I feel like a proud mom

I had one of the best nights of my two months here, maybe even life, on Friday. One of my CDAs, Maha, had to organize an event for all the female residents in the residence halls (it is part of a CDA's job responsibilities). It was the first event of such size of the academic year and her first program ever. She put a lot of thought into it and decided a couple weeks ago she wanted to do a dance party. She did all the preparation. My role was just to support her and help her with things she could not do (make the stereo arrangements, buy the food, etc.). In the middle of last week I started to hear residents talking about going to the event and I was thrilled...word was getting out and thus the pressure was on! I wanted her event to go well because she had put so much energy into it (and she also took the MCAT earlier the same week). And it was a major success! The turnout was great and the party was a blast! I am really proud of her! I am also proud of the other female CDAs, especially my little team, who helped her with putting up decorations and just showing their love and support. But what was so great was seeing all the female residents just be. I had seen some of them without their abayas on, but it was great to see all of them come to the event, take off their abayas to reveal their beautiful hair all done up (or down...gives the expression "let your hair down" a new meaning) and cute outfits (it was in a closed space), and just laugh and dance the night away. I am reminded during moments like this how much we are all alike - we want to laugh and feel cared about and loved and just be ourselves. Plus, I laughed harder at this event than any other time since I came here. I laughed so hard I cried (the first time this has happened here and that is sad because I honestly do love laughing to where I cannot control myself) because they knew the moves to that Soulja Boy song (I guess along with kindness and soccer (or "It is footie, Jade!" as Maha tells me), the Superman dance is universal) and they loved to 'woof' during "Who let the dogs out?" And they got a kick out of teaching me some Arab dance moves. There was simply good times all around. Anyway, it is during times like this (opposite of the many times a day when I am frustrated and exhausted) when I realize why I am here. The role I play in their lives might be small, but I am so honored to simply have this opportunity to watch them grow and develop into truly remarkable human beings.

A night out in Doha...

...and this is about as crazy as it gets - Salsa music at Paloma

1. The girls in the band wear super skimpy black and hot pink outfits (I first saw them in the bathroom and I thought they were prostitutes...). This is something you simply do not see in Doha and thus you just kind of stare at them, especially the one with the job of just shaking her fake boobies around. It is quite mesmorizing.

2. They also look insanely bored and show little expression while performing because they do the same routine nightly.

3. My favorite was the one with the sax as big as her. She even dances while playing it! Now THAT is talent!

4. I totally got a kick out of watching this old guy dancing up a storm. I particularly liked it when he tried to dance while talking on his phone.

5. After a J.Lo song they played the Macarena. God bless the Macarena. You know it is coming by its opening beats. It brought back fond memories of middle school.

And that, my friends, is going out in Qatar.

Note: I have a video of this experience, but for some reason it does not want to load.

Do you understand the words that are coming out of my mouth?!

I have encountered a number of individuals who seem to have difficulties listening to/hearing me lately. I do not know what it is and it is getting damn frustrating. My patience is wearing a little thin. I speak very slow (trust me on this one) and I find multiple ways to articulate myself in simple words. However, there is a massive comprehension barrier. I will give you two recent examples:

1. Take Away. Take Away is a quick, tasty and cheap Arabic restaurant. I particularly fancy Take Away's chicken shawarma (sort of like chicken fajita) and french fries. Anyway, the past three times I have gone there they completely ignore my order - chicken shawarma, french fries and water - yet the people I go there with (I have yet to venture out of EC on my own) get their orders with no problems. I get nothing, not even my dang water. However, we all gave our order at the same time to usually the exact same person. So the next step is asking this person about my order, but he or she can never recollect taking my order every single time. It is like I do not even exist! My coworkers vow for me that I did order and then this person runs off saying my order is coming blah blah blah. But it never comes. So we ask again several minutes later. Again, you basically 'I do not know what you are talking about, but I will put an order in' blah blah blah. It is maddening. I am doing anything different than anyone else. Nothing. It is like they literally cannot hear the words coming out of my mouth or something (remember that line from Rush Hour...that is what it reminds me of...). It usually ends with me giving up. So last night my coworkers got dinner and I did not.

2. QTel. My mobile service provider. I signed up for their online service so I would not have to hassle with going to one of their kiosk stores each month to pay my bill. However, in order to sign up for this service, one has to go to their City Center store (this is the only store that allows customers to sign up online...go figure...). The boss man, Kevin, took me there a few weeks ago (same trip I got my shoe repaired) to A) create a mobile account and B) sign up to manage my account online. First of all, they did not even give me my mobile number when I created my account. I thought I would at least receive some paperwork at the end of our little meeting, but I got nothing...including not receiving my damn number! But he was on to the next customer before I could ask him what my number was. I tried to politely interrupt, but he shooed me away. But I was able to get my number by calling Kevin (thank goodness for caller ID). But the most frustrating aspect is that I also signed up for the ability to manage my account online. I was told I would receive my username and password via a text message in 30 minutes. 30 minutes passed and I got nothing. 24 hours passed and still nothing. Finally about three days later I get my username and password to access my account. However, my password includes a damn smiley face with a tongue sticking out. How the hell do you enter that into the password field? There is no happy face with tongue sticking out button. I tried typing in the keys on the keyboard that create this face and that did not work. I tried every combo possible! So persistent little me went to the QTel kiosk in Education City, but they told me they could not help me ('only prepaid! no postpaid!') and that I need to call QTel. So I call QTel. Twice. The first time, the woman thought I wanted internet service and hung up on me. The second time, I did all I could to explain my perdicament to another woman, but she could not comprehend the word 'happy face.' I have never got upset with a customer service person on the phone, but I almost lost it. I finally just insisted that she send me a new password. Not the same one. Brand new! I repeated this about five times hoping she would get it. But what did she do...she sends me a text message with the same damn password that does not fucking work! So I think my only option is risking my life by driving the mean streets of Doha and going back to QTel at City Center to work this out, but more than likely this shit will just persist. Frankly, I miss the crappy mobile service providers in the States... It is during times like this that I long for America.

That is all. I feel better venting a little. Life is good, but it can get extremely frustrating and taxing. If there was easy access to alcohol, I can see how a drinking problem could develop.

Also, congratulations Qatar! You have the highest per capita CO2 emissions in the world!

PS I apologize for my potty mouth, but I am super frustrated.

The Party Tower would be the Fire Tower

Tonight was all about fire drills. However, lovely Security decided to tell students beforehand that A) there were going to be fire drills tonight and B) they did not need to evacuate. Brilliant! I am learning that Security loves to make everyone's lives difficult. I feel like they like to do it on purpose too! They do not really understand the concept of working together. Anyway, the girls, even considering many had to put abayas on, surprisingly smoked the boys! I loved it! I am all about empowering females here whenever possible. I do not know if they get it enough. I was tasked with being the announcer on the mic for the male residence halls. I took my job seriously announcing a hall's time, telling them they were free to return to their hall and such, but I made it a little fun for the infamous Party Tower, MB1. Party Tower is quite simply obnoxious. They are quite rowdy and they constantly are yelling "Party Tower!" I am all about residence hall spirit, but there is a time and a place for it and they have not figured that out yet. Anyway, I decided to get them back a bit. Party Tower had the worst time. So I told them that in a real fire "the Party Tower would be the Fire Tower." That put a little dent, however temporarily, in their hall pride. Ha, ha, boys!

Vonage works!

O to the M to the G. My Vonage works. There is a God! You know my number. Please call!!! It is why I got it!

This weekend was pretty sweet. Not as boring as they have been. First, on Thursday night, a few of us went to Turkey Central for mad good and cheap Arabic food. The bill came out to 139 QR (~$38) with plenty of leftovers split among seven people. Then we head to the apartment of some friends to drink some margaritas (with real booze!) and swim in the pool. Their apartment building is part of the Four Seasons (yeah, some student affairs professionals live at the Four Seasons here...) and is right on the water across the bay from the airport. I love this place. I can swim while watching the megayachts come and go from the hotel and airplanes take off and land at the airport from all over the world. Then it was back to my abode where I called my sister to surprise her with the news that I will be going to her wedding in early October. I loved her breaking down: "I am so happyyyyyyy! I am going to put you on the seating chart nowwwww!" Too funny! Now, no one can say I do not love my family (since I will being flying over 24 hours each way and dropped an insane amount of money to be there for her big day)!!!

Then on Friday I braved the mean streets of Doha for the first time on my own. I drove to the mall to do some grocery shopping. Not only did I find it without any problems, there were no issues with the roundabouts. Then I came home to nap because I needed one. Driving here is exhausting. That night I went with some other Carnegie Mellon staff to the souq (basically the old market). I have been wanting to go to the souq for a long time. I went in March on my visit and loved it, but have not had the opportunity to go since I moved here. We ate at an amazing Iraqi restaurant, walked around a bit (did not spend too much time walking around because of the humidity) and got some yummy gelato (I heart gelato). That was my Friday.

Saturday was my super intense gym day (I go to the gym the rest of the week, but Saturdays I reserve for a good ass whipping). Then Kristin and Rhys took me to lunch at a good French restaurant for my birthday. The place had milkshakes! There are loads of places with smoothies around here, but no milkshakes. I have had better milkshakes, but I enjoyed it immensely regardless. Gotta enjoy it while I can. Then we ran a number of errands including a stop at Megamart where I saw this:

There are a number of SUVs driving around Doha with pictures of the royal family on them. Usually it is just the Emir and the Heir Apparent. I have no idea who the third dude is. But legend has it that one person did this and the Emir saw it and gave him some money and thus now lots of people do this hoping that the Emir will see it and give them money too. It looks just awesome...... Then after our day out and about in Doha, I napped. That was my Saturday.

And now it is Sunday and I am back at work. That is all for now. Boring post. But whatever.

Random photos from the past week!

Bathroom for VIPs only at Villagio... Must have gold toilets and someone probably wipes your ass for you or something.


Hey Lindy! We have a Banana Republic! And that you see in front of BR is the canal for the gondola.


My temporary car from QF. It looks nice... It has sat in the same parking spot for about 5 days now collecting dust because I do not like to drive.


Happy birthday to me!!!


What a nice birthday cake...it was the only dessert Macaroni Grill had (they were out of cheesecake, chocolate cake, lemon cake...AND about half of their entrees). But everyone sang me happy birthday, including the cooks who were yelling and pounding on pots and pans!


QF Campus and Residence Life crew at dinner at Macaroni Grill (at least it is not TGI Friday's!).


The front door to my apartment. My CDAs (our version of RAs) made door decs for me. I smile whenever I come and go from my apartment. My student staff rocks! And they love writing messages on my message board.


A skit about stereotypes by various student leaders during Ya Hala (QF's welcome event for new students). I must say I was quite impressed with how well done it was. The student in the middle is one of my CDAs.


Students playing bingo at the end of Ya Hala.


CDAs Maha, Sundus and Maryam playing bingo!

Shoe is in my office -- stop by.....

The title of this entry says it all. Best email in a long time. Congrats to the boss man! You see, I busted a strap on a great pair of sandals on day 5 of being here. I was totally bummed, but realized it was totally fixable. However, finding a shoe repair place posed quite the challenge. I located one at City Center, a mall in the heart of the construction disaster that is downtown Doha. And as a result no one was willing to take me there to get my shoe fixed. Everyone avoids City Center like the plague. So for weeks my sandal sat on my dining table waiting to be repaired. Poor sandal, poor me. But Kevin, the boss man, was kind enough to drive me in his little car of death (he normally has a nice and spacious Volvo, but was in yet another accident and thus he is temporary driving a little Skoda) to City Center last week. However, the repair place needed a few days to fix my sandal. Damn it! As a result I needed to find someone to take me back to this place within a week or so before my shoe was forever lost! I now have my own license and a car (A new black Ford sedan thingy (no idea what it is called) for 30 days courtesy of QF), but I am totally not ready to venture to City Center behind the wheel of a car. Baby steps. This week I have only cruised around Education City. Perhaps this weekend I will head for Villagio or Landmark. Anyway, Kevin needed to go back to City Center last night for whatever reason and he picked up my shoe! Yesss! And I received this email from him this morning: Shoe is in my office -- stop by..... That was it. No message in the body of the email. And I can only imagine that my little sandal is perched on his desk for all to see waiting for its owner to come snag it.

I am not a dude.

Just a quick note. I am constantly referred to as Mr. Jade Anderson or Mr. Jade or Mr. Anderson or just Anderson (I do not understand this one...) in letters, emails and such. I find it amusing, but still...I am not a dude. But then, of course, when they realize I am a woman (or a girl in the eyes of many because I am not married, not simply because I look young), it is a whole new ballgame. Love the underestimating... :) Until next time! Peace!

Watch out! Jade has her driver's license!

Yep, yep. I got my driver's license today. Oh dear. I have no more excuses to avoid driving and thus I was talked into driving home from dinner at the fancy noodle place at the Movenpick. Belle and Lindsay were completely for me driving home. Curt was a little apprehensive (I believe he was worried about Belle and the three babies). And I was extremely nervous myself (my hands were gripping the wheel tightly, my heart was racing...I believe I was more freaked out about taking the wheel here than my very first time driving ever), but I did it! Holla (BTW Ya Hala, our welcome event for students, is tomorrow and I LOVE saying it...Ya HALA!!! I say Ya, you say Hala! Or holla for Ya Hala!). But, yes, we made it home safe and sound. And laughing too. Whenever a car would come near me or something I would yell at it (Hands down the favorite was "Don't go, bitch!" to a Land Cruiser about to enter a roundabout). It is a natural instinct for me, but I guess I come off to some people as a rather innocent person and thus they are sort of shocked when profane language comes out of my mouth. I must admit that yelling, especially cursing, at cars gets me through (a defense mechanism). I did it in the States and I guarantee you I will do it even more here. I have to find a way to battle it out with all the crazy Land Cruisers and Range Rovers. They make NYC and Boston drivers look like old ladies driving Cadillacs on their way to get their hair done or something...and do not get me started on Seattle drivers...

And I got a webcam today! Another speedy purchase and it rocks! So if you wanna do a video chat with me (and see my cute face), GET SKYPE!!! I figure the only way I will survive this place is through staying in touch with people in the homeland.

Discrimination!

So today I found out I need to bring 8 passport pictures with me when I get my driver's license on Thursday. Why? Because I wear glasses. But a person who does not wear glass only has to bring 4. What the hell is that about? Do they keep a separate file for the nerds or something (Yes, I admit I am a nerd.)? Shoot! So I declare it discrimination! That is all for now, folks. Everything else is basically aight.

The Olympics

I am not the biggest fan of the Olympics. The Olympics is/are (singular or plural?) not something I mark on my calendar. I do not know why. I normally only sporadically watch them. But I am finding myself watching the Olympics more here. For instance, today we went for food at T.G.I Friday's (OF COURSE) and I was glued to the TV watching women's basketball (and I do not even really like basketball...except when it comes to Washington, Syracuse and the Boston Celtics and then I love me some hoops). Maybe it is because I do not really have TV at my apartment (I have a TV, but I have yet to get cable). Maybe that is the deal...I am sort of having TV withdrawals and thus will practically watch anything (Another example: I was watching weightlifting while running at the gym last night). Anyhoo, everything is in Arabic and thus I have no clue what the commentators are saying. I am cool with that because I mute the TV back in the States a lot during sporting events anyway. I get annoyed with all the unnecessary chit chat. But I had a revelation today when I catched a little gymnastics: People, it is 2008 and thus what the hell is with the scrunchies in the hair???

Photo courtesy of AP via Yahoo!

It has been over a week and thus I have a few things to blog about.

I am going to my first baby shower today. And it is for triplets. Three boys. The shower is for my co-workers. However, shopping for their gift was quite entertaining. When you shop here in a lot of shops, the store attendants follow you. They are not so much following you to make sure you do not shoplift, but they are basically overly eager to help you. They do not really talk to you, but stand right next to you or walk right behind you smiling just in case you have a question or something. It is kind of nutty and it makes me feel rather uncomfortable (I do not know about you, but I am not one who likes to be watched or followed). I am not much of a shopper in the first place and thus it only adds to my shopping anxiety. So I have developed a strategy and my strategy to get around this in the future is to A) not shop if I can avoid it or B) know exactly what I am looking for and go directly up to one of these smilely people and tell them what I want and be in and out in minutes (kind of like my mobile purchase yesterday...it took me less than 3 minutes to get one). So I bought all jungle-themed clothes and nursery items (they are going for a jungle theme). Too cute! Makes me want one...NOT. I mean at least not for a few years. I gotta get this travel bug out of me and buy me my own little place first. And get a husband or at least long term boyfriend. That is kind of key. MOVING ON...

I apologize for not posting sooner. I have been really busy with work training the new CDAs and prepping for the new academic year. However, training has wrapped up and the students are starting to arrive on campus. The energy is great and I feel so fortunate to be here. Students are from all over the world, but primarily from countries around the region. And what amazes me is how much they are like their American counterparts - they are loud, they like to laugh a lot, they stop paying attention if they get bored or distracted, but they are inherently good and have so much potential (or at least I think students, or even people, are) and I love being around them and watching them become great individuals. And there are countless times throughout the day where I question if I have even left the United States at all (and then I am reminded by the signs in Arabic or the super serious security guards or hearing the call to prayer in the distance (quite beautiful BTW)). There are also a fair number of American students, particularly students from Texas A & M and the U.S. Naval Academy, studying here. You can tell on their faces that they feel a little out of place, but I think it is so good for them to be here. Anyway, on Thursday night there was a big cooking competition for the new students. The students were split into a number of groups and sent off to kitchens in the residence halls where they were to cook a predetermined meal in a certain amount of time and their meals were going to be judged by chefs for presentation and taste. Very Top Chef. The team that I supervised (my responsibility was to make sure no one hurt themselves and that they did not burn the place down and luckily not give cooking advice) was tasked with making a teriyaki steak thingy and a fancy salad (my lack of cooking expertise is showing through my cooking terminology). All was good until I smelled smoke. I went to see what it was and realized they were using the broiler pan on the stovetop (the oven was not working...of course). I took an overmitt, turned off the stovetop, grabbed the pan, raced it to the patio, and told the students to grab rags and start fanning the kitchen. I guarantee you we were within 10 seconds of the fire alarm going off, but disaster was averted. :) They proceeded to finish cooking the meal using cookingware actually made for the stovetop...or zapping it in the microwave. They finished preparing their meal with about 5 minutes to spare and it surprisingly looked appetizing! And we freaking won! The judges liked our meal, or I should say, their meal the best! I was shocked! So we get to have dinner at the Four Seasons! Go Team 3! And here are some pictures from the event!

Taste at your own risk...

CDAs Setareh, Sinan, Abdullah and Sarah!

Mohammed, a fellow RHD, working on his computer in the corner

OK. That is all for now. Oh. Check this out: Sheikh sends car to U.K. Some Qatari sheikh sent his Lambo via Qatar Airways to the U.K. to get its oil changed!!! Yep. Not sustainable at all. However, I have to say at least he does maintenance work on his ride because people here tend to not do maintenance work on their cars because they know they will just get a new one in a year.

My boxes are here!

Over three weeks after I arrive, my boxes finally join me. And this is what they looked like when I got them:

They were smashed to hell and definitely looked like they took a trip halfway around the world (including a stop in Luxembourg). But nothing was broken and everything was accounted for. So I have been spending most of my weekend around my apartment putting things away (nothing else to do because I am on-call...even here I gotta do damn duty!). I plan ("inshallah") to do a little shopping this upcoming week to buy some items to make my place feel more homey and then I will create and post a little slideshow or something for you. Not much else going on. Just really busy with work (training CDAs (also known as RAs)) and planning my first trip this fall. One week in Egypt? Or the Maldives? What a dilemma! :) OK, gotta go. I have some serious ironing to do. Much love!