Desert Trip

I know it's been a long time since I posted, but now I finally have something interesting to share.

On Sunday I went on an AWA trip out to the desert to look for Shark teeth.  A long, long time ago Qatar was covered in water and thus shark teeth can be found in the certain parts of the desert.  There are also shell parts,  coral and interesting rocks.

In Qatar, if you miss your turn or exit, it is quite a drive to turn around.  In this picture the land mass on the other side of the water is Saudi Arabia.  We stopped to take a picture and then made a U-turn and back about 20 kilometers to our exit.  This is as close as I plan to get to Saudi Arabia.  We were sure we wouldn't be let in as we were two cars of female drivers & passengers.

Once we we got to our spot, we set off looking for the shark teeth.  I found it a lot like looking for sea glass on the beach in St. Joe except a bit harder as everything was basically the color of sand.  First Sheri found one, then Brigita and then it was my turn!

After some more looking I needed a rest as I was still getting over jet lag from being in Michigan a few days ago plus coming from snow to a sunny 100 degrees.

Stay-cation

Eid al-Adha or Second Eid as it is known to expats is a four day holiday here in Qatar which had a weekend in between, meaning, most people got a six day break.  75% of the people leave Doha which makes driving here nice for those who stay.

If you can believe it, John worked as little as he had to and we did some fun things this last week.  It started Wednesday with a coffee and exploring Lagoona Mall, the mall closest to our house.  We haven’t done this since we first came to Doha.  

Thursday started with a trip to IKEA to get office furniture for John’s new office space.  After lunch we rented a yacht and speed boat leaving from the Pearl and took the New Image Senior management and their families on a trip out to a close by island for a BBQ and swim. 

Friday we went to the Jazz club after it had been closed all summer and some waiters we know are still there.  Our friend Richard is now in charge of the music.  We also met the singer Chanel from New York.

 

Saturday was a quiet day until we realized the cleaning lady wasn’t coming (see was off too) and then we had to clean the apartment, luckily we had cleaning supplies!  After John cleaned the balcony we watched the sunset with wine and cheese.  Later that night we watched Eid fireworks from our balcony. 

  

Sunday the Turner family invited us over for a proper English Sunday Roast complete with meat and chicken, gravy, potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire Pudding followed by a delicious apple crumble.  

Monday was a bit back to normal as I did the grocery shopping and John worked from home.  Now we are getting ready for our trip to Abu Dhabi and Dubai for John to work and have some meetings.  I’ll write about next week!

Back in the Swing of Things

Hi friends, it's been a long time.  I have been back in Doha for just over two weeks and I am about settled in.  Jet lag is about gone, but the high heat and humidity really take it out of you.  Stella and I get up at 4:30am for our morning walk to avoid the sun.   

I have gone to all my regular grocery stores and have navigated the new road layouts and construction (they are taking out the Round Abouts.)

I have started another year with AWA and this time I am organizing the book club.  I hosted a round table at our first AWA meeting, so I got to meet most of the members and there are a lot of new people.  At this meeting you also get to see who is not coming back to Doha and who is still here and I realize just how many people I know.  I am also helping with the AWA Pillow Project (stuffing, not sewing) we make pillows for breast cancer patients who have had a mastectomy to help ease them.

I have also started taking Yoga.  A lady in the next tower teaches the classes so I am able to walk over.  Sundays is Core Yoga and Wednesday is a little less intense but still both are a lot of work and I am pretty sore.  My trainer will be back in October and once the weather cools off I will start with my gold lessons again.  

Oh, and last night we had some friends over for dinner. So as you can see, I am keeping busy.

National Sport Day

We have settled back into life in Doha, loving the weather.  Busy with AWA and back with a trainer two days a week.

Today is National Sport Day, a day off work to participate in sport. “A special event for Qatar which has ambitious plans to become a world capital of sporting activities” and helps to promote a healthy way of life.  Diabetes is a huge problem here.  Many companies hold events for their employees.  Last year John’s company went bowling, then we went to see women’s tennis which was the first time I have seen a professional tennis match.

 

That got me thinking, since I have been in Doha, I have seen Soccer match, The Asian Games, Car Racing, Porchse Cup, Horse Racing, Emir’s Cup, Boat Racing, Women’s Tennis & the European Golf tour live for the first time in my life.  They are definitely working to becoming a world capital of sporting activities.  Bring on FIFA 2022, although I don’t plan to be here for that!

Return to Doha

We have been back in Doha two weeks now and are pretty much adjusted and back in the swing of things.  I have been active with my AWA, meeting a lot of new women and reconnecting with old friends. I have signed up for all the outings offered including a drink making class in November, which should be fun. Today I went to Souq Waqif for the AWA monthly lunch where we try new places. I carpooled with some ladies from the Pearl and we went early to do some shopping.  My tote bag was full when I left the souq.  The food was pretty good and we ate on the floor.

A few days after we arrived back to Doha, we went to Abu Dhabi. I was there for the weekend and John stayed the week to work. I was able to go the beach and spa and finish my book for book club. We also saw our friends from Jazz at Lincoln Center Doha perform in Abu Dhabi, we are officially groupies now.

Stella went to stay with a friend and her extended Italian family and got to play with two dogs while I was in Abu Dhabi.  She came back knowing more Italian than me; luckily she still knows English commands.

This Thursday we are going to a Halloween party and of course on Friday we are hosting one at our apartment. Sunday I went shopping at Mega Mart for food, and went a little over board. I just love all the American products they offer even though they are expensive.   I brought several bags of candy from home for the party. John just has to make a trip to the alcohol store and we will be set.  Pictures to follow.

Stella's Journey

This blog is about getting to Doha with Stella, our 5 month old Malti-poo.  This is the first time I have ever traveled with a pet inside the airplane and I was very nervous.

We woke up at 4:30am in Clinton Township, MI to take a walk around the neighborhood and one last check of the mail.  My mom came at 6:30am to take us to the airport.  We had a little trouble checking in, but worked it out after we went to a second desk and paid $200 for Stella and $75 for our overweight suitcase.  They were going to charge another $200 for her fake grass potty (extra baggage over our limit) but said we could try and carry it on.  I took Stella out of her travel bag and held her as I went through security and the bag went on the belt.  the we waited in the Delta club before our tiny plane, short ride to Washington DC.  I boarded early as I needed extra time.

We arrived in DC and after our lunch we found a pet relief area, success!  Next we went to the KLM club and they tried to charge us another $200 for Stella, we showed all her paper work and were good to go.  Then she had lunch and took a nap on one of the chairs (in the back corner.)  One more trip to the pet relief area before we boarded our plane to Amsterdam.  I was lucky to have an aisle seat and nobody on my other side.  Another quiet and accident free flight.

 

In Amsterdam there is no pet relief area, so we just prayed.  The flight to Doha was not full at all and I moved my seat so I had the aisle and Stella got the window seat until we landed and she went back underneath the seat in front of me.  I unzipped one small flap so she could get her head out for some fresher air. 

Each plane was able to find space for the fake grass of which she hasn’t used, glad we didn’t pay the $200 to bring it.  Still trying to get over our jet lag, after our early morning walk we take a nap on the couch.