What you know about 109 degrees (42c) ?!?!

Ever went in a sauna on a hot 

Summer day?

 

Yeah, well that gives you a good idea about how it feels in Qatar right now…as I slowly countdown the hours until I leave for London!  I know that I have said this many times before, but I swear to you the heat here is like nothing I have ever experienced (not Mexico, DR, Caribbean, Cali).  To help you put it into perspective envision this:

•        There are literally no people outside until after 4pm.  Its like a ghost town all over the city of Doha before the sun sets.  As the sun declines, the city suddenly comes alive (and I use that word loosely) and traffic steadily builds. 
•       The cars are hot, no, like hot to the touch.  I was in my drivers’ car yesterday looking at apartments for next year and he showed me a cd that had been destroyed along with the deck of his car because of the oppressive heat.  I’m telling you, we gotta be closer to the sun than in NYC lol.  Bump into a car out here and you might just get a third degree burn.
•       Some might think going to the pool and/or beach in this heat provides relief.  And it does for all of a few minutes.  Unless you plan to sit in the water all day (drink and book in hand) then you are going to die of heat exhaustion sitting outside all day.  Definitely not like the states where you can just have a beach day and not have to worry about intense sunburn and dehydration. 
•       No walks in the park (well they don’t really have parks here anyway), No sitting outside people watching, Definitely No eating outside, and Definitely SUNGLASSES, HATS, & SCARVES all the time. 
•       Last but not least, I can do Bikram (Hot Yoga) outside....beat that shit!  

330 days away from NYC - so fast, yet so long

There is approximately 14 days left until the end of term and my first full school year working in Qatar! I made it whewwww…but believe me there were times when I didn’t think I would.  I have learnt to P.U.S.H (Pray Until Something Happens) more than ever before in my life this year.  Between health and physical problems, the stress of moving overseas and uprooting my whole life, culture shock and work shock (yeah work shock lol) everything almost put me over the edge.  Happy to say that what doesn’t kill you, does indeed make you stronger. Or at least smarter, the next time around.

So many of my friends & family ask what have I gotten out of this Middle Eastern experience and why have I decided to stay here another year…despite the 108 degrees (42c) sweat sauna of a country Qatar is.   I guess the best way to put it is to say:  Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it.  And that’s what I appreciate about this whole experience.  Although it is not how I imagined it to be, I am having firsthand-unanticipated encounters that continue to change me as a person, my perspectives, and beliefs.  Clarity sometimes comes from the weirdest experiences!

Have my views about Qatar changed?

Well, not much they are still some of the rudest, impatient group of people I have ever met in my life.  And they say NYers are loud and rude….these Qataris act like the earth was truly made for them and you should be at their mercy daily.  It is definitely off-putting especially when dealing with some of the condensing higher than mighty parents. (doesn’t help that I’m a black woman either but I hold my own J) I still believe that they are wasteful, lack structure, and crave massive amounts of attention (both kids & adults alike).  BUT I can appreciate that they are of a different culture and I’m stepping into their bizarro world.

 

Schools Out for Summmmmmmmer

We will be leaving for London in a couple of days and I am beyond excited to see all the London sites.  If anyone has tips, please feel free to pass them along!  Can’t lie it will be nice to finally be in a country where I can freely kiss my husband, wear short sleeves….shit maybe even strapless shirts, wear shorts and drink at places other than hotel lounges.  Yes, it will be nice to get a breather away from the M.E for a little minute.  Of course after London, Im coming home (in my Diddy voice)…New York I'm coming home! 

Flashback from one of my 1st blogs in Qatar- (how funny to read this now)

Eat: My quest for familiar food is an unresolved conundrum.  I decided to venture into the seafood section of the market today, which for a normal person living in a regular city doesn’t seem like a big deal but for me it took all the courage I could conjure up to walk in.  Not only is the fish section very smelly (lol) and unorganized, it is also a bit intimidating for a woman who isn’t use to shouting out orders to get help.  There are no order numbers, no real serving lines, and pretty much no “method to their madness” here.  I went in and called myself being polite, but after about all of 4 minutes I had to make my presence known.  All within these 4 minutes, I also realize that the shrimps are prawns with all sorts of antennas pointing at me and the fish all have full heads/tails. WTF!!!! Ok, so I figured out my order super quick and asked in my most polite voice can you please cut & clean them for me?  The butcher shouts yes…. and I’m thinking SCORE!  Well, not so much because when I get my final order the antennas are removed from the prawns, but the fish simply have an incision in their heads and the scales have been removed.  Great, so is that what clean the freaking fish means here? Shoot me! Now I have to look at fish eyes in my sink as I attempt to cut off the fish heads for dinner tonight.  Wholefood’s how I miss thee!