Here, There, Everywhere, or Day 80 in Doha

So something that I do rather obsessively when traveling is look at a map to orient myself. I like being able to know what is in the direction I am facing, and it is also helpful when actually trying to get somewhere.

The odd thing about being in Doha is because I never have to navigate (I don't have a car or the ability to drive), my knowledge of the city is not very deep. I can usually point out what direction the Corniche is in, and I know how to get to shawarma (well, only Hala Istanbul), and I could theoretically get to the west coast, but when it comes to areas and restaurants, my knowledge is lacking a bit.

Thankfully Jill, at Student Affairs, has created this awesome Google Map for all of us:


View Education City and Doha in a larger map

Speaking of Jill, she and a few of the other Student Affairs staff have been leading the Women's Leadership Program, and doing a good job of it. We had our final reception today, and I will miss having an excuse to chat with whoever showed up.

Anyway, Jill's map started my love of make-your-own-Google-map. So for this weekend, I made one of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain (if we end up going there on a day trip).


View Abu Dhabi (and Al Ain) in a larger map

And then I started making one for my May trip. I'll be leaving Education City on May 7th, then making my way through a few of the Middle Eastern, non-Gulf countries, finally ending up in Istanbul on May 26th to take my flight back to the US. Here are some of the potential places:


View May Travels in a larger map


If you noticed, Damascus, Syria, is on the map. There is currently some travel warnings against going, however, these warnings have been around for years. So I'm guessing that as long as I have a travel partner and can get a visa, Damascus is a potential start to my end!