expat

Buying a used car in Qatar: 10 tips to help you make the right choice. 20 August, 2022

Buying a used car in Qatar: 10 tips to help you make the right choice.

During our time in Qatar, our family owned a total of 6 cars, 4 of which were bought used. Buying a pre-owned car is always tricky, no matter where you are, so it doesn’t surprise me that it’s one of the most common questions I’m being asked. And so I gathered everything I’ve learned from […]

Qatar: a comprehensive guide to kids birthday party venues. 16 August, 2022

Qatar: a comprehensive guide to kids birthday party venues.

If you’re a parent in Qatar, chances are that at some point you found yourself obsessing over your kids’ birthday party location. Throwing a party in an outside venue is definitely not cheap, but it’s always so much fun for the kids, and a perfect bonding opportunity for parents too 😊 I’ve done some research […]

I walked 50,000 steps in Qatar! 17 February, 2022

I walked 50,000 steps in Qatar!

And what do you do for annual Sports Day? When I asked this question in my Instagram poll, most of you replied that you’re planning to stay at home and relax. This is understandable, especially if you’re working full time (Qatar has very little public holidays compared to other countries!), but I’m here to offer […]

Our favorite playgrounds in Qatar. 12 January, 2022

Our favorite playgrounds in Qatar.

One of the amazing things that all families with small kids appreciate in Qatar is the abundance of outdoor playgrounds, most of which are free for all to access! My boys got so used to visiting a different one each time that when we went to live in Poland for a while, they were upset […]

Keeping it real: New Year’s resolutions. 28 December, 2021

Keeping it real: New Year’s resolutions.

New Year, new me? Naaaah… New Year, new series of articles on my blog! It’s called “Keeping it real” and it’s meant to be exactly that: my honest views and real life experiences. The purpose? To let you know that if you struggle with certain things – you are definitely not alone! And to vent […]

Christmas in Qatar: do we celebrate? Plus a list of 10 outlets selling Festive decor! 08 December, 2021

Christmas in Qatar: do we celebrate? Plus a list of 10 outlets selling Festive decor!

Hello December! I love this time of the year in Qatar, for two reasons: the weather & Festive vibes. Yes, you read that right! Many of you might think that you will have to forget about celebrating Christmas once you live in Qatar, because in the end: a. It’s a Muslim country, and b. December […]

Best budget breakfast spots around Doha. 25 November, 2021

Best budget breakfast spots around Doha.

Breakfast. The most important meal of the day. Or the most unnecessary one, according to my husband 😉 . Are you all about breakfast, or do you just grab anything you happen to have in your fridge? Or maybe you skip it altogether? I can definitely live without it, but also take immense pleasure in […]

We visited the Children’s Library in Doha, and here’s everything you need to know about it. 18 August, 2021

We visited the Children’s Library in Doha, and here’s everything you need to know about it.

EDIT: As of April 2022, Children’s Library is open. However, an in-library ticketing system is currently used during weekends and school breaks to control capacity, on a first-come, first-served basis. Tickets are free and can be obtained inside the Library. When the Children’s Library reaches full capacity, visitors are asked to wait. Did you know that […]

My favorite cafes to work remotely around Doha and Lusail. 10 August, 2021

My favorite cafes to work remotely around Doha and Lusail.

If you’re anything like me, you have probably welcomed the concept of “work from home” with your arms wide open. Because of the current situation, more and more companies are allowing their employees to continue working remotely, at least for a part of a week. Luckily for us, work from home does not actually have […]

How I quit my job, and the important lessons I’ve learned about working in Qatar. 21 October, 2020

How I quit my job, and the important lessons I’ve learned about working in Qatar.

As I mentioned briefly in my previous post, I have recently quit my job. It was my own decision, even though I did feel forced to do it. I consider myself a dedicated employee and a person who doesn’t take their work responsibilities lightly (Type A, hellooo…). That definitely made me stay much longer than […]

7 interesting things I discovered while driving a land cruiser in Qatar. 07 October, 2020

7 interesting things I discovered while driving a land cruiser in Qatar.

I haven’t posted anything for a long while… This had a lot to do with my situation at work and all the unnecessary stress it has been causing me. Every afternoon after coming back home I would feel completely drained and the only thing I wanted to do was to lie on the sofa and […]

Beaches in Qatar, PART 2. Three great beaches you’ve probably never heard of. And one to avoid! 03 August, 2020

Beaches in Qatar, PART 2. Three great beaches you’ve probably never heard of. And one to avoid!

Now that you know what are our family’s beachgoing habits (if you missed my last post, you can read about it HERE), the time has come to reveal our favorite beaches this season! And, as a bonus, to tell you which one is totally NOT worth the trip. As a quick reminder, our family is […]

Beaches in Qatar, PART 1. Organizing family beach trips with small kids. 02 August, 2020

Beaches in Qatar, PART 1. Organizing family beach trips with small kids.

With the pandemic messing up our holiday plans, Qatar’s scorching heat, and many indoor establishments still closed, it’s not easy to find ways to spend time as a family. In the past, we would never even consider visiting any beaches in Qatar between June and September. With the heat and humidity reaching ridiculous levels, we […]

10 things that are keeping me sane during self-isolation in Qatar. 27 May, 2020

10 things that are keeping me sane during self-isolation in Qatar.

Hello after a long break! I apologize for keeping quiet. If you follow my social media, you probably already know that I’ve recently started a new job, and it keeps me busy beyond what I’d imagined! At the same time, I’m still a mom of two without a full-time helper around, so I guess you […]

6 ideas to keep your kids busy during self-isolation in Qatar. 17 April, 2020

6 ideas to keep your kids busy during self-isolation in Qatar.

Raise your hand if during the past couple of weeks you’ve reached a whole new level of appreciation for every teacher’s job. I know I have! Suddenly, you went from working full time and going out and about to voluntarily locking yourself up at home with your spouse and kids. The first few days were […]

Living in the Covid-19 crisis: why I chose Qatar over Poland. 04 April, 2020

Living in the Covid-19 crisis: why I chose Qatar over Poland.

There it is, my first post about the current crisis. I apologize to those of you who are sick and tired of reading about it. I do have some points to raise, though. It’s mostly because of people’s reactions to what’s happening in my life at the moment, and their follow-up questions 🙂 . Also, […]

Qatar: a comprehensive guide to hiring a house helper. 25 March, 2020

Qatar: a comprehensive guide to hiring a house helper.

So we are back in Qatar. Circumstances back in 2020 (namely: early lockdown in Poland and closure of the borders) forced us to make a difficult decision on the spot: should I stay in Poland with the kids and not be able to join my hubby in Qatar for God knows how long, or should […]

Everything you need to know about online shopping in Qatar. 12 March, 2020

Everything you need to know about online shopping in Qatar.

UPDATED: July 2021 During the peak of the pandemic, we’ve learned to avoid crowded places such as shopping malls, and the popularity of online shopping skyrocketed. Now, the situation is getting better, but the habit of buying stuff online stayed with us for good. I’m happily on board with that, as I believe that while […]

14 Signs You’ve Been Spoiled by Life in Qatar. 05 March, 2020

14 Signs You’ve Been Spoiled by Life in Qatar.

We’ve all been there: upon returning to our home countries, be it for vacation or for good, we immediately start complaining about certain things, because they are not how we want/expect them to be! What seemed completely normal to you before moving to Qatar is now bringing a deep frown to your sun-beaten face, and […]

Qatar: a comprehensive guide to nurseries. 18 February, 2020

Qatar: a comprehensive guide to nurseries.

UPDATED: July 2021 In this update, I have removed some nurseries from the list. Some closed down, some were unresponsive and had no online presence. In case a nursery is active online, but did not respond to my request for updated information, I kept the last known information in the spreadsheet and made a note […]

10 tips to survive moving to another country. 14 February, 2020

10 tips to survive moving to another country.

In 2020 I’ve officially moved back to the desert, after spending 8 months in Poland. The year 2019 taught me a very valuable lesson: home is not always a place where you were born and raised. Home is where you feel most comfortable, where your family is, a place you long to come back to […]

Qatar: a comprehensive guide to house-hunting. 10 February, 2020

Qatar: a comprehensive guide to house-hunting.

So my previous post about Private Schools in Qatar turned out to be a huge success. I’m honestly overwhelmed by the amount of positive feedback as well as the number of downloads! Encouraged by the response, I decided to cover another topic very close to our hearts: house-hunting in Qatar! During the 9+ years spent […]

5 truths about raising an expat child. 05 February, 2020

5 truths about raising an expat child.

“Where are you from?” – I asked Adam once, quite curious about what will he say. He was 3 years old at the time. “Germany!” – he answered, without any hesitation. Wait, what!? I was expecting “Poland”, maybe “Tunisia”, but why on earth would he associate himself with a country he has no links to? […]

Qatar: is it a good place to raise your children? 25 October, 2019

Qatar: is it a good place to raise your children?

Imagine you’ve landed your dream job. Trouble is, the job is in the Middle East and accepting the offer would mean that your whole family has to relocate. I had it easier – when I moved to Qatar, there were only two of us. We then smoothly transitioned into a family of five. 🙂 But […]

Our family. 10 random facts to keep you entertained. 04 October, 2019

Our family. 10 random facts to keep you entertained.

“Who are those guys?” – you might wonder. I did post about the beginning of our life together HERE, but that’s all that some of you know about us so far. So in order to introduce our family a bit better, I’ve decided to entertain you with some trivia. Enjoy! 1. Before Khaled met me, […]

It’s complicated: my relationship with Qatar. 14 September, 2019

It’s complicated: my relationship with Qatar.

“You’re moving WHERE???” asked another one of my friends, when I informed him that I’m planning to settle down in Qatar. Once again, I had to explain that I’m not planning to live in a village in the middle of the desert, rolling my eyes at lousy jokes about being sold to a savage desert […]