Some photos from the past week...or so

Here are some photos from the annual Education City Photo Day.












It is not ALL the students (from the pre-K program at Qatar Academy to university students at the six universities), but all students, mostly Qatar Academy students, who showed up at 8:00 a.m. In the middle of all of them is Her Highness.












And there she is having some sort of chat with some QA students. She is quite tall (especially in her mad high heels) and regal looking.












And another one of her. I particularly like the boys to the left of her who are goofying around. I must also say that she is extremely personable. She did not just come for the photo and leave. She came a little early to watch all the students get in place and then stayed after (I even left before her) to chat with many of the kids.












The little QAers in the front lost interest fast.


MOVING ON...



















There is a bush outside my office window that each day has a new flower that blossoms. I love little things like this.












There is a new Jamaican restaurant in Doha. It used to be an Ethiopian restaurant (in fact, many of the decorations still point to this). But it has insanely good food (I LOVE FESTIVAL)! So I took my team to it for dinner to introduce them to this genre of food...and listen to the Filipino wait staff belt out karaoke songs (one of them really loved Shania Twain). Talk about globalization!











Striking a pose with West Bay in the background. Further evidence that Doha is just one big construction site (most of the buildings have cranes on top).



















This is about as rebellious as one gets in Doha - drinking juice out of a paper bag.












I talked Rosemary and Rachelle, two friends who work at Carnegie Mellon, into participating in such crazy debauchery with me. But Rachelle failed with her straw hanging out.












This is dedicated to Idriss since he calls me a Qatarian (like I am some sort of Martian) when it is really Qatari. Anyway, this is part of a sign for a butcher shop.












It rained...AGAIN. This week alone we had like two or three days of rain (but not full days, just scattered showers/sprinkles). That basically doubles the amount of rain I experienced since I moved here in early July. I am quite thankful for it because I miss it, but also because the dirty Jeep got a much needed wash. Now it is not "The Dirtiest Ride in Doha."















But this car is "The Coolest Ride in Doha." Hands down. This guy is legendary for being super friendly. I have never met him, but I think he might be my favorite person in Doha. I am on a mission to meet him before I leave.