Dinner last night was amazing! The Afghani boys made a traditional meal for us and it was incredibly tasty and they even made it look pretty.



I've asked for some recipes, so I will share those when I get them. Oh, interesting side note, they call okra, 'lady fingers'. At first I thought they were talking about cookies but I looked puzzled when they said it was in a tomato base with potato :)




This is my rental car. It looks like 90% of the cars in Doha. I had to buy a bright red window shade more for the purpose of FINDING my car in a parking lot. The other 10% are landcruisers, if you were wondering.

Does anyone have suggestions on how I can check emission standards across the globe? If I'm going to buy a car I'd like to bring it back to the US with me. I want to make a wise purchase that won't surprise me later. I also have to look for a 4x4, but small, vehicle in order to be able to SCUBA dive - and not bottom out on every speed hump, bump, and vertical wall they place on the roads.



Things are getting real toasty over here. Days are averaging around 115 with 60% humidity. It's like the opposite of snowy days in Buffalo where you come in from outside and your glasses fog up.

I'm almost done with training, then we begin international student orientation. That runs another week. The bonus I get from this is my requirement to chaperone some of the outings. I'll be going to one of the souqs this week so I hope to buy some new fancy sandals. I will try to take photos but you have to be very careful in that type of public place. Ciao for now.

I'm sorry I don't have much time to report lately. Training is really taking up most of my waking hours. I do a lot a half hour or so to working on the new Tomb Raider Anniversary. It's relaxing, except when you know, a dinosaur jumps out of nowhere, or you take a wooden dart to the head.



Here are a few shots of downtown Doha at night. This whole city is under construction, it's just booming!

I had the WORST dream last night, woke up in sweats and panic this morning. In my dream I apparently had amnesia, and when I came to acknowledge myself, I found I was super pregnant! Like big huge belly pregnant. I was kind of poking at my belly and squishing it, thinking to myself, "this can't be mine, this isn't my real belly is it?" Then the father, or whom I assume is the father, walks in the room and smiles ear to ear. He exclaims how excited he was to find out the news and is so very happy to be a dad. He's hugging me and kissing me and there are tears in his eyes. I, however am freaking out and can't stop thinking to myself, "you are the last guy on earth that I know who would ever want a kid!". It was just too bizarre for me. Truly.

In other news I learned a little something about Qatari law during Ramadan. I was aware that Muslims fast from dawn til dusk during the month of Ramadan. What I was not aware of is that it is illegal to smoke, eat or drink anything in public, between dawn and dusk. It's a serious offense and you would get jail time! Oh, and you'll love the laws on alcohol. Drinking age is 16 here, but you can't be Muslim. If you are caught under age, you will receive 3 months in jail and a fine of 10k QR (which equals about $2,740). It is also illegal to engage in public displays of affection, which can also result in jail time and fines.

Chris got a speeding ticket the other day. We only know because they use video cameras and were shocked with a nice big flash. Don't know how much that'll cost. Apparently the going rate for running a red light though is 3k QR ($820). I really wonder if there is some way to convince the ministry to use some of this money for driver's education courses. The leading cause of death in this country, and why I make such a fuss about these roundabouts, is car accidents. They have signs of brutal accidents posted everywhere, signs of families with a ghostly father figure saying "where are you daddy?"...but I don't see this passive form of education as doing any justice. They need to teach these people how to drive, how to yeild, how to not drive 60mph down a side street. Clearly your speed bump infested streets do nothing more than bottom out the vehicles. Thank God they are slowly converting major roundabouts to traffic light intersections.

Chris, Lindsay and I went to our first house party last night. It was so nice to meet some new people, have some laughs, and whole lot of Carlsberg! We have now dubbed our outings as "Doha Nights". Sounds like a cheezy soap opera.


I admit it. I actually sang karaoke.


At least I picked a choice song


Everyone was having a good time

We had a successfull first day of training. I was happy to have the chance to bust out my old facilitator hat and do a lot of ice breakers/team building exercises with everyone. I really enjoy doing that sort of thing. It made me wish that we were moving on to a challenge course so I could hook some people up in ropes and start climing trees!

Honestly though, they were so receptive to everything it was a refreshing feeling. We had a lot of laughs and I learned that 'The Wave' that we use at sporting events, they call 'The Mexican Wave'. I asked why, and they had no reason, they thought it's what we called it. I thought it was very strange. Racial slurs are usually derived from some stereotype, but what does being Mexcian have to do with 'The Wave'?

My rental car showed up yesterday as well as my temporary license, so we all hopped in a car together and went on our first lesson. Yay!



I'm also feeling better so that makes me happy. Feeling well enough that I went and worked out in the gym last night and today after work I went swimming. Man I'm out of shape. I only managed to do 10 lengths of the pool. Granted it's an Olympic size pool so a length is a good distance, but I think that only works out to 1/3 of a mile. No matter what, it's a very good thing that I'm getting back into that which makes me happy and fit :) Ciao.

Here you go tiny. Better perspective?



And.... HELLS YEAH....we got administrator rights today! Woot!

I'm working on all the ice-breakers, warm-ups and other games for CDA training which starts this week. It makes me really miss my internship at Project Adventure.

Trying to catch up on past questions and comments:

Q- What's the difference between British and US version of Harry Potter books?

A- The cover for one. Also the language.

Q- What's the gay scene like here in Doha?

A- Believe it or not, it exists. Not among Qataris of course but there seems to be a community of Philippino men.

C- There are plenty of restaurants where I can eat veggie. Though I have learned through trial and error that even if you order a dish that is just veggies, they like to toss meat on it, haha. So I have to order with specific 'no meat' instructions. My search was for grocery items so that I can cook at home. I am missing my Quorn 'chicken nuggets' and Boca 'beef crumbles'.

Lastly, I was stoked to find litchi juice - and it's dirt cheap. I only paid 55 cents for liter carton!

I got sick this weekend and did not go out :( Nothing to report on the secret society of non-Muslim clubbing in Doha. I'm surprised I lasted 2 weeks without an IBS incident, what with the tremendous stress I was experiencing in the whole moving process. Feeling better this morning after a very rough night. Hope it's ending.

I did sneak out to the mall momentarily yesterday afternoon. I broke down and bought myself a PS2. Can anyone guess which game I bought to start off with? But of course, the new Tomb Raider Anniversary :)

I know I really should have waited until I get my next paycheck at the end of September (gulp) but I was going crazy. I feel semi imprisoned by my environment. If you've ever seen Chronicles of Riddick you'll get my joke. It's so flippin' hot and I'm so far away from anything, you can't go outside. I seriously think I might burst into flames if I stand out there too long.

Eh. I'm sorry for the uneventful update. I will try my best to get that photo up tiny. I don't know what the deal is, the tool doesn't even show up now. Maybe there is something different going on when I'm at my desk in the office. I'll test that theory tomorrow.

Lastly, I was searching online for regional brands of vegetarian replacement foods. I've been having a little trouble finding anything that I recognize. I managed to find some Tofu, but that's not my preferred meal. So I found a great site in Egypt that gave me some leads.

I'm going out tonight (thank God it's thursday!) and lucky me, look what my horoscope says: "Any kind of group activity will delight you today. You feel energised and more enthusiastic about life. People lift your spirits." Let me hear a great big, awwwwww.

We went to their version of the DMV this morning. You know, all we had to do was take an eye exam? I sat in a chair, read 3 lines, he stamped my paper and that's that. What's funny is the tickets they gave us, like a 'take a number and wait to be called' thing, said either FEMALE or VIP. I think it stands for Vehicular Incident Propagators :)

I hope I have something nifty to report on Doha nightlife. Oh, (e:Tinypliny)...1. Yes, I have granite countertops 2. I will take a picture of the coke with another object that will give you a different visual perspective. I assure you though, they are wee cans!

Ok, only a few of you may get this but.....at first glance, does the guy on the right remind you of anyone?





clearly i did not take this photo, but it's a cool shot of doha





the super tiny baby cokes i was talking about!





somehow i got the photos thing to work today. i dunno. ciao!