Fasting

The students invited some of the non-Muslim faculty and staff to fast with them for one day during Ramadan. Always being up for a cultural experience, I decided this was a good opportunity. Also, the students complain constantly during Ramadan about being tired and hungry, so if this really isn't that hard, I can now tell them to zip it. Just kidding.

That said, Muslim fasting during Ramadan is pretty strict. During daylight hours, there is no eating or drinking. Dawn (fajr) was at 4:08am today and sunset (magreb) is at 5:27pm. So we got up to eat a large meal (suhoor) around 3:30, and drank lots of water. Its considered cheating to decrease your normal level of activity, but we all have to be at work anyway. And many people, especially a lot of the students, do take naps in the afternoon. Also forbidden during daylight hours are smoking and sex, and many men avoid even touching women. Lying, talking badly of others, and general bad behavior are more heavily frowned upon than normal. The fast is broken at 5:27 by eating a date or dried fruit and drinking some water, followed by the sunset prayer, and then a huge dinner called iftar. After dinner, most people spend much of the night socializing with family and friends, and then sleep a bit before the next suhoor.

Donating food to the poor for their iftar is a huge deal, and almost all of the people who don't recieve that food are donating it. Some of the wealthier families will sponsor an entire mosque in poor neighborhood for a night or a week, to make sure that those people have iftar.

So anyway... I am a few hours into my fast with slightly more than a few to go. I'm kind of thirsty but other than that its business as usual. The best thing is that the students and Muslim faculty get such a kick out of the fact that we are "voluntarily" fasting. I don't know if I'll be repeating this at any point (you all know how much I like food), but it is definitely worth the cultural experience.

Doha Scenery

I finally got pictures that I took from around Doha! (i've been trying to do this layout for so long, please bear with me if it doesn't look exactly right!)

Doha skyline, taken from the other side of "Al Corniche." Look how green the water is! Also, about 50% of those buildings are still under construction.








The Emiriate Diwan, the working palace of the Emir. This was also taken from "Al Corniche." He lives in a different palace outside of town, which I haven't seen yet.










The apartments at the Four Seasons complex, with a very common sight (construction) in the background. This shot was taken from the marina at the Four Seasons, so Dave could see his apartment balcony on the 17th floor from the water. Yeah he has a pretty sweet view.











The view from my back porch is pretty typical of Doha suburbs... short buildings, desert colors. What's special about mine is that from the back porch you can see the stadium that they are building for the Asian Games in the distance. You can especially see the tower that is going to hold the flame, which I think is pretty cool. Its hard to see in the picture but much easier in real life. I'll be sure to take another pic during the games, when the flame is actually lit!


























My living room, with the doors to the back porch, guest bedroom and guest bathroom. I have not yet figured out what the heck I'm gonna do with the second bedroom and bath. I guess this means y'all have to come visit me! What do you think of the burnt orange sofas, pretty sexy, huh? Oh well, as of today, that TV gets ESPN!












The outside of my apartment building. I live on the third floor of the left side (my front porch is behind that left palm tree). Carla lives on the third floor of the right side and Silvia and Erik live on the first floor below me.

My kitchen... with more than enough cabinet space, especially considering that I only cook about twice a week with all of the free food opportunities at University.

And finally... We discovered this on a shopping trip and I had to share. The beauty of marketing the Middle East: Kelloggs has labeled this cereal "ludicrously tasty." I'm not sure exactly how they came up with this, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with the "synonym" function in Microsoft Word. Well, I bought it!

Ramadan Kareem

Today is the first work day since Ramadan started at sundown on Friday night. Pretty much the whole country changes.

No Muslims are allowed to eat, drink, or smoke during sunlight hours. This means that they often eat a big meal right before sunrise and then another large meal just after sunset. This causes schedule shifts and makes for some pretty cranky students toward the late afternoon.

The sunset meal is a big deal almost every night. Its called Iftar and usually involves large groups of people eating together. CMU-Q and other parts of Education City often host Iftars for the students. The first is this Thursday night, and I'm going to try fasting on Thursday, just to see what its like. Except water... I may have to keep drinking water. We'll see.

Non-Muslims are asked not to eat, drink, or smoke in front of Muslims who are fasting. This isn't a rule, exactly, but it is extremely rude to do so. Most of the restaurants are closed during daylight hours, including the student cafeterias. The staff cafeteria is open, but most people who are eating lunch take the food to their office and eat with the door closed.

Most of the shops and offices open early in the morning, close from about noon-7:00pm, and then re-open from 7:00pm-midnight or so. To my joy this morning, traffic patterns had changed so much that my normal 20 minutes of sitting in traffic had turned into 3 minutes of easy driving.

All bars and the liquor store are closed for the entire month. Unfortunately, Ramadan started a day earlier than expected (its based on the phases of the moon) and I was unable to get my liquor permit. Adventures in Liquor Permits is a story for another day, however.

I've been told that this month is a shock to the Westerners who are experiencing it for the first time. So far, so good, even though its only been two days!

Jesus Camp

I try to keep my posts based on culture and my experiences in Qatar. But sometimes you see something that you just can't ignore. As an American woman living happily in the Middle East, I feel sometimes that I am overwhelmed by discussions of political Islam and terrorism and all of those catchy phrases that may or may not be applicable to the region in which I live (or, more specifically, certain groups within that region). During a discussion on this topic recently, one of my students said, "We need to educate our children about what Islam really is, that its not a violent religion. Islam promotes peace and acceptance, but if we don't teach that to all of our children, then a tiny proportion of them will perpetuate these violent stereotypes."

Everyone at home and everyone here knows that I associate my core values with my Christian background, and although I don't go to church every week I do consider myself a Christian. I cannot believe that we would put our children in a place where they learn that their "enemy" is another religion, and that we are "at war" with them. Scary! Do you think that you were mature enough at age 10 to consider the question "Will you die for Jesus?"

Jesus Camp trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_EKHK1C2IE

Although I would like to withhold judgement on this documentary until I see it, I am not sure that I will get the chance to see it here. Should I see it in the future and change my mind about these camps, I will of course be posting on this blog about how wrong I was.

Please don't think that I am supporting Islamic schools that teach these same concepts to their children - I am certainly not! Its the same message, different religion in the headline. To that message, I respond: Train your children to think for themselves. Anything other than that is irresponsible and dangerous.

To paraphrase a statement by Queen Raina of Jordan, these battles are not between Islam and Christianity, these battles are between peaceful moderates of both religions and the extremists of each who continue violence in the name of their religion. (I encourage anyone who sees quotes from Queen Raina to take note - she is an extremely articulate and interesting woman.)

One final thought: Jews, Muslims, and Christians believe in the same God... what must He be thinking about all of this violence being done in His name?

As promised...

Dave, Erik, and our tour guides dig in

pictures from lamb brain day...

I should explain that on Saturday some people from CMU-Q got the opportunity to tour a mosque and ask questions about the history, beliefs, and rituals of Islam. The people that gave us the tour are part of a Qatari government organization for the advancement of Arab culture and Islamic scholarship. They are accustomed to dealing with Westerners who are curious but not knowledgable, and I think everyone that went learned a lot. I know I did.

They also gave us a traditional meal afterward. This is usually lamb and rice, and a group of people will eat with their right hand off of one tray while sitting on the floor. Lesson learned: rice is really hard to eat with your hand.



Dave, Karen, and I pose with the tray of rice and lamb:















Dave poses with the skull of a lamb,
before we open it and eat the tounge and brain:



















Karen and I hang out on the traditional majlis seating after lunch:















So cute! Rachel makes friends with our tour guide's daughter:

Overheard in New York

I highly recommend this website whenever you're in need of a laugh. For example...


This Explains Why the Senator Isn't at a Zero-Percent Approval Rating

Dude #1: You know, I kinda like Richie Santorum.
Dude #2: Yeah... he's a pretty good guitarist. Bon Jovi's alright.
Dude #1: Yep.

--7 train

via Overheard in New York, Sep 18, 2006

I ate lamb brain today...

it was smushy.

Pictures as proof to follow shortly.

Its Pittsburgh Steelers Time!!!

Did you know that Thursday night football starts at 3:30am (Friday morning) in Doha? Yeah, thank you 7 hour time difference. Luckily Aaron's satellite ESPN out of Australia carries it, because apparently there's nothing else on at that hour of the day. We consider ourselves very lucky that the cricket match didn't go into its third day of overtime.

I napped from midnight until 3:00am, due to a CMU-Q faculty dinner and quality time at the Paloma bar on Thursday night. When considering the following events of the wee hours of the morning, please keep in mind the following things:
Dave Stanfield is the biggest shit-talker fantasy football has ever seen, and I play him this weekend.
Dave has Ward and Brown on his fantasy team and I have Chambers and Heath Miller.
Its f'ing four o'clock in the morning!!!

Beginning of game: Overall I am ok. I am sleepy and that's not good for a defensive battle, as it is. The chicken wings that I am eating help. The only person on the whole field having a good game is Ronnie Brown. I am not entirely happy.

Then...: Ward scores a touchdown! I am happy, even though I wish it was Miller instead of Ward. Whatever, screw fantasy, I'll take the Steelers points. Chris Chambers is noticably absent from every play. Dolphins score, I am sad. I realize Chambers caught it. I am happier. The play gets called back due to penalty. I am torn. Ronnie Brown runs the next ball in for a touchdown. I am pissed.

Halftime: did you know the sun comes up around 4:45am in Doha?

Second half: Dolphins score, blah blah blah, I seriously don't think Chambers is even on the field. Ike Taylor is earning his new contract. So are the Dolphins #2 and #3 recievers. I look up from my chicken wing to see a Steeler running down the field with the football. I jump up and start shouting "Go, go, Go!" I see that it is Heath Miller, I start shouting even louder "Go!" I wake up Aaron's wife. I feel bad. I see the replay and start begging Jeff Reed to "kick the freaking extra point already!" I see the challenge flag. I cry. The next few minutes are a blur. In the end, I am very happy.

The game ends and we go to breakfast at Ric's Country Kitchen (fondly refered to as Texas Land) in our jerseys. The American men there look at us with confusion and admiration. I drink sweet tea and eat cheesy grits and go to sleep at 10:00am. Yay.

I got a new office!!

I finally get to be on the same hallway as Dave, Gloria, the rest of the student affairs staff, and most importantly the students!!!! Work life is so much easier now that I am close to everyone I work with. I am going take out some of the filing cabinets and drawers and put a table and chairs in there instead, and hopefully there will be room for some comfy armchairs as well. I'm also hoping to get something interesting for the boring white walls.

Also, my Arabic classes start tomorrow, and we are starting to plan a vacation for the Eid holiday in October. Lots of fun things to organize :-)