Rain in Doha

I didn't want to make this post without pics to go along with it, but the most dramatic of puddles have dissipated and you'll just have to take my word for it.

It rained in Doha, for five days straight!

Winter is upon us. Streets were flooded, everything was muddy (the "mud" of course, being light-colored and silty, as opposed to brown and, um, muddy). It was downright cold, in the low 50s or even high 40s I would estimate, and that chilled-to-the-bone windy wet weather that reminds me of winter in London. For a long stint it was actually quite a bit warmer in DC than it was in Doha!

Back in September, I bought a space heater on the suggestion of some long-time expats. But at the time, with temps never dipping below 100, I couldn't imagine that it would ever come in handy. But it was a lifesaver, and those poor souls who didn't stock up early were left without heat; the shelves were empty through December and January. This is a big deal because, of course, no buildings here are heated and they are almost all made out of concrete or brick. When it's 50 degrees at night, that cold seeps into your flat and it is very hard to get the place warm again.

It rained a bit again yesterday, so "winter" may not be completely over yet; I'll keep my photographic eye tuned in and try to get a good shot for the blog if the clouds roll over this weekend.

Bernie

After months of missing The Little Man (our American dog), we finally broke down, went to the shelter outside of Doha, and came home with a Qatari sister for him! Originally, we were just going to foster her, but we got attached to her pretty quickly and now we've officially adopted her. Her name is Bernie (full name Ms. Bernadette Lomax--if you get the joke you're on our wavelength for sure).

Bernie is a mutt, possibly part Rottweiler, but only around 50 pounds. She is incredibly sweet and really funny. Lots of personality. She only has one functioning eye but she doesn't let that slow her down one bit! She runs around like a madwoman outside, but her favorite place in the world is cuddled as close to Jake or me as possible.


Here is a picture of Bernie all ready to work out (the clothes were to keep her away from her stitches from getting spayed:)


Dog food and supplies here are pretty hard to come by, so she's been living the high life--we make her some combination of meat, grains, and vegetables every day. Her coat is absolutely gorgeous as a result. We will definitely be feeding our dogs "real" food from now on.

Inland Sea

On October 26th, SFS-Q hosted a group of newbies on a trip to the Inland Sea, which lies on the border of Saudi Arabia and Qatar. We traveled by road for the first 45 minutes or so, and then we all had to get out of the 4x4s so that the drivers could let some air out of the tires--the rest of the trip was over the sand dunes! Because of Georgetown's insurance, we were taken on a more "sedate" route, but there were a couple of times, coming over REALLY steep dunes, REALLY fast, and driving along the sides of them, that I was convinced we'd flip over! It was a real adrenaline rush.

Once we got to the Inland Sea, we had a few hours to splash around and enjoy the gorgeous weather and scenery. It was incredibly peaceful, watching the sun go down and feeling the cool (?) breeze ("cool" here is all relative--I think it was about 95 degrees that day). The only thing that broke my peaceful, meditative mood was another little adrenaline rush--as I was wading in ankle-deep water, I came close to a big stingray who had been camouflaged and resting. We gave each other quite a scare!

Here is a pic of me with Rabia (a fab TA from the Arabic Department) with Saudi Arabia in the background:



That night, it was back through the dunes to a Bedouin-style tent, where we had a barbecue, smoked shisha (flavored tobacco out of a big water pipe), and played volleyball. I even rode a camel!



One of the best days we've had in Qatar, and one we're looking forward to repeating as soon as people come to visit.

Istanbul

What a fantastic week we had! Jake and I made the decision to stay in Istanbul for our entire week-long Eid break, and we're happy we did. As Emrah, one of our new Turkish friends, told us, he's been there his whole life and he feels as though he hasn't scratched the surface. We did see many of the "greatest hits" from the guidebooks, but many of the best experiences we had were found elsewhere: finding a local teachers' bar and sharing a table and stories with some locals, chatting over tea with a carpet salesman, dancing to live Turkish music in a small restaurant, and lamenting Turkey's loss to Greece in football (soccer).

One thing that stuck out for us was the call to prayer. In Doha, the call is usually led by the most pious person, and it is quite solemn. In Istanbul, the best singers seem to compete from mosque to mosque! The call there is musical, loud, and joyous. A very different tone and feeling from one part of the Muslim world to another.



Even Jake, who hates shopping, loved the intense colors and scents of the 17th-century Spice Bazaar. (We both preferred it to the much larger and almost mall-like Grand Bazaar). In the Spice Bazaar, shopkeepers held up scoopfuls of aromatic teas (we bought some apple tea) and tempted us with morsels of Turkish Delight (we bought some, pistachio-flavored). Locals bought meats and cheeses, and we tourists blended in much more.


One "greatest hit" must be mentioned, though. To our eyes, by far the most amazing building in Istanbul is Aya Sophia. It was built in the year 537. More than a thousand years earlier than other domes of its size. It is an absolute architectural masterpiece and still the 4th largest dome in the world (after St Paul's in London, St Peter's in Rome, and Milan's Duomo). Those were all built a millennium later. From the inside even more than the outside, this place absolutely takes your breath away. It was built as a church, later converted to a mosque, and is now a museum. I spent over an hour just looking upwards before I even got out the camera.


We did lots of other stuff including two day trips by ferry (one up the Bosphorus to the Black Sea and an old castle up on a hill, one to the Marmara Sea and the Princes Islands). We met some wonderful people (an American couple, a doctor and a lawyer who have been everywhere and had tons of great stories, a group of Turkish grad students who we'll definitely keep in touch with, and Jake's cousin's fiance's friend (!) and her boyfriend, who teach in Istanbul and who we are trying to convince to move to Doha).

I am definitely going to buy a book on the history of Istanbul. I'd like to get a better idea of what it must have been like, 1600 years ago, walking into Aya Sophia for the first time. Jake pointed out that for many people, it was probably scary because there was no comprehension of how this massive dome would stay up there and not come crashing down. But what an amazing feeling as well.

Qatar Academy

Great news! Jake has formally accepted a position as Qatar Academy's Primary School Counselor. He's been an intern there since the start of the school year, but of course they realized that they couldn't live without him, so they offered him a position months before his internship even finished. He's in charge of the mental health of 500 kids, and I can't think of a better person for the task.

Qatar Academy is an International Baccalaureate school, which means it follows a rigorous international curriculum. It's the only school of its kind in Qatar. The school was started by Sheikha Mozah (full name Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned). Sheikha Mozah is the preferred wife of the Emir, and the entire Education City project (of which Georgetown is also a part) is her brainchild. Her own children attend the school, along with over 800 of the best and brightest students in the region.

The school itself is gorgeous, built in traditional Arab style. It looks like a castle!

Ramadan Sohour at the Ritz

During the holy month of Ramadan, devout Muslims fast from morning prayers (an hour before sunrise) to sunset. Fasting goes beyond no food or drink: during daylight hours, Muslims are forbidden from smoking, chewing gum, thinking mean or sexual thoughts, lying, and pretty much every other "bad" thing you could think of. (Since Qatar is governed by Islamic law, this also means that it is illegal for non-Muslims to eat, drink, smoke etc in public during Ramadan--this includes in the car, which is considered public and not private space here). The goal of fasting during Ramadan is to get closer to God (Allah is "God" in Arabic).

At sunset, Muslims break their fast in a small meal called Iftar, normally by eating a few dates to get the blood sugar up. Then after prayers, there are evening feasts with friends and family that last into the wee hours of the morning. This mealtime is called Sohour.





Georgetown's Human Resources Department hosted the whole GU family at the Ritz Carlton's Ramadan Sohour this past Thursday night. It was fantastic! The first pic is Jake, Omar, and Jonathan (our HR Director). All three of them are stuffed and happy from the absolutely humongous buffet dinner. It was a spectacle in itself...

Second, it's a bit dark, but it's a whirling dervish! Dervishes are dancers who spin around and around. This act is a highly mystical and religious one, based in Sufi Islam. The dancing became popular during the Ottoman Empire. Spinning is thought to get the dancer closer to God.

And the third pic is me with a falcon. Trained falcons cost upwards of $35,000! They are a mark of riches and royalty in this part of the world.

abaya shopping

I think if I were heavily made up (like most of the women here) I would look a little less strange in the abaya and hijab...next time I go shopping, I'm breaking out the eyebrow pencil and dark shadow! It really does complete the "look" and make the hijab quite alluring.

I have not purchased an abaya yet, but I've done some shopping around. Of course, my tastes are very expensive--a "couture" abaya can cost thousands of dollars. I'm looking for one nice one in the $150 dollar range--I'll probably have it custom made with blue and turquoise jeweled trim. The range in the looks of abayas (and the thobes that men wear) was one of the many pleasant surprises in Qatar. I'll keep you posted on my hunt for the perfect one...