This is it. My final day in Doha. And today is going to be unusual, because this first post is going to be about leaving and goodbyes and things, where as today's second post is going to be telling you about the May Trip (as it has come to be called)!
People keep asking me if I'll come back to Doha. The world is pretty big, and, though I pretend, I haven't seen that much of it. If I do come back, I'd love to come back this time next year for graduations... wouldn't that be great, CMU? (hint hint, nudge nudge) But looking beyond next year, what I would want to come back to are the people, and, like most university students and staff and faculty, the don't stay in one place very long! This is a very dynamic community, and you can never come back to the same one you left. I'm sure I'll experience that when I'm back in Pittsburgh too.
(Was it Pocahontas that said you can never step in the same river twice?)
So what did I do on my final day?
I stayed pretty secluded to start with, getting this and that finished up and packed. I found another bag of things to have a friend take back to Pittsburgh for me, as well as food and things to give away to people sticking around a little longer than I am.
In some ways, packing isn't hard: basically everything has to go in. I did manage to make another little goodie bag for myself that Rishav will deliver to Pittsburgh for me.
But I'm was detached from it.
My semester ended ending this evening.
First was a "dinner" at Maya's, the chocolate restaurant, with a few of the CS people. Samreen, ever the chocolate lover, was present, as well as Rishav, and Nasreem and Amal, two other CMU students. We ate a lot, we laugh a lot, and it was a heart-warming goodbye with a card and some good hugs and promises to see each other in the future.
Afterward, it was another few, quick goodbyes to Zaid and others, then an hour of printing and finalizing plans for the "Epic May Trip." Then, Abdalla and I got news of a gathering over at Cornell with another of my favorite groups of people.
Sabrina convinced a group of Cornellians (and us) to come with her to Star of India. There was a lot of laughs (especially for the guys... don't know what it is about those kind of jokes that just set them off) and then, it was time again to say goodbye. Sabrina was making me teary-eyed; it is very hard saying goodbye to people that I may never see in person again.
And here I say, God bless the Internet.
After we got back, Abdalla scurried away to finish his errands, and I cleaned out the rest of my stuff from my apartment. Food went to Tina, trash went to the dumpster (I'm such a good roommate), and extra toiletries went to the social room with "Free" on them. Somehow, my apartment, which still has at least two girls still actively living there, didn't look that much emptier.
It was in the taxi, leaving Education City for the airport, that I realized that this was it. Having Abdalla along is delaying the shock of leaving all these people, but my last Doha skyline fading into the distance... that was real.
I've promised a few people some reflective blogposts, but this isn't one of them. The airport in Dubai is not quite a reflective place. Amman in a few hours!
I got in the spirit by wearing "traditional" Pittsburgh clothing - a fleece, a hat, a scarf, and gloves... not many people noticed, in the sea of beautiful, multicolored traditional dress. The great part is, people weren't necessarily even wearing their own country's!
KayKay in Singaporean and Urmila in Indian garb (I think).
Varun, his Desi self.
The Student Affairs staff (in random travel wear)
Tessa in something I'm assuming is from Brunei.
My beautiful Sudanese girls!
Boys from the subcontinent (and Shaza still looking gorgeous). (Note Allen's wrap! Knees!)
Arash in eastern Iranian wear (because apparently they differ... and I'm not sure if I got the east versus west thing right; it actually might be western Iran).
Samreen in her pantsuit (and I'm wearing pant I got in India)!
Mathew just wore a dress shirt (boring) but Shahriar (front left) got in the spirit with his Bangladeshi clothes.
Jimmy wore something from a Middle Eastern country... can't remember which one, but he didn't have anything from Kenya to wear.
Some of my favorite traditional costumes, though, were the ones where the guys were allowed to wear shorter skirts than I am! Besides just wandering around and taking pictures with people (and eating food), there was the International Day show that Fatima and Maria put together. Being on "Arabic Standard time", it was scheduled to start at 5:30. At 8:00pm, the first act (Mridula doing an awesome traditional Indian dance) was just finishing up.
There were other Indian dances, a Dominican song (sung by Melissa, our study abroad coordinator), an African dance, a Bangladeshi anthem, an English poem, a presentation about Azerbaijan, an impromptu salsa/latin dance session, more dabkeh, an Iranian dance (that was also performed at Coffeehouse), and I'm sure there are other performance I'm forgetting.
What I won't forget, though, it how people reacted to those performances. For a few of the dances, instead of just sitting and watching, people from the crowd stood up and joined in! The final dance, an encore performance of the "Desi Dancers", turned into a giant jumping mob. It was a bunch of fun.
As if that wasn't enough for a day, Abdalla gave me a ride to Ezadin Towers (yet another fancy hotel!) where Kelsey was throwing Ziad a surprise party! We weren't there for the actual surprising, but we were there for the cake.
When the cake was getting lit, the manager was having a hard time lighting them... so another guy with a lighter came up and started helping him. Then another guy. There were eventually half a dozen people gathered around these 20 candles trying to get them lit! We sang "Happy Birthday" in English and Arabic, then he blew out the candles.
Then, the photo shoot started. Ziad was wearing a striped shirt, as were another two or three guys at the party. So after the group picture, all of them jumped in together... someone yelled "Arab picture", and all of a sudden the photo shoot got "racist."
They didn't leave anyone out... there was the Africans, the East Asians, those from the subcontinent, the Khaleejes, the "white people"... Just goes to show how diverse this place is!
After the final photos, a few of us ended up at the souq, enjoying some karak and sheesha. They kept flipping channels on the TV we could see, but on every channel, Fred knew exactly what was going on. And I think Ziad (the birthday boy) had a good time.
If it looks like I'm blowing away... I am! It was super windy and actually sprinkled a bit. (The waiters broke one of the large umbrellas trying to take it down, and some of the sheesha stands - that weren't being used thankfully - got knocked over.)
Since most of today was spent recovering from last night (no, I didn't drink... the line was too long and the beer was too expensive), I suppose I might as well tell you about David Guetta.
It was sweet. You can stop reading now if you are going to get too jealous...
We headed out around 9pm, checked out the place, dropped one of Abdalla's friends off at the souq, then circled back around. I must say, there was plenty of parking, no problem, which is something I'm always a bit worried about at huge events like these. And, as I heard many times, "it was like all of EC is going."
Not quite true, but many of the Texas A&M exchange students were partying and dancing along, in addition to the group of 8 or so I went with. Then there was a few more odd pairs here and there that I recognized.
After an ID check, a security check, a ticket check, and a wristband check, we were inside and headed to the stage.
It was literally right on the beach, with the stage built so there was a wonderful cross-breeze from the sea (especially nice when dancing in the middle of the pack).
The first two hours had some good house music from the DJs, getting people moving (and drinking). It was midnight, and I was getting a bit disappointed with the energy and a bit confused about where David Guetta was, when he was finally introduced.
Bam! The lights on the stage started flashing, everyone who had been hanging back pressed forward, and he took to the turntables.
There were glowsticks and people on other people's shoulders, and cigarettes and sweat, and shouting and clapping. I'm not sure if people do this in the states, but some of the crowd started their own soprano line on top of what David Guetta was doing. (A "whoop-whoop" kinda thing was one, and the other was the "wooh, oh oh, woooh, oh oh" that you often hear crowds doing at games.)
And I think he was having a blast with it. He would cut the sound so the crowd could sing during some of the more famous lines, and we never disappointed.
He started with a little less than an hour of good mixes with his less famous stuff, starting with "Castles in the Sky", then "When Love Takes Over" mixed with "Gettin' Over." He then went into a set of pure house, which allowed for a bit of a break and a wade to cool off the feet. They weren't hurting at all, since we had ditched shoes off to the side much earlier in the evening, and we were walking around barefoot, but after a few hours of dancing, it was very nice to spent 10 minutes looking at West Bay from the north.
It was about 1:30am, so we decided that we would sit on the beach until either a) the party was over or b) another awesome song came on. No sooner had we decided that when he pulled out "Sexy Chick." We looked at each other, stood up, and pushed back into the fray.
It was a great final half hour, and of course he closed with "Memories" and, his most famous, "I've Gotta Feeling." A run to McDonald's to try my first McArabia and have a chocolate sundae, and that ended a night that was indeed a "good, good night."
Today, like I said, I slept until noon. Then did some final-project-ing and some programming. I had some chicken in my freezer that I needed to use, and no free food event scheduled for tonight, so I made something resembling chicken enchiladas (which I don't have a picture for... the pretty ones on that plate didn't last very long, and the rest are very unattractively shoved into a container in the fridge).
I was supposed to be asleep two hours ago, so I would be awake for tomorrow's adventure... you'll see soon!
Spent the lovely day doing lovely work, hanging out with lovely people in the lovely weather. It was lovely.
The major event of the night was dinner plans! The whole "plan ahead" thing never works out (people always manage to find excuses, right, Utsav and Carla?), but I managed to wrangle Salman and Tina out of their respective caves to come have dinner with Abdalla and me. The rest of those kids just chickened out.. they were ready for the fun we were going to have.
I've heard raves about Turkey Central, but Tina and I had never been, so restaurant choice was easy. They have a "mixed grill" plate with all different meats on it (very different from India and the lack of meats) that we all tried, in addition to some of the best hummus I've ever had and fries with Omani ketchup.
I also got a glass of kivi (kiwi) juice... The accent is funny to think about since the servers were speaking Arabic with Salman and Abdalla, who were both pointing out how Turkish they were. Tina and I couldn't tell Turkish Arabic from Egyptian or Khadeejeh (Gulf) if you had us at gun point.
Well, the raves were accurate; it was delicious. We saw a lot of tourist/ex-pat groups there, so I'm thinking it is one of those "clean but with a bit of culture" restaurant that are safe for "us white people." I wouldn't say it's the best or craziest restaurant I've been to around here, but now I know why people are obsessed with it. Besides that, I pretty much stuck around EC, doing work and chatting with people.
One of my fears coming here this semester was that I was going to get disconnected from Pittsburgh, disconnected from my college friends, disconnected from my "old world." I definitely go through phases where I'm in a box, and I don't know what is going on with anyone back in Pittsburgh.
But then I emerge from those holes, and Skype with Alex for three hours and IM with Rosie for another hour and some, and I'm right back to being so glad about having friends and family that care about me wherever I am, whatever timezone it is. These support pillars mean that I can dare to grow and have adventures around here without worrying about the fall.
Speaking of adventures, just booked tickets to Abu Dhabi this weekend. A bit spur-of-the-moment, but such is life!
Yes, having a wonderful, wonderful full night of sleep with no classes helped... (not only did I get 9 hours during the night, but I took a one hour nap as well)... but it would have been a good Thursday however it came.
For my Service Design class, I had to do some research on what people want in their libraries. I grabbed a bunch of random pictures off the internet, of chairs, desks, bookshelves, and computers as well as some of a DDR machine, a coffee maker, a hammock, and a soccer goal. Then I had a few people (Swapnil being one) arrange them for me. I got some good results, and some interesting layouts. Swapnil had an interesting idea of putting the
That was enough work for the day. There was a DSO get-together on the Green Spine, with some blindfold game that Shaza led and Varun owned. Free pizza, and I was off to see Sabrina!
My Sabrina has been holed up in EC for days working, and having tests and homeworks and being a second-year engineering student. So some Haagen-Daaz and juice with her and Abdalla was a great break from EC for all of us. I got off-campus just because the first time in a while. (I went off-campus yesterday to the Reach Out To Asia English learning classes I have to do every week, but that hardly counts.) Tonight was a super lucky night, too. There was clearly something going on at the ceremonial court, since the traffic police were out and loud Arabic music was playing.
I dare Abdalla to go see it, and we got it, very easily. We had to get searched (which meant that these very kinda Qatari women were plucking my phone out of my pocket, then putting it back in with a pat and a smile). Then, we sat, got served some juice, and watched what Abdalla translated at "A New Dawn" (the program was all in Arabic).
It was amazing. There was at least a 60-person cast (I think closer to 70), which dancers and singers, amazing costumes, glittery lights... just awesome. It was also that random thing I saw rehearsing a few days ago.
We came in "close" to the end. It was 8:30 when we got there, and it had been going on since at least 7, probably earlier. We left at 9:40. With the longer productions, it is amazing how show etiquette changes. There were people leaving and coming, having brief conversations on their cellphones, getting served juice, and in general being much different that the typical musical-going crowd in America.
The script was something about the fight between the native Tunisians and the occupying Italians, with the wrap-up being the Tunisian anthem. (There's one way to guarantee a standing ovation.)
The music was loud enough to drown out pretty much everything, except Abdalla's translations, which is the only way I knew anything. We were just talking earlier in the day about how he feels bad talking in another language around me... well, being able to understand and tell me what's going on in another language makes up for it.
And yes, that is a woman who popped out of an oyster shell. Very "Little Mermaid." And just over-the-top like the whole production. That woman is one of the ones who represented "the new dawn" of the title.
The night ended with a chill viewing of "7 Pounds" (which is quite good) and an actual blogpost (as you can see)! I'm so happy to be back and happy again.
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.
I just finished Skyping with my family, and, would you believe it, they accused me of being too happy? "Get depressed or something."
Well, I must say if my days continue being as productive and fun as today was, there is very little chance of that.
I'll skip the boring part where I graded homeworks, did my homework, got free food, and went to a group meeting.
I'll jump instead to the part where I stuffed myself at a delicious Indian buffet called Caravan. And I suppose we can also talk about the fact that I was with an awesome group of new and old friends. Remember that day with two dinners? Sabrina, Utsav, Salman, and Abdalla were all there tonight, in addition to a few of the CDAs (RAs) around here. I hang out with the resident life crew wherever I go, it seems.
My exciting food choice of the day was... balls. That is a bit easier to say than gulab jamun. They were spheres of what I thought then was dough and honey, but I know now as cream and flour in a rose-water syrup. No wonder the name means something like "rose fruit."
A trip to Doha is never complete without a stop for tea and talk at bandar. It intrigues me the kind of people that hang out there at all hours... since I'm definitely one of them. Most of the group headed over there after dinner to chat. While the group of us was shooting the breeze, someone (I think it was Salman) suggested a ride on a dhow. Now, these boats get lit up at night with strings of lights - much different than the tourist sightseeing cruise I took earlier. Also different was the bargaining. We were very insistent that we wanted the boat for half an hour, and we wanted it for 10 riyals a person ($2.70). So all the guys in the group gather around the dock attendant and assail him in Hindi, Arabic, English, and Urdu. He takes it all, dishes it back, and then some. (Someone told me the language that he added, but I'm not sure what it was... something about him being Bangladeshi?) And we end up with a stunning cruise for 120 riyals (which was 13QR per person... but totally worth it).
The guy who was driving the boat was also our DJ; played Akon and Kanye, Daft Punk and Rihanna. And some interesting mix of dance and Arabic music that was entertaining. We started a Doha dance party in the middle of the bay.
That's right. A dance party. On a dhow. In Doha. I was... delighted!
Coming home, we stood around outside the dorms talking about cadavers and "that's what she said" jokes until the final call of homework and classes in the morning pulled us apart. But, until another day, as Salman would say, "good story"! (EDIT: Salman says "Cool story." I'm embarrassed that I got his catchphrase wrong.)
Ah, a day without class. Which means I got rest, exercise, a bank account, a free t-shirt, and work done. And what happens after all that?
It's a "Friday" night, so out I went!
The first outing was with Zaid, Abdalla, and Sidra, who all have close ties with Pakistan. So when we ended up at Sara Restaurant, a place devoted to "Paki" food, I somehow wasn't surprised.
We were served family-style and ate with our hands. The mealconsisted of a few chicken dishes and a disturbingly delicious portion of lamb brain, which finished with a dish of sweet rice noodles on ice cream. At least, that's what I gathered from their limited knowledge. Dinner 1 was completed with Trip-to-the-Bay 1, as the four of us strolled along the Corniche near West Bay (which should be more accurately "North Bay", but we'll let them have their name). So the pleasant evening was complete, but right as Abdalla was dropping me off, we ran into another few friends of his, including the President of Cornell-Q. Utsav, Sabrina, and Salman invited us to Dinner 2 at Applebee's, which, for the two of us that had already eaten, was just dessert. Then, we traveled to Bandar, for Trip-to-the-Corniche 2. Bandar is on the opposite side of West Bay (which would be "South Bay"?) so Abdalla and I weren't bored with the view.
Instead, we had a great conversation about life in college. Sabrina made a point that, very often, we don't know where we are in life, we just do, do, do. We had a similar view, that you can re-take classes, but you can't retake life. Two graduate medical students didn't quite agree with the "re-taking classes" part, but they did admit that being on Bandar (an outcropping with a boat dock, tea stand, a lots of parking) was not so shabby.
Anyway, the point is that not only did I have a wonderful day of meeting new friends (who made me laugh until I cried -- a Qatar first), but I also got a second to reflect and be overwhelmed with how happy I am around here. When asked the colloquial, "How are you finding it?", I can truthfully answer, "Wonderful."
restaurant, with a few of the CS people. Samreen, ever the chocolate lover, was present, as well as Rishav, and Nasreem
and Amal, two other CMU students. We ate a lot, we laugh a lot, and it was a heart-warming goodbye with a card and some good hugs and promises to see each other in the future.
nvinced a group of Cornellians (and us) to come with her to Star of India. There was a lot of laughs (especially for the guys... don't know what it is about those kind of jokes that just set them off) and then, it was time again to say goodbye. Sabrina was making me teary-eyed; it is very hard saying goodbye to people that I may never see in person again.
