heart skips a beat...
This is by far my favorite photo from our engagement picture shoot. It's the background on my laptop currently....
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May 26, 2006
Burn out the day, burn out the night.
The toughest thing about being in Doha for six weeks is the ever-impending thought that I have to return to the USA. Not that I dislike the USA, or anything else at home (besides my commute to work), but I've had a lot of fun here so far. I've done more in the four weeks that I've been here than I did in nearly a year in DC.
I think it comes down to the fact that here I'm relying on everyone else to get around and do things. It could be that, or the fact that a lot of the people I'm working with over here are my age, and we have similar personalities, and similar ideas of fun. I have a feeling I'm going to go back to DC and have the shock of not having anything to do on the weekend (except plan for the wedding).
In any case, it has been a lot of fun over here after work and on the weekends. I really wasn't expecting that, but thanks to everyone who works over here for GU, it's been a great trip. Only two weeks left, and there is so much I'd still like to do - and a lot of stuff I'd like to buy to bring home. I'm thinking of maybe taking a cab to City Center Mall tomorrow to do some shopping by myself. I'm just afraid that I won't be able to get back to the apartment.... I'm sure it will be an adventure, and good for me.
May 24, 2006
Doha hearse...
I was driving home from work last night with Maya and Mike, and this lovely sight appeared on the road in front of us. In case you are wondering, yes those are caskets. They are in the back of a pickup truck, sticking out over the edge, with a single rope holding them down (but not necessarily preventing them from sliding off).
I had to take a picture, no matter how macabre you might think it is. It was crazy to see this on the road, especially since in Islam you aren't burried in a casket. So, that leads me to believe they were for some poor immigrant, possibly christian. In any case, it's a great feeling to drive behind a pickup truck full of coffins. That's Doha for you.
I had to take a picture, no matter how macabre you might think it is. It was crazy to see this on the road, especially since in Islam you aren't burried in a casket. So, that leads me to believe they were for some poor immigrant, possibly christian. In any case, it's a great feeling to drive behind a pickup truck full of coffins. That's Doha for you.
May 21, 2006
Like a prison...
Ok, so I got locked in my bedroom tonight. I had to call John. This was quite possibly the most embarrassing thing that has happened to me in the last 5-10 years.
I closed the door to keep the a/c in. Then I decided I wanted some water... So I go to the door, and bam! Locked! The keys (that are stuck in the lock) will not turn. There is no way to get out. I call John.... In the meantime, John, Maya, David, Maggie, et al. show up to bust me out. While they are trying to get in, I decide to climb out the bathroom window. Luckily, it works. I get onto the little kitchen balcony (despite some serious scrapes and cuts on my stomach and legs), and make it into the kitchen. Thank god you can open the balcony doors from the outside.
I took the keys with me, and sure enough, they work on the OTHER side of the bedroom door. So I ran downstairs, met everyone and told them the story. So embarassing. For years people are going to be telling the story of the time Jeremy got locked in his bedroom.
Only me. That would only happen to me.
May 20, 2006
As we seek, so shall we find.
I was looking for something to do last night - it was a pretty boring Friday here. (For those of you who don't know, Friday is a day off - it's like Saturday in the US). I hung out by the pool, did some running, and just chilled out. After a while I started to go a little stir-crazy.
Luckily for me, John gave me a call a little after 10pm to let me know that something was taking shape. The plans required a dress code... this time I was warned in advance, so as not to wear sandals again. Anyway, we ended up at Palomas - a tex-mex style restaurant/bar in the InterCon hotel. We had some food, mine was interesting - a vegetable enchilada. I was thinking that it would be really small pieces of vegetables, but there were actually huge chunks of broccoli, carrots, etc. Not the best thing I've had since I've been here, but it sufficed. While there we got to listen to a live band - John tells me they are from South Africa. They were actually pretty good, and I think if Martha was here with me, we'd visit that place quite a bit.
After that we got word that there was a "Canadian Hockey Party," so we headed over there. Sure enough, there were a bunch of Canadians there. It was a very good time - Jeff, the guy who owned the house where the party was was a nice guy. We had a bunch of beer, and smoked some shisha (once again - this is flavored tobacco). They had a pretty nice pool table, so John and I played a game and got our butts handed to us. They also had paid a DJ to be there, which was cool. Unfortunately for the two single guys I was with, there was a lack of available females. It didn't matter though, everyone seemed to have a pretty good time.
And I can still say I haven't met a Canadian that I didn't like.
May 17, 2006
Sandbox
We went on a trip to the desert to go "Dune-ing" on Monday. It was a lot of fun - we had a crazy Qatari driver named Mahmoud, and he took us all over those dunes. Essentially, they all own Land Rovers, and go out to the dunes for fun. In order to actually ride on them, they have to deflate the tires a bit to provide more friction space, or else you get stuck.
After about a half hour drive out to the dunes, he took us for about 45 minutes of riding, stopping occassionally for pictures. It was a pretty cool experience - one I have not had before, and probably won't have again for quite some time.
Take a look at the pictures!
After about a half hour drive out to the dunes, he took us for about 45 minutes of riding, stopping occassionally for pictures. It was a pretty cool experience - one I have not had before, and probably won't have again for quite some time.
Take a look at the pictures!
Tough work....
City Tour
On Sunday I was able to go on a tour of the city of Doha, Qatar, thanks to John suggesting it to HR. They had another guy, Ivan, coming in for a pre-employment visit, so I got to tag along. Our driver was a very nice guy, and we got to see a lot of the city.
I think the highlight for me was the gold and jewelry souq. It wasn't a great experience, but it showed me that if I want to go to the souqs to buy anything, I need someone who knows how to bargain. Which I'm not particularily good at.
I was also impressed with the Emir's Arabian horses. There were a ton of them, and they really took care of them.
So, take a look at the pictures linked here to see what I saw!
I think the highlight for me was the gold and jewelry souq. It wasn't a great experience, but it showed me that if I want to go to the souqs to buy anything, I need someone who knows how to bargain. Which I'm not particularily good at.
I was also impressed with the Emir's Arabian horses. There were a ton of them, and they really took care of them.
So, take a look at the pictures linked here to see what I saw!
May 12, 2006
The Gong Show at the Ramada Inn
Ok, so last night at the Ramada Inn was insane. Crazy. Nuts. Beyond bizarre.
I have changed the name to protect the innocent, but I'm sure you can infer who is who in the following story. Our friend, lets call him "Fred" has his own blog, and hit the nail on the head about this night pretty well.
Read about it here.
I can assure you, the prositution was real, and I am not "Tom." Seriously, this was one of the most fun nights I've had since undergrad at Oakland. A real gong show.
May 11, 2006
Pictures are here...
May 09, 2006
Not much to report...
It got up to 106 degrees here yesterday. That is some hot weather. Luckily, I am inside almost the entire day, so I miss the brunt of the heat. I got to work out in the nice facility here, but haven't yet had a chance to use the pool. Well, I guess I've had the chance, just haven't been in the mood.
Tomorrow should be interesting, though. I have to go in for my required medical exam - and from what I hear the doctor's office trip isn't one I'll soon forget. I'm nervous, and I have to get up even earlier to get there on time. I'll fill you all in on the details of that tomorrow....
May 06, 2006
Palm Island
Friday is a weekend here in Doha, so I ended up going out on the town. John took me with him and another guy - Edward - to a spot called Palm Island.
The trip started off initially as a trip to the Marriott, but they were "booked," so we could not hang out by their pool. Thus the decision to go to Palm Island instead. When John, Edward and I got to Palm Island, they wouldn't let us buy tickets because it was "family day." Family day here is a little strange. Essentially, single males cannot do anything when it is a family-only day (even if they are married/engaged, if the female isn't with them, they are single). So, instead we had to wait for the other people we were missing - an Egyptian couple and a Lebanese couple. Once they got there we were allowed in - because all you need to constitute a family is one female. (Ridiculous, because 10 guys could come with one girl, and be allowed in). Anyway, when they got there, we got tickets and were on board.
Palm Island is a small island in the gulf that has, wait for it.... palm trees! It has a beach and a 4-wheeler track as well. We ended up just hanging around, ate some food, and eventually went swimming. The beach was not soft. In fact, it was mostly very unconfortable rock as you walked out into the water. John dove in and scraped his legs all up, but we ended up swimming for quite a while. The temperature by that time was probably high 80s, low 90s, and the water was just about the same. One interesting thing on the island was the smoking of Shisha - a very popular and interesting habit. (This is not hashish, don't worry!) It's basically flavored tobacco - in flavors like apple, rose petal, lemon, etc. In any case, you rent hookahs to smoke it - and everyone on the island was smoking it, including the people I was there with. So, when in Rome... I tried it. It wasn't actually as bad as I thought it would be - it was almost pleasant. I don't know that I'll make it one of my "things to do," however.
So, after the shisha, and the swimming and the lunch, it was time to leave. I could have stayed there all night, it was so nice. Talking with the Egyptian couple (Nelly and Sharif) was very interesting. It seems, from them, that the reputation you hear in the states of people in the Middle East hating all Americans is not true - although I suspected that was the case anyway. It was englightening to sit and talk with them about Egypt, its relationship with Israel, and how it was outcast in the Arab world for eventually having peace with Israel.
After that, we went to City Center Mall for dinner and had some chicken skewers. I got the mild, and tried John's "hot" chicken. It was quite possibly the hottest "hot" I have ever had. I don't know how John ate it all. After that we took a drive down the Corniche - the main drag, and they showed me some more land marks, including the Souks, which are little market shops.
Then it was back to the apartment. I chilled out, watched Lost, and went to bed. Unfortunately, the USB cable I found doesn't work in Martha's digital camera that I brought, so I have to find another way to get the pictures off. I expect John will help me with that, so stay tuned for more pictures.
May 05, 2006
First Day in Doha
Yesterday was my first full day in Doha, and so far everything is good. I woke up about 10am, as my boss over here told me to sleep in and call when I was ready to come in. It's a good thing we have serious air conditioning here, as I doubt I could ever sleep in this heat.
When I was ready, I gave them a call - two of the guys I will be working with, John and Mike, picked me up in John's SUV. Both of these guys seem like good guys, and both are close to my age, which I assume will make this trip a lot of fun. They've both been here a while, and I can foresee myself hanging out with them most of the time. When they arrived, they decided it was time for lunch - so we headed out. Our destination: City Center Mall. The drive took about 15 minutes, so I got to see some of Doha. It's dry, gray, and beige - not a whole lot of color. It's also under construction in almost every direction you look. The Asian Games are coming here in December, and that is the cause of a lot of it.
When we finally arrived at City Center, I was pretty amazed by the size of it. It was one heck of a gigantic mall. They have a lot of Western stores, too - I was suprised by the amount. Plus, there are McDonalds and Hardees everywhere! We went in to a place called Pizza Express and had a buffet lunch that cost 35 riyals- which is about $4 US. It was very good pizza, and John and Mike treated me to lunch. Then we went to the equivalent of Wal-Mart to pick up some things for the office, and I got some food to cook at home (although I was told that I will probably eat out almost every night). They didn't have any TV dinners, but I got some pizza and ramen - how exciting!
After the trip to the mall, we went in to the LAS Building at Qatar Foundation's Education City, where GU operates. I got a walking tour of the building, met some people, and then took my seat in IT. We didn't end up doing much, although most everyone was gone because of a conference. It doesn't seem like it will be that bad of a job, however it also looks like I won't get bored, which is good.
Friday and Saturday are their weekends here, so I have today off. John, who has been here over 6 months, is coming by around 11am QT to pick me up and we are headed over to the Marriott. Apparently, the only place to get alcohol if you aren't a resident is the western resorts. The plan is just to hang out by the pool for most of the day. I'm not upset about that at all. I just don't want to spend too much money, as my bank account is virtually empty until I get paid next week.
I took some pictures of my complex last night, and will take some more of the Marriott today. I'm hoping that the USB cable I have will work, and I can get some of them online tonight.
May 03, 2006
London-Heathrow
Well, I made it to London without any problem. My flight was just over 7 hours long, and I'm sitting here in the business lounge. I have to say, business class (or Club World as BA calls it), is the way to go. I had in-flight movies, a full dinner, unlimited drinks - and a chair that folded flat. For the first time ever I was able to sleep in a moving vehicle. I got about 4 hours of sleep, and although I woke up and couldn't feel the left side of my body, it was a minor miracle that I got any sleep.
So, I came up to the Club lounge here in Heathrow - another benefit to GU flying me business class. I took a shower, and am now enjoying using some free internet. I'm about to go grab a pop and maybe a bagel and head out. I have about two hours until my flight, but I'd like to take a look around the airport if I can. This is the first time I've ever been in the UK.
In fact, I just realized, this is the farthest I have ever been from home, period. Of course, that will all change in about 8 hours. So, until then....