Hicks, Hipsters, Hijabs, and Hibachis

Ryan and I took a quick trip to Jordan over Thanksgiving weekend.  We were extremely lucky to get a guided tour of some of the country from our new friend Moayad.  He picked us up from the Amman airport in chilly (by Gulf standards) drizzling weather.  It was nice to see the rain for sure.  We drove the 3.5 hour drive to Petra, stopping along the way to get roadside Turkish coffee, see Roman ruins, and have a quick falafel sandwich.  The landscape changed dramatically from rocky sandy soil, to rolling hills, than mountains and sandstone canyons as we headed south.  It was so different from the Gulf landscape that we have gotten used to, and for the first time I felt like I was in the Middle East.  As we got closer to Petra the rain stopped and the sun began to shine right down on the valley where we were headed. Moayad took us to Little Petra first which was a great warm up for what we would see the next day.  We hiked up a path to the ‘bes...

Winter is here and you know what that means:  scarves, warm blankets, chili for dinner, wine and movie nights. Errrr... scratch that (record sound), not that kind of winter. But seriously, winter is here in Doha and while that might mean temps in the 80’s during the day, I have been able to:  open my windows, wear close-toed shoes, run outside, and I went stand up paddleboarding this past weekend in the Gulf.  I eat lunch outside at school almost everyday and today we had our team meeting in the courtyard.  Isn’t that the funny thing:  put people in a climate where you can’t really go outside for half of the year and then you want to do every little thing outside when you can. I was so proud of myself paddleboarding - I didn’t even fall once and I couldn’t believe it, all of my yoga balancing must be paying off.  Ryan and I took a lesson at 2:30 in the afternoon and 90 minutes later it was starting to get dusk.  The sun sets so early, and ris...

So many things have been rapid pace since I moved to Doha, but I was lucky enough to take a quick break back in September to meet Ryan in Dubai.  He travels there quite a bit sometimes even once a week it seems and since it is only a 45 minute flight it is a nice jet-setting weekend.  The appeal of shopping at Victoria's Secret and the Birkenstock store drew me back to the UAE.  I know my bar was set pretty low but I needed new underwear people! I hit the ground running as I met Ryan at the hotel and we headed out to Dubai Marina where I finally got to meet some of his colleagues and enjoy a $20 glass of wine.  {Dubai prices are even steeper than Doha prices.} The following day we headed out for a Gulf Ski Adventure at Ski Dubai.  Pants, Jackets, skis, and boots were all included in the rental and we even had an Entertainer (their version of an Entertainment book) buy one get one free voucher.  Kathy Graves you would have been so proud!  Th...

A few weeks ago something very exciting happened in 2F (my classroom).  A little lizard was discovered on one of the chairs.  It took everything in me to remain calm but I safely trapped it under a mug while 20 sets of wide eyes stared at me.  Then we proceeded to walk outside and let it go in the sand.  It's never too early to model compassion! directly outside my classroom windows

Two weeks, 10 hours, and 480 QR later, I have finally gotten my Qatari Driver’s License.  The process began with a theory test in which you can only miss 2 questions.  Luckily that is all I missed, although the wording on the test and the pictures were quite confusing.  Honestly I think I might volunteer to help them with the English translation.  Then the following week a bunch of us went back to the driving school/testing center to take the road test.  Unfortunately we were turned away since only 3 people from our group could take the test that day.  Why you might ask?  Who really knows, but that is just the way things are here.  Different from one day to the next.  Don’t let me forget to mention that I had to get up at 4:45 am both of these days and prepare sub plans just in case I wouldn’t make it back to school on time. the "Bin" Girls who tested today Needless to say, when we went to try the road test today (waking up at 4:3...

...you have red flag recess every day since it is above 37 degrees (celsius) ...class is interrupted by a lizard crawling on a chair ...you put on sunglasses to walk to the Upper Elementary School, even though it is through a covered breezeway and 100 meters away ...you find sand in your classroom library, I am talking in the books people ...you talked about a snowstorm today and a handful of kids gave you blank stares All of these things and more are just part of the fun of living and teaching somewhere new.  While it is overwhelming to learn how to do new things at home, school, and more it is still a great time.  Everyone at school has been so helpful with carpooling and making sure we are taken care of but we just have to go to so many places to find things. Someone said it best yesterday:  "This is a city where everything takes place indoors." So I am going to have to explore inside more for sure, and in the meantime I am going to take advantag...

Like my favorite friend Jimmy Fallon always points out there are pros and cons to every situation.  I have been in Doha only 2 short weeks but so far here is my opinion on the pros and cons of Doha Desert Life. Pro:  I am brushing up on my metric measurements Con:  I lifted 10 kilo weights at the gym, and paid for it the next day :( Pro:  I don't have to walk up four flights of stairs just to get to my apartment. Con:  Gonna have to find a new way to shape those calves Pro: I don't eat vegan sweets whenever I want Con: I can't really eat anything whenever I want since it is too hot to walk in my neighborhood Pro: I don't have a TV to sit down in front of and be lazy Con:  I have no idea what has happened at the end of True Blood and Masters of Sex Pro: I am learning military time Con: I can't seem to set my alarm for the correct time Pro:  I only have an 11 minute commute to work Con: Gonna have to find some other time...

My computer says it is Monday August 18th 5:09AM.  I woke up today at 4 and decided to get up and be productive.  Luckily I went to bed at 9pm the night before so I still got about 7 hours of sleep.  Not too bad considering we have major cat lag in my house.  Turns out animals get jet lagged too, so Maddie has been waking me up at 2am wanting breakfast.  Today we were able to stretch it to 4 so I guess that is progress (or pro-gress as the Canadians here pronounce it).  I don’t think it helps that both of the cats hide in cabinets when I am gone so they are completely thrown off with no sunlight, but I imagine it is kind of scary being a 10lb animal and flying halfway across the world to a new place. While I have only been here for 3 full days it feels like much longer for sure!  All of the teachers who live in my building are wonderful and since we take the shuttle/school bus back and forth to work we get to see each other often.  There many...

Dear NYC, What can I say?  These past three years have been wonderful.  Each day has made me love you more.  Your twinkling lights and crowded streets make me feel like I am always part of something.  Sure there has been some not-so-fun times.  The frustration of losing my keys, having to have apartment locks changed shows just what happens when you are absentminded in the city. You have shown me how to live in the bubble of exorbitant prices, yet quickly forget when the newest restaurant or clothing boutique opens.  Oh how I will miss those boutiques!  I now know how to be lazy while being extremely active, it is quite fun.  To live in a world without Seamless and Fresh Direct are things I don't even want to think about. I have grown accustomed to jogging up 4 flights of stairs, arms full, with out having to catch my breath.  A proud accomplishment I do not want to lose.  Sure I will miss the connivence of stepping outside my doo...

....my short time in NYC