First visit back home to UK

So the journey out of Doha was an experience, it seemed that half of Doha (or maybe all) had gathered at the airport for a mass evacuation. Even though I gave myself nearly two hours to departure I just managed to make it to the plane on time. Tempers were flaring as the queues were never ending and at times seemed never moving. Whilst in the queue for check in there were four of us Brits, and a Lebanese couple (amongst others) quite oblivious to our presence just pushed in. Being the polite English we are, we didn’t want to offend her , but quietly moaned that there was no such thing as queuing as we know it in England. We sort of said it loud enough for her to hear and we repeated it a number of times. She heard us but held her head high and continued to queue in front of us. She later heard me saying that I will miss my flight if I don’t get checked-in soon, to which she turned round and said ‘why are you standing there, why don’t you go ahead!’ . Didn’t know how to respond other than, ‘well i was in the queue but people keep pushing in’. So she and the person in front of her let me jump the queue, or shall I say let me take my rightful place in the queue.
The journey was uneventful, as most plane journeys are. You look forward to hearing what the weather is like at your destination, and it was ‘a comfortable 8 degrees’, said the captain, ‘with thunderstorms across Eastern Europe’. So the scene was set for my arrival.
I hadn’t taken any warm clothes with me to Doha. What a mistake, not just for keeping me warm in the office, but also on the return journey to UK. Upon my arrival there was no one at the airport to greet me. My son was at school, and my daughter at work, and I am not important enough in anyone else’s life to warrant a journey to the airport. I take a big sigh at this point, and say ‘never mind’. At least on the return journey to Doha there will be someone at the airport waiting for me, even if it will only be the driver, someone who will smile and say ‘welcome’, it will mean a lot to me.
I had to take a train from Manchester to Leeds. I paid particular attention to the countryside familiarising myself again with the British outdoors. As for the temperature, the plane was warm, as was the train, but I froze just in the 5 minutes that it took to get off the train and make my way to my son’s car.
When I Ieft the UK many colleagues and friends had said that they wanted to meet up before I went, but I was so busy and we had decided that we will meet up when I got back. So I had arranged to have an open house party on Sunday so that friends can come and go all day at their convenience and we could meet up. Some said they would come others said they were busy. As Sunday arrived they slowly cancelled. Only one person came, who wasn’t even on the original invite list. It just reminded me how busy people are here in England. The pace of life is so fast that you forget the important things in life, ie people. Over the past years I have learnt that time and people are very important, once they are gone they never come back, so make the most of them while you have them.
Eid celebrations were good, not all but about half of my brothers and sisters came. They all brought some food and we had a good time together. I felt I had never been away, as I had kept my family and friends informed with e-mails such as this, they knew all about my Doha encounters so there was little new to share with them. So the conversation didn’t focus on me and Doha but the general stuff families talk about, so that was quite nice in a way.
I had been lifted out of my life in UK and transported to Doha, and now I had been lifted out of Doha and back home, as though I had never left. Yes, as though I had never left. The construction workers had started digging up the old drive and putting in a new one and it seemed I was back in my previous life of get this done, get that done, and the list of things to do is never ending. Having said that, I am not in as much of a rush to get things done as I used be. Doha has taught me something, I have learnt to slow down a bit and appreciate life and people, otherwise life will fly by too quickly and I’ll be left wondering where it went.
The children have been fantastic, it’s great to be around them again. It’s just nice being part of a family no matter how small. I cherish each moment I have here with them. Home cooking tastes much nicer when you have loved ones to share it with.
A visit to the supermarket was necessary, all the familiar products in the familiar aisles. Things weren’t in mega packs as in Carfour, but sizes I am accustomed to. A day out shopping with my daughter for shoes and clothes was a must. We love shopping together. We managed a whole six hours and enough stuff to exceed the allowed baggage limit on Qatar Airways. As my children follow me to Doha two weeks later we have agreed that they will bring one suitcase full of my clothes and they will share one for themselves. They said they were bringing empty suitcases anyway as they want to shop in Doha. Although I have been in Doha for six weeks I have not bought clothes or shoes there yet. I am not sure why. Maybe I don’t have my shopping partner, my daughter, or the style of clothes I haven’t got accustomed to. Time will tell whether I continue to shop in England and take stuff back or whether I do start to buy in Doha. I also wonder if my dress sense will change to match that of Doha. But then I am not sure what the dress sense is, as you don’t really get to see what the local women wear, and to be quite honest I haven’t noticed what other expat women wear. I am going to have to be a little more observant when I get back.
Everyone asks me if I am enjoying the weather in the UK. And yes I am because I know I only have to put up with it for one week. If I was going to be here for months on end then obviously the answer would be no. It is dark outside, and rained all day yesterday. This meant that this morning the river at the back of the house flooded. Tonight it will get to -3 and I am told it will get colder by Friday with a possibility of snow. I go back on Saturday back to 25 degrees, nice ...