Living the Good Life...

Last time I blogged (Thursday, August 19th) was the night that Ramadan began. It has been a week now and so much has happened.

On Friday I had the amazing opportunity to have dinner at a family friend's friends' house here in Doha- The Patrizi family.  Before I left for Doha, my mom reached out to her friend that lived here for a couple of years. She gave me the name of her friend that still lives here in Doha and we found each other on Facebook.  I am thankful to have someone in Doha that has been incredibly generous to get to know me and share her knowledge of the area. My parents were also very happy that they knew someone was over here that I could reach out to for fun adventures and in case anything serious happened. The family is really great, very sweet and funny. On Friday I went to dinner at their home and we had an amazing meal, it was nice to have some familiar home cooking, and I got a glass of wine or two- which was awesome because it can be hard to come by.  There is a daughter who is 20 who is working as an intern at TAMUQ this summer and we've gotten lunch together this past week and are probably going to hang out some more before I leave. They have a chilled pool in their complex, which I hope we'll be able to take advantage of soon! 

On Saturday I relaxed and did some school work, since I am taking two online classes at the moment trough TAMU.  Afterwards I went to the gym at the Student Center and worked out. The gym is really nice and all female, which is kind of awesome. I think the most interesting part though is the people in the gym and frankly how similar they are to Americans. It's funny because it seems that people think of women in abayas as being oppressed or quiet and different from them, seeing them in this environment was so interesting and eye opening. [Someone explained the wearing of the abaya to me like this: It's not mandatory, it's  choice. It's also a cultural thing. They would make themselves stand out if they DIDN"T wear one. Most Qatari women don't leave them when they leave the country and visit non-Muslim countries like the US. Them wearing Western clothes in Qatari would be like us wearing an abaya in America... it just doesn't make since and you'd stick out like a sore thumb.] Since it's an all-girls gym women who wear abayas in public can work out here without men seeing them- one of the reasons for the abaya is modesty. The women come into the workout room decked out in their abayas (and sometimes with their Gucci purses!) and shaylas, but when they take them off they're wearing workout clothes and tennis shoes- just like you and I when we go to the gym. They work out, get hot and sweaty and gross, and when they're done, they put their abaya back on and leave. I'm frankly a little jealous because they get to cover the fact they they're sweaty and gross with the abaya after they work out and I walk across campus bright red and dripping sweat (very attractive... I know). 

After working out (and showering!) Katie picked me up and took me over to Arooj's place where we had amazing Pakistani food for dinner followed by Bollywood movie night. We watched a love story movie called Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. It was hilarious, and awesome. It was so dramatic and everything was drawn out. I'm told it was a "very Bollywood" movie. 

Arooj, Fatima, and Maria with the amazing dinner they made. 

On Sunday we started our second week of professional staff training. Training has moved to one of the residence halls' social rooms since we no longer need to have food catered because of Ramadan. 

I had dinner with Ashlynn on Monday at the Student Center. Since it is Ramadan, the private dining room was closed off and there were barriers put up between the kitchen and the main eating area so Muslims weren't subjected to watching non-fasting people eat. Monday night, there was a farewell Iftar for Jess who is leaving for another job in the states tomorrow. It was in the black box theater in the Student Center and the catering was fabulous. I had fresh squeezed mango juice, yum! 

Arooj, Jess and I went to get our nails done on Tuesday night at Diva Lounge! It was great. I got a pretty pink manicure that I hope lasts until I get home (if I'm lucky!!). 

Next comes one of the best adventures of the whole week... my first ever Ramadan tent that just happened to be at the Ritz Carlton-Doha. It was luxurious and extravagant. I got to doll myself up and had an opportunity to wear the pearl necklace that I got at the souq! There was thousands of yards of fabric draped all over the inside of the ballroom to transform it into a "tent." There was a whole room of food that had just about everything from pasta to sushi, Arabian food and fruit, and lots and lots of juices and breads. I tried a little bit of everything- even tried lamb for the first time (another first!). There was a huge selection of desserts, the place was literally the most ridiculously opulent buffet I've ever been to. I had an amazing time. 

So opulent and gorgeous! 

The "gang" at the Ramadan tent.

The room of food at the Ramadan tent! So much food!

At the front of the Ritz Carlton-Doha with the flower display spelling out "Ramadan Kareem"!

Once again... this is one of the best experiences of my life and I wouldn't trade it for anything. Tonight I leave for a weekend in Dubai. It's going to be great and I can't wait to share pictures and my stories with you all! :) 

Until next time...

Feel free to leave me comments if you'd like!