I got several emails and messages since my last post. Thank you. A) It means people actually read this and B) y'all care about me! But it also made me reflect even more. Even though this experience has made me realize how resilient and tough I am, it also has made me realize how vulnerable I am too. I know I am not perfect (but I never was one who thought I was) and have a whole lot to learn. It just puts things into perspective. As one wise man by the name of Mister Rogers put it: Little by little we human beings are confronted with situations that give us more and more clues that we are not perfect.
Speaking of confronting situations, I went to the bank again today. Trip #5. And I finally got my dang card! The three main bank people initially went through the bank's paperwork and it looked like it was going to turn into the same story: we apologize for not locating your card, but if you give us your name and account number we will look into it... When I realized what was about to happen I asked for the dang manager. This was getting absurd and I was not going to go through this again. I explained my story to the manager dude and he agreed to look into it at that very moment. He went though the bank's massive stack of papers and located a 'Jase Colette Anderson.' I could not believe it. He asked if this was me and I told him it was likely me. How many Jases are there in the world (I have never even heard of this name before), particularly with the not so common middle name of Colette and common in the West but not here last name of Anderson? There was absolutely no way that paperwork belonged to anyone but me. So he quickly looked in the system and verified it...oh...was me. Duh! He then did a little work in his office and came out with a new card! Unbelievable! Finally, I was granted financial independence! Yet his clearly incompetent staff for two months saw this paperwork for a Jase Colette Anderson and assumed it was someone else. O to the M to the G.
And! I received the DVD/VCR combo player today I was supposed to have when I moved in nearly three months ago. So this whole time I have only been able to watch movies on my laptop! Anyway, I am realizing I am quite the wizard at hooking up electronics, particularly things to TV. It is kind of surprising since I do not possess much of an interest in this sort of stuff. And then I realized it could only play Region 2 DVDs. I was told I was getting a multiregion player, but NO...errr... But I had heard you can 'crack' these thingys with codes from the web. So I looked around, found a code, and abracadabra...it worked! I f**king amaze myself. So send me DVDs (you can send VHS tapes too)!!! :)
And I leave for America in just over two days. Looking forward to get my drink on...among other things. :)
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
Some random realizations
1. This time next week I will be on a plane to the homeland. I am not necessarily looking forward to the long trek to San Diego from Doha (with stops in London and Los Angeles), but I. Cannot. Wait. To be back on American soil for a few days.
2. I am not a fan of QNB. QNB has joined the ranks of QTel and Takeaway as a member of Jade’s Adversary Club. QNB is my bank here. I opened my account on 22 July (look at that…the non-American way of writing the date is taking over!!!), but I have yet to receive my bank card or anything of that nature. I was told it would take less than ten days to get my bank card and my account up and fully running. It is now pushing two damn months. I have visited my local branch four times to attempt to resolve this matter and they do the same thing every single time: write my name and account number on a neon post-it note and tell me they will call me in ten days. Nothing ever freaking happens. This last time I actually got kind of mad and told them the post-it note crap is not cutting it (YOU DO NOT WRITE IMPORTANT BANK DETAILS ON A DAMN HOT PINK POST-IT NOTE) and that my independence is being stifled (I cannot do much of anything at this point regarding my finances). I am so frustrated with them I can hardly stand it (I really wanted to tell them to shove their stinkin' post-it notes where the sun does not shine, but, as usual, visions of deportations flashed in my mind). And no one else I know here is encountering the same level of incompetence and thus they are not all that sympathetic. I do not know what to do. However, I now seriously think twice about complaining about banking in the United States after this experience......if my money is still there in the banks when I return.
3. The Macarena. Before moving here, I had not heard the Macarena in years. I have heard it at least five times since I moved here. It must be their jam! But I must say that its opening sequence is the shizz. Love those first few beats…
4. I do not trust anyone who drives a Hummer. I know that is a horrible generalization and quite judgmental of me, but whatever. I believe they are all surface and no substance and as a result I find them and their owners highly suspicious. Plus, I morally am not down with such a monstrosity.
5. Speaking of morals, I had a realization yesterday that my salary comes from energy dollars. In other words, I am a sellout. I realized it this past weekend on my first trip out of Doha when I noticed all the gas sites dotting the landscape. It was surreal. Anyway, I have issues with the current energy stance of basically being dependent on foreign oil and at the detriment of our environment yet work for an organization that gets its money from a government that gets its money from energy production. Ugh. And I fly tens of thousands of miles a year. I am a horrible person.
6. I have given up on getting plants for my apartment. I cannot find any. Actually, that is not true because I have found a few, but they are so dang expensive. Like $30 for a small plant! No thanks, man! Plus, I decided I am going to limit the amount of stuff I accumulate. My philosophy is if I cannot bring it back with me when I move back to the States, I am not going to get it. Plus, the less stuff I have, the better.
7. I did not recognize how resilient I was/am until I moved here. Frankly, life is very tough here as a lone female. I am having an amazing experience, especially the work I am doing with the students, but there are constantly obstacles and challenges and I feel very alone at times. I try not to burden people here (but I do not feel like they listen anyway) or people faraway with my trials and tribulations. Plus, no one can really do anything for me anyway. So there is at least one day a week when I am at the gym running on the treadmill or chugging along on the elliptical and tears just start flowing. It is the one place I guess I let my guard down and my emotions just come out. No one notices because I am usually in the place by myself, but it does help to a degree. Anyway, I think it is only natural to have these feelings in a place like this, but I am doing my best to stay strong. However, no one can tell me I am not tough after living in a place like this! EVER!
2. I am not a fan of QNB. QNB has joined the ranks of QTel and Takeaway as a member of Jade’s Adversary Club. QNB is my bank here. I opened my account on 22 July (look at that…the non-American way of writing the date is taking over!!!), but I have yet to receive my bank card or anything of that nature. I was told it would take less than ten days to get my bank card and my account up and fully running. It is now pushing two damn months. I have visited my local branch four times to attempt to resolve this matter and they do the same thing every single time: write my name and account number on a neon post-it note and tell me they will call me in ten days. Nothing ever freaking happens. This last time I actually got kind of mad and told them the post-it note crap is not cutting it (YOU DO NOT WRITE IMPORTANT BANK DETAILS ON A DAMN HOT PINK POST-IT NOTE) and that my independence is being stifled (I cannot do much of anything at this point regarding my finances). I am so frustrated with them I can hardly stand it (I really wanted to tell them to shove their stinkin' post-it notes where the sun does not shine, but, as usual, visions of deportations flashed in my mind). And no one else I know here is encountering the same level of incompetence and thus they are not all that sympathetic. I do not know what to do. However, I now seriously think twice about complaining about banking in the United States after this experience......if my money is still there in the banks when I return.
3. The Macarena. Before moving here, I had not heard the Macarena in years. I have heard it at least five times since I moved here. It must be their jam! But I must say that its opening sequence is the shizz. Love those first few beats…
4. I do not trust anyone who drives a Hummer. I know that is a horrible generalization and quite judgmental of me, but whatever. I believe they are all surface and no substance and as a result I find them and their owners highly suspicious. Plus, I morally am not down with such a monstrosity.
5. Speaking of morals, I had a realization yesterday that my salary comes from energy dollars. In other words, I am a sellout. I realized it this past weekend on my first trip out of Doha when I noticed all the gas sites dotting the landscape. It was surreal. Anyway, I have issues with the current energy stance of basically being dependent on foreign oil and at the detriment of our environment yet work for an organization that gets its money from a government that gets its money from energy production. Ugh. And I fly tens of thousands of miles a year. I am a horrible person.
6. I have given up on getting plants for my apartment. I cannot find any. Actually, that is not true because I have found a few, but they are so dang expensive. Like $30 for a small plant! No thanks, man! Plus, I decided I am going to limit the amount of stuff I accumulate. My philosophy is if I cannot bring it back with me when I move back to the States, I am not going to get it. Plus, the less stuff I have, the better.
7. I did not recognize how resilient I was/am until I moved here. Frankly, life is very tough here as a lone female. I am having an amazing experience, especially the work I am doing with the students, but there are constantly obstacles and challenges and I feel very alone at times. I try not to burden people here (but I do not feel like they listen anyway) or people faraway with my trials and tribulations. Plus, no one can really do anything for me anyway. So there is at least one day a week when I am at the gym running on the treadmill or chugging along on the elliptical and tears just start flowing. It is the one place I guess I let my guard down and my emotions just come out. No one notices because I am usually in the place by myself, but it does help to a degree. Anyway, I think it is only natural to have these feelings in a place like this, but I am doing my best to stay strong. However, no one can tell me I am not tough after living in a place like this! EVER!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Ramadan in pictures
Here is a link to a beautiful collection of photos about Ramadan around the world (however, no Qatar) by The Boston Globe (yeah, Boston!). Again, I have really enjoyed my first Ramadan.
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/observing_ramadan.html
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/09/observing_ramadan.html
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Iftar
Hello there. It has been a week since my last post, but I do not have much to post about. Not a lot going on. Just working a lot, working out (I am starting to not hate the treadmill as much), and sleeping (my goal is 9-10 hours/night on a fairly regular basis). But I am getting awfully excited about my upcoming trip to the homeland a week from Sunday. I need it. Bad.
Anyway, last night was a very special night. The CDAs I supervise (and a couple I do not but have become close with) have been bugging me for weeks about having me over for Iftar (the breaking of the fast at dusk during Ramadan). So about a week ago we agreed on last night. It had to be a night I did not have work obligations nor they have school obligations and they wanted to be able to have a enough time to prepare this special feast. Anyway, they put a lot of work into and would not let me do anything. All I had to do was show up. Works for me! And it was wonderful! It was like a real family meal (I love and miss family-style meals). We sat together, passed all the food around (which they thought could have been better but they cannot taste it until sunset (except one of them who is Christian), but I thought it was absolutely yummy), talked about all kinds of things (but mostly Cornell stuff since they all go to Cornell), and laughed a lot as usual. I know I supervise them and must maintain this dynamic, but I sort of feel like they are my family here. They accept me regardless, completely respect me for me, and look up to me (even if we come from very different cultures). I am their boss, but they sort of see me as a big sister. We are a highly efficient team and definitely get our stuff done (I would wager even more so than other teams), but then we spend a good amount of time talking about all sorts of things ranging from events going on around the world to movies to skin care to travel... They even share things with me concerning their hopes and fears that they tell very few other people. I feel so lucky, lucky to be in their lives, but also to have them in my life.
Anyway, last night was a very special night. The CDAs I supervise (and a couple I do not but have become close with) have been bugging me for weeks about having me over for Iftar (the breaking of the fast at dusk during Ramadan). So about a week ago we agreed on last night. It had to be a night I did not have work obligations nor they have school obligations and they wanted to be able to have a enough time to prepare this special feast. Anyway, they put a lot of work into and would not let me do anything. All I had to do was show up. Works for me! And it was wonderful! It was like a real family meal (I love and miss family-style meals). We sat together, passed all the food around (which they thought could have been better but they cannot taste it until sunset (except one of them who is Christian), but I thought it was absolutely yummy), talked about all kinds of things (but mostly Cornell stuff since they all go to Cornell), and laughed a lot as usual. I know I supervise them and must maintain this dynamic, but I sort of feel like they are my family here. They accept me regardless, completely respect me for me, and look up to me (even if we come from very different cultures). I am their boss, but they sort of see me as a big sister. We are a highly efficient team and definitely get our stuff done (I would wager even more so than other teams), but then we spend a good amount of time talking about all sorts of things ranging from events going on around the world to movies to skin care to travel... They even share things with me concerning their hopes and fears that they tell very few other people. I feel so lucky, lucky to be in their lives, but also to have them in my life.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Qatar versus Bahrain World Cup Qualifer
Yet another I have one interesting life moment - Attending the Qatar versus Bahrain World Cup Qualifer (national teams competing to play in the World Cup in South Africa in 2010) last night. Game time: 10 p.m. Why so late? Because it is so damn hot. You sweat like crazy throughout the match. What did it cost? Nothing! You just walk in! Anyway, the result was 1-1. It was quite the experience and thus I present to you a little photo montage.
The first thing I realized when I walked into the stadium was there were very few women in attendance. I believe I could count on two hands the number of women I saw at the match. I felt initially out of place, but then I was like screw it and decided not to worry about it. But, hey, the announcer was a woman!
Towards the end of the match a bunch of dudes circled the stadium and turned their backs to the field. I have no idea what this meant. I feel like it was some sort of good luck gesture because the game was tied. And do you see the guy with the megaphone? His job was to ramp up the crowd throughout the game. I guess he is the equivalent to music being played at a sporting event in the States. He would yell a number of things and people would respond and get all hyped up, but the most popular thing he would yell was "Allah!" over and over again.
The first thing I realized when I walked into the stadium was there were very few women in attendance. I believe I could count on two hands the number of women I saw at the match. I felt initially out of place, but then I was like screw it and decided not to worry about it. But, hey, the announcer was a woman! 
Penalty kick for Qatar...but they missed it! Who misses a penalty kick at this level? I should have kicked it for them! It is not about power or faking the GK out, but placement. BTW The Bahraini GK was a rather attractive fellow. How YOU doin'?
A security guard...just chillin' in his patio chair. I want his job.
Love the massive firework confetti thingy behind me (I had to be careful taking photos of particular people). They bring this stuff into the stadium and love firing them into the air. This would never fly in the United States BECAUSE IT IS DANGEROUS! Anyway, the confetti sticks to you when it rains down thanks to the sweat that is coating your body. I found some in my hair this morning (I thought I got all of it out last night before I went to bed...but I guess not...) and I likely will be picking up little pieces of confetti around my apartment for days.
The Emir and his posse sit in the VIP section. Check out those thrones.
This is the Qatari party section. These guys wave flags, play drums, sing, dance, etc. throughout the game...yet without any booze in them. How is that possible? I guess pure love for their nation.
I have never seen so many injuries at a soccer match in my life. Every few minutes, even less at times, some player was down and acting as if he was experiencing the greatest pain known to man. The golf cart medics were constantly coming and going from the field. Yet most of the time after shaking around on the field like a fish and crying or whatever they were doing, they were completely fine. It was frankly dumb. Suck it up, dudes! Or as my dad would say, "Walk it off!" Anyway, my favorite was when there were not one but TWO random injuries at the same time, one from each team. And the action when this happened was on the opposite end of the field. I do not get it. So there was lots of stoppage time. Look at them...
Towards the end of the match a bunch of dudes circled the stadium and turned their backs to the field. I have no idea what this meant. I feel like it was some sort of good luck gesture because the game was tied. And do you see the guy with the megaphone? His job was to ramp up the crowd throughout the game. I guess he is the equivalent to music being played at a sporting event in the States. He would yell a number of things and people would respond and get all hyped up, but the most popular thing he would yell was "Allah!" over and over again. Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Looking for the plant store
I really need life in my apartment. I believe having more life in here will make it feel more like a home (one of these days I hope to get a pet too) as well as counter the starkness that is the desert. I also need to get my gardening fix (I find I like to garden). So I need some plants. I have decided I need five or six. However, finding plants here is proving to be very difficult. I have yet to locate a nursery and Carrefour (the French version of Walmart) does not have a plant section. I hear that there is a plant souq (market), but it is not the season for plants. Anyway, I did a little research and found out there is a farm thingy outside Doha owned by the government that sells plants at wholesale price throughout the year (part of their plan to Qatarize everything). This information made my Friday and thus the next morning I was on the hunt for this place (it has no address, just a sign). I knew it was past the Emir's palace (which is just past Education City). I had never been this direction. Therefore, I did not realize that just a couple minutes past my place it is basically the dang desert. It was so strange. Here are some pictures from my adventure:
Guess what? Road construction! What a surprise...
A lot is going on in this photo. Those buses are typical of the buses that carry the workers from various developing countries that I worry about (human rights!). Then you have the Qatari version of a truck stop behind the buses. I am weirdly fascinated with truck stops. They have their own subculture I find so interesting. And then there is the truck on the right side of the photo that cuts off my side of the road for no logical reason and as a result I have to drive off road to get around him. And then you have all the road lamps. Roads here either have no road lamps or there is a plethora of them.
In the States you have signs that warn of deer. Here you have signs that warn of camels.
Downtown Doha in the distance. This place really is growing out of the desert.
Note: I found the plant place. But it was closed. Another day. I WILL get my plants! I am on a mission.
Guess what? Road construction! What a surprise...
A lot is going on in this photo. Those buses are typical of the buses that carry the workers from various developing countries that I worry about (human rights!). Then you have the Qatari version of a truck stop behind the buses. I am weirdly fascinated with truck stops. They have their own subculture I find so interesting. And then there is the truck on the right side of the photo that cuts off my side of the road for no logical reason and as a result I have to drive off road to get around him. And then you have all the road lamps. Roads here either have no road lamps or there is a plethora of them.
In the States you have signs that warn of deer. Here you have signs that warn of camels.
Downtown Doha in the distance. This place really is growing out of the desert.
Note: I found the plant place. But it was closed. Another day. I WILL get my plants! I am on a mission.
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Get your Ramadan on.
Ramadan Kareem!
I was quite worried about Ramadan. You cannot eat or drink in public. Driving, especially right before the breaking the fast, is out of the question (unless you want to be run over by someone who is hungry, thristy, needs a smoke, etc.). But it can be a really great time if you plan right. Work is more pleasant (not as many hours and people are much more chill). The gym is empty (usually have the whole place to myself). There are very few people shopping at certain hours of the day (just gotta make sure the store is open too at the time you want to shop). And there is a real festive atmosphere with lots of activity at night. Furthermore, I love walking around the residence halls at Iftar (the breaking of the fast) to see residents eating together. It is sort of like having Thanksgiving for a month.
Here are some pictures from Ramadan Nights:
A ground shot of the tent.
I make friends with kids everywhere. These little British girls were very proud of their henna and were quite eager to take me to the lady that did it for them. Another day...
I love these little girls! They kept taking turns giving each other some serious side eye. So damn cute!
CDA Setareh won a cool little table in the raffle! Jealous! BTW It is supposed to be blurry because I think it captures how excited she was perfectly!
Some dancers from a local Indian school...I think...
Little boy with some seriously cool face paint. He was busy staring at this light behind me.
Children doing a dance from the Kashmir region of India/Pakistan. I was sitting with two CDAs from Pakistan (among others) who got all excited when this group started and grooved in their seats throughout their performance. I guess the dances they performed are quite popular and I found myself totally digging the music. The little girl in the middle in the picture on top was by far the best. She never missed a beat and her facial expressions were great! Note: The kids in white are actually girls in the roles of boys.
An Indonesian group. Their first song was great (those instruments sounded really cool), but then the next few songs they performed, even though they were supposedly different, sounded just like the first. So I was ready to move on after the third song. Bring me more of the rockin' Kashmiri kids!
I was quite worried about Ramadan. You cannot eat or drink in public. Driving, especially right before the breaking the fast, is out of the question (unless you want to be run over by someone who is hungry, thristy, needs a smoke, etc.). But it can be a really great time if you plan right. Work is more pleasant (not as many hours and people are much more chill). The gym is empty (usually have the whole place to myself). There are very few people shopping at certain hours of the day (just gotta make sure the store is open too at the time you want to shop). And there is a real festive atmosphere with lots of activity at night. Furthermore, I love walking around the residence halls at Iftar (the breaking of the fast) to see residents eating together. It is sort of like having Thanksgiving for a month.
Here are some pictures from Ramadan Nights:
A ground shot of the tent.
I make friends with kids everywhere. These little British girls were very proud of their henna and were quite eager to take me to the lady that did it for them. Another day...
I love these little girls! They kept taking turns giving each other some serious side eye. So damn cute!
CDA Setareh won a cool little table in the raffle! Jealous! BTW It is supposed to be blurry because I think it captures how excited she was perfectly!
Some dancers from a local Indian school...I think...
Little boy with some seriously cool face paint. He was busy staring at this light behind me.
Children doing a dance from the Kashmir region of India/Pakistan. I was sitting with two CDAs from Pakistan (among others) who got all excited when this group started and grooved in their seats throughout their performance. I guess the dances they performed are quite popular and I found myself totally digging the music. The little girl in the middle in the picture on top was by far the best. She never missed a beat and her facial expressions were great! Note: The kids in white are actually girls in the roles of boys.
An Indonesian group. Their first song was great (those instruments sounded really cool), but then the next few songs they performed, even though they were supposedly different, sounded just like the first. So I was ready to move on after the third song. Bring me more of the rockin' Kashmiri kids!
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