First Impressions

Now that I finally have a few moments to reflect and type, I'd like to share some of my inital thoughts and observations about our new home. The list of insights will be by no means exhaustive, nor is it meant to give you a clear idea about what we're experiencing. My main goal in writing this is to document some of the first things I noticed in order to return to them in the coming months and years and see how they've changed.

Summer in Doha is hot. When we arrived at the airport at midnight, and walked off the plane, the heat hit us like a brick wall. Fortunately, we were quickly escorted to an air conditioned shuttle that took us to the air conditioned terminal for processing. But the next day when I was standing outside the clinic where we got out medicals done as part of the residency process, I experienced for probably the first time in my life a hot wind. I’m used to a breeze being a cooling agent, but the breeze that was blowing on me was just as hot, if not hotter, than the air. It felt as though I was standing on the wrong side of an air conditioning unit or beside the exhaust pipe of a running car. It was a very interesting experience.

In the past week the temperature may not have fluctuated too much (we don't have internet or TV, or even a thermometer, so we can't check the official temperature) but depending ont he level of humidity, there have been bearable and unbearable days.

Returning faculty keeps saying to us, "Oh, you live in Al Saad (the common name of our apartment bulidng complex, named for the major street it's nearest)? That's a great area! There are tons of restaurants, shops, etc. in your neighbourhood!" However, until the winter comes, I'm not about to go exploring on foot, which is the best way to explore.

There are tons of non-Qatari nationals. In the first few days here, I have not spoken to a singe Qatari. That is not to say I have not spoken to a single non-Westerner. The hotel we stayed at for the first two nights was staffed with people from Sri Lanka, India, Philippines, etc. The same was true for the restaurants we've visited, the bus and taxi drivers whose services we've used, and the stores we've shopped in. The country is full of expatriates without whom there would be no service industry.

Don't get me wrong; I have seen Qataris - on the street, in the mall, around the campus, but I have had no contact with them. I will get to know about two dozen of them starting next week when class begins. The stream I have been assigned to teach is TPP (Trades Preparatory Program) in which 100% of the students are Qatari.

One good thing about the large ex-pat community is that the grocery stores are filled with foods from all around the world. Likewise, there are restaurants and services that cater to a wide variety of tastes and cultures. Also, as a Canadian who comes from a multicultural environment (especially as an ESL teacher!), it's much easier to adapt to a place where there are people of various culture and colours than a monocultural environment.

Doha is an architect's dream. I have seen so many impressive buidlings, especially when driving through the business and hotel districts. Doha is even building a community called the Pearl that is akin to the Palm Tree islands in Dubai.

Everywhere you look there is construction. I had seen more construction cranes in the first 24 hours of being here than in my entire life previously - and that includes pictures! Things are constructed and deconstructed at incredible rates. When we moved into our apartment, there was a building in front. One day when we got home from work (orientation), it was half demolished. The next day it was a rubble heap that matched the rubble heap on three other sides of our building.

Unfortunately, due to the speed at which the city is growing upward, it is impossible to hire enough skilled labourers. As a result, the workmanship is not as good as one would expect at home. But things are bult fast, and built to impress.

There are many other things I could mention, but they will have to wait for another time. For now, I hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse into our new surroundings.

Settling into our New Life

It's hard to believe we've been here for over a week already. then again, it's hard to believe we've been here for only a week!

For the last work week, starting this past Sunday (remember, Friday-Saturday is our weekend here!), I've been in full day orientation at school. That was 5 days full of long sessions at which tons of information was thrown at us. I feel like I have a basic sense of the campus layout now, although I still have to regularly ask security guards or returning faculty to point me in the direction of a particular building. I also have a basic idea of what I"ll be doing for the next 4 months. In EFL/ESL around the world, we never really know what and whom we'll be teaching until the first day of class. It's frustrating, but that's the way it is. So I'll spend Sunday in departmental and team meetings, and then jump into the classroom on Monday. Fortunately for me, a lot of the technology we're expected to use is similar top what I have used in Canada, so that's one less hurdle for me.

My colleagures are all Canadians. Well, there are some local hires from sub-continental Asia in administrative and support positions. Many of them are from sub-continental Asia. But all the faculty come from Canada. I have met people from all across the country, but since CNA is based out of Newfoundland, there is a huge proportion of Newfoundlanders here. I have very little experience with people from Atlantic Canada, and Newfoundland in particular. As language people, it has been very interesting for Darren and me to hear their different dialects. What a big and diverse country we come from!

In terms of settling into our new lives, we're doing alright. Darren and I are both sleeping well at night, and I have awoken 2 minutes before my alarm clock (set for 5:45 am - in order to be downstairs for the bus's prompt 6:45 departure) the past three mornings. Even today, I woke up at 5:50, rolled over and fell back to sleep, because it's Friday!

Our apartment is very nice. We live in a building with just over 70 units, all inhabited by Canadians working at CNA-Q and their spouses. We have seen over a half dozen units now and no two are identical. Some have long living/dining rooms and offices. Others have the dining room in one of the bedrooms. Others have balconies. We are fortunate to have windows that face the city, not air shafts like some of our friends. The sun wakes me up each morning!

Our little apartment (acutually, compared to where we were living in Thorold it's a BIG apartment!) is beginning to feel like home. As Darren has mentioned, we've been slowly purchasing lamps and rugs and bedding. He found a store that sells real plants so we're going to look into getting a tree for the living room - since there isn't too much foliage nearby. We'd still like to get a different sheet/duvet set for our bed, as well as a different desk for the office. And the baking sheet we bought is too big for the little oven that came with the apartment, so that means a rdeturn trip to the mall to exchange it for a smaller one. But these are all details now - our place is definitely liveable and becoming distinctly "home", which is important because for at least the next 3 years, that's exactly what it is.

Thoughts in our final Canadian days

The last week has been odd. We are currently staying at home #2 on our friends tour. Because we moved out of our apartment July 31, we needed somewhere to stay until our flight - August 12. For some reason, I was afraid to impose on any one person/couple/family to put us up for that long a time frame, so we asked 3. Yup, I decided it would be good for us to move around from house to house to house while Darren and I each finished teaching and prepared to start our new adventure. But it has actually been nice to spend some time with different sets of friends before leaving, and not nearly as stressful as I imagined.

So here we are, sleeping in guest rooms, with clothes and toothbrushes in tow. I am proud to announce that all the earthy possessions we are bringing to Qatar are packed and neatly stored at my in laws'. Except, of course, that which we're using this week. We took one small carry-on-sized suitcase back to St. Catharines with us to use for the week, as well as the backpack that houses our laptop and camera, and a "school bag" each for teaching.

Now that it's time to move to our last stop on the circuit, we're finding it a little trickier to fit everything into the same number of bags we brought here. It's amazing how things can quickly multiply. Besides a few gifts we received at our going away party (which we HAVE to bring with us!), we have accumulated a year's worth of prescription drugs, a few more toiletry items, and a Qatar-appropriate skirt that I couldn't turn down. But I'm married to a master packer, so I'm just going to fold everything nicely and wait for him to come and work his magic!

The fact that we're moving to a completely different country with a different culture, climate, set of expected behaviours, etc. hasn't really hit me yet. I know that we will be immersed in an expatriate community, which will soften the foreign-ness of the experience, but this expat community exists in the midst of a middle eastern culture.

We really have little knowledge about what we're walking into. We've familiarized ourselves with all the information the school provided for us to read, and I check a few blogs written by people living in Doha semi-regularly. Darren talks to his Saudi students about Qatar, and we just re-watched The Kite Runner to renew our excitement for "that part of the world". I've also been reading a book about Iran which is peaking my interest in the region as well. But like any overseas experience, we won't really know what life will be like until we get there and experience it. And that's part of the fun.

But at the moment, I just feel like I'm on vacation. That might worry me except for the fact that my friend Kathy didn't realize she was moving to Japan until she was in the car on the way to the airport. And she turned out alright.

Thank-you!

Well, we are no longer residents of Thorold - thanks to a ton of people.

This past week was one of the most stressful we've experienced in a long time. But like all stressful times, we made it through!

I went to work Thursday morning and by the time I had finished teaching, our apartment had been cleared out of almost everything and cleaned from top to bottom. It was an amazing experience!

A BIG thank-you to

• my family who sorted, packed, cleaned, transported, protected
• our friends who helped with the moving itself
• those who took our possessions either to use or sell
• Darren's family who found room for more furniture than they expected
• everyone who prayed for my anxiety

For the next 10 days or so we'll be staying with various friends and relatives in St. Catharines and Hamilton. It will be a time of visiting and relaxing before we begin our adventure. Hopefully we will run into you in the next week, but if not, we will have to make plans for next summer!

Last chance!

The packing has begun - for real. I went through the storage closet under the stairs while Darren marked essays this afternoon. It's amazing the things we (despiting intentionally downsizing last year) have hidden away in the corners of the apartment!

We've done a good job getting rid of most of our stuff. Plans are in place to deliver our bedroom furniture to friends in Welland, and our living room furniture to our family in Hamilton. Darren is currently uninstalling programs from our computer that we're giving to friends, and this morning a couple came and picked up our bedside tables to furnish rooms they hope to rent to students.

However, there are some more things we'd like to see go to good homes:

• classical guitar
• Dirt devil upright vaccuum cleaner
• set of yellow dishes (including matching cream & sugar set and juice pitcher)
  
• wine & champagne glasses
• DVD player and VCR player
• women's ice skates size 7
• handheld electric mixer
• footbath
  
• GE cordless phone
  

Whatever we can't give away, we're going to put in our friends' yard sale. But if you know of someone who could use any of these things, why should they have to pay for them?

The best part of being a teacher

My 7 students, the teacher who is going to replace me when I move to Qatar, and selected members of their families joined me on a trip to Fort George and Queenston Heights yesterday.

As I'm sure I've mentioned before, I'm teaching the bridging course for students who have been accepted to the MA in Applied Linguistics/TESL program in September. It's a 10-week course, 7 of which I'm responsible for.
We spend our time reading articles about topics in applied linguistics, writing essays, paraphrasing, critiquing articles, discussing important terminology - lots of fun! So, we thought it would be appropriate to spend one day relaxing together and enjoying the history of the area.

At Fort George we had a tour of the barracks, officers' quarters, and powder magazine. In addition, we were entertained by the fife and drum band, and a rifle demonstration. They even let us try on soldiers' uniforms!

From there we had a driving tour of NOTL and the Niagara Parkway as we headed to Queenston heights for a picnic dinner. After the interesting, but long drive, the kids were glad to be outside where they could eat and run around. They spent their time playing frisbee, climbing trees and rolling down the hill, as the adults looked on. Just for the record, I believe that sign reads "Please keep off flower beds," not "Refrain from climbing the hill." :)

I'm not sure if anything was learned on this outing, but I think a little diversion every now and then does a person good. Besides, if these people are going to be classmates for the next 8 months in what was the most stressful and challenging venture of my entire life, then having established a good foundation will be very helpful.

Also, it was fun.

The whole gang, minus the majority of Carol's daughter. That's what happens when you ask a random friendly-looking but older gentleman to take a group shot.

Musicals and novels

Last Sunday Darren, our friend Ashley and I had tickets to see You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown in Hamilton. In grade 7, Darren played Charlie Brown in his elementary school's production of the Broadway Musical. So, I thought it would be a nice birthday outing. And that it was.

I could imagine little awkward 12-year-old Darren sulking around the stage in character, dreaming of "that cute redhead girl" and yelling at Snoopy to stop dancing and start eating his dinner. I think he was probably really well cast!

This Sunday we were back in Hamilton, this time to celebrate Darren's 33rd birthday with his family. We partook in the Sunday morning service at the Meeting House, and then had a bit of time to kill before heading over to the Conleys'. So, we decided a visit to Chapters was in order.

While Darren browsed through comic books and superhero magazines (What was I going to say - it was after all his birthday!?!), I embarked on the task of finding a book to read on the plane. None of the titles on the Hot and New table intrigued me, so I headed over to the literature section and began to systematically scan each shelf. I now understand why they have all those chairs all over the store! I picked up a few books, read a few pages, and then made my decision.

I purchased My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult, a novel about a girl who was conceived to be a donor for her older sister with Leukemia. I thought the 448 pages would keep me occupied during the two consecutive 7-hour flights.

Here's the problem: I've been having trouble saving it for the plane ride!

This is good because it means I finally have time to read for pleasure again. On the other hand, if I finish the book now, how will I entertain myself on August 12?

But my friend Marie, who happens to have a fascination with Iranian culture, has helped me out. She loaned me a couple of books (Lipstick Jihad and another one whose name I forget just now) which will hopefully keep me occupied until I'm at Pearson International Airport. Thanks, Dr. Good!

World Food

I made wonton soup last night. We haven't actually tried it yet; Darren was out with his buddy last night and I was eating leftovers from our birthday dinner Thursday night. But we did try some of the wontons and they tasted, well, like wontons!

Every Friday afternoon my class takes a little break from our academic pursuits and has what I've deemed "Culture Sharing". This involves us taking turns bringing a dish typically enjoyed by people in our respective countries. I know that culture is much more than food, but sharing dishes from one's home country is a great way to start a cultural discussion.

The first week I brought individual strawberry shortcakes. That was followed by butter tarts, since according to Wikipedia, the butter tart is "a type of pastry best known as a Canadian treat". Then we enjoyed Sri Lankan milk rice with tamarind and date chutney, and the week after we danced to Pashtun music after eating palau biryani. Yesterday another student taught us how to make wontons (Pronounced huntun in Mandarin) and gave me the leftover wrappers and ground turkey (she avoided using the traditional pork out of respect for our Muslim student) mixture to use at home.

I find experimenting with different foods to be very enjoyable. I've been taught to cook Peruvian and Colombian food in the past. My roommate Ashley and I even successfully reproduced at least one of those dishes unassisted. That was a very proud day!

When I was in Bosnia, at least two ladies showed me how to make their traditional pie (pita - either with spinach, potatoes, or the most common, ground beef). It was quite a process, one which I am please to announce I was able to complete in Canada. Of course, it didn't taste quite as good...

The American girls I was living with in Travnik, Bosnia and I decided to make apple pies to give to our local friends, especially those who had made pita for us. It was a way we could share a part of who we are while showing our appreciation for their friendship.

It's not a fluke that when people gather, there is often the sharing of a meal (or at least snacks). I don't know if it's the intimacy of the act or the sharing of a basic human need, but eating is central to socializing. And - as far as I can tell - when someone visits your home, the initial reaction of people all over the world is to offer them something to eat...often even when food is scarce.

This line of thinking makes the idea of hunger (on a world or local scale) take on new meaning. While I establish the sharing of food as educational capital, others are longing for a simple meal. While I experiment with international cuisines, there are people in the countries from which the ingredients I use have been imported who cannot feed their families.

I cannot solve the world's hunger problems. I can, however, be more mindful of my level of consumption, and help out as opportunities arise, all the while being thankful for the bounty I have access to as one of the world's wealthy.

Shirtbug.net up and running

If you're looking for witty, stylish t-shirts, baby onesies, dog dishes or maternity shirts, have I got the online shop for you! Shirtbug.net is officially open for business.

Darren has designed his first 5 shirts, with many more to come - after all the marking and packing that I mentioned below!

He has gained a great deal of proficiency with GIMP (a free Photoshop-esque program) and can crank out a design in only 3 days now! :) That's what happens when you're a perfectionist!

I'm really glad that he finally has an outlet for all his pent-up creativity. Did you know my baby has come up with hundreds of ideas for inventions that we do not have the means to create? But thanks to cafepress.com, we don't need the means to actually produce anything; all Darren has to do is come up with clever designs, decide what products to put them on, and leave the rest to the professionals. It's truly a wonder.

And the news gets even better: Darren received his first sale this week! This is not including the 2 t-shirts he bought himself to check out the quality of the products! That's right, the site has just paid for itself this month. Ya hoo!

The Latest

I am entering the final stages with my Major Essay. It will be submitted to my second reader tomorrow and then, once I get his comments and make the required revisions, it will be off to the proofreader! The major work is behind me; it's all about details now.

This is great news, mainly because I don't have time to write any more drafts! We're moving out of our apartment in 15 days and leaving the country in 27, and our apartment is surprisingly void of packed boxes. All of our stuff is being distributed to friends and family, but it still needs to be packed up for moving day! (Which reminds me, if you're looking for something in particular - a nice vase, a side table lamp, a set of very happy yellow dishes to name a few - we can still probably hook you up!)

We haven't finalized our "TO TAKE" list yet. Every day I come up with something else that I'd like to have in Qatar but doubt we'll be able to fit in our luggage. For example, yesterday I decided that I'd really like to bring my housecoat along, but it doesn't fold up very compactly. I think we will have to find a way to include my favourite pot, though! Darren's bent on bringing our cutlery, but I think I'll be able to talk him out of that. And then there's our books - I just know that one of us is going to crave a little C.S. Lewis when our library is across the ocean!

These are the things we're currently dealing with, alongside lesson planning, assignment/test designing and marking first drafts of research essays (Darren) and annotated bibliographies (Larissa). Oh, the joys of being teachers...who are moving! :)

Dancing

Darren shared this video with me tonight. It's amazing how something so simple can be so powerful. Enjoy!


Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Flight arrangements

We're really leaving.

While we don't have plane tickets in our hands, we do have an electronic flight itinerary, which makes this entire venture seem much more real.

August 12 is the big day. We're flying out at 11:10 pm, and we'll arrive in Doha just over 24 hours later, at 11:59 pm on the 13th. We'll only be in the air for about 14 hours all together - it's just over 7 hours from Toronto to London and just under 7 hours from London to Doha.

I imagine we'd be all messed up in terms of jet lag regardless of when we left/ arrived, so this itinerary is probably as good as any. And Pearson should be nice and quiet at that time of night! :)

Oh, and they're going to feed us on both planes!

Much more interesting than learner autonomy in the ESL classroom!

I came across an interesting documentary this morning while browsing Relevant Magazine over breakfast which has me distracted from the paper I should be writing. It's called "Lord, save us from your followers."

In it, filmmaker Dan Merchant, donning about 50 bumper stickers of conflicting sentiments, travels the USA in pursuit of open dialogue between Christians and - well, everyone else. According to the movie synopsis, his goal was to "discover why the Gospel of Love is dividing America." In a USA Today article, Tom Krattenmaker describes the film as

a humorous and heartfelt examination of the culture wars featuring a Michael Moore-meets-Monty Python style.

I haven't actually seen the entire film yet. I'd like to watch it with Darren so we have to find a time when we're both free to sit down together for an hour and a half or however long it is. However, I've browsed through the "short films" posted on the website and was intrigued.

I particularly like the 4th thumbnail - in which the film is screened on an American college campus and some really good questions are raised (with a little shameless promotion thrown into the mix) and the 6th - which redefines the 10 commandments, according to current "christian" thought (should you be interested in checking it out yourself).

A quick update

Two weeks down and five to go!

I just finished the second week of the course I'm teaching. The workload is quite heavy, but I'm really enjoying teaching it. I'm very impressed by the level of understanding of my students - both in terms of English language and linguistic knowledge. And they're such interesting people. I can't count the number of times I wished I were a part of their MA cohort, rather than my own!

Darren's 10-day vacation is winding down. Of course, we still have Canada Day (and the University-declared holiday on Monday), but he has started to think about lesson planning again. That is after spending the week running errands in preparation for the big move. And fixing the car...again.

In other news, we had a very relaxing time with our friends from small group at a rented cottage last weekend. It was so nice to have nothing to do but read Bill's book (I forgot mine at home) in the shade, or just sit on the dock with my feet dangling in the lake, chatting with friends.

Also, Darren finally put the finishing touches on his first t-shirt design. It's good to have a backup career in case the job at the U of C doesn't pan out. (stay tuned for more!)

What else? We found a really good home for our dehumidifier finally! Still trying to give away other stuff, though!

For now I'm looking at a long research weekend in which I will attempt to finish my major essay once and for all. Oh, and visit with some good friends, as well.

Birthday presents for 5-year-olds

There comes an age when getting money for your birthday is awesome. But before that time it can be quite disappointing, as I learned this past weekend.

Darren and I drove to Forest to celebrate my nephew's 5th birthday. He's visiting Grannie and Papa for a couple of weeks. As we did when his sister turned five and visited the grandparents, we made the trek to join in the party. Imagine a 5-year-old boy's birthday party with 6 adults (2 grandparents, 3 aunts and an uncle) and only one child! That was our Friday night.

At lunch on Saturday, when Levi asked to be excused, he was told he had to stay at the table because there were two more presents for him to open. Auntie Leona brought two envelopes to the table for him and his reaction was one of great confusion:

Levi: Those are my presents?
Grannie: They're cards from your great-grandmas.
Levi: [pausing for a moment to take in this information] Why aren't they toys?

We laughed so much as he expressed his honest confusion. I love that boy.

(In)justice

Darren and I had a lovely visit with our friend from Burundi last Saturday. We enjoyed a nice meal together and had some fascinating discussions.

Darren pulled out his djembe and we got a taste of the national beat that is played at any official gathering. We heard hilarious stories of our friend's antics, both as a student at a Burundian boarding school, and as a student at a Canadian college!

As part of these discussions, he gave us a short history of Burundi and Rwanda - kind of an insider's perspective. We talked about governmental corruption, colonial division of a unified people into currently-warring tribes, international plots to maintain instability in these regions, and the never-ending quest for power. It was a sobering talk.

At the end of the visit, I couldn't help but think about something I had read recently:

“…After all, God’s wrath is a good thing, a saving thing. No, Daniel, the gospel is about how the world will be saved from human sin and all that goes with it – human greed, human lust, human pride, human oppression, human hypocrisy and dishonesty, human violence and racism, human chauvinism, human injustice. It’s answering the question, How will humanity be saved from humanity? How will earth be saved from evil that springs from within human individuals and human groups?” Neil’s arms were waving so wildly that I had to reach over and touch his shoulder so he wouldn’t hit a woman who was walking up behind him, about to pass on his left.

“Hold on, hold on!” I interrupted. “You’re going way too fast for me. What do you mean that God’s wrath is a saving thing? A lot of people would say that God’s wrath is what puts us in peril.”

“Maybe that’s because you’re a white male, my friend,” he said with something like irony, “and all that you represent is put in peril by God’s wrath.” Just then a tall white guy wrapped up in an expensive camel-hair overcoat walked by, heard what Neil said, and gave us both a strange look. Neil continued: “All of the oppressed people of the world are praying, ‘God, how long? How long will you restrain your wrath? When will you intervene and cause the masters to let the slaves go free? When will you intervene and pour out your fury on the careless wealthy colonizers and dominators who profit’ – how did Lincoln say it? – ‘by wringing their bread from the sweat of other men’s faces?’ You could say that God’s wrath is the emotion that puts God into motion, intervening against oppressors and their injustice. God’s wrath is God’s justice in action. God’s compassion is the counterpart – it’s God’s response to those who suffer from the abuses of power of the unjust. Only the oppressors fear God’s justice. The oppressed pray for it to come. In fact, when they pray, ‘Your kingdom come,’ they are in part praying for God’s just wrath to intervene and bring them liberation.”

(McLaren, B. (2005) The Last Word and the Word after That. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. p. 70)

Just something to think about.

Back to work

So, I'm teaching again. Well, classes don't begin until Monday, but I'm spending the next 2 days at school getting everything ready.

I'm excited about this course - having a reason to get out of my pajamas every day, meeting new people, putting some of the theory I've been studying for the last year into practice, helping to prepare a group of learners for the biggest roller coaster of their academic lives so far!

But I'm also worried about what it will do to the progress of my ME. I'm just going to have to become an expert time manager, I guess. It could be worse - I could have nothing to do. While that seems like everyone's fantasy, too much of a good thing becomes not good. I think I will benefit from having a bit more structure to my days!

We'll see...

Employment History

In order for my new employer to calculate where exactly I land on the pay scale, I had to forward them a document outlining all of my teaching experience. So I raided the "resume" folder on my computer and made the list. And actually, I was surprised by its magnitude.

I know I started teaching in 2000 and stopped in 2007, which ...give me a second to do the math... means I should have 7 years' experience. Not bad. But I was more surprised by the diversity of my experience.

I had been employed by the same school for 6 of those years, off and on, depending on contract availability. But during those "off" times, I taught in two different areas of Bosnia and also in Chile. There's also the ESL summer camp I taught at one summer, as well as the 6-week English course for casino employees I designed and taught in Niagara Falls. And I can't forget the private language school where I got my start. (I also included the Bridging course I'm teaching starting next week, and my TA work as well. They can ignore them if they so choose.)

I feel too young to have had all these experiences. But compared to others in my field, my employment history is pretty short. It's not uncommon for ESL professionals, especially in this area, to bounce around from from school to school as enrollments fluctuate and contracts expire. Full-time jobs for teachers are hard to come by. But then again, the TESL field seems to attract people who find the idea of settling down unsettling.

Compiling the list was a good exercise for me. It made me feel a little more confident seeing my accomplishments on paper, like I could take on the world - or at least a new group of students.
I don't really know what to expect when I get to my new job (either of them!), but I've already taught mining students, casino employees, children, newcomers, International students, monolingual and multilingual classes, both in Canada and abroad...I'd say it's time for a new challenge.

If I were a summer baby...

If my birthday were in June, this is what I'd ask for:

http://www.tomsshoes.com

I love the idea of gifts benefiting someone other than the giver, receiver and 'businessman'. Last Christmas, just about every gift we gave came from Ten Thousand Villages. It made me happy to know that I was supporting local artisans trying to make a living in Bangladesh or India.

Ideally, I'd like to see a huge reduction in the amount of gifts given/received in our families. But until we reach a family-wide consensus to reduce our consumption by eliminating superfluous gifting, I want to continue to try to support people who could use the support when purchasing presents.

Life's adventures

The other day Darren said to me, "I'm really looking forward to our new adventure," referring of course to our upcoming move to the other side of the world. It was quickly followed by a realization: "Hey, this will be our first adventure together!"

I thought about it for a moment and replied, "What about the living-out-of-a-single-room-because-the-landlord- flooded-our-apartment adventure? Or the MA adventure, followed directly by the other MA adventure? Or the anxiety adventure?"

I could have gone on...there's the passport fiasco at our wedding, the time vortex we encountered in Tennessee, the learning to drive standard episodes, the pre-engagement airplane freakout, the sunburn that changed my life, the birthday bamboo mixup...

I know what Darren was saying, and I too am excited about our first "real" adventure. But it seems to me that all of life is an adventure; some events are just a little more adventurous than others!

Research Blues

Around the middle of the first semester I was approached by one of my professors about switching from the coursework-heavy track to the thesis track of the MA I began in September. I thought about it for a long time, made contact with potential sites to conduct my research, formulated my research question and design, and then decided not to do it.

The route I chose to follow includes 8 courses and then a "Major Essay" (ME), which is in essence a larger term paper. I know it was the right decision - there is very little chance that I could have finished my thesis (never mind its defense) in time to move this August. And I've never taken a single course in stats. Oh, and because of the sample size I was using, the results would probably have been invalid anyway. But today I questioned the choice.

The topic I have chosen to for my ME is fostering autonomy in language learning. I really like the idea of empowering learners to take control of their learning. So do lots of theorists! Unfortunately, not many researchers do.

I have read the majority of the literature on autonomy in language learning that I can get my hands on - including books from Windsor, Ryerson, OISE, U of A and 3 I purchased from Ireland! People have defined and redefined the concepts, and then redefined the re-definitions. They've also argued about the cultural appropriateness of autonomous practices in non-Western settings, and investigated learners' beliefs about roles and relationships in the classroom. And they've described classroom settings in which pro-autonomy teachers have "succeeded" in handing more control over to learners.

What is missing, however, is actual research that shows the benefits (or disadvantages) of autonomy in the language classroom. I have come across only one study that used a control group, without which no finding can ever really be attributed to the intervention. Only one!

I'm finding it hard to maintain motivation when what I'm writing is the mantra my classmates and I have been chanting all year: "MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED". If I had gone the thesis route, on the other hand, I could be helping to fix the problem by actually doing that research. But then we wouldn't be going to Qatar. Sigh, I've just got to get this darn thing written!

Downsizing...again!

The quest to get rid of everything continues. Last year when Darren and I moved from a 2-bedroom apartment to our little 1-bedroom, we thought we did a good job downsizing. As it turns out, we still have a lot of stuff!

In the next two months we have to decide what we're keeping and what we're not. The goal is to take only the necessities (clothes, computer, teaching supplies), and replace everything else when we get there (dishes, sheets, most toiletries). But it's much harder than it seemed at first. For example, we have an electric toothbrush. We love our electric toothbrush. We could go back to manual toothbrushes, but we'd rather not. However, using this toothbrush in the Middle East will require a converter. The same is true for my hair straightener. See? Kinda complicated.

Dealing with the furniture is much easier: our apartment will be furnished so we can pretty much get rid of everything here. Slowly, we're finding homes for our personal belongings. We have a friend whose son will graduate into our "big boy bed;" another family will replace their old rec room furniture with our slightly less-old living room furniture; another couple is inheriting our TV.

If you need anything, let us know. We may just have one that we're trying to find a good home for!

Housewives and their culture shock

These days I spend a lot of my free time (well, the time I call "free" but would better be called "research avoidance") reading up about Qatar. Today I came across a business started by a British woman who has been living in Qatar since 1995. She manages properties in Doha and lets them to expatriates.

We are not in need of her services since the school with which I'm employed arranges for our housing. However, she did have some helpful tips about moving, and it was nice to browse the photos she has posted of potential living spaces. The apartments she advertises look comparable to photos I'd seen on the school's website, which was encouraging.


As I was exploring the site further, I came across something surprising. In the "About Me" section of her website, Maggie cites Dr. Betsy Wells, a family therapist who has lived abroad for over 15 years. She says,

It's not just the employee who signs that contract, often it's an entire family. Typically it's the woman who has the most difficult adjustment and even the most confident women can succumb to feelings of vulnerability and depression.

This quotation probably shouldn't have caught me off guard, but it did. It is assuming that the woman and her children have relocated for the husband's job. Would it still be the woman who has the most difficult adjustment if she is the one who actually signed the contract?

I realize that in the majority of instances, if only one half of a couple works, it is the husband. But I do know men who have taken parental leave and Darren's dream is to work from home so we can avoid childcare costs in the future. Many of the couples I know share responsibilities both inside and outside of the home - they are both employed (or in school) and they both do the housework. It has become a natural way of thinking for me.

It makes me wonder how Darren and I will be viewed when we arrive in Qatar. We had decided that we would move across the globe even if we had only one job in hand. The fact that it turns out to be the woman's job doesn't change our decision. Of course, Darren will look for work once we arrive, but in the meantime, will we be considered odd?

I guess since the first people we meet in Doha will be Canadian, as well, it may not seem so strange. But then again, this woman was talking about expats, too!

Hot, hot, hot

This is the current weather conditions in Doha. Just thought I'd share.