Doha, A Safe Haven Between Desert and Sea

BOCCONI ALUMNUS ROBERTO GRASSI PROVIDES A LOOK AT THE ADVANTAGES AND PITFALLS OF LIFE IN THIS BOOMING CITY IN THE ARAB WORLD, WHERE HE HAS LIVED SINCE 2013. PEOPLE FROM AROUND THE WORLD ARRIVE HERE EXPECTING TO STAY A YEAR OR SO, AND THEN END UP STAYING MUCH LONGER


The mantra of expats in Doha, Qatar’s capital, is: "I’m going to decide from year to year whether I’ll stay or not." Yet I know many who have been here for 10, 15, 20 years. This is because Qatar, with its high quality of life, spoils you completely and the benefits the country offers outweigh the sacrifices you have to make to live there. Obviously professional opportunities abound, Qatar being a booming economy.

The population has been increasing massively, as consequence of an unstoppable economic development that has attracted migrants of all kinds. Between 2004 and 2010 the population grew by 128%, between 2013 and 2016 by 33%, to the point that only 300,000 of Doha’s two and a half million inhabitants are actual Qataris. Much of the immigrant population is of Asian origin (in particular from India, Pakistan, and the Philippines) and is employed mainly in the construction industry, but there are opportunities for skilled foreigners (the “highly-skilled”, as they are officially defined) working in engineering, culture, research, medicine, finance and, but just for Italians, design. For instance, an Italian company is the leading constructor in the business consortium that is building the second-largest stadium of the upcoming FIFA World Championships in 2022.

You can move to Qatar only via the sponsorship of an employer, a system that I have already experienced in other parts of the world like Canada, but here the employer’s sponsorship covers many more aspects. It is the employer, for example, that grants you the authorization to purchase alcoholic beverages for home consumption, or give your permission to leave the country for the holidays. In general, bureaucracy is very pervasive, even if the government is trying to reduce red tape ahead of the World Cup, but personal relationships count much more than official procedures. The locals do not like communications by e-mail or telephone; if you want to fix something you have to meet somebody in person - a way of doing things that a Southern Italian like me, born and raised in Locorotondo (Bari), has already experienced. In my previous assignment in Doha, in charge of accreditation for the Asian Games, I found that the center’s location was inadequate for the purpose; following regular procedures, I could not manage to move it elsewhere, but three days before the start of the event I involved the president of the organizing committee, and within a few minutes, the decision was made.

The legislative system of Qatar is based on Islamic law and, but although it takes some time for a Westerner to adjust, the thing is less traumatic than one might think. Hotels can serve alcohol, except in the month of Ramadan, and in the city there are Catholic and Orthodox churches. Women must follow additional obligations, but miniskirts and plunging necklines would get anybody a cold, in a country where offices regularly set their air conditioning at 18/20 °C.

What expats actually risk is feeling a certain sense of estrangement, a Truman Show effect due to the fact that Doha is essentially a secluded space: on one side the sea, on the other the desert. Within the confines of this space, the city really offers everything, including very efficient services, almost delivered to your home. The country is completely safe, due to a massive security presence and the fact that the country can only be reached by air or sea travel from Saudi Arabia, a country just as closed and difficult to penetrate. When I return to Italy I must remember not to leave the car open or leave the cell phone or wallet hanging around. Taxes in Doha are almost non-existent and you can lead a very cozy life here, a condition you can share with other expats coming from all nations. There’s plenty of possibilities for culture and entertainment and there's even a UNESCO World Heritage site. But you can end up doing the same things over and over, and if you do, you really need to escape. At that point, the only place to head to is the airport.
 

by Roberto Grassi
Translated by Alex Foti