Qatar

Fun Facts.

I took one last, quick, trip to another gulf nation. We visited Doha, the capital of the "State of Qatar".  It's home to about 2 million people, less than half of whom are nationals. People I have talked to, have mixed opinions about Qatar. Some say it's not worth checking out. I really liked it and I think they may have the best souk in the Middle East. 

Qatar has made headlines for winning the 2022 World Cup bid. They have also fallen under scrutiny for their treatment of migrant workers.  

Qatar has a lot of large green parks, which is hard to do it such a hot place. The places we went were modern, clean and green.

Our experiences.

We ate breakfast on a man-made island, called The Pearl, that is home to over 12,000 residents. 

We went to a mall, the Villagio, designed to resemble Italy, complete with a gondola laden river running through the middle. 

We visited The Museum of Islamic Art which had art from different time periods, from all over the Islamic world. The art was insightful and interesting and I loved the museum's cafe view. The air conditioning was also highly appreciated by me and my two traveling companions. 

The souk we explored was tidy and contemporary, yet looked like a traditional souk. It was extensive, had cultural goods and many regional and international places to eat. We wandered through an animal section with parrots and other exotic birds.

An Iraqi restaurant, at the Waqif souk.

Expensive. 

It is hard to say because we did eat at hotels and the airport, but Qatar seemed even more pricey than Kuwait.  And that is saying a lot. It only makes sense though since most lists place it as the richest country in the world. 


Friends.

We were able to visit another teacher friend we made on a trip we took last month, to Ethiopia. 

 

Recommending Qatar.

Most of those people who say Qatar isn't worth seeing, when pressed, will admit they have never even been there. Well, I have been there. And I say country number 37, Qatar, is definitely worth a visit.  

Speechless

The time has come. I don't have anything to say. I could tell you about the operatic Verdi Requiem I went to where I almost dozed off in the second row, since it started at my usual bedtime. And how I sat right behind the Danish ambassador. But as much as I know it was good quality, I still don't care for opera, so I can't gush about it. It was pretty cool to see the symphony up close like that though.

I could go on about how I'm really into this Iranian chicken at the moment. How that and my falafel pita sandwiches are just amazing. 

How I spent a lazy Saturday on the beach, reading in the sun. 

How as I write this, I am here and this is happening (I'm actually too lazy today to post the video but the fountain is synchronized to music.)

How I did find a beautiful place to walk that is 40 minutes one way. Now that is actually noteworthy. 

But none of it feels too exciting and all I really do is work, talk about work, think about work and dream about work.

Until next week. Hope everyone is having a wonderful week.

Staycation Rundown

MALLS, MALLS AND MORE MALLS
"They" say Kuwaitis' favorite things to do are shop and eat. Well, Wow. I spent a lot of time doing both of those things, this week. I do like malls, especially if it's a mall I have never been to before. But, I'm not much of a shopper. I never go into stores. Almost ever. My typical mall routine: I walk around the perimeter of the mall a couple of times and then get settled at a coffeeshop somewhere.

BUMMED
Nearly two hours before a weekday showing of the Maze Runner, we went to buy our tickets and... it was sold out! I was/ am a little bummed about that.  I am pretty sure the movie has now left Kuwait. Adios. It was so surprising it was sold out because when I went to see The Giver on a weekend (though admittedly not on an Eid break) the whole theater was left to me, 1 friend and 3 strangers.  

THE OLD SOUK
Went to the Mubarakiyah, the old souk(or souq) or market.  Bought some dates, took some pictures and was rather surprised.  It is larger and had more character than I expected.  

The Grand Mosque is close to the souk.

Bought some lentils here. Then asked if I could take a picture.

GAME NIGHT
Attended a game night.  The hosts make their abode in a sea side apartment, floor 3. So I took this. 

Played Bananagrams for the first time.  Fun!

BEACH DAY
I went to the beach for a day. Read under an umbrella, scouted for shells and frolicked in the gulf.  Took a midday intermission at a next-door Starbucks and came back for my favorite part of the excursion. 

I love low tide! Couple that with rock climbing, picture taking and a sunset and you have the ingredients for bliss. I'm originally from Northern California though I, now, proudly wear the Nebraska pin. So, to me 'beach' brings up images of rocks and peaceful wave sounds rather than sunbathed lounging. 

Tree Love.

Low tide love. When it's low tide you get to walk way out, to where just a few hours before the ocean was, and treasure hunt.  I extracted a rather large collection of shells. 

EID PARTY
Went to an Eid party at the AWARE center where I got to dress like this. 

BOO
And now, boo, break is almost over.  Church today(and a research paper) and Arabic lessons tomorrow(and next weeks lesson preparations) and then it's back to the grindstone, come Sunday.

RESOLVE
I am going back with this new resolve: I want to spend 10 (though I'd long to get it down to 9) hours at work each day and return home without any curriculum books. So far it's been 9 hours at school and then a couple hours at home.  It takes 30 minutes traveling to and from school, as well. When you combine those addends, you get a rather large sum. Too large of a sum, thus the new resolve.