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!

Ramadan Kareem

The Christmas/ Fourth of July/ Thanksgiving/ Halloween of the Middle East!

But seriously. 

When it was coming close everyone started chattering about it and I didn't know why it was such a big deal. I mean I have lived in a world where it existed my whole life and it never had much of an impact. BUT OH MAN. Living in a Muslim country when Ramadan hits is a WHOLE DIFFERENT STORY. 

Let me start with explaining exactly how Ramadan begins because unlike American holidays, this one has no true start date...until that date has come. What happens is a religious leader (not sure exactly who) goes into a mosque (not exactly sure which one) and if he sees the moon then Ramadan begins, if not then the world waits another day. Kind of like the groundhog seeing his shadow? Too much of a stretch? Okay well yeah you get the point. 

So when it begins the first huge thing that happens is that all Muslim people go into a daytime fast. Basically while the sun is up, they fast and when the sun goes down they feast. The impact that this has on everyone else is that literally no one else in the country is allowed to be seen eating or drinking. 

This is a rule because it would be tempting for the Muslim people to want to eat if they see others doing it but I guess out of sight out of mind? 

Seriously though, when I say you can't eat or drink I mean you literally cannot eat or drink ANYTHING. You literally can't even drink a sip of water while driving in your car! It is THAT strict!! Even at work you must not eat where you can be seen (or smelt!). In many offices, people must only eat or drink in private break rooms but as for me and my office, well we just had a filing closet. A literal filing closet. So I am not even kidding, the tea boys moved a desk into it and that is where everyone had to eat lunch (and breakfast and drink water) for the entire month!

Don't believe me??? 

BAM. 

Three of my co workers DRINKING COFFEE IN A CLOSET. 

I know it sounds like a terrible thing but because of the sensitivity to the Muslim people, the work hours are actually cut short too. So instead of working 8 hours days, we just work six! FOR THE WHOLE MONTH! I think I can trade in eating in public for working short workdays. Yep, sounds like a good trade to me. Lol 

So okay you are not eating in public, you are working shorter hours then what happens when the sun goes down? THE PARTY BEGINS! 

Muslim people break their fast with a huge meal called an Iftar. Usually, they start by eating some dates and then move into a full out feast, usually buffet style with a desert at the end. Because of this, basically every restaurant during the month of Ramadan serves an Iftar meal. Many of them ONLY serve an Iftar for dinner during the month (oh I forgot to mention that until the Iftar, the restaurants shops etc are all CLOSED so literally during the day the whole city kind of shuts down). Even five star top of the line restaurants (which this city is full of) will only serve an Iftar meal during this month. Eating out gets pretty expensive when the only meal you can buy costs around 250 riyal or $70! 

In America, many companies will throw big Christmas parties or Christmas dinners for their employees during December but here in Qatar, they throw big Iftars! I was so excited because it meant I would get to partake in the special meal and see what it was all about. (Without breaking the bank no less!)

The first one we went to was for Zach's job, held at the Marriot Hotel. 

Out front there were to REAL LIVE CAMELS. 

We acted like total tourists and got photos. 

We then went inside and saw a falcon trainer??! 

You know I was all over that

Next we went into this huge ballroom where the Iftar was being held. 

The tables were pre-set with dates and the walls were LINED with all kinds of food, many that I had never seen/tasted before lol. 

It is traditional for these meals to be decorated with a Arabic designs and actually to be held inside of tents. Most hotels actually set up tents for the guests to eat in but our ballroom was so big that they just had a smaller version outside more for show. 

We like your effort Mariott! Haha

Two days later we went to the Iftar for my work. Which as I will explain in a later post is with the same company as Zach-- only since I am working on a different project it was a whole different dinner. 

Except it was at the same hotel. 

Had the same food. 

The same week. 

Just two night later.....

Lol 

But this time, we were BRAVE! 

My Z worked up the guts to hold the falcon lol. 

One nice thing is that we were in a different ballroom and you can see the dates right here on the table.

Speaking of, I never really tried dates before but since moving here they are literally one of my favorite foods.  Like I LOVE dates. And apparently they are much different in the Middle East than anywhere else? Man will I miss them when we move... ( one day!) 

Zach worked up the courage to hold the falcon and I worked up the courage to take food photos! :)

Fortunately all of the food was labelled...unfortunately names of the majority of these foods didn't help a bit in identifying them for me lol

Has anyone ever even seen this dessert before? It is a cheese based dish. 

Usually Iftars last from about 6:30 to 9 or 10 o'clock 

After, Muslim people usually rest and relax then at about 11 they have their second meal called a Suhur. Next comes a bit more resting then at about 3 or 4 in the morning they have their third and final meal.  Phew! That is a lot of food! 

We did not part take in the two final meals. The Iftar held me over until about 12 the next day on its own! 

Hehe how could we resist another camel photo? :) 

What you don't see is the moment when Zach, full dress clothes and all, climbed on top of the poor guy! You'll have to check out my Instagram to see the video ;) 

As many of your know, I love to cook so we didn't go to nearly as many Iftars as most people, but we did go to one more for our friend Vanessa's birthday. 

She chose to go to a restaurant called Eatopia. It was extra special because this particular restaurant doesn't serve buffet style EVER. It is a once a year sort of thing for them because normally they have many different areas set up, each with a different style of food and you go around and pay per dish from whichever area you choose. 

Same style but all included during Iftar. Whoop! 

They had everything from sushi...

To bruschetta 

To made to order pastas 

Even this delicous Qatari version of a quesadilla! 

Not to mention dessert!

And here was our group--yay :) 

P.s. Countries represented in this group of people include Scotland, Russia, India, China, AMERICA and others that I am forgetting (sorry!) 

Happy Birthday Vanessa (in the blue blazer). 

Midway through Ramadan another special night happens where the children all go door to door (much like Halloween) and ask for treats from their neighbors. Now I am pretty sure that they do not dress up and instead of receiving loads of chocolate, they receive more healthy treats. 

At my work, a few "goodie bags" were delivered to celebrate. 

Clearly their bags are much smaller than the pillow case I toted around as a kid.  Lol

Inside were some nuts...and weird little rice cracker things???? Needless to say, I didn't much dig into the "treat" bag. 

Finally, when the holy month of Ramadan ends, the party gets EVEN BIGGER (is that even possible)?!

It is called "Eid" and the national holiday lasts for three days ( yes you get 3+ days off work). (As if working only 6 hours a day wasn't a treat enough?!). 

During this time it is kind of like Christmas Day in America where families gather together to celebrate. 

What I was not expecting was for the ENITRE CITY to celebrate. 

Even the decorations at the mall were like what malls do in America only Ramadan themed. 

They were even decorated with "Christmas lights"

And EVEYRTHING is branded 

Zach and I happened to go by the mall he first night of Eid and OMG. IT WAS FULL TO THE MAX!!!!!!

During this time, the malls actually put on shows all throughout the day (for three straight days!) and our mall was putting on Peter Pan when we arrived. 

This is IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MALL PEOPLE. 

The show was complete with silk dancers and everything!!!! 

Packed! The mall garage meter (that shows how many available parking spots are left) that usually holds about 1,500 cars, WAS FULL. These roads are normally fairly clear and quiet but during Eid are COMPLETELY GRIDLOCKED! 

THEN!!

Each night there was a huge fireworks show!!!! 

Seriously 

Christmas, Fourth of July, Halloween and Thanksgiving all in one! 

It was certainly something to experience! 

We had a blast, we learned a lot and in exactly 70 days the "Second Eid" comes and the whole country celebrates and gets off work for three days again! I tell you what, it is not a bad life over here in Qatar. Not a bad life at all! 

Shokran and Gig Em,

Bailey 

See More Souq

So this weekend in between constant apartment viewings, Zach and I finally made it out to the Souq!

We were going to taxi over but once we saw how close it was to our hotel and the amazing 65ish degree weather out we decided to walk.  

We really had no idea what to expect since we had only seen photos here and there. We expected from what we had seen on tv to see lots of outdoor vendors with street food, rugs etc. So after getting mildly lost, cut off by construction and nearly hit by a few cars, we crossed through a back alley into this. 

Like a total hidden treasure because buildings surrounding it are connected making it completely enclosed. 

Beautiful right? 

Okay so maybe my photo with the cleaning man didn't do it justice but omg Zach and my jaws dropped! 

Okay quick note on the cleaning man, I must comment on how clean this city is. Like really. I have been to New York and seen the trash piles on the street, been to Paris and seen a fair share of littering but not Doha. Doha, especially downtown and these more populated areas are SPOTLESS. I think the city makes a real effort to keep it this way too. Well Doha officials, this girl right here appreciates it! 

Mm okay yes back to the Souq

One of the first buildings we passed by turned out to be this art-center-workshop place. If you know me, you know that I LOVE art so Z knowing this, smiled and lead the way. 

Beautiful! 

Real artisans everywhere painting and sculpting-- what a treat to get to see! 

Then we headed back out to see more Souq

Then here and there we could see openings that led into these tight little alleyways zig zagging and connecting all around. It reminded me a lot of the little market Z and I went to in Cancun except here instead of selling cheap knock off everything and fake Mexican style suvineers they sold luscious fabrics, spices and even (real) gold jewelry! ( We had heard before we came that gold was very popular here and apparently MUCH cheaper than in the states. You better believe I will take advantage of that while here! ) 

I will say we say more tourists here than I have any other place. Which I don't mind at all, it was nice not being the only dork stopping every three feet to take another photo.  :) 

Again with the rice-- it is EVERYWHERE! 

Okay another big side note-- Z and I ( were total fatty Americans ) and cheated the other night and got KFC and even THEY have half the items on the menu with rice. No mashed potatoes and gravy here people it is all about that RICE! 

Sorry ! Back to the Souq! 

Spices on spices on ...

CANDY!! 😍😋💕

Ooh yes 

Candy and gold .. What more could a girl want? 

* note on spelling Souq- I did my research and found that it can be spelled Souq or Souk but SouK usually refers to North African markets and SouQ is used to refer to Middle Eastern/Arab markets. So I am not entirely sure why they spelt it differently on this gold sign? 

Then back outside ...

And there were the outdoor vendors, just as we had seen in pictures! ( sorry I didn't get a photo of the street food people, I think I must have been caught up in the smell!) 

It smelt like all sorts of spices and grilled buttery corn then the smell would totally change. Along the way there were tons of restaurants with mostly outdoor seating and nearly ALL of them had hukah going. People were loving it but man that was an interesting mix of smells. 

Along with the smells, the streets were wildly loud and crowded so Z and I opted for pizza

And I guess you can call us basic 

Then back on the street on our way out we saw this lady doing henna tattoos. So cool! Definitely on my Qatar bucket list!  

Qatar Bucket list so far : 

1. Gold jewelry 

2. Henna tatto 

3. Burkini 

Jk #3 is never happening 

WHAT you have never heard of a Burkini?! 

But really, certain beaches here do require it 

I think I'll pass :) 

One last thing to note about the Souq are the street performers. It was a lot like NYC where people in crazy outfits parade around and take photos except that I do not think that we're collecting tips? They went all out on these costumes and were fun to watch. Even a large group of singing Muslim men came through. 

Then we had our nice walk back to the hotel to rest our feet 

My happy hubby 💗

Well that's all the adventure for this time-- coming soon my version of house hunters international and driving in Doha. 

What would you all like to see? What questions do you have about Doha?

Feel free to comment below so that I know and don't forget to subscribe! 

Shokran & Gig 'Em!