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The succinct version
Aug. 11th, 2004 01:23 pmIf you don't want to stick around and hear about our year in Qatar, you can always read someone else's. :-) I just found this today and thought it was interesting -- particularly the photo pages.
I also enjoy the slogan of his favorite Indian restaurant: "Hygiene is a way of life, hospitality the culture, quality the slogan." Most people here speak excellent English (in fact, it seems to be more of a lingua franca than Arabic itself) but sometimes the translations are amusing. I'll have to post part of the introduction to our Doha guidebook one of these days.
Also, apparently swearing is done in English. The other night half a dozen teenage boys came to our compound pool and started splashing and dunking each other, after the manner of teenage boys everywhere. I heard one of them, standing on the edge of the pool, loudly saying "Lalalalalalala," and it took me a moment to realize that he wasn't singing but saying "Nononononono" in Arabic, as his friend threatened to push him in the pool. Just after I realized this, the las escalated in volume and I heard, LalalalaLALAOhShit<splash>!!! I guess there's just no way to say that in Arabic. I'm a bit sad that English is so ubiquitous, because I really have to go out of my way to use any of my few phrases of Arabic.
I also enjoy the slogan of his favorite Indian restaurant: "Hygiene is a way of life, hospitality the culture, quality the slogan." Most people here speak excellent English (in fact, it seems to be more of a lingua franca than Arabic itself) but sometimes the translations are amusing. I'll have to post part of the introduction to our Doha guidebook one of these days.
Also, apparently swearing is done in English. The other night half a dozen teenage boys came to our compound pool and started splashing and dunking each other, after the manner of teenage boys everywhere. I heard one of them, standing on the edge of the pool, loudly saying "Lalalalalalala," and it took me a moment to realize that he wasn't singing but saying "Nononononono" in Arabic, as his friend threatened to push him in the pool. Just after I realized this, the las escalated in volume and I heard, LalalalaLALAOhShit<splash>!!! I guess there's just no way to say that in Arabic. I'm a bit sad that English is so ubiquitous, because I really have to go out of my way to use any of my few phrases of Arabic.
