Day 5 – February 20^th.

I couldn’t wake up.  Edgar called me at 8 am to see if I was ready.  Of course I was ready – not.  I slept until 11am.  I could not and would not wake up until I slept off the Tylenol taken the night before.  God this jet lag was getting the best of me.  I was warned.  The first few days I’d want to sleep during the day and be awake at night.  True so far.

I did get up and went to the office.  First Day in the local office and I get there at 12.  Oh well, its gotta get better.

I was put in an office with two other folks.  One engineer and one BD guy recently hired by our Commercial Business Unit to sell hospital work.  He has been to Iraq and has been in Qatar for two years, his contract with that company ran out.  He was excited to work on the big projects Qatar offers, not the little add on projects he worked on in the US.

I missed breakfast and was on the verge of missing lunch.  As luck would have it the BD guy had just gotten lunch and he had a sandwich to share.  Starving and having no idea where to go for food (not to mention I just got to the office) I took him up on his offer.  It was thin on meat and veggies and heavy on bread.  Oh well, I was hungry.

I noticed my new friend was sniffling and coughing a bit, so I asked if he was catching a cold.  "No", he said, "I went to the Camel Races over the weekend and I think I’m allergic to them".  OK.

I was warned the office wasn’t much and don’t get discouraged.  I found the office delightful.  Engineers working 2-3 to a cubicle, just a little crowded, but nothing worse then what I had experienced at various times in may career in construction trailers and transit agency offices.  It could do.  I don’t think it is the kind of place you’d bring a client.  And the human condition is lacking.  We are moving to new digs in late March or April.  The new place is supposed to be owned by one of the best landlords in the country - related to the Emir I'm sure.  Hopefully the schedule won't slip. 

Just some quick observations :

No wireless in the office, Ethernet cable only, had to open a port for the Internet, not everyone gets access.  Told the new office would have wireless.

There is an office boy and a driver.  Both very important to know.

I met the office boy when he came over and asked “sir, can I get you something – tea, coffee?"  First off, he isn’t a boy – he’s a man of at least 40.  I couldn’t think of an answer, but it was right after that turkey sandwich, so a glass of water would be great.  This led to the second question – is chilled ok?  OK, no one randomly comes over asks me if I need anything when they meet me the first time and secondly, I didn’t know you had a choice with water - chilled will be fine.

I’ve got a lot to learn.  This is getting interesting now.