Doha

Love can take you places. Places that you wouldn't normally go, for that matter. I don't think I'd find myself strolling in a city in the Middle East had I not been obliged to come here to visit a special someone! 

So here I am, in Doha, Qatar! Its been four days now and after enjoying some much-needed relaxation at home, watching movies, surfing the net and playing "good-wife" waiting for the hard-working man to come home, I decided to go out on my own and explore. As much as you can explore a city under a 45 °C raving sun. Naturally, I headed for the shopping mall.

I left the house with a weird stomach feeling that took hours to pass! I wasnt afraid really, I know Doha is a very safe place, but I was anxious to be out on my own, in a country where women have to cover themselves in black hijaabs. Everything seemed different and weird. On the way to the mall, through the taxi's windows, I was watching the buildings and the people standing in the middle of the desert, washed by the blurry yellow light of a sandstorm. The sun was nowhere to be seen and the skyscrapers in the horizon were hidden behind a veil of dust. Even in the city center there was no oblivion to the surrounding desert. 

The prospect of living here both scares and excites me. I guess I have to wait for the cultural shock to fade away before I make that decision with a clear mind.

Its not just life in the middle of the desert which overwhelms me.. The culture of the people is full of contradictions! Unbelievable wealth and blatant inequalities. Racism and discrimination are completely accepted as the status quo, people are pigeonholed as homogeneous in categories they cant escape. Privileged groups move in a cloud of superiority, oppressed groups are called "disposables". How can someone live with dignity in such a society? You can keep your eyes shut, but realities will still hit you in the face. Dirt roads in front of majestic buildings. Dirty, ancient toilets inside the luxurious mall. Lousy driving in super-modern highways. Modern, sexy and provocative clothes being bought by women in hijaabs, covered from head to toes. The skyline might resemble that of the financial district of Manhattan, but there is no mistake, this is the Middle-East. 

Despite everything, behind the crowds of cars in the gigantic highways and the indecipherable behavior of its people, maybe this city has a hidden charm.. Maybe during winter, when heat and humidity are not suffocating, one can appreciate whatever pleasures Doha has to offer. Right now, I can only observe the city and the people through glass windows, from a well air-conditioned place.

I have only been here for 4 days. I still have a lot to observe and discover. I cant tell if I like this city yet. Will Doha manage to slowly win me over and become a place to call home? 

Time will tell!

ps: Irony: I wanted to leave Cyprus for a place where I could walk around instead of driving. Well, here I cannot do that either.