I haven’t posted anything for a long while… This had a lot to do with my situation at work and all the unnecessary stress it has been causing me. Every afternoon after coming back home I would feel completely drained and the only thing I wanted to do was to lie on the sofa and watch silly things on TV. Last week, however, I finally put my foot down and… *enter drumroll* I quit!
There’s a long and serious post I wrote about fighting for your rights in the workplace in Qatar, which I think many of you will find useful (you can find it HERE), but today, for a change, something much less serious and practical… đ
As a busy mom of two, I canât imagine my life without a car.
I hate depending on others to drop me off and pick me up, and taking a taxi is too damn expensive and not a great option during a pandemic anyway. This had caused me a bit of anxiety when I returned to Doha – before leaving for Poland back in 2019 I sold my beloved red Mazda and there was no way in hell I could afford buying a decent ride on the spot. Enter: hubbyâs generous business partner who suggested I borrow one of his cars. I was so grateful I didnât even ask what kind of ride am I getting.
Turns out I was to become one of the proud users of a white Toyota Land Cruiser, possibly the most popular vehicle in the whole Middle East đ There are A LOT of stereotypes regarding land cruisers, and people who drive them. I was always game to making fun of them before, until I actually became one đ I have discovered a lot of interesting things, and can confirm that whatever you might hear is most probably true, at least to some extent… đ
1. People assume youâre someone else.
Let me explain – if you ask anyone living in Doha about who is supposed to be behind the wheel of a land cruiser, I can assure you that nobody would say âa fair-skinned expat female in her 30sâ đ According to common knowledge, I should be either a middle-aged family driver with a thick mustache, or a local gentleman wearing a spotlessly white thobe and fancy leather slippers. You can imagine the surprised stares Iâm getting daily!
2. Your carâs trunk becomes a mobile storage solution for literally anything!
I can tell you, a land cruiserâs trunk is more capacious than an average-sized closet. I drive around with all our beach equipment, Alexanderâs stroller, and some random junk that I’m not bothered to unload, and I could still go to Ikea and bring home 10 pieces of disassembled furniture đ Unfortunately, things tend to get lost in there pretty much all the time (kind of like in an average ladyâs handbag ;)).
3. The left lane on any highway becomes your second home.
Yesss! One of the most wonderful feelings, once I started to get used to driving a land cruiser, was being able to overtake other cars on a highway without being bullied by impatient dudes who perceive speed limits the same way that they probably perceive abstract art: without much understanding. You start to feel respected by other road users. Or feared. Feels good either way! đ
4. You make the mistake of trying to get into someone elseâs car at least once a month.
Oh the joys of driving the most popular vehicle model in the country! Bonus points if itâs white đ If you donât memorize the exact spot where you left it, you have a big chance of trying to break into a random strangerâs vehicle, completely convinced that it is, in fact, yours. Sometimes you will reach a point of getting all worked up because the car remote suddenly âstopped workingâ, and âyourâ car wonât open! đ Or get totally confused by a complete stranger sitting in a driver’s seat!
5. Parking becomes a nightmare⌠Until it doesnât!
Suddenly, all parking spots seem too narrow/short/tiny in general, and even if you fit in, youâre not able to open the door properly and end up squeezing yourself out of your car in a very undignified way, sometimes getting stuck in the process. Plus, the nasty towing hook at the back of the car seems to always magically hit every wall/pole/fence that happens to be behind you when you attempt reverse parking… On the other hand – that amazing feeling when you manage to parallel park this big-ass vehicle for the very first time, without a need to correct it! You feel like such an achiever đ
6. You kind of feel obliged to bully people on the road đ
Like, seriously, this is what most land cruiser drivers do and once you drive one, you subconsciously adopt the mentality of this mean, self-entitled and inconsiderate person! I try to be nice and all, but damn itâs hard! I have to stop myself every day from tailgating others only because they are 5km/h below the speed limit, on the fast lane. On a positive note, most left-lane turtles bugger off when they see me approaching long before I even think about flashing those headlights đ
7. Driving any other car feels extremely weird!
Suddenly, they all seem so tiny in comparison! Recently, I drove hubbyâs car and felt super uncomfortable. Itâs an SUV, but I felt like I could hardly fit inside! With the older kid in tow, tones of grocery, all my spare shoes and jackets, etc. Also, my immunity to being bullied was suddenly gone and I had to put up with other entitled land cruiser owners trying to push me off the road đ
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You might also like…
— Beaches in Qatar, PART 1. Organizing family beach trips with small kids.
— Beaches in Qatar, PART 2. Three great beaches youâve probably never heard of. And one to avoid!
— 14 Signs Youâve Been Spoiled by Life in Qatar.