Tuesday, December 6, 2011

VCUQatar Women's Basketball 2011-2012


It's basketball season already and this one proves to be another building year at VCUQ. The girls' basketball team lost quite a few players from last year who graduated, but change and new challenges are constant.  On to victory, right?

Speaking of changes, head coach Jesse Ulmer stepped down this season to devote more time to his newest and most important occupation of being a new dad.  Congratulations to Jesse and Felicity and welcome to sweet little Dakota Lilly!  Jesse will be missed tremendously.  He has been the fire under these very inexperienced players for the last few seasons and, along with his wife Felicity, has built this program from the ground up.  Brett now has the responsibility of carrying on and taking these women over new hurdles as the new head coach.



The Lady Rams started their season off this last Sunday with a game against The American School of Doha.  Now to understand why a university is playing a high school team you will need to read my previous posts about this remarkable women's basketball program.  These women have come so far and continue to amaze me at their strength, courage, and tenacity, even in the face of much more experienced opponents.  They started Sunday's game with five players and increased to six by the end of the first quarter.  That didn't give much room for resting players and rotating fresh ones in.  Their work was definitely cut out for them.





Yes, they were tired.


Since ASD has won every time these two teams have met, the girls were just hoping to compete with themselves and do better than last year.


There are a couple of new players this year and they have a little more experience than previous team members have had when they joined.  There was a positive spirit in the team the whole night and they kept fighting, even after one of the girls had to sit out most of the second half because of illness.



The excitement brought out the ASD gym cat who patrols the bleachers for snacks and entertainment.





Their goal was to hit the 20 point mark and this photo shows their last basket of the game, reaching that milestone.  They came up short in the end, but it was a good effort for the VCUQ Lady Rams.  Hopefully there will be more players at future games and some more wins to add to the record books.  I will keep you posted.  Go Rams!


Monday, November 21, 2011

Do Your Homework Before Moving to Qatar


If you are considering a job opportunity in Qatar please read this informative article about the dangers of working in Qatar.  I have seen this happen to too many of my friends.  There is a definite risk one takes when coming here and working for the Qatari government or a Qatari based company.  Do your homework and contact former employees to find out what their experience was like.  There are many who have good working experiences here, but the few who don't have a TERRIBLE situation that is not easily resolved.  We are blessed because Brett works for VCU in Virginia and they pay his salary.  They are the ones who will give him a release to leave the country when the time comes for us to move on.

Unfortunately, there are so many stories like the ones in this article and it paints a very bleak picture of employee's rights in Qatar.  I had a friend who had to escape the country when her exit visa was revoked because she complained about the government owing her thousands of dollars.  When the situation was finally over she just felt lucky to be out of the country.  The $6000 or so that she lost became secondary, especially since she had a job waiting for her in London.  I think some people jump into a job here because they are enticed by the idea of not having to pay taxes (which is most often a myth because we DEFINITELY pay U.S. taxes) and the high salaries they can earn.  It is a gamble that sometimes goes wrong.  It is always good to know what cards the other players hold if you are going to gamble so make sure everything is spelled out.  Sadly, many divisions of the Qatari government as well as Qatari individuals are creating a tarnished worldwide reputation of unethical business dealings and it will eventually have an impact on this small country.  If it continues I don't know how they are going to get all the projects finished for the World Cup 2022.  Remember - eyes wide open.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Photo of the Week


I bought this interesting item at Carrefour last week.  I was intrigued and confused by the barbecue flavor being advertised with the picture of two strips of bacon underneath.  The tag line that says, "with Vitamins" just makes me giggle, especially because vitamins is capitalized.  So I can convince myself that this is a health food item, right?  In Utah there is a potato chip company named Clover Club.  I wonder how they would feel about this competitor?

On a related note, have you heard the rumor going around Doha that Qatar will soon have pork products for sale?  Maybe as soon as January 2012.  They will only be sold to non-muslims, of course, but that will be a big deal if it actually happens.  I heard this rumor via facebook, so take it for what it is worth.  My friend, who is leaving Doha in January, posted that she went to turn in her liquor license at the one place in Doha where expats can buy alcohol (other than at the hotels) and was told that she might want to hang on to the license because pork is coming.  So I guess that means that buying it will require a liquor license?! Huh?  Maybe Katrina needs to give me a little more information on how it will all work. Either way, I really don't know what I am going to tell my Mormon bishop when he confronts me about being seen coming out of the liquor store carrying cases of products to my car.  It will all be in the name of the Relief Society Hawaiian luau after all. . .

I know they sell pork products in Dubai and you can get pork in some restaurants in Abu Dhabi, so this isn't unheard of in the Middle East, but it will be nice not to have to lug that frozen Easter ham labeled "beef" in my luggage after Christmas from the U.S.  Just kidding censors!  Calm down.  I would never do that, but I do know people who have.  And just so you know, the unique corn snack tastes nothing like barbecue or bacon.  In fact, it didn't taste all that much like corn either.  Ahhh, truth in advertising.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Abbey Turns 11 on 11-6-11

She has grown up so quickly and this last Sunday was just another reminder that our little girl is not such a little girl anymore.  It was her birthday and as usual it pricked my heart with memories.  I have always tried to tell each of our children, on their birthday, the story of their birth as their bedtime story - what happened on that day, how everyone felt, and what it was like to welcome each of them into our family.  This year, as usual, Abbey sat transfixed as I told her about her arrival on a cold, blustery November day in 2000.  She is in love with that story and especially in love with the part about everyone coming to adore her as they met her for the first time.  She looks worried when I tell her how she didn't breathe on her own at first and I had to tell her to breathe.  She gets a big smile when she hears the part about how Ben was the first one to hold her after Brett and I did.  Then she giggles when I tell her how nervous he was and was afraid he would drop her.  She always looks surprised when she hears how Kristy held her and told her that she was beautiful and perfect.  And the story goes on from there.
At Halloween Abbey got accused of being too old to trick-or-treat by one of our neighbors, but she just smiled and held out her bag anyway.  She has often been expected to act older than she is because of her tall, long-legged frame.  When she told me about the comment from our neighbor I wanted to go to his door and explain how wrong he was but I didn't.  I did get a little more upset about it than I should have though.  I guess you probably know why . . . well, Abbey's birthday was only a few days away and I was going to argue with anyone who put my baby in the "too old" category for enjoying any holiday as a kid.

Well, her big day didn't turn out to be very exciting because Brett and I were in the middle of dealing with the flu and all its fun.  Brett mustered up enough strength to take Abbey and two of her friends to the movie, and all she wanted from me was strawberry pancakes for breakfast and a red velvet birthday cake. Ha!  Easier said than done, but I was going to do all I could not to burst her bubble of innocence and confidence in me.  I was going to make that breakfast and bake that cake, even if it killed me, and it nearly did.  My flu tried to turn into pneumonia the next day, but some well-timed antibiotics staved that off luckily.

The pancake breakfast turned out okay, but as you can see from the pictures, the cake wasn't pretty.  (And you must know that it takes a confident woman to publish these photos on the internet among all the perfect Suzy Homemaker fantasy blogs.) The recipe I used was from a reliable internet source but sometimes, no matter what, the whipped cream (that is essential in the frosting recipe) in this part of the world cannot be counted on.  But being the wonderful girl Abbey is, she took it all in stride and called it her most memorable avalanche birthday cake ever.  Then she told me that her birthday wish when she blew out the candles was going to be that her mom and dad get well.  BIG points scored with that one!

A special thanks has to go to the Straight family for wanting to be in on the festivities and Skyping with us so they could help sing "Happy Birthday" and Jalisa could cheer Abbey on as she tried to blow out the candles.  Thanks, Jim, Jennifer, Jalisa, and even Sammy the cat for being our chosen family even while we are so far away.

Speaking of how wonderful Abbey is, I have to hand it to her.  She lives around expat kids who get a birthday party every year along with too much of everything else.  Maybe it's because their parents are trying to compensate for not being able to live at "home", or maybe it is this way in the states as well and children are just overindulged, but whatever it is, these kids are SPOILED.  Brett and I have been determined not to let that happen with our Abigail, so the birthday party is one thing we have held back on.  Our older kids had maybe three birthday parties each the whole time they were growing up and that was plenty for them, for me, and especially for our budget.  Even though our budget is a little better off these days, we have told Abbey that she isn't going to have a big party every year with her friends.  She isn't happy about it but she understands and doesn't complain.  In fact she gets involved and plans her own birthday activities.  When Brett and I suggested we all go to the movies she said, "No offense guys, but I really don't want to hang out with adults all day on my birthday."  Yeah, Abbey!  I love it when my children know what they want and stand up for it.  I hope she continues to be excited about and immersed in writing the rest of her "story" as she grows up.  She is extraordinary and I continue to sit back in amazement as she conquers her world.  And Mr. So Wrong Neighbor out there . . . Abbey will let you know when she is done with trick-or-treating, but luckily, this wasn't the year.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

November is Diabetes Month


Take THAT Diabetes!  Happy Diabetes Month Everyone!  Remember to wear blue on Fridays to show your support.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Ten MORE Things You Should Know About Qatar Before Moving Here



We have been living in Qatar since August of 2008 so that almost makes us veterans in the expat scene.  The most difficult part of this life (and there are quite a few) would have to be the good byes.  We have said good bye to so many good friends and continue to do that way too much.  Having said that, our short time here almost qualifies us as experts in this country.  Unfortunately, it also makes us notice the unusual, quirky, or remarkable aspects of life here less often.

Over the last few weeks I have tried to attune my eyes and ears to that of the new expat once again.  I don't want to ever get complacent about the experience we are having.  I want to always be able to notice the crazy signs and get indignant and moved by the vast social inequalities around me.  So here is another edition of what you should know about this country before jumping in to its culture as a full-fledged immigrant.  Now keep in mind that I am writing from an American expat perspective and one whose first overseas experience (we hadn't even vacationed outside the U.S. before) was moving to Qatar.

1.  There are only a few places in this world where you can tell how hot it is outside by getting in the shower and feeing the temperature of the "cold" water.

2.  Going into a public restroom is always an adventure in Qatar and you might just want to take some fishing waders with you.  Now this might be an indelicate subject, one to steer clear of when blogging on a public website, but no, I want to save someone the shock and surprise that we experienced when we found ourselves outside of the "modern" restroom environments we were used to.

So why are waders necessary?  Well, in order to accommodate those folks who are used to a nice bidet, without actually providing one, the "Restroom Board of Trustees" for this part of the world have instituted spray hoses that are conveniently placed right next to the toilets so that those who want to can have a refreshing "spray down" after they have done their business.  And why is this a problem?  Well, the floor, toilet seat, flushing handle, and the walls end up wet and covered with . . . well the personal germs of the hundreds of people who sat there before.  Yes, there is a drain on the floor but there is plenty of residual collateral damage and it ends up on the bottom of my pants after I pull them down (sorry for the graphic language) and anything else that must touch the areas described above.  This isn't anything that would be solved by a hygienic toilet seat cover either.  It would require a mop, bucket, and plenty of disinfectant.  I try to wipe things down on our visits now, but to do it properly would require A LOT of tissue, and sometimes that isn't so plentiful.  Make sure and carry your own at ALL TIMES.


Soon after we moved here, Brett, Abbey, and I were attempting one of our first grocery store visits to Carrefour, and half way through our wide-eyed hunt for food, Abbey told me she had to go to the bathroom.  She was seven at the time so I couldn't expect her to hold it very long, so we ventured out of the store and into the Landmark mall to find the facilities.  When we finally located them, the first door in the Ladies Room that I opened revealed this:


Needless to say, Abbey was not too keen on squatting (neither was I), so thinking that all the toilets were similar, we left.  I grabbed Brett, we left our trolley full of groceries, and we made a beeline for home.  It wasn't until later that I learned that there are two options in the restrooms.  If I had opened the next door I would have found this, which is slightly more agreeable to our western persuasions:


Below is the type of facilities that are found in the villas we have lived in.  Most have separate bidets, but some smaller bathrooms have the hose squirter thing - something I only ever associated with a kitchen sink before coming here.  And by the way, don't expect your kitchen sink to have a garbage disposal.  They are a bit of an oddity here.  The noisy toilet paper holders are a big pain because the metal cover's purpose is to protect the toilet paper from getting wet but all it really does is prevent the user from getting a real grip on the paper.  Another bit of info is that there are seldom real live bathtubs in the bathrooms.  Of course showers are more water conservation friendly, so many villas are sans tubs.  Some of my friends have had to plug the shower drain and let the water fill up the bottom of the shower so they could soak the dirt out of the fingernails and toenails of their little ones - ingenuity always pays off as an expat!  (I will tell about using a toothpick and some gum to hang a wall clock on another post sometime.)

A bit cleaner, right?


3.  I have always enjoyed going to the movie, but when we moved here we were warned that it was a very different experience, one that could equal a combat experience or at the very least a day in junior high.  First of all, there is no reliable place to find out what movies are playing where and when.  It is true that the movie timings (that is another word from this part of the world used in place of times) and selections are printed in the newspaper, and there is one movie theater with a website, but the published movies and times are seldom what is actually happening at the theater.  The only reliable way to know this information is to actually go to the theater and buy the tickets.  Even then, Qatar is highly changeable.

Another aspect to the Qatar movie experience is the amount of young men who go to the movie but don't really care to actually watch the movie.  I have sat in many movies with men in thobes behind us talking on their phones and to each other with no quiet consideration at all.  Because they go to movies repeatedly, they are seldom interested in the details of the plot so they use their movie time to catch up on their text messages and phone conversations.  But they will gladly reveal plot surprises ahead of time for you.  And it isn't just three or four young men who do this.  It is most of them.


One time Brett took me to a movie for our anniversary and the talking was so loud that I had to speak up and ask the men politely to be quiet.  (Brett avoids confrontation at all costs.) They didn't comply and almost got louder, so loud that we really couldn't follow the movie.  We left and complained to the management.  They wanted us to go back in with them and point out the men who were being disruptive.  Now, because we live in a country with the most entitled individuals around, we really didn't want to participate in an impromptu line-up, so we asked if we could just go to a later showing.  They agreed but it wasn't an easy process.  When we sat down for the next showing the theater was again full of noisy young men, and before too long someone had thrown a half empty bucket of popcorn on my head.

So the moral to this story is that you should definitely bring your own DVD collection with you to Qatar because even if the difficult evening traffic and large crowds weren't a factor, the movie experience is pretty iffy here and expensive to boot.  Now, if we do go to the movie, we try to go in the daylight hours and avoid the vampire society that rules the night scene here.

4.  Fresh fruits and vegetables go bad quickly in Qatar.  Bananas last only about two days before they are spotted and ready for the banana bread recipe.  Gone are the days when I could buy two weeks worth of groceries and pull out a tomato from the fridge on day 12 and have it still be nice and firm.  I don't know if it is because most of the produce comes such a long distance to get here or if they just don't use preservative sprays or artificial hormonal stuff like they use in the U.S. (which could actually be a good thing) but it makes for a very complicated way of obtaining fresh ingredients.

5.  Speaking of food, even boxed items are not guaranteed to be fresh here.  There are many times when I have purchased boxed cereal with the use by date still in effect, but somehow the cereal just tastes wrong. I don't know if it has to do with how the products are transported, but sometimes I can just taste a chemical smell.  It could be all in my head, but because the Middle East is full of oil fields, sometimes I just smell oil when I open that box of Corn Flakes that may or may not have been part of an oil tanker's cargo.

6.  As an expat, I continue to meet new people.  Unfortunately, I seldom meet any Qataris.  Brett is lucky because he gets to know some of them through his teaching position at VCUQ but me, my circle of influence is limited.  Even though I don't socialize with the local crowd, I do get to meet many different types of people from all over the world.  When we moved here I was unaware of a widespread custom of greeting when being introduced to new people:  the double kiss

My first big goof with this was when I met the sister of one of my neighbors.  Felicity's sister Mel had just moved to Qatar from England, and when Felicity introduced us, Mel drew close to me as if to hug me but instead went for the double air kiss on each side of my face.  Because I thought we were hugging I drew up a little too closely for her comfort and half hugged, half kissed Mel in introduction.  I was totally awkward and stiff with this bungled greeting, and even though Mel was gracious and kind about it, I felt like a total dork.

This custom of saying hello still seems to allude me, so as I meet with friends from around the world, they just continue to be patient and indulgent with me because they know me now and know that I am awkward even in my own culture, doing my own kind of hello.

7.  I've heard Qataris described as the rednecks of the Middle East - kind of the Arabic Beverly Hillbillies if you will.  I think that description comes from the fact that they are relatively new to their seemingly endless wealth and they love their double-wide trailers out by the dunes where they can try out their latest, "Look what I can do!" with their vehicle of choice.  Along with that derogatory nickname comes the overwhelming desire to disprove it and it seems like the Qatari powers that be (Sheikah Mozzah) are determined to make Qatar the cultural capital of this region.  They are spending enormous amounts of money to make this a reality.  The Museum of Islamic Art is one example of this.  It is a beautifully expensive structure, designed by I.M Pei, which totally outshines the art within, so they seem to be operating under the Field of Dreams mantra of "If you build it, they will come."  Now with the World Cup 2022 being awarded to Qatar the projects going on here are almost unbelievable.  While some people have started to describe Dubai as the Las Vegas of the region they now say Doha is becoming the Manhattan of the Middle East.

This mantra has made this city a very interesting place to be with a lot of enrichment going on.  Katara is a  reproduction of a Qatari village but it has big events of affluence and prestige that happen there.  Just this weekend it was host to the Doha Tribeca Film Festival.  We were lucky enough to get some tickets from VCUQ, but people come from all over the world to attend, and boy was the red carpet out - literally and figuratively.

This is the film we saw.  It was so good and really touched my German heart.
The film's directors/screenwriters, who are sisters and wrote this semi-autobiographical script, and two of the actors.




8.  Many of the local fast food restaurants have boxes of tissues at each table instead of paper napkins and that is what you are supposed to use. It seems to be a Middle Eastern thing because they did it in Jordan as well.

9.  I must say something about the driving conditions here.  I've heard it was worse before we arrived, but that is unimaginable.  I've heard that it is worse in India or Nepal, but when I am driving on D-Ring Road and a Landcruiser flashes its lights behind me signaling me to get over, the panic in my heart tells me it couldn't be worse anywhere.

I have seen a car at the side of a somewhat busy road that was cut in half from a recent accident.  In fact, smashed cars are a common sight as you drive these roads.  I have been in many close calls - MANY, but our family prayers each morning and evening have become very specific as we ask for protection from the the traffic issues we cannot control, and dare I say it, I haven't been in an accident yet.

One secret of safe driving here is to assume that you will be cut off, insulted, and totally ignored by other drivers.  Drivers as well as pedestrians move out into a lane and THEN look.  Another secret is to have a big car.  I thank my husband every day for letting me drive our Nissan Xterra so that I can have some "wasta" on the road.  He seems to do okay in our Honda Civic because he is a man and automatically receives more respect as a driver.  Women need a little more bulk to back up their driving here, so be prepared.

Another driving issue here is the amount of road construction that is going on.  Because they are busily preparing for the World Cup 2022 the city has exploded with projects.  They don't seem to be keeping track if people can actually get out of their compounds or to their work or schools.  There just is no forethought with project planning or even planning the roads.  A certain section of road will finally be finished and then they tear it up again because it needs a merging lane.  Why didn't they think of that before?!!  Then there is the "freeway" system here.  The exit lanes merge off in the same lane where there is an entrance lane just behind it.  People drive anywhere from 40 KMPH to 120 KMPH on this so called freeway so it can be very dangerous if I am trapped behind a very slow driver and then have a Qatari LandCruiser speed demon come up behind me with his lights flashing and there is no where to get over.

10.  Lastly, you should remember that a sense of humor is the most important quality to have in order to live happily in a place like this.  If you aren't able to laugh at some of the things that happen here, you are going to spend a lot of time crying and feeling frustrated.  With that said, there are those "Doha Days" when you just have to give up and wave the white flag.  You won't get all your to do list finished most days.  You won't be able to find that allen wrench you need to tighten the screws on your new table.  There isn't anything like Home Depot, Ace Hardware, or even Jiffy Lube here.  Nothing is jiffy or convenient.  This fact forces us to take things a little slower and often give in to the Qatari mentality that time is elastic.  So if you are moving here, remember your flexibility and bring it in large quantities.  You will need it in great supply to go along with your smiles at the ironies that fill this crazy country.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Yes, She's in Fifth Grade!

This is quite late to be posting pictures of Abbey's first day of fifth grade back in September, but it has to be done, especially before her 11th birthday in a couple of weeks. I can't believe my baby is this tall, leggy, beautiful pre-teen already.








On the first day of school we got to meet and take a photo with Dr. Deb Welsh who is the Director of ASD, so that was pretty cool. Abbey's new 5th grade teacher is Abbie Taylor who has a fun, organized style.


I think Miss Abigail is learning a lot already and really getting ready for middle school, which is just next year here in Doha. Her favorite classes in school are P.E., music, and language arts and her favorite color has changed to green. Her teacher is doing Writer's Workshop where the students write every day about any topic they want in their writer's notebook and then develop some of those quick writes later. Last week she wrote this:

 A Blank Page
I look at this page,
all blank and pagie,
it's hardly filled
except for the
Date, title, and this.
The page shouts
"Ha! Only 3/4 of me
Has been scribbled on!"
I shout back saying,
"One day I will
conquer you!"
I write and write.
Page, soon you will not be blank.
The Page shivers
at the thought of it.
I am almost done!
Well ha, there Page,
you have been conquered!
and finally the page
surrenders sadly.




The adventure of this new school year is well under way and the busy-ness of it all has kicked into full force. She is taking piano lessons at the International Centre for Music from a Russian teacher named Natasha, so that has been a new and interesting experience for Abbey as well. Her piano progress seems to have taken a jump, so we are pleased. Music seems to be an integral part of Abbey's personality. Even though she fights practicing, once she starts, she gets lost in playing her assigned songs and also improvising and creating her own tunes. I am so proud of my sweet Abbey and only wish she would stay little a little bit longer, but none of my children have wanted to go into the deep freeze to halt their rapid march to maturity, so I don't know why I think she might. I am just glad she lets me read to her at night and enjoys regular cuddles.