Here are a list of things people say often in the ex-pat community in Qatar which underline the inability to categorize the transience of bein an ex-pat (an expat is someone who is living outside their country of origin).

“When you’re living here permanently for a while….”
Translation: We are here but we aren’t here forever, so that is an in between that is undefineable.

“Go to X….. you won’t even feel like you are in Doha.”
Translation: A few places in the city will help you escape the reality of being here.

“We should really get together.”
Translation: We keep bumping into each other and you know everyone I know, so I’m making small talk.

“Now X… that’s a real city.”
Translation: This is not a real city but there are real cities out there, I just don’t live in one, but I have money to travel to them (which is why I live in this not-real city.)

Mohana Rajakumar

Mohana has a PhD from the University of Florida with a focus on gender and postcolonial theory. She is the creator and co-editor of five books in the Qatar Narratives series, as well as the Qatari Voices anthology which features essays by Qataris on modern life in Doha (Bloomsbury Qatar Foundation Publishing, 2010). Mohana has published several ebooks and academic titles. Check out her Amazon.com author page

    

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