Hi Don:
First off, will you be your families sponsor or will your new company sponsor them.
Your wife must first obtain her residence visa before she can work here. There are a few large Hospitals here and they do speak English and Arabic among other languages.
I do know that there is a scout hall here but I've never checked in out, it's actually around the corner from where I live.
There is many sports facilities here, mostly soccer, martial arts, etc. We do have a large shopping mall and it actually has a ice skating rink in the middle of it, so bring the skates.
There are things for young boys to do but you have to go out and find them. My kids are 30 and 20 and also back in Canada.
To me prices of items are strange. I find good clothes to be expensive so stock up on jeans for the boys. Here a decent pair will run you around 70-75 dollars. Food prices are comparable to Canada, I think, anyway.
We have all of the fast food restaurants, Macdonalds, Hardies, Pizza Hut, Chilis, Burger King, etc...
Your wife will be pleased, we have one place we refer to as "Colesterol Corner" because of the fast food joints.
You cannot import alcohol, but once you have your residence, there is a liquor store and you can get a liquor license for personal use. It is well stocked with major brands of hard liquor, wine and beer from around the world. It's for Expat use only. The major hotels also have bars in them as well as fine restaurants.
I didn't have a first impression because I spent 5 1/2 years in
Kuwait before I arrived here and they are both deserts.
There is also a Zoo here for the kids. The shopping mall also has an indoor amusement park.
Many people hire maids or even live in maids to look after the house, usually Philippino or Sri Lankan and many Villas have built in maid quarters. I assume your company will be providing housing.
The internet is wide spread here also and they also provide DSL as well as dial up. You can also get satellite T.V. fairly cheap for a one time payment and many different packages available.
I can't think of anything else at the moment but if you do, feel free to ask.
Oh yes,
www.google.com and punch in
Qatar. Much information there for you.
Gerry
) but I'd sure like to know of some Canadians out there who can help us to settle in. I'm glad my husband knows the city and its rhythms well.
