My patience is being tested
Qatar, slowly and gradually, is starting to put my extremely tiny level of patience to test. God help someone or the other!
Five minutes ago, I discovered that leave alone my girlfriend, not even my mother and my sister, who hope to visit me in October, more so because they want to see Qatar - my sister being a great disciple of Islam and the Arab world - are not allowed to stay with me in my apartment. It is considered "illegal" for an unmarried expat to stay with a woman who is not his wife!
Yes, mothers, sisters, only blood relations though, can visit. But they have to be put up in a hotel. When I have an apartment here, and I have to put my mum and sis in a hotel, I'd rather create a third testicle for myself.
Their explanation for this law is that a lot of people come here on visit visa, get a job for themselves and then become illegals. Hence, if they stay in a hotel, it will be easier for the authorities to track them down in case there is an issue.
So when my mom and sis come here in October for my birthday, I will have to put them up in a godforsaken hotel!
How sad is that!
Now about my girlfriend, who wanted to come in October to meet me. First of all, an unmarried woman below the age of 35 cannot enter Qatar, even as a tourist. That's apparently a rule.
It's obviously very conveniently applied at will since there are like a zillion chinese prostitutes here running their show.
How the fuck do they enter?????? Why the fuck are they allowed???
Anyway, my girl, the hotshot (a travel photographer) she is, got herself an assignment visa to Qatar.
But today, my landlord told me clearly that he would not permit an unmarried couple to stay together under any circumstances because if the authorities find out, it will be his neck on the line.
So we have fucking had to fucking cancel the mother fucking October plan, and postponed it to December, when I go back and get married to my girl, just for the sake of the certificate, so that she can visit and stay with me as and when she wants.
Not that I'm gonna be here for very long.
One year, my contract gets over, and I am off.
It's goodbye Qatar, after that.
A nice place, peaceful place, but for a 24-year-old it's good just for about a month or so. After that, all it becomes is just another small, hypocritic desert country trying to find itself on the world map.
Qatar, at times, you really suck.
Bigtime.
posted by Once the Conman at 10:25 PM
24 Comments:
gees, appreciate your frustration but this just blows me away, How interesting, while the world moves on it seems Qatar is still stuck in some other century. Sorry but I think these lawas they have are absolutley bizaar, maybe I just don't understand. hey at least you're not living there for ever..
Wait and watch. When you land here in January with me. The first thing I'll do is kiss you in front of the loser cops at the airport.... tongue and all.
Bloody losers.
I'm gonna expose their hypocricy right here on my blog... watch.
Misreflect: You got it perfectly. You're understanding it. But it isn't like Qatar is stuck in another century. It is a very very new country. They're developing really fast. But some of their laws are fine, only if they are applied to everyone. Not when they allow a few and restrict a few to suit their convenience.
Just wait... for a week maybe. I'm gonna now show you how hypocritic they are.
aww...
First of all, an unmarried woman below the age of 35 cannot enter Qatar, even as a tourist.
That is just ridiculous. Are they so worried the unmarried young women will become prostitutes or marry the eligible Qatar men?
Penny lane: That's exactly why. But it's all hypocrisy. Nothing else.. There are tons of prostitutes here who come in on visit visa. And the authorities know it really well.
There are Russian and Ukranian (Very expensive) at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, Filipinos (Dirt cheap) at the Ramada Hotel, Chinese (Low class third rate) at the Oasis hotel. The authorities know everything.
One week, and I'll tell you exactly what happens, how it happens, and with whose permission they come in.
Alice: Don't be sorry. It's Qatar that's gonna be sorry.
conman, broken verses.. really, you guys.. get a room :)
and btw.. do women over 35 suddenly become unattractive that they are allowed into Qatar after that age? .. just a thought..
Cowlick...
This is our room.
The entire rule is stupid... so under 35, over 35 is irrelevant.
Wow, that really sucks! But then the year'll be over before you know it
the rule is stupid and hey advance congratulations for your wedding :)
and b'day 2 :)
Before you begin to knock on persons of certain nationalities or the laws and/or regulations of a certain country, take time to find out (and understand, if that's not beyond you) at least one of the reasons why.
It all started with people from a certain part of the world. Your problems with the authorities denying entry into the country for your relatives and girlfriend is a a result of people from that part of the world exploiting the initially-lax rules of the Persian Gulf region states (note: I am aware that many within the region prefer to call it the Arab Gulf ... I had that impressed upon me many times before. But my atlas says otherwise).
Almost all (there are exceptions) the laws and regulations of the world are reactive - as a result of certain events.
In this case, the abundance of flesh from people from a certain part of the world.
In due time, when the number of people of the nationalities you seem to have found reason to despise (people A, for simplicity's sake) come close to the numbers of people from a certain part of the world (people B), and too many members of people A are found to be engaging in illicit activities, the same rules that serve to curtail people B would apply to them too.
Until then, know the reason for your problems, and deal with it accordingly instead of blaming others.
@Anonymous: With reference to your comment:
"... and too many members of people A are found to be engaging in illicit activities, the same rules that serve to curtail people B would apply to them too."
The question here still remains that what is illicit and who defines it? Should the state be allowed to define what a person does or does not do? In Orwell's 1984 perhaps but this is a much more post-modern world, don't you think? :)
@Conman: That has got to suck! My sympathies, my friend. December aur thodi der ki toh baat hain. Tab tak is duniya ke zulm-o-sitam sehlo! :) And there goes my penchant for the dramatic! :)) No offence!
awww..that really suck! Hope your contract finished up soon :)
love,
elisa
p.s. happy birthday for Oct :)
Different country , different rules..
Anonymous Asshole: "Their explanation for this law is that a lot of people come here on visit visa, get a job for themselves and then become illegals. Hence, if they stay in a hotel, it will be easier for the authorities to track them down in case there is an issue."
In future read the blog carefully. And please... create certain balls under your penis (if you have one) to comment with an identity.
:((
That is so strange the hookers can get in and your girlfriend cant. Maybe the hookers sleep their way in.
First of all, an unmarried woman below the age of 35 cannot enter Qatar, even as a tourist. That's apparently a rule.
Well this is certainly not applied (or applicable perhaps) to all women. I speak from experience, though I do have a UAE work visa in my UK passport. Here's what it says on Lonely Planet:
Visas: Everyone except nationals of other Gulf States needs a visa to enter Qatar. Embassies and large hotels within the country can sponsor visas. Israeli passport holders are not allowed in Qatar.
Oh yes - it should also be noted that the British ambassador to Qatar, Simon Collis, lives with a woman described as a partner rather than a wife.
here is my identity with pics
http://www.cs.indiana.edu/~rdoshi/best/
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Congratulations for choosing to leave by the way. Anonymous-hear that, he hates it and he is leaving and he can bitch all he likes! Its his blog.
Butterfly: You are absolutely right. I coulnd't agree with you more.
I really like Qatar, don't get me wrong. Only, i think this is a beautiful place for those above 40-45 years of age, who want to save money for themselves for their retirement plans.
I am here a little too soon in fact. That's ok...
As for the laws... like I said, I don't have a problem with the laws here. In fact if you read my earlier posts I have clearly said in most of them, that this is a nice country, and that its no wrong for them to expect us to conform to their beliefs and practises.
But a law is a law only if applied to everybody. Not a select few. Here the law is different for a european, different for a Qatri and different for an Indian. I am standing up against that.
Thats it.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Joyeux Noël et bonne année! Buon Natale e felice anno nuovo! Feliz Natal! Feliz Ano Novo! Καλά Χριστούγεννα και Ευτυχισμένο το Νέο Ετος! frohe Weihnachten und ein frohes neues Jahr! Prettige Kerstdagen en een gelukkig nieuw jaar! 聖誕節同新年快樂! Veselé vánoce a šťastný nový rok! Bonan K Wesołych Świąt i szczęśliwego Nowego Roku! С Новым Годом и Рождеством Христовым! ristnaskon kaj feliĉan novan jaron!
I know how you feel,, Qatar and the middle east in general is so full of BS that its not even funny,, I'm actually a 27 year old Qatari guy,, and I plan to move soon to live in the USA or Canada,, I have had enough of this BS and not giving people the rights to their basic freedoms.. I could probably make a lot more money here in Qatar, but making more money isn't worth it if your selling your soul for it and wasting your life away in a place that does not appreciate human beings and their freedom of thought, speech, and choice.
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