2017 - Qatar

Day 1

It took me a while to get here (40 straight hours of travel and layovers), but if I had to turn around right now and go home, my first day here was worth the effort. My friend Debbie teaches at an international school here, so she picked me up at the airport at 3 am, and I was asleep in bed by 4. After a few hours of sleep, we set out for exploration.

Since it was a national holiday (Sports Day), the Museum of Islamic Art was closed. Instead we headed to the Katara Beach and cultural area for our first stop. It was a chilly, rainy day (my favorite kind), and we saw various forms of art, sports, and cultures as we walked along the beach and through the cultural center.

From there we went to Souq Waqif - a large market where one can find spices, gold, fabric, rugs, art, housewares, etc. I just looked and took in the sights today, but will go back later for more specific shopping.

We ended the evening in the Souq Waqif at an Indian restaurant -- Royal Tandoor -- and I highly recommend it. Now to bed to rest up for another adventure tomorrow.

Day 2

Today I joined Debbie at school to help out in her classroom (she teaches middle school math to Muslim girls). As luck would have it, today was “sports day” - similar to a field day - so I spent the day sportsing :) But it was a fun time playing games with the girls and getting to know some of them.

After school I helped one of Debbie’s students with her programming for a robotics competition this weekend, and I really enjoyed watching her persist in tweaking the programming to get it just right.

Afterward, Debbie and I went to a hotel in downtown Doha for a glass of wine, and it was surprising to learn that they checked my I.D. -- not to see if I was of drinking age, but to make sure that I was not Qatari. Alcohol is allowed only in certain places (a fact I knew), but it never occurred to me that businesses would actively participate in regulating the morals of adults. #WhatILearnedToday

I will be at the school again tomorrow, and I look forward to teaching MATH :)

Day 3

I spent the day in the classroom with Debbie again, this time getting to know the girls a little better, helping with math, and discussing the importance of an education even if you happen to be wealthier than God. [Side note: these students are the children of the wealthiest country on Earth -- almost every one of them was picked up by a personal driver after school, they all have servants, etc. In fact, they are so wealthy that money means nothing to them, which makes teaching middle-school math very difficult for me, to say the least, since I can usually get students to buy into math problems if the problems involve spending money, etc.]

So, we discussed wealthy people who were not properly educated, who refuse to continue learning, who hate to read, who spend too much time on social media… and how others use that type of person as a puppet because they’re not smart enough to see that they’re being used. Versus someone who is wealthy, but sees the value in education, in being able to discern trickery, who keeps reading and learning and using their wealth to make the world a better place.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Al-Mayassa_bint_Hamad_bin_Khalifa_Al-Thani

I truly enjoyed meeting the students and staff of the school, and diving into learning a new culture. I mentioned some of the cultural differences in the schools in yesterday’s note, but I also noticed today that all of the girls come to school in their abaya and hijab, which they leave in their lockers once they are in the girls’ area of the school. But most of them also wear hoodies at all times in case a male worker accidentally comes into the room so that they can quickly cover their hair.

Now that I’ve volunteered in schools with the poorest children on Earth (India), with the wealthiest students on Earth (Qatar), and everything in between (the U.S.), I have noticed that students are the same in every country. A prime example: I was headed to a playground with a group of girls who suddenly decided they would rather to out on a 3rd floor balcony/roof. They said it was okay as long as an adult was with them (this statement was backed up by a sign on the door - “No students without adult.”) But when we were locked out, and they missed part of their next class with Debbie frantically trying to find us, I learned that students were never allowed on the roof. This sort of stunt is tried by students nearly every single time I substitute teach, and I should have seen it coming. Students are the same the world over :) So while we may have different religions and various statuses of wealth, we are living in a global village and have MUCH in common with the each other.

After school, Debbie worked with the Lego Robotics team getting ready for the competition this weekend, and I again enjoyed watching the persistence in figuring out how to make things work. I think I would like to work with a school team in Pittsburgh, so if any of my Pittsburgh friends know of a team that needs some adult support, let me know http://www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge

For dinner we headed back to Souq Waqif for dinner at Damasca One - a Syrian restaurant. The food was wonderful, the ambiance was lovely, and we were entertained by a whirling dervish.

All-in-all, an absolutely perfect day.

Day 4

Call me Scheherazade. That’s who I was channeling as I stood in the desert of Qatar looking across the inland sea at the mythical country of ONE THOUSAND AND ONE NIGHTS. Alas, Americans aren’t too welcome in Saudi Arabia (unless your last name is Trump, of course), so I wasn’t able to actually visit.

[Source: Trump’s properties in Saudi Arabia - http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/306990-trump-appeared-to-register-eight-companies-in-saudi-arabia]

But before we reached the inland sea, Debbie and I had a fabulous journey. The first stop was an outpost where we had tea and rode a camel (I did -- Debbie has already taken real camel trips into the desert), then we began the desert safari -- or "dune bashing." I loved racing across the desert flats and hanging on for dear life as we traversed the dunes. Thankfully, our driver Muhammad could gauge my reactions and did NOT drive on two wheels or become air borne (skills at which he is adept). So the excursion was fun without too much “I wonder how they will get my body home” fear.

Afterwards we came back to Debbie’s place for lunch, then I went to the Museum of Islamic Art while she went to school to get ready for her robotics competition tomorrow.

Tonight we’re headed out to the Al Wakra souk on the Arabian Gulf (do NOT call it the Persian Gulf #headsup) for dinner and exploring. I hope you all have a wonderful Friday night!

Day 5 - Dubai

Maurice and Noora turned what could have been a rushed, frantic day into the absolute perfect day in Dubai for me. I met them at the Mall of the Emirates for a fabulous lunch at Burj Al Hamam, then we attended part of the BOLDtalks conference. The speaker that I heard was Alison Jackson, an artist who uses celebrity look-alikes to create insanely realistic images. The social commentary of her work points out that we (the viewers) see what we want to see.

From there Maurice took me to the Burj Khalifa (formally known as the Burj Dubai), the world’s tallest building (for now). We went to the 148th floor and snacked on dates and a delicious mint drink while Maurice walked me around the entire observation deck annotating the history of the city to me through architecture.

We went back down at sunset, just in time to catch the dancing fountains. Ever the perfect host, Maurice took a video of the fountains and the Burj Khalifa so that I could be present in the moment. I can’t post the video here, so I’ll post it in a regular status update.

Our tickets included admission to a James Bond exhibit which made me wish I had actually seen more of the movies. They are now on my list.

After meeting up again with Noora, we went out to the Palm Islands -- a man-made system of beaches that now includes The Atlantis.

It was a wonderful day and I *highly* recommend a trip to Dubai... beautiful, clean, modern, and posh. Like a shiny, new Paris.

Qatar - Final Day

Tomorrow afternoon I begin my journey home, so today was my last full day in Qatar. While Debbie worked, I went to Souq Waqif one last time for a bit of souvenir shopping. But first, I have to give a shout-out to my driver, Umer. [Photo taken with permission]

Umer, the best driver in Qatar

Umer uses WhatsApp and was available (or in one case, able to send someone) to drive me at any time of the day. Because of where I was staying in Al Wakra (few streets have names), I was hesitant about calling a taxi. One of the teachers suggested Umer, and my vacation suddenly became tension-free. He is from the Kerala region in India, full of knowledge about Qatar, and works all the time -- only going home for a few weeks every 8-9 months to see his wife and children. He provides support to (1) my theory that the people of India are the friendliest people on Earth, and (2) Lin Manuel-Miranda’s assertion that “Immigrants... they get the job done.” So.... if any of you are going to Qatar in 2022 for the FIFA World Cup, let me know and I’ll give you Umer’s contact info.

After Debbie’s final day of robotic competition (the girls placed in the middle of the pack, but -- more importantly -- left with an excitement about next year’s competition), she picked me up at the souq and drove me out to The Pearl section of Qatar. Like The Palm in Dubai, this land is completely man-made where just a few years ago there was nothing but water. Then we went to souq Al Wakra to have dinner on the shore of the Arabian Gulf, but it was too cold (even for me!) to sit outside as we had planned. So we dined inside at a lovely Tunisian restaurant called Dar Tunis. It was the perfect ending to a lovely trip.

Thank you, Debbie, for hosting my most excellent 50th birthday adventure!