Getting a Driver's License (Part Three)

The Driving Test.

Having gone through months of confusion, finally taking and passing the signals test, and managing the bizarre engine test, the next and final step was the driving test.  That, of course, was the most important.

I heard many different things from friends around Doha on what to expect of the evaluation, and most of what they said had me fairly concerned.  Some spoke of a course through which I would have to demonstrate various parking methods (at least two of which are unnecessary), driving through crazy roundabouts, etc.  Others had claimed that "no one passes on the first try," which would be unfortunate as I didn't have a lot of free time in the mornings to head out to the Gulf Driving School a few times to try and fail the test.  Needless to say, I expected my ordeal was nowhere close to completion.

Fortunately, little of what I had been told held true.

First, Americans who have a current driver's license (that can be shown to the Traffic Department and/or the driving schools) do not need to do the separate parking test (so, if you fall into that category, make sure they send you straight to the road test, not the driving test, which is actually a parking test; italics).  While I was not aware of that the day I went, the people in charge fortunately did.

Following success in the signals and engine tests, I was given an appointment at 5:30 AM.  While I hate mornings, my driver got me there right on time.  As before, no one was present to direct me anywhere.  In fact, the whole place looked almost abandoned.  I wandered around for a bit until I found someone who, checked me in.  Carry cash with you, as you will have to pay yet another superfluous fee: to rent the car you will be driving for the test ("seriously?" is what I almost said to him, "y'all own the car...").  I was then directed to wait.

Be prepared to wait.

An hour went by, then another.  I started worrying I had gone to wait in the wrong place.  I found the guy who checked me in, and he said I was in the right place.  Over two hours had passed.  I was convinced by that point that I had somehow missed my call.  By then I was wandering about, asking anyone who understood English as to when the tests would start.  No one knew (most didn't understand what I was asking).  It was quite disconcerting.

Finally, two and a half hours later, they began calling names for road tests.  After another hour and thirty minutes, my name was called.

After some confusing directions, I found the car waiting in the compound.  A guy was already in the driver's seat, with both hands on the wheel, looking as though he had just been informed that the car was rigged to explode should he move at all.  A Jordanian man who also held American citizenship was the third in our car.  He and I chatted for a bit, and then we turned to the nervous guy and learned that it was his fourth try.  That didn't feel very encouraging.

Once the official who evaluated us arrived, we departed the compound for the streets of the Old Airport District.  Right, straight, take a u-turn, right again.  The first guy was done in less than twenty minutes.  He hardly engaged in all varieties of driving action.  I was somewhat heartened by it.  Next was the Jordanian.  His went about the same, although instead of a u-turn, he went through a couple one-land roundabouts.

Then my turn.  It nearly started in disaster.  Admittedly, I was a bit nervous.  I hopped in the driver's seat, adjusted the mirrors, moved the seat, almost everything one is expected to do before pulling out on to the road.  The official didn't see me adjust my mirrors, however, and so he asked "don't you think you should check your mirrors?"  So I feigned "not having gotten to them yet."  I re-readjusted the mirrors.  Looked for any coming traffic, and prepared to pull onto the road.  I then realized I had forgotten to fasten my seat-belt -- narrowly avoided that one.  The test itself was done in fifteen minutes.  Back to the driving school's compound and we were done.

Then, more waiting -- to hear if I had passed.  By about 10:00, they began going through the names.  More failed than passed, which caused a bit of anxiety.  But then, "Mahk Glahsen...pass."

Then, more waiting -- to get the license.  Once nice thing is that you can take the tests and get the physical license all in the same place.  After about twenty or thirty minutes I had the card in hand and was headed back to work.

Despite the angst and annoyance, and two months of having no idea what I was supposed to really do, I finally got the license.  Once again, a permitted driver.

And while one episode concluded, another began.  I had the license, but what was I to drive?

Things to Do in Qatar: The Cross-Country Road Trip

A lot of expats in Qatar find the country dull, that there's nothing to do.  They're wrong, so don't listen to them.  Granted, it is easier to get bored but not for lack of activities.  But like anywhere, Qatar is what you make it to be.

Since arriving just over six months ago, I have not had an inactive day except by choice (taking a break from having too much to do).  And not just work.  My job has provided me with a lot of opportunities to get out and do what I want, often whenever I want to.  And there's always the weekend (which is Friday-Saturday here).

One thing I've quite enjoyed is getting around and seeing the country.  It's not big, so one can drive around the entire Peninsula on a single tank of gas, in a single day, with a few liters and hours to spare.

Our route around the Peninsula

A friend of mine and I did just that a couple months ago.  I'd finally gained my driver's license.  Even though I'd been to the southern desert, Dubai (twice) and Egypt, and planned a trip to Oman, I wanted to get out of Doha and see the countryside -- the whole countryside.  So I got a four-wheel-drive Nissan Pathfinder from Al Muftah Car Rentals, practiced on Friday, and we headed out Saturday morning about 8:30.  Our goal was to see every point of interest we could possibly get to.

We'd already seen the Barzan Towers in Umm Salal Muhammad and month or so before, so we breezed through the last settlement on Highway 1, through open space, and north up the eastern coast to Al-Khor for its famous Mangroves.

The southern third of Qatar is basically a sandy desert, and the rest is a rocky desert; so the Mangroves are one of the few naturally green places in Qatar.  It's a nice area.  Water flows through it.  My friend enlightened me as to the workings of the mangrove plant.  Apparently, it has the ability to take in salt water and put it out clean.  The back of each leaf expels the separated salt (so I licked the back of one -- it was good).  The place is quiet and generally has few visitors, and definitely worth wandering about.

After about a half hour or so in the Mangroves we headed up to Al-Jassasiya to find Qatar's semi-famed petroglyphs.  While their origins and use are still not fully determined, the current assumption is that they were carved at least several centuries ago.  Some depict boats, flowers, and other natural things.  There are also a number of troughs and holes that some believe were part of some game.  Unfortunately, the entire place was fenced off, and as big an area as it covered, we likely wouldn't have found the carvings anyhow.

Following the fruitless stop, we continued to Qatar's northernmost town, Madinat Ash Shamal (which is basically combined with Al-Ruwais).  There wasn't necessarily anything to see, but we did stop there a bit after noon to have our lunch (which included forbidden bacon) on the walk that looked out over the tidal bay.

When we were no longer starving, Isaac and I continued on our trek, finally turning south.  Our goal was the fort and abandoned settlement of Al-Zubarah, but along the way we found an interesting site.  Whereas we hadn't been able to see any rock carvings at Jassasiya, along the northwestern road we stumbled across some isolated petroglyphs.  Nothing particularly special, just a series of holes and scrapes.  But for some reason they were mildly interesting.

We then made for Zubarah.  That was probably the highlight of the trip.  The first fort was established back in the eighteenth century, destroyed, and rebuilt several times.  The Bahrainis, Ottomans, and Qataris have all used

the site to defend what was once an important pearling and trading port.  Today the settlement is abandoned and the subject of an archaeological project.  What remained of the most recent fort has been excellently restored.  Because it's out of the way, the fort is basically empty.  One can wander around freely and see the whole place, undisturbed.  RasGas or QaPCo (can't remember which) provided for the renovations, and so the exhibits inside are mostly about the geology of the Peninsula and oil-and-gas production.  But the fort is definitely worth seeing.

 

The journey carried on through the interior.  It's a dry, empty expanse of rock, some sand, and the occasional shrub.  Despite the occasional "Camel Crossing" sign, without sighting any such thing, that part of our drive was basically uneventful.

I steered off the highway just northeast of Dukhan (the only active town on the western coast) up to Zekreet.  We intended to go up to what Google Maps has marked as the intriguingly named "Mystery Village," but couldn't figure out the way.  Instead, we headed for another fort.  That one proved highly disappointing.  the Zekreet Fort is a ruin now.  One can make the outline, but no more than a foot of the walls remain.

The Zekreet area itself, however, is worth the trip.  The beach is nice, but much more the rocky features just off the road.  None are particularly high (though if one fell off some it would hurt pretty badly), but they're a wonder to wander.  Carved by centuries of water and wind, one can find seams of iron and quartz run through them.  The colors are interesting.  Were it not so hot, we could have explored the mesas and valleys for hours.

The rented vehicle had to be back in Doha by 6:00 PM, so the day was running short.  We had intended to follow the road on to Dukhan, then back east; instead, we traveled the road through Al-Rayyan and directly to the rental place.

A terrific trip.

From Doha News: Flying Through Hamad International Airport

Qatar's new airport, years in development, opened this May.  On the 27th, the last planes took off from the old airport, and now every commercial flight will go in or out of Hamad International.

While I haven't been yet (though I will the first weekend of June on my way to Oman), DohaNews posted a good article on the new facilities and "What You Need to Know" about it.  Here are a few excerpts:

Flying through Hamad International Airport: What You Need to KnowBy: VICTORIA SCOTT | May 26, 2014

As of 9 AM, all commercial flights in and out of the country will operate from the new, state-of-the-art Hamad International Airport (HIA), signaling the closure of the overloaded Doha International Airport....For those encountering the new airport for the first time, here are some tips to help with your transition....HIA has both long term and short stay car parks. At the moment, both of these are free. Airport officials have not yet announced how much these will cost when charging is introduced....You’ll find a Karwa taxi rank to your left as you exit Arrivals. Remember that the standard additional charge for all airport pick-ups is QR25....a spokeswoman from HIA told Doha News today that all 30 cafes and restaurants will be open at the airport from Tuesday, along with 70 shops selling clothes, electronics and gourmet food. At least one public food outlet, The Caviar House, has alcohol on its menu....Qatar Airways advises that all passengers should try to arrive at the airport three hours before their flight. Check in will close an hour before departure for economy passengers, and 45 minutes beforehand for premium classes.
There is free wifi on offer throughout the airport.

I'm looking forward to my coming flight.  Check out the full article and others at Doha News.

Getting a Driver's License (Part Two)

Driving School and the Signals and Engine Tests.

The path to a driver's license can be confusing. If there are clear directions about what one must do, they're hard to find. Take the concept of the "driving school." The name is misleading.  When an American hears "driving school" it conjures up an image of being taught how to drive over the course of several days or weeks, sitting at a desk and learning the tedious, detailed rules of the road.  While that exists at Qatari driving schools, the facilities also serve to administer tests and give driver's licenses to those who pass.

None are really operated by the government.  Granted, there are a few Qatari officials there, and usually a Traffic Department officer overseeing things.  The overwhelming number of people working at the schools are mostly Indians and a few other Arabs.  In part, it's practical; the overwhelming number of people undergoing instruction and evaluation at the schools are Indian.  For a non-Arabic, non-Hindi, non-Malayalam, non-any other Indian dialect speaker, it can make for some difficulty.

For one, the facilities tend to be laid out strangely, and nothing is marked.  My efforts were conducted at the Gulf Driving School at the southern edge of Doha nor far from the old airport in Al-Thumama.  My first trip there, I wandered around for a bit until I found the main offices far inside the compound.  There, I eventually registered for a Signals Test and was told to go buy a guide book in the main waiting area in another building.

For the Signals Test, I was told to get there early in the morning -- 6 AM -- when there would be fewer people there.  That's a positive and negative thing.  There may have been few people there taking tests, but there was also almost no one around to direct me where to go.  And without any signs that say "Signals Test Here," I just had to wander around to find someone to show me where to go.

So, the first piece of advice, don't be embarrassed to wander around like a rube and ask every total stranger "where do I need to go?"

I had gone over the signals book a couple times (for any American or European you will already know almost all the road signs used in Qatar; but go through it to find the handful that are different, or have another meaning), but was still a bit nervous about the test, mainly because I had little idea what to expect.

I arrived at 5:50 AM, eventually figured out where to go, and was number twenty-four in line.  Be prepared to wait.  They didn't begin calling anyone for the test until about 7:00.  Then, they call people about twelve at a time -- except they called number twenty-four in the third group; so the wait added up to about an hour and a half or so.

The test itself was actually pretty easy.  It's conducted on a touch-screen computer.  A road-sign shows up along with four possible answers.  The only disconcerting part was a statement, worded as a statement, with a question mark: "It is illegal to use a mobile phone while operating a motor vehicle?"  The two options were "Right" and "Wrong."  If it was a question as to whether it is illegal to do so, the answer is "Right."  But if they're asking if the action is illegal, the answer would be "Wrong."  I chose "Wrong" reasoning that they meant tat the action was bad, and it turned out I was right.  There was a second statement/question worded the same (that I can't remember now) that I answered similarly.  Five-ten minutes and I was done and was told "You pass. Wait outside."

I did just that, glad I had passed.  Then, a few minutes later, a gruff Qatari said, "You come now for engine test," and walked outside.

I was unaware of this part of the process, so I had no idea what to expect.

We walked over to a car with its hood up, and the guy pointed to components and asked, "What this?"

I could remember most things, or at least the American vernacular for them (which confused the guy), but couldn't see the cap for the brake fluid and told him, "I'm not sure what that is."

He then stated, almost angrily, "You fail. Do again."

I barely understood what was going on anyways, so I asked, "When can I do it again?"

He was walking back inside (I followed, of course), and he started saying, "You do drive test" or something that sounded like that to me.

I replied, "Yes, I need to take the driving test."

He didn't like that.  "No.  You take drive test?"

It sounded exactly the same, so I said, "Yes, I still need to take the driving test, so when can I do the engine test again?"

He was getting annoyed by then and, with great irony, asked "What you's problem? You not know English?" and then promptly walked off where I couldn't follow.

A hopefully helpful map to navigate the Gulf Driving School compound

So I asked someone else about re-taking the engine test.  All he said was "Oh yes, wait here" and pointed to some chairs nearby.  I've learned, do not just take a seat anywhere.  You have to pester people to get things done sometimes.  So I watched for the engine test guy.  Once I saw him go back outside to do more engine tests about forty minutes later, I followed.  When he was done with one guy, I handed him my papers.  He pointed to just three components that time (instead of ten the time before), and though annoyed, he signed my stuff and told me where to go to sign up for the driving test.

From Doha News: Five Tips for New Expats on Settling into Qatar

Great advice from a great site on relocating to Qatar. Here's an excerpt:

Five Tips for New Expats on Settling into Qatar

By: Victoria Scott | May 16, 2014

In order to get the most of your time in Qatar, consider:

• Keeping busy with hobbies and events;
• Focusing on making new friends, both expat and local;
• Avoiding returning to your home country too often;
• Learning about local culture; and
• And exploring Qatar’s open spaces.

A fulfilling life in Qatar requires work, but if you’re prepared to put the effort in, I argue that the country will “pay your efforts back twice over.”

Check out the full article and others on Doha News.

Qatariïsms: Wasta

Wasta means connections.  Qatar runs on it.  In many cases, things in Qatar take time, or are downright confusing.  When it comes to the professional world, some people don't respond if they feel the requester is beneath them in status.

But Qatari citizens seem to know everyone; and since it's their country, they can demand a lot more done a lot faster when they want to.  As a consequence, if you are able, form personal relationships with Qatari citizens (which can be difficult for a variety of reasons).  And don't hesitate to ask for a little help, and to ask them to use their wasta.

Getting a Driver's License (Part One)

Prepare to be Annoyed (if You're American).

If you're an American and enjoy being frustrated and annoyed, then try to get your driver's license in Qatar.

If you're British or from a number of Western nations, the process for getting a driver's license here is (almost shockingly) easy.  About a month-and-a-half ago, a friend and I initiated the process to get our licenses -- basically on the same day.  The only difference between us was nationality: he's British, I'm American.  For most Westerners, all one must do is fill out an application, get a "no objection" letter from his employer, show a current driver's license from his country of origin, and he receives a Qatari license.

While that used to be the case up until about two years ago, Americans must now go through an additional level of scrutiny.  The rumor about Doha is that some sheik studying in the United States a couple years wanted a driver's license there, was required to do a series of driving tests, and so when he returned home to Qatar he called up a relative and demanded the same rules be applied to Americans here.  A believable, if not totally accurate story.

The New Traffic Department Building

For my British friend, it took about an hour-and-a-half hours to get down to the traffic department, submit the paperwork, get the license, and go back to his apartment.

The equivalent for me took about a month-and-a-half.

In the case of almost everyone in Qatar, the employer must create a "no objection" letter saying they don't mind.  I acquired that back in March.  Once that and the application are readied, the applicant must get an optical exam which can be conducted by any approved optometrist.  I did that about two weeks after I got the paperwork.  That's when Doha-delays set in.

At first it seemed as though wasta would provide some ease in the procedure.  There are several Qataris at the College with whom I have developed a good working relationship.  Qataris seem to know almost every other citizen in the country (and if they don't already, they just make a new friend; additionally, everyone has an uncle or cousin in every government ministry or office.  So I consulted with one of my citizen-associates and, just as I hoped, he had a friend in the Traffic Department.  Sounded like things were going to get through with ease.

My associate took my paperwork and said he would give it to his friend who would convert my license.  A week later, he said we needed to go get an eye exam and we went that night.  I thought we would go straight to the licensing office after, but instead we spent three hours in his majlis (which was actually pretty interesting, if not productive).  The next day, we went to the Traffic Department and found that there was no way around the rules -- I needed to go to driving school.