LETTER TO MY IMAGINARY ARAB FRIEND
Dear Sadika ,
You asked me about my Easters .It was the nicest in my early childhood ,I think . That was the time when I was able to be so happy with the good weather with the fresh grass and the daffodils , with the arrival of the spring .The Easter eggs used to be red like the lipstick on the women .I remember the taste of these red boiled eggs the most .
Easter Monday is the most important in Hungary .It is almost unknown in the other parts of the world .On this day the boys and lads and men go from house to house and sprinkle some water or perfume on the ladies as a sign of well wish for the coming year .My brother always went and came home with a lots of sweets and lots of red boiled eggs .That was his reward from the ladies .I used to be very happy with his luck .Later when I grew bigger and my heart was not so innocent I kept asking why only boys can go and collect presents . Why do we have to sit at home and wait for them to give them something .
Later when in Qatar I saw at Eid boys and girls going together from house to house to wish Happy Eid I was really satisfied .
I would like to tell you more about my Easter .To choose the most memorable one .But it seems that every one gave me something and like transparent layers hey are lying on each other : my years and my Easters .Once our teachers surprised us .They took us to the forest and hid the presents there .How happy we were to find those paper bunnies with some sweets !
Then my father comes to my mind and a nice Easter in the park , when I was adult .The lights were so nice and everything and everybody was so peaceful ..I wish I had the flying carpet of Aladdin to visit him now . Or at least more reasonable air fares to go to Europe from Doha !
But the most important before Easter is the peace .As a great poet of ours Babits told : enough ,let the war end and let oh let the peace come .
Peace on the dead peace on the alive !





Your Friend : Alma

So that was my visit at the heritage village .It is worth going there : you can taste local dishes and listen to local music , you can imagine yourself into an era which has dissapeared by the oil and gas revenues .
It is found in the middle of the Corniche next to Al Bida park .I think it is only at great occasions when it is working .It was a spring cultural festival last week here .

the weaver by almawad
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The carpet weaver .

THe old man and his nets .

The room of the newly wed as it used to be .

I saw this Omani dancer at the heritage village .Their folk costume were very interesting .Their gown was not black and they were wearing colourful ,striped stockings with a lots of anklets .
Their music was very very cheerful, full of rythm.The musicmakers themselves were dancing .It reminded me sometimes Turkish music ,or Scottish ,spiced with African infuence and traditional Arab melodies .Very special one .

That is how the Omani halawa is made in huge pots .The Omani used to be the confectioners of the Arabian peninsula .You must be quite strong to be able to stir that in this huge pot .The result is wonderful jelly like mildly sweet oriental flavored delight  .Try it on a day when you are not on a diet :)

omani halawa maker by almawad
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Clothes for sale .The traditional folk wear is always colorful .The black gown has spread only later .

A local grandma and her grand daughter in Qatar heritage village.The mask/burqa/is still in use by the elder ladies .

I like the folklor , I like the nostalgia , so I visited Qatar s heritage village .Though it is nowadays only a theatre . I enjoyed it very much .
First I walked along the village . Old fishermen were mending their nets , were hammering their boats.Little girls were playing old games in front of the houses .Life was going on in the street .Housewives were sitting in front of their little houses .They were doing the little housework there .Their faces were covered by mask according to the old local tradition . It is called : burkha and it is golden colored .Craftsmen were spinning , weaving , pottering . In the market of the village /sukh/ clothes , Omani sweets / halawa/ and homemade spice mixes ,pickles and jams were sold .A woman was making and selling pancakes . It was yellow like a sponge cake , and some cardamomi seeds were added to dough . Otherwise it was filled simply either by sugar or honey .Other women were selling home cooked food: spicy rice with chicken , slowly cooked meat with cereals .
AS the evening came local men were singing . Their songs are reflecting the monotony of the desert landscape and the acceptance of it .Songs used to be very important here in Qatar . Next to the pearl divers dhow there used to be another dhow just for the singers .They used to be payed just to keep up the good working atmosphere by their songs .

here are my new paintings:

I have found a nice website here
It offers free dowonloadable pictures on nature . I fell in love with their plumerias .I have created some new digital paintings ,collages and some new items into my shop

the really exceptional driver

was a Qatari one . He was in his sixties .I did not ask him but he started to tell me about his life .
he
has got everything .Villa , business , nice pension , family .Nothing
forces him to work . Just, it is difficult to live like that being unuseful ...

The most amazing driver

I met some weeks ago after my shopping tour at the Center supermarket ...
When I tried to explain him where to go he answered this way ." I know your house "
" Once you came with me from City Center " Eight months ago "
And he really knew where we lived ....

Funniest taxi driver

It happened to us four years ago.I had to
go with my child to a school celebration .We were new to Doha and being
so were not very confident about going out on our own .But my husband
was very busy and we had no choice but to take taxi .

The driver
looked like a North Indian guy wearing beautifully embroidered small
cap .As he started driving he spitted through the window and started
singing .It was very very funny .My first thought was that az extra charge must be paid in Venice when the guy in gondola is singing .I wondered if the same would happen to us .
My second concern was how to restrain from laughing .It was not an easy task . We pretended to cough during the trip.
However , the song was very nice , I guess a North Indian folk song .I feel sorry that I had not been able to record it ...

Qatari taxi drivers

are not Qatari in fact . Though once I met such one as well . The rare exception .Most of them are Indians , Far Eastern and perhaps some Arabs as well/?/ ,

last week I had to see the doctor .I had an appointment .I did not have to wait a lot . The greatest suffering was to find a taxi to arrive at the out patient clinics . it was around eleven o clock .It took me forty minutes to find one . BUt what kind a ...
He was a short Indian guy , he kept shouting during all the time with other drivers , calling their names in Tamil and showing obscene signs by his hands .
I tried to explain him where to stop exactly , but his answer was rude as well to me ..
Karwa is the name of the taxi company here . My message is the following to them : it is not enough to buy nice , modern cars .You know taxi is a service .Being so , the human factor is much more important than the quality of the car .You should carefully check the persons you employ .Are they fit for this job mentally? Do they have basic knowledge in Engilsh and in Arabic ?Do they know the city they work in ?

I must add that most of the drivers are not like the above described one . But after all I am the customer I pay for the ride , I have the right to travel in a peaceful atmosphere .

Where are the old people ?

You can see so rarely senior citizens in Qatar .
The non qatari ,yes ,I understsand ,they must go ,if they are over 60 .
No mercy , they must get old in their own country .
before they become a burden .
But where are the qatari grandmas and grandpas ?.
So rarely can someone see them , at the outpatient clinics there are more of them , but why can not I see them in the park playing with their grandchildren?

Qatar is surrealistic from many point of views .Qatar looks very very young .
When I was flying home from Doha to Frankfurt the airplane was like a flying nursery .
On the other hand between Frankfurt and Budapest there were only three kids on the plane . That is Europe .

Things that I hate in Qatar :

traffic jams
difficulties to find taxis /last week we had to wait 30-40 minutes for a taxi in the morning after visiting a clinic in Rumeila/
buses are jammed with labourers so no way for a family to get on them/ interestingly , we have family days here in supermarkets ,exhibitions etc , but it does not come to the mind of Qatari planners to establish buses for families as well to treat the traffic problems in Qatar /
too many males , females are in minority
no way to ride my bike to get from one place to the other / in my country it is the normal way of getting from one place to the other ,there are many paths for riders only . here it is the way of transport for some poor Indian males- and it seems very dangerous/
no way for walking - as there are not enough zebra crossings and sidewalks
censorship on my art gallery / though I do not display nudes or similar things/
censorod cartoons / Piglet in some books/
my favourite pizza restaurants homepage is banned / whyyyyy? I used to visit it when I was homesick , when a day I was shocked to see that it was banned/
too much food products made in usa
no hungarian paprika at all/ we must make do with some french or spanish paprika/
no free education for non-qatari kids / and the level of teaching is much to be desired /
any extra activities for kids is terribly expensive / karate lessons for a month about100 dollars - in our little town it is about50 dollars for a year /
ooooh I would be able to list for you soooo many things but it is enough for today, is not it ?

The thing that I really liked in Doha when we moved here was that it gave me so much information about the Indian art and culture .India was a great dream for me and I could see it here more or less without having to face the shady sides of that country .
I was happy to discover some words similar in Hungarian , the similiraty in cooking , and in the names. my grandmother s last name happens to be"ranga " , which is the name of millions of Indian as well .
It means colors in Hindi .
Kutta means dog in hindi , in Hungarian it is kutya .There is a state in India called
Bihar . There is a county in Hungary , it is also called Bihar .
The other day I found myself in a Kashmiri souvenir shop :Reshmi . I was shocked to see how the embroidery of that area is similar to the one of South Hungary .
A new mystery to be solved .
In the first pictures you can see the embroidery of Kashmir .In the last one you can see a local artist from South Hungary with her artwork at the background .

AS we started January by having flu we also got it in February .Great,great begining.
WE drank a lots of tea . We have just discovered 'karkade " tea .It is hibiscus in latin .
Weather is getting warmer .I do not really know : is it good or bad news ?