Finally in Doha!!

I am finally in Qatar, after what seems like forever getting here. This is my fourth day (its taken me awhile to find the computer). I've been out in the city every day and I still have no idea where anything is. The car goes by everything too fast for me to really notice what it was, and normally I would walk around my neighborhood to get my bearings, but its almost too hot to walk to the clubhouse of my apartment complex, let alone around the neighborhood. To recreate the heat in Doha, take your car outside on a sunny day this time of year. Put it in the sun around 10am and return to it about 3pm. Get inside. That is what the outdoors of the whole country feels like. Forntunately, they air condition every building, almost to the point that its too cold indoors!

Also, the entire city of Doha is under construction. The roads, office buildings downtown, housing complexes, everything. They are also redoing a lot of the roads, so what was a road yesterday may be a construction area today, and they are going really fast because they have to be ready for the Asian Games in December, so it could be a road again tomorrow. This does not make it easier to find my way around, but it is really interesting to literally see a capital city being built. I now know the two main roundabouts by my compound, one of which is a road that goes all the way downtown, and the other of which has a dunkin' donuts! Other than that, I know bits and pieces of places but its gonna take me awhile.

The apartment that CMU gave me is gorgeous, and it came fully furnished and even stocked with food! Its in a very nice complex, with a clubhouse that has a pool, gym, billiards room, tennis courts, lounge area, computer room, and outdoor grill. I hope more CMU people move in, though, since I don't know very many people at this point.

The people here are very nice. Everyone is so helpful because new ex-pats move in all the time, and they are trying to represent their country well. The shop owners will let you taste anything before you buy it, and sometimes they'll let you taste stuff even if you tell them you aren't going to buy anything.

Tomorrow I am going in for my Orientation at CMU-Q, and then I will actually start work on August 1. I am still so jet lagged, I'm resisting the urge just to sleep from now until then!

I miss you all, email me!