Saturday, March 26, 2011

Doggie Discipline


Yes, this is the new technique in dog training that is all the rage.  Smudge and Freckles are especially rowdy whenever we have family prayer and scripture study, so Brett came up with this clever sit/hold that makes them feel loved while at the same time keeps them from wrestling and flailing themselves all over the office.  It is strange but effective.  :)

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Camel Cookies for Book Lovers


What should be served at a Book Club Meeting held in Doha, Qatar?  Well, camel sugar cookies, of course!

Update: VCUQatar Women's Basketball Team 2011


One of my most popular posts last year was the one I did about the 2010 VCUQatar Women's Basketball Team and the remarkable season they had.  Unfortunately I didn't get to follow the team this year until the last game because I was in the U.S., but it was a great season as well.  The team wasn't as wide-eyed and inexperienced as last year, their cheers were a lot more sophisticated than that first one two years ago, and that made things a little less interesting and triumphant, but there was still quite a bit of growth and drama.  I still think it is remarkable that these women are pioneers in this kind of competition and they continued to show up even though they endured major setbacks like losing a lot of their cheering fans from last year and losing some close games.



The team played more consistently this year and the average total points scored was up dramatically.  The Lady Rams were able to follow game plans more fully and they played more as a team.  Their coaches and the die hard fans had a lot to be proud of again this year.  A nice bonus for this season was that they got to play most of their games in the newly finished Education City Student Center, so it was more of a neutral territory.  The teams in competition this year were VCUQ, Georgetown Qatar, Texas A&M Qatar, Qatar Academy, American School of Doha, Carnegie Mellon Qatar, and The College of the North Atlantic.  An interesting part of the competition here, that I didn't mention last year, is the fact that the game against The College of the North Atlantic was held in their facility and therefore it was a women only game.  Brett was not able to attend because of that, but their rules did allow Jesse, the head coach, to be there.


The last game of the season is the one I got to attend and it was against Georgetown.  Again the team had made it to the final four and the mood was pretty tense.  There were a couple of seniors on our team who would not be back next year and wanted to win so badly, but their hard work and body sacrificing blocks did not bring them out on top in the end.  Their tears at the final buzzer was evidence that they had put their heart and body into the game and had to try and be satisfied with this year's growth and another #4 placement.  Maybe next year will be the break through year.  It takes years to build a basketball program anywhere but especially with ladies, who just a few years ago, didn't even touch a ball, let alone try and play a game with one.  Congratulations to the Lady Rams for another monumental season!











Saturday, March 19, 2011

Photo of the Week

I'm not sure but this might just be one of those inexpensive knock-offs.  Isn't there a spelling rule about "s" before "h" except after "c"?

Monday, March 14, 2011

Ten Things You Should Know About Qatar Before Moving Here

Here are a few items that have been on my mind - items of wisdom for the newcomer to Doha.  Now this wisdom might seem very trivial and unimportant to many of you, but when you live in a country that is filled with ironies and the status quo is that everything MUST be done in the most difficult way possible, the little things start to become the BIG things in an emotional/mental health sense.  (wink, wink)

1.  Grocery carts are called "trolleys" and you need a lot of upper body strength to operate them.  The wheel action is archaic and they are not user friendly.  To illustrate this when I push an empty trolley I can push the handle to the side with one hand and the cart will turn all the way around in a kind of haphazard way.  This may sound fun, but trust me, it isn't a good thing for getting the cart to go in a forward motion loaded with orange juice and toilet paper.  Even though we have been here three years I still haven't learned how to operate them without much frustration and body pain.  I'm sure I am still quite a hilarious site to behold at Carrefour as I trudge my way down the ailes and stretch my whole body one way in order to turn a corner the other.  If I would only learn not to fill the carts so full, but whenever I go to the store I get as much as possible so I don't have to go back any time soon . . . but that is another story.

2.  There are VERY FEW left turn holding lanes here which means that you will be forced to make way too many "U" turns at round abouts and intersections and go way out of your way to get to a certain location.  Conserving gas is not an issue here, I guess, and conserving forethought is, at least when it comes to road planning, but to conserve my sanity I usually try and remain open to the option of NOT actually getting to my destination when I am out on the road and just returning to the safety and serenity of my own villa for an impromptu nap.

3.  REAL marshmallows cannot be found in this country.  I think it has something to do with REAL marshmallows containing some form of pork product.  Don't even try to make respectable Rice Krispie Treats with the local marshamllows to take to the Friendship Festival.  They will come out different every time and when I say "different" I mean not in a good way.  They are rubbery, rock hard, or just nasty tasting.  Just bring the good old Western Family brand from the U.S. and save yourself the grief.  But then don't make the mistake of getting involved in the risky Marshmallow Black Market here and find yourself trading your precious Libby's canned pumpkin for REAL marshmallows that some Texas oil executive's wife squished into her Samsonite last spring.  You might get sucked into the underground licorice trade next and then it will be all over for you!

4. There are many different people here in Qatar from many different cultures.  Our first months here were spent getting used to the mannerisms, personalities, and accents of the numerous foreigners.  Most of them know English but not the English we are familiar with.  For example, if you encounter someone from India, Sri Lanka, or Nepal and you have asked them a question, you might be mystified by the wiggling of their head from side to side (in a bouncy way).  This famous head wiggle is an expressive gesture and can mean YES, or I agree with you, or Yes, I would like that - similar to the western nod for agreement.  The Indian head wiggle can also be used as a greeting.  I have yet to master it, and I might need to have some tutoring from the guards at our compound, but one day I will get brave enough to use it and then these very good-natured people will embrace my blonde, lily-white self as a true sister.

5.  Speaking of culture, Qatari culture is very difficult to differentiate from other Arabic culture.  The food they eat here is mostly Lebanese, Turkish, or Iraqi.  Their homes are decorated with Persian rugs, marble flooring, and ornate, burnished furniture that looks like a golden peacock threw up all over it.  Their architectural skyline seems to be a Dubai wannabe and even the excessive use of white Landcruisers on the roads is prevelant in most other Arab countries.  We are still trying to find unique cultural markers that are only in this Middle Eastern country, but it might be safe to say that the new internet phrase of "That's so Qatarded!" that came about after the shocking news that Qatar had won the 2022 World Cup bid can only be linked to Qatar.  The sore loser countries that didn't win probably came up with the term to make themselves feel better, but leave it to Qatar to be the nerdy newcomer on the recess world stage getting picked on by the World Cup bullies.

6.  Turkey Central is not a restaurant featuring Thanksgiving dishes.

7.  If you hear someone talking about Sheikah Mayassa in Qatar they aren't talking about their dancing prowess.  They are discussing one member of the royal family.  BTW, she's very beautiful.


8.  If you burn your hand in a simple kitchen accident DO NOT put it under the water that comes out of the faucet.  You must use the cold water from the water cooler.  Water storage here is outside and therefore, all the water that comes into your villa is heated by the ferocious desert sun.  So in the summer we turn OFF the water heater and get hot water on the cold side of the faucet from outside and warm water on the hot water side of the faucet from the water heater - confusing I know.

9.  Some of the crackers that are available here might not be what you are used to.  For that matter, many of the products here probably WON'T be what you are used to unless you go to the very OVER-PRICED Mega Mart and pay about $8 a box for Special K cereal.  This package of saltines was the first saltine I found and that was this year.  The taste was not worthy of being called a saltine.



10.  If you are lucky enough to meet and get to know a genuine Qatar national you will find him/her to be very pleasant, accommodating, and generous.  They love to teach westerners about their country, their traditions, and their culture.  Just last month when my cousin was here from Germany and wanted to buy a ghutra and some other authentic Qatari clothing Brett asked his student Abdullah to help them.  He helped them by taking them to a rustic souq that sold Armani headdress items and bought my cousin all the items he wanted.  Now what is a German guy going to do with an Armani ghutra you ask?  Well anything he wants and in style for sure.  Now that is how Qataris are in person.  Don't even get me started on what they are like on the road.

Saturday, March 12, 2011

50 & fANTASTiC!



Turning 50 years old is a big deal, right?  So I have been planning a big deal party for Brett since last summer.  I bought the hat, the plates, and the napkins in Utah and stuffed them in our luggage when we came back to Doha last August.  So we finally got to break out the 50th Birthday Party paraphernalia and celebrate Brett's great life last week.  He kept telling people that I have terrrible math skills and had the number of birthdays wrong, but no one believed that story, so he appropriately received a lot of teasing about his age and his memory, especially considering the party invitation included this photo of Brett sporting this hat.








Brett really loves taking the dogs to the beach these days and watching them run in the "waves" so I thought a beach party would be perfect.  Then I had the great idea of a bonfire and lots of people.  Things kind of got out of hand, especially considering I had fallen and cracked a rib on February 13 and was still healing, but somehow it all happened.  As usual I stressed and baked and stressed and baked, and cooked but it all turned out wonderfully, and the most important thing was that Brett had a great time and felt very loved.

The fire got started:



And so did the festivities!

There were a lot of cute kids in the party crowd:
And we had an entertaining bunch of adults as well:

We kind of tricked our neighbor Karl into coming.  He works six days a week and works way too hard, so when we asked him if he could get one of his work trucks to help load wood out to the beach for the fire, he had to be neighborly and bring the truck and the wood , his family, AND HIMSELF.  His wife was pretty happy about our devious plan!



Felicity, Jesse, and Riley made an unexpected appearance.  We will be "expecting" more visits in the future from them!!
Our friend, Mark (on the right with the big smile), was bequeathed with the birthday hat at the end of the night since his big 5-0 is coming next year.  We might just have to visit Tel Aviv to attend his party.

Our great friends brought some delicious food and the tasty part of the night began:


Rikke's extra thoughtful blue birthday cake was a hit!  Thanks, Rikke!
These two inmates had a grand time romping on the beach until their puppiness got out of control when Smudge started following a Qatari in a truck who was walking his dog the easy way (can't blame Smudge for his instinctual desire to follow a truck) and Freckles confiscated a hot dog out of the hands of a little party goer.

As the sun set it was time for dessert and a BIG BEACH HAPPY BIRTHDAY SONG:

A Texas Sheet Cake was the best bet for chocolate lover Brett!

The candles wouldn't light because of the dusty wind and then the number 5 broke, so the ceremonial blowing out of the candles had to be abandoned.  At least the candles made it intact to the Doha beach all the way from Utah!
The party was so much fun and we are so thankful for those friends who came and helped us celebrate.  Thanks to Wayne for helping with the hot dogs on his grill and thanks for Gurur and Anil for staying until the very end to clean up.  If all of our friends and family from the U.S. had been here we could have called it a perfect day.

The next day was Brett's actual birthday so he spent part of the day in his pajamas and accepted presents like this delectable one from our friend Afton who is a gourmet baker.  I thought it was MY birthday when I bit into this creamy piece of heaven.

It was a great 50th birthday for Brett.  He was thrilled with his new set of scriptures that I had purchased in Colorado when I was there in January and maybe even more thrilled with the laptop cushion for his computer from Abbey that has a built-in fan to prevent an over-heated lap.  This man has brought me so much joy and happiness and continues to make my life meaningful, fun, and blessed so here's wishing for another 50 years of Brett!