thought i'd share the following with you...it was issued by the american embassy explaining ramadan rules in qatar. please pay close attention to the word "illegal". i feel like a hostage.
Muslims are required to fast from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan. As such, it is illegal in Qatar to eat, drink (even water), or smoke in public during fasting hours, i.e., approximately 5:00 a.m. until 6:00 p.m. Approximate times for sunrise and sunset will be announced in local newspapers. If Muslims are present in the work place, they expect non-Muslims to respect their fasting and not eat, drink, or smoke in front of them, even in motor vehicles, or to prepare food that they can smell or see. As it is illegal to serve food or drink during fasting hours, restaurants will be closed during daylight hours, with the exception of a few hotel restaurants that serve non-Muslims only. Restaurants will begin serving food at sundown, but expect them to be crowded, especially during Iftar, the first meal immediately after sunset. If you are in a hotel, and they do not serve a meal at a time you require, you will find that room service is normally available or the dining room will have an isolated area where non-Muslims are served.
and yes...by illegal it means you risk some form of punishment. i remember ramadan in cairo. granted, egypt is not a muslim nation but at least you had the freedom of choice during this period and religion wasn't forced down your throat even if you don't practice it.
so work hours are now 8am to 2pm. malls have funky morning hours, close most of the day and open again from 8pm til midnight or 1am. what i'm not looking forward to is everyones bad breath. i thought this month would be somewhat similar to my previous ramadan experiences...looks like it's gonna be one hell of a ride.
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Hang in there, Barry.
Remember, you had moments of doubt in Cairo too. Remember when you first came back after having been away for a year, and the reality hit you that this wasn't a move of fixed duration like the last time? This was for real. You were in a foreign country, away from your family, with no job, and had to face the uncertainty of searching for one. (And you soon found a great one!) Remember your reaction when you saw that infamous cockroach in our Mohandesseen apartment? But things turned out great. Doha might yet have great things in store for you.
And if it doesn't? You'll still have learned something from the experience, right? You'll still be able to leave at the end of your contract or whatever (provided you don't eat anything "illegal" during Ramadan?) It will be even easier to walk away because, with the Doha job on your resume, you'll have an advantage in finding a new job that you didn't have before you came. (Don't forget why you came to Doha. You weren't stimulated at work. This new job sounds like a good opportunity...and one that could perhaps lead to more in the future?) You'll always have choices. Montreal will always be there...if you still have a burning desire for poutine and high taxes. And your ex-flatmates, Alex and your family and friends aren't going anywhere. Even now, when you're going through rough times and you feel alone, we're still thinking about you.
You may feel like a hostage, but you're not. You always have somewhere to come home to, and that's more than a lot of people can say.
p.s. And enough about "pushing 30" already! You're making us all feel decrepit -- we're still hot chicks! ;-)
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