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for my job at Van Oord i am in Qatar

30th October I flew from Amsterdam via Dubai to Doha in Qatar. After the landing and waiting for my luggage, the Driver picked me up from the airport. After approximately 1 hour we arrived in Ras Lafan. This is an industrial city in the middle of the dessert (impressive to se during the night). Near the project site we have our living camp. Here stay approximately 1300 people that all work on the construction of the breakwater.

The first day was a day to get used to the Arabic ways of living and to install in my new home. I would preferred to start working the next morning but it was the weekly day off. The temperatures are during the night around 26 en during the day 34 degrees.

To bad that it is illegal to photograph on site, tomorrow I shall discuss if it is possible for me to make some shots and place them over here. To spend your time ate the site there are three mess halls, one bar, one fitness centre and a small shop. Next to that my room has airco and

Harold in Doha,

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To get my drivers license i was driven to Doha, I took the upertunity during the ride to make some photo's. This is near Doha centre.

internet so that is pretty ok :P

For not this is it, when I have started working I will keep you informed.

Now i have worked for one week, i am coordinating the Trailing suction hopper dredger "Volvox Delta", this vessel is 117 m long and can move about 8000 m3. We are cleaning up the cutter spil what is left after deepning the harbour of Raslaffan. We are planned to stay here for 9 weeks. Maybe i am home during X-mas.

Yesterday (6th november) i had to go for my Qatar drivers license, i made some photo,s some are placed on my Hyves:
hyves

Some other photo's i will place here, these are not yet from my job, these come soon.
Hi to you all and see you in some time.

Well it's some time ago now.
I am here for 4 weeks and still enjoy it, some things have changed for example a larger vessel is coming and the Volvox Delta is leaving for Dubai and beyond. But enough about work, we also have FUN :P

Last day off we went for swimming on a nice beach, including sun set and some

My dirty car in the city

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what a dirt bag, between all the shining 4x4 and other expensive cars…..it should be a foreigner??? Yes it’s me ……heheheheh

off road driving (see photo's). When we have snorkeling gear we go back to see in the seagrass meadows that are there.

Yesteday we had a day off as well, we went early to the south of Qatar. There is a large desert with huge sand dunes. We went with 3 cars and enjoyed the offroad exeperience. And saw that Qatar people are verry crayze! they drive like insane, maybe that is why i liked it :P. Afterwards we had a BBQ near the beach and finally we went to a cancert.

Just enjoy the photo's of our trip heheheh, yes we had some trouble as well hehehehe

Finally, two vessels

it apears to be oke, i was exoecting some problems and bussyness but all is oke. Rotterdam is a large THSD dredger as u can see on the photo's. Together these vessels transport 31000m3 of substrate. The pictures will tell more than i am doing at the moment :P

Volvox Delta

Volvox Delta has to leave for Dubai and than for a project in India, Tobad i liked the times with the crew.

Normally i would go back to Holland on the 25th of December, now it is extended to half januarie and maybe even longer. I like it and enjoy the job.

X-mas and New year passed slowely, we enjoyed the two days we had off, but it was not realy special like home. These days u miss your friends and find out that the best friends are far away. But that is part of the job and celebrating new year with allot of fillipins and other cultures was also nice.

Now the new year starts and lets hope its better than previous your (personal, not the traveling and buisness :P) Well see u all next year i hope.

Ow yes, onmost forgot
I spoke my ant who is living in Canada and they also read my stories that i write here. Thank you for that Cindy.

Happy new year to U all, enjoy life and never forget there are more friends than u know off, you just need to find them!

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