Twinnie | ExpatWoman.com
 

Twinnie

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Latest post on 10 May 2013 - 20:47
3 years ago when my boys moved from DESS to DC the majority of their class mates moved with them. Of the rest, 1 went to Sherbourne, 1 to ASD (since moved to DC) a couple to boarding school and a few back to their home countries. With the imminent opening of the new DC campus things might be different in future.
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Latest post on 10 May 2013 - 20:43
When we arrived in Doha, I was adamant that I didn't want a 4x4. Ended up with a Pathfinder and never regretted it. I lost count of the number of times that we went off road even in the city, just to around road works or find a back route somewhere. The 4x4 are usually higher than a saloon and are less likely to be damaged by the high road humps. Sorry, I can't help with a driving school though.
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Latest post on 11 August 2012 - 18:12
I have an electric oven in the UK with a fan and I never use it for baking. The results are always good. I'm actually slightly nervous about baking with the fan though I'll give it a go one day. The only problem I had with the oven in Doha was that it took longer to bake than the time indicated in a recipe. I don't know if that's because the oven was actually cooler than the control indicated. I usually needed somewhere close to double the time than a recipe called for. Once I got used to that I had no problems.
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Latest post on 15 May 2012 - 11:49
One word for the UK this summer: Olympics
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Latest post on 04 March 2012 - 02:35
Thans very much Kimi. DH's employer will pay for schools and housing so not an issue. Can you enlighten me at all about housing e.g. sizing, storage, apt vs villa. How essential is it to learn Korean? I plan on doing so but will it be difficult to manage to start with?
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Latest post on 24 February 2012 - 03:02
Hi CC, Thanks for the suggestion :) but yes, it would be a bit far to go for a chat. When are you coming back to the UK and where will you be living. Maybe we could get together. The job hasn't been confirmed so I don't know that we are definitely going. Will probably know more shortly.
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Latest post on 08 January 2012 - 05:14
Depends on which company you are trying to insure through. Mine said 3 years and so did DH's. Have now re-insured with Admiral who accepted the certificates from the previous insurers. We both got 10 years worth of no claims. You may need to shop around.
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Latest post on 31 August 2011 - 13:54
I know that you said that you left because of financial problems but did you know that the UK quarantine laws change from 1 January so the cats wouldn't need to spend 6 months behind bars. They would still need to have rabies jabs 3 months before travel and of course there would be the cost of the relocation. Just thought that I would throw it out there in case that option would be affordable to you. Good luck.
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Latest post on 08 August 2011 - 13:15
They would be in Reception. A child starts Reception (UK schools) rising 5. In other words, the school year in which they turn 5. They calculate from 1 September to 31 August. So if a child is 5 on 1 September or turns 5 anytime up until 31 August they start school that year. My boys are 8 August so they were 4 years and 3 weeks when they started Reception. HTH Louise
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Latest post on 01 August 2011 - 17:54
Thanks very much. I'll pass on the info to my friend to pass on to her BIL.
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Latest post on 28 July 2011 - 11:19
LOL. I can empathise. Before leaving Doha, I was taking great pleasure in squishing cockroaches. I hate using sprays as I'm very sensitive and almost anything sprayed in to the air makes me cough and splutter. I have a few silicone spatulas which came in very handy for catching the nasty critters as they ran around the kitchen. The bug spray did make a few outings but less than before. The kids were amusing when they would suddenly shout out "mum, cockroach". Cockroaches and bugs in the flour are two things that I will not miss about our life in Doha.
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Latest post on 09 July 2011 - 14:28
Qipco is a big compound in the West Bay. It is rented by Shell & Exxon so no houses are available at the moment.
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Latest post on 04 July 2011 - 15:59
CC, we leave a week tomorrow. As you thouht, we are headed back to the UK. DH will be working partly from home and partly in The Hague. Will be intersting.
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Latest post on 04 July 2011 - 15:57
Try the Regatta Sailing Academy. They run from the beach at the Intercon. They run courses for kids and adults and also separate ladies groups. Individual tuition is also available. I think that they might be closed during Augustd otherwise they are open year round. Louise
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Latest post on 27 June 2011 - 21:38
Granted it looks a bit old but it is definitely not that old. It was completed around the time that we arrived in Doha 3 years ago. There were some problems with the houses but a lot of money was spent rectifying the problems and the houses are now sound.
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Latest post on 27 June 2011 - 17:36
OK. I wasn't aware that any of the houses had been released, only the apartments.
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Latest post on 27 June 2011 - 16:12
Phokoje, Is this company housing or private rental? Many of the families in the company assigned housing are leaving this year so the atmoshphere of the compound may change. Up until very recently the residents at Golf worked for one of 2 companies but the project is coming to an end and people are leaving. The apartments have already been returned to the compound owner for rental, the houses are still retained by the company as far as I know. I lived there for 18 months and found it a very friendly place to live. The kids play out in the streets, the compound staff are nice and very helpful and the pool is a good size. It is very deep though there is a kiddies pool as well. I'm sure that you will like it there. When we first arrived it was very brown and sparse but the trees have grown immensly in the last 3 years and many of the residents have done nice things with their gardens. In addition to the Brits and Americans that CC mentioned there are also some Dutch families. Most have young kids so spend time outside in the street with the kids. It's a great way to meet your neighbours. CC, come and visit us at Qipco before we leave next week to see the difference. Louise
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Latest post on 17 June 2011 - 20:59
This may be unusaul for Doha but it certainly isn't for other parts of the world. I can hardly think of a shopping centre in the UK that doesn't charge. Most local high streets charge through the nose for parking. It does have an effect in some areas but I don't see it preventing people from visiting the larger malls. Our local Sainsbury owns the car park next to the supermarket and has a separate section for commuters. They offer free parking for the first 1.5 hours for shoppers. After that you have to pay.
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Latest post on 05 June 2011 - 10:11
Picklz, What year groups are you looking for. There is a lot of momvement at DESS at the end of the year. It might be worthwhile giving them another call. I know that 5 families are leaving from my DD's class, us being one of them and I've heard that in one Year 5 class that 8 kids are leaving. Louise
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Latest post on 24 May 2011 - 10:41
You rush to find the first flight out of the country for the summer (if that's an option).
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Latest post on 17 May 2011 - 23:03
I don't know how long the raisins were sitting on the shelf. Too long I most likely. I expect that the bugs were in the packet before I transferred the contents to the jar and I just didn't notice. At least once I'm back in the UK I won't have to worry about this again. Louise
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Latest post on 17 May 2011 - 22:57
2 Years and 9 months. Will be leaving in a few weeks, exactly one month shy of 3 years. Hated it here when we first arrived. Now I'm sad to be leaving. Wish we could stay another year. Louise
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Latest post on 17 May 2011 - 00:01
Lol Phokoje. Believe me though, you would not want to eat what was in my batter. The bowl was crawling with bugs. I thought the bowl would move. If only I had put the raisins in the fridge like I put the flour in the fridge. Everthing else is in air tight containers. I have no idea how they got in to the bugs. I thought the container was sealed. Louise
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Latest post on 16 May 2011 - 12:09
I'm sure that I've seen it ocassionaly in Mega Bucks. Louise
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Latest post on 05 May 2011 - 12:45
Can't help with the hula hoops but I'm pretty sure that I saw flower garlands in Daiso in the Hyatt plaza (next to Villagio). HTH Louise
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Latest post on 27 April 2011 - 22:59
Lulu Gharaffa currently has Shirataki noodles in stock. They are in the fridge next to the tofu, opposite the salad bar. Louise
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Latest post on 23 March 2011 - 13:14
If he does come I'll probably go and collect him as the journey involves transit through another country. He always used to travel with my mum. I don't think that he has traveled solo for over 30 years and he is now getting a bit frail. He is waiting for his new passport to arrive. Hoping it comes before the weather turns too hot. Louise
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Latest post on 21 March 2011 - 20:43
Thanks for the suggestion.
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Latest post on 21 March 2011 - 17:16
Hi Debbie, Sorry it took me so long to reply. G is going to be Boudica. Is your costume suitable? Would it be possible to meet up with you in school tomorrow? Louise
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Latest post on 18 March 2011 - 11:48
Does anyone know if the fabric shops are open today and if so what time? Also, can anyone recommend a tailor to sew a Celt costume for a school play. TIA Louise
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Latest post on 13 February 2011 - 22:27
Go to the Departures terminal. Turn right at the entrance and go to the far corner. There's an office in the corner. Tell them you want an E-card, show your ID, pay 100QAR, scan your index fingers, scan your retinas and get your card printed. Easy peasy. I was parked, in and out in under 10 minutes. Mid morning on a Wednesday. Louise
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Latest post on 09 February 2011 - 22:44
I use them all of the time. I also subscribe to audible.com because we download a lot of kids' books which aren't always available on the UK site. There are two levels of membership: Audible Listener = £7.99 per month/1 credit. Most books are 1 credit. Occasionally they cost two. If you don't use a credit in any given month you can roll it over to the next month. You can accrue up to 6 months of credits. Many books cost much more than the monthly credit which makes this worthwhile. When something seems to be very expensive I usually cross check the price against other sites to make sure that audible haven't overpriced that item. The second level is the premium level which is £14.99 per month for 2 credits. Credits can also be rolled over. Membership also allows you access to members only offers. They currently have an offer where the first 3 months membership is half price. When you buy a book you can choose to pay for an item instead of using a credit. I do this when a book costs less than the cost of the monthly credit. You can choose to change from one level of membership to the other or back again at any time. I'll do that sometimes if the kids want to listen to a series of books but don't want to wait for the monthly credits to come through. HTH Louise
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Latest post on 07 February 2011 - 21:51
I've purchased Manuka Honey in Lulu Al Gharaffa. Saw it just after I lugged a jar back from England in the summer. Louise
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Latest post on 06 January 2011 - 17:41
I renewed all 3 of my kids' passports last March. Handed the new passports along with the old ones to the company and the RPs were transferred to the new passports with the existing expiry date. The RP is only transferred, not renewed/extended. The original expiry date stands. HTH Louise