Its weird that its not weird...

I've been trying to figure out recently why I haven't blogged in such a long time. I could say its because I've been busy or because there's nothing going on in the Middle East to discuss, but both of those would be untrue. Awhile back I was walking with a friend and we were talking about life in Doha and I realized that life just really isn't that strange here. I started the blog to discuss all of these cultural realizations that I had while I was here, but in my second year here, life became just exceedingly normal.

Each day I go to work. After that I go to the gym and then either get dinner with friends or cook and read or watch TV. On the weekends I go to the club or bar, or to see a movie, hang out at the pool, play around on the computer, etc. etc. Doesn't sound too interesting, does it?

That said, every once in awhile I have a moment that reminds me "I live in Doha!" The other day it was a guy in a suit standing outside in the 110 degree heat talking to a guy in a thobe. I see that all the time, but this time it was a reminder that Qatar is in the Middle East (haha, duh).

So, in my last couple days here, I'm going to try to write down all the stuff that isn't quite normal. All the travel. The Qatari wedding. The food. And maybe some random observations of life in the Middle East that I would like to remember for a long time after I leave.

its official...

I'm moving back to the United States of America on August 1. I'll be moving to DC to work on a Master's of Conflict Resolution at Georgetown. I'm excited. And nervous.

So if anyone out there is still reading this, start planning my homecoming party. I expect booze and bacon.

Ah Multiculturalism

So I'm sitting here at my desk... listening to Christmas Carols, planning my vacation for the upcoming Muslim Eid holiday, eating a latka that one of my students made for Hanukkah. Its these moments that make me love my life.

I'm addicted...

... to freerice.com

Basically, you play a multiple-choice vocab game, and for each word you get right, this organization donates 20 grains of rice to the UN program to end hunger. So far my addiction has yielded about 1500 grains of rice, and that's nothing compared to some people I know. Go check it out!

And I'm back...

I've been neglecting the blog worse than ever before! Lots has happened in the (eek!) two months since I've posted - Ramadan ended, my Mom and I took an Eid trip to the Mediterranean, she visited me here in Doha, my satellite TV went away, and I became a hermit in order to study for the GRE test. Now the test is over, I've got lots of grad school applications to do, and I'm getting ready for my students' semester to end and my dad to visit at the end of the month!

Yeah, so its been crazy and its looking like it will continue until the New Year. Already making plans for next semester when I have my life back - dance lessons, Arabic lessons, and back in the gym. (Yeah now that I write them they don't look super-exciting, but it will be nice to have a routine.) Until then the fun mostly includes holiday toffee nut lattes at Starbucks, So You Think You Can Dance Parties and working with Nalani on our tryout for the Amazing Race.

I'm also going to try (but I've stopped making promises) to update my blog... including (insha'allah) backdated entries of my vacation with mom, my trips to Jordan, Kuwait, and Bahrain, and other various things that have been going on in Doha.

If anyone is still paying attention to the existence of this blog, I thank you.

Birthday Weekend :-)

I had the most amazing weekend for my birthday. On Friday afternoon we hung out at the pool for a couple of hours, and that night my friend Andy hosted a wonderful "Happy Ramadan and Caryl's Birthday" party at his incredible house. There was dancing in the upstairs living room, live music on the landing, chill out space on the first floor living room, and plenty of couches and beds for people to crash in when the night finally ended around 4:30am. Andy also decided that the theme would be a black and white party, so everyone came dressed in black and white and we all looked very classy. Nalani made an incredibly delicious chocolate and vanilla layer cake, which Ben was responsible for carrying during the singing because we were all afraid Nalani would drop it. A bunch of my friends came, and they brought their friends, and Andy's friends came... it was awesome. Highlights included Brendan's "black and white" outfit, Andy's maids timidly asking me at 3:00am if they could go home and wishing me a happy birthday, and my wake-up call from Russ the next morning. As people were leaving they requested more parties at Andy's house, and of course we always aim to please.

Pictures, courtesy of Jinnyn...


mmm, I dream of this cake. too bad "Ben" forgot the plates and we had to eat it off of paper towels.















Abir (who missed the black and white memo), Jinnyn (the photographer), me, and Samira (who brought awesome chocolate)














Amanda, Aussie queen of the punch; Charles "I brought you some of my liquor stash, so you know I like you" Nailen; Jinnyn again; Henri (Quebecqois!); Nalani, queen of the birthday cake; and me again!














My actual birthday was a couple of days later on Sunday, which is a work day. Usually our staff has birthday lunches, but since its Ramadan, there's nothing open for lunch. So what did my wonderful team do? They got creative (and generous!) and had a birthday potluck with everyone's specialties. One of my bosses even offered to host it at her home. And Darbi, another queen of birthday cakes, made delicious chocolate, coffee, coconut, walnut goodness with candles on top :-)

That night, I talked with my dad and brother on the phone for a bit and then played squash with Greg, and then Nalani and Ben took me to Chili's for some good old fashioned American (tex-mex) food. And the Chili's staff sang their hearts out for me and gave me free dessert. Overall I would say it was one of my best weekends in Doha yet! I missed my family of course, but my friends did an awesome job. Along the line of Darbi's recent posts - they are my "I'm grateful for..." of today. And most days, really.

Ramadan Resolutions

For some reasons I've been looking at Ramadan as kind of the new year - a time to make some changes that I think are worthwhile, and set goals for myself that I've been meaning to work on for awhile. So far, my three Ramadan Resolutions were to go to the gym very regularly, study for the GREs, and write in my blog more often. I'm actually 2 for 3. The gym is my new favorite hangout, especially since I've got some friends that I go with, and even more people that I usually see there. There's a 5k charity event in a couple of months and I'll probably actually run it instead of walk. This may not be impressive to many of my friends who are long distance runners, but I'm quite proud of myself.

Ramadan is such a slow time that studying for the GREs is pretty easy, especially now that my satellite subscription ran out and I have no TV. (Originally one of my resolutions was going to be "no TV" but then I realized that with the start of Steelers season I really couldn't give it up completely. Now that the satellite is out I have to find a place to watch the game tonight, if its on - insha'allah.) I took my first practice test a couple of weeks ago and realized that I really suck at 8th grade math. Dividing fractions could not have been harder, I was so frustrated. But just a little bit of studying has really got me back on track.

Doha is really a great place to do these kinds of things, even when its not Ramadan, because we really don't have a ton to do here. I love hanging out with my friends and all that, but for the most part, the work day ends at 5 or 5:30, and then what are you going to do? I'm usually the kind of person that gets depressed if I don't accomplish something every day, and I'm feeling very comfortable in my work-study-gym-friends routine of life here.

And now maybe resolution #3 is back on track... it was kind of short and very rambling, but it was a blog post!!