DOING HOSPITALITY RIGHT IN DOHA
ONE of the things you get used to when living away from home is being shielded from the unexpected guest popping in.
You know what I’m talking about… just as you’re settling in for some Netflix and chill, friends or family will rock up at the front door. Or sometimes they will park in front of the house and WhatsApp to see if you’re home. Unless your lights are off and your car is parked inside the garage, you’d better get ready to break out the 30 Seconds and a deck of cards. Oh, and order Wembley while you’re at it, because it’s probably going to be a late night.
Here, in Doha, expat social norms are a little different. Gatherings, whether a barbecue (my bad, I mean braai) or simply coffee with friends, are generally planned in advance, meaning there’s enough time to literally get your house in order before anyone walks in.
And unlike communities such as the Palestinians in Qatar, many of whom have moved to the country out of necessity as a result of conflict in their own land, South Africans generally don’t have their siblings and extended family around.
Visits from my family and friends have been fairly infrequent, as visas required for South Africans to enter Doha could prove quite costly or time consuming to obtain – until recently, that is, when Qatar waived the visa requirements.
Effectively, this means South Africans get a free visa on arrival in the country.
South Africa’s Charge D’ Affaires in Doha, Douw Vermaak, in an interview with the Qatar Tribune newspaper earlier this year, said: “The liberalisation of the Qatari visa regime has made travel to the country very easy. The various steps taken by the government, banks and Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) to speed up and simplify the process of registering businesses and operating in Qatar are also welcome.”
While good for businesses wanting to bring their Proudly South African products to a new market in the Gulf, what this also means is that former president Jacob Zuma won’t be the only South African arriving in Qatar unannounced or at short notice.
“Salaam Ridwaan, I’m leaving Cape Town this afternoon for Malaysia and have a 20-hour layover in Doha before my connecting flight. Believe South Africans get visas on arrival in Qatar. Would be great to see you and the family.
“Meant to let you know earlier, sorry about that.”
I scroll through the message from a childhood friend, and realise that one of the things I’ve missed most about living back home is the unexpected guest pop-in.
“I’ve got the cards,” I type in reply. “You bring the Wembley.”
The liberalisation of the Qatari visa regime has made travel to the country very easy