Hitting the Highlights

In Paris. Quick trip. See the big things, then entertain some children at Disney. It was a quick trip.

Favorite part of Paris? The Eiffel Tower, of course. And we got lucky, hit it just before twilight, no lines to go up top. Perfect.

Another favorite, thanks to Disney and that hunchback, was Notre Dame. Of course we didn't stay long because I realized my pants had ripped on the tour bus and I needed to get home and change.

Then a morning at Versailles. See what we saw? AT VERSAILLES?!?! A contemporary Japanese art exhibit. Yep, this art fit right in with the 17th century gilded Hall of Mirrors. Guess what? This art exhibit is coming to Doha! I could see it again. If I wanted.

And then Disneyland Paris and Disney Studios. Just like Florida, but smaller. If you ever get the chance to ride Crush's coaster, do it. Even if you have to wait in line. (But look at the gorgeous fall weather we had in Paris - big treat for us desert rats.)

Another family trip recorded for the ages.

Amazing

I just want to make sure everyone knows how amazing Jennifer is. No one in the world could ask for a more stunningly attractive, magnificently brilliant or fantastically funny friend (note the triple alliteration - a word I know only because she is such a phenomenally well-read indivicual who shares all her knowledge with poor little me). So.... here's to you, Jennifer. I appreciate YOU.

It's almost over...

Ramadan, that is. So what better to mark the end of Ramadan than with a picture of this cannon. You see, every night during Ramadan, this cannon is fired at sunset, marking the end of that day's fast. I can't hear it from our villa, but if you are near the Corniche at all, you can.

So the end of Ramadan marks my elation again at the simple act of stopping by Starbucks and grabbing a non-fat, grande coffee frappucinno to go. And DRINKING IT IN MY CAR! Ah, it's the little things.

I hate cats.

I mean, really, they're just not my animal. Yet I had to move the feral cat capital. There are cats everywhere here in Doha. Roaming cats. Skinny cats. Yuck. They hang out at the kids' school, in parking lots, in our compound. I have had to shoo a cat or two out of our villa after one wandered in when the kids failed to close the screen door. Blech.

They. Are. Everywhere. I'm not kidding.



But even I, hater of cats, has a soft spot for kittens. And see what I found on our front porch this morning? 3 skinny, mangy kittens. I'll be honest, I'm fighting the urge to feed them. But I know the minute I do that they will never go away. I hear there are mice at the grocery store. Maybe they'll migrate there soon.

I love this place.

Happy Birthday, to my favorite daughter.

 

How do you know?

How do you know you're home? And, really, is it home? Is home where you live? Or is home where your heart is? Either way, we are "home." How do I know?

The temperature in my car, in the shade, reads this:




The landscape, while driving, looks like this:





My son climbs our date palm in the backyard to collect this sweet middle eastern fruit (sweet being a relative term):





And when I turn on Disney at 12 noon, this is what I hear:
(Disclaimer - I pulled this off of YouTube after spending hours trying to get my own video to upload, only to fail every single time. Sigh.)





So, yes. We are home for now. But if you want to know how I really feel, watch this. Thanks Katie, for this gift:

Two Years in Doha

My how time flies.

So it's not been two actual calendar years. What I love about being an expat in the desert is that a "year" is actually a school year. Nine months. Not 12. Summers and Christmases are spent at home, where we now have a house to call our own.

But it has been two years. Half-way done, inshallah. Which brings me back to today's post.

I have been asked many times how I like it over here. There are things I love. There are things I "love" and yes, despite the harshness of the word, there are things I hate. So here they are in no particular order:

• I hate that there is so much poverty in the world that families are routinely separated so that one of them can come to places like Doha and earn a decent living.


• I hate that my idea of a decent living and theirs is so radically different.

• I love that I can read the Arabic alpahbet.

• I hate that there are no Child Restraint laws in Qatar and that I routinely see toddlers bouncing around the back seat of cars on the road, or worse, babies being held in the front seat. MAKES ME CRAZY.


• I "love" that come June there is no cold water from the tap. It's so hot outside that it heats the water pipes.


• I "love" that despite the Hardees, KFC or mini-market, not actually being drive-thrus, that all the locals have to do is honk their horn repeatedly and they will receive curbside service.


• I love that slowly but surely I'm learning to live in a metric world.

• I hate that I will always associate white Toyotal Land Cruisers with arrogant Arab drivers following behind you a millimeter from your back bumper flashing his light in impatience for you to get OUT OF THE WAY!

• I love that after two years here I dress more conservatively than I did when I first arrived.


• I love that when I go to the states I notice and am somehow amazed at how skimpily (is that a word?) American women will dress.


• I "love" how vendors here, while not understanding a word you say when asking a question will nod their heads and say "No problem. No problem" just to make a sale.


• I "love" that I live in a world where "Muster Point" and "Assembly Point" signs are common. "Toto, I don't think we are in Kansas anymore."
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  

• I love Skype. I love my Blackberry. Both of which keep me connected to my friends and family back home.
  

• I hate that there is no mail delivery to my house.


• I hate that my internet browsing is censored.


• I love that gas is cheap and I don't have to pump it.


• I "love" that now I have to actually remind myself to turn off the car at the gas pump for safety reasons. I love that my friend from Egypt not only doesn't turn her car off, she leaves it in DRIVE with her foot on the brake.
• I "love" that I routinely park in parking lots that look like this:

• I LOVE that I have not once since I've been here ever worried about my or my family's personal safety, regardless of where I've been in the city or the time of day.
  
• I love that we live in a beautiful green compound










• and am thankful for not living in a concrete-walled compound.
  
  
  
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• I love that Doha finally has a new highway which has improved my outlook on driving tremendously.
• I love that I now regularly use words like "inshallah" "soccer pitch" and "no worries."
• I love that you can take the girl out of Texas but you can't take Texas out of the girl when I use the word "y'all" in front of Europeans without giving it a thought.
• I love that my kids see veiled women and robed men and don't think twice about religious or politcal differences and will grow up appreciating the Muslim religion for what it is and not as a terrorist movement.
• I hate saying goodbye. Both to new friends moving onwards from Doha and to old friends back home each time I leave.
• I hate that I haven't blogged more about Doha and told more of those daily stories that seem to define life in Doha.

And finally, I hate that this experience is not appreciated and wondered at daily as we are busy doing normal family things, but love that in the years ahead we as a family will look back on this move as one of the best things we could have done for our children and family.

Ma salama for now.

Sharon