Qatar is awesome, say ex-residents
FOR a large number of former Qatar residents, FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 has come as an occasion to revisit the country.
Apart from the World Cup, nostalgia was also a pull factor for the many professionals and a few blue collar workers who came here for the world’s biggest sporting show.
Coming out of the airport, some of them setting foot on the Qatari soil after 15 to 20 years, they were stunned by the transformation the country has undergone in a short span of time.
Interacting with
Qatar Tribune, a number of the former expatriates said that they could never have imagined from afar that things had changed so much.
Ravi Jose Thanikkal, a former Indian expatriate, who is in Qatar after 12 years as a guest of a long-time friend, said: “I was amazed to see the new stadiums and the Doha
Metro system.
“Even when I was back in India I used to hear and read a lot about the transformation happening in Qatar, but what I could never have imagined what I saw with my eyes after coming here. As they say, seeing is believing. It’s awesome,” he said
“I have travelled to many countries in Europe and Asia, I haven’t seen such development anywhere. The transportation network, the road and metro links to stadiums and fan zones are in my opinion unparalleled anywhere. I believe, now Qatar should be included the ‘mustvisit’
cities in the world tourism”, Thanikkal added.
Many former expatriates staying with friends and relatives here, were eagerly waiting for the World Cup to revisit their old friends and see the city where they once lived, and the country which provided the opportunity for them to earn and feed their families for years. “Visiting cities like Pearl Qatar and Lusail, entertainment and cultural hubs like Katara and Museum of Islamic Art, Qatar National Library at Qatar Foundation Oxygen Park made me proud of the country where I lived once.
“Frankly speaking everything has changed except Fanar Tower and Sheraton Hotel. I am not able to believe this is the same city where I lived for more than six years 16 years ago”, said another expatriate.
A Cuban citizen staying in a Fan Village Cabin said, “My schedule will start from Metro station in the morning. Roaming length and breadth of city experiencing the Arab hospitality and watching modern wonders in infrastructure and art will be on my day’s agenda tomorrow. FIFA Qatar will always remain etched in my memory in golden letters.”