3 hours to my flight left and so my family and I headed to the airport restaurant to grab a bite (and for me a couple of beers!!) before I had to leave.  My Mum, I knew was going to be a bit teary, but I was surprised about how calm I felt - and have felt since I got the job; normally I am much more in tune with my emotions and wear them on my sleeve for the world to see.

Time passed quickly and before long I was on the plane, sat next to Gina, hand luggage stowed in the overhead lockers, belt on and taxiing towards to runway.  Full throttle and the plane was hurtling down the runway and we were climbing.  I wish that I had kept my camera out of my bag because the view of London spread out below me in the darkness with all of the lights twinkling below me was a beautiful sight and took my mind off the fact that we were flying.  Before I knew it, we were crossing the English Channel and were over Europe, the time to destination counting down on the screen in front of me.  We were flying towards the sun, quite literally and as we started flying over the Persian Golf, the sun was creeping over the horizon and I was congratulating myself on choosing a window seat on the left hand side of the plane as the view was spectacular.  My camera was out of my bag now and although I have tried to capture how magical this sight was, I haven't managed it.

By the time that we landed in Doha, the sun was fully up and we could see the desert.  It was not what I expected.  It was beige, Not golden yellow as I had pictured it in my mind.  I started thinking, 'What on earth have I done?!' and judging by the look on Gina's face she was thinking the same thing.  It was already roasting outside, even though it was only 6am, my hand luggage weighed a complete ton and as we were one of the last off the plane.  It was very lucky that one of the other teachers was on the plane and had been living in Qatar for the last 8 years because the bus had taken us to the transfer lounge and not arrivals as we were expecting.  Once we were delivered to the correct terminal, the queue for passport control was pretty long and for some reason not moving.  I have since realised this is the Qatari way.  It was taking them ages to do anything by the looks of it but as I was still following this other teacher around and she had kids with her, they brought us straight to the front of the queue thankfully.  And once we were through, the bags were off the plane and on the carousel quickly and customs paid us no mind at all.  And there was Lyal, the headteacher, standing with a sign to gather all us newbies together.  A bus trip with a sight seeing commentary later and we were in Al Khor, dropping people off in their compounds.  I felt really lucky that I was in an apartment on the actual Al Khor Community because I am within walking distance of the school and clubs on the compound.

My apartment has 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, a laundry room, kitchen, lounge and balcony.  All of the floors are tiled and there is air conditioning in all of the rooms thankfully as it is really warm outside at the moment.  We were left alone to unpack for the rest of the day. Not my idea of fun but luckily some of the other teachers who are buddied up to us newbies came to check on me and offered me a trip shopping - Yes Please!!  I needed cleaning stuff as the floor was dusty and I had already spotted a dead cockroach (and I wanted to be prepared in case any others turned up)!!  The next few days were spend shopping in Doha, with buses laid on by the school and lifts being offered (and gratefully received) by teachers who had already returned from their summer breaks.  I discovered that the shopping malls here are just like the ones at home, with many of the same shops (but higher prices) and being Eid, it was very quiet. I could have been anywhere in the world in that shopping centre, save the Qatari's walking around in their dish-dashes.

The apartments that we are in have some furniture in, but we know that this furniture will be removed soon.  We are being given a shopping allowance to buy new furniture with (mine is the equivalent of £2700) and I am not actually sure how far it will stretch.  I need everything from pots and pans, plates, cups, etc to beds and sofas.  I have seen stuff that I would like and now I am just waiting for the goodly allowance to be given to me.  I was worried that I would not be able to get a bank account on my tourist visa but I think this is being overlooked by the bank as they know that we are sponsored by Ras Gas and have a permanent position at the school.  My biggest annoyance at the moment is waiting for a temporary drivers licence.  I am allowed to drive in Qatar (according the the British FCO website) for 14 days on my UK licence and after that I need to have applied for a temporary licence while I wait for my residence permit (RP), wherein I will need to apply for a full Qatari licence.  I also cannot purchase a car in my name until I have my RP and I have no idea how long that will take while I am on a tourist visa.

But, with all this in mind, I have been having an AWESOME time since I got here!  I have met some really great people, who were new to Qatar once themselves and are totally understanding of what it is like for us not having cars.  The lifts have been frequent and offered all of the time which has been a god send.  I have even had a go at driving in the desert for a bit and that was so much fun - I want a 4x4 badly now!!  I have been to a beach BBQ on Fuwairit Beach and had a swim in the sea that was the temperature of a nice warm bath and watched the sun go down.  Life at the moment could not get much better!!  I have spent my first few days at school too, which is good but frustrating too as I feel lost with the job and everything is still being finished with regards to the curriculum and timetabling and we only have 2 days before the kids come in - I feel out of my depth big style!!  But, I am sure that it will all come together eventually......

....and how many people can say that they have finished work at 1:30pm and are sat by the pool in glorious hot sunshine having lunch and it will be like this EVERYDAY of the year?  I am loving it!!