On the outside, Gibran’s house is like that of any middle-class Qatari family. Two floors of immaculate cream color, outdoor garden with a garage for two cars, where a late model SUV and a Mercedes Benz v8 sports car are parked. In the background, a barbecue area with air conditioning for Luna, the house pet. there in the Rayyan township area, west of DohaLa Nación of Argentina shared an afternoon with them to find out how they live: how much they earn, how they access housing and send their children to school.
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Gibran Al-Bader is Qatari and his wife, Sahar Al-Ansari, is the daughter of Qataris born in the United States. He works in an energy company and she sells baby products that she imports from the rest of the world through social networks. Together, they work on Qatari television where they star in the first English-language program driven by a couple.
They have two children, a 5-year-old boy and a 2-year-old girl. The profile of this marriage could be defined as that of the typical standard of living for the middle class in this country, which has one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.
Argentina is about to close the year with inflation close to 100 percent. They say that they also suffer price increases, “as in any part of the world.” The last known inflation rate here was 6% yoy, above the average of around 4% every twelve months. Gibran maintains that this increase is reflected from interest on bank loans to food.
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Although they argue that here there are “many job opportunities” and the State offers financial facilities to those born in Qatar or those who obtain their residence. The average salary of a professional is around $4,000 per month., although they vary, depending on the company and training. Public employees have an average salary of $3,000.
This couple is amazed by the impressive growth that the capital has experienced in the last twenty years, which increased with the arrival of the 2022 World Cup.
This Middle Eastern emirate has a public school system, which are free and the main language is Arabic. Also there is a network of private schools for the international community living and working in Doha. These are British, Swiss, Spanish and Finnish establishments, among others. Instead of subsidizing private establishments, the State grants families a semi-annual coupon of 20,000 riyals (US$5,500) for each primary and secondary student.
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The university is also free for locals and there is a scholarship program, through the Qatar Foundation, to obtain funds to study at American or British universities. And another data. Here the Qataris do not work while they study. “There is a lot of support from their parents,” says Sahar. Health is also free for locals and residents.
Access to housing and free rates
The emirate authorities They put together a monumental structure for this World Cup. The surplus from the energy business, oil and especially gas, was turned over to build a futuristic city on the desert sand. In addition to stadiums and highways, thousands of accommodation and office buildings were erected. They thought about the next country and make it a power beyond the Middle East. For this reason, there is an official aid plan so that those born and residing in the country do not emigrate.
After work and education, housing is another of the official incentives. Gibran and Sahar got married and quickly agreed to various benefits. Land of more than 1,200 square meters and loans of up to 500 thousand dollars for 30 years at zero rate.
Foreigners are allowed to buy properties only in some areas, such as La Perla or Lusail, the city built for the World Cup and which has the stadium where the Argentine National Team will play the Netherlands this Friday.
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To acquire cars there are also official loans to be paid in up to six years. The world’s leading luxury brands have their dealerships in Qatar and locals often change models every three years on average.
For Gibran and Sahar there are also other advantages to being married: they do not pay for gas, energy or water at their family home. They only have to pay, according to consumption, those who have a second home. Perhaps that explains the waste of water and light in the middle of the desert.
This young couple has a rarity in the back of their house for Muslim countries like this. Luna, a Siberian husky, lives in a small, air-conditioned quincho. But the pet’s room is not that weird. Here dogs are not well seen, since they are considered “dirty”; instead, cats are the kings of the street.
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On the lack of democracy and if a westerner can feel that they live in a country with very strict rules, Gibran considers: “You have to visit the country to see what it is like. When my parents sent us to Brazil, they warned us that they were going to rob us and I was scared before going, but when I arrived it was calm. The same thing happened to us with Cuba, but in the end it was beautiful, friendly people, a beautiful culture and an incredible place”.
What will happen when the World Cup lights go out for good on December 19? Sahar rehearses an answer: “I think life will return to normal, we will return to the offices, because now we are at home. Qatar wants to show the world that we can do events of this magnitude. And continue to receive more people who want to come and live in Qatar, like the Argentines who work here”.
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Matías Boela and Federico Águila
THE NATION (Argentina) / GDA
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