House Arrest

Yes, Sera and I have been stranded at home, confined within our compound, for the last three days. Our good old Jeep had some mending to do at the service centre, so we have been left car-less. You see, in my opinion, living in Doha without a car can be a 'handicap'. I don't want to come across as sounding frivolous or materialistic but you can't walk out of this compound, hail a cab, wait for a bus or simply walk to a mall. Nothing is within walking distance here. And honestly, it is most unusual to find people walking to places here. People drive or get driven everywhere here.

So you understand my dilemma here?

Anyway, I had mentally prepped myself for the temporary 'house arrest' and was determined to hang on, come what may. Being house-bound for three full days meant that the house was cleaned more often, I was online for more hours, and the games I played with Sera became more imaginative as well as more animated. Being confined within the walls of the compound meant I walked the grounds of the compound more and chatted with long-forgotten neighbours and was even invited over for lunch by my friendly neighbour Amy, who rarely cooks. Nice ...

And being home all day meant I started to notice things like ... foreign 'droppings' in the cupboard under the kitchen sink! Ahhhhhhhhhh .... I had discovered not one but an ENTIRE cockroach colony! Thank goodness Johan came back in time because I fled from the kitchen and shoved him inside to eradicate the cockroaches. I know, how nice to be greeted by a screaming wife and 20 ugly cockroaches. But a man's got to do what's a man got to do ... or so the saying goes. The cockroach catastrophe didn't end there because this evening, Johan checked the cupboards and found two more smaller colonies! My oh my ... what are we to do???

Well, thankfully my good old Jeep has finally returned because first thing tomorrow, Sera and I will be heading to the store to stock up on roach killers and traps. 'Phew' ...