FINALLY IN THE NEW HOUSE! YAY! It’s been a while coming, but we’re finally here. We moved into the 3-bedroom 5-bath villa about a week ago and have been unpacking boxes ever since. We’ve been dealing with some maintenance issues from the last people who were here (mostly a nasty smell coming from a couple of the bathrooms), but it’s so so so much better than the apartment we were in. We finally have all of our boxes, which were delivered the day we moved in, and we are excited to be settling in. Our villa is in a little gated community called “Al Malki Gardens,” which is kinda funny because there are really no gardens or much that is green in Al Malki. Since it’s recently completed, not much has been planted in the sandy spots they left for gardens, so it’s mostly just a bunch of tan brick that feels like a kiln when it gets hot out. There’s a great pool and workout facility as well as a common room for the community with a big TV and such.

I’m excited about finding a job soon. I’m working on submitting my resume to the American and International Schools around here for substitute positions. I hope I can get my foot in the door and then get started on something a little more full-time. Other than teaching, I could do lots of other stuff, though I’ve heard some pretty sickening stories about overqualified women getting turned down from jobs because they aren’t attractive enough and that being pretty is a qualification for most jobs in Qatari companies. I’d hate for that to be the reason for getting or not getting a job.

Legally, Qatar has established equality for women and there’s technically no job that a woman can’t do here, though it seems that women aren’t thought of by some as being equals. So the laws are there, it’s just a matter of practice it seems. Michael made the point that there’s a good percentage of the population that comes from other less westernized countries in the region…mostly wealthy families that can afford to move here…so their ideas of a woman’s role aren’t necessarily as modern. So, it’s possible that this has affected progress in that area.

At any rate, I’m thrilled to be in the new house. It’s so great to have some breathing room. I can’t wait to get our DSL set up so I can post more often…dial up sucks.