*This is one of those posts that is more for me to have for memories but maybe not that interesting to everyone else.
Ohh the joys of living in another county! There are so many different hoops to jump through to legally live on the other side of the world.
First of all, the very first step of getting a residency permit in Qatar became very complicated when they decided that we HAD to be paid in Qatari Riyals into a Qatari bank. Umm....No. Never in our time over-seas have we been paid in anything but USD into our home bank account. This would make taxes, 401K, etc. all very complicated. Luckily, with how things work in the Middle East, you just have to know the right person and certain steps can be bypassed. With a little help, this step was skipped right on by and it was time for me to do the other portions of the process (Micah already did the following parts).
Early one morning I was picked up by the guy with Chevron Phillips, Jeevan, that helps get this type of stuff taken care of and me, Jacob, and two other ladies headed off to the medical clinic. The first step was to get our documents translated. We paid our 10 riyal/per person and waited as the lady translated our stuff with a typewriter.
When that was finished Jeevan pointed us into a big building and informed us that men weren't allowed in so we would have to navigate the rest of the process alone. Fun times. The first step inside was to go into this tiny room and I think get a stamp on our papers and be asked if I was pregnant. Haha. Nope, not pregnant. Then we went back into the big room and paid for everything that was about to happen. At least I think thats what we paid for... All of this I must say was done by just trying to guess what they wanted us to do next. At this point no one was very helpful so it was just luck if we were right.
Now all the paperwork stuff was finished and it was time to do medical stuff. We started off trying to get our blood drawn but the line was so long that they sent us to the other end of the building to get our chest x-rays. Since I had Jacob they told me to "go give baby to husband". When I told them husband wasn't there they kinda looked at me funny. So the other two ladies went first and as soon as they finished I went in. When I left, Jacob started crying which actually helped me out! They rushed me into the changing room which was multiple women at a time (who needs privacy??) and rushed me out. Then they had me skip all the other ladies in line to the front to get my x-ray because "baby cry too much". The nurses took one quick x-ray and I was all clear. So I guess the key here is to bring a baby with you and make him cry.
From there we headed back to the blood drawing area and proceeded to get in the line which was still pretty long. Next thing I know a nurse comes and takes me out of the line and brings me to the front because "babies go first". It was very helpful but the other ladies didn't get to skip with me so I still had to wait. Ohh well. As I'm sitting in the chair waiting for my blood to be drawn, the lady who just had hers done comes back with blood pouring down her arm and onto the floor. Yikes!! She gets way too close to me for comfort so I'm pulling my legs in and holding Jacob back to keep from getting blood on us. Fun times! If you know me, you know I don't do well with having blood drawn so this just added to my nervousness. But Jacob was sitting in my lap so I had to do my best to hold it all together and not hyperventilate or pass out! Luckily, my experience wasn't so dramatic and ended quickly with no blood spillage.
Once that was complete we were able to leave the medical facility and drive across town to a separate place that pricks your finger to find out your blood type. Why is this in a different place?? I have no idea. Why won't they accept all of our medical records with our blood types on them?? I have no idea. Now this portion of the process Jacob had to do as well. I was so nervous that he was going to freak out. Surprisingly, he did just fine with only a little crying. While we waited they informed us all of our blood type, which we already knew, and we were finished for the day.
That was the medical portion of getting the RP. Once the medical results were cleared, we had to have a separate day to be picked up again by Jeevan and go get our fingerprints done. Fingerprinting was a pretty simple, straightforward process. Except that my fingers didn't seem to want to roll correctly across the screen so it took like 15 tries/finger. The sweet girl doing my finger prints kept saying "relax sister". I have to admit I was pretty tense and I think trying to hard to make it work. I figured out I did better if I turned around and didn't look at the computer screen.
At last the Residency Permit process was finished! I finally have my RP card and was then able to go get my permanent drivers license. I'm so happy to be done with all of these appointments!
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Sunday, October 20, 2013
Exploring Qatar: West side
When another opportunity presented itself, we headed out to explore the west side of Qatar. Even though we didn't find places we would necessarily go back to we did find places that I'm really happy we did! It was some of the most random sight seeing ever. First we were looking for this fort called Zekreet fort. It took us forever to figure out where to go because our directions were so unhelpful but eventually we made it...even though we weren't sure that we had. Micah mentioned that we were looking for a fort and all of a sudden I said "babe, I think that's it". Let me tell you, it was super unimpressive. I guess there was a fort here at some point in time.
It took us so long to get here and figure out where we were going that it was already time for lunch and to give Jacob a break. So we finally found a place to stop and have our picnic and give Jacob a chance to play. This area wasn't as kid friendly as our previous beach because it had lots of rocks and shells. At some point Jacob decided he wanted to wander off into the desert.
After lunch we continued driving farther and farther away from civilization into the desert. Eventually, we found what we were looking for, the random fort that no one seems to know why its there. It's not very old and I've read many different theories on why it was built. The book we have says it was used as a tv set, another theory is that it was built for Qatar's promo video for the world cup. Whatever the reason, we found it!
From there, we read there was the site of an old "film set" where small buildings were built into the rock faces of the jebels. It took some effort to find it but eventually we stumbled across this "film set". Again, I researched to try to figure out what film or what it was for and I didn't find any answers! Ohh well, it was still fun to find.
It took us FOREVER to drive back to an actual road and made us realize how far we really had driven out into the desert. Overall, it was another fun day exploring.
Thursday, October 17, 2013
All About Jacob: 16 months
The last couple months of Jacob's life have just flown by. With all the changes in our life and everything we've been doing to get settled it just seems as though time is going quickly. I can't believe my little boy is 16 months old!
Jacob has adjusted very well to living in Qatar. Of course, he doesn't seem to care too much about where he is as long as he has Mom and Dad and gets lots of play time. He was very excited to see his toys and his chair when we arrived. I think whether he knows it or not, he was happy to sleep in his own big comfy bed too!
Since being in Doha we have battled two sicknesses. The first one he brought with him from the US and was a stomach bug. It was the first time Jacob has ever been stomach sick in his life! I have to admit, I wasn't very good at responding quickly. My poor boy was so uncomfortable. The other sickness came in with the sand and he had a runny nose, and terrible cough. When it wasn't getting any better after a week and a half I finally took him to the dr. She gave us some medicine and and little inhaler and at last he started getting better.
When Jake turned 15 months old, I decided it was time to no longer have the pacifier with him during the day. I just decided the paci would be for nap and bedtime only. He really didn't have much problem adjusting. I could tell some times were fussier than before and occasionally you could see him reaching down to try to find it! Now he knows before he reaches for me in the morning to put his paci down in his bed. He typically has 2 pacifiers in bed at a a time so in the morning he will suck on each one for a minute and then put them both down and reach for me. It's so cute and he's so smart!
His coordination and skills have changed drastically. He is now running around the house and easily getting on his scooter thing and riding around the house. His new favorite game is to stand in his little chair and walk off the edge. Sometimes he falls, sometimes he doesn't, but either way he thinks its hysterical. He also enjoys riding his trike by standing on it! Little daredevil. We enjoy taking Jacob to the park and letting him run and play. We also have a little back yard with a slide and a baby pool.
Jacob loves watching cartoons. We've had to really keep track of how often we let him watch just so he doesn't end up thinking he should always get to watch tv. He loves "Tom & Jerry", "Bugs Bunny", "Daffy Duck", and "The Flintstones". The only times we watch at home is when we need him to sit still or we want some cuddle time. Although, it is really nice to be able to use the iPad during a long adult conversation dinner.
Jacob knows what he wants and when he wants it! This means we have entered the stage of mega fit throwing. It is taking us and him some time to learn how to deal with it and we still haven't fully figured it out. Other than that, he is still a super sweet loving boy. He gives kisses and hugs and loves to sit in my lap.
The favorite foods of the moment are anything pasta, especially mac and cheese, turkey sandwiches, quesadillas, and pizza. He isn't a fan of most meats at the moment unless they are really mixed into the food like beef lasagna. He will eat a chicken quesadilla if the chicken is in small pieces. Jake still eats almost all fruit and most veggies and he still eats a TON of food. Recently the dr told me he is in the 10% in weight! Where does all that food go? We are now using a plate so that he learns to not throw plates of the table and he is starting to try to use a fork. He is only successful 10% of the time but at least he tries. He currently has 12 teeth to eat all that food with!! I can't believe he has so many teeth. He has all 4 front top and bottom and 2 molars on top and 2 on bottom.
Bed time is typically around 9 pm. Most nights we start with a bath and then get his pj's on and brush his teeth. He loves trying to brush himself but I make sure to brush first then give him the toothbrush. Micah and I take turns reading him a couple of books, rocking him, and signing to him, before laying him down for the night. He is still a great sleeper and eventually falls asleep and stays asleep till about 8am.
Recently I haven't taken as many pictures as usual but seem to have taken more video. So here are some links to our favorite videos of Jacob the last couple of months.
Playing with Dad
This is How I Roll
Hide and Seek
Talker!
Jacob has adjusted very well to living in Qatar. Of course, he doesn't seem to care too much about where he is as long as he has Mom and Dad and gets lots of play time. He was very excited to see his toys and his chair when we arrived. I think whether he knows it or not, he was happy to sleep in his own big comfy bed too!
Since being in Doha we have battled two sicknesses. The first one he brought with him from the US and was a stomach bug. It was the first time Jacob has ever been stomach sick in his life! I have to admit, I wasn't very good at responding quickly. My poor boy was so uncomfortable. The other sickness came in with the sand and he had a runny nose, and terrible cough. When it wasn't getting any better after a week and a half I finally took him to the dr. She gave us some medicine and and little inhaler and at last he started getting better.
When Jake turned 15 months old, I decided it was time to no longer have the pacifier with him during the day. I just decided the paci would be for nap and bedtime only. He really didn't have much problem adjusting. I could tell some times were fussier than before and occasionally you could see him reaching down to try to find it! Now he knows before he reaches for me in the morning to put his paci down in his bed. He typically has 2 pacifiers in bed at a a time so in the morning he will suck on each one for a minute and then put them both down and reach for me. It's so cute and he's so smart!
His coordination and skills have changed drastically. He is now running around the house and easily getting on his scooter thing and riding around the house. His new favorite game is to stand in his little chair and walk off the edge. Sometimes he falls, sometimes he doesn't, but either way he thinks its hysterical. He also enjoys riding his trike by standing on it! Little daredevil. We enjoy taking Jacob to the park and letting him run and play. We also have a little back yard with a slide and a baby pool.
Jacob loves watching cartoons. We've had to really keep track of how often we let him watch just so he doesn't end up thinking he should always get to watch tv. He loves "Tom & Jerry", "Bugs Bunny", "Daffy Duck", and "The Flintstones". The only times we watch at home is when we need him to sit still or we want some cuddle time. Although, it is really nice to be able to use the iPad during a long adult conversation dinner.
Jacob knows what he wants and when he wants it! This means we have entered the stage of mega fit throwing. It is taking us and him some time to learn how to deal with it and we still haven't fully figured it out. Other than that, he is still a super sweet loving boy. He gives kisses and hugs and loves to sit in my lap.
The favorite foods of the moment are anything pasta, especially mac and cheese, turkey sandwiches, quesadillas, and pizza. He isn't a fan of most meats at the moment unless they are really mixed into the food like beef lasagna. He will eat a chicken quesadilla if the chicken is in small pieces. Jake still eats almost all fruit and most veggies and he still eats a TON of food. Recently the dr told me he is in the 10% in weight! Where does all that food go? We are now using a plate so that he learns to not throw plates of the table and he is starting to try to use a fork. He is only successful 10% of the time but at least he tries. He currently has 12 teeth to eat all that food with!! I can't believe he has so many teeth. He has all 4 front top and bottom and 2 molars on top and 2 on bottom.
Bed time is typically around 9 pm. Most nights we start with a bath and then get his pj's on and brush his teeth. He loves trying to brush himself but I make sure to brush first then give him the toothbrush. Micah and I take turns reading him a couple of books, rocking him, and signing to him, before laying him down for the night. He is still a great sleeper and eventually falls asleep and stays asleep till about 8am.
Recently I haven't taken as many pictures as usual but seem to have taken more video. So here are some links to our favorite videos of Jacob the last couple of months.
Playing with Dad
This is How I Roll
Hide and Seek
Talker!
Monday, October 14, 2013
Getting a Driver's Liscnese
Anyone who knows me knows that I wouldn't be able to stand not being allowed to drive in Qatar for very long. I love the freedom and independence of being able to drive. So one of my first steps in Qatar was to get my drivers license. Now this used to be a very simple process, just go down to the "dmv" and get your USA license transferred to Qatari. NOT. ANY. MORE. Rumor is that some high up Qatari went to the US and was denied getting a US license. The rumors as to why that happened are long. But this Qatari was so mad at the US government he decided that as a result any American's in Qatar would not be able to easily get their license anymore. Thus begins the fun process.
The first step was to go to one of the driving schools and take a street signs test. I sorta studied but honestly, we have traveled in Europe and lived in the middle east enough that I already knew all the signs. Well guess what, I failed the first time. I was in such shock that I just stared at the instructor guy. I honestly had no clue which one I missed. Later I figured out I missed one about Danger. My interpretation was not correct. So we had to return the next day to try again. Ugh! I brought Jacob with me this time and I passed. The test administrator was the same guy and he told me that "baby was good luck"!
Once you have the paper stating that you passed the written test you go to another room to take a number and wait to get an appointment to come back again and take the drivers test. They only allow ladies to take the test one day a week so my appointment was almost a week away. In the mean time, I hear all sorts of horror stories from people about being failed 5+ times on the driving part! Even a couple of ladies went to driving school in order to be allowed to take the test again. I heard stories of people failing for not saying hello, for not using 2 hands to adjust the review mirror, etc. Let me tell you, with the way people drive here, if I get told I fail, I'm not going to be a happy person.
The day of the test arrives and I sit in a huge waiting room with 40+ ladies to be called out in groups to get on a bus. How they do the testing here is they put all the ladies in a group on a bus and then that bus follows around the testing car while the ladies take turns driving. However, I didn't get called with the first two groups and once I did get called I get sent to a car. So instead of a bus following the car we have a car following the car. This is actually great because obviously there are less people to test in my group.
My time finally comes to drive and of course I'm super nervous! I was basically the only person in my group that had to drive in traffic and the only one to make a u-turn in a roundabout with huge trucks, etc. I thought for sure I had done something wrong that she could fail me for if she wanted. When I finished I went back to the following car and one of the Qatari girls in the car with me asked me if I passed. I told her I didn't know cause I didn't ask!!
When we finished we went back into the big room and waited for every other group to be done. I guess it wasn't that exciting to be in a small group. Then they called out names and told the people whose names they called to take a number. I was in the take a number group but I still didn't know what that meant. Finally, I asked a girl next to me if that meant I passed and she said "yes"!! Woo-hoo! At last I was legal to drive in Qatar. Ohh wait, it's temporary so yes, I will have to go back again to get it renewed.....
The first step was to go to one of the driving schools and take a street signs test. I sorta studied but honestly, we have traveled in Europe and lived in the middle east enough that I already knew all the signs. Well guess what, I failed the first time. I was in such shock that I just stared at the instructor guy. I honestly had no clue which one I missed. Later I figured out I missed one about Danger. My interpretation was not correct. So we had to return the next day to try again. Ugh! I brought Jacob with me this time and I passed. The test administrator was the same guy and he told me that "baby was good luck"!
Once you have the paper stating that you passed the written test you go to another room to take a number and wait to get an appointment to come back again and take the drivers test. They only allow ladies to take the test one day a week so my appointment was almost a week away. In the mean time, I hear all sorts of horror stories from people about being failed 5+ times on the driving part! Even a couple of ladies went to driving school in order to be allowed to take the test again. I heard stories of people failing for not saying hello, for not using 2 hands to adjust the review mirror, etc. Let me tell you, with the way people drive here, if I get told I fail, I'm not going to be a happy person.
The day of the test arrives and I sit in a huge waiting room with 40+ ladies to be called out in groups to get on a bus. How they do the testing here is they put all the ladies in a group on a bus and then that bus follows around the testing car while the ladies take turns driving. However, I didn't get called with the first two groups and once I did get called I get sent to a car. So instead of a bus following the car we have a car following the car. This is actually great because obviously there are less people to test in my group.
My time finally comes to drive and of course I'm super nervous! I was basically the only person in my group that had to drive in traffic and the only one to make a u-turn in a roundabout with huge trucks, etc. I thought for sure I had done something wrong that she could fail me for if she wanted. When I finished I went back to the following car and one of the Qatari girls in the car with me asked me if I passed. I told her I didn't know cause I didn't ask!!
When we finished we went back into the big room and waited for every other group to be done. I guess it wasn't that exciting to be in a small group. Then they called out names and told the people whose names they called to take a number. I was in the take a number group but I still didn't know what that meant. Finally, I asked a girl next to me if that meant I passed and she said "yes"!! Woo-hoo! At last I was legal to drive in Qatar. Ohh wait, it's temporary so yes, I will have to go back again to get it renewed.....
Exploring Qatar: North side
One of the main aspects of living in Qatar (vs. Saudi) that Micah and I are really excited about is getting to drive and explore the country. Since we had drivers in Saudi and only very specific areas we were allowed to travel in, we didn't do much exploring. Once we were finally kinda settled in we decided to start taking a few Saturdays to explore the country. Our first Saturday we decided to head north. We were on the hunt for fun beaches to spend the day at in the future. We set off with this trusty book that tells about sights around Qatar and how to get there...or at least sort of how to get there. Here is an example of some of the directions we had to follow:
"You will see a small signpost marked 'Maroona' which leads to a narrow tarred road. Follow the road for 6 km, then turn right onto the dirt track heading towards two large palaces. You should be driving parallel to telegraph poles at this point. Approach the beach carefully between these two buildings- the sand is very soft for the last 100m"
The more we have followed to book, the more markings I have made it in either correcting their directions or adding descriptions to help us in the future. Micah sure is happy he bought his 4 wheel drive SUV and not a sports car!
The first beach we found that day was definitely the more popular area. From the picture above you can see the beach to the left. Over in the distance on the right is a little cove where people were kite-boarding. This is probably a place we will come back to one day.
We continued driving north but didn't find anything too exciting. Although we were happy just to be out and free to explore. Finally, Jacob was beyond ready for lunch and a little play time so we found a beautiful secluded beach to have a little picnic and play. I love beaches with shallow water because Jake is easily able to splash, run around, and have fun.
After lunch we dried off, changed clothes, and continued driving. We found an area called the 'Purple Island' which looked like a neat hike but the pathway was washed out in places and we didn't bring Jake's back pack carrier. Hopefully we will make it back one day and actually do the hike. This picture doesn't really do it justice...
Overall it was a great day exploring with my family! I can't wait for many more.
"You will see a small signpost marked 'Maroona' which leads to a narrow tarred road. Follow the road for 6 km, then turn right onto the dirt track heading towards two large palaces. You should be driving parallel to telegraph poles at this point. Approach the beach carefully between these two buildings- the sand is very soft for the last 100m"
The more we have followed to book, the more markings I have made it in either correcting their directions or adding descriptions to help us in the future. Micah sure is happy he bought his 4 wheel drive SUV and not a sports car!
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Not so great arrival in Qatar
Our travel to and arrival in Qatar had a slightly dramatic beginning. The day Jacob and I were set to fly out my Mom spent the night before and day of sick. I woke up that morning feeling a little iffy but wasn't sure if it was just paranoia and nerves or if I was really sick too. Obviously I wasn't as bad as Mom but I was really afraid it would hit while on a nice long airplane journey. After talking to Micah and the airlines I decided to brave the trip and just hope and pray that I didn't start feeling worse. So off we went.
The travel went really well and everything ran pretty smoothly. On the first flight there was an empty seat next to me so Jacob was able to play and have some time not sitting in my lap or laying in the basinet. He looks so big sitting in the airplane seat all alone.
We were so happy to finally arrive in Qatar and see Micah at last! Jacob was so happy to see his Daddy and reached right for him. It was really surreal driving home from the airport and realizing this was my new home. Once we made it home from the airport we gave Jacob and bath and everyone went to bed fearing what the jet-lag would bring.
The next morning after a somewhat rough night we headed out to Chili's to get some lunch and we thought to the grocery store to get some groceries. That morning I noticed that Jake wouldn't really eat breakfast but I just thought it was a side-effect of the jet-lag. Boy was I wrong. We hadn't been sitting at Chili's for 10 minutes when Jake became very sick. I'll save you the details but you get the idea. Welcome to Qatar.
So we went home and spent the day with a sick baby who was so uncomfortable and miserable. And the next day Jake seemed to be getting better but we still played it low key and just stayed home a rested. The next morning turned out to be Micah's turn to get sick.... Welcome to Qatar!
It was kind of a rough time for us to not be able to get out, to not be able to enjoy seeing each other again, and for Micah and Jake to feel so miserable. Eventually it ended and we were able to get life in Qatar started.
The travel went really well and everything ran pretty smoothly. On the first flight there was an empty seat next to me so Jacob was able to play and have some time not sitting in my lap or laying in the basinet. He looks so big sitting in the airplane seat all alone.
The next morning after a somewhat rough night we headed out to Chili's to get some lunch and we thought to the grocery store to get some groceries. That morning I noticed that Jake wouldn't really eat breakfast but I just thought it was a side-effect of the jet-lag. Boy was I wrong. We hadn't been sitting at Chili's for 10 minutes when Jake became very sick. I'll save you the details but you get the idea. Welcome to Qatar.
So we went home and spent the day with a sick baby who was so uncomfortable and miserable. And the next day Jake seemed to be getting better but we still played it low key and just stayed home a rested. The next morning turned out to be Micah's turn to get sick.... Welcome to Qatar!
It was kind of a rough time for us to not be able to get out, to not be able to enjoy seeing each other again, and for Micah and Jake to feel so miserable. Eventually it ended and we were able to get life in Qatar started.
Saturday, October 12, 2013
Labor Day weekend
For a long time, Labor Day weekend has been a time spent with my Dad's family. The men have a fantasy football league so they get together one morning and do their draft, my Grandpa's birthday is always close to Labor day, and typically OSU has a home football game (not this year....) so it just makes a great time to be in Stillwater. When I was planning the timing of my trip to the USA I realised how close it would be to labor day so I extended what I originally planned to do just to be in Stillwater.
We had fun playing around on the farm and riding the gator! Mom and Dad even bought the kids a little gator to drive around. Jake of course is not really old enough for it yet but Coleton sure enjoyed it!
We spent some time at Grandma and Papas, eating and watching football. It was fun for Jake to see his great Papa and Great Grandma again. For the football game, we all pilled into Grandma and Grandpa's living room and sweated to death watching the game. Holly and her family all came to enjoy the game with us. Of course after the game we had to go to Eskimo Joes for a victory dinner.
On Sunday, we had the traditional birthday party for my Papa, and a 50th party for my Uncle Roger. Once again, it was fun to have the family together.
It was a great weekend full of family, food, and football! I'm so happy we were able to extend our stay and make it for the weekend.
We had fun playing around on the farm and riding the gator! Mom and Dad even bought the kids a little gator to drive around. Jake of course is not really old enough for it yet but Coleton sure enjoyed it!
We spent some time at Grandma and Papas, eating and watching football. It was fun for Jake to see his great Papa and Great Grandma again. For the football game, we all pilled into Grandma and Grandpa's living room and sweated to death watching the game. Holly and her family all came to enjoy the game with us. Of course after the game we had to go to Eskimo Joes for a victory dinner.
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