So, here I am, all by my lonesome, sitting in my kitchen, leeching a wireless connection off of one of my lovely neighbors who's been here long enough to get a connection up and running. Where's my kitchen you ask? In a lovely, sauna-like city, Doha, in the lovely, sandy country of Qatar, which is in the Middle East for those of you who don't know, and are too afraid to ask. Never fear. Only about 10% of the people I talked to actually knew where it was, and most of them weren't really certain on it's whereabouts, but knew somewhere in the Middle East. Once I say "Do you know where Dubai is?", people usually have a reference point. So, Doha's about a 45 minute flight from Dubai, on a tiny penisula that juts up into the Persian Gulf.
The weather (dumdeedumdum DUM)Because of it's location, being a desert completely surrounded by water, the weather is not only very hot, but VERY humid. I am fairly certain, however, that Phoenix and Las Vegas, are equally as hot, but not as humid. The humidity is the killer, though I love saunas, so for now I'm loving it, as long as my airconditioners continue to work that is. In North Dakota during the winter time, peoples glasses for up when they go inside from the cold, but the opposite is true here ~ whenever I go outside, my glasses fog up. Imagine what a pain this can be for those of us who are truly, nearly blind! I simply choose to wear my contacts and sunglasses most of the time, which eliminates most problems, but I've got to get some prescription sunglasses. The combination of a blaring sun and white desert sand is just too much for my poor, little retinas. That said, I sort of like the feeling of walking outside just before evening, feeling my skin become enveloped in an invisible, warm mist ~ quite a change from Seattle I assure you.
The Qatari peopleThe population of Qatar is vastly expatriate, workers from other countries, with the local population totalling around 30% of the population. Most Qataris work in office jobs, such as banks, universities, etc., while people from South East Asia, Nepal, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Lebanon, Syria, and other countries, work in retail and hard labor. The Qatari people are extremely welcoming and friendly, though like anywhere else there are those who are rude and obnoxious, but, speaking for myself, I've not had a bad experience yet. The country itself is VERY young, as in 25-30 years old, and I must say that I am beyond impressed with how well the country has coped with the velocity at which things have been changing here.
Multi-cultural sightingsFirst, and foremost, Doha is certainly an incredibly international city. One simply steps out of their door to notice this. For example, in my apartment building of 8, my neighbors are from the following places: US, Japan, Canada, Bangladesh, India and Palestine (this isn't Rabah). In the shuttle to and from campus, I've met faculty from Indonesia, Pakistan, Sudan via Kuala Lumpur, Czeckoslovakia, France, England, Australia, and a few other places. Walking around the malls, and there are plenty of them, I feel like I'm in a mini-Muslim USA. No joke. There are differences of course, such as the grocery stores being located in the malls, which is a great idea commercially, but for the most part there's an uncanny similarity, which I'm not sure how I feel about, but that's another discussion entirely. For example, there's the DQ, which I'm not complaining about, TCBY, which took my by total surprise, TGIF, Hardees, Subway, McD's, Pizza Hut, Surf City, and a plethora of other food stores. For some reason, there are a lot of French cafes as well. The other day we were at the mall, eating in a French cafe, being waiting on by a South African, and the manager was Lebanese/Syrian. Talk about an international experience in one meal. Oh, one other thing that surprised me about the malls ~ they all have a mini-amusement park! Because it's so hot outside, they've built these parks into the malls for the kids! What a fabulous idea!
LanguageThere's no need for people to speak Arabic here, as the majority of the shopkeepers are international, so a variety of Englishes are spoken, including by the local population. I often wonder how they feel, having to speak a foreign language to buy goods in their own country. This is a can of worms that I would like to remain closed, as I can already hear the voices of many in the US, claiming the same thing is happening there, which it is not, but like I said ~ can + worms = closed. Just an observation, not a comparison.
I, however, am keen to keep up my Arabic studies, so am searching out different venues for doing so. The locals appreciate the effort that many people make in trying to learn Arabic, and I think it is only fair. People come here to earn vast amounts of money, and I think it's only appropriate that they make some effort to understand the local population. That said, many don't because they can get by just fine without learning it. Hmmm...another parallel with language issues in the US. But we won't go there quite yet either : ) I'm teasing of course, but the more I write, the more similarities I see, which is altogether quite fascinating for a second language teacher of English in both countries.
Driving....I won't write much here, as I've not attempted to drive yet, but will be soon, so watch for news! I will say that it will surely be an adventure.
Oh ~ totally unrelated to anything I've written. If any of you travel outside the US, be aware that you cannot access ABC shows from outside the US online. I always watch my favorites online the day after they air, and was excited about this possibility, but alas....I was forbidden : (
I think I've given you all enough to chew on for now, so I'll wrap this up, but will write another post on what I've personally been through since arriving.
About a month ago, or perhaps more...errr....it was last Eid, so it was quite awhile ago, my friend Tracy asked me to go to the beach with her and another friend to meet said friends partner, Peter, and John, who were taking a 5 day fishing trip around Qatar in Peter's boat, but it was quite windy, so they were stranded at this lagoon. So, the three of us hopped into Tracy's MRV, and began our little trek north. After seeing much desert, and a few trees (unfortunately no camels), we arrived at a non-descript oil barrel, and Mary says that she thinks this is the turn! Tracy doesn't seem convinced, but we try it anyway....not correct, but that's OK! Getting anywhere here is completely trial and error.
My favorite...the Persian Gulf, or Arabian Gulf (whatever...it's a body of water....no one owns it), is in the background. There are tons of stingray in the shallows apparently, so shuffling feet is a must! I can honestly say that I've never walked with stingray before, and I will admit that I was more than a bit hesitant; however, the water was amazing...bathlike temperatures. The sand, on the other hand, was not at all soft! Oh well ~ it was still nice : )
This is the view of the beach as we were driving away, saying goodbye. I must say that it was wonderful to wade in the waters, eat in abandoned buildings, and be will good people. Loved it!
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