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My Typical Week My work schedule here is pretty constant, not crazy like the 80- or 90-hour weeks that I was working at Otak back in Portland. I work at CPO from 7:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. each day with a half-hour for lunch. Nine-hour workdays are standard for private sector firms in Qatar, while government employees work only about six hours a day, if that (with lots of long breaks). Government jobs are highly-sought after in Qatar, not just because of the short work days and typically-light workloads, but also because of the outrageously-high salaries, well over $100,000 per year (tax-free) on average. Understandably, most government jobs go to Qataris.
Although I work nine-hour days here, compared to the standard eight-hour days back in America, I do get more vacation time than most American companies offer. Atkins is a British firm so, like with most European companies, we get a lot of vacation time each year – six weeks in my case, instead of the two or three weeks per year that’s typical in the U.S.
After working all day in the CPO building, I walk across the street each evening to my apartment at Beverly Hills Tower, fix dinner, eat dinner in my bedroom while watching news broadcasts from the U.S., then I go to bed around 10 p.m. At the end of the week, on Thursday nights (again, weekends here are on Friday and Saturday), I usually walk over to City Center Mall, sometimes with my good friend from Sacramento, Nafez, and another co-worker, Shashi, and eat dinner over there at the food court. That’s my definition of “cutting loose,” I guess! Then I walk down to the Carrefour grocery store, located on the ground floor of the mall, and buy groceries for the upcoming week and carry them back to my apartment.
On Friday mornings I usually walk a few miles down the beautiful Doha waterfront, called the “corniche,” and sit on a small, sandy beach there for a while, then I walk back to my apartment in mid-afternoon. You can’t do that in the summer months because it’s extremely hot and humid then, with temperatures frequently exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit and with exceptionally high humidity, given that Qatar is right on the Persian Gulf. Qatar is a veritable steam bath from May through September, but starting in October, people start wandering outside again. It’s sort of the reverse of America, where people are cooped up inside their houses during the winter months, given the cold and rainy weather. In December and January, the weather here is absolutely perfect, typically with sunny skies and highs in the 70s.
The term “perfect” is relative, though. I walked to work one morning last year on a beautiful day in November, wearing just slacks and a dress shirt. It was about 65 degrees but it was sunny and, in the sunshine I was even sweating a bit. But 65 is cool by November standards here, especially given that many people in Qatar are used to much warmer temperatures. I passed a few guys on the street, apparently from India, who were bundled in thick, down jackets they had zipped all the way to the top. To someone who’s from India, I guess 65 is considered “cold” but to me, it was just right.
Above left: Having fun at CPO. Our office went bowling one evening last spring. That's me, Shree, Oumer and Helen. I hadn't bowled in over 20 years – and it showed. Above right: This is The Pearl, one of the ritziest expat communities in Qatar, located a few miles north of Doha.
Above left: Here are some shots of City Center Mall, which is a few blocks from my apartment. The mall has the only skating rink in Qatar. Above center: Entering Carrefour. This is my favorite store in Qatar. Above right: The deli at Carrefour, where I buy dinner every few nights.
Above left: The smiling staff in the lobby of the Beverly Hills Tower. Above right: And here's my living room.
Above left: My apartment's kitchen is "Indian Style" instead of Western Style, meaning it's an enclosed room rather than open. Above center: Qatar is on the Persian Gulf, so the humidity here during the summer months is oppressive. If you walk outside for more than a few minutes during the summer, your clothes will be drenched in sweat. I bought a dehumidifier for my bedroom, which proudly sits above the bidet. Above right: Here's the view of the Persian Gulf from my apartment. New buildings are sprouting up everywhere in Doha.
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