OnlyRoses

Tonight on our way to dinner (through the Gate Mall #ilovethegatemall), I talked Zach into taking me by a flower shop. I know that sounds weird and it IS. Especially for me because I am SO not a flower kind of girl. Give me chocolate, I will melt away into wonderland but as far as flowers go I can never get past paying so much for something that dies so quickly. 

Enter: OnlyRoses. 

This flower shop originated in London with a couple that traveled to Ecuador and fell in love with the beautiful roses, but like all flower lovers (and business owners) they wanted to find a way to take them to the next level and add value. The couple did their research and eventually found a way to actually preserve these roses... How long? You ask. A week? A month? TWO MONTHS? 

Still no. 

These beautiful roses last AN ENTIRE YEAR!! 

*GASP*

The lady in the OnlyRoses store told us that many customers have even had their roses last up to THREE YEARS!!! WHAT IS LIFE. 

These ones are even scented!! 

BUT WAIT! THERE IS MORE! 

OnlyRoses not only found a way to make fresh flowers last, those geniuses have found ways create rich and unusual pigments in the roses. And you guessed it, the color the richness of each flower lasts for years too. 

No water. No sunlight. JUST BEAUTIFUL, REAL ROSES! 

My personal favorite was the lavender but there was everything from black to lime green! 

They are even sold in these beautiful crystal vases shown. 

Of course, with every beautiful flower, comes a hefty price. 

For a scented basic LONGEST STEM YOU HAVE EVER SEEN rose, the cost is 35 QAR or $9.50

For a EVERLASTING rose in a glass vase $90

And for my favorite (go figure) the one in the crystal vase, you'll be paying about $160

BUT HONESTLY it is totally worth it; this thing will literally last longer than we are in Doha- wait did I just say that out loud? 😁😘 

Shokran & Gig Em! 

Bailey

Checkout their website here to see even more of their beautiful roses! 

First Year Anniversary: W Hotel

The title says it all!
Unfortunately I am terribly behind with this post as our anniversary was actually May 25! Whoops! Only two months behind, no biggie right? This anniversary is only the marker for the biggest and most wonderful year of my life so far. ;)

Zach and I, likely because our relationship started as broke freshman in college, has never been much about gifts or fancy outings. In college, a special date for us meant going to Cheddars, getting $4.50 margaritas and splitting an appetizer. Talk about a cheap date!! Nothing much has changed for us though now that we are in the real world making real money. We enjoy most going out together for a shawarma or a cup of coffee- the whole 5 star restaurant on every corner has never much suited us.

So this year, although it was our biggest anniversary yet, was not a treated like anything another than the norm. We agreed on no gifts and just wanted to spend a nice evening together reflecting back on the year.

You can imagine my surprise when Zach got home and with a big smile on his face and instructed me to put on a nice dress, we had a bottle of wine and a reserved table waiting for us next door at the W Hotel. I was COMPLETELY and UTTERLY caught off guard as we NEVER do this kind of thing. After a small debate that I quickly lost about if he was sure, on Tuesday night, May 25, 2015 I slipped out of my sweats, into a dress and we headed out to forget the budget completely and let ourselves INDULGE in what turned out to be an altogether unforgettable night.

Zach started by leading me to the third floor of the W Hotel, to a huge set of double doors with a guard outside. Once inside what turned out to be the Wahm Lounge, we were greeted by a live DJ and a dimly lit room filled with lounge areas and colorful accent lighting. We slid over to the bar (remember now that alcohol is prohibited and can only be bought in certain locations) where Zach prompted me to "pick whatever I like" which with no hesitation, I did.

We gravitated to the back of the room where sliding glass doors led to a huge, wrap around deck. From here we could see the city lights up close and personal while enjoying our drinks and marveling at the awe that we actually lived in such a place.

By the time we finished, our dinner reservations were just about to hit to we scurried out and went one flight down to the infamous Spice Market, a South-East Asian restaurant with dishes inspired by Jean-Georges Vongerichten and created by executive chef, Hyung Gyu Kim. It was absolutely beautiful and bustling with people so when the waitress led us to our private table for two by a huge window, it felt like a literal dream or a scene from a romantic movie.

Then, the wine came along with menus filled with dishes crafted by master chefs. We were on the top of the world and started chatting with our (somewhat) waiter, Jozef, (who end up being the restaurant manager) about the selection. After quite a discussion, (with menus that where every item makes your mouth water, selection doesn't some easily) we settled on "Fine de Clair" oysters with a Thai chili sorbet  and Shrimp Dumplings with a crab sauce as appetizers.

They came out and were DELECTABLE. Then another dish came out, then another!! The manager who we had quickly become friends with completely treated us our filled our palettes with combinations of flavors that exploded.

Next came our main course.
I ordered Teriaki Salmon Sashimi and Zach got the Say Glazed Short Ribs.

Finally it was time for my favorite, dessert. Before we could even order, this came out.

So sweet and thoughtful, not to mention DELICIOUS.

AND THIS!! All on the house to celebrate our monumental (yeah right!) milestone.

Each was more delicious than the last and the treatment that we got made us feel like absolute royalty.

This manager though, I tell you what. We tried to tip him (on top of) tipping our actual waiter and he completely and totally refused. He insisted that we give it to the waiter instead and explained that his job was not something he does for the money but simply because of his love of food and the people.
Can I just say wow?

I have met a few people like him in my life, that work because they truly love it and make each day at work a unique and meaningful experience. They truly LIVE each moment of the day and don't let a second slip away. Here's to you Mr. W Hotel Spice Market Manager, Jozef Pesta!

Seriously a cool dude, check him out here.

Okay where was I? Oh yes!
Finally, once we had finished, the staff loaded us into wheelbarrows and rolled us out....kidding! But seriously they might as well have, we each ate our weight in food and were in a full-on food-coma by the time we left!

It was a perfect night to compliment an even more perfect year.

During this year together we have started our careers, made life long friendships, laughed, cried, fought, made up, traveled across the globe and most importantly learned what it means and what it takes to build a Christ centered marriage. We are altogether imperfect but are completely and endlessly saved by the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is HIS holy union, we are just living in it!

Cheers!

Bailey

Working in Qatar

I have been getting many questions lately about my job. Where do I work? What do I do? And what is it like to work in the Middle East?

Well! I am here to tell you that working in Qatar is equally as great as living in Qatar.

I will start from the beginning and explain how exactly I got a job here.

As I have mentioned my husband, Zach, was relocated here to work on the HUGE MASSIVE rail line that the government is building to go all around the country. When we came for his work, within our first month I wound up meeting with his HR department. They knew from him that I was job hunting and so only about two or so weeks after meeting them, they called with a job opening. The HR team knew that I was in search of a marketing position but posed the job more as temporary placement while I take my time to find a more permanent marketing job.

Here is the moment when I had just officially signed the contract.

The job they offered was as an “Office Manager” for the Education City project.

Education City is this huge area in Doha with branches from some of the most prestigious colleges from across the globe (including Texas A&M WHOOP!, Carnegie Mellon, Weill Cornell etc.). It is SO COOL because the country has invested tons of money and so the architecture and ideas implemented here are just over the top. For example there is a giant glass carousel on campus. The purpose? ……to make the world a more beautiful place? Lol No but really Education City is legit. The project that I am working on is a research facility that will house cutting edge research from some of the sharpest minds in the world. 

The Education City Convention Center (not my photo)  

Education City Faculty of Islamic Studies (also not my image)

Education City Library (Sorry for not getting my own images! These ones were just too beautiful!) 

My actual job so far has been much less “Office Management” type work as I have been busy preparing tender documents, reviewing and revising contracts and conducting internal audits. Exciting stuff. Lol No but really the best part of work is getting to meet and learn from some seriously incredible people.

It sounds so cheesy but seriously it is so cool.

I felt safe at first because my actual boss is American—which is great because he was the only person who I could actually understand (thick accents galore here in Doha). Unfortunately, during my third week of work, he went on vacation and I was here on my own to fend for myself. What I found was that it has been the most rewarding thing to branch out and mingle with people from far different backgrounds as me.

My boss and I are literally the ONLY two Americans in my office out of the at LEAST 20 different countries represented. The most wonderful thing is that the people here (clearly) love to travel and have all been to at least 4 other countries for work and far beyond 15 for travel. During our lunches locked in a filing closet (read Ramadan post) we  would talk about the distant places we had all been and when one decided to plan a trip all would divulge beautiful and captivating stories of their time in these places and give a thorough checklist of what to and not to do when visiting.

Zach and I recently planned a trip to Sri Lanka and one of the three actual Sri Lankan natives from my office planned out our entire trip!

It is just the neatest thing.

Zach's work did a food festival last month where everyone brought food from their home country. Love it! 

I made apple crisp.....what is authentic American food anyways?? Lol 

Beyond the people, the working hours are very different from those in America.

Back in Texas I worked from about 7:30 – 5 and had two weeks (or ten business days) of vacation. With 7 bank holidays.

Sounds fine and normal until you see what the rest of the world is doing!

Here, I work from 7 – 3 and have over FIVE weeks of vacation (over 25 days) plus three “floating days” (which you attach on the end of bank holidays where you want) PLUS eleven bank holidays! It is freakin’ awesome!

No wonder everyone abroad travels so much! They have the time to! I have heard that in Europe the starting number of days off is 30 and it only goes up from there! Wow! Needless to say, people are traveling all of the time so it is never too big of a deal when you submit time off. I know a few places where you get dirty looks for even mentioning leaving for more than just a long weekend. (My boss is currently on a three week vacation…THREE WEEK!)

This is my "OMG I just LOVE getting so many days off work" face lol 

Okay and you got me, it is also my "I just want to take as many photos as possible before my henna wears off" face 

How do you ever go back to American work schedules after you have experienced such perks?

THE ONE DOWNSIDE .. okay TWO DOWNSIDES that are specific to me

a.       I work six days a week (Zach and most other companies do not but this particular contract does require it) (I work Sat-Thurs)

b.      Dress code is STRICT. That whole cover your shoulders and knee thing? Yeah they take it VERY SERIOUSLY at work. No more pencil skirts for me… The positive here is that since I work in a “site office” I can wear jeans and a t-shirt if I like… I still prefer the pencil skirt!

Finally, I suppose I should touch on pay and benefits. I won’t go into great detail here but financially, the country is doing VERY WELL and although housing is pretty pricey, the salaries certainly compensate. I will just say that Zach and I both make more than we did in the states. That’s all I will say about that!

Other great perks are the benefits that come along with the salary. For example I have a driver. It is awesome. He comes to get me each morning, takes me (and whoever else needs a ride) around from one office to the next during the day then at the end brings me home.!!!! This makes not having a car NO BIG THANG and keeps us safe from any of the wild drivers in fancy cars out here.

This is Michael (my driver) picking me up on my second day of work! 

Another perk are what we call “Tea Boys”. And let me just say, AMERICA NEEDS TEA BOYS! Basically they are men who work in the office and whose whole job is to bring drinks to everyone working in the office. Seriously, this is a real thing! They will bring you tea, coffee, espresso, water etc etc. I have even seen some bring treats like cookies with the drinks (ALL FREE). IT IS SO AWESOME. In the morning when you come in, the tea boy will promptly bring you your coffee exactly how you like it and then check on you throughout the day to bring anything else you may need. They even clean out your Tupperware when you finish lunch! THEY CLEAN YOUR TUPPERWARE PEOPLE! I HATE CLEANING TUPPERWARE! …clearly this is a huge benefit to me lol 

Zach asked that include his favorite tea boys Madan and Nishantha as well as his favorite drink that they make him, piping hot espresso! 

Zach’s office even has an “Office Boy” who goes around and does random “office” stuff for people. For example, he will grab documents off of the printer for you (heaven forbid you have to get up and grab it from ten feet away yourself!) Zach says that people will even have him plug things into the wall next to them for them. Seems a little over the top but service seems to be part of the culture. These kinds of workers can be found in literally every office and are very common place to everyone (besides me I guess!).

The last great perk is healthcare. Our full health insurance plan is provided by the company and basically allows us to get any treatment done (be it an eye treatment, skin, broken bone, whatever!) and we just pay the first 50 riyal ($13) then they pay the rest. THE ENTIRE REST. Like WHAT!! They even extend this same coverage to all of the hospitals in the entire WORLD.......all except American hospitals lol they literally write the plan and excluded America. Now if that doesn't send a message about Americas outrageous medical costs I don't know what would! Lol 

I got ALL FOUR of my wisdom teeth removed a month or two ago (which required a 24-hour stay in the hospital and a whole lot of meds) and it cost $4,943, I paid $13. Seriously.

Ready for tons of icecream and mashed potatoes

Starting to get scared about what exactly the surgery will entail 

Stitches removal where I never wanted to see another bit of mushy food in my life 

As good as the benefits sound, they still don't even compare to the FREE healthcare given to Qatari nationals or their free electricity, air conditioning etc. BUT THAT IS A WHOLE NOTHER (is nother a word?) STORY.

All in all, I give working in Qatar a great rating because of the diverse people you get to meet, the generous time off and extensive benefits.

Shokran & Gig ‘Em!

Bailey 

One of my early days at work before I learned that elbows and knees were highly offensive...whoops!

Starbucks!

I am happy about this post not only because the Arabian Starbucks kicks American Starbucks butt but also because it means I had a really great excuse to return to it!

I will be the first one to say that I love Starbucks. When they built one on campus at Texas A&M my senior year I literally altered my diet and had sweet potatoes for dinner most nights in order to squeeze as many drinks as possible into my dining dollar budget. It was a problem. 

I also want to dedicate this post to my former boss Chris Baxter -- she may be the first (and only) woman that I have met that loves Starbucks even more than I do. PLUS I miss her so Chris, this is for you!! 😘 

Starbucks in Doha are nearly as easy to come by as they are in Seatle. This makes it no surprise that there are TWO in City Center Mall, one of which Zach and I visited today. 

Here is Starbucks written in Arabic. 

Surprisingly though, over the main entrance it is written in English. 

& yes that is a shopping cart out front, likely from Carrefour. This is very common! Shopping carts are literally everywhere in this city! Consumerism at its best lol

So when you walk in the look is just the same as a typical American Starbucks, even the music is the same!

The difference that you notice almost immediately though is that these things are HUGE!

Especially in comparison to American Starbucks where there are only one or two good comfy chairs and they are ALWAYS taken. 

Here, you never have any trouble finding a spot. 

It just goes on...

And on...

And ON!!

Notice too the view we have here-- it is second floor so you get to see right down the streets of downtown! Especially beautiful lit up at night like it was for us tonight! 

When it comes to the drinks themselves, they do not disappoint. Friends of mine (particularly a friend who loves to travel around the world and try all types of coffee and ONLY drinks it black (yes you meet some pretty cool travelers here!)) say that the beans here are actually the exact same as the ones used in the states. This may sound like no big deal but what you find is that many chains abroad, Dunkin Donuts for example, use different ingredients depending on the region. Here, that is just not a concern! 

You can even find your perfect overpriced mug! 

Pastries though I would say are very different than the states. Back home in (at least in the Starbucks that I visited) the trend was moving towards little snack boxes, sandwiches and weird chocolate covered marshmallows and stuff on sticks...not here.

What you find here is much more decadent. 

Fresh baked cakes and pies of all varieties are what you will find here! This is a very common thing to see at coffee shops in Doha-- and I am not complaining! 

This person didn't even order a drink-- just came for the tiramisu! 

As for Zach and I -- you know we got that coffee. 😉

BUT the best part is -- they serve it up in real mugs for you!!!!! Ahhhhh it is the best! Especially when you are splitting it with your boo and get a giant venti mug! 

Heaven! 

We did cheat a bit though and I ran across to another coffee shop and snagged a kronut to go with our coffee. 

Topped with Nutella. Hello YUM! 

This international Starbucks gets two big thumbs up from me! 

Not only this one, but all of the Starbucks in Doha! They all have these huge floor plans and real mugs!

Not to mention great service! Haha

Aslair and Lito. Lovin that latte life. 

Thanks & Gig 'Em! 

Bailey