Job Discussion Forums

QatarChic · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 445 Location: Qatar

You know, when you go away for a few days out of the Gulf, where you may see open green spaces, history, art/culture, museums........and then you come back to desert, buildings and shopping malls Confused

- I for one have just come back from a few days in Italy- and I can tell you they had to drag me kicking and screaming back on the plane to Doha Crying or Very sad

So what do you do.... just cross the days off till the next Eid break or what? any other secrets you care to share?

cmp45 · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 1475 Location: KSA

MyTrunkshow · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 9:39 am Post subject:

You chose to take a condescending slant to the ops point. Your post to the OP is terse and slightly mean. I would dread having you for a teacher if the attitude and tone presented here is conveyed to your class.

QatarChic · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 445 Location: Qatar

actually cmp has a point- In any case I chose to be here because of the $ and opportunities to travel...guess I am just suffering from the post holiday blues Sad

...I don't want to live in Italy- just wondered how people cope when they come back to the Gulf after a nice short break-that's all!

MyTrunkshow · Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2007 10:33 am Post subject:

Right, but my point actually wasn't about the topic.

Your post was about returning from a holiday to one's place of work and the post-holiday blues that can be felt after such a juxtaposition of environments.

It was the tone and angle of that person's view that I was highlighting. Of course h/she has a point. Even a valid point I might add, of which maybe even you yourself had thought about at one time.

I guess I don't appreciate mean spirited posts...although as we all know, she may not well be mean. Many feelings and expressions are interpreted incorrectly through email and forums....so perhaps she could think about that before submitting her response.

Or, he/she may stand by her post and think it's fine as she is anonymous and may say whatever one pleases.

Who knows, she may have tried to have been humorous....but it sure didn't come across that way.

Enuf said.

Back to my ironing my shirts for the work week.

veiledsentiments · Joined: 20 Feb 2003 Posts: 17644 Location: USA

Qatarchic,

To be honest, I was most always ready and happy to be back. Normally because after a couple of months of living out of a suitcase and in hotels or with friends or family, I was eager to get back to my home. Short holidays are always too short... even when you were in your own country. So I think hating to go back to work is pretty universal. Laughing

But, I was there by my choice. If I had been willing to be more aggressive and work 60-80 hours a week, I could have made much more money in the US in my first career, so it wasn't just for the money.

In my first years, I traveled every time there was a break... every Eid and semester break and summer. In the last few years, I only traveled in the summer because I was content to stay home and relax. And as often as not, all of my travel over the years was to other Middle Eastern countries. Laughing

I don't think cmp was rude at all. S/he is right. I was where I wanted to be, but only you can decide if staying in Qatar just waiting for that next break is worth the money.

VS

QatarChic · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 445 Location: Qatar

I totally agree with what you said VS- the teaching load here is half of what other countries offer, and we get lots of other perks here as well- so all in all, the stress load also tends to be lower. It's like you said, if I were back in the UK- I would have two jobs in ESL just to get by...which frankly I could do without! Qatar isn't THAT bad, but it's always nice to get out of the country once in a while...Roll on Eid AlAdha... Very Happy

cmp45 · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 1475 Location: KSA

Cleopatra · Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2007 1:21 pm Post subject:

Having just returned from a short holiday at home, I can very much identify with the OP. I'm happy enough here in Riyadh (and even having been back only a few days, I'm already beginning to settle back in) but there are times when I wonder if I'm not only living half a life here, and that surely there must be more to life than walled villas, bland shopping malls and personality-free "expats".

It's when you go abroad - whether back home or elsewhere - that you notice all the things you're missing out on. And no, I'm not talking about bars or the freedom to go abaya-less. Then again, you also get to experience the lousy weather, horrendous cost of living and sundry other annoyances that remind you why you went to the Gulf in the first place.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

The perfect cure for the "Qatari Blues" or the "Saudi Blues " ? Spend your next holiday in Milton Keynes or Middlesborough. Or Downtown Lagos.

You won't be able to get back to the ME quick enough ! Met a Saudi recently who had just abandoned a holiday in the UKofGB&NI to return to the delights of Dammam. "Very dangerous", he said. Where had he been ? Bournemouth !

grahamb · Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Posts: 1945

He probably forgot to drive on the left-hand-side of the road and was too busy ogling the bikini-clad ladies on the beach to look where he was going.

QatarChic · Joined: 06 May 2005 Posts: 445 Location: Qatar

sheikh radlinrol · Joined: 30 Jan 2007 Posts: 1222 Location: Spain

grahamb · Joined: 30 Apr 2003 Posts: 1945

And why not? Don't you remember Hell's Grannies?

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

Most of the southern seaside towns have been taken over by asylum seekers who are put up in the boarding houses, and other, even more unsavory types.

Drug taking and unemployment is way above the national average.