I'm BACK!

I have been back for almost a week. It feels good to be home (love seeing my folks, playing with Otis and Ruby, running outside, eating yummy food...), but I really want to get out on my own again ASAP. Fingers crossed something pans out SOON. Anyway, I received my box and art I shipped from Qatar a few days ago and they were in fantastic condition. See!

Very different than when my stuff arrived in Doha. Remember that?

Anyway, here are a couple more pictures and notes from my last week in Doha (it has taken me this long to post because A) the cable to connect my camera to my computer was in the box I shipped and B) there is not a lot going on to talk about).

Evidence of the cockroach problem I had all year. Lovely.

But on a much better note, I got flowers from Gary.

I do not understand why men from the Gulf wear these sandals. They kill me.

So that is it for now.

Note to American Airlines: Fire the person who thought a Brendan Fraser movie marathon was a good idea. WRONG. Made for a painfully long flight...when the flight was already over 9 hours.

Rafting the Nile Photos

I have been back from Africa for about a month (but I wish to return), but I just found some photos from the Nile whitewater rafting trip (courtesy of Beccy's Facebook page) that I did on the very last day of my East Africa adventure with several of my fellow Tucan buddies. So here they are:

To hold you over...

The genius I am packed my camera cable in the massive box I shipped back to the States late last week with the rest of my stuff (except for what I am bringing back in my suitcases). So I cannot upload and post a few pictures from my last days in Doha. So I will have to save them for posting when we (me and my stuff) arrive in the motherland. In my head: Dear God, please make sure my massive box and its contents as well as my three pieces of art arrive home in one piece... So to hold you over, here are a few photos I have gathered from the web that I like (I have a file on my computer of images (and videos) from the web I like):

Adorbz!

Goodbye, Jeep!

Yesterday, a hot and sandstorm-filled day in Doha, was a glorious day. I sold the stupid and dumpy Jeep. THANK. GOD. The bane of my existence is out of my life forever! The bad dream, make that nightmare, is over. What a HUGE (like a couple thousand pounds one) relief! It was not necessarily a bad set of wheels, just a royal pain my behind, a responsibility I did not want to have (especially when you think about how you put your life on the line every single time you attempt to navigate the mean streets of Doha). And so it is gone and thus I am in a fantastic mood and basically good to go for my departure on Friday! It was nice knowing ya, Jeep, but I will not miss you. The end.

PS I gotta give a lot of credit to Gary. He did a lot of the dealing for me since all the men I dealt with earlier when trying to sell it treated me like crap. I owe him a big dinner.

On the flip side, what I will miss here...

1. THE STUDENTS, particularly Maha, Sundus, Setareh, Zena, Maryam, the Benazirs, Basit, Modarris, Maham, Sinan, Safi, Dianna, Ajmal, Sarwar, Haya......

2. Friends like Gary, Rachelle and Rosemary, Justin, Faten, Mohana...

3. Jamaican food at Caribbean Cuisine and Pastry, particularly delicious festival.

4. Getting clothes made by my tailor friend...and fabric shopping.

5. All my vacation time and the close proximity of so many cool places.

6. Thai Snack and its yummy pad see ew.

7. Shawarma (but I am definitely over hummus).

8. Juice stalls (the best ones are the ones that do not look like they pass health codes).

9. The kindness and smiles of the workers, especially the cleaners in my buildings.

10. My dirt cheap phone bills.

11. The challenge of language barriers because it makes for interesting conversations.

12. Having a job and thus receiving a paycheck!

13. Driving and all the amazing Land Cruiser drivers. NOT.

14. The Call to Prayer.

15. Shopping at the souq for scarves.

What I look forward to back HOME!

1. Eating two perfect little cheeseburgers and drinking a milkshake from Dick's Drive-In.

2. Eating Mexican food as often as possible.

3. GETTING A JOB...

4. ...and then moving.

5. Shopping at Value Village.

6. Organizing my finances (buying some more stocks, consolidating a couple accounts...I want my money to work for me).

7. Drinking sangria (I have been craving it lately). Preferably outside.

8. My mom's yummy cooking.

9. Camping (s'mores!).

10. SEEING FAMILY AND FRIENDS.

11. Getting health check ups (it has been over a year...).

12. Running outside.

13. Stars.

14. Riding my bike.

15. Getting a haircut.

Ah, yes...

Here are a couple news articles for your enjoyment:

Make the Western women wear Islamic attire....
http://www.gulf-times.com/site/topics/article.asp?cu_no=2&item_no=299782&version=1&template_id=36&parent_id=16

Get water from my home state of Washington (real sustainable...ship it by BOAT (AKA via water) from halfway around the world)...
http://www.seattlepi.com/local/6420ap_wa_aberdeen_water.html

Less than two weeks!

This time in two weeks I will be HOME!

I am sooo excited, but now I am starting to get a little sad (and of course a bit freaked out because I will be jobless). I will absolutely miss several people. And I think it is always a little sad to close one chapter.

So now I am starting to pack (for some reason I have put all my stuff in my bedroom, the smallest room in my apartment...). I still need to sell the stupid Jeep (bane of my existence). And I am going to places I like one last time. And there are other formalities I gotta take care of, but I will not elaborate because they are boring.

So there you go.

Hi Maha. :)

A few more pictures from the trip

Here are some additional pictures that are not on the photo site. Most were taken by others and then posted to Facebook. A couple others belong to me, but I did not post them with the others because they would have spoiled a Father's Day surprise for my pops.

The pushing the van up a hill next to a crater in Uganda moment caught on film. Thanks, Tanya (since she had a manky foot, she was relegated to sitting in the other van (that we also had to push up the hill), but she was put to work holding a wine bottle and three glasses of wine)!

On the channel cruise at QE2. Ros, Tanya and myself taking life way too seriously as usual...

I have no idea what I was doing in this photo. Probably being pestered by some bug.

Our dirty, dirty feet after the trek...but it was so worth it!

And these next two photos are from my Father's Day project for my dad. Perhaps I am biased, but it might be the best Father's Day gift ever. Or at least one of the most original.

This was the main photo I used to make a collage on Shutterfly (mad props) for him. Cost to see gorillas: $500, amount of time spent trekking through the dense, muddy and hilly jungle to see them: about 4 hours, amount of time spent making sign: maybe 3 minutes during a bumpy pre-dawn car ride, cost to make collage on Shutterfly: a little over $7, his reaction: priceless (happiness and love all around).

Explaining what I was doing to the others in the group. Also, I would like to add that these photos were taken by a dude in the Rwandan military with a massive gun.

Just a little over 3 weeks to go...

...and then I am out of here!

I am not counting down at all. :)

But my anxiety level is increasing almost daily since this time in a month I will have no idea where I will be or what I will being doing. In other words, homeless and jobless. Lovely. And I do not like it. I crave normalcy and a routine after feeling like I did not really have it this past year.

Anyway, life right now is rather uneventful. I work. And there is not much going on on that front. Then I work out with my friend, Gary. And then I go to bed. That is it. And I am starting to pack and such a little too (I hate packing and thus I just do like five minutes at a time before I feel like I want to stop).

And I am trying to sell the stupid and dumpy Jeep. I hate that thang so much and I cannot wait to be rid of it! I plan to go as long as possible without owning a car when I return to the States. Granted I think that will be difficult since a car is the main mode of transporting people and goods around the vast majority of the United States, but I am going to try my damn hardest. I hate car ownership. It equates to a leash and not freedom in my eyes. Plus, I do not like responsibility and thus wherever I can cut corners regarding being a responsible adult, I do.

The Epic Trip Pictures...And My Bungee Video!

Here is the link to ALL of pictures:
http://adventuresofjade.shutterfly.com/

They tell the real story!

And video of my bungee jump at the source of the Nile (for some reason the kid who used my camera to video my jump did something to mute it...):

But still. Evidence that I tested death!

The dish on Egypt and Jordan

5/31 The journey to Egypt and Jordan started around midnight in Uganda. I had to take a midnight taxi to the airport since my flight left at the lovely time of 4:30 a.m. It was honestly a bit unsettling taking a taxi in the middle of the night (the ride takes about two hours) in a foreign and frankly not so stable country, especially when you factor in the numerous (I stopped counting at around eight) checkpoints we had to go through. And then when I got to the airport I learned my flight was delayed over two hours... I was a bit peeved because I was so tired...and soon realized I was going to miss my connecting flight to Luxor from Cairo. Errr. So I was not off to a good start, but my mood was still good (I had just experienced an amazing adventure and I am truly thankful that I get to do the things I do...even if that means being stuck at random airports.). But I quickly realized I was going to have a rough week when I finally arrived in Luxor. Being a single female traveler in these parts is just not easy. You are constantly hassled or had...and you know it...and there is nothing you can do about it. I know I am generalizing, but nearly all of the men I encountered here today have been horrible to me. So after a very long day of traveling and a fear of being harassed, I secluded myself in my hotel.

6/1 Day to explore Luxor. Went on a tour of the Valleys of the Kings and Queens, Al-Deir Al-Bahari Temple, etc. and frankly I was underwhelmed. Maybe coming here directly from East Africa was not a good move... But I must admit the River Nile is a damn cool river. The guys are still jerkfaces. LEAVE ME ALONE! NO, I DO NOT WANT AN EGYPTIAN HUSBAND! Even dudes in a funeral procession harrassed me. Get. Me. Out. Of. Here.

6/2 I headed for Cairo today. It is not much better than Luxor. Out of the likely hundreds of people I have interacted with these past couple days, mostly men since frankly this is the Middle East, the vast majority have honestly been scum. I have never been to place that I painfully do not like as much as Egypt. Egypt is lucky it has the pyramids and such because there really is no other reason to come here... After I got to Cairo, I went to the Egyptian History Museum. It has a lot of cool stuff, but at this point I am over it. And no going out once it is dark out of fear of being persistently bothered.

6/3 Today was my explore Cairo day. There was security everywhere because Obama is coming to town tomorrow. I went to the pyramids (best part of Egypt so far) and had a guy (he actually was extremely nice, but I also created an elaborate story that I recently married a spy-like guy who would severely hurt another man if anything happened to me and thus I think he realized he needed to stay in line) drive me around Cairo to see the sights from the safety of a car. Cairo is a loud city. LOTS of horns. And I think I am sort of getting used to being had because there is nothing I can do about it. And my driver guy recommended I eat koshary. So I did and it was rather delicious. But of course I got it to go and then ate it in my hotel room.

6/4 Off to Jordan...and out of Egypt! Yalla! The drive to the airport was interesting due to the immense amount of security for Obama's arrival. And it was quite cool to see United States of America planes at the airport. Air Force One was parked right next to the building I was in (but you could not see it very well since it was sort of hidden away). I am staying in Madaba for my first night in Jordan. The hotel I am staying at is so pleasant and the owners are extremely helpful. They hooked me up with transportation for my entire trip. In the afternoon after I arrived I went to Mt. Nebo (where Moses saw the promised land) and the Dead Sea (you float crazy well and it is so good for your skin and body...and it is the lowest place in the world). But what is with all the pictures of King Abdullah and the Jordanian flags all over the place AND all the old Mercedes cars? Quite amusing.

6/5 My driver buddy drove me to Petra today with a couple cool stops along the way to check out some great views, see true Bedouin life and play in the castle at Karak (one of the coolest I have ever been to and I had the whole place basically to myself). We also lunched at a restaurant across the street from a mosque and thus I finally was able to observe a Friday service (something I have never been able to do in Doha due to all the barriers, fences, etc.). Today was my first good day since I left Africa. Very little hassling...except sort of for the hotel reception kid in Petra ("We have a lot in common. I go to university, you work at a university. Do you want to smoke shisha later?").

6/6 My last day of my big trip... I am rather sad, but somewhat relieved too since my time this past week, especially in Egypt, has been stressful. But Petra was amazing! It is an ancient city built into rocks and is just beautiful. I walked so much (well over six hours in the hot sun) and thus kind of zoned out on the drive back to Madaba (but my driver friend at this point knew I really liked ice cream and thus we stopped a couple times for me to get some).

6/7 Back to Doha I go! I flew Etihad Airlines via Abu Dhabi. Nice airline and nice airport (but it sort of smelled like nail polish remover). Looking forward to a great shower, a big comfy bed and a washer and dryer. But what a great few weeks! Really. I will never ever forget this trip! Now it is back to reality...

The dish on East Africa - Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda

5/15 Off to Nairobi! I gotta admit I was (I needed some reassurance during my ride to the airport) and still am a little freaked out. But I think the only way you really grow is by challenging yourself and thus here we go... A fella by the name of Smilely picked me up from the airport for the drive to Karen Camp. He is called Smilely because he laughs so much...and it is absolutely contagious. A perfect welcome! He also showed me around Nairobi a little - I gotta see Maasai people in the city with their cows and many slums (including kids living alone in shacks)... It was truly humbling, but I loved it. I am in Africa. When I got to Karen Camp I met nearly everyone who would be on my trip with me. There are about a dozen of us, mostly young professionals from Australia, NZ and the UK. I am the lone American and thus I gotta represent! We then went for dinner at Carnivore, a Nairobi institution where you eat all kinds of crazy meat!

5/16 A chill day around Karen, a suburb of Nairobi. Went to the grocery store. I like venturing to grocery stores in places I visit because you can learn quite a bit about a place by the grocery stores (the people who shop there, what they buy, the organization of the store...). And it is so lush here - beautiful flowers everywhere! But there is also a lot of security, particularly dudes with big guns. Not sure how I feel about that...

5/17 Drive day to Nakuru. I gotta see some amazing views of the Rift Valley, but also saw more poverty... Yet people are so friendly. They, especially kiddies, love waving and smiling at us. And it costs me nothing to wave and smile back. And there sure are a lot of churches in these parts. We ended our day at a campsite just outside of Nakuru called Kembo Camp. It is rather rural, next to a dairy farm, and so I am in my element. And I, a person who sorta of lacks kitchen skills, made the best stuffing ever for dinner tonight.

5/18 Game drive in Nakuru National Park. One of the best $90 ever spent for over 12 hours of driving around and seeing so many animals up close - rhinos, water buffalo, baboons, lions, lots and lots of birds including flamingos, zebras, giraffes...and more pretty flowers...and crazy weather that changed basically every ten minutes. Just a great day! I am totally blessed.

5/19 Drive day to Eldoret...and thus more beautiful countryside and happy people. And we did our first cross of the Equator today (I guess we are going to go back and forth a bit over the next couple weeks). And Kenyans love Obama...and thus they love me since I am from his country. :) I also believe these smaller cities and towns we travel through kind of look like they belong in the Wild West (see fences, unpaved roads and such in photos). We finished our day with a visit to Ken Knit, a clothing factory with hints of a sweatshop (saw clothing and blankets made from start to finish - I learned a lot), and then parked it at the beautiful Naiberi River Camp and proceeded to stuff our bellies with some wondrous Indian food. Favorite Brendon (he is our tour driver) quote of the day: "It is as simple as shitting in your bed and then kicking it out with your feet."

5/20 What? I actually have some bug bites. I never get bug bites! Anyway, today was another drive day. This time to Kampala, UGANDA! I cannot get enough of these drives. This part of the world is absolutely stunning. And here are a couple observations (these drives provide me with a lot of time to think): 1. You see a lot of aid organizations here, particularly U.S. Aid, UN, Red Cross and World Vision. They really are here... 2. The border crossing was a bit maddening, but very much a cool cultural experience and frankly not much more painful than crossing between the U.S. and Canada. 3. I might be wrong, but Uganda seems poorer than Kenya. Why do I think this? People seem dirtier, for a lack of a better word, here and wear more mangled clothes than in Kenya and there seems to be more children out of school (this totally saddens me and makes me think about why I am in my position...)... We also got pulled over by the police (they let us go) AND in a car accident (not bad) and subsequently caused a bit of traffic jam. Favorite Ros (fellow traveler) quote of the day (but she says it at least once a day): "Close your flaps!" Favorite Brendon quote of the day: "Shut the fuck (sorry...) up, PLEASE!" Home for the night was the Red Chilli.

5/21 Drive day to QE2 National Park. We left Kampala EARLY (but we are up most days around sunrise)...and as a result we gotta see an absolutely beautiful sunrise and watch everyone else wake up with it. Today was also Malaria Thursday for me. I take my malaria meds once a week at lunch and usually the night after I take the pill I have some pretty wicked dreams. So tonight will likely be full of gnarly dreams. Caz, the wife of Brendon and our tour leader (they make a great team), filled us in on Uganda's nutty history. The people of Uganda are wonderful yet they have had a lot of shitty shit (sorry...) happen to them, particularly at the hands of horrible leaders (like the stellar Idi Amin). You feel for them. The current leader is supposedly better (but really how much so since he has been president for over two decades and I guess corruption is still rather common). However, Uganda does have one of the lowest HIV/AIDS infection rates in Africa due to measures taken by the government and aid organizations to combat it. Also, Islam is surprisingly common here (I would understand its presence along the coast of East Africa due to its proximity to the Middle East, but here in more inland Africa?)...thanks to Amin and his ties to Gaddafi. Anyway, I SAW MY FIRST AFRICAN ELEPHANT TODAY. I love elephants. I want one. And there was the most amazing sunset (we finished our day at Hippo Hill...it is called Hippo Hill because hippos tend to graze there at night...ummm...yeah...we will see how tonight goes...). So I started the day with an amazing sunrise and finished it with an amazing sunset. I love Africa. LOVE. IT.

5/22 T.I.A. Day. T.I.A. stands for This Is Africa. T.I.A. basically means anything and everything will likely happen. I did not sleep much last night due to the hippos outside (I was definitely a bit scared to hear them literally right outside the tent...but the funny thing is that I initially thought I was dreaming all the noise due to my malaria meds) and a hippo inside (my tent buddy is a loud sleeper...). We then went on a chimp walk...but we did not see any chimps. But I still had loads of fun trekking through the forest. We then went on a bumpy ass and rather rushed drive. And at one point we had to push the vans up a steep hill. But I thought it was brilliant because I was in Uganda pushing a van up a hill. We then finished our day with a great channel cruise to see hippos and other animals (including a pooping elephant...the kid in me loved it) at sunset. It was an action packed and hectic day...and I loved every minute of it. QE2 is a park with so much potential (Idi Amin did quite a bit of damage to it during his time of terror and it is only starting to flourish again). Favorite Ros quote of the day: "On top from start to finish. No other place I would rather be." She always finds a way to take things (such as talking about sitting on top of the boat during the cruise) that are not sexual and make them slyly so... Favorite Brendon quote of the day: "Fuck (sorry..) the fucking (sorry...) fuckers (sorry...), aye?" And Kampala's 88.7 is a fantastic radio station. They even played my jam "Here Comes the Hotstepper."

5/23 Drive day to RWANDA...and MORE absolutely beautiful countryside (however, power lines and trees ruined a few amazing photo opportunities...). I never get tired of it! Plus, the people here seem to just love us...and I love them! And I loved playing the part of an obnoxious American a little bit today because I did not have to pay for a visa when I entered Rwanda when most others had to. Neener neener neener! I even did a little "U.S.A! U.S.A!" chanting. And tomorrow I GET TO SEE ME SOME GORILLAS!

5/24 I WENT GORILLA TREKKING TODAY! Never thought I would do such a thing. I gotta cool life, y'all! And gorilla trekking for us involved hours of some serious marching through dense jungle, mud almost up to your knees... It was exhausting, but spectacular! We spent nearly two hours (only supposed to be one, but they kept playing sort of a game of tag/hide and seek/follow the leader) with them. You are supposed to stay seven meters away from them, but that does not mean they stay seven meters from you. A mother and her infant at one point literally walked right by me (I could feel her hair graze my leg...and it took my breathe away literally). It was a once in a lifetime experience that I will never EVER forget.

5/25 Today was a free day to just kick back in Rwanda. We decided to take a drive to Lake Kivu and check out the Congo border (now in hindsight, probably kind of dangerous...)...and along the way we saw more beautiful countryside, but also some refugee camps. In the afternoon, Ros and I explored the town of Musanze (this is where we were based). While this is not so much my favorite quote of the day, Duncan, a kid from NZ who looks sort of like Jesus right now, likes to say things will cost someone a dollar, but with his Kiwi accent it sounds like "dolla" and I just find it funny. For example: Me: "Duncan, can you pass me a napkin?" Duncan: "Dolla."

5/26 The agenda for today was to drive to Lake Bunyonyi back in Uganda via a stop at a genocide memorial in Kigali. The Kigali Memorial Center was intense. I have read up a bit about the genocide (one of the best books ever is We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families), but I now want to learn even more about it after visiting. The memorial did an excellent job stating what happened (from the world doing basically nothing (except the French who actually seemed to help supply the Hutus...) to the fact that thousands of people were likely involved in killing a million people yet have never been brought to justice and thus there is a good chance I interacted with many people who had some level involvement in the genocide) and presented personal stories at the same time (the photos provided by families were particularly powerful). It reminded me of my visits to similar sites in Bosnia and Poland. Why is it that such beautiful places can be the sites of such horror? Anyway, we made it to Lake Bunyonyi (a super deep, remote and beautiful lake in Uganda) around dinner time. And after a day like today I was drained. And I get to sleep in an actual bed (no tent) for two nights!

5/27 Free day to kick back around Lake Bunyonyi. Ros, Maree (Aussie girl), Kylie (another Aussie girl) and I walked to the top of this big hill in the morning. It was quite the trek, but the pay off was great (a light breakfast, some jumping on a trampoline and a fantastic view at the top) as well as we got to interact with several locals (they love to talk to us, are so welcoming and are very thankful to have us visiting their community) who live in rural Africa. I then spent the afternoon basically napping, reading and walking around a bit more. It was just an immensely pleasant day...in AFRICA.

5/28 Today was sort of a rough day. We got a late start because you cannot leave Lake Bunyonyi when it is raining since the basically one lane dirt road is impossible to navigate when wet. So we had to wait out the storm for a couple hours. But getting back on the main highway did not relieve our troubles since it was so bumpy due to lots of construction and just a shitload (sorry...) of potholes everywhere else. And then we hit some insane evening rush hour traffic in Kampala. You definitely feel for Brendon on days like today...and Caz too because she has to put up with him.

5/29 Holy shit (sorry...), I bungee jumped today at the source of the Nile! I never thought I would ever bungee jump until about a week ago. And even then it was just a distant idea. But Ros basically talked me into it by talking repeatedly about it (for example: "I had dreams about bungeeing last night") and why we should do it at the source of the Nile ("Why SHOULDN'T we when so many others have?"). I told her while I could not guarantee I would do it, I would at least try. And I more than just tried. I DID. And I did it beautifully (I was told I looked extremely composed and swan-like...and I supposedly cracked a smile right before I jumped)! It was one of the most surreal experiences ever because your mind is thinking you are about to die. "Oh fffffuck (sorry...), what are you doing?!" is what was going through my head and I hardly remember anything the guys hooking me up told me. But I do remember asking them if it was safe and going "THAT IS IT?!?!" when they finished hooking me up. It was scary (but it should be), but strangely I think I would do it again...but only somewhere just as beautiful as there. Yo, folks, I bungee jumped at the source of the Nile in Uganda!!! HA! And then everyone (not just Ros and I) celebrated the event with a good amount of alcohol... It was a glorious day! Oh! We got pulled over again today...by the same Ugandan cops that pulled us over for speeding last time ("Remember us? We were the ones that arrested you last time.")...but at least they were just as nice (we just had to pay like $50 to go on our way).

5/30 And then I decided to defy death on the Nile two days in the row. How? By whitewater rafting the Nile today! The rapids were fantastic (including several Class 5...but I felt mad safe due to the many safety measures in place) and the scenery was of course stunning (I especially liked being able to watch people along the river's edge). And I was proud of the fact that even with some serious rapids, I only fell out once. And I must admit that pineapple is not too bad when you eat it on a boat floating down the Nile in Uganda (I normally do not like it)! Overall, what a great day to have to end such an amazing, wonderful, super trip! I have had so much fun in East Africa and do not want to leave! This places feels like home (even though I am one of the whitest people I know). I cannot wait to come back to Africa and explore it further. Of course I cried when I said goodbye to my travel buddies and now new friends. But I gotta go to Egypt and Jordan... Tough life...I know.

BTW If you are wondering what tour I went on, I went on Tucan's Mountain Gorilla Safari. I highly recommend them and definitely will consider Tucan for future travel.

How in the world am I going to do this???

I am back from the epic trip and it was definitely epic. I LOOOVVVEEED East Africa (Kenya, Uganda and Rwanda), Egypt sucked to be completely honest, and Jordan was good, but not as good as Africa. I am going to try to post what went down and a link to photos by the end of this weekend. Inshallah. I just have to figure out how to do it without it taking forever and being absurdly long.

Goodbyes SUCK.

I hate goodbyes, especially when I have to say goodbye to people I love. Like my Super Team. Today I had to say goodbye to three of them. I was a mess, they were a mess, tears galore... But here is a picture of us together (with our adopted members) last night at Cornell's Pre-Med Completion Ceremony:

And here are some other fun pictures from the evening:

See. Tears.

The trip starts now!

This time tomorrow I will be in Nairobi! No more Doha for a few weeks!

And the fun starts tonight! I am going to crash at Gary's place near the airport so I can get away from EC!

There will probably be very few posts, if any, while I am away. But prepare for some mammoth ones when I return.

Much love!

End of Year = Lots of Events

This past week has been quite eventful. Since it is the end of the year, there are lots of events going on...and I loved it!

First up was the VCU Fashion Show. This was my first fashion show ever (which kind of surprised me...) and I totally enjoyed it (even though I thought some of the designs were frankly kind of...rubbish...). I just wish Nina Garcia (of PR) was there with me. I heart NEEEna.

My resident Ramna doing her thang.
My resident Carla working it.
And the girl on the left I thought kind of looked like a tranny...

Next up was the dhow cruise. This was my first trip on a dhow and probably my last. Definitely a lot of fun!

My poor friend! Rosemary felt ill before she even got on the boat, but being on the dhow did not help.

Doha in the distance. Sorry about the feet...
There were a number of jerkfaces on jet skis that would come really close to check our boat out...and a couple times they would intentionally splash us. It is times like this when I wish I had some sort of massive (and painful) water gun to get them back.
Sunset!

Next up was lunch organized by my girls. Oh, how I love them! The location of lunch was a surprise (I am the only one with a car and thus I had to drive, but they would only give me one step of the directions at a time). We ended up at this amazing Arabic restaurant where they had reserved a private tent-like section of the restaurant and had a whole plan for our meal. I was so impressed! And it was truthfully the best Arabic food I have had since I moved here (I just wish I remembered the name of the restaurant to recommend it...). Anyway, they also got me gifts: they made me the cutest poster with photos from this year and gave me a beautiful bracelet with my name in Arabic. I totally cried. Of course. I love these girls so much. And THEN they got me an ice cream cake like it was my damn birthday! It was a beautiful lunch filled with lots of laughs (and some tears), but it hit me at the very end that this was the last time we were going to be together like this as a family (this is how we see our group). So I cried some more...

While this is not an event celebrating the end of the year, I do want to mention it. The Epic Trip is coming up in a little over a week (I leave next Friday)! Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda and then up to Egypt and Jordan. So on top of all the events this week, I am quite busy trying to get my act together for this trip. Including getting some shots and pills so I do not get malaria or something like that and die. But of course it is not as easy as just going to your local doc and getting what you need. I had to first find the Vaccination Clinic who told me I had to go navigate the Ministry of Health who then gave me a form to take back to the Vaccination Clinic... But I managed (patience and a good attitude is what you need in these parts) and got all that I needed (also, you do not want to go unprepared, you need to be able to tell them exactly what you need). But it all only cost me 10QR for everything. Or around $3. Neener neener neener.

Back to the events...

Next up: Senior Convocation. It was quite the spectacle, but frankly kind of boring... It did not help it was nearly all in Arabic yet Education City's official language is English... But I gotta respect I am in an Arabic-speaking country.
The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra. I find that I really like classical music when it is loud.

The words to the national anthem of Qatar. It is quite the jam...
QF's President gives amazing handshakes.
Her Highness giving some love to her son who graduated from Georgetown. It was so sweet!
Photo 1/3 of all the graduates (around 200) with Her Highness.
Photo 2/3 of all the graduates with Her Highness.
Photo 3/3 of all the graduates with Her Highness.

I also attended Cornell's graduation event for the graduating med students. Six out of the 13 females (out of a total class of 17) are my residents. Go girls! It was a very nice event with delicious food. It was also the first time I heard the national anthem of the United States in a very long time. Being over here in a part of the world where you definitely do not feel so free gives our national anthem a new meaning. Moving on... I also told my little super team (they were also there) that I will attend their graduation from medical school in four years...but probably when they attend the graduation in New York.

And finally last night was the Enrique concert...and subsequent BBQ for those not attending in the Playground since the concert was literally next door. It was quite the success! Well over 30 students came (great considering how many students have already left, attended the concert or still have finals). And it was so easy! I just put up some posters (theme: BBQ greater than (using the math symbol) Enrique), bought some food (the watermelon was a hit), and kicked back and listened to Enrique (kind of bizarre to have the real deal as background music).

Some of the residents fanning the BBQ to get it going...

Resident Varun and his first glow stick!

There is fresh water in Qatar?

I grew a bit perplexed today while sitting in traffic (what a surprise...). I was stuck behind a truck for Rayyan Water (advertises water made in Qatar) when I thought, "There is fresh water in Qatar? WHERE?" So I wrote down the website listed on the truck. I thought I would share it: http://www.rayyanwater.com/. But it provided no answers.

I will...

...never complain about banking in the United States EVER again. If you want to get me going, asking me about my experiences with QNB. The end.

Go to Oman!

My weekend in Oman was amazing! A. M. A. Z. I. N. G. But words cannot truly describe how wonderful it was. However, one word does come to mind over and over again that might work: THANKFUL. I cannot get over how fortunate I am to have had this opportunity to go to Oman, do the incredible things I did and meet many generous people. Anyway, here is the link to my photos on Shutterfly (over 200 in just three days): http://adventuresofjade.shutterfly.com/. And a special shout out to Maha and her 'rents for inspiring me to take this trip and helping me set it up!

However, the trip initially hit a hitch before I even left Doha. QF cancelled my exit permit without telling me and thus I basically did not have permission to leave the country. I was yelling HOLY F... on the inside, but on the outside I was super cool, even cracking a couple jokes. Since moving here, I have become quite skilled at nicely haggling, some would say charming, my way through various situations. Plus, bluntly, I think it helps that I am a white girl from America (I am not going to lie...). Nevertheless, after a couple minutes of basically sweet talking the officials, I was allowed to leave the country without an exit permit (this absolutely shocked coworkers when I told them what happened on Monday). So off to Oman I went...

Soon after arrival into Muscat, I realized, even though Oman is a Gulf country only one hour flight from Doha, it is extremely different. First evidence: the roads. The roads in Oman are FANTASTIC and there are very few SUVs looking to mow a person down and practically NO damn Land Cruisers! Anyway, I arrived in Muscat late Thursday night and thus I did not get a real good lay of the land (except for the road situation). BTW, I stayed at the Ramee - I definitely recommend it, but make sure you stay on the fifth or sixth floor to avoid the noise from the restaurants on the ground and first floors. But I was amazed when I woke up in the morning (I think my reaction was holy cow!). Oman is quite a rugged country, even in Muscat, with mountains going right to the ocean. And I was going to climb one of these mountains...

My first full day in Oman involved going to Jebel Shams - the tallest mountain in Oman and known as the Grand Canyon of Arabia. Justin, an English dude from Muscat Dive and Adventure Centre, picked me up for the long drive to Jebel Shams. He and I chit chatted on the drive to and from (I learned he is quite the pro at climbing, even being on TV) as well as rocked out to some good music (made me long for taking some road trips). But before we hit Jebel Shams we stopped at the famous Friday souq in Nizwa so I could see all the action - Omanis buying and selling goats, cows, fish and all sort of things. It was great! And I quite liked the mosque next to the souq since it was painted in Husky colors. :) We then met up with Ali, one of Justin's coworkers who is a loud and full of life dude from Pakistan (he gets so excited and speaks so fast, it just comes out as a mess), and a father and son duo from Florida who work in Saudi at Aramco and we were off to conquer Jebel Shams...

We all did the amazing balcony walk (2000+ meters off the ground) of Jebel Shams. The views were stunning and it definitely lived up to its name as the Grand Canyon of Arabia. However, when you are that high you do not realize you are THAT high. Ali and the dad (I forgot his name...) then left (they were not going to climb) and so Justin, Josh (the son), and myself continued the walk and then we did a via ferrata out. It was one of the coolest yet scariest things I have ever done (I was smiling and shaking at the same time). But up I went and, even though I was terrified, I loved it. It was sort of like a real physical puzzle - great test for the body and mind. And I loved how peaceful the whole thing was. So quiet. And I made it to the top and I know it sounds cheesy, but I felt like I was on top of the world. It was so worth it. I have not been that proud of myself in a long time.

But I was pooped after and decided to just have a nice night in. I also did this the next night after my excursion out to sea. I ordered room service (it helped that the best meat in town (good organic stuff from New Zealand) was served at one of the hotel's restaurants), did a little pampering and watched TV (something I do not get to do in Qatar since I STILL do not have cable...). I watched a rugby game (yet I did not understand it, but it was entertaining nonetheless), learned about the swine flu outbreak via CNN, and watched the same special on FARC on the National Geographic Channel that I watched in India (kind of bizarre, huh?).

And then on Saturday I went diving! So I essentially went from the highest point in Oman (and I think in all of Arabia) to swimming with the fish near the Daymaniyat Islands! The trip was organized by the same company I used the day before. However, this time it was me, nine Emirati dudes and four Omani dive staff dudes. I believe the Emiratis were a bit shocked to have me joining them, but they took great care of me after the initial surprise. And the crew was friendly, like all other Omanis, and my dive buddy, Yusef, took excellent care of me. He realized I was a bit scared and thus used various tactics to help calm me down. But I was all good once I submerged underwater...and then it was like being a damn aquarium! We went down around 15 meters and saw lots and LOTS of fish (big ones, little ones, all with loads of color (including Husky AND Syracuse colored ones)), rays, squid, turtles...). I wish I had a camera to document how amazing it was. I am not a diving guru, but Oman might be an undiscovered diving jem. It was awesome...but I was rather glad to make it back to the surface. We then moved to a second location basically right next to the Daymaniyat Islands and I just snorkeled to my heart's content (but I did take a quick break to sit on the beach of one of the islands so I could feel the sensation of having my own little island). I love snorkeling due to its simplicity. It might sound silly, but I just feel so free when I am snorkeling. It was just me and the fish since the Emirati guys were diving elsewhere and the dive staff dudes stayed on the boat (but kept an eye on me). I was so happy! Two splendid days in a row...

Day three, my last day, was my day to explore Muscat. I literally borrowed the car (a little Toyota Echo) of one of Omanis, Ahmed, I had met over the course of my couple days exploring Oman. I was hesitant to take up his offer, but he insisted he did not need it (he was going to be in the desert for the day taking other tourists duning), figured I could save the money (it would have cost me at least $100 to rent a car for the day), and asserted there was no catch. So I took up his offer and headed in the morning for the Sultan Qaboos Grand Mosque (it is BEAUTIFUL and MASSIVE). I had to cover to go in, but I am somewhat of an old pro at this (I might not do it here in Qatar very often, but I am around it enough to know how to do it properly). However, I saw everything I needed to see in a little over an hour (including supposedly the largest carpet and chandelier in the world) and was getting hot (I craved a slurpee...as usual). But what was I going to do for the rest of my day? My flight did not leave until nearly midnight, I had already checked out of my hotel (I had to...), most shops are closed during the day due to the heat... So I drove...and randomly (I had no map) ended up at the Oman Dive Centre! Perfect!!! Best. Luck. Ever. And thus I ended up spending nearly six hours just chillin' at its private beach and pool (best 1.5 Omani riyals ever (about $4)). It was a great way to spend my last day in Oman. I headed back towards Muscat via a stop in Muttrah to walk the Corniche and hang out at the Muttrah Souq (wandered a bit, did some haggling, drank some delicious juice) and then met up with Ahmed to give him his car back and go to the airport to fly back to Doha. Nooooooooo...

Overall, my trip was truly amazing and rejuvenating. Oman is fantastic and full of life (sort of the opposite of Doha where I feel like life is sucked out of you...). There is so much to do and see. But the best part is its people. Omanis are so friendly and warm and extremely easy to talk to. They have such a rich culture steeped in history and their faith, but are also tolerant and open to others. If anything, they have a cool bohemian vibe. I just dig them and subsequently I dig their country and look forward to the day I get to go back.

A couple observations that do not fit elsewhere:
1. I can never be that parent who tells her children they cannot go somewhere. Look at me...
2. Oman is obsessed with football (another reason why Oman is awesome). There are football pitches everywhere! Many fields are just dirt, maybe even a bit rocky, with some sort of shoddy goals. And it was a nightly occurence (~4-6PM) to see boys of all ages out playing soccer (dishdashas and kummahs or mussars off, football kits on). I asked about this and was told they do this every single day. So cool! But no girls...

"The Heat is On" in Doha

It is starting to get mad hot again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uYIUhi-Ybi4

Report on weekend trip to Oman will be posted tomorrow. Inshallah. :)

Bomb Threat!

So I guess there is some sort of threat to EC today. Yikes! I almost always carry my ID with me, but now it is particularly important to have it with me at all times. Furthermore, there is tight security everywhere (and we already have pretty tight security), especially at the gates (they make you get out of your car and search EVERYTHING...and then there are the gnarly spike strips). I am not going to lie...it is kind of scary.

But on a nicer note, the cleaners left me flowers again. I love them. And the flowers smell so good and thus my office smells fantastic.

Upcoming Trips!

This upcoming weekend: Oman!

And in about a month (leave mid-May): Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and then up to Egypt and Jordan!

I am beyond excited!

Arabic Words

Shukran - Thank You
La - No
Naam - Yes
Aywa - OK
Shoofi mafi? - What's up?
Keef haluk? - How are you?
Salam - Hello
Ma'assalama - Goodbye
Yalla! - Let's Go!
Inshallah - God Willing...
Al hamdulillah - Praise be to Allah
Yanni - Like
Mafi mushkala - No problem
Khalas - Finished/Done/No more
Helwa - Sweet or beautiful
Mabrook - Congrats
Habibi (m)/habibti (f) - Beloved/Dear
Assalaam Alaikum - Peace be upon you
To which the reply is: Wa Alaikum Assalaam - And peace be upon you
USA - Umreeka

There are more, but I cannot remember them at this time... But most of the time I just speak good ol' English...and frequently with a weird accent and cutting out non-essential words. I find it bizarrely helps out. And being just nice really helps out. Remember: Kindness is universal.

Hospital Visit: CHECK

So I can check visiting a hospital in Qatar off my list of things to do here... I woke up two days ago with the most killer pain in my neck. I could hardly function because I was constantly in pain (note: I have a rather high threshold for pain). I have no idea what I did to cause such agony. I suffered through Tuesday thinking it would subside by Wednesday, but it only got worse and my right arm started to feel sort of numb. So I went to Hamad Hospital to figure out what the hell was going on and get some pain meds. Hamad is the big main hospital in Doha...and a bit of a mess and thus I had quite the experience. First of all, Hamad has separate entrances for each gender (but inside there is a good amount of mixing so it sort of defeats the purpose...) and all the staff (except for the docs) appear to be from Kerala (where I went in India) or the Phillipines with the female staff in bright pink scrubs and the male staff in blue scrubs. Then there was the constant playing of the Backstreet Boys as background music in the waiting area (what year is this again?) and language barrier between myself and nearly everyone else. I also noticed that Qataris tended to want preference over everyone else waiting for care (some succeeded, but others did not). However, it was with the help of a Qatari woman that I finally got help. Somehow I was skipped (you are given a number) and this woman realized this and insisted that I be helped at once. It was extremely kind of her to let me go in front of her daughter. The doctor (wearing not just a hijab, but niqab as well) asked me what was wrong (I thought it was a pinched nerve), poked and prodded around, decided I needed a shot in my ass for the pain and then sent me to get some tests done. The x-rays and such were done in another area of the hospital, not far from the emergency area, where I saw a couple workers brought into the hospital in bad shape from injuries they likely received on labor sites. I had a feeling bad accidents were rather common at labor sites, but to see the result in person was a reality check. Anyway, the tests were run (note: it humors me that instead of asking if you are pregnant, they ask you if you are married because I guess they believe only married women get pregnant...)and their best guess is that I have a pinched nerve in my neck and some muscle spasms going on. Awesome... But I should heal in a few days. So they gave me a sexy neck brace to wear at home (not gonna wear it...) as well as some pain meds and some sort of cream to rub on my neck (the cream is made in Saudi and its tube has a horse on it... SEE PHOTO BELOW). And the whole cultural experience, because that is what it was, cost me 4 QR (just a little over $1). I had to have the cashier guy repeat it a good four times because I thought I was not hearing him correctly (him: 4 please. me: 4? him: 4. me: 4 riyals? him: 4. me: 4, not 4-0? him: 4. me: 4, like less than 5? him: 4...). So hopefully I will heal soon because it is a major pain in the neck (pun intended) and I have plans. And just further evidence that I am getting old. Boo...

Easter Storm!

About the time I wrapped up my post on the CDA EOY Celebration thingy, a mean storm rolled in with a lot of lightning and thunder, rain, and wind. Very unlike Doha and more like a summer storm on the East Coast. I used to be terrified of such storms as a child. Perhaps even borderline crazy. For instance, I used to lock all the doors and windows (do not let it in!), shut the curtains (because I figured if I could see it, it could see me...and then get me), turn off and unplug anything that needed power and deter the use of such items in my presense, put rainboots on (due to the whole rubber tire theory with cars, I figured it would work with rubber rainboots too...), cover my ears and eyes, hide under my bed...and I was usually on the verge of crying. Again, I was TERRIFIED. But now I am not so terrified of mean storms (OK, I do get a little anxious still) and thus I went outside to play in it (it felt so good getting soaked). Here is some video of the storm: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1VFpZDI7u0.

CDA EOY Celebration

Yesterday was the CDA End Of Year Celebration where we recognized the amazing work of our student leaders in the residence halls. I love these kids so much and will miss them immensely! They have given me so much love and basically have been my family here. Anyway, we had a lot of fun yesterday...and of course I cried a little at the end because I am Jade and I tend to get emotional at things like this. Here are some photos of our day:

*PIZZA

* BUS TO BOWLING

*GETTING OUR BOWLING ON

These amazing people are going to change the world. Just you watch.

And, yes, that is a photo of me jumping up and down because I got a strike!