I wanted to start writing regularly, because here it is so unusual and picturesque, but I did not write for a long time due to several reasons.
You all know what happened in France, terrible terrorist attacks, I was in shock for days. I am sorry and sad and cannot stop thinking about these children. And Syria is so close to here, and people there die every day…
We were ill for three months, children, then me, then children, then me again, then Arnoul, then me again (!), and then children again. Children, it is understandable, they go to the kinder garden. Arnoul and I, it is rare that we are ill. Arnoul had a horrible case of tonsilitis, high fever, could not get out of the bed, could not eat and drink and talk for days, and I had two times two different viruses that came out of the sandstorms. In the meantime, I also had one of my wisdom teeth inflamed, and it had to be pulled out. So, I still don`t know Doha very well, but I know where the doctors and the dentists are!
And I am still lost, confused, tired, fat, all this I continue being, but I am getting better every day. I met some people, in fact, every day I make new friends, which is not easy, because here people work a lot, and don`t have much time for fun. Dusan is still waking us up minimum once per night, but I manage to sleep more than before, when he was waking us up three times every night! Somehow my hormones are, I suppose, getting balanced finally, so I don`t spend 5 minutes looking for my keys, or staring at the shelves in the supermarket thinking what I wanted to buy. I am still not satisfied with my looks, and I needn`t mention that after living for 6 years in Russia and Czech Republic I must do some serious shopping of summer clothes and sandals. Today it was 32 or 35. Already. I cannot imagine how it is here in July or August, although Ashgabat was hot. Swimming pool season has fully started. Children enjoy it, I am under stress, surveilling them, then I enjoy it when they are in the kinder garden.
Arnoul is working, working and working. Here you work like crazy, sleep, and shop until you drop, as they say in Dubai. Although Dubai is still a better place for shopping. And for everything else. I would like to go there again, and to Abu Dhabi, Oman etc. Everywhere around where there is no war.
Here there are people from everywhere: Middle East plus Egypt; Asia: Phillipines, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka; Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. And everybody speaks English! There are a lot of French, who, naturally, stick together, so that they don`t have to speak English. Pilipinos (that is how people from Phillipines call themselves) are unbelievably nice people, always smiling, and Indian women are the most interesting to see, those saris in fantastic bright colors, and a lot of jewelry…
Bad thing for me is climate, I cannot stand the heat, never could… Not to mention that, yes, I have my fur-coat from Russia here with me!