Food for Thought, or Day 105 in Doha

After the desert safari yesterday, today's half of the conference was a bit more chill. The "Undergraduate Conference in Information Systems" concluded today with student presentations, poster presentations, and three speakers.

The two speakers that I made it to were a least fascinating and at most applicable.

I learned what SCADA systems are and how vulnerable they are to attack! The presenter went on to mention a few incidents of vengeful employees using their knowledge to compromise the sewage system. There goes the water supply...

The other talk was about consulting. Not best practices, but instead the "Three R's" that the present had picked up as the most important pieces: requirements, revenue, and relationships.

Varun and I got to chat over lunch and dinner about the conference, and about their hopes for its future. There were students from Bahrain and from Qatar University... but not that many from CMU. They'll have to work on that piece for next year...

Speaking of lunch, there was this delicious buffet with some great chocolate mousse that got mixed with cookies ("biscuits") and resurrected for dinner. Delicious free food...

And yesterday was the realization I had that I've gained weight since I've been here. I was trying on shorts that I brought from home, and haven't worn since I've gotten here (not quite appropriate). Well, they were always a bit tight... but I think two desserts a day and no walking has done them in.

So of course, at 10pm when it was snacktime, we go to Baskin-Robbins for some cotton candy ice cream for Sidra. I had the resistance to say no to that...

But had a "baby" shwarma instead. Fewer calories?... Maybe I should just start working out a bit more.

My New Crush, or Day 76 in Doha

After another lovely night of sleep (sorry I keep mentioning it, but one forgets how wonderful it is!), I woke up and spent the morning catching up, working on final projects, writing some postcards, turning in some homeworks early (gasp!)

This afternoon was the first Ultimate Frisbee scrimmage I've been to in a while. It is getting hot, so they booked the field from 4pm until 6pm, when there is a bit of a breeze and the lower 90s weather is decreasing down into the 80s (35C to 30C). I played pretty well; (Professor) Khaled kept making me run, but we won in the end.

After a very productive day, I was excited for my adventurous evening. The first "adventure" was going to the residence halls' event and making fried ice cream... I've always wondered how it works, and the secret is to wrap it in a slice of bread, then refreeze it, then fry the outer bread. So easy, so delicious, and so, so wrong.

Next was the search for dinner, which was quickly found when an event at CMU-Q had half of the members it was supposed to. A buffet was set-up, and I met some more random EC people (as I do fairly often), and hung out with Sidra, Zaid, Omer, Abdalla, Fatima, Maria... my inter-uni group that always entertains me.

Then, it was time for the event of the night... a Qatari football match! Two of the best teams in the country were opposing each other. (I didn't realize there was more than one team in Qatar...) Over 15,000 people turned out to the stadium, and it was definitely different than other matches or games I've been to.

First off, there was the price... 10 riyals is less than $3. Even very low-ranked baseball games are $5, so this was impressive for me (though not for Abdalla). Next was the cheering: it was very musical, with drums and horns and clapping. No spelling out words or cheerleaders, just beating and chanting.

Next, of course, was the concept of the "family" section. I was a bit at first that we weren't in the male section, where all the cheering was going on, but after ten minutes of their incessant cries (which were very clearly and loudly heard from our side of the stadium), I was glad we were a bit removed.

There was no halftime show, no loud peddlers selling peanuts (though there were quite ones selling candies and scarves), and no assigned seats.

There were, however, little bundles of squares of paper that, when something exciting happened, or just when one felt like it, one could toss in the air like confetti.

I wanted a packet, but never got a chance to buy one. It was halfway through the second half (and Abdalla had hinted a few times to leave, but I was still enjoying myself), and all of a sudden, a dark little boy, holding a packet of papers he has picked up from the ground, begins talking to me in Arabic.

I immediately turn to Abdalla to see what the little boy wants, and they have a conversation that ends with him giving Abdalla one of the papers. He turns to me, I smile and ask for some, and he carefully peeled off three from his rubber-banded stack. (See? He already likes me more than Abdalla.) Little Omar had stolen my heart right then and there.

I was so infatuated with his cuteness that when he passed by again (after giving the rest of his papers to other random white people in our row), that I had Abdalla take a picture of us. And the rest, they say, is history:


(I mean, the rest is actually that he went back to his family and collecting papers, while Abdalla, Maria, Fatima, Zaid, and I went to bandar for some carrak and a chat, in addition to singing obnoxious songs and helping me with my Urdu. I'm supposed to learn to count with this. Even when we left after midnight, there were still Qataris out on the road celebrating their win.)

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!

Indi...Ah!, or Day 63 in Agra, Delhi, and Doha

It is weird to think that 24 hours ago I was at the Taj Mahal.

That also explains why I'm exhausted now.

Going this morning was worth it; I'm very glad we stayed in Agra for an extra day. I was up at 5:30, then waiting by the the West Gate when they finally opened it at 6:45.

The marble that the Taj is build from is translucent, according to Max, which explains the different colors it takes one in different lighting. The morning one is by far my favorite.

I wandered the grounds for a few hours, then walked back to the hotel to get Max, get our things, and get breakfast.

Then, the hours of travelling started with a few minutes on a tuktuk, then five hours on a bus to Delhi.

That five hours includes a rest stop, which has my official "worst bathroom in India" title. It also included puchina-flavored chips and "Tasty Tomato Fryms."

We got to a road right on the southeast outskirts of Delhi, and paid another auto-rickshaw probably a bit more that what was fair to get us to Max's aunt's house in the southwest.

I got an hour at the house, searching for and finding the backpack I had left there and raiding the fridge for leftovers.

I was cutting it close when I left the house at 18:00, since I was supposed to be checked in my 18:30. The cab driver got me there in record time.

However, Delhi airport has this convention that travellers must have print-outs of their bookings. Since the printer at the house hadn't been working, I had nothing.

I raced downstairs to the Jet Airways office, but was then directed upstairs. When no one was there, I prayed as I went back down that they would just give me the print-out instead of making me run back again. The agent, thankfully, gave we what I needed to get into the check-in desks, albeit a few minutes late. No one said anything, and I made the flight.

A few more hours until I was in Doha, getting picked up by Abdalla, seeing some friends, and feasting on shawarma. Home, sweet home.

While driving around today, Max and I saw "Indi...ah!" painted on the side of a bus. It was ambigious, so I'll offer a few different ways that I read it.

"Ah" like "Aha! I discovered something" : this interpretation is what I thought after I got India "figured out" on the second day. However, things never ceased to surprise me. At times, such as when biking through Rajashtan, I felt like an explorer among the people.

"Ah" like "AAAah! Help!" : this interpretation is what I thought about India while staying in some not so pretty hotels, while getting heckled on the street to give money or buy something, and when kids would grab at my bike or clothing.

"Ah" like "Aww, that's cute" : this interpretation was while I was around well-behaved children, who stared but didn't talk. It was the feeling I had when a family shared their sweets with Max and me at the Elephant Festival.

"Ah" like "Awe, pure awesomeness" : this interpretation came with the forts and the Taj Mahal, as well as the sunrise and the boat ride. I was blown away by those opportunities and sights.

"Ah" like "Ahhhh, a refreshing glass of water" : this interpretation came after we bought any 15-rupee bottle of water, and after showers at night.

"Ah" like "A...B...C..." : this interpretation didn't help us, since the majority of the signs were in script, which we couldn't pronounce.

"Ah" like "Huh? I can't understand you" : this interpretation happened a lot with rickshaw drivers and hotel owners. Every so often it happened with Max too.

And lastly, "Ah" like "I can't believe I just went to India." : this interpretation is by far the truest. And I am so glad to be home now, and thankful for this way of life. I didn't get a chance to connect with any Indians or very many other tourists while I way there, but I know that some winter, I'd love to come back to the south of India, and go through the jungles, waterways, and beaches.

I'm not done with India. But I am done with this blog post and ready to fall into bed.

Hillary and Chocolate (and School too, I suppose), or Day 44 in Doha

Just thought I'd mention something. When I was talking to my parents (and I got a chance to talk to my sister yesterday too), my dad mentioned the fact that this blog doesn't really mention the fact that I'm going to school.

Don't worry, guys. I'm going to school... it's cramping my fun!

In fact, university was much more exciting today than usual. I got wanded down as I entered the building because Hillary Clinton was visiting! She held a town hall meeting for Al Jazeera in our majlis. I listened to her talk from the second floor. I didn't get a ticket like SOME people that got to sit ten meters from her (*cough* Abdalla *cough*). In discussions afterward, everyone was frustrated because she danced around the issues, especially when it came to Iran (which was discussed a lot), but I think that she did a good job of showing how the ball is currently in Iran's court. I don't think that's what people wanted to hear, but that's what they got. If you are interested, there are many articles about the subject. Al Jazeera's was the most illuminating for me.

"Secretary Clinton is in the Gulf States, not to lessen America's energy dependence, but rather China's. As one of the permanent members of the U.N. Security Council, China's support is critical for passing any sanctions against Tehran. But its been reluctant to do so because it is Iran that supplies China with most of its energy, and that's precisely why the US is here -- to get energy-rich Qatar and Saudi Arabia to step forward as alternate energy suppliers."

In addition to the media coverage around the world, there is quite a bit of student media that was going on as well. Sidra, a friend from Northwestern, had her handy notepad out and was snapping pictures left and right. Abdalla and Zaid were interviewing people (such as Khaled, who got an opportunity to ask a question) about their reactions for their radio show "A to Z", which plays on QF Radio. I also got interviewed, but for a completely different reason... they finally got around to asking me about being an exchange student!

Today wasn't all politics. I was the happy organizer of a study break to Maya, the chocolate restaurant that I've been to before. We were happy as clams, chowing down on chocolate cake, chocolate crepes, chocolate pizza, chocolate fondue, chocolate brownie, and probably chocolate something else too.

I'm still a bit full.

Such a Random Life, or Day 32 in Doha

Warning: today was one of those days were a million things happened and all of them are interesting!

First off, today was a very weird day for weather. After spending the morning Skyping and cleaning, I went outside and the first thing I see is a group of East Asians with dust masks on. I was immediately freaked out, thinking there was some crazy pathogen in the air that was making them wear the masks.

Thankfully, they were anomalies, though it was very windy and dusty, as you can see. The funny smog affected my mood more here than clouds do back in Pittsburgh and Seattle. I'm getting too used to the constant sunshine!

I spent the afternoon and evening around CMU: celebrating the new club space (by eating cake), working on a project, celebrating a birthday (by eating cake), and took a drive around EC with some girls I met at a Women Leadership Program lunch on Tuesday. As they invited me outside on the drive, one of the girls said, "Your life is so random."

You have no idea.

Anyway, they were explaining the licensing process around here. You hire a personal instructor, then take a much more intense test that we Americans go through. In fact, I think males are required to learn and test on a manual; us gentler sex are allowed an automatic**.

After the drive, I attend the finale of the "EC for Haiti" campaign. We had a goal of 20,000 riyals; we actually hit over 22,000 (over $6,000)! After a presentation about Haiti, a student band played (with my stunning roommate Khadeejah singing) while we wrote messages of hope to Haiti.

Next was the BAM football (soccer) game. "BAM" stands for "Body and Mind", and they are an EC-wide student club. This team included Rolando and David, two of the Texas A&M students, and a few others I knew (including the coach), so it was a lot of fun supporting them. Especially when they won against Cornell, 4-1, putting them in the quarter-finals!

Abdalla and I got a call from Zaid and Sidra, two friends we went out to dinner with before. I had connected with Sidra during the Haiti event and mentioned that we needed to go out again... I just hadn't realized it would be this soon!

After the shwarmas were gone, it was time for my first movie-in-a-cinema in Doha! Abdalla took me to see "The Men Who Stare At Goats", which has a whole slew of Hollywood actors. Half of the movie took place in Kuwait and Iraq, so it was fun sitting with someone who knew Arabic.

In the movie, Ewan McGregor's character is a reporter who wants to show his chops, so goes to the "war zone" of Kuwait (at least, that's how he describes it to his estranged wife). Now that I'm up on my Middle Eastern countries, I saw the humor in that; I also saw the similar grand hotels and impressive landscaping of a typical Gulf country.

Did I also mention that Ewan McGregor eventually begins reporting on these "psychic Jedi's" that the U.S. Army is secretly training. Well, Mr. McGregor (*cough* Obi-Wan Kenobi *cough*), you would know about Jedi's...

Well, I seriously thought my evening was over after that. I went home, felt the few raindrops outside, and started writing this.

Much to my surprise, I get a call just before midnight asking if I want to go for a drive. Apparently, it is traditional for Shakir and two of his friends, Aditya and "FeFe", to drive around when it is raining and sing Enrique. Since it was a thunderstorm, I guess they had to invite me, Fatima, and Maria along?

We ended up at bandar. I'm sure you are just shocked. And I got tea. Again, you must be in disbelief.

New to bandar was the lightning over the bay. Tonight's rain was fun to play around in; it never got too heavy, but my feet did get a little chilly.

We ended the night with a game of Charades... let's just say that it was better than all of the lame jokes we told in the half hour before that.

I feel you need a taste of it, so here's one from Fatima, the queen of the lame jokes: "What did the daddy tomato say to the baby tomato?" "Ketchup!"

I'm still listening to the thunder rumbling around outside. Different than the typical night sounds of the round-the-clock construction work... and much rarer as well!

**Correction by Rana: "Women can drive manual , and men can choose to do either automatic or manual :D :D :D Its not based on gender... But it makes more sense that we would choose automatic , its easier and any ways nearly most of the cars in Qatar are automatic, few manuals :D"

The Day of Two Dinners, or Day 18 in Doha

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."