SONJA LEVESQUE

So, the D day came and I finally arrived at Doha - The hub of Qatar Airways - on the 10th of November. Something unusual about the date (10/11/12). The delays made me go crazy and I was on the verge of giving up. Lost my excitement towards the whole thing. But in the nick of time, things happened.

Doha - I am enjoying my time here. I do feel homesick once in a while but then, there are many other girls in our building who are a part of my batch & there is always something to look forward to. The first day I landed here, It took me atleast an hour to pass immigration. The queue was very long & I had 3 hand baggage. Soon we were taken to one of the offices by the housing departments and given out welcome bonus of 2000 QR. I am located very close to La Cigale hotel, which is renowned for it's night club ;-) The apartment is decent enough and has all the amenities (refrigerator, TV, coffee machine, toaster, etc). Moreover, I was happy to share it with a senior cabin crew from Ukraine. 

I was in the mood to explore and wanted to head out in the evening. Luckily, I met two of my batchmates from Morroco, who were in the spirit of adventure too, just like me. The most common means of transport in Doha for a non-resident is the Karwa Taxi. You can locate one anywhere and the drivers are complacent compared to the rickshaw drivers of Bangalore. It cost us 15 QR to get to City Center Mall, which is known to be the biggest mall in Middle East. And It definitely is. Spacious with almost everything you want under one massive roof. One of the highlights of this place is Carrefour. The biggest hypermarket to pick up everything you want. I was surprised to find Indian spices here. I did not pack much and on my way to Doha, wondered If I would ever get to taste Indian spicy food prepared like my mother does. There's vegetables, utilities, clothes, fruits, meat, pastries, watches, camping equipment, furniture, etc etc etc You name it, they almost got it ! Feeling hot ? Wanna go ice skating ? You heard it right ! The only mall to house an indoor arena of ice skating. 

You will also find variety when it comes to restaurants & eateries. From Pizza hut to Nandos, Star Bucks to Applebees. We decided to go to Nandos and treated ourselves to grilled chicken, burger, salad & fresh fruit juice. Something that I really loved about the place was Peri Peri. It's similar to tobasco but a much spicier sauce.

An average meal would cost you anywhere between 15-30 QR

Nandos

A lot of stores offer discount like Avenue, for instance. You can find make-up, formal clothes, shoes, bags, lingerie, branded & non branded stuff & more in one shop. If you're looking for a place to transfer or exchange money, you will find UAE exchange and many other exchanges in this mall. They charge a nominal fee of 10-17 QR.





I am sure that most of you just like me, would be curious to get a new SIM card for your phone to stay in touch with your near & dear one's. The company provided us a calling card worth 30 QR, which only lasts 11 minutes. Here's an easier solution. In City Center Mall, you will find a Qtel outlet on the 1st floor. All you need is a copy of your passport (make sure you get a few copies before handing out the passport to the housing officer) & 50 QR. The activation is instant & you get calling time worth 25 QR which enables you to make phone calls to your home country for only 0.66 dh per min & SMS at the cost of 0.06dh per text message. Isn't that a good deal ? I remember how expensive It was in India to make an international phone call or send a text message.

City Center Mall

I did visit The Corniche area for a while but wouldn't say I explored it too well. I was tired, lacking sleep for almost 24 hours. But, there are many other places to explore in Doha like Souq Waqif, Villagio, The Corniche & something in my list - The Oryx farm. Oryx (from the antelope family), is the national animal of Qatar. The state adopted this nearly extinct animal & started a farm to breed them. I am not sure If my training period will allow me to visit the farm, but someday soon. I will write more as I get more time to explore.




Ciao 

Link to my Picasa album - Doha - Sonja

Following my wait for over 3 months now to finalize the last bit of my job, I have been utterly jobless. I feel like I'm on a mission to fill in all the missed out sleep from the past couple years, when I toiled and toiled without a breather. Too much sleep and lazing at home is weakening me. Just the other day I was lying on my bed in the wee hours of morning and the thought of further studies struck my mind. I have wasted plenty of time not considering a graduation degree, being caught in the humdrum of work life. Pursuing a graduation degree just isn't another chore that you can pick and finish. Besides, giving thought to what i really wanna do was of a greater significance. Here's where I did some deep thinking and narrowed down to two option. An online Bachelors degree in Mass Communication or Linguistics, that I can later top up with a minor by specializing in a subsequent field.

Mass Comm. seemed very interesting, knowing my passion towards comunication and language. I did a little bit of my sherlock Holmes research on the subject and found it very satisfying. I also needed some 2 cents on what field seems more rewarding, if I have to think of a career in the States, which is where I dream to work eventually someday. A friend in need is a friend indeed. And out came my friend Barbara Losee from NJ, to help. Barbara knows some really wonderful people who have a much erudite knowledge on these fields and honestly I couldn't ask for anybody better to offer me guidance, especially where my education is concerned. The response was unanimous - Linguistics. Cindy, Fred and George, who offered some advise, suggested Linguistics. At first, I thought to myself that there will be a great deal of scraping that has to be done in this field - Learning all that there is to know about languages in a more in-depth manner; Symantics, Syntax, Modality etc On the other hand, I also identified with my passion of learning more about languages. They were right to say that in these times, there are thousands of people with a bachelors or a Majors in Mass Comm. Linguistics is still an upcoming field with very few takers comparatively and offers more weightage in terms of doing something different. I can also top this up later with a minor in Public Relations.

The last few days have been like a revelation and I have started off with a quick familiarization in the field of Linguistics by getting a hold of a few e-books from the web. I am grasping as much as I can about the subject, also consciously trying to understand If this is where my passion lies. Of course, I will also have to think of what option would facilitate online studies, as I don't see Campus education as my cup of tea. Atlast, the joy of doing SOMETHING useful with all the free time I have in the world.

I also started off with reading Rosey Dow's Colorado but gave up after a few chapters. Another goal is to learn to finish a book when you start it :D

My Visa is stuck because of the festive season in the Mid-East. I was informed that all the offices are closed and also that the immigration office only opens post 29th of August. Sigh ! Atleast I know now that one of the few things that is imperative to own next to your education certificate, voter ID and Pancard, is a Passport.

Later then !

This post is about the miracle named "My Job". It is no less than a miracle because It happened in 3 days, over a weekend. Who doesn't dream of an adventurous job that gives you an opportunity to travel all around the world, visit your dream destinations and offers you a handsome salary for it !? Those were the painstaking days in the Summer of May, this year, when I was at wit's end about my life and job. A friend mentioned Qatar airways coming to Bangalore for an open day and suggested I give it a try. I thought long and hard & after a push from my mom, decided to give it a try. What did I have to lose ? On the plus side If I won, It would mean celebration.

Day 1 - CV Submission round: I was at Taj Vivanta hotel., 10 am, dressed in formals, very nervously looking for the venue. I was given directions to go to a certain conference hall. The place was swarming with people packed like sardines. Then I was given directions to enter a spacious room, where I saw 2 recruiters seated, having brief conversations with candidates. Jillian and Mellisa ! I sat a few rows behind, even though there were only a few people in the room. Soon I was called and my heart was pounding. 'Cos this is the round where you either make it or break it. The recruiters were very pleasant and after quickly gleaning my resume, asked me where I was working. Then I was given a smile and said, they will call me the same day before 6 pm, If I was selected. There was a board outside with all the information any prospective candidate would want to know about the next day, if they were lucky enough. It all happened in a matter of minutes and I was done with my first round. I met a couple friends there and started relaxing. At that point, nothing mattered more than relaxing on a fluffy sofa in the lobby.

I was enamored all day about the job interview and met a friend for brunch. Time passed and around 4 PM, I got the call that would breathe in extra life into me. It was from Jilli who informed me that I had cleared the CV submission round and was welcomed to attend the 2nd round of interview the next day at 8 am. I am far from being a morning person but I was so excited that I swore I'd wake up at 6 am, If need be.



Day 2 - Group Discussion: I was painting my face after a very long time and got busy the next morning, getting ready for the interview. Now, the second round consists of so many things. I was there at 8 am but the interview did not start until an hour later or so. This time we were at Le Meridien and I saw the recruitment officers, impeccably dressed to kill, enter the hallway. The 2nd round starts with a quick English test ( Very easy with grammatical questions and essay writing) followed by a small video clip about QA. The video clip is enough to make any girl's heart flutter and the RO's (Recruitment officers) then discuss and go through the pay scale, lifestyle, culture and all relevant information. Jilli & Melissa were very engaging and there was never a dull moment. Sadly, when the results for English tests were out in an hour, almost 60% of the girls were eliminated. I was astounded, 'cos It was a very simple test that seemingly, anybody could pass. The remainder of girls were all nervous and happy at the same time, knowing that It's not over and there are many hurdles to overcome.

A height check took place soon after. They wanted us to touch a paper clipped to a certain height on the wall and to my surprise, a few girls were eliminated here as well. Then they check to see If you have any visible scars, birthmarks or tattoos. Another nerve wracking experience.

Towards the end of our interview, we were divided into two groups and given a topic to discuss in the GD round. There was some chaos and the RO's closely make their observations during this round. I think what they are looking for is how well a candidate performs under chaotic situations, their spirit of team work and co-operation. We roughly had 5 minutes to discuss amongst ourselves what role each one would enact and how they'd bring out the theme of the topic. I was with this American girl, Chandra, and both of us were clueless of what to do, as time limitations did not permit us to discuss anything. We somehow enacted an impromtu act, which I was not completely happy with, as we hardly spoke anything. But Lady Luck was smiling and we were later given the green signal. This time only fewer girls were eliminated.




Day 3 - One on one interview: Today was a much calmer day after the apprehensive weekend. The RO's, as sparkly & glamorous as ever, took 15-30 minutes with each candidate. It was like having a conversation with them. They asked me a few questions from the booklet (forgot to mention, you get a booklet on the 2nd day) pertaining to the rules and regulations, your favorite destination If you were given a free ticket to travel and other miscellaneous but important details. You are asked to bring along all the documentation needed - your educational certificates, passport copy, photographs (one full length & one close-up) etc. Then, your time starts to be patient and forget about what happened in the last 3 days of your life. That's right. What follows after a week or two is an e-mail from your co-ordinator to finish the medical rounds with a list of reports and check ups.

It was difficult for me knowing the fact that I cleared three rounds and having to wait for almost 3 months, until my offer letter was e-mailed to me. My only goof-up was not having a passport. I had to apply after I cleared all the rounds and I couldn't travel on the date I was given, which was the 28th of last month. I finally recieved my passport and scanned them the copy of it. I was informed that they have applied for my Visa and that I will be updated soon with my travel date & E-Ticket. So, that brings me to my present day. Here I am ! Waiting for the auspicious day when I can celebrate relocating to Doha.


I hope this helps any interested candidates in the future in getting an idea of what the interview is like. Though, It may differ from country to country and from RO's to RO's, you know what to expect. And my suggestion, wear your make up down (This is no swimsuit interview), dress simple with your hair neatly tied in a bun or a pony tail & If short, neatly styled. Minus the accessories & Voila ! You are all set :)

An esoteric day is what I would like to call it !

Firstly, my appointment with a talented and exceptional Tarot reader, Tina Chowhan. I was looking forward to it, as I had a few things running on my mind, that needed a fresh perspective. My reading went on really well. I was fascinated with the Tarot deck used by Tina. It looks a lot similar to the Original Rider Waite, only with more 'Photographic' images. I couldn't figure out the name. So, I asked her about it and she said Its called - The Simply Tarot Deck - by Amanda Hall. Its not really an authentic deck with breathtaking visuals, though I am highly drawn to the visuals before I make up my mind on purchasing a deck. It's simple, a Rider Waite clone deck with images of real people and drawings with matte effect. After my reading session I headed straight to the only book store I love buying books from - Blossoms. This place is unbelievable. Bangalore as a city is not short of highly rated bookstores, but Blossoms is one place where you can expect to find books that most highly acclaimed book stored don't own. 90% of my Tarot and occult stuff comes from Blossoms. I looked around for this deck, 'cos I was positive that somewhere, I remembered getting a glimpse of this simple deck. I searched like a detective and finally, there It was ! On top of a random shelf, thrown like nobody would ever want it with jagged edges on the box. It was reasonably priced at 450 Rs with an accompanying book and a DVD set, with 46 minutes of recording. I would like to admit the book and the DVD was a waste. It doesn't elaborate much on the meanings except a few keywords and the DVD content is a visual replica of the content of the book. It's like the author Amanda Hall, reading out of the book in her Australian accent to showcase the deck. I felt a lot more could have been contributed to this deck with some extra info. Nevertheless, I am happy I own it now as I feel connected to it already.

Another great addition to this was buying Lady Lorlei's Tarot Planner book. It gives out the meanings of the 78 cards, like any other book, but provides a lot more spreads than any general tarot book. Very informative ! And last but not the lease is The Kybalion. I don't really know what drew me into it, but I flipped a few pages and made up my mind that I had to get this. I had a lot to read and spend time at home on a Friday evening, you see.



Another great news is receiving my offer letter from Qatar airways. I was elated as It was totally unexpected and was a pleasant surprise. My tentative joining date is the 28th and I still haven't received my passport. It's a bummer. I am expecting my passport this Monday and If God is willing and the creeks don't crack, will be flying out on the 28th OR perhaps, one of the coming weeks. There is so much shopping that I have to do before I fly out. To be honest, I am very nervous and scared. I have flown out to other cities in India but this is going to be my first time flying out of the country. I'm already experiencing thoughts of missing my folks here. Don't have any deep bonds or friendships apart from that to miss. As intimidating as It sounds, Its equally exciting. I wanna travel all around the world, as soon as I can. I feel blessed to be given an opportunity to see my dream of travelling come true and a chance to better my life. Life in Bangalore was getting too monotonous and dull. Spending time at home, cos I am bored of the places and the people. I am bored of staying put. I hope things speed up a little and hop in for a brand new journey very soon :)

Love

I know now that my circumstances do not make me what I am, but that they reveal who I've chosen to be.

In addition, I also picked up two other books - Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom & A brief history of time by Professor Stephen Hawking, something I wanted to own for quite sometime now. My only challenge is being able to finish these books. I am not an avid book reader but I watch many people around me read books of different subjects. Don't get me wrong ! I am not buying books to read out of peer pressure but simply because I have never really given myself enough time to enjoy reading a book. With the virtual world on a sprawl to take over mankind, I think these are the very little things we, digital-bound earthlings can do to maintain a sense of realism. 



That's all for now. Hoping to blog very soon. Adios !