Whirl Wind Romance

I love this story and I hope you enjoy it too. (Warning - I just realized how ridiculously long this is.)

Here's a little background on me before I met my other half: I had just gone back home after living for three years in South Korea in the middle of December, 2008. While I know some western (white) women love to date the male Asian persuasion, I did not for various reasons. There was the language barrier, the culture barrier, and the "okay, I'm not your English teacher right now, so please don't ask me questions about the TOEFL or how to immigrate to the US for the rest of our date, okay?" situations that usually occurred. There were also some ridiculous stereotypes that I faced as a single, white, western woman in South Korea: No, I'm not a whore like the Hollywood movies portray, and no I do not like to drink like a fish or do any other crazy, unprofessional things like certain Korean media portrays westerners doing.

Needless to say, I was often misunderstood and on my part anyhow no real romantic relationships blossomed in South Korea. My time there was very much surreal, and living in a fantasy world makes it difficult to see any "relationship" as more than just that - unreal. I did not settle, I did not make but only a few good female friends that are still very dear to me. Men were for the most part completely off my radar while in Korea. Those I did date were just that a date and nothing more. And so after three years "teaching" Koreans, traveling around much of SE Asia, and running distance races like it was my job, I went home blissfully unattached.

I stayed in the US for longer than I thought I would from mid-December 2008, until August 2009. Knowing that the ESL job market was (and still is) rough in the US. Therefore, I started looking at jobs abroad quite soon after moving back home. Being that I wanted to move pretty much as soon as I landed in the US, I never really put down any roots. I unpacked, got a job that had me teaching over full time hours at my old institute, and met up with my old running buddies. I did not make any real attempts to get "settled" by any means. In fact, I was even hesitant to socialize, which to those of you who know me - I never have really been a social butterfly. I am a bit of a hermit. I love having my close, small groups of friends, rather than a horde of acquaintances. Anyway, I digress....so I spent all of the spring and most of the summer just working and running while I lived in my parents' house. I had a great time, but in all honesty I was not really there.

After attending the Denver TESOL Convention in late March 2009, I knew that I would move abroad again to teach English. People often talk about moving home and how it is never the same - they are right. People who have lived and/or studied abroad talk about "reverse culture shock" that makes it difficult to feel truly comfortable in one's original home country. Because of those two things and my still very single status, and me not getting any younger (I hit the big 30!) I figured if I was going to live abroad again that 2009 was the year to continue my foreign adventures.

I hit a rather large 6'4" snag in my grand plan on July 18, 2009. As the quote from Woody Allen goes, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans."

At some point in late spring a dear college friend of mine, and fellow runner, invited me down to the Too Hot To Handle 15Km race in Dallas, Texas, to be held on Saturday, July 18th, 2009. I immediately got a cheap flight from Missouri to Texas and started training for the race. I had no idea that I would meet my husband just by going to that race!

My friend and I decided to carpool to the race with another runner that she knew because around White Rock Lake there is very little parking space. So, early in the morning (after eating a breakfast of champions - poptarts from the gas station!) we met up at one of the gyms. There, we saw one of our carpool buddies waiting outside in the dark morning. We said hello, and went inside to wait on the other guy who would drive all four of us to the lake.

We all got into a truck with the driver and M (my husband) in front and my friend and I in the back. Honestly, this time is a bit of a blur because I was feeling pre-race adrenaline. However, since then I have tried to remember what all I said, all of which is completely embarrassing because I had no filter for what I said with all the pre-race energy (and I was about to move to Qatar so I did not care what anyone thought of me in Texas). I do remember that we drove past some sort of strip club along the road and I immediately offered up my unfiltered opinion: "Why don't they call places like that "Deadbeat Daddy Club" instead of a "gentleman's club"? Obnoxious, I know, but I was not there to impress anyone. We all started talking about women runners who wear running skirts. I have always hated it when female athletes pander to men even in their selection of apparel while playing sports. I mean, really? Practicing or competing in your sport is YOUR time. So here we were riding along to the race and I clearly stated that I hated it when women wore running skirts. I also remember adding that I hated athletic apparel designers who dress female athletes up like damn Easter eggs - pastels are not good for sweat! When are they going to learn this? I cannot remember exactly what else I said, but I cringe every time I think of the first impression that I had on my now husband. Eeek!

M must have already noticed me before we got into the truck because I mentioned my hometown in Missouri to which he immediately turned around and asked me if I knew his sister. He told me afterwards that he was about to call his sister in a rage of fury if she had known me and not introduced us. As it turned out I did not know his sister, but having part of his family living my hometown made it very easy for us a bit later on.

So, we got to the race and I was just doing my pre-race thing. I was blissfully ignorant to any eyes that M may or may not have been making at me. I was just a new runner and he was also just another runner. We both ran our races and had a good time. I was really in my own element after the race with even more adrenaline flowing, which means I really did not care what anyone thought of me. I do not think I said anything cringe worthy, but I know that I did not pick up on any vibes that M may or may not have been sending my way.

After the race the guys suggested that we all go eat brunch at the most wonderful texmex restaurants in Dallas. I loved this place called Ozona's! Just about everyone there had either cycled or ran that morning and you could tell! Now, at this point I started feeling a little self conscious because I had just ran 15km in the heat. I was not looking too hot, and I know that I smelled. I had nothing to change into because I did not know we would be eating out after the race, but I went and nobody else changed either.

I sat down next to my friend and M sat next to me. Hm . . . well, he told me later he only sat there because the Tour de France was on the TV just above my head. So we started talking just M and I. We found out that we both shared a love of traveling abroad. He was thoroughly interested in my career teaching in different countries and said he really wanted to live abroad as well, but hadn't worked out how exactly. In fact, he was trying to find a way back into school to get his MS in either Math or Computer Sciences. I thought, 'wow, this guy travels, runs, and is smart . . .' and then I felt like I had been just having a conversation with him the whole morning so I stopped talking to him. It was starting to become awkward - what did this guy want? What were the other people at the table talking about? So I joined the other ladies and talked about men and women. M was all ears and succinctly heard all of us women groan about men who text, but never call.

My friend and I left brunch and I said my goodbyes knowing that most people simply didn't visit The Gulf. I got into the car and immediately said, "He was nice. Is this what nice guys are like? Maybe I should get out more often instead of just working and running." Almost as soon as we arrived at my friend's house she got a text from our carpool driver stating that M wanted to continue talking to me, but wasn't sure if he had better call (as we all adamantly lamented at brunch) or text? I said "Sure, text." because although M was very polite and well spoken, I really did know what he wanted from little ole me - a date? a fling until I skipped out of the country? a running buddy in Missouri? someone to stay with for free in Qatar?

Well, as it turns out this whole texting and calling business was the driver-friend's idea. I later found out that as soon as the guys got into the truck after brunch the driver-friend asked M, "So did you get her number?" to which M replied, "She's moving to Qatar." The driver-friend was dumbfounded, "Geeze, do I have to do everything for you?" And then the matchmaking began of the driver-friend contacting my friend, who ultimately put us in contact, but not without some technical difficulties . . .

I soon received a very lengthy and polite text message from M on my rarely used new cell phone. He wanted to go out that night if we did not have any other plans, but we did and I didn't want to bail on my girl friend for a guy that I barely knew. So I texted back that I was leaving town the next day and that he should email or facebook me . . . and then I hit "send" or so I thought. Strangely enough I did not get a polite reply. In fact I did not get anything. How strange I thought. Was it rude to say no to a date because I wanted to hang out with my friend? I thought about it for a few more minutes and then forgot about it until the next day - the day I was supposed to leave. I was so embarrassed and out of practice that I decided to handle the situation junior high style. My friend called her friend (who was on a 60 mile bike ride with M) and asked if M had received my reply. No, he had not. I quickly checked my cell phone and saw that the outbox had nothing in it. Oh my goodness! I never replied! He must have surely thought I was rude. I was mortified and quickly sent a message and tried to explain that I was retarded when it came to technology, it was a new phone, and yes I wanted to talk to him again, but was leaving that very day in a few hours.

M called me as soon as he got finished cycling and we talked. I cannot remember exactly what we talked about, but I do recall nervously asking about his travels and him going on and on about castles in Germany. Awww. After I got home later that night the facebook stalking ensued. We both read everything we could about each other. We both looked at all each other's photos. M started hinting at coming up to Missouri to "visit family." We planned on running the very next weekend in my hometown.

I'll be honest. I was not messing around. I had had my hopes dashed more times than I care to admit. And so I started to protect my little black heart of ice by referring to M as a new "running buddy." My mother will have you know that she asked me, with a very anxious look on her face, the night before he came up to Missouri, "So what is going on with this new friend? Are you two going on a date?" to which I almost angrily shouted, "Mother, he is just a runner, I know nothing about this kid!" What can I say? I saw, read, and heard something different about him and it scared the hell out of me. This was absolutely no time, no time at all, to be falling in love or whatever. I was (and still am) very much a cynic. I never believe anything until I have it in my hand. Talk is cheap. People make other plans, but I was sticking to mine of moving to Qatar.

At 6:00 AM under very stormy conditions we met for a hill workout. It was a bit much for M because if you know Dallas at all then you know that there are no hills to speak of. However, this was all part of my plan - if he truly was a friend then he would run with me, and I did not want to miss out on my training for some guy I barely even knew. So, we charged hills and tried to talk as it started drizzling, thundering, and lightening.

We finished running and decided to go for breakfast. We sat outside and ate under a covering while it poured rain, lightning and thundered something awful! M asked if I wanted to hang out later that day, to which I said yes. I had nothing better to do and he was interesting. And I had not met any runners who were just very genuine, around my age, attractive, talkative, and who truly seemed interested in getting to know me. It was the week before final exams in my summer teaching so I had absolutely no class prep - I was free! I went home right after to shower and change for geocaching. My father was sitting in the kitchen and asked how the run was. I was in a hurry to meet M in about an hour so I just ran past him and said, "Good. We're going to Arkansas for geocaching - its like a hike for treasure or something. . . " as I ran to get a quick shower. My dad's face was incredulous and he shouted at my mother, "They're crossing state lines to go hiking!" I think they both new (having met and been engaged after only two weeks themselves) what I was trying to deny at this point - M was it. I was going to marry him.

We went down to Arkansas and got lost something awful considering M grew up in Arkansas and the fact that we had two GPS devices with us. I enjoyed the day, but the day quickly became night and I was not ready to leave him. He was stalling as well. We had already eaten breakfast and lunch together, so we decided to have dinner as well. It was late, but we were both in our 30s with no real obligations at home. We drove out of our way to find food late at night and eventually drove back to Missouri. I now believe that the best date anyone can have is a road trip.

We said goodnight around 12 AM after a long and very telling talk about our values and our goals. We promised to meet again the next day. The next morning I woke up around 7 AM and called M. I debriefed my parents about the previous day's events because I really had not talked to them except to tell them we were going to Arkansas. They knew and I knew that day was the one day to meet M. My parents had already planned to go to the lake so they suggested that I invite M. So, I did. He was still asleep when I called him, but agreed whole heatedly to come along. It was a great day. This time I drove us because M had driven so much the day before. There was a lot more talking and getting to know each other. At the end of the weekend I confessed that I was suddenly confused. I had just spent so much time as a very independent woman who travels and now at the tail end of my time home I had finally met someone worthy of dating. I said a bit frustrated, "What do I do? Do I hang up my backpack and stop this globe trotting?" to which M replied with the most perfect answer ever, "No, we take two backpacks."

The rest is history, but I will just say that after that second weekend we both knew we wanted to be together. The next week I gave final exams, so we did not see each other. The following week I went to Florida for a week with my sister. After two weeks apart (and many 4+ hour phone calls each day apart) I flew down to M in Dallas on August 10th. Because he was finished with a programming contract he was free to be with me until my August 20th departure for Qatar. We lived in the moment - road tripping from Texas to Missouri, stopping to meet various friends and family of M along the way. M helped me pack for Qatar, which was a sad scene. I wanted desperately to flee and not deal with the emotions of having to leave and yet also leaving someone behind for the first time.

It is funny because I moved to Qatar after only 10 days of us physically being together, M moved up to Missouri while contemplating when/how he would come to Qatar, and in the end M actually spent more time with my parents than we me before we got married!

Honestly, I would not change anything about our story. I love that we met doing what we love doing - running. I love that we were both truly not looking to start a relationship, but were simply interested in getting to know one another as people. I love that we have similar hobbies and most importantly the same core values, which we discussed in great detail the week after we met. Who does that? Most couples are afraid to be honest for fear that they will find out that they are actually incompatible. I had nothing to lose. Honestly, if M did not like me for me (or vice versa) I was going to wedge the Atlantic Ocean, all of Europe and Africa in between us anyhow with my move to Qatar. I love that we have a very similar view of our life now and share the same dream for our future. We will continue to run marathons, travel to other countries, and hopefully one day have children. This is exactly the life that I wanted, but did not know existed. I am simply grateful.

2009 Fun Facts

Since I have some time off I'm going to try to update this blog more regularly. Because the landscape and seasons do not change much here, I barely feel it is 2010 already. So, just to recap here are some fun facts about my 2009 when compared to 2008.

1. Did not run any marathons, but in 2008 I ran 2 marathons. This makes me really sad to have not competed in a marathon in 2009. I will have to do one in 2010!

2. Ran 3 half marathons, but in 2008 I ran 7 half marathons. What can I say? South Korea - especially Seoul was a runner's paradise!

3. Did not date anyone in 2008 (and that was actually a good thing for me), but got married in September 2009 after only 2 months and 1 day of meeting my Super Husband! :)

4. Moved home from South Korea in December 2008, but then moved to Qatar in August 2009.

5. Got a cat in October 2009 after being without a cat for 3 years. We love her dearly. She holds the current record of most uploaded photos on my facebook.

6. Turned 30 in 2009 - all I can say is now I'm officially not taking anyone's crap. I'm "old" and it feels damn good!

7. Finally let my naturally curly hair come back to life after having it chemically straightened in November 2007 while living in Seoul, South Korea. Side note: "Magic Straight" can really ruin one's hair so be careful!

8. In 2009 I lived with my parents again after 3 years of living abroad and on my own. Yes, I was living with my parents as a 30 year old. It was okay because they know me and let me be . . . me.

9. After about one month at home in 2009 I comptemplated moving to the following countries: the UAE, Turkey, and Chile. However, I now know that Qatar is the place for us . . . for now.

10. The United States finally elected a decent president. I swore I would burn my passport and never return home if anyone but Obama were elected. You might think that the American president has little effect on one's personal journey abroad, but this is really the first time I've ever been proud to be an America while living abroad. Thank you, President Obama for injecting some common sense into US international relations.

11. My first semester teaching in Qatar allowed me to meet for the first time and teach students from these countries: Egypt, Sudan, Palestine, Jordan, Yemen, Oman, and of course Qatar. Before 2009, I had only taught students from these countries: Spain, South Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Taiwan, China, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Turkey, Holland, Poland, Belarus, Russia, Mongolia, Colombia, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, and Venezuela.

12. In 2008 I traveled from South Korea to the US, Cambodia, and Hong Kong. However, in 2009 I only traveled domestically to Dallas/Fort Worth, Tulsa (to catch a flight), St. Louis, Denver, and Kansas City. I also am very greatful for the epic, life changing road trip from Texas to Missouri. ;)

Until next time,

WW

1st Fall Semester in Review

So, here I am lounging on our hideous Elizabethan style sofa while watching FoxMovies channel's "E True Hollywood Story" about Jennifer Lopez. After getting up to fix M his birthday breakfast at 5:00 AM, I cleaned the house a litte, and thought I should write a blog entry.

It is January already. Final exams were given, graded, and emailed to students. I am greatful for "non-teaching" hours until the end of January. I've had some time to think about the semester and here's what I've decided about the experience of English teaching in Qatar thus far:

1. Why did I think this teaching gig would be in any way similar to South Korea? There are only some minor similarities between my Qatari students and South Korean students. Both Qatari and South Korean students seem to be less mature than Western students. I state this because of the lack of responsibilities that they have. In Korea very few drove or had jobs because of public transportation and their parents desire to give everything to them. In Qatar none of my students have jobs and or drive - they import Filipinos to do much of the work and have professional, private drivers. Because of this lack of responsiblitiy and dependence on family, both groups act a bit immature in comparison to American students. However, there are some very stark differences between my Qatari students and South Korean students. My South Korean students watched US movies, bought and wore somewhat scandalous clothing, (this is relative of course) and drank like fish any night of the week. The male Koreans also participated in compulsory military duty for nearly two years, which (thankfully) matured the majority of them. However, here in Qatar the female students tend to be sheltered by family, cultural and religious expectations, all of which make them unique to any other group of students that I have taught in the past.

2. Why do you even come to school? There is a revolution going on, but strangely enough nobody here wants the revolution. Yep, I thought I'd have a classroom full women pioneers like Rosie the Riveter and Annie Okley ready to kick butt in the workplace, get married and have children (if they wished) after their undergraduate degrees were earned, and take on the world. Boy was I wrong! In fact, the statistics about Qatari female students is quite misleading. Some say that 2/3 of the high education population are female, which I took to mean that women wanted to be educated more than men. However, now I realize that going to campus for the day is really their only good option. Otherwise, because of the restrictions placed upon them by family and society, they would simply be sitting at home. Coming to campus to hang out with friends, talk, and have coffee seems like a much better option. Seeing some of the things that my students do (or do not do) reminds me of a couple very well off college classmates, who never worked a day in their lives before graduation. Honestly, I cannot blame this younger generation of Qataris for lack of motivation. They are cared for by family and in the past by way of monthly government stipends. In other words, they are not paying for their education so in my opinion they cannot truly appreciate it. And what you do not appreciate, you do not want. Furthermore, the women especially really do not need to earn a living from a job and so they do not need an education degree to put on their CVs. This is a huge contrast between Qatar and South Korea, where many large companies like LG and Samsung, as well as cushy government positions (the kind you cannot be fired from, but occupy until you die), require a certain score from a standardized English proficiency exam like TOEFL or TOEIC.

3. Why the serious face? Korean students were usually game for some fun speaking activities, but in Qatar I've found that the ladies do NOT do something that they do NOT want to do. Hence, Listening & Speaking class becomes a little heavy on the Listening. Finding culturally appropriate and fun speaking activities for my Arab ladies is one of my resolutions for 2010.

4. Same, same, but different. My current program has striking similarities to the another intensive English program that I previously worked for: professionally published textbooks, various levels based on Accuplacer, classes are kept to a minimum of 20 students (in Korea there was no limit and I once "taught" English Conversation to 50 students - a gosh darn nightmare!), and a lot of standardization within levels and throughout the entire program. That being said, there are virtually no comparisons between my experience in Korea and here in Qatar in regards to curriculm or staff.

Even though there are some challenging aspects of teaching in Qatar, I know that like most challenges they become easier to deal with after more experience. That's why I truly enjoy teaching - you find new solutions to problems and are constantly challenged.

Until next time!,

WW

The Best Christmas Cookies Ever

Today was finally the day that I made the best Christmas cookies ever - Peanut Butter Blossoms. I think you can click on the title of this blog posting and you will be lead to the actual Hershey's recipe.


My mom has made these cookies ever since I can remember. And while I was raised on peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which I took to school every day even through high school, I have never quite tired of eating these peanut butter heavy cookies. The best part is they are topped off with a Hershey's kiss!

Fire Hazard Bars

About three weeks ago in our compound some workers started welding metal bars onto the first floor apartment windows. I was surprised and could not understand why this was happening with no notice, no explanation, and absolutely no form of communication from anyone in charge - university housing, compound maintenance/security manager, nor the compound owner. We later found out that these bars are to make our housing more secure and eliminate theft.

To ask that bars not be put on our windows I did two things: I sent one emails to the appropriate people, who said they would forward my concerns to others. I sent one email that was very well thought out and respectful to the university housing director and carbon copied a few people. He never replied. In fact, he told our university housing liaison that he does not check his email. Next, I tried calling the housing director. I dialed five of the numbers that I had for the man and finally reached him. I told him our concern and he said it was not a university housing problem, but rather the compound owner's problem. This was the beginning of finger pointing for me. The university housing director then told me that he was having a meeting with said compound owner the very next day and would tell him about our concerns, asking me again for my apartment number and my name, and in the end telling me that he would call me back. He did not. I sent him another email, as it was the weekend again. Just to complicate things a bit more ... the university housing director is only in his office on Sunday and Wednesday, so I will be paying him a visit on Sunday.

When I think of bars like these on windows I think of two things: death traps and crime ridden inner cities. Besides the obvious degradation of our compound, the installation of bars on our windows because of crime makes little sense for these reasons:

1. We live in a gated compound.

2. We actually do have a security team (The quality of their skills and motivation to actually perform their jobs is arguable).

3. The alleged break-in that happened last year occurred via the kitchen window, over which they have not installed bars (yet)

4. The alleged break-in that happened last year was made possible because there were no locks on the kitchen window (My husband and I have installed secure locks on all our windows.)

5. The workers have only installed bars on the first floor apartments, and not the villas which do have floor windows. (Are they 100% immune to the threat of theft?)

6. Making our apartments fire traps does not combat the real issue of why one (group of) individual(s) committed the crime of robbery in the first place.

The crazy thing is that some people in our compound actually want the bars on our windows. Again, these are bars that have no way of opening and therefore limit entrance and exits of the home to one - the front door. Apparently, in the Arab world (and other places) bars that promise security are more important than the possibility of death from a fire. I simply do not understand it.

In fact, my husband went to the compound maintenance/security manager to ask that our apartment be left with no bars. The manager said if there was a fire we should just go out the front door. Again, I simply do not understand some people's thinking.

Many English instructors say that critical thinking skills are lacking here in the Arab world, but I am beginning to wonder if common sense is also lacking.

Needless to say, if the workers, who are simply following orders from their bosses, put bars on our windows I will request a second floor apartment (hey at least we could jump to our death onto the pavement below), or try to find other accommodation nearby.

UPDATE...After a petition, some meetings, another email, another telephone call, and a written letter stating I did not want bars on our windows, we have succeeded!...(for now) in avoiding the installation of bars on our windows. I will keep the signs up on our windows throughout the next few months just so the workers do not get any ideas though. Whew!

Camel Racing & Mini-Robotic Jockeys

We had the best time at the camel races. A co-teacher texted several of us to go watch some camel racing a couple of weekends ago. I was not sure what to expect, but had been told by my former Saudi Arabian students in the US that (and I quote), "because of the US and other countries we now use robot jockeys instead of small children on the camels." Wow! I thought this was hilarious and was about to see it with my own eyes!

We arrived two hours early, but had a great time anyway. We watched the various handlers ride their camels into the racing area and took many photos of real camels like tourists. (We even took our Christmas card photo with some camels!)

When the race started we all went to the track. The track setup was one of the unique things about this sport. Unlike other track sports, the audience/fans actually follow the race which made it very exciting! The track was made up of three lanes and was 3km long. The inner lane was for our shuttle bus and camel owners in their SUVs, the fenced middle lane was for the camels, and the outer lane was for more camel owners and their SUVs.

Camels were lined up and waiting in what looked like heats for a swimming meet. The handlers pull their camels up to the starting line. There is a tarp in front of the camels that covers their sight. Once the tarpt is removed, the handlers let go of their leashes and the race is on! All the SUVs are equipted with radios and remotes for the mechanical jockeys. Some jockeys not only whip their camels, but also yell out comands to the camels. An announcer over a radio station was also yelling out commentary. We all kept hearing "Al Thani" over and over, which is the last name of the ruling family here.

We saw only two heats, but had a blast. I hope we go again this winter.

I have tried twice to upload a video, but it did not work. I will try again later.

And Then We Got A Cat...

After a few weeks here in Doha, Qatar, my husband and I started talking about getting our first cat. I had a cat of my own for 17 years and he had his own cat for several years as well. We first decided to "rescue" a cat rather than pay a ridiculous amount of money for one of the pure bred cats at Souq Waqif.

The cat hunt was on! We went to the store to gather supplies. We had to be ready in case we got lucky and brought a stray home one night. In the car we also were prepared. We stashed a baggie of Whiska's kitten chow and a nice towel to wrap up the little kitty.

One night we decided "This is it!" and drove along The Corniche where many kitties hang out. We saw three cats that night, but none wanted to be held or taken from The Corniche. Next, we decided to stay local, so we looked around our compound. Sure enough we found cats that were wandering around. One cat in particular had us thinking he was our new cat, but we were wrong. After M tried to coax, and finally attempted to wrangle him, we gave up. That cat was just too wild to give up his street ways.

One of my co-workers had told me about a cute, approachable kitten that he and his wife had seen along The Corniche. He asked if we wanted the kitten. I finally told him after many failed attempts at cat kidnapping cat rescuing that we would definitely take her if they caught her. Well, according to him there was no trickery needed. This little cat just walked right up to them and that was it. She was soon in their cat carrier and riding along with them in their car. So, there we were with our little kitty about to arrive at our house!

The cat storks arrived shortly after and I just fell in love with her. She is white with some black and orange spots, with huge ears, and a tiny little face. She was (and continues to be) very that active for that first meeting.

After we got her checked out at the vet we found out she had ringworm, diarrhea, and worms, and that she was malnourished. Since then we have eradicated all those problems and she has gained quite a bit of weight.

After a few nameless days we finally decided on the name Sophia. She is so cute that the name just fit. She is doing so well that we are now looking for a little brother or sister. We hope to name a boy kitten Francis or Frankie, but have not thought of a girl kitty name.

Enjoy the photos!

Settling In...

It has been a several weeks and yet here we are both waiting for two more boxes. I was happy to get my first set of boxes just when US Postal said they would arrive - a week after I mailed them a day or two before my departure. I mailed 10 boxes all together. Priority International was the only option for Qatar. I got five boxes the week after I arrived. A few weeks later I got four boxes. Now, I'm still waiting for the last box. This box better come because it has a new set of pots and pans it it! I guess on a positive note my mentor told me that she has never not received a package, that they always arrive eventually.

I love getting packages and mostly ones from home. Buying things online and getting a package still leaves the possibility for disappointment. Maybe those jeans will not fit. Or maybe the shoes are not as comfortable as they looked online. However, packing all your worldly possessions into boxes and getting them days, weeks, months later is like Christmas. I ripped into all the nine boxes and cannot wait to get the last one. After we get M's last box and mine I think we will feel a stronger sense of "settled" more.

Unpacking was fun, but seeing a few broken plates and bowls was a sad affair. I even left them shattered in their cardboard protectors for a couple of weeks wondering what I might do with them. Nothing came to mind so I finally threw them in the trash.
Our soft, billowy, cuddly down comforter has been banned to the rug on our bedroom floor. It is just too hot still to use it. I look sadly at it every night tossed to the floor. (I am missing fall weather now!) I keep hearing other teachers say that we might want to buy small space heaters. All I can think of is M and I sitting on the sofa wrapped in our beloved down comforter. Space heaters be damned!

We are now starting to look for a vehicle. We are almost at the end of a two-month lease on the Honda Jazz. The Jazz has been good to us, but it is just too small and does not have enough "vroooooom" to get around the race track roundabouts in Qatar.

M just fixed our oven tonight. Baking will be our next big thrill. In the two months that I have been here the oven has never properly worked. I put in a work request, but apparently the "electrician" merely changed the fuse and actually disabled the wires to the baking elements. Well, if you do not connect those precious wires then how the heck is putting a new fuse going to help it bake? Nuts. However, all is well. We will be baking like mad the rest of the this week I am sure.

Until next time,
WW and WW's husband

Doha Arrival

Now, I've been in Doha, Qatar for eleven days. The first few days were a little rough because many of us new teachers were left to our own devices - in a city with no real public transportation and such hot weather than no one in their right mind would venture out, and also perhaps more frustrating without internet or phone service. I am now happily renting a small Honda Jazz (google it, they do not sell it in US), bumming WIFI off the housing complex's Club House.

Here is the beginning of my time in Doha, Qatar:

Luckily the flight was arranged by the school well in advance. In addition, the flight was a direct connection to Doha via Houston, Texas. Qatar Airways is a very nice airline and I look forward to flying on it again. My arrival was fairly uneventful. Even though I reached Doha at at about 9:30pm at night, the heat hit me as soon as the airplane door opened. I was in the desert! I looked all around and saw many shades of the only color I would see for a long time - beige. The airport was simple and quickly became crowded with all the passengers from my flight. The school must have arranged what happened next.

A person from Qatar Airlines found me as soon as I left entered the airport, took my passport and visa, and directed me to a private waiting room. There, I waited with my carry-on luggage and several other passengers, who all looked to be expats (expatriates - foreigners working and living abroad). The room was well equiped with plush furniture, bottled water, and books about Qatar. After about ten minutes the same person came to get me. She then took me to the arrival area to meet my driver. Following us was a man from Qatar Airways who had already found my luggage and was wheeling it behind us. The woman then asked me if I had someone picking me up. I told her that the school should have already sent a driver, but she insisted on calling the contact to ensure that I did not have to wait. Apparently, my flight was about one hour early, so in the end I had to wait about forty minutes for the driver.

The driver was from India and tried his best to make pleasant conversation, but I was really tired and could not understand him very well. It was late at night by the time we started driving to the housing compound. When we arrived at the compound, a man was waiting inside the Club House to sign me and give me the keys to my new "home."

When someone uses the word "compound" I immediately think of either ridiculously rich family homes like "The Kennedy Compound" or where most Americans live while in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia - a mini-America with extremely high security. However, here in Qatar most apartments and villas (two story townhouses) are also inside what is called a "compound" or "complex". These complexes are surrounded by high walls, a security watchperson, and a gated entrance. Our complex also has a maintenance staff, a fitness center and small pool at the Club House, covered parking, and a small store. I have not walked around too much inside the complex (or at all for that matter - it is hot), but there seems to be at least two long streets running the length of the area, with the Club House and small park in between those two streets. Besides those two longer streets, there are several blocks of apartments as well. Along the perimeter of the complex are the villas. These "villas" are usually reserved for teachers with families. I have not been inside a villa yet, so I cannot describe them. Honestly though, these apartments are plenty big for just a single person or person soon-to-be happily married without children. In each apartment unit there are two floors and each floor has four apartments. Therefore, there are basically eight teachers per apartment unit. Each apartment shares only one wall with a neighbor, has three bedrooms, two and a half baths, and all furniture and major appliances. There are also some nicer touches like tile floors, airconditioning units in every room, area rugs, table lamps, heavy drapes, and granite counter tops in the kitchen. Yes, there are some problems with the housing. While most of the furniture seems to be brand new, the style of furniture in the living room is not my style. In fact, if we stay here for a long time then I might talk my soon-to-be husband into getting a new sofa set and storing these hideous things in one of the spare bedrooms. The drapes are also very...tacky and feel dirty. A more serious concern is the electricity. I have already called the maintenance staff to replace two fuses. In addition, my neighbor told me that she was nearly electrocuted (more than once!) trying to use the dishwasher and almost caught herself fire while using the stove. I am handwashing all my dishes because I do not generate a lot of dirty dishes and really do not want to be electrocuted. Also, the general construction seems to be very much like South Korea's construction - built way too quickly with little quality control and therefore all around shoddy.

All in all the housing is not too bad. Nothing is cheaper than free!

Until next time!

Qatar Saluqi Dogs

These past few weeks I've been looking high and low for information online about Qatar. I prefer first-hand information, or blog-style writing as opposed to governmental/tourism/slick marketing hoopla. My search so far hasn't lead to any solid information that I wanted.

That being said, I've found a number of blogs about American expats in Doha, but most chronicle the daily lives of young American couples and their newborn babies. While the babies are cute, those blogs look more to be a way to keep in touch with the grandparents back home, rather than explain and share information about Qatar. The blogs do not offer an informative look at Qatar history, government/politics, or traditional/modern culture. On a side note, these American expat blogs lead me to believe that there is a large amount of expats from Houston, Texas. Yea! In fact, they there is such a growing relationship between Houston and Doha that there will soon be more direct flights provided by Qatar Airways.....

Having found very little online information, I finally went to the local university library and searched for actual books on "Qatar," but also found little. Here's what I did find: four books, two published in 1973 and the other two published in the 1990s and one in 2007 on trade (boring). One book, titled "Bedouins of Qatar" by Klaus Ferdinand is a pictorial of traditional Bedouin life in Qatar. Many of the photos were taken from the 1950s by the Danish photographer Jette Bang. I know that life has changed rapidly for the majority of Qatari people since then, but I always like to know the history of a people before I visit (move) there. After all, certain things like traditional values do not change quickly, if ever.

After spending three years in Korea, where the majority of locals treat animals (some eating dogs and cats) quite differently than the way most western people do, I was very relieved to see many photos in the book of Bedouins caring for and living side by side with saluqi dogs perhaps the origin of the Southern Illinois mascots The Salukis. After seeing the connection that the locals had with their dogs, I felt even better about moving to the region. It is my belief that if a culture treats their (domesticated) animals with simple kindness, rather than cruelty, then they are inherently good people.

I will try and post more about Qatar background facts soon. I seem to have sidetracked on the dogs! They are beautiful though, aren't they?