Arabic Applebees, Elevator Notes, & Other Stuff

Last night, my neighbor and I went to Applebees. The food was really good and a Bruschetta Steak (steak hamburger so to speak) was 38 Qatari Riyals, which is about $10.40 US ($1 = 3.65 QR). Not too bad. Most of the good dishes were around twenty dollars though so I won't visit too often. I loved the sign out front and had to get our picture in front of it. It is right around the corner from where I live and it begins a stretch of road that is nicknamed "Cholesterol Corner" for all of the western food chains along it (McDonalds, Hardees, Applebees, Chilis, Arbys, and the world's largest Dairy Queen)!



I got in the elevator in our school building today and had to laugh out loud (lol) at the third bullet point in this sign. In case you can't read it, it says: Do not attempt to leave before the lift has stopped. Uhhh, duh!! The other unusual thing about the elevator is its buttons for the floors. It goes to three different floors but they aren't named 1, 2, and 3. They are named G, 1, PH. So our third floor classrooms are really in the Penthouse! I told you this was an amazing school! ;-P

Monday, I was at a kiosk in a big store and was looking to buy a cell phone. I picked out the model I wanted and the clerk took it out for me. As I went to pay the cashier for the phone, I noticed a sticker (which acted as a seal) across the tab which closes the box. The sticker said not to accept the phone if the seal on the box was broken. I asked the cashier for a new box with an unbroken seal. The cashier handed the box back to the clerk and asked for a new one. The clerk turned to me and said all the boxes were already open. "They come from the company like that," he replied. With a smirk, I bought my phone and checked on their return policy (24 hours to return cell phones). Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore.

I had to go do some medical tests for my residency permit. The typical HIV and TB tests. At the facility, the sign on the wall showed four stations you had to visit and listed them in number order. Station 1 was reception; 2 was clinical examination; 3 was blood draw; 4 was x-ray. After station 1, I went to find station 2. I wasn't sure if I was going in the right direction so I asked the woman at the desk outside the doors marked #2-Clinical Examination. Without saying anything, she took my papers, stamped them and gave me a blood vial. I turned and started to go through the doors for #2 but she pointed to the doors for station 3. I said, "But aren't I supposed to go to number 2 first and then got to 3?" She shook her head and pointed to #3. I asked if I was to go to #3 first and then go to #2. She shook her head 'no' and pointed at #3. Finally, some wonderfully nice woman in the line spoke up and told me that station 2 is now skipped. I smiled, said my thank you's, and walked into station 3 shaking my head. Aaaahhhhh, learning a new country's systems is always so humbling! :-)