GinaM | ExpatWoman.com
 

GinaM

GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 14 March 2011 - 14:25
Most other places in the world you don't need to be "tied" to the company to show your commitment! Personally I would see this as a very very negative thing and would not give my my husbands sponsorship as it gives me much more freedom (primarily being able to leave the country when I want to and knowing that I am not "bound" to a company...not that I'm not commited but its all a bit "slaveryish" for me! :) What sort of commitment are they giving you back? By having you change your sponsorship they are putting you in a position where they could sack you and make you the leave the country at the drop of a hat...commitment is a 2 way thing and it should come down to trust!
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 13 March 2011 - 21:51
I have a few friends who live there and they all really like it. In terms of the price - I don't think there is any chance of getting the price down because 1. People queue up to get into that compound and if you don't take it someone else will. 2. Prices are on the rise down on the downfall. Its a very family oriented compound.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 March 2011 - 12:20
Oh yum...where do they sell frozen yoghurt there? Have to go and pick up some dry cleaning so wouldn't mind getting some...you've given me a taste for it now! :)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 March 2011 - 11:46
Yes, it is only the person on the company sponsorship that goes through the appointment system and it is a very new (last 2 months) system. Problem is that the spouse cannot get their RP until the person on the company sponsorship gets theirs. In fact you can't even go for the medical until your spouse has their RP as you have to be on an RP visa to go for the medical. There are some companies who get things done a lot faster but I won't go into how they manage that...just use your imagination! ;)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 March 2011 - 11:43
The drycleaners outside Giant at Hyatt Plaza are very good.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 March 2011 - 11:40
Everyone can have it but for some reason - even most people I deal with in business - don't choose to use it. Annoys the cr*p out of me especially when it is work related that you're trying to get hold of someone.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 March 2011 - 09:57
It is taking longer for company sponsored RP's because they have put in a new system whereby you actually get an appointment for your medical now and that is generally at least 4 weeks after you arrive (you still have to wait with everyone when you actually go for the medical so I'm not sure why they have put in this new system). Not having your RP shouldn't stop you getting a villa. We managed to get villa, electricity, phone etc without having our RP's. The only problem will be getting a cheque book to give cheques to the landlord but most landlords are understanding of this and will work with you - also if you talk to your/your husbands company they will often help out too. I read somewhere recently about not being able to ship your stuff over (or not being able to receive it here) without having your RP but we had all of our stuff delivered without RP's when we got here 4 years ago..maybe the system has changed??
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 March 2011 - 07:39
Australian Foreign Affairs website has always warned the same as the Canadian one...every since we got here in 2006.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 March 2011 - 07:38
You can have voicemail on both prepaid and post paid (unless getting rid of it on prepaid is what the person was talking about but I doubt it...why would you take away a service?? Ummm....OK...forget I said that! :) ). Anyway, try dialing 123 which is the Qtel voicemail service. It should tell you how to set up. If that doesn't work just go into Qtel or give them a call (Ummmm....OK...forget that one too...thats how the whole thread started isn't it! :) ).
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 09 March 2011 - 16:38
Personally if you are going to get a camera I think you should tell her about it. She has done nothing to make you mistrust her so I think it is an invasion of her privacy to spy on her. Also, just a thought - if you trust her with your child then why do you need to get a nanny cam? If you think that anything might happen then should you be leaving your son at home with her alone? Sorry...I know that I'm probably going to get back lash on that one but I think that you either trust your nanny/maid or you simply don't leave them with your children...if something does happen then having the camera there is a bit like closing the gate after the bull has bolted. Yes, you can then do something to make sure that "it" doesn't happen again but the damage may already have been done. So I guess what I'm trying to say is I think the best option is that you have someone that you trust and then don't jeopardise that trust by using a nanny cam. I think that writting things down is a good idea - gives her a schedule to follow.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 March 2011 - 16:43
Dr Giorgia. She works from 8am to 2pm. You can't make appointments at Doha Clinic...just walk in. Best to get there as close to 8am as you can and then you will have very little wait generally.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 06 March 2011 - 15:52
Just tried mine out and I've still got voicemail. Obviously an agent who just couldn't be ar#ed going and finding out what is wrong with your voicemail....although I would not have been overly suprised if Qtel had decided to get rid of one of the most universal, useful and widely used applications around! :)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 15:35
Saudi did have its hottest day on record last year (in fact a quite a few countries did) but officially (and not saying that your official within saudi wasn't considered official there Kellie) it got up to 52. I think you'll find that they recorded that temperature as a reading from within direct sunlight (possibly in a area trapping heat) whereas official temperatures are taken in shade.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 13:47
Your son will get an RP but it will be stamped into his passport - he won't get an ID card. No, you don't need exit permits to leave the country if your husband is your sponsor but technically you should have a letter from him giving you permission to leave the country. I've reguarly left with my son and without my husband over the years and have never taken a letter with me - and have never been asked for anything.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 13:44
The highest temperature ever recorded in Doha is 50.4. I think you'll find that we all read off the thermometers in our cars which are pretty dubious....mine generally sits between 49 and 53 the whole of summer. Still...once its over 45 its just plain HOT!! :)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 31 January 2011 - 10:37
15,000??? Who even knows 15,000 people...or even OF 15,000 people! LOL. They obviously didn't have much faith in people turning up for the event. In saying that the stadium was fairly full EXCEPT for the VIP section which was disgustingly empty! Should have let all the workers go and set in there on the plush chairs!! :) They did actually scan our tickets but then we got there about 5.15pm.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 January 2011 - 21:03
Think we should all arrive en mass this weekends, with bikes, balls and kites!!! And the biggest picnic baskets anyone could imagine! :) :) :) ....in bikinis! LOL
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 January 2011 - 19:25
They have a lot of security walking around Sega. Not sure if they are under strict instructions or one of those things about security guards who wanted to do something else but...you know...like nightclub bouncers! :) So, you can't ride a bike, play with a ball, fly a kite, wear a skirt, sit on the grass, eat...perhaps we should come up with a competition to see if anyone can come up with a normal park activity that you can do there? <em>edited by GinaM on 30/01/2011</em>
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 January 2011 - 18:06
I know, I know, I've seen many a sight in the middle of Ramadan even! She suggested that I cover my lower body with the pashmina that was covering my upper body. At the time my legs were tucked to the side under my skirt iykwim so all you could see was a couple of stray toes. I then told her that my arms (in a plain black crew neck tee) would be "exposed" but she just kept smiling and repeating that it was a Muslim country. I asked her if somebody made a complaint and she said yes! And this is all while they are holding a large international (and non denominational) event like the Asian Cup! Almost worth hanging around for 11 years to see what reaction the english football fans get! ;)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 January 2011 - 18:00
Quote from your link Sega - "We were urging everybody to come early to the match". We did get there early but just because we knew it would be a nightmare to get in but I didn't hear anywhere (and there was certainly nothing on our tickets or told to us when we bought them) that we should get there early. Not quite sure what medium they used people to get there early. Also there is a slight difference between "urging" people to do something and letting them know that if they weren't in by a certain time they wouldn't get in.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 January 2011 - 17:54
Err....since when was wearing a skirt an offence in Qatar?! I've seen girls walking around with half their bum cheeks hanging out of shorts in the middle of summer (not that I'm saying thats a good thing...here or anywhere else for that matter! :) )...but really a skirt below the knee?! What did you say to them? I would have been furious! Makes me so mad that they obviously have a little hitler complex thing going on down there.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 30 January 2011 - 13:13
Its probably for decoration! My husband was told off for riding a pushbike on the bike path (yes BIKE PATH) at Aspire park. When he pointed out the picture of the bike on the path the security said "Qatari says no bikes". Another friend was there with around half a dozen little boys (5 - 10 years of age) playing with a football and was told "No balls allowed in the park". Hmm...I am for the life of me trying to figure out what they think a park is for!!
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 25 January 2011 - 22:33
Just before going to the game tonight for some reason I decided to register with them too so got the points as well (just hadn't bothered before!). Pretty good for a football game - normally you're sitting at the edge of your chair when its 1 - 0 or 1 - 1 with minutes left to go! I'm happy - Australia's in the final and I've got tickets! :)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 17:42
Well hope you are all going to rug up tomorrow night and come along and support Australia! ;)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 15:43
Don't laugh Sega....I went to the Australia Bahrain game and DID have on a scarf and jacket! :) OK...so maybe not exactly cold under 30 but I am well and truly into jumpers once it gets below 22! :)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 10:04
I guess everyone has to live with their own decisions (including maids) but I think we all need and are entitled to our own personal, private space.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 10:02
You will probably find it quite relative to where you are from. I find that I have acclimatised quite a lot in over 4 years and now find each summer a bit milder than the last and anything under 30 to be verging on cold! LOL. Mind you I come from Australia and while the summers here are very hot the sun is not anything like the burning sun in Australia. The sun is much milder here so where 50 degrees in Australia would be totally unbearable, 50 here is more like the equivalent of say 40 in Australia (so obviously still hot!!). Kids really acclimatise too - my 5 year old son doesn't want to ever leave Doha because he thinks it is too cold everywhere else. :)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 24 January 2011 - 09:53
Check at one of the ticket boxes. Not sure about the final but I know that they are been releasing new lots of tickets for all matches each day - rather than release them all at once they are doing this to stop scalpers. I went and bought tickets for one of the semi's yesterday - the guy said there were heaps left and I got great seats (I think! :) ).
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 20:58
I think there was a thread on this within the last week so you may not get too many replies...maybe just have a look back over the last few pages of threads....should pop up. From memory the comments were fairly good.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 23 January 2011 - 20:55
Personally I would not have a maid without a maids room that is separate from the rest of the sleeping rooms. I know people that do it but I would find it very intrusive on my own personal life. I think that you already have a huge adjustment having someone who isn't family living in the house with you and keeping the relationship a work one to the main part (which you need to if you don't want problems down the line) is already difficult enough. To have them in your very personal sleeping space (which I consider our bedroom floor to be) would make that even more problematic in my opinion. I may be opening a can of worms here but having them share a bedroom with one of your children is just plain wrong in my opinion....for all parties concerned.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 21 January 2011 - 10:16
We're onto our 3rd villa in Doha and haven't painted one of the ones that we've left (in fact we've basically just walked out...they've always been filthy - other than the current one - when we moved in so have always said "we're leaving it in a better condition than we found it"). It is a pretty standard thing around the world that the landlord is responsible for things like the painting of property. Perhaps the holes in the wall they could get away with asking you to repair but if its not in your lease then I dont' think they have a leg to stand on re the painting.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 20 January 2011 - 08:21
If his leave is stated in calendar days then that is why they would include the weekend if he takes either side of it. If it just says, for example "30 days" leave in his contract they will mean calendar days. They will specify "work days" if it does not include weekends. That is actually fairly standard here.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 January 2011 - 15:12
I thought it was actually part of the law - I know a company that puts it in their contracts and I doubt that they would do so if it wasn't part of the labour law but then maybe someone else can clarify. Or google the labour law - I've managed to find an english version of it on the web before.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 January 2011 - 14:46
You are allowed 3 days for each Eid, one day for National Day and then another 3 days to be determined between yourself and your employer (ie. most westerners take xmas day, new years day, easter etc) - giving a total of 10 days public holidays per year. I've never heard anything about another 2 days personal leave on top of that and would be extremely suprised if it is in the labour law.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 January 2011 - 14:40
Call me a cynic but this thread is bringing out the faux posters isn't it! Discrete advertising at its best?? ;)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 19 January 2011 - 14:40
There is a big collection bin at Villagio on the left hand side just before you walk in the food entrance door (that leads straight in to Go Sport).
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 17 January 2011 - 08:32
Hate to disappoint you Patty but its still above 20 every day in Doha too. In fact is 7.30am and its 18 and one day last week it was 30. Obviously lots of the people here are overly acclimatised like me though....I start complaining when it gets below 30! LOL....not quite sure how I'm going to manage when I go home eventually and have a real winter (and I'm talking Australian winter too not even a proper northern hemisphere one!).
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 16 January 2011 - 20:46
Hi westlaw. Will ask them if they can email you. Not sure if they come on to Expatwoman or not. I know one person who went to Al Khor - not sure if it was through HMC or private Dr up there (apparently he is well known for reduced/subsidised price so could well be HMC) and the result was I think ok in the long run but the recovery was really very very average.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 16 January 2011 - 16:03
Hi westlaw. I have a few friends who have gone there - tummy tucks, some sort of facial procedure - kind of like a face lift but not as severe - I think maybe that one where they put in strings and pull them, lipo, eyelifts (if is a few friends and not just one! :) )...they all seem very happy with the results and have all had the things done with Dr Makki. I had botox done there (with another of their doctors) but quite a while ago. I found it incredibly painful. I had it done once when a friend was learning in Australia and it didn't hurt at all so I wasn't very happy with the pain result here and also found that maybe a bit too much was used and didn't like the entire "frozen face" effect. I have a few other friends who have also had botox there and said that they also found it very painful and a bit too effective! :) Guess it depends on what you are after. I also know people who have gone to other "less expensive" drs in Doha and think that they have regretted it.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 12 January 2011 - 16:36
There is a public beach next to the Sheraton - never been there and haven't actually heard anything good about it. There are lots of public beaches outside Doha though - both north and south.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 12 January 2011 - 15:46
I've got a few friends in real estate and apparently the larger compounds are already planning on putting their prices up again this year so I think that our nice little drop in rents is coming to an end. Imagine what the prices are going to be up to in 11 years time!
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 January 2011 - 16:54
You don't really need to live right next to school/work to not go crazy in Doha. The traffic is bad but it is manageable. West Bay is a pretty big area - I'm guessing you mean the city centre? If that is the case you might want to look around Landmark. I live near Villagio and my son goes to DESS - its a fair distance on the map but only takes 30 minutes in normal bad morning traffic and 15 in great traffic. From DESS to the city is about 10 minutes. The problem is when there is an accident or the Emir is travelling through and then it doesn't really matter if you are going 1 mile or 10 then....its still going to be painful! :)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 10 January 2011 - 11:14
Try Liu on 5546 5065 - not sure if she is still around or not. Not sure about accupuncture for headaches either but I guess its worth a try! :) I got bad headaches when I was pregnant too - Dr told me it was fine to take panadol so I did (and my son seems normal! ;) ). Good luck.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 09 January 2011 - 15:42
I have a friend who went to the beach at the cultural village - it was QR100 per adult and QR25 per child. She said it was fantastic value as the day that they went they had jet skiing, paraflying etc etc etc and its all included in the price! Haven't been ourselves yet (too cold right now for me! :) ).
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 20:26
I think Johnsons (Johnstons??) is good - or so I've heard. They are all around the place - there is one behind the petrol station where mega mart express is and another along Salwa Road just past the Hardees roundabout.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 15:26
Got quite a few friends who have been to Carluccios and are raving about it! :) You can even get a glass of wine at the Ritz for less than that cupcake was...now that sounds much better value to me! LOL (BTW...son didn't even eat the whole bl**dy thing!!!)
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 14:26
I bought my son a cupcake at cupcake factory in Villagio the other day. Was just a plain chocolate one with some smarties on it....QR25!! I nearly died and would have told them to keep it but would have had a very upset 5 year old as I had already agreed. Ridiculous price for a cupcake though and I definitely won't be giving them any more of my money.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 10:22
Are you after an actual podiatrist? Luke at Aspetar is really good - you'll have to get a referral to see him though from a Dr.
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 08 January 2011 - 10:21
We spend about 1000 a week on 3 adults and 1 child. To be fair I used to spend about the same amount at home so I don't personally see much difference overall - somethings are more expensive - some are cheaper. At the same time I only buy good meat (I find the meat here excellent - I buy Oz or Kiwi meat and its better than what we get back home...the best really is exported! :) ) and also I don't scrimp but buy whatever I feel like, including overpriced imported goods at times!
GinaM
514
Posts
EW GURU
Latest post on 07 January 2011 - 11:03
Actually the Labour Law says that at "termination of the service" the employer shall pay for the worker to go back to where recruitment took place - it doesn't say anything about termination of contract or prior to end of contract. Obviously you've been here more than 12 months since you are due for your annual tickets anyway so I would have a look at your contract and see what it spells out - many contracts specify what conditions will still apply if the contract is broken and in many cases conditions still apply no matter what and are not tied to the completion of the contract. My husbands work would have paid for us to go at any stage during his initial contract and at my work even if a person turns up for 3 days and wants to leave we pay for them to go back. You might also want to go into the Labour Department and talk to them - they are pretty good about following things up fast for people.
 
 
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