Shopping...Doha style.

I will never complain about prices again!

O.K., maybe never is a bit extreme.

Today, I went to the Carrefour, one of the local grocery chains, and bought some celery on sale. The sale price was just under $5.00! It was from Australia, what did I expect. It better be some yummy tasting celery! The broccoli was about the same price but it was not as fresh looking, so I passed this time.
I paid a little over $7.00 for a med. sized bag of BAKED Doritos by Frito-lay...ouch! I just had to have my "baked" chips! Imported food is one of the most expensive items to purchase here in Doha, well , at the very least the most noticeable, simply because you have to buy it every week.
It's funny, I have found some things from Kroger here at some of the American supported
stores. Ethan always says, "Mom, we have to buy this, it's from Kroger!" I reply with, "but it costs $10.00 a bottle!"
We have learned to get specific things at certain stores and I have also learned to just try some of the local brands because they are less expensive. For the most part, the local brands have been pleasing to the palette, and if not, well, my two growing boys become very useful. ;-)

Not all things are pricey. I just filled up our car that was on "E" for about $12.00. I guess it all evens out. By the way, we are still in our rental. Buying a car here is a whole other post!
The service industry here, is the least expensive by far. We have hired one service so far... a cleaning lady. The tailors, upholsterers, carpenters, etc. are all very skilled and the labor cost is almost non-existent. Oh, by the way there is no sales tax. We are tax free here on everything we are used to getting taxed for in the U.S. This is a big plus.

This country is in love with their malls. It must be because of the heat, free time and all the wealth that the locals seem to have in abundance. These malls put places like the Galleria to complete shame. I have never seen such sprawling decadence in all my years of living.

During Ramadaan, the malls open at 7am. and they close at 3:00am. So why close?
You'll find the malls packed until the late night hours. The locals eat late, and stay out till very late. When we arrived in Doha, it was about 10:30 pm on a Tues. night. The streets were packed and were very lively. This was one of the first introductions from this city that made an impression on me.

"Sticker Shock" is the first reaction when shopping here in Doha. It's either outrageously high or ridiculously cheap. But most of the stores in the malls are outrageous. I was even told while asking to look at some sun glasses in a simple kiosk at the mall, "Ma'am these are very expensive", I asked to see them anyway, she then told me the price, and I put them down gently and said "Thank You", smiled and moved on. If I was wearing the local dress, then I probably would not have been questioned. :-)

Then there are the Souqs. Pronounced like "soup" only replace the p with a q.
This is a old time market where handcrafted and unique items can be found. The art of bartering is a typical event here. We have been told that if you don't remember to barter they will lower the price for you anyway, out of pity. Gee..... Thanks.
We have been to the souqs a few times and want to return when the weather is a bit milder, as most don't have A/C. This is a must, here in this region of the world.

The currency is in Qatary Riyals. To find out the cost in U.S. dollars you take the Q.R., divide by four and then add 10%. So when the bill rings up as 550 Q.R. I have learned to relieve my shock by quickly doing the math. Since we've been here, cash has been the only way to make a purchase for us, and it flowed through our hands like water. We now have credit cards and a real Qatar bank account. So cash is not the only means of getting by.

I'm sure the adventures of shopping are far from over. Even though we have been all over the city, there is so much more to be discovered! I'm currently shopping for rugs and house and garden plants...
stay tuned.

Love to all,
Sandy.

Kief Haalak?

Keif Haalak? (How are you?)

We are doing fine!

Life is a little different here, since the month of Ramadaan began a week ago. This month has been much anticipated by the locals. The name Ramadaan comes from the noun "ramad" which refers to "the reflected heat of stones resulting from the intense heat of the sun." The ninth month, which used to be called Natiq, fell during the summer, the time of extreme heat, this was the time the Muslims believe the revelation of the Qur'aan began, thus being named Ramadaan.

Since Muslims follow the lunar calendar, the month of Ramadaan will occur in all the seasons at least twice in each person's lifetime. The intense heat has little to do with what this holy month means to Muslims, instead it signifies a time of self restraint, reflection, physical and spiritual cleansing, closeness to their God by abstinence and by ridding themselves of any distractions. A month of fasting and abstinence from eating, drinking, smoking, conjugal relations and all forms of vice from dawn until sunset.

There is feasting and communing from house to house while the fast is broken, during the evening through to the wee am hours. All are able to partake of their last meal until 3:00 am and then they are restricted to begin their fast once again in the remainder of the day while the sun is out.

I have asked myself often, if I would be able to do this and what it would be like for an entire month. Like the examples in the Bible, fasting was done while one was in earnest prayer for something or for someone. I believe the sentiment behind this form of purifying and sacrifice is profitable and can be beneficial to the spiritual man. There are too many examples of it throughout the Bible to completely disregard it.

So how has this month impacted our stay here? It has not been as bad as some have warned it would be. By law, those who are "abstaining" this month are allowed to get to work later and leave from 12:00- 1:00 pm., so that they may rest. This month is not a productive month for Exxon Mobil. Food establishments cannot open until "Iftaar" (the breaking of the fast) which begins at sunset, (around 5:45 pm) however, other stores are allowed to open in between times of prayer, and generally a few hours in the morning; although most stores are owned by Muslims and most stay closed until Iftaar.

Anyone who is not Muslim, and do not observe this month as "holy", is strongly encouraged to cover up and show no skin (or form) and adults are not to eat, drink, or chew gum in public as a show of respect to the locals. We understand there are "moral police" out and about the city, making sure that all are in compliance, the locals, as well as the foreigners (us expats). The pressure to observe and obey the Qur'aan and it's teachings is extremely heavy, by the Government and by fellow believing Muslims.

Here in the compound, we are not restricted at all. The restaurants in the compounds are not made to observe the laws and customs of the land, pertaining to Ramadaan. So staying in is an option we choose often, although we like getting out at Iftaar too! :-)

I hope you enjoyed this World Cultural lesson. I'm very interested in learning about the customs and traditions here. It helps me to understand and keep from getting frustrated at times.

Someone once said, "Understanding is a profound demonstration of love"...
I believe this to be true.

When I greet the locals, I have learned to say: "Assalam 'alaykum !" This means "Peace be unto you". I only hope they see that I mean it from the heart.

Until my next post...

Assalam 'alaykum

We are Back!!!

We are BACK!!! Back and connected to the rest of the world! It is September 14th, 2 weeks and 4 days since we left our homeland and yesterday our air shipment finally cleared customs and was delivered. Just 4 medium boxes by air that made yesterday seem a little like Christmas.

One of those boxes had our computer which is the reason I have not had a chance to post on our blog.
A few days ago I went to the clubhouse to check my e-mail for the first time since leaving Houston, (only because there usually is a waiting line to use the computers) and I was overwhelmed by the e-mails I'd received! Wow! I'm not sure I'll be able to reply to everyone, so I'm hoping this post will answer some of the questions you have.
We are all doing well and adjusting. The boys completely shocked us (and continue to do so) by their ease of travel by plane for 21 hours. The first morning we got up and were driven to have our vision tested and receive our security briefing, afterwards, we went to the mall for lunch and to find some things we needed. I told Erik I was having a hard time "not staring", he reminded me this is called "culture shock" and that I needed to do whatever it takes to "not stare". I leaned over to tell Ethan not to stare and he responded, "stare at what, Mama". I knew then, that the only one I needed to be concerned with, was myself. This is the innocence that Jesus talks about when referring to children. I'm glad to tell you that I'm doing soo much better now and I can even go to the stores, mind my own business and get things done, without much distractions.
About our home...we love this home! The minute we walked in we felt so grateful to have such a beautiful place to call ours for the duration of our stay! They don't do square footage in this compound but this house has plennnnty of room and the lay out is very comfortable. For instance, there are 5 full size couches and 6 armed coordinating chairs in the living rooms. The dining table seats 10, and I have 5 bathrooms to clean. :-) The kids are enjoying this house as well, with the exception of the absence of toys.
About the people...can I just say that absolutely everyone has welcomed us with wide open arms! If there are any mean spirited and ugly people in this compound, we have not met them yet. Ethan asked me, "Why is everyone being so nice to us?" I think it's because everyone has experienced what we are going through right now. We have had food, cookies, bags of toys for the boys, calls, gifts, welcome baskets, etc. brought to us by our neighbors and by the people I now call friends. We have a little family in this community, and we are grateful, so very grateful to our good Father.
About the church...Everyone we have met, we ask, "Do y'all go to church anywhere?" (of course in our southern drawl)( by the way, the majority of the people in this compound are from Houston, so we all have the drawl.) ;-) Many do go to a church called, Grace Community Church, (does that sound familiar) nearby, that worships on Friday. We are gently letting people know that we are worshipping God on the Lord's day like the New Testament churches did, so we will see if there are any interested in joining us. I have joined a new ladies bible class that starts on the 19th, on Beth Moore's in depth study on the book of Daniel. I'm looking forward to that. So far there are 40 ladies enrolled and I have invited my sweet neighbor Penny, to join me, she has agreed and even thanked me for having invited her. We are also going to be having our own personal Bible study soon. Please pray for us and this effort. She has befriended me and impressed me on so many levels and her heart is so tender. Penny wanted to know why we do some things we do and when we explained, she responded, "I want to do what it takes to be pleasing to God too, but it scares me." So we will begin with how "God's perfect love casts out all fear" and then go on from there. God is sooo Good....
Well , I've taken too much of your time...
Thanks for all your concern, love and especially prayers! We have been in touch with some and with the Southside Sunday and we know that there are many who have been needing prayers. We are praying for those, from this side of the world. If there is anything we can do from here let us know.
While you sleep...you are being thought of.
Until we talk again,
With all our love and gratitude....
The Phelps Family.