My stay in Qatar has come to an end. It was a series of ups and downs just a microcosm of life I guess.
I went to Africa and found the love of my life if anyone wants to know. I have decided to follow the Oil dropping to the next major Middle Eastern black gold mine. Where were we ….yes Qatar for all its optimism and futuristic construction and love of entertainment and ambitious future its still sits squarely in the heart of the Middle East. It’s too hot and Islam will always be at the center stage of this land and its culture. You adapt or just don’t come here. If your American get used to the British invasion, there everywhere and there not the most flexible characters you’ve ever met. That’s all I will say because I don’t want to generalize because I have meet some cool Brits also. But they got there share of narrow minded greedy assholes. Maybe it’s the American swagger that bothers them. But they like to hate on us sometimes. So like Sun Zui says when at peace prepare for war…When at war prepare for peace..The Arabs are your least of your concerns because they don’t hide anything they come straight at you with their intentions because this is their land. Phillipino’s have helped me plenty here in Qatar because they speak excellent English and they have huge numbers in the Middle East its always strength in numbers. So make friends with phillipino’s that have been around for a while. Indians pull lots of strings also their numbers are huge in Qatar but that is a much tougher network to crack for various cultural reasons. Language being one of the main factors. Oh yeah, my Arab friends are the best. I find myself listening closely when a Arab friend of mine from Qatar or Lebanon or Egypt decides to depart some wisdom on me because there opinion is one that is sometimes given to us by the media and not coming from the people themselves. So that has been such a good dialogue. Well who know what the future brings..If it brings you to Qatar I hope that my experience here has done some good for someone somewhere. The ball keeps bouncing and and every year a new champion is crowned. This years champion was Spain…the runner up New2Qatar. Peace from the Middle East.
This post is directed to those of you who want to arrive in Qatar before starting the visa process or job search.
I am going to make this as clear as possible. Do your homework from your home country first. If you want the real expatriate package contacting employers before you arrive is the smartest way to go. Their is a different playbook here in the middle east. If you know someone working here than contact them and see if you can get a recommendation or advice on where to look right now. Their is always a high demand for Oil and Gas professional with Engineering Degree and experience, for these positions there are more jobs than applicants. Jobs that don’t require Engineering Degree’s drops you into a pool that has applicants readily available. However, Military Job Fairs are year round in the U.S. If you want to make contact with Western Companies in the middle east Military Job Fairs are a good source. Because military employment includes mechanical skills and trade positions, so you can get in where you fit in. High paying jobs outside of the base will be evaluated based on education and years of experience. Also one should not be naive, nationality plays a large role as well. A given company may be Arab but the management could be British or Indian. In one instance it befits you in another it doesn’t. You as a westerner British. English, Australian. South African are not going to beat out a qualified Indian or Arab if the HR has a say so. This is all very legal you should know. But don’t be alarmed because these same companies sometimes request your services because of the need for your fluent English speaking skills in key situations. Review the pages concerning middle east job sites. Some key Google search terms are Qatar Foundation
and Education City Qatar good luck and prepare for success.
Who would have believed that I would find peace in the Middle East? Here’s how it happened, I flew home to Atlanta, Georgia for a few days and I was looking through some boxes stored in the garage. Didn’t know what I was looking for but I came across some old photos, my Swiss Army Knife witch I had forgotten about and a Lauryn Hill MTV Unplugged DVD. I though nothing of it and threw the knife and DVD in my carry-on back pack. When I got back to Qatar I decided to watch the DVD because my TV volume was much better than my computer volume and I wanted to hear loud music. I had viewed the DVD before but this time somehow the lyrics to Lauryn’s songs were hitting home.This DVD was not intended to be a religious DVD. So God must have had a plan. So I decided to rededicate my life to God. Just as a defense you see? In order to have a defense against spiritual attacks by the enemy’s of my self esteem and ultimately my decision making . Jesus is doing big things in Qatar! Yea that’s what I said. Qatar is just hours from Damascus and Jerusalem. The roads and cities that Jesus lived and taught the word of god. So don’t think he cannot govern your steps in and around the Middle East. You have to admire the amount of acknowledgment and praise that is given to Muhammad through Islamic worship. The majority of the Bible is Middle East based. Jesus is jealous God and I know he doesn’t like his believers being outdone. However, Christians are in abundance in Qatar. Your worship is welcome here. No matter your nationality. Pray and obey and he will be a lamp unto your feet.
