From Poland to Qatar in the name of love

Can you please introduce yourself and tell us about your background?

My name is Joanna, and I was born and raised in Gdansk, Poland. When I was younger, I never saw myself as a future expat. I didn't personally know anyone who moved abroad, and I didn't consider it as an option for myself. I loved to travel, but for as long as I remember, I had been set to become a successful litigator in one of the Polish law firms. With both parents practising law, it was the most logical and desired career path for me, or so I thought.

What brought you to Qatar? For how long have you been there?

My life's turning point was meeting my husband, Khaled. It was back in 2009, and at that time, he was already based in Doha, Qatar. We got married in 2012 and then faced a dilemma: what next. Khaled is Tunisian, so it's quite difficult for him to obtain a resident visa for Poland. Definitely much more difficult than for me to travel to Qatar. On top of that, I was working as an assistant to a judge in a district court, and that job was not paid well enough for me to be able to support my husband until he finishes paperwork and gets a work permit. So, the most logical choice was for me to move to Qatar, which I did in June 2012.

Was it hard to adapt in Qatar? What were the main challenges, and how did you overcome them?

When I arrived in Qatar, I knew that my life would be much more different than in Poland. There are countless misconceptions that Poles have about Arab countries. To my surprise, it turned out that life in Qatar is much more similar to life in Europe than I initially anticipated. But, of course, I also faced a number of challenges.

The main challenge for me was (and still is!) the weather. Back in Poland, I was used to spending most of my time outdoors. In Qatar, during the summer months, it's next to impossible to stay outside unless it's late at night. During my first year in Doha, I was that one crazy person going out and about in the 40+ degree heat while everyone else stayed indoors. Most of the time, I would drag my poor husband along, annoyed at his resistance. I still remember how I was walking to a supermarket in August, and a lovely local lady passing by in her car stopped and asked if my car broke down and if I need any help! Unfortunately, the only way for me to overcome this challenge was changing my lifestyle to match local weather conditions.

The second huge challenge was driving! I was absolutely terrified of driving in Qatar. Roads were (and still are) full of reckless drivers who disregard traffic rules, on purpose or by ignorance. I overcame this fear thanks to my husband, who at some point lost his patience with me (for months and months, I had been repeating that I'll start driving “eventually”). One fine day he simply stopped on the side of the road, stepped out of the car and told me to take over the driver's seat. I was too surprised to protest, and I actually did it. I then realised it's not that bad, and I've been driving ever since.

This isn't your first time away from home. Tell us more about your travels.

I caught a travel bug back in 2006 when I got on a plane for the very first time on my way to Egypt. I was a student back then, so I had some free time on my hands to cultivate this new passion of mine. Before meeting my husband, I visited all sorts of places. I went on a 3-week backpacking trip to Morocco with a friend, which was a great experience as we used Couchsurfing and met lots of amazing people. I also travelled to Fagaras mountains in Romania, where I spent two weeks away from civilisation, hiking, drinking from mountain streams and sharing a tent with bugs and spiders. I spontaneously hopped on a bus for a 35-hour trip to visit a friend in France. I took a train to spend a great couple of days in Budapest, hosted by a girl whom I met online (we're still friends!). The list goes on.

Moving to Qatar presented a perfect opportunity to explore other parts of the world, which suddenly became closer than ever. As a family, we visited many amazing locations, but our fondest memories are connected with trips to Seychelles and Zanzibar.

How are you coping with your passion for travel as a mum?

I'm doing my best, but it ain't easy! Once you have kids, you need to change your attitude towards travel. You can't just grab a small suitcase and spontaneously leave for a week or two (which is what I liked to do in the past). Every trip needs to be carefully planned, and you need to learn to anticipate and overcome a whole lot of additional challenges. Also, let's not forget about how expensive travelling becomes! Having said that, travelling with children is also a source of immense pleasure. There aren't many feelings better than being able to show the world to the little ones. And seeing them catch the travel bug is priceless!

What does the life of an expat mum in Qatar look like?

I can't praise it enough! Qatar is a very family-friendly country, with loads of things to do with children. Parks, playgrounds, workshops, libraries, you name it. And most of it is free or costs very little. I also noticed that expat mums in Qatar are much more sociable than back in Poland – it's pretty easy here to make friends. What is also important, contrary to what many people might think, is that in Qatar, women are not discouraged from working once they have kids. It's perfectly normal to see mums having great careers here. The only downside I see at this point of time is how short the maternity leave is. The law in Qatar only grants women 50 calendar days of leave once they complete one year of service. Of course, the employer can agree to more, but that hardly ever happens.

Did the COVID-19 pandemic have an impact on your life and your travel plans?

Yes, a major one! But not entirely the way I expected. During the peak of the pandemic, we were staying at home like everyone else, not even considering travel. That was because of our safety, but also because if we flew out of Qatar, we wouldn't have been able to return (Qatar introduced a very strict entry policy, banning everyone except citizens from entering the country – this ban has only been lifted very recently). We have also become parents to our third son, who we jokingly call our “covid baby”. Because of bureaucracy and the pandemic situation, baby Alex is seven months now, and we still haven't received his passport! This, at the moment, is the biggest obstacle that prevents us from travelling.

What is the current situation in Qatar? How well did the authorities deal with the pandemic?

The initial wave of the pandemic hit Qatar pretty hard. For a very long time, we were on top of the list of countries with the highest number of Covid-19 cases per 1 million population. The government reacted fast and imposed many restrictions: closing the borders, making wearing masks mandatory (even outdoors), restricting gatherings, etc. We got a short breather when the number of cases dropped, but then, in March 2021, we got hit by the second wave. Luckily, in the meantime, Qatar has started an intensive vaccination programme for citizens and residents alike, and the government officially stated that they are not expecting another wave in future, which is a good thing, considering that Qatar is supposed to host a football World Cup in 2022!

Is there anything that you miss from your home country?

Oh yes – two things: the food and the winters!

Don't get me wrong, Qatar is an amazing place to live for a foodie, as there are people of so many nationalities living here, each introducing their own cuisine to the country's food scene. But I do miss some staple food items and dishes from Poland. I also miss having alcohol available in every supermarket. If you fancy a glass of wine in Qatar, you have two options: either book a table in one of the super expensive hotel restaurants or visit the only shop in the whole country which sells alcohol (and pork). But you need a permit to be able to shop there.

The second thing is the weather. Winters in Qatar are amazing, but they resemble summer in my home country. Beautiful sunny weather and temperatures around 25 °C. What I actually miss are the gorgeous white winters, when the temperature falls below zero, and you can curl up on a sofa with a cup of hot cocoa and watch the snowfall outside.

If you could make the move all over again, is there anything you would do differently?

Yes. One of my biggest regrets is not starting to learn the language (local dialect of Arabic) immediately after moving! I got lazy because almost everyone here speaks great English. If I had started when I moved, I would have been fluent by now. Instead, I only know bits and pieces, certainly not enough for efficient communication!

Do you have any advice for anyone who would like to relocate to Qatar during or after the pandemic?

My main advice would be to wait until the situation gets more stable (unless you've already landed a job!). Qatar still has many restrictions in place, which affect the quality of our lives. In fact, most of my friends have left Qatar for the summer to wait out the situation elsewhere.

After the pandemic – I would definitely advise you to visit Qatar as a tourist at least once before making a decision to relocate. Qatar is a wonderful place to live, but the lifestyle here is very specific and not to everyone's liking.

Where do you see yourself in the next ten years?

Oh, that's an easy one – in Portugal! As much as I love Qatar, I know that it's not a place where I would like to retire. During one of our family travels, we visited Portugal, and we fell in love. The plan is to buy a small house somewhere in the Portuguese countryside and settle there with family. Having said that, I'm sure I will still be travelling back to Qatar from time to time!