Dust

I've never been so interested in dust. I've never really thought about it, never tasted it, never worn sunglasses when the sun wasn't shining to protect my eyes from it...until now.

I really like Doha. I like my job, I like our accommodations, I like the fact that we don't need a car to get around, I like Qatar's proximity to interesting countries, I like most of the people I've met...I just like it here. One thing I'm not crazy about, though, is all the dust.

I experienced my first sandstorm a few weeks ago. It was a fairly normal Doha winter day. It was about 20 degrees outside, the sun was shining and there was a light breeze. I was sitting in the lunchroom, eating and chatting with my colleagues when all of a sudden the sky turned grey. It looked just like it does when a storm (rain or snow) comes rolling in back home.

It was the strangest thing; everything got dark, but this darkness was not accompanied by precipitation or thunder. It was simply that the sand was blocking the sun. For the first time since I've been here, the cityscape which we can see from campus completely disappeared. It was strange.

The sandstorm lasted for a couple of days. The winds didn't blow things out of your hands and I didn't have to cover my face when I went outside like you see in movies when someone is stranded in the desert. But it sure was dusty!

It's not only during sandstorms that we deal with dust here.

Cars that remain stationary for a couple of days are soon covered with a layer of dust - at any time of the year. The day after furniture is dusted, it's dusty again. On windy days, such as today, it's inevitable that if step outside, you will get dust in your eyes. This is just part of our lives now. Shoes and sandals need regularly cleanings...as do feet!

Dust is certainly not the worst problem to have. On the contrary, it's given me a whole new appreciation for the washing of the disciples' feet passage. And also an appreciation for good dusting cloths. :)

Darren is the family duster. I'm the family vacummer. I'm not sure how we ended up with these particular jobs, but we know that when cleaning day arrives, after grumbling, Darren is responsible for his bathroom and the tidying/dusting, and I'm responsible for my bathroom and the vacuuming. But unless we do these jobs daily, there's always going to be dust.

I'm learning to live in an environment where there's a constant slight grit on the floor and where I'm careful not to brush up against too many things when wearing dark colours. It's all a part of my new found interest in dust.

I wonder to how many people worldwide dust is as common as rain or fog would be to me. It's funny how many things I am fascinated by that are commonplace to half of the inhabitants of this planet. It reminds me of how small my experience is in comparison with the global community. And there it is - finally a real benefit of dust!



Oh, for all you visual people out there, here's a video taken during the sandstorm I was talking about, courtesy of youtube.

Catching Up

Darren posted a new post today, which reminded me that I have a blog, too! :) It's been a couple of weeks since I've written, mostly because I haven't had much to say. That doesn't mean little has happened; I've just felt quiet.

To make up for it, here's the latest in the Great Doha Adventure:

Darren and I joined the QNHG at the Sheikh Faisel museum late in January. This guy has quite the collection of weapons, textiles, furniture, fossils, manuscripts...! The museum, which is a series of rooms and courtyards, is located outside of town in a farm-like area. After touring the collections, we walked around the grounds and got some good glimpses at his peacocks. Darren's patience behind the lens got us the picture you see. It was a lovely Friday morning...or was it a Saturday? I can't remember anymore.

In January we purchased "the Entertainer", a book full of coupons for local businesses. Last year's edition had a buy one get one free coupon for overnight desert safaris which we plan to partake in with our visiting family, and we bought it mainly for that. Unfortunately, this year's safari coupons are only for half day trips. It was disappointing, but we've been trying new restaurants because of the book. We had some great Indian food at "the mall" a couple weekends ago, as well as the most delicious chicken cannelloni at an Italian place. It's lovely to have regular little dates with my hubby.

I can now say I've seen an international hockey competition. Hockey teams from a number of Gulf countries came to Doha in January for the Desert Cup. Most of the players are Western expats, but there were a few Arab-looking names on some of the backs of the players on the Abu Dhabi team. I only watched one game, but at least I showed a little support. They play on the ice rink at one of the local malls.

Last Saturday I started a Palestinian embroidery class at the Doha campus of Virginia Commonwealth University. I've already made a bookmark, which I'm forcing Darren to use even though it has lace on it. The pattern I embroidered is one of the most masculine of all the patters I could have chosen from, so at least he's got that to hold on to. The class meets for 2 hours a week for about 5 weeks, and we do a small project each week.

Last weekend was the annual Terry Fox run here in Doha. It was actually part of the 2008 campaign, but since it's far too hot here in September, the Qatar run takes place in the new year. Darren purchased a pair of what we like to call "bouncy shoes" just for the occasion, although he promises me he will get his money's worth in terms of usage. I was going to walk the course, but decided against it when it turned out to be a warmer day than we'd been experiencing lately. Since there was no shade along the route I thought it best to make my donation, purchase my t-shirt and cheer on my friends. Darren completed the route twice - 1.7 km each. He usually runs more than that, but I think the bouncy shoes took a lot out of him!

Work itself has been actually quite busy lately, which isn't surprising considering we're at the midterm point. Things always seem to get busy around midterm. Both Darren and I are enjoying our students, although he often comes home and complains about how unruly his afternoon class is compared to his morning class. We attended the first annual TPP Student Recognition Ceremony last night. It's kind of like a graduation for students in the Trades Preparatory Program, who both Darren and I teach English to (yes, I know I ended that sentence about being an English teacher with a preposition). We enjoyed seeing the young men celebrating their accomplishment, and Darren particularly enjoyed the huge spread of a "lunch" catered by the Intercontinental Hotel afterward! I wish I had brought my camera; it was a nice experience. A few of my students received certificates, and I applauded them like a proud teacher.

Last week the college held an International Potluck fundraiser for rebuilding Gaza. We attended and left stuffed!! The students from various countries (Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, India, Syria, etc.) made or purchased food from their country which we got to enjoy. It was fantastic!! I can't remember the names of any of the foods I tried but there was not a single thing I didn't enjoy. There was also a Canada table, which held sweets (nanaimo bars, some muffin/cookie contraption that's popular out East, oatmeal cookies, butter tarts), and some other miscellaneous foods such as Greek salad (!?). It made me smile.

Darren has been faithfully attending Boot Camp three days a week at the college. A couple of Phys Ed teachers put it on and he really enjoys pushing his body to its limit with his workout friends. I, on the other hand, prefer more low key exercise. I'm continuing with my belly dancing classes on Monday afternoons and attend a water aerobic class 1-2 times a week. That's enough for me.

We've both become much more serious about our Arabic learning, though. We're almost finished a 4-week Arabic Basics course offered at the college and have learned a fair amount in that short time. Well, it was mostly review for Darren, but *I'm* pleased with what I've learned. My instructor is a math teacher at the college, born in Lebanon but raised in Canada, and she was really good. Darren was in another section but often snuck into my class after I told him about how much I was enjoying the course. Two of my colleagues who share an office with me are taking Arabic at VCU (where my embroidery class is) and so I've got a good group to practice my very limited vocabulary with. I also try it out on my students, which I think they appreciate. Oh, and just so you don't get any ideas about us coming home fluent, Arabic is by far the hardest language I've ever tried to learn. The hardest part is that I have no frame of reference for anything - not like learning a Latin-based language or even one that uses our alphabet!


We've been spending more time on the roof during the beautiful winter days and evenings. One of the tenants of our building purchased a swing and canopy/tent and put them on the roof for us all to use. Since then we've had multiple gatherings up there - birthday parties, happy hours, a building-wide Valentine's Day party. Other times I'll just go up for an hour or two to read or just sit. We've really appreciated having some outdoor space here in the middle of the city, especially since there are not parks or green spaces nearby.

Also in the past couple of weeks I found out that my Professional Development request was approved; the college is paying for me to attend TESOL Arabia in Dubai the second weekend in March. So tickets had to be booked, purchase orders had to be collected, registration fees had to be paid...and each of these things took much more time than I thought they should. But I'm looking forward to the conference, and also to seeing Dubai. Darren plans to join me on Thursday evening after he's done work and we'll return to Doha Saturday night. I'll be in workshops and sessions during the day, but we'll have the evenings together to explore the city a little.

We also have a long weekend coming up Mar 5-8. Darren has arranged for us to visit his former youth pastor in Kuwait, and I can't wait! It's a short and relatively cheap flight - the flight was 58 Qatari Riyals (about $17) before taxes and fuel surcharges, which made the grand total for the two of us 956 QR (about $280). I'm really looking forward to the change of scenery, and meeting this family.

Back in Canada, Mom's recovering well, I think. It's slow but she's moving in the right direction. That makes me feel much relief! My dad turned 59 a few weeks ago. I don't think the gift we ordered for him has arrived yet, which is strange, but what can I do? One of my sisters - freshly returned from a vacation in Mexico with her husband and a weekend in Ontario to visit with mom - is enjoying a week in the Caribbean with her husband and three kids. I love that they can get away like that. My parents are currently at a conference in Arizona or some such southern state. I'm trying to get a hold of another sister to arrange flight plans for meeting up in Zambia this summer. Sister number three is contemplating whether to take a co-op-esque position in Cleveland this summer. It seems like sitting still is not in our blood, eh? Even Darren's parents are on the move; they've booked their flights to come visit us here in April!

So, as you can see, lots has been happening around here. And I've only just talked about the activities we've been taking part in; we've been growing in emotional, spiritual, and mental ways as well, but I think this is enough for one post.

Yikes! I've just realized what a long, rambly post this has become. I guess this is what happens when you stay silent for too long...or when you temporarily forget you have a blog.

Perspectives...

Yesterday morning I was walking across campus with 3 of my collegues (one of whom happens to be my husband but that is irrelevant for this story). We were heading to our office building after being dropped off at the bus stop.

It was a really foggy day - the kind of fog that you can actually feel in the air. It was so thick we couldn't see two car lenghts ahead of us. And the entire ground looked wet, although it hadn't rained in weeks.

One of the girls I was walking with, who comes from Newfoundland, said it felt like a typical Newfoundland morning. Darren commented that it reminded him of September in southern BC. I likened the weather to standing near Niagara Falls on a really misty day.

We were all right.

Then and there was created the Doha version of the story about the blind men and the elephant.