Welcome!

Welcome to my blog! A little background first, we are an American family that recently moved to Doha, Qatar. We have two children, a boy who just turned 5, and a girl, who is two. Number three is on the way, due in January. She is a girl, and we are looking forward to meeting her soon.

Our decision to leave the United States was motivated by our frustration at the current mood of belligerent nationalism there, and with the violence sponsored by the Bush administration. No longer wanting to contribute to a regime that kills civilians, tortures captives, and at the same time espouses “moral values”, we sought accommodation elsewhere (under what circumstances is it ever moral to murder children?).

We actually left in late March, long before Bush’s reinstatement. It was rather like “pre-boarding for families with young children”. We assumed the worst, that we would in fact, be facing four more years of this nonsense, so we wanted to be well established in our new home before it actually happened. We weren’t long in Qatar before summer came, and we returned to the states to visit and tie up some affairs. We have been back in Doha since late August. All in all, things have worked out well. We had enough time to assess that this was a good move, and had an option to return or go elsewhere if it wasn’t.

You can’t fully escape the United States. Their reach is global, and their wars and destruction dominate the news and discussion worldwide. On the other hand, we decided we wanted to raise our children in an environment free of willful lies and propaganda. We were seeking a place where our neighbors don’t watch Fox News, and where common folk are well informed and abhorred by the reports of American genocide in Iraq and elsewhere. We also didn’t want to contribute our money or our skills to the American war machine.

Why Qatar? It does seem a rather odd choice at first, especially considering the American military presence here. We chose it because it has most of what we were looking for in a new home, a booming economy, a high degree of personal liberty, modern facilities, low taxes and interesting people. If they could put in a few mountains and some rain forest, it would be perfect!

Some would question the “liberty” part. While Qatar is a monarchy, the Emir is a pretty reasonable guy, and for the most part you can do as you please here, within the limits of common sense. You definitely get the feeling that you are on your own here. There are not nearly as many rules and regulations as there seem to be in the US. In the US nearly every facet of life either has to conform to some federal standard, or is dictated by fear of liability. In Qatar, you are responsible for your own safety and well-being, and you must live with the consequences of your own decisions.

Safety issues are the most obvious thing that comes to mind here. Here in Qatar I see every single toy that I grew up with in the 70’s that is now banned in America. It’s great! Traditional swingsets, with real metal slides and carriage swings, superballs, tops, traditional playpens and cribs, hoppity-hops, toys with cords long enough that a kid can actually pull them along, it’s all here. Most of this stuff btw, is perfectly safe under proper supervision, it’s just that it’s not idiot-proof. In the states, even an idiot can hire a lawyer (and win).

A typical day around town with the kids may include pony rides, jumping on trampolines (with or without bungy cords), boat rides in the harbor, a great zoo where you can see the animals up close (the chimps could grab you, if you’re not careful), roller coasters (indoor even!), trips to the livestock and camel markets, sliding down sand dunes, or playing at one of the ubiquitous playgrounds. This is a fabulous place for kids, and most activities are either very inexpensive or free.

Qataris adore children. Yeah ok, everybody else in the world says they love kids too, but Qataris really mean it. The amount of attention and genuine affection showered on kids here is remarkable. Not only does society tolerate children, they cater to them, and their parents. Many department stores have babysitters, or children’s areas, restaurants are almost universally kid-friendly. It’s amazing, people who have met my kids only once remember their names months later. It’s common enough to walk into a toystore and have your child be given an expensive toy from a perfect stranger. Strangers give candy here too.

Crime is almost non-existent. The primary reason is that the overwhelming majority of folks here are observant muslims. If people truly believe that we will have to answer to God one day for our actions, their actions will reflect that accordingly. You can fairly well gauge a nation’s spiritual health by looking at its crime rate, and the nature of the crimes that occur. Here in Qatar, other factors that keep crime down are the relative prosperity of the nation, and the fact that foreigners may face deportation to their home countries if they run afoul of the law. Foreign workers are here by choice… why mess up a good thing?

Few people here lock their doors or their cars. I have never heard of a case of burglary or robbery. The paper recently ran a story about a taxi driver who was trying to return a large amount of money that was left in his cab…refreshing.
This is a society where people know their neighbors and frequently bring them food (thanks neighbors!). It’s a place where kids can be kids, and where older kids tend to mentor the younger ones, instead of teasing or bullying them. Living here is similar to what I imagine the US was like in the 1950’s.