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Putting It All Together

	Above:  CPO employees were invited by our parent firm, Atkins engineers, to tour the new subway system being built in Doha.  It was quite impressive.

There are lots of advantages of living in Qatar, but like I say, there are also many drawbacks.  The main thing about living here is that you learn to adapt.  You learn to be flexible and that’s one of the greatest benefits of being here:  learning that you can handle most anything that comes your way.  Moving over here has worked out well for me so far, knock on wood, but it doesn’t work for everyone.

Qatar can be a crazy place to live and work.  Considering things like the driver's license situation for Americans or the "instant holidays" that I mentioned in my last update, the one phrase that constantly runs through my mind here is, "But that makes no sense."  So yes, living here has been a big challenge for me at times and has definitely pushed me outside of my comfort zone, because I have to learn and adapt to new situations almost every day. 

But living here has also been a fascinating cultural experience.  In fact, now that I’ve been here for a while, I feel sorry for my friends back in America who haven’t had the experience, or even the “privilege” of living in Qatar.  It's a challenging environment that is so different from anything I’ve ever experienced.  But that, in itself, is its own reward. 

Above left:  Making Egyptian-style pizza in Doha.

Above right:  Take-home boxes for the CPO staff after lunch:  Abidh, Siva, Osama, Kishore and Indu.

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