"You know you are in Qatar when..."

My first "you know you are in Qatar" phrase came on the second day I was here. I was driving back from the farm with my Dad, I looked over and the child on his father's lap was driving the car (a story I know I have shared). There are so many "only in Qatar" or "you know you are in Qatar when..." statements that never get old. Things like the random animals in the back of cars, and pick ups, or the spelling of gas at a gas station that reads "GAZ," or the people who cruise around the malls in their cars, yet never go in them, or the fact that if you really wanted to you could get McDonald's delivered to your house can all be followed by "only in Qatar." How about only in Qatar most of your police cars are Land Cruisers - the nations car. It is funny because the other day my Dad told me that in 1990 when we first moved here you had to be a Sheik to own a Land Cruiser. Oh... how the times have changed. There are so many things that go along with the two above phrases.. from driving to spelling. A perfect example of spelling is not only the "Gaz Station" but there is a certain brand of frozen chicken that reads "Killed with a sharp knife un Islamic rites" - I am not kidding, it says that on the packaging. 

I took the bellow picture summer of 2010 when I was visiting my Dad for a few days. It is a very "you know you are in Qatar when..." because these guys would be at every round about selling news papers, and fighting for their lives on the crazy Doha roads. Now there are not around. I do miss seeing them in the mornings, it was a normality in Doha, and now I think this guy might be the last news paper man. I saw him the other day. All alone.