American Chocolate Chip Cookies, or Day 101 in Doha

I've realized I've begun to start all my posts with my mood. Now, that may be a good thing: you'll know whether or not you want to keep reading. But on the other hand, it boils down all my complex emotions into one introductory sentence...

I had a wonderful day!

The networks project that Khaled and I have been struggling with for four weeks now has passed its final required checkpoint. That means, on the surface, it does what it's supposed to do. Now, that is awesome news, and we have a week and a half to make it do what it is supposed to do through and through, as well as optimize for extra credit (which I need...)

To celebrate that, I made cookies! (Which means I had cookie dough for dinner. Shhh.) I invited Daedri over to test them, as we commiserated that our time here is running out!




Basel came back from his week in Canada, so Abdalla and I got together with him to hear all about the stuff that Canada allows that Qatar does not.

Honestly, I think a lot of the people from the U.S. think that everyone wants to be a citizen of the States; I know I used to think that way. We're the greatest country in the world, right? However, I get around here, and people are often so proud of their home countries that trading in those passports would be sacrilegious. And those that do want to be able to travel with fewer restrictions or want the opportunities of a non-Arab country try to get citizenship to Canada, which is why Basel took his trip.

All in all, a much different mindset than the one I expected. I'm not sure if chocolate chip cookies are American, but that's just another reason to head over to North America! (We actually have the ingredients one needs to make them properly.)

Before They Were Famous, or Day 95 in Doha

Today ended happily. Finally, a day that ends well.

After a rough start (staying up until 4 or 5am doesn't bode well to making it to morning classes), I got to work.

This evening, I took a break and listened to the very well-attended speech by Dean Chuck Thorpe. After coming in as the first dean in 2004 (with a background in robotics, I must add), he has become a much beloved figure on this campus. His title, "Six Quotes for Six Years", intrigued me. While I don't know the Dean personally, I see him at a few of the Computer Science talks on Mondays. I also now understand more why we have two robotics labs at CMU-Q. He has done some pretty remarkable things around here, but remains a very humble and adventure-loving guy. I'll have to get back in shape so that I can run across Qatar with him.

I finally got a chance to catch up with Daedri. It is ridiculous that we live just a floor away from each other, but I see her once in a blue moon. That is probably because all we do back in our dorms is sleep (possibly eat, possibly blog, but sleep is the main at-home activity).

Not only did I get to see her, but I also got to see how her collection was coming. I got a sneak preview of what is eventually going to get shown at a fashion show in Hong Kong! That intricate jacket I'm wearing? A Daedri original. In years, I'll be saying, "I knew her before she became famous."

One Bird, One Stone, or Day 70 in Doha

Best laid plans, eh?

Well, I did get up and make crepes, and those were delicious. Daedri and Abdalla and I baked out in the morning sun (it was probably 90F or mid-30sC) while eating them with Nutella and bananas, strawberry jam, or baked apples.

I put on my sunscreen, and the two of them (with their dark skin) just laughed.

Brent and Zane came a little after, so we made Brent finish up the crepes, and we were off to find the camel race track at Al Shahiniyah.

(I probably shouldn't have said right as we were leaving that I wasn't sure this was the right race track...)

It was less than 15 minutes away, and when we got there, we saw random groups of camels milling around. Abdalla pulled over to ask some guys about the races and... they were cancelled. The heat was too much for this early in spring, apparently, so they were pushed to Monday or Friday, or some other day.

We still managed to get yelled at for driving too close to the camels that were practising on the track.

Abdalla proposed going to Dukhan, which is on the west side of Qatar. I was against it at first (we all had work to do), but when we heard that we were already halfway there, it was a go!

So my original goal was taken from me, but I got to check another item off my bucket list! Daedri said that it was hitting two birds with one stone, but I fully intend on coming back for a real camel race.

During the roadtrip (which only took about 45 minutes to get from EC to Dukhan), we played the Qatar version of the roadtrip game "Cows." The original goal is to count the most cows on your side of the car, trying to beat the other side. If there is a cemetery on your side of the road, all your cows "die" and you start back at zero.

The Qatar version uses camels and mosques.



There was a gorgeous beach; it was just hazy enough that there was no way to tell where the sky met the sea. We waded up to our rolled-up-pants-legs, picking shells and skipping stones.

I put on more sunscreen, and Abdalla just shook his head.

The blue water was cool (so of course, Abdalla made some geeky joke about convection) and the sand was smooth. I wish we could have stayed longer (and were more prepared) but I'm so glad I got that refreshment in.

And now I have a hankering for a roadtrip to the north.

And Guess What!, or Day 69 in Doha

I figured today would be a boring day, so I spiced it up with a time-lapse video of me walking from uni. (In some ways, this could be considered weird that now a bunch of people might be able to figure out where I live... but the time-lapse is so quick, not sure you could figure it out. Not to mention the myriad of other ways to figure out where I live.)

I also spiced up today by being super-excited about not very exciting things...

So guess what! Here's the video!




And guess what! Varun got me my shirt!



And guess what! Khaled wrote me some code for our program!

And guess what! Daedri invited me out for some sheesha and tea and meeting new people!

And guess what! Abdalla took me to get supplies for crepes tomorrow (and we are going to the camel races, insha'allah)! Yum and fun.

My Laptop is Put to Work, or Day 68 in Doha

I've decided that the ECQC people (*cough* Varun *cough*) owe me a t-shirt for my kind and thoughtful lending of my laptop for displaying the slideshow during the event today.

Someone get on that.

I was sitting doing nothing (well, actually laying down, thinking about napping, but not actually able to) when I get a call from Varun. I had taken my computer to him yesterday about not being able to access the internet, and it was a stupid proxy problem that I should have been able to find myself. Anyway, he noticed it was a Toshiba, with an S-Video socket, and so asked me to lend it to him. I said yes, and that I'd be at uni in less than 30 minutes.

I hop in the shower, and by the time I get out, I have a missed call. I called back, and it was two of the ECQC crew, waiting outside the dorms to get the laptop! I dressed and hurried it downstairs, then ran into Daedri on the way up. We had a chat about our spring breaks as she had some of my cookies.

Meanwhile, I got to be laptop-less for an hour before ECQC, which forced me to find people to hang out with. Shaza and Amal and a few others were in the library courtyard, so I chatted with them until Sidra and Abdalla and Maria and Fatima came up, so we could all sit together during the show.

These event are just big EC reunions; they bring together all the colleges and you get to catch up with all sorts of people.

Did I mention that Zaid was the emcee? And Varun was the head of it all... such an amazing job he did!

Not only was every institution in EC represented by a team, but there were sponsors so the production value was very high. The winning team (which was Cornell by the way) got flat screens! Each of the three people on the team!

The questions were pretty good, though some were very hard and some were less so. One of my favorites was showing a clip of this Youtube video and asking for the singer of the original song or the instrument the kid was playing on.




The correct answer is, of course, Jason Mraz or the ukulele. I think the team that didn't answer it correctly was a little too focused on the artist, because I would think they would've gotten ukulele. (That is also one of my favorite videos, for the record.)

ECQC lasted 3.5 hours (which is a bit long... that is one major criticism I had. Though part of it might have been because my computer crashed, so by proxy, my fault. But hey, they were running Windows!) After, there was a buffet, and I said my goodbyes to the IMPAQT group. There is a chance I will see them tomorrow (since they've wanted to see my dorm room to compare it to Pittsburgh) but I'm thinking they will have enough wrap-up stuff to keep them busy.

After talking with them, I'm very, very glad that I came here for an entire semester. A week is just not enough!

Can I Have An Extension, or Day 46 in Doha

Today dawned a funny yellow-ish cloud cover, probably left over from the fog last night. My day was very productive, bouncing from class to class, grading papers and coding. I guess that's why it hasn't sunk in that I'm leaving for Dubai in just a few hours.

I think it is also the fact that Dubai doesn't really seem like another country. The UAE is, but I'm thinking that I'll enjoy being a tourist again for a bit. I've lost that sense of wonder (and freedom and time-less-ness) around here. However, the days are still spinning by so fast!

People keep teasing me that I'm starting Spring Break a week early (since it begins on the 26th for me). But speaking of Spring Break, I'll have lots of adventures to tell you from the distant, wild country of India!

While I was working (and wandering around) at uni today (yes, I'm using that word "uni"), I saw a whole production set up on the majlis. While I didn't get to stick around for more than a few minutes of the talk (and a few bites of the food), the speaker, Patrick Awuah. I'm not going to be able to do him justice, but the little that I caught was him talking about how the roots of problems come from apathetic leadership. His goal, then, was to groom young people into leaders that would make a difference. I'm sure Shaza and Maria and Fatima could tell you (since they are all lined up and attentive in the picture).

I tried to get ahead on my work for next week, since I'm leaving at 05:30 tomorrow and getting back at 07:30 on Sunday (just in time for classes). That leaves not very much time that I want to be doing work during the weekend. And I have I mentioned it still hasn't sunk in yet?

After a productive evening (so good to be saying that!) Abdalla and I splurged on TWO riyal DIPPED ice cream cones. Big spenders, I know, but I'm not going to be around in this currency for a full weekend... Instead I'll be using UAE dirhams. And, according to Google, 1 Qatar riyal is 1.00942492 UAE dirhams. So a one-dirham ice cream cone? Forget about it.

While I was around in my building, Daedri came up to say hi (and have a snack). I walked in on her this evening getting her hair extensions, so seeing the final product was pretty cool. And, a little bit more culture in my life, since I've never seen anyone get extensions put it. Six hours to get them braided in? That's a lot of patience! Daedri looks much different... but we're already enjoying playing with them.

I'm off to Dubai shortly! I'll have some internet, so still be posting (Insha'Allah) but it is traveling, so I can never guarantee anything!

Chaddi-Buddies, or Day 41 in Doha

I think I might have gotten a bit pink in the sun today... gotta watch out for those two hour Ultimate frisbee games. Also, I need to figure out where to get more free t-shirts, since my gray one is ambigious for the lights-versus-darks matches.

Utsav, of course, invited me along, and Salman was a great cheerleader, and Tina was pretty impressive for her first Ultimate frisbee experience. She touched the disk a few times (more than I did the first time I played.)

So I've been hearing about this Red Bull Crashed Ice event for a few weeks now, and a group of us decided to stop by. I heard about it through Facebook; some of the "Red Bull Girls" as well as a guy who works for them go to uni here, and I've seen them passing out free cans. So turns out that knowing someone who is working the event got us actual seats really close to the rink.

Now, this event is going to eventually be a full-fledged, contact-filled race down an icy slope in Canada. This preliminary round had a truck to jump over, some cones to slalom, and some large bumps that needed to get jumped over. The announcer elongated every name and was trying (with little success) to get the crowd riled up.

We did get a bit noisy for a few of the contestants, when they were struggling to get over the truck as the final obstacle and we cheered them on. Also, for a bit of "halftime entertainment", some BMX biker did some impressive balancing and tricks, while riding right along our toes.

After watching all 16 rounds of the preliminaries, Daedri, Abdalla, and I split off to go grocery shopping. We were running late to get back to EC (Daedri had some other people she was meeting up with), so it was a hurried trip.

When we got back to EC, and all my groceries were put away, I get a call telling me to come outside to help Abdalla fill out a form for the restaurant secret shopper job that he has. Well, thinking about food got me hungry, and what else is there to do when you get hungry at 11 then go get shawarma, and what fun is shawarma without adding another three people to the car?

So Maria and Fatima come along, and we convince Zaid that he needs to join us, and we get some food. Maria and Fatima get it in their heads that a new movie has come out, and we must, must, must go see it now.

We end up at Villagio, and... the movie doesn't come out until next week. So we sit with our shawarmas on couches in the mall and chat.

I was surrounded by best friends... Maria and Fatima are attached at the hip; Zaid and Abdalla are "A to Z" on the Qatar Foundation radio and are each others "other half." Not only are they all very close, but they all speak Urdu. So multiple times during the night, I started dosing off while they chatted away in their Pakistani language.

That's before they decided I should learn how to speak it. I got a few phrases, one of which was, very appropriately, "chaddi-buddies." "Chaddi", as they explained to me, is like underwear or diapers, so "chaddi-buddies" have been friends since they were little. And while neither pair met before coming to university, both pairs now act like they've known each other forever.

I'll have to steal some pictures from Fatima tomorrow (and a video), so I can show you the reason that we were asked to leave the mall... I mean, what kind of mall doesn't allow students to skip around and be hyper at 2 in the morning?

A final piece of news... one of the pigeons hatched! We now have a "Junior" on our windowsill. We'll see what happens to Egg #2!

Balls, or Day 40 in Doha

It was one of those spectacular Thursday where I didn't have any classes, and was very, very glad about it.

After my huge Networks project was due last night, I was happy to take a break from coding and focus on myself for a bit... sleep in, work out, and be my social self.

The ECPB was holding an ECPB event (Education City Programming Board; Education City Pre-Break), because apparently Spring Break is coming up... in two weeks!

These events around here are so much different than the same would be in Pittsburgh. For one, they attract the same amount of people, which, comparing the campus sizes, is a bit amusing. For two, the planning parties are much more trusting, putting out frisbees and sports balls. For three... well, I suppose people mingle a lot, but at events at CMU, half the fun is showing up with people you know and leaving with an entirely different group of friends, so I suppose that is similar.

I was a gorgeous day (like most days), so I spent half an hour hitting around a volleyball with the likes of Shazia, Amal, Nijat, and other CMU folk. While mingling, I got to see a few of my Cornellian, Northwestern, A&M, and VCU friends (I know, I'm missing Georgetown...)

There were some football (soccer) matches going on, as well as a Guitar Hero event, but I decided to meet some new people and went out with Daedri and her church friends.

One friend picked Daedri, Elizabeth and myself up at EC, then we started the night by heading to Villagio with some intent of going Go-Karting. We started by going to dinner at Thai Chi (a Thai and Chinese restaurant... get it?) as a final guy friend joined us.

After a delicious dinner, we were back to trying to figure out what to do. The idea to go to a movie was prevalent in everyone's head, but none of us really wanted to spend the money for something we weren't interested in. After much, much brainstorming, we decided to first visit "Gondolia", the fun center in the mall, to see if we could find something to do.

We walked in a fairly nondescript entrance, and my senses were attacked. There was bright lights, large and loud crowds, rides and games, and a little bit of chaos everywhere. Due to all of this madness, it took a long time for us to find a ride that we all agreed upon, find out where to buy tickets, find out where it actually was, and then convince the only guy in the group that, no, bumper cars is NOT just for little kids. (He was scared that his friends would see him on the ride, but when other guys started talking to us in line, we convinced him that we needed "protection," and he came along.)

So after the bumper cars, we wandered back to where we had found the Go-Karts, to see what prices were like. They were a bit too expensive for our tastes, so we settled on bowling (which was actually the Plan B that we had come up with back at the restaurant). Now, Daedri, Elizabeth, and I were all wearing sandals, but we assumed we could get socks at the bowling alley. Which was true. The socks were just really cheap and sketchy, but they were selling them for the outrageous price of 10 riyals ($2.70)!

So we decided to take a short side trip to another store in the mall to get better/cheaper socks. We found 3 pair for 20 riyals (so not saving much) but I won't feel bad actually keeping these.

Anyway, I bowled a just-fine game, possibly beating everyone else (though the scores didn't stay up on the screen long enough at the end to verify it. We were also wearing super styling shoes, which probably helped my score too.

Abdalla met me at Villagio (the mall), and we ended up eating shwarma and going to bandar. Bet you never would've guessed that would be the end of my day! I'm already getting into these ruts.

Though I must say, today it sunk in that I've been in Qatar for 40 days... and looking at it through one lens, I feel like I've been here forever: I know the city, met a lot of people, and have done quite a bit. Looking at it another way, however, I feel like I haven't been here much time at all, in the grand scheme of things. For better or for worse (almost definitely for the better), I'm here for another three months!

A Selection of Morrocan Pastries, or Day 33 in Doha

A spectacularly unproductive evening followed what set out to be a good day to work on my Computer Networks project.

Lunch is a necessity, so I don't feel guilty for the hour there. Abdalla and I went to an Arabic restaurant, where I had rice and "meat." Here, there is chicken and there is meat. Meat translates into lamb or beef, because of the halal regulations banning pork.

Also, it was a Friday afternoon, so all of the families that just went to prayer were at the restaurant we were originally going to go to (where you sit and eat on the floor... way cool). The crowds reminded me of going out to brunch after church with my grandparents every Sunday when I was staying with them in D.C. Except, you know, Muslim.

However, the distractions began at dinnertime.

The Campus Life of Qatar Foundation decided that they would do their part for Haiti, so I attended a fundraiser barbecue. The main food was similar: hotdogs and hamburgers. What wasn't the same was the sides: more pita, less buns, crepes, juice, chocolate pebbles. I got to run into all sorts of friends from the dorms: Fatima and Maria, Sabrina and Utsav, Michael and Zaid.

However, Daedri and I had to run. She had convinced to go meet some of her friends downtown. We got a taxi from Education City to the souq in what was supposed to be a short tea break with these "pilots-in-training" who are attending a pilots' school nearby.

None of us were that hungry, so Daedri and I decided to be "adventurous" and try the "Selection of Moroccan Pastries." If you can't tell from the picture... it was the biggest waste of 20 riyals I've spent in this country. They were cookies (biscuits) from packages from a supermarket! The cheesecake was much better, so Hamed and Rushdy shared. They also wanted to share their smokes, but we both passed on that.

So now, I'm feeling a bit stressed, since there is only one day left in the weekend, and it is a bit full already. This week is going to be tough! Get ready for some short blog posts, people.

Virgin Soap 2000, or Day 20 in Doha

Sometimes, I think part of the reason that I blog daily is so that everyday I have an excuse for my need to do more than just homework. Because over three-quarters of today was sitting at my laptop, reading the code and beginning to write a IRC server for my networking class.

The part that I want you to hear about, though, was the Doha Trade Expo. I saw this advertised a bit online and on signs around, and everywhere it was advertised, it went on until "Saturday, Jan. 24."

I have no idea of Saturday, Jan 23rd (today) was the last day or not, but the amount of people there was very cool. We got there at 8:30pm and parked in the dusty lot that stretched for hundreds of meters on all sides of this boxy building, which was covered in cars.

Culturally-sensitive me realized after I snapped my first picture that being surrounded by covered women and men does not make a photogenic place.

So Daedri and Brent and Abdalla and I wandered that stalls; we tried some dates, felt some "pashmina" scarves, got talked at by Asian guys on microphones marketing the "Japan Magic Mop" and the "Magic Bullet Blender," played with toy guns, touched sparkly earrings, and got pushed and shoved by many other, more eager shoppers than we were. My favorite stalls were those selling spices like thyme that, not only would make your food taste delicious, but "keep you going all night" and "enlarge" everything important. They also sold wonderful beauty treatments, such as the "Virgin Soap 2000." I was sorely tempted to buy.

We spent an hour or so wandering the floor for that special treasure, but only Daedri bought anything.

I know I was looking forward to our dinner... shwarma.

My new favorite food greeted me like an old friend... or that might have been the other car full of CMU people that we met up with there. Here, more than at main campus, friend groups transcend years and majors. Tessa and Rishav are my TAs for two classes, but I'm Tessa's TA for one. However, once you get out your shwarma and sit in the majlis, it doesn't much matter who is whose what anymore. All that matters is trying not to get the delicious garlic-yogurt sauce on your pants.

Leepom Ogum, or Day 17 in Doha

No, I'm not trying to teach you Arabic in this post (though I did increase my vocabulary today to include directions). We'll get to the title later.

On the Arabic front, my increased interest today stemmed from the boredom that happened after the car ride to get our fingerprints.

I'm not a criminal; it is just the system in order to get a resident card for Qatar. It is a positive step, because that means that all the x-rays and blood tests went through. So I got to have a nice man caress my hand as he rolled my fingers across a glass plate. He couldn't pronounce my name, so I told him to call me "Corniche." He, like most people who hear that, laughed.

After that simple process (that you can see Edwin doing in the picture), we sat in the van for an hour. So I brushed up on my Arabic 1-3, then learned 4-7, then learned 'left,' 'right,' 'straight,' and kind of learned 'friend.'

I saw Afaf and met Min yesterday, who are two Cornell students. I convinced them to give me a tour of their building (since you can't get in without a Cornell-ian), so I finally got to see the building.

It has been called the least friendly and ugliest building on campus. I've heard it was designed to look like a hospital, so all the pre-med and med students can see where they'll be (hopefully) working in the future. I think the white gives it a lot of airiness and space, and the light comes down everywhere. CMU is much dimmer in comparison.

The building is set up with two parallel hallways, and between them is a courtyard with four giant pods that hold lecture halls sprouting from the walls. One pod looks like an egg-UFO has landed; another, a 12-sided die that some giant gamer discarded because none of the sides were labeled.

Now comes the eating part of my day. I had packed lunch to eat while holding office hours, then there was this free pizza I found. In order to stay awake in my next two classes, I ate all three slices (instead of saving them for later, as was the intention). Then, after class, I went to a local dive for lunch, where I snacked on hummus and pita. Then, Daedri and I went to go see a movie showing, and I got more free pizza. Now, I feel like eating a salad after all that random junk.

But can I just comment on the local dive? The restaurant, called "Choice Restaurant," has a few tables and matching chairs and a very diverse but simple dish menu. There is Mexican, Chinese, Indian, or Arabic dishes, and they load up your plate. The place and the prices belie the fact that they cater to the workers of the area. Eating at a hole-in-the-wall makes this experience so much better than the Western-coated malls and sleek, modern downtown.

My busy day continued with a showing of "Five in the Afternoon", a Cannes winner done by an Iranian director from a well-known family, Samira Makhmalbaf. The movie was a bit long for its content, but it was supposed to be a slow-paced movie. It was also one of those symbolic, deep, less-entertaining-than-informing films. NU-Q Film Society were great hosts and led a little discussion afterward that showed a lot of feminist and Islamic ideas come out.

I was a bit insulted by one of the guys who continually tried to cast the high heels that the main character would wear as an item of "fashion." However, these shoes were put on at very specific times for the young woman, and I believe they show her independence and defiance more than her submission to mere "fashion."

Moving past that rant, the night was with a board game party with my favorite VCU exchange students. Brent was doing well at Carcassone, I learned that Zane has a blog and can do a kicking 'sorority squat' for pictures, and I found out that Daedri's idea of a 'crossword' does not often involve words. So, her wonderful creation, read as an interpretive poem:

Tela red leepom raw ogb tut moms sox

Cat-erwauling, or Day 13 in Doha

Warning: today was not very exciting, so I'm going to spice it up with nerdy things. Sound like a plan?

This morning, bright and early, there were these two tomcats (as I found out later) that had cornered a lady-cat in a tree and were head-butting underneath it. (Ask Jessica for pictures, if you desire.) All I remember is thinking, "That's why they call it 'caterwauling'" as I rolled over and went back to sleep.

I finished my TA training! Not like it was very hard, but there were a few ethical questions that I hadn't thought of before. If you are a teaching assistant for a friend, who calls you up to ask a question, then we were supposed to think if all of the students in the class have the same luxury. If not, that is not treating all students fairly. I hadn't thought of that situation in that way before.

Jessica had mentioned yesterday during training (since she is going to be a writing tutor), that she was looking for a chance to make crepes. I was on board! So today, a few of us girls got together at her place for the delicious French delight.

Have I mentioned recently that I hate the lack of co-ed dorms? I don't even need my living room co-ed. I just want a kitchen to cook for people in!

I met Layal, Jessica's roommate, for the first time today. She lives in Bahrain and tells stories, usually involving her and usually involving her clumsiness, that she just bubbles over in explaining. A reinforcing reminder that laughing at yourself is a good and healthy thing.

The crepes were delicious, and Jessica did an awesome job making them. There was much flipping and... well, just a lot of really cool flipping, actually.

And now, for the moment you've all been waiting for... where I show you what my first homework assignment is for "Formal Languages, Automata, and Computability" ("FLAC" for short).

We are creating automata, which are basically these flow charts that determine whether or not a "string" is accepted in a "language" (where a string is a series of character, and a language is just a bunch of rules).

So, in the spirit of this homework assignment, I made you all an automata that only accepts the language containing "Corinne" and "Cornish." Here it is, in all its glory, as I return to its cousins (which are much more interesting to make).
A final outing for the evening: a drive to bandar, to get shwarma and Moroccan tea and see West Bay all lit up. Those are some of my favorite things in Doha, all wrapped up in one.

I'd Like to Buy That, or Day 12 in Doha

The worst part of my day: the fact that TA training was smack dab in the middle of it.

The best part of my day: just about everything else.

As I was walking out from training, Tessa, Rishav, and Mishab were discussing plans for the evening. I heard "the Pearl" and perked up.

So plans were made: begin with a taste of delicious shwarma (my new favorite food, very similar to a gyro or a European kebab), then head over to the a man-made island oasis of riches and fashion. In addition to my fellow TAs, the VCU exchange students came with (but barely. We almost pulled away while Brent was running to get his card for his camera. And we had to pick up Daedri from a park by the Cornish, so finding her was a side adventure.)

But, somehow, some way, (with Brent's iPhone full of "embarrassing" music), we made across the water (via the land bridge) and found Mishab and Rishav, and the girls, and... the CMU architecture students?

Yup, turns out the smart (CMU) people think alike. After a day of adventuring, they ended up at the Pearl as well, which made the group at least 25 people. It was like every person in Doha that I knew magically appeared at the same spot! (Not true, I know waaaay more than 25 people.)

The advertising slogan on the posters was "I'd Like to Buy That." We were trying to think of the psychology behind it (possibly jealousy? "Hey, no, I wanted to buy that.") but then gave up and just started posing in front of the them.

As glitzy as the Pearl is, it is less than half constructed, and the row of stores is completely in accessible to students (Giorgio Armani across from Emporio Armani... we thought they were competing brothers, but, sadly, they are just Giorgio and more Giorgio. Maybe a healthy rivalry would have brought down the prices.

After losing then finding Brent and Zane, we trundled back to campus.

But wait, there's more! We agreed that it was a day for doing... so time for another item on the Bucket List: the sunrise at "bandar."

"Bandar" (and I'm probably not spelling that right), is this park outcropping by the Islamic Arts museum. On the jetty is a Moroccan tea shop (where a large is just about right if you are trying to stay up all night) which was just barely open when we got there at 3:30am or so to start our watch.

But, at the brisk hour of 0600, the glimmer of pinks fighting against the blue began their surge, and, with a salty sea breeze, some bird calls, and the hum of a city about to wake up, we were on our way back to campus to do what college students do best... sleep.

Thursdays that are like Fridays that are like Saturdays, or Day 11 in Doha

So, a few things about life here in Doha. Weekends are Fridays (since that is the Muslim day of prayer) and Saturdays. I have to get used to classes being on Mondays and Wednesdays, instead of Tuesdays and Thursdays. I am starting to just number the days of the week (like, first day of classes, second day of classes, first day of the weekend, etc.), but that doesn't translate well to others.

The point of this rant is that Thursdays (today), I don't have any classes. So in addition to my work week being screwed up, I don't even have five days of it. That just makes Thursday like a Friday around here, which is like a Saturday in the States. (I know, what an awful life I lead...)

So instead of classes, today was spent reading and e-mailing professors to get homework assignments.

And, a marathon shopping trip. I got a prescription for less than half the amount in the states (and was told I didn't even need a prescription for it). Whoever said that getting prescriptions overseas was cheaper was right. Easier, maybe not so much, but I'll be here long enough that now I know!

Also, when carrying 50 kilos of groceries (thanks, Daedri... as in, thanks for buying that much), taxis are much nice than buses.

The evening really started with Al Jazeera hosting a documentary called "Still Alive in Gaza." I was very impressed with it, because it didn't come across as "hate the Jews" propaganda; neither was it sympathetic to Israel (though that one should have been more obvious).

The screen was outdoors in the ceremonial court, and, though not packed, or even "well-attended", it was a fine crowd for the evening.

The most touching scene for me was the story of a 12-14 year old who watched her mother in the room across the hall get bombed. She was sitting on the couch with her father, showing him her drawings of different war scenes that affected her. The wise man comforted her, and gave her an idea of the importance of hope. "Without hope, there is no life."

Powerful stuff.

Besides the film just being a way to fill a few hours, it also provided some great cultural chatter. I felt informed and happy, since the discourse was (thankfully) not at all accusatory and very informative, on both sides I think. Being around Jews in Pittsburgh, Muslims here, and a Christian myself is a fascinating way to come at things.

This evening wasn't the seamlessly planned evening I had planned on, but when is it ever. I did get to spend some time with the vanishing architecture students (and listen jealously to their plans for tomorrow... "fort-hopping"), and drink some of that deliciously un-tea-like Moroccan tea. The hang-out spot is a popular one, the "bandar" (no idea if I am spelling that right). This out-cropping of rocks and parking lot is a hotbed of cars and people who are fishing, chatting, playing music, showing off cars, and, if you are two CMU students (*cough* Abby and Chris *cough*), posing for ridiculous pictures.

And, of course, a bit of sheesha thrown in, just to keep it cultural. Might I add that the brave Daedri and I tried the weirdest combination of dessert, entrees, and appetizer. Mishab correctly called it a "chicken donut." Egg and chicken inside, pastry and powdered sugar on the outside. Actually, fairly delicious.

My dream of seeing the sunrise over the sea was almost realized... but not quite yet. I will say that meeting a student from every college wasn't a challenge at all, when you know the "connectors" around here. But the bucket list is doing it's thing and giving me ideas, which is all it is supposed to do.

It's Like Secret Santa for Marriage, or Day 10 in Doha

This morning, I finally cleared the health inspection. My picture (of me) showed up! As you might remember in Day 4, me and a few of the others all had to return because of photo mess-ups.

The system was a bit different this time; we had to pull numbers, which meant that we couldn't routinely skip lines like some did last time. Beside just the system, we had a completely full minibus (so about 20 people) that all had to do a similar process. So those that got little VIP passes (*cough* Adam and Spencer *cough*) had to wait a few hours for those that don't.

The good news is that Jessica (who's blog can be read here) and a few others with the picture missing/broken/whatever, we able to get it fixed or re-taken then.

While sitting on the bus for quite a while, some of the other CMUers and I started talking about travel. Flying isn't awful around here, but it would be so much nicer if getting to Dubai was less that $300. Driving, though, especially with females and especially especially with young unmarried students through Saudi Arabia (the only bordering country) is risky. Women must be covered, and Spencer mentioned that you can't be in a car with a male that you aren't married to. So, of course, there are two options: the professor turns polygamous and marries all his female students (which, I'm positive, would be completely ok with his current wife) or the four male architecture students would draw lots for the four female architecture students so they could take their field trip. As Spencer put it, it would be like "secret Santa for marriage."

So, 4.5 hours later, finally got home and got some food.

Now, I didn't do much today. There was an ice cream social to welcome people back to the dorms, and if I had been smarter, I would've taken some pictures of that.

But instead, I'm resorting to wandering around my dorm room (ok, ok, apartment castle) and taking pictures of a few things I brought and a few I bought that have some meaning. Pardon me for my girlishness, but two of the pictures are of shoes.

So, first up is the oldest thing I brought along, and the rattiest, but also one of the things I use the most. I got these sweatpants in 7th or 8th grade (which is about 7 years ago now) and wear them at night. Our team name was the Hawks. I think the fact that the letters are peeling off to spell "AWK" is very appropriate though.

My next item of interest is, of course, my love, my Rick Steves' guide. All through Europe a year and a half ago (and if you want more details, there are plenty on our blog) I used a Rick Steves' guide, and he didn't disappoint me in Istanbul either.

Next up has a great story attached to it, and now it is attached to me daily. As I was leaving Seattle, my parents dropped me off. Well, attempted to drop me off. My flight was delayed by two hours, yet I could still make my connection. With a bit of time to kill, we stopped at a mall nearby, where they bought me this watch. I've gotten compliments on it, and, after I started putting my phone on 24-hour time to see if I could get used to it, the 12-hour clock face came in pretty handy.

Next comes my first picture of shoes. In Doha, they do dress up more in general, but many people (including me) just get away with jeans and a cardigan. Which of course means I had to get a cute cardigan or two. But, when more is called for, such as the dressier Doha Debates yesterday, the perfect black pumps that Grandma bought me for Christmas (and that I agonized over for like 30 minutes) a not too long ago.

This next element is dedicated to Courtmew, one of the most generous people I know. When my phone was on its last legs (because I had *cough* accidentally put it in the washer *cough*), she came to my rescue with this one. Now, I unlocked it and am using the wonderful thing around here. Might I also mention she gave me two of the identical phone, so when the keypad on one stopped working, I simply switched it out. I think the pedometer in it is my favourite feature.

(Note, favourite is spelled British because my spell check is checking for British, apparently. And it is nice than to fight with that squiggly red line.)

My final item in this blogpost is those other shoes I was telling you about. I bought them over here for 50 riyals (which seems like a lot, but is actually less than $17) and have been wearing this red sandals for a few days now. Of course, they are fire-engine red at the advice of Daedri, my VCU fashion design friend.

Well, that was a little peek into my closet. I was thinking of having my camera be the final image on here, but that would be a little too meta (and a bit tricky to set up the shot I'd want) to try to take a picture of what is taking the picture. So I'll just have to say that my pocket-sized Canon wonder is high on my list of wonderful things in my closet.

This post feels like it should have a sign-off, but I don't think I've done that before... well, never late to start! Have a good day/night! *Insert "goodbye" in Arabic here*

Hmmm... maybe it's because I posted this one hours earlier than I normally do? Someone can psycho-analyse that if they want.

And...?, or Day 8 in Doha

Well, kids, I'm running out of things to take pictures of. My adventures of orientation are spiralling slowly downward into the mundaneness of classes. I've spent more then a couple hours in the last two days doing readings for classes. I have more English-type classes this year than ever... probably part of the reason for all of the books.

I keep forgetting to mention, the day that I walked the Cornish I counted the number of shoulders and knees I saw, as an example to you all of the conservative dress around here. I saw about 11 pairs of knees (only one pair was a females) and 3 pairs of shoulders (all were male joggers).

I must also mention that I saw an older man running around in those teeny running shorts. Chalk one up for the chalky white thighs.

So, to get that image out of your head, here are the pictures I took today:
There was originally a bird in this tree, of the chickadees variety, but the shy thing flew away when I hit the shutter. The smudge on the left is something that is on my camera lens that I haven't been able to clean off yet. I also keep forgetting about it until I see it due to blue sky.


This one was just a stunning shot of the sunset, and palm trees, and how sometimes the excess of water and architecture and greenery can just look pretty without looking over-the-top.



In a continuation of my desire to share birds (though these just walked away from me instead of flying away), I took a picture of some pigeon-like birds and a sparrow-type bird on real grass. As a counterpoint to that one, I also must show the fake grass. I like the fact that they are thinking green (for once)!
Now, what you've all been waiting for... a stray cat picture! This cat hangs out by the door fairly often. Apparently it has a fondness for the female dorms. The hall director was saying that she has found it sitting on a chair in her office before. I have been careful not to let it make a mad dash inside while I've been around, but as you can see, that doesn't prevent it from looking hopefully inside every time I pass.

So, in keeping a sense of humour about my roommates, I took a picture of our lint trap when the dryer was finally free today (for the first time in days) so I could do my laundry. It is like the sedimentary layers of rock or something. It also shows the domestic aptitude of my roommates. (I showed Sarah how to load the dishwasher today. And she mentioned that she like pasta... ordering pasta.)

Speaking of domestic, I decided, at about 7pm, that tonight would be a good night for baking cookies. Since I didn't have any supplies, I called up my new friend-with-a-car Abdalla and promised cookies for a ride.

I see now why Abdalla makes friends so easily. Besides an easy-going, multi-lingual, fascinating person, he also has a great talent for conversation. We were having a conversation about my opinions, and, when I stopped talking, he would simply said, "And...?" to make sure that my thoughts were completely finished. Keeping the other person talking is what makes a good conversation sometimes, and he definitely kept me talking.

Everyone around here is so incredulous about the fact that I bake and cook. Apparently, no one cooks! On the way back from the store, Abdalla got a call from Zaid, who didn't believe us when I said I was making cookies. Abdalla even didn't think I was making them tonight. (But really, why else would I have asked to go tonight?)

Anyway, so I got pretty much all the supplies, for around $15. Pretty comparable, but the prices on imported stuff is more expensive than any generic, local brands. But the more expensive stuff is still only a bit more than buying it full price in the US.

Enough about prices. Let's just talk about how I got this brown sugar that was really granulated and the box said to enjoy it in your drink. Then we can talk about this log of butter. I wish we had logs of French butter back in the US. (The brown sugar is on the right side, the white sugar is in the middle, and the butter log portion is on the left.)

So between those and the pasteurized eggs, the dough came out a little... yellow-looking. And maybe a bit too gooey, since I added a little much water to dissolve the baking powder. I put it on the foil-covered rack (since I don't have cookie sheets here). But, it seemed fine enough.

Until we tried to bake it, that is. Daedri pried herself out of her room, since the boys couldn't come up and help me cook. (The dorms are segregated, which is the new bane to my existence.) And we sat. And I pulled out the cookies after fifteen minutes... doughy.

Long story short, after us squishing them down (with a fork like peanut butter cookies), then baking them for another nearly half an hour, they finally finished. So it took an hour instead of half an hour. My approximation was wrong due to the funny consistency of the dough.

Anyway, here is the final product. A glorious batch of chocolate chip cookies a la Doha!