I really try to maintain a positive outlook on the place where I am living since, from my observations, those who complain about where they are living tend to be unhappy and those who find the positive tend to be happier. I can get over crazy drivers, they are everywhere. I can get over poor service in restaurants because we really should be eating at home more. The one thing I cannot get over is the fact that there is a law in Qatar against smoking indoors and yet every time we are out we see (and smell) people smoking inside the malls.
There is a giant no-smoking sign as you walk in Landmark Mall. There is just about one no-smoking sign per wall and column at Starbucks. People typically don't smoke inside Starbucks but "outside" in the mall walkways, as if they think they're outside. Now, maybe I could get over this if their cigarette smoke wasn't drifting toward me (35 weeks pregnant) and my daughter (2 years old) and ruining our experience and our air.
I have yet to work up the nerve to say anything to anyone because as I see it, it is something that is just overlooked. I get that native Qataris probably think they're above the law or whatever but then the expats do it, too. Today I really and truly almost said something to the Qatari man or the expat woman smoking near us (we were sitting there first!). Instead we just got up and left. I'm leary of saying anything to a Qatari because I don't want to get us deported (no, I don't think that that is so far-fetched) so if my short fuse blows one of these days it will probably be directed at an expat.
It's not the smoking so much that gets my temper flaring as the blatant disregard of the no-smoking signs posted everywhere. If it were legal I'd suck it up and deal with it better but I can't help but feel endlessly frustrated in this particular situation.
