Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Wednesday 15th November.
Grand opening day of the venue. Up earlier to run at 4:40am. There are noticeably less people but from a distance even in the dark I see Assil walking towards me in the opposite direction. He runs with me for about half my run. He is funny. He starts off saying: "Regarding what we were saying yesterday about renewing my passport..." and he goes on as if the conversation just continues 24 hours later. He is between jobs and currently waiting for his visa transferal (to another employer) to be completed. He tells me that there are good advantages for him to work here appart from the obvious better salaries. The experience is better, the positions are better and despite the fact Qatar offers little socially he is happy to spend a number of years here. His normal hours are 8am to 1pm and 3pm to 7pm. Still at night when i walk home it's 29C so I'm wondering if it really gets cool in winter. Assil assure me that in December and January at this time in the morning, long sleeves are required even maybe a jacket.
I manage to rush over to our New accommodation this morning after the run and shower to check in. My luggage is still in the room I've used for the last two weeks. I'll move it later. I haven't had time to check my new room so I call the accommodation Manager from the organising committee, the lovely Spyros (Spiridon) from Athens. I tell him which room I've been given and he quickly says: "No, this is not the room you want. Call me when you go back to move your luggage and I'll fix this up for you." Between him and Dennis (Dyonisos) the technology Manager at the venue, and Thanos (Anasthasio) working also with Technology, all greeks and all lovely I'm starting to think Greek men are all helpful, sweet and lovely.
We are on venue just after 6:30am and I'm expecting 3 volunteers this morning from 7am and 4 this afternoon from 1pm. But it's getting close to 7:30am and no one has shown up.
Yesterday, Fouzia, a lovely volunteer of 46 years of age, a Team leader who will be helping accross all our functions comes to work and helps me out for a few hours. She explains that he husband died 4 years ago at 45 years of age of heart problems. I ask her if Qatari women remarry and she tells me, "of course". But she doesn't want to. She enjoys her life and freedom and lives with her 25 year old son and daughter in law. She has an open attitude. Spends a month in Austria (Vienna) every year in August. Most Qataris try to leave in August or July at the peak of the unbearable heat. She doesn't dwell on the past and says she is just grateful for her life.
Qatari women like her had a choice of chosing a Games Abayah and scarf for around their head and so she has.
This is all I can write today so stay tuned.
Grand opening day of the venue. Up earlier to run at 4:40am. There are noticeably less people but from a distance even in the dark I see Assil walking towards me in the opposite direction. He runs with me for about half my run. He is funny. He starts off saying: "Regarding what we were saying yesterday about renewing my passport..." and he goes on as if the conversation just continues 24 hours later. He is between jobs and currently waiting for his visa transferal (to another employer) to be completed. He tells me that there are good advantages for him to work here appart from the obvious better salaries. The experience is better, the positions are better and despite the fact Qatar offers little socially he is happy to spend a number of years here. His normal hours are 8am to 1pm and 3pm to 7pm. Still at night when i walk home it's 29C so I'm wondering if it really gets cool in winter. Assil assure me that in December and January at this time in the morning, long sleeves are required even maybe a jacket.
I manage to rush over to our New accommodation this morning after the run and shower to check in. My luggage is still in the room I've used for the last two weeks. I'll move it later. I haven't had time to check my new room so I call the accommodation Manager from the organising committee, the lovely Spyros (Spiridon) from Athens. I tell him which room I've been given and he quickly says: "No, this is not the room you want. Call me when you go back to move your luggage and I'll fix this up for you." Between him and Dennis (Dyonisos) the technology Manager at the venue, and Thanos (Anasthasio) working also with Technology, all greeks and all lovely I'm starting to think Greek men are all helpful, sweet and lovely.
We are on venue just after 6:30am and I'm expecting 3 volunteers this morning from 7am and 4 this afternoon from 1pm. But it's getting close to 7:30am and no one has shown up.
Yesterday, Fouzia, a lovely volunteer of 46 years of age, a Team leader who will be helping accross all our functions comes to work and helps me out for a few hours. She explains that he husband died 4 years ago at 45 years of age of heart problems. I ask her if Qatari women remarry and she tells me, "of course". But she doesn't want to. She enjoys her life and freedom and lives with her 25 year old son and daughter in law. She has an open attitude. Spends a month in Austria (Vienna) every year in August. Most Qataris try to leave in August or July at the peak of the unbearable heat. She doesn't dwell on the past and says she is just grateful for her life.
Qatari women like her had a choice of chosing a Games Abayah and scarf for around their head and so she has.
This is all I can write today so stay tuned.
# posted by AdeC @ 8:22 PM 
