Pass the Passport - Cindi's Residency - 1

Bob was summoned to Immigration this morning, 7am.  Something about sponsoring his wife for residency.  He should bring all his "papers" (check), arrive early (check) and "call this number" upon arrival (um, check).  No need to bring Cindi.

Here's what it's like to go through the residency process:

• Get certified copy of marriage certificate, drop it off at BMD office (while still in KC)
• Fly to Doha - eat a lot of chocolate enroute
• Go to pool
• Receive email from Bob with status update
• Go to pool
• Wave goodbye as Bob heads for an early meeting at Immigration and 8-10 hours toiling over building plans
• Go to pool

It's not all sunshine and chocolate, of course…I also make coffee, pick up/drop off shirts, do the laundry, grocery and money thing, drink coffee, drive around, pinch myself and giggle a lot.

Oh, and I go to the beach too.

Without a car today, I'll squeeze in study time for tomorrow's Big Arabic Test, jog at the gym, write, read - and study some more.

Then later, meet up with Bob for a wog around the Pearl, dinner, good conversation, a movie.

Ahhhhhhhh, expat life.  It's a struggle, but - somehow - I'm making it work. :)

Bob and Cindi, 27 Years in Doha

A comedian compared marriage to buying a car: "owning this car is going to be really hard.  It'll either run perfectly forever - or leave you stranded without bus fare. It will need more time and attention than you have and maintenance will be expensive!  The transmission will go out, bumpers will rust, paint will chip and it will run rough, even as it promises not to.  Sometimes it will refuse to start. The only guarantee is…owning this car is going to be really hard."

Of course odds of success go up with research, careful planning, reputable factories, compatible features, a history of performance…

…and a sense of humor helps too.

Our twenty-seven year celebration began with a last party at Curtis and Mary's…a good-bye to coworkers who head back to the states soon - or move into different Doha digs.

Curtis and Mary's beautiful, ambitious, 23 year old son pointed to his parents and said, "aren't they GREAT?"  We think so too. :)

Esther sings "The Doha Song" ("I can see clearly now, the sand is gone...")

Tracy and Mike insist on taking their kids back to Missouri, USA with them.  How selfish.  :)

Topped off with alone time at Doha's Al Mourjan Restaurant ("A Touch of Art, A Taste of Perfection; One of the World's Best Restaurants!") overlooking West Bay waters.

We toured the pyramid shaped Sheraton hotel - Doha's first hotel - and later, watched "The King's Speech" on DVD.

Sure, marriage is hard - there's no combination or how to manual and when things don't work out it's about as painful as it gets.  Still, most people I know give committed relationships a shot.

Because…when you get it right?  It's the best thing ever.

 

(What to do when a couple can't agree on which photo to post.)