Six Week Summary - what I did on my summer vacation

Today is June 28th.  I left Doha on May 19th for home.

During the last six weeks I spent a lot of time with my family and working on the Visa requirements to obtain a residency permit.  I didn't accomplish much else.

May 22nd.  One of the proudest of many proud moments was watching my youngest son - Joshua, graduate from College.  His many academic accomplishments and accolades received from school are a bit overwhelming.  I know this kid will go on to do great things.

While he doesn't know what his future holds, after graduation he found out he was accepted to Drexel's Bio-Medical Science PhD program and interviewed for a job at EA Sciences.  All indications are he'll go to school, but sure would like to know the outcome of the interview.  It was fun helping him prepare for the interview.

On June 11th at 11am another proud moment in the Harrison family occured.  My oldest son Gavin married the beautiful Kimberly Comes.  A true story book romance that only Harford County could produce.  Two kids grew up doing very similar things - same chureh, same elementary school (for a couple of years), same job in high school, met and dated and finally married.  It was a beautiful day.  I am very proud of my son and daughter in law.

In between I did some work:

May 23rd we had a division meeting to prepare for the upcoming Ops meeting presentation .

June 3rd I met with WMATA to close the book on the work we did regarding the Metro Matters project.  The client seemed satisfied with our presentation.

June 8th we presented to the Ops meeting.  The meeting went long because our division has a lot of things going on in our market.  Qatar being one of the topics of discussion resulted in an assignment to develop our strategy moving forward.

Doctors stuff:
The visa requires a physical along with HIV and Hepatitis B testing.  This took three trips to the doctor along with a trip to the lab for testing.

When visting with the doctor we discussed snoring that is causing my wife to complain.  It is a situation that apparently many men are facing in my age group.  Wives who can't take it any longer.

The doctor sent me to an ENT doc, who in turn sent me for a Sleep Study.  More on that later.

Yesterday my wife and I spent most of the day gathering stuff together to pack for my move on June 29th (tomorrow).  I'm up to three suitcases and counting.  She commented that with all I packed the closet still looked full.  Gotta get rid of some of this stuff.

Time to pick it up again

I haven't posted anything in a while.

Since my last post I've traveled to Doha with my wife for her look see, took her to Dubai to attend the UITP confernce and brought her home.

While we were there we found an apartment and picked out some furniture.  When I went back the furniture we picked out was unavailable and I was left to pick out some new stuff.

I've since returned to the US - on May 19th to attend my son Joshua's college graduation from Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA. and my oldest son's, Gavin, wedding on June 11th.  Both are monumental moments for parents.  These two men make me very proud.

I am returning to Doha, Qatar on June 29th.  The travel plan is a bit different from the last three trips as I am flying out of BWI airport on British Airways instead of the Qatar Airways flight out of Dulles.

The reason for the extended stay, beyond the family events was to present my findings to our operations committee regarding the Qatar Integrated Rail Plan and to take care of personal business regarding my Visa.

Future postings will update the PROCESS for getting the visa.

Doha - Round 2

April 5, 2011

Getting ready for Doha Round 2.

This trip is a little bit more organized, but yet a bit disorganized.

Cathy and I are heading out tomorrow evening on the Qatar Airways non-stop from Dulles to Doha.  It is a long ride - 12 hours long.  We drop our bags in Doha and head to Dubai on Sunday for the UITP conference until Wednesday and then back to Doha.

The purpose of the trip, of course, is to further develop my presence in Qatar and pursue the rail projects there.

The primary purpose of the trip is to allow Cathy an opportunity to see the area and get comfortable with the idea of living in the region for the next 2-3 years.

I hope it goes well and we can move on from here.

I'll keep you posted.

Happy St. Patricks Day

Worked from home yesterday. Had a settlement on a home equity loan. The bank is around the corner from my favorite Irish Pub - Sean Bolans in Bel Air, MD.

I love the bag pipes, except for the constant tone from the bag.

March 16th - The world is small

Once again the world has shrunk.

Two days ago the Chief Operating Officer of the Florida Rail Enterprise announced he is leaving his post to assume a similar post in Qatar.

A long time client of ours, Nazih will be a familiar face in the region.

http://miamiherald.typepad.com/nakedpolitics/2011/03/rail-enterprise-leader-is-leaving-florida-department-of-transportation-.html

Day 22 – Thursday, March 10th

Happy day today.  Going home.  I am so excited, but not anxious.  I have a fourteen hour flight, a funeral and a managers meeting to look forward to.  I think the flight will be the best part.  I arrive in DC at 2:30.  I figure with customs, baggage and transport to my car I’ll hit the DC beltway and 95 right at rush hour.  I’ll just keep focused and think about a Sean Bolans for dinner.

As always there is a story to tell at the airport.  In Doha and Dubai when you get to the airport you have to have your checked baggage x-rayed and the zippers tapped.  OK, line one and passport check number one.  I went to the US flight counter to drop my bags.  Large bag overweight, 3KGs.  Can’t open my bag to shift the weight.  Zipper is sealed and would require going through x-ray again.  Pay the overweight charge of 60 bucks, but not here sir you have to go to the cashier.  After you pay your bill, he’ll give you the boarding pass.  Yes, I’ll take your bags now, but you have to pay over there.

Next stop passport control.  Lovely lady in a burka, no personality.  Third check of my passport.  Go through security, no sir you don’t have to take your computer out, or your shoes off.  Just remove your jacket please.  Go through scanner, fourth check of passport.

You have to pass through the duty free shop on your way to the gate, similar to Disney, but before the ride.  Why is everyone around the booze and electronics?  Nobody is looking at jewelry or the perfume.  Must say something about the world.

Stop to call the wife, have to make sure she is ok.  She’s watching American Idol and I’m keeping her from it.  Ok sweetie, love you.  I’m getting something for breakfast, hmmm.  Food court has a nice sign, but the food looks like lunch.  Go to another food court.  It looks like a school cafeteria.  Ok we’ll have a muffin, banana and oh the coffee looks like instant coffee – I’ll have the Lipton tea, no milk.  I’ve got plenty of time.  Eat breakfast, enjoy the tea, watch planes take off and land.  Boarding is at 7:20, its 7:05 better go find my gate.  Where is gate 15?  Sir, you have to go down past gate 14 and make a left.  Ok.  OMG.  There is a second security screening.  Of course, I get in the slow line.  Will I make my flight.  Wait in line, another passport and boarding pass check.  Fifth check since I got to the airport.

Drop bag on conveyor.  Sir, please remove your computer from the bag, take off your shoes, coat and belt – I’m heading home, I’ve got to take off my shoes.  Sixth passport check.  Get pat down after screening.  Get in line at the end of conveyor with the masses to collect my stuff.

Get in another line.  Observation 90% of the people in this line is Indian.  I know most of the workers in Doha are Pilipino or Indian, but damn.  Seventh passport check.  Down escalator to the bus.  People coming faster then the bus could fill.  People starting to stack up at the bottom of the escalator.  Mass confusion.  Finally get to the head of the line, another passport check – eight times in all.  Bus to the plane.  Go to my seat – hey this isn’t the one I selected when I checked in on line last night.

Oh well, I’ll be home today.

Day 21 – Tuesday, March 8th.

I went to the office in the morning in anticipation of seeing the “new” office.  Our local office is moving in to a modern facility in a couple of months.  The visit was supposed to be part of the executive tour, but it didn’t happen.

As luck would have it I was able to set up a last minute meeting with a local telecom company manager.  As with the other meetings I got a lot of advice on how to approach business and living in Doha.  The meeting was at the Four Seasons hotel.  This seems to be one of the common locations for folks to meet.  He agreed to look for ways for our two companies to work together.

While I was at that meeting I got a message from the PM from our airport project.  One of the contractors wants to move his scope from one PM company to our company.  I got a ride from the Four Seasons to the Intercon where he was having his meeting.  Amazing two back to back meetings at two different hotels.  It was a good meeting and another opportunity to meet others working in the region.  At the meeting two of our senior executives joined us.  At the end of the meeting, our regional president asked me how I was doing.  I’m fine I said.  He asked again.  I told him I’ve spent the last three weeks getting my feet under me and absorbing as much as I can.  He asked me to be patient and told me it took him two years to feel like he had hit critical mass in the region.  Two years, this is really going to be interesting.  I’m heading back to the states tomorrow.  Should  make for an interesting conversation with Mrs. You know who. 

The day was spent in the office day.  Caught up on expenses and spent the day compiling notes and preparing for the trip home.  The biggest issue was the overhead proposal.  Our production numbers are way down from the projections for the current year.  I think the recession has finally hit our business.  We are going to have to make cuts in areas that only hurt the business in the future.

I called the Siemens manager to find out what he knows about the Education City project.  No news.  He did tell me he was closing the deal on his Porsche and would be taking me for a ride when I return to Doha.

Back at the office I cleaned up some last minute stuff and went to the hotel to pack.

I went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant.  I ordered the shrimp fajitas.  They musta been tiger prawns, complete with the head.  The damn things looked like baby arms laying there.  It was good.  No complaints.