I took this job to build a plastics plant in Qatar. I was amazed very fast how things differ in a Muslim country than in the US. Qatar is trying very hard to get into the 21st century. But change is slow. We have lots of modern conveniences here. Malls, good grocery stores with american items and lots of other stuff. Problem is that the traffic has multiplied by 10 in the last 7 years and the roads stay congested. You spoke of what it looks like outside my window. Here you live in compounds with armed guards at the gates. We dont have the problems that Saudi has. We can go anywhere we want, I have never felt threatened. The country only has about 15 percent locals, the rest are Indian, Phillipeno, and Indonesian, with a few westeners thrown in. Across the street is a Mall, another place like an Indian Wal-Mart, called the LuLu Hypermart and lots of Indian eating places. The airport is about 1 mile away. Not a bad setup, but nothing is easy to accomplish here. Only one doctor does the lap band surgery here. I will send you an invite to see some pictures I have uploaded on Picassa if you would like. They are of the locals, and the area. Kills time when your hungry.