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!
1 comment:
Hey Jade! I love reading your blog, the stories are amazing and you are no doubt making a huge impact on the students you are working with. I loved the last part of this blog about your resiliency. It was so honest and truthful. I have no doubt that this experience is a hard one but also know that it is making you strong and in the long run, a better professional. I honestly admire your courage because I do not think I could have moved half way around the world. Hope all is well and I promise to keep reading.
Take care!
Kristin Blake
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