dealing with doha qatar...good, bad, ugly

What else do I write about? How about what it is really like here. I had a tough weekend. I had great people around me who are becoming my very close friends and who are always kind and fun. I had a bad weekend anyway. On Thursday one of my really great high school students had said, "Miss, they trick teachers into coming here, promising culture, and then you get here and find out there is no culture." I laughed, but I had to think about that one a lot. I pulled out my empowerment staple, "Eat, Pray, Love" and thought, this is not what I signed up for. The thing is that it is almost impossible to learn another language here because everyone speaks English. And Qatari people are very private, so it is hard to get to know anyone but westerners. The city is so NEW, that there is not much even in the way of historical architecture.

I was feeling down. Then I realized a few things. This is the normal adjustment time for culture shock, and that is what I am now experiencing. Vacation's over. I LIVE here now. Opportunities for travel and culture have happened, and will continue to do so. I am going on a State Mosque tour Friday for good ness sake!
I got chased down the street by a man who wanted to take me for a ride, but people with more experience taught me what to do about that one. I am learning how to ignore the unwanted attention and use the blonde hair to my advantage when I really need a cab. I am learning to balance going out to eat camel or lentil soup or mystery curry, with evenings where I just stay home and read a book and eat buckwheat pancakes so I don't get too worn out.

School has been a little tough because the Supreme Education Council (pictured directly above) has commanded that we teach Islamic, Ararbic, and Qatari History. That, combined with the requirements to get the school accredited by Alberta Learning has caused complete upheaval and strain on the leaders and teachers and kids. But slowly and surely we are working it out. Now I team teach Grade 5/6 PE, teach 7/8/9 Art and 10/11 Drama. And I am the visual and dramatic arts resource person for elementary. And I like it. All of it. Each day is an experiment. The kids are good. The staff is good. The rest sorts itself out.

I was frustrated because I couldn't get my fingerprints to show up and thought my residency would never come. Now they have worked. Still waiting on residency, but one more frustration has passed. (New people: Olive oil your hands for days before you go...moisture is good). I was frustrated because I didn't know how to transfer money home. Now I do. The key is ETERNAL patience, and a sense of humour, and LETTING GO of things that I would usually classify as uber-important. The key is to be grateful for a fiance who I miss, a mom who I miss, a sister who I miss, and is home planning ALL the details of my wedding for me. I focus on gratitude for the fact that I have friends and family at home who send me messages of love and support. I am so blessed to have that. I am so lucky to have this experience. I need to enjoy every moment while I can. I had the opportunity to go home. And I turned my back on it. This is amazing. This is too good to miss.

Remember how fast university passed and then soon felt like someone else's lifetime? The present fades so quickly. We must cherish it.