When Doha metro first opened for public, I took my wife and kids from Al Bidda Station to Al wakra.
My second trip was on the opening event of Al Wakra Stadium, and I lost counting after that.
I am an expat, who’s been in Doha for 12 years, and I am not exaggerating when I say, having the metro was one of the best things ever happened to me here during this period.
Now having made that statement above, imagine how upset I was when the metro, the whole country and the planet was locked down. You see, corona required “social distancing” and “social encounters” is all that I needed on the way to work and back.
Just for you to know, I am not that guy who loves driving the car, look after it and wash it… The only time I enjoy at the car wash is when I take the kids for Automatic Wash! The car would be moving on its own, we’re pumped with water and soap…it’s the time of their lives… looking at them laughing and screaming, priceless!
So back to the metro! This thing is incredible… it forced me to walk from and to a destination. Something that I have rarely done in Doha.
I spoke to people who sat next to me and were thrilled as much as I am about this experience.
I had to organize my time when I had meetings and the best part of it… take some me-time while walking from the station to the meeting and back.
Although the trips are short, I always had an article of fewer than 10 pages printed to read while on the trip.
I enjoyed getting lost between stations and exits, and every other aspect of this new experience.
You might be wondering why so much fuss about the metro?! Depending on where you come from, the train, the metro, the tube is already part of the culture! But here the metro is totally new, and I can see a new culture is about to form… “The Metro Culture”
During the Corona days, almost every evening, we as a family took our bicycles, rode to the metro station nearby (Al Rayyan Al Qadeem) we had our own little ritual of making Eight, figure “8” between a lamppost and the muppie in front of the station and then make our way back home.
Every day, I was hoping that this whole Covid-19 will be over with the least possible damage and we would get back to normal life with some life-lessons learned. I was hoping that I can come back to my metro routine. I really missed meeting new people, talking to the smiley and helpful staff and enjoying the laughs of those kids (and adults) in the front seat.
Great to see you again!
