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! 

Ramdan Kareem!

Oh my gosh... how do I even begin to explain that was the amazingness of today?

I guess I can try to begin by sharing the rest of the week and leading up to today's amazing adventure...

This week I have been participating in professional staff training with the rest of the Housing and Residence Life crew. It's been such a great experience and I've learned so much. I've even had the opportunity to be a leader: I co-led the team builder at this morning's training, which was really fun.  I love doing team builders, reminds me of Fish Camp! Work has definitely picked up as we're getting busy getting ready for the start of a new school year, which means moving students into halls and orientation coming up in late August.  I am keeping quite busy with planning the training for the Orientation Peer Advisors (orientation leaders).  I am beyond excited to be working in new student orientation again and have such a renewed energy with it. I really get to bring new ideas to the table and get to make a lot of decisions, which is exciting because that means I get to leave a piece of me behind in Qatar that will hopefully have a positive impact on Education City/ the Qatar Foundation/ Hamad bin Khalifa University.

Pro staff training has been at the Qatar Foundation City Club House this week, which as been really nice. They have conference rooms, but also have a restaurant and a great pool in the middle. During training people are swimming in the pool and I always want to go out and hop in- so tempting! Next week we'll be doing training back on campus. I've been eating lots of Arabic food- or at least what I'd consider Arabic food. Lots of grilled meats, rices, lamb, seafood, hummus, breads, fatoosh (salad), etc. It's all pretty good, and my parents would be proud to know that I've tried a lot and haven't eaten at a single fast food place since I've been here (unless you count the shawarma place that I ate at the first night I got in).

On Wednesday night, Basit and I went to smoke shisha a local place. It was something on my to-do list here in Doha. It was really fun, we got grape-mint and lemon-mint flavored shisha.  It was humorous to me that there were men in thobes chilling smoking shisha, just not something I was prepared for. I had an amazing time and was glad that I got to experience it with one of my coworkers. I definitely didn't want to be that awkward person smoking shisha alone at Souq Waqif- but I would have if that was the last resort!

At the end of training today, Katie asked me if I had any plans for the evening (all of my coworkers have been really great at keeping me entertained and not sitting in my apartment alone- I am incredibly grateful for this!). Since I didn't have plans for the evening the group started brainstorming fun ideas for the last night before Ramadan begins.  Someone mentioned something about going dune bashing as a group sometime before I left and Mohammed generously offered to take us out then, so fifteen minutes later we left from the Club House and headed to the dunes! We headed out there in Mohammed's truck and Katie's small SUV (two cars that could make it through some sand).

The drive out to the dunes was about 30 minutes.  When we first arrived there was a group of camels nearby that I hopped out and took pictures with.  I didn't have time to ride one then, but trust me, the time is coming... soon!!

Before we all headed out to the dunes, Mohammed checked out the scene to make sure it was safe since the tops of the dunes move from the wind.  Afterward, he circled back around and we all piled in the back of his truck and took off! I was really thankful to have my first sand duning experience with a local who knew what he was doing- I wasn't worried for my safety at all & I knew it was going to be a great time!

Makes me miss all the trucks in Texas (and also reminds me of my daddy's truck)! 

We drove around the dunes for about 45 minutes to an hour... can't really remember because I was having so much fun. Mohammed stopped every once in a while at the top of the dunes so we could enjoy the view and take photos. The desert is beautiful and we were there for sunset, which was indescribable! It was truly an amazing experience. I am so thankful that Mohammed generously offered to take us out.

Beautiful sunset in the desert. The sand was amazingly soft and a great exfoliator! 

Mohammed drove us down to the water that is right next to the dunes. The water was incredibly blue. Makes me excited for when I get to go swimming in the gulf- one of my to-do list items before I leave. I can add it to my "places I've swam" along with the Mediterranean Sea.

Katie and I out by the water. It wasn't as dark as this picture is, my flash was just acting up.

 Before we headed out from the dunes, Mohammed helped a couple who's vehicle got stuck in the sand. He was really great, and instead of just driving the car out of the sand for him, he stopped and took a few minutes to explain to the guy how to drive in the sand and how to get out when he was stuck- a true educator in action! 

After leaving the dunes we went to a nearby mosque since it was sundown and Ramadan started tonight.  It was a really great experience.  It's the first time that I've been in a mosque (that I can remember). This group is really giving me a lot of "first" experiences!  In Islam, before praying you must cleanse yourself, which means washing different parts of your body. So we tracked down a bathroom in the mosque and washed. You wash everything three times: hands up to wrists, up to the elbows, face, neck, feet and up to the knees- we were all wearing pants though so it made the "up to the knees" part hard.  After that- Arooj, Katie, and I went up into the female prayer room and I prayed (my own prayer). Speaking of religion... it's been so great these past few weeks that I've been here because in addition to learning a lot about Qatari culture, I've also learned a lot about Islam and it is incredibly similar to Christianity, more similar than different really.  Same god, same Jesus (just not as God's son), same basis on the old testament... it has really been fascinating to learn more. During lunches we have intellectual conversations that have really been great and refreshing. 

After stopping at the mosque, we all headed to dinner on the way back to Education City. We got sandwiches at a nearby restaurant and it was delicious! I'm loving the spicy food they have here, it reminds me of Texas somewhat. :) 

All in all, such an amazing day and definitely the most exciting thing that I've done in Qatar so far!  My coworkers are amazing and very generous for including my in these great adventures. I am already sad thinking about leaving this amazing place and these amazing people. 

Since Ramadan began tonight, that means the next 30 days are also going to be a great experience. During the day (sunrise-sunset) I will not be able to eat, drink, or chew gum in public. Since I am not a Muslim I am allowed to eat/drink but it would be really inappropriate/rude to do it in front of the Muslims who are fasting. I think I've already decided that I'm going to fast for a few days throughout Ramadan to get the full experience. Another awesome part of being here is learning what it's like to be in a country that the dominant religion isn't Christian. It really makes you rethink what it's like for non-Christians in the United States and all of the Christian privilege that we have, whether noticed or not. 

Well, until next time...

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

First Week(ish) in Doha

Ladies and gentlemen, I've officially survived my first ten days in Doha, which means transitioning into a new job, a new social life, and recovering from jet lag (yuck!). I am really excited about this blog post because there is so much I want to share, so forgive me if I am scatterbrained or if there is no general flow to this post. Just try to enjoy!  
I want to begin this post my noting that anything I write in this post about Qatari culture or life is purely from my observation and what I have been told by others since my arrival. Please do not take everything I say as fact, but rather my general interpretation of the environment in which I am living and working. With that being said... let's get started! 

Qatar Through My Eyes... so far...
Everyone here is so nice... everyone. People greet you and ask you how you are doing and are being sincere about it- they really want to know how you are doing. Relationship building is incredible important over here!
There seems to be three different social classes in Qatar: the Qatari nationals, expats, and laborers. These three categories seem to be pretty rigid the class differences seem pretty noticeable.  Since Qatar is such a rich nation, due to the fact that oil and natural gas deposits are all over the country, the government of Qatar gives the people money- quite different than what we're used to in the states, right?! And I don't just mean a little bit of money, a lot of money.  I am sure the Qatari women also have incredibly nice jewelry and clothing, but I haven't had the opportunity to really see it because they wear abayas in public. All I know is that I see a lot of 4-inch heels peeking out from under robes. (I do want to note that I was told that the Qatari people wear the abayas and thobes because they want to appear as equal and not standing out for their material possessions. So I'm not trying to say that Qatari people are materialistic, just that they have the ability to buy high quality things.)
The Qatari population is really a small percentage of the people that live in Qatar, about 25%, which means there are a lot of expats and laborers. Expats not just from America, but from countries all over the world. They really do have a large international presence in Qatar. A lot of expats are in the country to help build up the infrastructure and the country aims to eventually "Qatarize" the positions, meaning that eventually Qatari people will take over the expat jobs. This is not really a surprise though because the overall point of bringing expats into the country is to build up infrastructure and industry, therefore building up the country to a point where the Qatari people can support the infrastructure and run their country without such a large expat population. 


In the first 10 days I have:

• Experienced my first sand storm- it was a doozy!
• Started working on my internship in the Housing and Residence Life office.  So far I have nailed down the schedule for the training I will be facilitating for the Orientation Peer Advisors. Their training begins on August 12th and New Student Orientation begins on August 22nd. 
• I've gotten my medical screening done- got an X-ray and my blood drawn. It was so much different than any kind of medical procedure I've had in the US, I literally felt like we were being herded like cattle. During the medical screening, however, I met a girl that is in Qatar as a nanny for a family that teaches at TAMU-Qatar. She is from Texas... and from Magnolia, Texas none-the-less, which is about 15 minutes from The Woodlands. We exchanged information and I think we're going to grab dinner sometime this weekend. I may have recruited her to go on a weekend trip to Dubai/Abu Dhabi with me. Procedures here aren't all that great. I still have to get my fingerprinting done later next week before I get my passport returned to me. It's not a fun feeling walking around without a passport. I'm anxious to get it back.
• I've register with the US embassy and notified them of my travel plans. More just because of the ongoings with Iran and knowing that it would give my parents some peace of mind.
• I've spelled my name for one of my coworkers (who happened to be British). I don't know if I've ever had to spell "Jen Smith" for anyone before, I got a good laugh out of it.  Consequently, the same coworker also wished me a happy independence day on the 4th of July- also got a chuckle out of that. 
• Practiced some Arabic words. I can never remember them for long however. The language is just so different from English and I'm so awful learning foreign languages on top of that.
• Ventured out on my own to Souq Waqif. Took a taxi cab over there, which wasn't too expensive. About $10 for a 15 minute taxi ride. At the souq I walked around for about two hours and took lots of photos, looked through the shops and met some interesting people. In one of the jewelry shops I had an interesting interaction with the owner. When I walked in he offered me a cold bottle of water and some tea. It would have been rude to turn him down, so I said okay. He left me in his shop alone for about five minutes while he went to get it and told me "the shop is yours." He came back with cold water and piping hot tea. The tea was so hot that I literally couldn't even pick up the little glass that he gave it to me in for like five minutes. He offered me a place to sit in his air-conditioned shop and stepped outside for a cigarette break. I knew there was no way I was going to be able to drink this scalding tea, but I also didn't want to seem rude, so while he was outside I poured the tea into my old water bottle and stored it in my purse. When he came back inside he was pleased that I enjoyed the tea (because my glass was empty!). He told me that he wanted to give me a gift... and I'm thinking... uh... okay...? And he pulls down a fresh water pearl necklace and puts it on me. It's absolutely gorgeous. I ask him how much it is, thinking that I'll just tell him I don't have that much and politely decline. But when I take out my wallet, he says "No, I give you gift. Pretty necklace for a pretty girl." So basically I leave the shop with a necklace and two pairs of earrings and all my money still in my wallet. An odd interaction, but he was really nice and talked to me about the US and why all the girls in America are named Jennifer and Stephanie. Needless to say if I need to buy any jewelry before I leave I will be returning to his shop so I can try and repay his generosity. 
• I made dinner for my coworkers at one of their apartments. I made Mexican food for them since it's my favorite and because I know I won't be able to get any kind of good Mexican food over here. It's sketchy enough trying to get Mexican food north of the Red River, much less in the Middle East. I've decided not to put myself through the disappointment of getting sketchy Mexican food here. 



Souq Waqif

• Got to tour the new residence halls that are under construction on campus. Eventually there are going to be ~1200 new accommodations for students. The buildings are going to be absolutely gorgeous and state of the art. Walking through them made me want to apply for some kind of grad program over here to get to enjoy them. How extravagant you might ask? Instead of a paper sign/plaque outside each room saying who's inside, there's an interactive computer screen that the student can also use to submit maintenance requests and things of the sort... one outside of EVERY ROOM! The buildings are gorgeous and they have designed the spaces very purposefully for the future residents. Definitely envious! 

In the new res hall.

Things I've noticed:

• There are people constantly cleaning everything. They have people sweeping sidewalks in the middle of sand storms! It's a little funny. 
• Things are very safe here, no need to worry about pick-pockets like in Europe. There is a security guard that sits at the front desk in my res hall 24 hours/day. Not because it is not safe, but to give peace of mind to the families of the female students living inside. No men are allowed in the hall unless they are maintenance workers, and they are always accompanied by a female desk clerk. 
• Driving is terrifying. There appears to be only roundabouts and not many actual intersections. I am glad that I'm not allowed to drive here, because I'd probably cause a huge wreck. 
• They're not big on coin money here, just lots of paper money. I've got a ton of 1QR bills in my wallet, which are about $.30 in US currency. 
• The place is lacking public transport. The only way to get around are personal vehicles and taxis. They're going to need to remedy that big time before the 2022 World Cup!
• There are a lot of westernized things here and lots of American restaurants. Besides the usual McDonalds (what country doesn't have a McDonalds these days?), they also have Applebee's and Chilis and restaurants of the sort. You will all be happy to know though that I am avoiding these options and really trying to stick to the local food. In stores they have a lot of American products, or things that I couldn't find when I was in Europe: peanut butter, tortillas, doritos, etc. There really isn't anything that I think I couldn't get over here... at least not that I've discovered yet. When I went to the Land Mark mall (the only big mall currently open in the country) it literally looked like the inside of an American mall, same stores and items- just lots of Arabic writing. 


• Campus is absolutely gorgeous!

Overall, things have been amazing so far.  I haven't had an experience that I haven't liked. My coworkers are great and so are the Qatari people. I am having a wonderful time and I am looking forward to more great experiences this weekend (which has just started!). 

Until next time...

أ.ن. مرحبًا, أهلاً, كيف حالك؟ (تستخدم كتحية غير رسمية) !Howdy from Qatar

And the adventure has finally begun!!

I left Houston on a 14.5 hour flight to Qatar at 8:40PM. I flew Qatar Airways, which is by far the nicest airline I've ever been on.  Now only did each person have their own TV, but the TVs were touch screen and I watched The Hunger Games and Safe House, which are still really new in the United States. There are also lots of TV show options and games too. We were served dinner and breakfast on the plane- kind of funny that we got breakfast about an hour before we got off the plane (about 7:30PM Qatar time). I had a free glass of red wine with dinner. I told myself it was to help me fall asleep, but if they were offering free wine I was going to partake! 

Menu I "stole" from the plane. 

I arrived at the Doha International Airport last night around 8:30PM (12:30PM Texas time) and it was a whopping 95 degrees outside and muggier than you can imagine. I keep reminding myself it is a good thing I was raised in Texas and that I'm slightly used to this kind of heat and humidity!  From the plane I took a bus along with the other passengers to customs and baggage claim where, thankfully, my supervisor had arranged a service to help me with my paperwork and baggage collection.   One of my coworkers at the Qatar Foundation, was kind enough to pick me up from the airport and take me to find something to eat. 

When my coworker asked me if I was hungry I told her yes, but not to ask me what I wanted to dinner because I had no idea what was even available! We stopped at a souk (outdoor market) and I got shawarma for 6QR. (The Qatari currency is called Qatari Riyals and 3.64 QR is 1 American dollar.) It was delicious and a great introduction to some yummy local food.  We took a few minutes to walk around the souk.  There are lots of fabric stores (and lots of white fabric) because it is really common for people to get their abayas/thobes tailored for themselves.  Men wear white thobes and women wear black abayas.  Abayas are the full length robes and just the head covering is called a hijab.  I'm definitely brushing up on some terminology while I'm here.  

My apartment. View from the front door.
Door on the left leads to my bedroom.
Kitchen is to the left of the table. Living
room is huge and has a TV. 

After grabbing dinner she took me to my apartment.  The residence halls on campus are the former faculty apartments that have been repurposed.  Since I am an intern I have my own apartment with a living room, dining room, kitchen, bathroom, and bedroom.  It's really nice and makes me wish I had a place this spacious when I lived in the residence halls at A&M.  Currently the Qatar Foundation is building new residence halls that will open sometime next school year. They are multi-billion dollar buildings and look really awesome from the outside.  I've been told I'll get a tour before I leave.  When the buildings are complete, the Qatar Foundation will hold a record for the most Platinum Certified LEED buildings in the world! 

I quickly settled into my apartment and unpacked a little before I went to bed. I was absolutely exhausted from so much travel.  Unfortunately I woke up at about 3:30 in the morning and couldn't fall back asleep. The sun rose this morning at 4:30!! Thankfully Megan (my best friend/roomie/"sister") talked me into a sleeping mask so the sun won't disturb me and hopefully when I get over this jet lag I'll be able to sleep past sunrise.  I was surprised wasn't awoken by the morning call to prayer, which I thought I would hear from my room. 

My bedroom. While I am the only one
in it there are two empty bunk beds.

I spent this morning unpacking some more and Skyping with friends from back home- it's always good to hear a familiar voice.  At noon I met up with my two coworkers and we went for lunch at the Student Center. I got lunch from the buffet line- chicken cordon bleu, rice, and some veggies.  There is a Papa John's in the Student Center but I'm going to do my best to hold out and not eat a lot of American food here. I really want to get the full experience and that means trying new things!! (I'm sure my parents are laughing while reading that!) At 1:00 I attended my first staff meeting and it was really great and I learned a lot, which I wasn't expecting in a staff meeting. We talked a lot about learning organizations, what they are and how the Qatar Foundation fits into that description.  

After my meeting I got a tour of the building that I will be working in and got to see my office- it's huge and I've got a great view (pictures to come). Then my coworkers took me on a driving tour of campus- way too hot to walk it all! Afterwards I came back and got some logistical stuff figured out for the summer 2 class that I am taking online through Texas A&M and then took a 30 minute nap before another I sat in on the RA meeting. Afterwards my coworker took me to the grocery store- "LuLu Express" and I got some of the essentials. They have a much better selection of food that I recognize than I expected. They even have peanut butter which was impossible to find in Italy! Jess then took me on a quick tour of the Education City Club House that is available to all Qatar Foundation staff. It's got a rec center, a pool, some sports courts, a restaurant, and a place to get massages. Apparently there are hour-long massages for about $15- you can bet I will be getting one! 

I made my first meal today in my kitchen! Thank goodness I wasn't relegated to only a microwave and mini-fridge like I was in the Texas A&M res halls freshman and sophomore year! I made pasta with ragu sauce- comforts of home. 

Tomorrow I am looking forward to taking a million pictures, meeting with the VPSA, and getting the ball rolling on my orientation project. I am having an amazing time so far and I can't wait to share more with all of you.