People write messages on 'Tamim Al Majd' murals at Ezdan Village 2 in Al Gharrafa.
The unjust blockade imposed on Qatar has not only failed in affecting routine life here but has also not been able to shake expatriates’ trust on the host country’s future as many are still bringing their families to Qatar by seeking residency visas.
Also some expatriates are seeking for job opportunities and others look for better job openings, as they intend to continue stay in the country.
A cross section of expatriates, The Peninsula spoke to, expressed trust and hope about their future in Qatar, saying the blockade has not made any adverse impact to their lives.
“The blockade has no impact on our daily lives, and it has not stopped us from any of our future plans in Doha. My wife is here on a visit visa, it will expire soon. I’m preparing to bring her back under a residency visa, in case if it doesn’t work, will apply for a visit visa again,” said Mustak Ahmed, an expatriate residing here since 2008.
Mohamed Shifan, a Sri Lankan expatriate, resigned his job as supervisor at a automobile company and went home in January and returned here recently. “I went home ending the job contract five months ago. After a while, I tried applying for jobs again from home. Got a new job and came back. I have been in Qatar for a few years, I was very confident that the blockade will not affect routine life of people. I came back despite the blockade because of trust,” he said.
Aneetha, an Indian expatriate residing in Doha under her husband’s sponsorship, shared similar thoughts about job opportunities and their future in Doha. “I just returned from vacation and have started looking for jobs. I stopped working for a while to take care of my child. Now she is grown up and I have started the job hunt. I don’t think the blockade has an impact in the job market and I’m confident to find a job soon,” she said.
As many expatriates see their future in Doha despite the blockade, several others also say that their routine life has not been affected in any manner since June 5.
Mario, an expatriate from The Philippines said, “Nothing has changed in our daily lives. Actually now we have a better choice of products coming form different countries. We usually go out during the weekends for dining or to malls. Every place is crowded as always, especially at malls we see more people sometimes, may be its due to the hot weather outside.
