Grace in small things. 

Today I am thankful that for whatever reason we’re able to receive two of the radio stations from the U.A.E. on the car radio.  The sound is not altogether crisp and clear but other than a little static now and then it’s like Radio Heaven! 

Why is that?  Well, there is only one English radio station in Doha and here’s the line-up as I can best recall it:

6:30am Morning show

With music and his own brand of humor the morning man finds himself to be so very witty, humorous, knowledgable, ….except half the time he doesn’t know the music he’s playing.  I can’t tell you how many times he gets the name of the song or the artist wrong.  How old is this guy?  How long has he been in Doha… because he is sooooo out of touch!

Most of the DJ’s get the music wrong.  More often than I can hardly believe.

7:00am – News. 

Usually read by some  untrained person (dare I say expat-wife?).  You can hear them flipping through the papers, trying to make the correct pronunciation, pausing waaaaay too long between news stories.  What is that about?  Is that so we, or she, have enough time to process what she’s just read to us?  Or because she’s out of breath?

7:30am – French. 

I don’t get it.  Why does the French community here get to have this prime-time on the drive to work?  If I wanted to listen to a language I didn’t understand, I would just flip to all the rest of the channels…..that are either Arabic or Indian.  Or try to tune in a French channel from somewhere.  What I want is to listen to English on the one and only English radio station in Doha.

Later in the afternoon ….French again! 

Later again in the afternoon ….  Classical.  Is this to try and calm us all down on the drive home?

Yes!  For the last two days Coast FM 103.2 and Channel 4 FM 104.8 have been on in the car.  Channel 4 is mostly current pop music that our kids prefer, while Coast plays more of the oldie-goldies rock that I like to listen to.  Either way there are real announcers, jokes, contests and they actually know a little about music.  How amazing!

I’m not sure if it’s the humidity in the air that allows for better radio reception (seems to me that would be the opposite of the way it would work) or what, but I am truly thankful. 

If you see someone singing and bopping along to some tunes on the roads this week, you can bet it’s me!