Ritzin' it up

Quite often over the first 2 years of our marriage, Darren and I would sit down together and discuss what we imagined our future would entail. The discussion inevitably came back to: we're not sure but we know it won't be this (this being whatever we were doing at the time - even if this was good). Never, ever did I imagine my future would include High Tea at the Ritz-Carlton, Doha...but it did!

As has been the tradition for the 7 years in which the college has been operating in Qatar, the new female employees and wives of new male employees were invited to the Ritz for High Tea. It's the college's way of welcoming us, giving us information about the wheres and hows of life in Doha, as well as a way for us to get to know each other a little. Usually this takes place within the first few weeks of being here. However, this year was a little different - with Ramadan falling in September - so the annual Newcomers' High Tea was just a nice social afternoon for the ladies.

It was a lovely afternoon. I enjoyed a pot of Saffron Chai and a three-tiered silver tray of sandwiches, scones and sweets. And of course nice conversation with the ladies at my table.

After the tea, we were divided into groups of 15 and taken on a tour of the hotel. We saw the indoor swimming pool, the outdoor pools, the indoor tennis courts, spa area, a "low end" hotel room, a "low end" suite and the guest clubhouse where for a few extra hundred riyals (between 60 and 100 dollars), guests can enjoy free drinks and snacks 5 times a day.

Throughout the tour I couldn't help but think back to our recent trip to Versailles. The chateau of Versailles demonstrated the incredible decadence of a small group of people (the Royal family) in the midst of an impoverished people (at least for some of the Louis' rules). My tour today showed that not much has changed. To me, the Ritz highlights the decadence afforded some (locals and expatriates from particular countries) who are serviced by people who often live in semi-squalor. However, the major difference is that the tax dollars of the many aren't being used to fund the decadence of the few.

Of course, this exact situation happens all around the world. Consider any developing country's tourism sector and you'll come across rich vacationers in fancy resorts located a stone's throw away from poor neighbourhoods.

I'm not saying it's necessarily wrong for these places to exist - tourism provides employment as well as a solid economic basis in many countries. I'm just saying that not much has changed. And I never thought I'd be experiencing (if only briefly) the decadent life.