Tues 7th – From Desk Jockey To Scaff Monkey

Thank God I’ve been walking to and from work every day cause otherwise doing that climb everyday would kill me! I didn’t pull up sore at all this morning & then got cocky and went for a 5km run on the treadmill in the Gym – it’s not what you picture when you hear gym – remember, it’s in Doha! I also spent a session on the weights that were available and did 100 odd sit ups. That’s right, there is a high chance that I could come back with some form of muscle & fitness that I haven’t had in years! Our beds are really hard and horrible to sleep on but they make the best surface for sit ups – otherwise the options are marble floors or dessert! Due to me being butch and going for a jog, about halfway up my legs were screaming!

Today we just spent another 3 or 4hrs fixing up what we didn’t get done yesterday and then assisting other op’s as required. It’s a pretty cruisey schedule, far cruiser than we were led to believe and one that we try to keep as quiet as possible as there are people working 9, 12, 14hr days on the same wage as us. Some people are earning far, far more so the balance is there but it’s kinda at that point where the “We’re getting behind” is nearly at the point of no return & people who have been here for awhile are getting shitty. Stuff will happen, it’s not like they’ll cancel everything but they’re already looking at things they may have to cut etc.

The problems are caused by the time it takes to get anything into the country. The standard answer is ‘2 weeks’ or ‘Hum Shala’ (no idea of spelling), which means ‘God willing’! Some stuff that was on the 2 week list is at 2.5 months! It’s only been four days but Doha has never seen anything like what DAE (employer) is trying to achieve. The town itself is only 47 years old. Heaps of stuff is still being built and there are roadwork’s and construction everywhere. Some is for the Games but some is just basic infrastructure. It almost feels like the city is growing faster than stuff can get built. Hence why all the Smurfs are around.

The Doharians (I have no idea what they should be called!) have no concept of ‘a show’ or the scale of the Games & the fine timing involved in the Opening Ceremony. Having to be in the right place at the right time or why you have to walk all the way around the field rather than cut across it – the reason they can’t cut across it is that it will be full of 1000’s of athletes on the night! – means nothing to them. The Stage Managers have some hilarious (& terrifying) stories of rehearsals that started nearly a year ago! Just yesterday, Steph told the Head Of Education Minister (who arrives at every rehearsal with the 2,500 kids) not to let the kids in until the rehearsal space was free. He nodded, smiled, repeated and gestured he understood, walked away and proceeded to usher all 2,500 onto stage! Well, the kids had the best time cause there were set pieces and props they’d never seen before. “I can climb up here!”, “What’s this?”, “Oops, it broke!” (well they probably didn’t say that!). Mind you, there are just stories I’ve heard as we don’t get our first taste of rehearsal tomorrow eve.