Holiday? Huh?

It's been well over a month since I last wrote, I've realised. I'm going to surprise you and tell you that the reason this time is that I've been kind of busy, for the most part. Since I last wrote, I went on my trip to Sri Lanka for my Eid el-Adha break and had a great time. My sister spontaneously joined me for the trip and we stayed with a friend who's been living and working in the country for several years. I positively revelled in the life, the hustle and bustle of the place (I think I'm a city girl at heart - big cities) as well as the hills and mountains of hill country. We visited an elepant orphanage on our way to the interior of the country to Kandy, visited a tea planation and from there, we moved onto some ancient cities in the country. We were in Columbo for only two days really, but given that our trip was only a week-long, we were pressed for time. It was a lovely, interesting trip overall and really, an escape from here. It's safe to say that I dealt with a bit of post-vacation blues when I came back. In fact, I think I'm still battling it sometimes. I returned from the trip in early December and since then, I've been scurring around, getting things done, trying to keep myself preoccupied with work, rather than my vacation. Now that I've stopped for a moment to take a breath, it's already Christmas. Jesus! (pun intended).

In other news, a good friend (the one who sent me the care package from Portland) gave birth to her son and just a couple days ago, my oldest and bestest friend shared with me that she's almost finished her first trimester of pregnancy. I guess baby-related news will become more frequent now that we're into our third decade of life. Wow, I can barely bring myself to say it, but I'm now thirty years old. I turned 30 a couple weeks ago and if a day like today is any indication, I feel old. (I'm exhausted because I didn't sleep well last night - another symptom of old age?). So yes, that was another thing that happened since I last wrote.

Anyway, now it's Christmas and I can safely say that I could've easily passed it by without a thought, had it not been for the couple of people who invited me for Christmas dinner. I've been in my own haze for the last little while that when someone asked me what I was doing for Christmas, I was caught off guard. It's Christmas already? I don't have a tree, no decorations, no candy canes, no tinsel or eggnog. More importantly, there's no snow and it's not even that cold really. The "winter" this year has us at 23 degrees celsius or so, with evenings going down to the teens. As well, I just haven't been feeling festive as of late (um....okay, this year), so all in all, Christmas is upon us now and I had no clue. So for Christmas eve, I'll be having a meal at a couple-friend's (I hang out with them as a couple - that tends to happen a lot here) house, and then on Christmas day, a couple of my single friends and I will get together for a meal. Maybe we'll watch Avatar too, since that's in the theatres now. It hit me awhile ago that this will be the fifth Christmas I've spent without family, snow, turkey and presents - and all in the Middle East. I can't deny that it's made me a bit nostalgic for home.

On a brighter note, for my mid-year break (in February), my sister may be coming to visit me in Doha, and a friend and I have made tentative plans to fly out to Istanbul for a week. I've never been to Turkey, so it'll be nice to see this apparently gorgeous city. I can't wait. As far as school is concerned, after this week, there are two weeks left of classes and then we have the final exams. (Yippee!) Then we kind of off-the-hook for a few weeks before we can officially start our break. Looking forward to that.

So I'm going to end this update-ish posting here, but I just wanted to add that it heartened me a bit to find that someone out there is reading this (anon in Singapore) other than my dad and sister. And maybe a friend in Canada. And occasionally...I'll read over old posts myself. So Merry Christmas and Happy 2010 to you all. On the left is a pic of me wandering amidst the ancient ruins of Pollonuwara, Sri Lanka. I was happy even though you can't see my face. Trust me.

The Update

Well, after I posted the last posting, the urge to blog suddenly returned. So here I am. I'm kind of surprised that I haven't posted anything substantial since last Eid...did a month and a half already pass by? Where did that time go? How is it November already? In any case, I'll try to fill you in on what's transpired since September 17th.

First off, my classes this semester are for the most part, fine. I can honestly say that I like my girls in both classes, minus a few bad apples. The girls are more at ease with me and it very well could be because I think I'm more at ease with myself. I am more relaxed this semester in my teaching style, less anxious. Some of my students have even felt comfortable enough with me to tell me personal things about them, something that other Qatari students in the past have not done. Not that this is my goal or anything, but it does signify that something has changed in my demeanor and/or my students this year are simply more open and receptive. In any case, I feel that the girls are doing the best that they can and I appreciate the effort. Other aspects of work are a bit more toublesome, with committee and administrative tasks consuming a good bulk of my time and mental energy. Let's just say that I've lost a few weekends doing work that does not involve lesson planning or grading my students papers - which is usually done during the week in the evenings. My life sounds so exciting, I know. Does that give you an idea of what I've been busy with (rather than blogging)?

Personally I am trying, but mostly failing, at making the best of my situation here. Going out to movies, dinners, and shopping is standard fare. Recently, we had a treat and got to see films at the first ever Doha Tribeca Film Festival. Happily, a few friends and I watched various western and foreign films - some of which would otherwise NOT have been screened in Doha due to their R-rated nature - alongside other film lovers. The tickets were cheap and we tried to take in as much as possible. It was a nice distraction from our everyday lives here. As mentioned awhile ago, I now go to the gym regularly. I've taken up ashtanga yoga (progress is slow but noticeable) and try to do at least one cardio class a week. Fearful of getting sick and wanting to be healthy, I am trying to stay on this bandwagon for as long as possible.

As an aside, I would say that my life is pretty mundane and routine, with the exception of one week when a certifiable psycho, also a guy I had met once eons ago, recently contacted me in an effort to take me out. I declined...persistently...to the point that the guy actually had a pseudo-tantrum on the phone and told me emphatically to f**k off, before cutting the conversation. I know, WTF!?! So this is, in a nutshell, what my life is like here: quiet, punctuated by the occaisonal weird/surprising/freaky diversion. You may be asking yourself at this point why I wouldn't consider going out for a coffee or something with the guy, considering how bored I am? I would answer that by stating that based on what I already knew about the guy, I'd have rather stayed at home and cleaned my bathroom with my hair (the one I haven't cleaned since I got back) than go out with this guy. He is a) a toddler in a 40+ year old body, b) a deadbeat dad with an ex-wife that hates him, and c) literally the Tasmanian Devil in personality, (like the one in the cartoon, yes). To say that I wouldn't want to ever see him again would be an understatement.

Okay, so that was my comic relief/nightmare to make up for all those weeks of not blogging. What else.... I also received a great care package from a friend in Portland (thanks S!) which came to me during a week when I thought I was going to collapse from exhaustion. So that was a nice, small treat as well. I had my car checked out and maintained, during which I had met a really nice guy who sort of took me under his wing at the service center to make sure I wasn't going to get fleeced by the mechanics and such. Given that I was the only female in the entire building (imagine about 30+ men and then, me), I will be forever grateful to this guy. The reason it's pretty rare to see females in such places is because most women here, if they're lucky, have a man to do the dirty work for them. It's their husband, boyfriend, brother, uncle, next-door neighbor or the like, who'll usually go in and deal with these sorts of things. The thing is, it doesn't bother me so much that I don't have some "manly man" to do these "manly" things for me - I don't mind doing them, really. What bothers me is the way I get perceived in these places, that basically I'm a lone female with no male to take care of these things for me. Poor thing. Sexist? So 1960s? Yeah, maybe - in the West. Not here. Here the thinking is that no self-respecting man would let their 'woman' deal with such matters...so a woman who's seen doing these very things might been looked upon with pity, suspicion, as an opportunity, or all of the above. In the end, I really wanted to say that there was this nice guy who took care of me and that I was really appreciative...:) Thanks, nice guy at Nissan!

Okay, I'm going to stop here before I sound even more magnoona (crazy) than I do now. That was my update, for me, mainly. I'm still alive and kicking (or rather, meditating). Until next time, namaste.

Still Alive

I am still here, I swear. Will post an update, hopefully sooner than later. I'm certain that there's no one out there who reads this anymore, but I'll do it for myself. Still breathing...!

Eid Mubarak

Interestingly, I blog so infrequently here that I forgot my password for the account. I just spent about fifteen minutes trying different passwords before I gave up and set up another one. Argh. I just don't have the same incentive to blog, to be honest. I have, however, started my Eid break. We don't start classes until the 27th, so until then it'll be late mornings and nights. Since it is still Ramadan, stores are not open nor can we eat in public. So I am finding that most people just stay indoors until after iftar and the weather cools. The store hours are also pretty odd - they'll open from 8am to 1-2pm, and then close until 8:30pm-12am. This explains why traffic is horrific around that time. That's when life is breathed into the city again, with everyone riding their carbohydrate-high. Good times. An evening drive just isn't the same without a Land Cruiser or the like cutting in front of you, forcing you to break just before your face is planted onto their bumpers. Weirdly, traffic gets worse during Ramadan, post-iftar. Argh times two.

In the end, I didn't end up traveling for Eid. I had contemplated it but decided that I'll wait until the next Eid, inshallah. I don't know exactly where I'll go but I'll use this time to figure that out, hopefully. To be frank, I have been feeling lazy as of late. After cleaning most of my flat, I've lost the incentive to try and clean up the rest, namely one of my bathrooms. One thing I did accomplish, however, is signing up for the gym which will be available for me in October. I haven't really worked out since June (tee hee) and it's about time I go back. I know I've gotten soft since then and want to tone up again. One good thing though, is that my back isn't as bad as it was before. I have been trying to keep up with the exercises that my chiropractor (in Toronto) had recommended I do. So I have been doing them and I have to admit, my back seems stronger. Yay for my back! Double yay for my chiropractor!

The new cohort of teachers are here and I've met a few of them. A lot of them seemed shell-shocked but I completely empathize. I can still remember what it felt like to first arrive here, especially if you've never been to the Gulf. Others seem pretty well-adjusted as well, but you can't help but notice the ones who look slightly terrified. Whenever I see them, I wonder how bad I looked when I first got here. Anyway, that's neither here nor there... They'll eventually get the hang of it and move on. Inshallah.

That's my update for now. I'll try to post pictures when I can. I'm trying to find new things that I can go to/take pictures of. I can only post so many photos of the skyline, right?

Round Two

So I arrived back in Doha a few days ago, safe and sound. The trip back was less eventful than my flight to Toronto, except for one tiny detail: I was upgraded to First Class on my Toronto-Munich flight! It was heavenly. Once you go First Class, you can't go back (cheesy, but true). And difficult it was, my economy connection from Munich to Doha. Anyway, something that I thought seemed to have eluded me for so long has actually happened. It was a little taste of luxury that I may never get again, who knows.

In any case, when I landed in Doha I took at taxi home which ended up costing a bit more than necessary because the driver gave me 5 Euros as part of my change (he didn't have riyals on him), which turned out to be useless because it was taped together. In other words, the currency exchange place would not accept my taped-together Euro bill. Ah well...I guess it happens here too. Anyway, when I got to my flat, I discovered that all the cockroaches in my building came into my flat to die a nasty death. The flat stank, as expected, and was sprinkled with dead roaches in every room. In every room. It was the worst in my bedroom, right by the ensuite bathroom, where there were at least about 50 dead roaches blocking the entrance. Lovely. Before I could even think about sleeping, I cleaned up all the roaches which took a few hours. Of course, there were some nasty stains on the floor, something like a roach outline of where it lay. That was tackled the next day as I went around the flat scrubbing the floors. Nice homecoming, huh?

Three days later and my flat is liveable once again. I am calm and relaxed enough to do a little blogging, see? So all is well and I'm "home". I have another day of the weekend left before I report back to work on Sunday. And so it begins, my 2nd academic year here. More interesting reporting to come soon, inshallah.

The End is Near

The end of the summer, that is. I am preparing myself to return to what I like to affectionately call "the sandbox". Original, no, but appropriate, a resounding yes. After spending two months immersed in greenery all around me (such that I've already taken it for granted), I am going to return to that little corner of the world where nothing other than super-evolved beings (us) seem to survive in. Wow - was that a run-on sentence or what?

I have a few more days before I depart and I prepare for it with mixed feelings. I made the best of my time away from Doha - possibly moreso than during any other summer break I had while living abroad - and now I'm not so sure I want to leave. I've reacquainted myself with friends, old and new and feel that in some ways Life is passing me by. New marriages, new homes, new babies...it's all too overwhelming and I'm not even the one having them! Four years away can do that, I suppose. Yes, this coming year will be my fifth year abroad....it is still surreal to me. I spent a good portion of my twenties in the Middle East and came back to find that a) I'm not the same person I was when I had first left, and b) my wants and needs are changing. What I thought I wanted or didn't want five years ago don't necessarily apply. To be honest, I'm not even that sure what it is I want exactly. I don't know. I don't necessarily want to get married (now?). I've never really pictured myself to be a mother (something I have yet to grow out of), and I'm not sure where I would feel comfortable calling home.

So that got way too philosophical for the tastes of this blog so I'll stop here. It's safe to say that I depart for the Gulf with a bit of apprehension. Besides, the thought of experiencing 40-plus degree weather can do that to you sometimes. I'm trying to enjoy the 18-19 degree weather here while I can (Toronto had a cool summer this year). The next time I blog will probably be from sweltering Doha so until then...!

Oh, and one more thing: Ramadan Mubarak! Kol sana wentu tayebeen!

Home Sweet Home

I'm home. It is lovely to be back. I'll be in North America for another month or so. I will relish as much as possible and hopefully head back to Doha refreshed. Here's to hoping.

End of Year Musings

Spring semester classes finished last week and this past weekend was the final exam. Final exams are all graded and I should disseminate them to students in the next couple weeks. My first academic year here has pretty much come to a close. We are required to stay for another five weeks, however, for various administrative tasks that I have yet to be clear on. I guess I'll wait and find out. All in all, I can breath a little easier and sleep in, which makes a world of difference. As a newcomer teacher in this institution, I was required to undergo a pretty extensive evaluation process that started from the mid-year point and ended yesterday. I received my final evaluation for my first year here and I am happy to find that I received a "More Than Expected". I am satisfied with this. Given how extensive the process was, I think it was a fair reflection of my abilities: pretty good, but there's always room for improvement. There were also circumstantial limitations to my job that may have affected my performance but I won't go into that...:D I'll just say that I've done the best I could here.

Lately, I've been having flashbacks of when I had first moved here and how I felt about it all. It's possible that the recent hot weather (back up to the 40s and beyond now) has triggered these recollections considering this was how hot it was last summer when I had first arrived. I'm amazed at how much things have changed for me psychologically and even materialistically. When I say materialistically, I mean that I now have disposable income that I absolutely did not have for the three years prior to me coming here (while in Cairo). At that time, I could barely live within my means and sometimes even begged and borrowed when even necessities were beyond my reach (i.e. food, books, etc). Fast forward to this past academic year of 2008-2009 and I have shot up in the income bracket (mind you, anything would have improvement), was able to buy my first car (with loan - Nissan Tiida!), have a comfortable home that I do not have to share, and am able to indulge myself with the occasional pair of shoes, clothes, books, and dinners out. Nothing crazy, but I don't feel deprived so much anymore.

As for psychologically, well, that's a longer discussion. It has been a challenge to be here in ways that I had not anticipated. I didn't anticipate the amount of free time I would have with very little to do. I didn't expect it to be this hard to adapt to this place, let alone, like it. I didn't realize how hard it would be to develop and maintain friendships here. An effort really has to be made in that department. Finally, I didn't know that being a single woman would be a liability rather than a freeing advantage, but this is indeed the case in this part of the world, where most foreign communities stick together and live in nondescript compounds. On the flip side, I have learned to be more resilient and independent. I have spent more time alone here than at any other point in my life and this has led me to value things that maybe I should have valued more in the past. I appreciate friends, family, good books and movies. I appreciate a home-cooked meal prepared by a neighbor. I appreciate my good fortune to be here, to have a job in this global economy. I appreciate having a car and the freedom to go where I please, which is really nice. So all in all, it's a mixed bag. I don't know if being here was a blessing in disguise (I don't think I'd go that far) but I do appreciate what I've learned since arriving here.

That being said, I am flying out in five weeks and am looking forward to going home. Let the countdown begin!

The Darker Side of Doha

I've now lived in the Gulf for about nine months, since I arrived back in August. I think nine months is a good amount of time to make some observations about the place in a contextualized manner. While I've spoken about what I've been doing here (or more appropriately, what I've not been doing here), there are other aspects in the social fabric of Qatar and the rest of the Gulf that I haven't discussed, up until this point. An incident that happened this morning on my way to go grocery shopping has affected me enough to want to write about it today.

Now it's no secret that the infrastructure of modern-day Gulf states have been built on the backs of workers from third-world countries. These countries include, but aren't limited to, the Phillippines, Indonesia, Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and even North Korea. As a "western-expat" - a term I use loosely for myself because I'm of Asian heritage and this determines how people talk and/or look at me prior to me speaking, but that's another post altogether - I inhabit a completely different Doha than that of the migrant labourers. Migrant labourers here work mostly in the construction realm, building office towers, expat compounds, and malls. They also work as cleaners, dishwashers, janitors, truck drivers, mechanics and other like jobs. Their countries are so poor that they are compelled to migrate to the Gulf to work in these sort of positions. While many people argue that the lot of these migrant workers are much better off here in the Gulf than back in their own countries, others beg to differ. This is because there have been several news stories and articles that have revealed some of the mistreatment that these workers receive from their employers, anything from not being paid their meagre salaries for months on end, having their passports withheld, living in cramped living quarters some of which don't even have basic facilities like indoor plumbing or AC (which is a basic necessity in a region where the temperatures rise to well over 40 degrees in the height of summer), and in some extreme cases, being physically abused. This is the part of the Gulf that both the locals and western-expats tend to turn a blind eye to.

What I saw today at the mall involved a group of young men, possibly Nepali or Indonesian, who were turned away from entering by the Egyptian security guard, whose job it is to filter out the "untouchables" for fear that they might pollute the malls, I suppose. I don't blame the security guard - this is his job and he himself, is only slightly higher in the pecking order of migrant workers in this country. These twelve men, out on what is probably their only day off, were denied entry into the mall. Not only is it unjustified, but embarrassing for them as well. I felt embarrassed and outraged as I walked by them, me being allowed entry because I lay higher on the social hierarchy that exists here. This wasn't the first time I've seen it, but it really frustrated me seeing it happen today, early in the morning before the real rush of shoppers ever came. I don't know what happened to those guys, but they probably headed back to the main street to wait for the public bus in the stifling heat. I can almost guarantee you that they had no other form of transportation to get them to the mall in the first place.

This is a side of Doha, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait City, Riyadh and the rest of the region that exists and is almost usually in plain sight, but that very few people ever really acknowledge or do anything about - myself included. I feel powerless when I see things like that happen. Donations of clothes and a bit of food is about as much as I can do for these migrant workers, I feel. It is a systemic problem that needs to be addressed at a policy level, but who am I kidding here? This region is not a democracy and even if it were, there's nothing to indicate that the locals aren't the least bit dissatisfied with the status quo. This is a country where most of my female students have never had to wash their clothes or make a sandwich because they have Ethiopian or Indian maids who answer to their beck and call. Of course, as with any commentary on a region, population or community, there is an understanding that there will always be exceptions to the norm and there are. Only, there aren't enough - most of the population, local and expat alike, live comfortably in the status quo and easily slip into their daily lives willfully oblivious to the injustices that exist just outside their door, or rather, their compound.

There are days when I really dislike being here, I have to admit. This morning was one of them.

Dhow trip pics, November 2008

These are some pics taken in November 2008 on a dhow trip that some of us from the compound took together. Looking at the group, I realise that there were more people on it than I remember. It was a nice, cool evening on the Persian Gulf. Enjoy.



Group photo of dhow participants. I'm in there, somewhere.







Trisha and me. Trisha's a sweet lady from the US. She's in the education department.



(L-R) Kamal (Lebanon), Hayat (Lebanon and Kamal's wife), Fasil (USA), Samar (Lebanon) and me. Can you tell from the photo that the dhow is big? The entire group was able to fit in one boat.

April in Doha

The mid-point of the semester has come, with my students' mid-term exam taking place this Saturday. Yes, the exams are on Saturday, with the teachers having to come in to invigilate (proctor). This past week felt rather long, but el-hamdulileh, it's over. I have Friday to chill out and then I'll be back on campus on Saturday morning, ready to see my students' anxiety-ridden faces, muahaha. Seriously, I really like my students this semester. They are cooperative, eager, and hard-working. Yes, there were some students who were none of the above but most are now gone due to our very strict attendence policy. Miss 25% of the classes and you're out. I've had about five students who did just that and now they will not write any exam. So what I'm left with now are the creme de la creme, so to speak, and I am enjoying them. What a surprise.

In the meantime, I've been leading a fairly quiet life since the semester started. Along with my health-kick, I've also started to read books once again. It's something I haven't done in ages, but I recently finished three that were very interesting, entertaining, and depressing (respectively). I honestly can't remember the last time I've really sat down and absorbed any reading other than school textbooks. Finally, I also had the opportunity to screen a film at the Al Jazeera Documentary Film Festival which has been going on for the past week. I watched "Bilal", which is about a three-year old Indian boy, born to blind parents. The director followed the family in their one-room home in the slums of Calcutta for some time, filming their day-to-day existence. Heartbreaking, humane and even funny, the film provided a little bit of insightful into the lives of people that we rarely get to meet, let alone get to know. It was humbling, to say the least. The director was present at the screening and he, himself, seemed very humble and conscientious. Interesting stuff, I must say.

And that is about it. Life in Doha is humming along, with the hot weather fast approaching. Temperatures midday reach the 30s now, with the evenings slightly cooler. I need to have the air conditioning on in the car and at home now. How people managed to do anything before AC is beyond me, but that's neither here nor there.

More (better?) updates to come soon, inshallah.

Pluggin' away...

Yikes, I didn't mean for a month to pass before I blogged here again. Sheesh. I'm really bad at this whole blogging thing, this time around. It could very well be representative of my life here, as in there isn't much to blog about. I was better at this online journaling when I was in Egypt, I have to admit. Anyhow...

So I am in the thick of the second semester now at the university and this semester looks, feels, and smells different. I have a smaller class, for one. I have about twenty students on my roster, of whom about fifteen come regularly. That's easily ten less students than the last semester. Among my regulars, the majority are Omani. Go figure. This semester, we've had an influx of Omani scholarship students coming to Qatar to study. As a result, the proficiency level of my students is significantly higher than that of my last class. In addition to the Omanis, I have a Bosnian and Bangladeshi student each. And finally, a dash of Qataris to boot. This semester's class has been much more interesting, I have to say. It'll be interesting to see how the semester ends...it has been fairly positive thus far. Watching the dynamics of the class change with each week has been fascinating, to say the least.

In other news, the winter here is officially over and has been for a good month or so. The weather is in the high-20s now during the day and I'm already using air conditioning when I drive around. I keep the windows open at home and that seems to be sufficiently cooling for now. I dread June and July when the mercury will eventually surpass 35 degrees celsius and I constantly feel like I need to shower three times a day. But such is life here. My overall health seems to be slightly improving because I have been making a conscious effort to eat better and move around more. After four months of essentially hibernating at home in front of the tv, ever since I got back from Egypt I decided to start walking more, so I do. I walk in my compound, I walk along the corniche, I walk by a park that I recently discovered close to where I live. I'm consciously eating more vegetables and fruit and less red meat. I am taking mutli-vitamins daily and stretching at home. I do have the occaisional sugary treat and still consume a lot more caffeine than I should, but otherwise, I'm doing better and feeling better than before. Given that the air quality here is much better than in Cairo, I feel like my lungs have been cleared out of a lot of gunk that I brought with me. I've even decreased my shisha-smoking (once since I got back from Cairo), something that I did maybe monthly. So in the end, this place has a certain solitary confinement quality to it in that there's not much to do here so you start focusing on self-improvement measures, haha. I've heard people say this several times before, but it really is true. After experiencing a extended period of boredom, the mind and body demand attention as it fights off the effects of inertia. Not to mention, I'm nearing my thirtieth birthday and that's also scaring the crap out of me, but that's a whole other blog unto itself that I'd rather not share.

So all in all, that's what I've been up to and experiencing lately. Not much else to share, I'm afraid. Well, that and the fact that I've already bought my plane tickets for home this summer. I'll be in "the West" for a good two months. I have no feelings about that yet. Hmm...weird. That's all for now.

Round 2

So after a great two week holiday/reunion of sorts in Egypt, I am back in Doha and gearing up for the new semester. I have my first class on Sunday. This term, I teach twenty students (instead of twenty-five) in Level one, which is the same level as last year. I may co-teach with two teachers rather than one, although this is still pending. I am feeling a little apprehensive about starting classes, now that I know what the semester will entail but I will do my best to plug through it. Last semester, I started classes with a blind excitement and anticipation that I do not feel this time around. I am more measured and cautious about what I might encounter and will try to approach this class in a more calmer and reasoned manner, hopefully. I am thankful that there is only twenty students, at least for now.

In the meantime, Doha has received it's first khamsin (sandstorm) this year. It has been dusty and cloudy the last couple of days, all due to the sand probably flown in from neighboring Saudi. While not as thick and orange as the khamsins in Cairo, it is still pretty dusty here in Doha. Luckily, I always keep my windows closed when I'm out so I didn't quite get the layer of dust on the furniture like others did. The dust is now moving out and the sky seems clearer, el-hamdulileh.

And that's about all I have to say for now. I realise that this blog hasn't been updated as often as it could've been but I will try to be better about it. The whole point of this site was to record and describe my experience of teaching and living in Doha, for myself and others who might want to do something similiar. Let's see how this term pans out - hopefully for the better.

Egypt, 2009

This was taken in Doha, before I left for Egypt for my mid-year break. Safe to say I was pretty excited :)

The Citadel and Mohamed Ali mosque - on the way to the airport.

A ginormous mall called City Stars.

A lively suburb of Cairo, Maadi (Road 9).

King Farouk in an antique shop.

Phonograph(?) in an old antique shop.

Qasr el-Aini, Cairo. Part of my daily route for the last two years - funny, I can't recall it being this empty, ever.

Cosy cat for sale.

An Egyptian meal - yummy! (Thanks to Salma's grandmother).

The ubiquitous belly dancing outfits and scarves.

Cairo, the city of a thousand balconies, and satellite dishes, and minarets.

Pictures I've been meaning to post...

First and foremost, my car! My 2007 Nissan Tiida, bought just before the new year. I am a happy mama.



Everything is in fine working order, except for the missing hubcap. The Nissan autoshop people told me I could get a new one for 300QR ($83 US), to which I said, hell to the no! So now I will just say that the missing hubcap adds character.



Some lovely sweets at the local Opera bakery. Yum!



More yum!



Some treasures from the Museum of Islamic Art. You are allowed to take pictures, but no video cameras. Go figure. These lanterns, I believe, are Egyptian.



More treasures. The bird was completely gem-encrusted. Gorgeous.



Inlaid wooden panels, from Egypt. Made me think of the Mosque of Ibn Tulun in Cairo...



Part of the stunning architecture of the Museum of Islamic Art. Pretty cool.



Christmas in Doha. Incidentally, this tree didn't stick around for too long. A week later, it was gone, long before the 25th. If you look carefully, those are shopping bags hung on the tree - so appropriate.



Refineries just outside of Doha.



Why this place is what it is.



Another gorgeous scene from the corniche. This is actually a Middle Eastern restaurant on the corniche, which I haven't tried, but will soon, hopefully.



Dohan corniche, 8am, Friday morning.


Dohan corniche, same time.

2009

Happy New Year! I hope this year will be better than the last, as memorable and eventful as 2008 was. I hope that this year will be fruitful in its own way, with me getting settled and finding peace here in Doha. I really hope that happens. God willing. Happy New Year.