Doha Pics

It's about time for an update. Going beyond my immediate surroundings, here are some pictures of Doha city proper. As you will see, it is truly a city in development - while stunning from afar, the Dohan skyline is actually incomplete and alot of the buildings are unfinished and unoccupied. Enjoy.

Dohan skyline on the Persian Gulf.

Doha in development - up close

Doha in development.

The corniche - and a bit of the Persian Gulf.

Souq Waqif

A little taste of Doha's souq - Souq Waqif. Not quite (actually nowhere near) Khan el-Khalili, but it serves its function. I usually get my shisha fix at the souq, which is nice.

November in Doha

Life in Doha is still humming along. It's already mid-November now which means we're at the mid-way point of our semester. Yes, you read that right - we're at the mid-point of our semester because our semester ends at the start of January...! I will, in fact, be working through Christmas and New Year's this year. January 1st is the last day of class for students in my program. This doesn't mean, however, that we're without a break between now and the end of the semester - Eid al-Adha is coming up in December and we'll have a week off then. It's safe to say that I have been patiently waiting for this week to come and now there's three weeks left until then. Yay! Since I don't have any plans of leaving the country that week, unlike everyone else in al-Zuhoor, I will probably lay low and get some well-needed rest. Maybe I'll make more of an effort to get to know this place. But the resting part is essential - I have been waking up at 5:45am every morning for my 8am class on the other side of the city. This has taken its toll on me and it has pretty much been a struggle every morning. My caffeine dependency has risen notably.

Temperature-wise, the country is cooling off. We're now into our mid-to-high 20s and the mornings are even slightly chilly. I do leave the AC at home sometimes, but it is only if I'm doing any cleaning or cooking. Otherwise, I'm feeling like the temperature now is manageable and dare I say, liveable. And on that note, I can say that slowly, but surely, I am getting used to this place. I am making small but significant shifts in my perspectives towards this place. It's becoming less of a foreign place and more of a home that I'm beginning to understand and sometimes even appreciate. Life is more mundane, which also means that there's a certain level familiarity here now.

More meandering musings to come...:)