This fond farewell to Qatar was written by former resident, Anushay Qaiser.
It was a fairly windy afternoon in 2015 when I first saw you, Doha. You embraced me with your chilly wind and blue Karwa taxi all around and I thought to myself: Okay, fancy! I had never thought I’d ever leave my home country and shift to the Middle East and here I was – absolutely not ready to accept you as home.
Everything takes time, they say. And they were absolutely right about that. But you, Doha, you took TIME. From the eerily quiet town I was introduced to, you showed me love in form of dhow rides on the corniche with multi-colored lights brightening my world. The fact that I could control the music list and just be for a good 15 minutes? Best 50 riyals ever spent (or whatever we bargained for)
Doha, you became my culture shock. My tiny bubble burst as I met people from every corner of the world, where I got called Indian every single day of my life (I’m Pakistani, guys!) where I got to know that my career as a writer had to restart after 6 years. You got me my first 100 riyals from ILQ and that made me ILQ for real. You were the rough stones against my feet on Wakra beaches, the rare sight of the palm island from the corniche and you were ultimately, my escape to MIA park on a cart on most days.
Doha, you helped me climb ladders and move mountains. I was told that I am nothing and you challenged and trained me to be something that I had not imagined in my wildest dreams. You are the weird smell of fishes on the Toyota signal, hinting of the corniche nearby, the wildest nights at the Irish bar with the absolute best music, you are Music Vending Machine, that band at every event, making sure I’m screaming OO LIVIN’ ON A PRAYER right with you, you’re the Tea-Time’s karak and Marmaris shawarma on the last days of the month when the pocket cannot afford anything else. And most of all Doha, you are the fried potato on sticks at every food festival that ever took place.
This is where I saw Maroon5 live, the city that gifted me my first musical festival, made sure I checked all of my goals without even realizing where I was headed. But mostly, Doha, you are the calm in the storm my life had become. You gave me my child, and you treated me like your own. From discovering new beaches in town to discovering my own palette at the fanciest spots, you gave me an Instagram life!
So even though I packed my bags over a year ago and promised to never look back, Doha, you are still very much a part of me. Every time I see a sale at home center and look at the 10 riyal tags, I think of you. When I don’t get the furniture of my choice, I miss random trips to DFC that ultimately became a home makeover at IKEA, whenever there’s a new movie that I want to watch, I miss being spoilt by choices and I most definitely miss the Hot Dogs at Novo Souq Waqif. Oh, what a sensitive thing – Souq Waqif. Doha, you are mostly my shisha in the liveliest, busiest part of the city. The gemstones from the nooks of this souq and the smell of spices near the colorful toys that line up near the kiosks. You are the sun, moon, and stars that all became a part of me as I stood in the center of the amphitheater at Katara. And as I paraglided at the Katara beach, I realized that you gave me wings.
So, goodbye Doha. Till we meet again (at a very good package and housing allowance)
Love,
Anushay.
