Productive Meetings!

So for awhile nothing was really happening with preparing for my move to Qatar, but now I've finally started to get things done. First, I had an eye appointment to take care of new contacts and glasses, so that was boring but it had to get done. One thing off the checklist, you know.

Last Saturday I went to a pre-departure orientation that dealt with all kinds of study abroad issues. Some of it was aimed at students, so that wasn't as helpful, but the discussions of culture and culture shock were interesting. Looking at myself as a product of American culture was also helpful since I will be living somewhere that is very different from America. The whole thing also made me very nostalgic for Scotland, but that's a tangent I don't want to get into.

Today I had a meeting with Gloria Hill, who is the Vice Provost for the Qatar campus and works full time at the Pittsburgh campus. I got the rough parameters for my official offer, which answered a lot of questions, and I got to talk to her about how CMU-Q is different from Pittsburgh, what she thinks the students need from the student life office, and the student population as a whole. She also answered some logistical questions for me. The only big question left to answer is: When do I leave??!! Gloria said she would try to get that info for me as soon as possible though.

I certainly have enough to do before that day comes, anyway. Doctors, dentist, chiropractor, computer doctor, more Qatar meetings, and work work work at the restaurant. Gotta stay busy so the time goes fast from now until when I leave, 'cause I'm getting really impatient!