teaching, traveling, taking pictures
This week's blog post was influenced by three things: me lying in bed musing about the different ways of pronouncing Qatar (see NPR newscast); me learning about the Nabati Poetry tradition and the subject matters for the form; and my love for Wallace Stevens' "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird." Catara Before the start of class, a student tells me… Continue reading 8 Ways of Saying Qatar
“Sunday morning, rain is falling/ Steal some covers, share some skin/ Clouds are shrouding us in moments unforgettable/ You twist to fit the mold that I am in” - -Maroon 5, “Sunday Morning” “You came in with the breeze/ On Sunday Morning/ You sure have changed since yesterday/ Without any warning” - -No Doubt,… Continue reading Sunday Morning, 11 November
And I miss you/ Like the deserts miss the rain Everything but the Girl “Missing” During my first year in Doha, it only rained one time. It was a cool spring night. I was at the Pearl siting outside smoking shisha. Then, suddenly, the rain started to come down. At first, I was… Continue reading Rainy Days in Doha
While living abroad for the past year, I have had the pleasure of exploring a multitude of new sensory experiences, and most of the time in my blog posts, I try to convey an approximation of what I have experienced through visual and auditory imagery: I want my blog reader to see what I have… Continue reading Building a Better Koshari
In the past several weeks, I have spent more than six hours in a hospital ER—not for my own medical treatment, mind you, but to help others with their unforeseen emergencies. So, after these curious curative experiences, I thought I would spend this week’s post detailing them and ruminating about the state of medicine in… Continue reading On Medical Matters
I. Setting: The scene takes place on the Doha Corniche. A MAN and a WOMAN are about to walk together. [MAN] Ready to do this? [WOMAN] Are YOU ready to do this, old man? [MAN] Show a little respect for your elders. My generation gave the world Nirvana, Friends, Jurassic… Continue reading The Corniche: A Short Screenplay
This week I've been busy teaching and grading; however, I have also been approached and contacted by various people to present on something for the department. Wanting to be a good professional, I have been considering what I might offer my very accomplished cadre of colleagues. Then the idea of 10-minute activities occurred to me.… Continue reading 10 Student Activities for the First 10 Minutes of Class
Younger me? No, you're the wack me, it's funny but so true/ I'd rather be 80-year-old me than 20-year-old you/ 'Til I'm hitting old age/ Still can fill a whole page with a 10-year-old's rage “Killshot” Eminem The other night I was invited to a birthday get-together for the new colleague that I have been… Continue reading Midlife Mullings While Sipping a Mezcal Mule
In a year so much can change. At this time last year, I was living in temporary housing at Al Safa Hotel; needed to catch the shuttle every morning at 7am like a schoolboy, regardless if I taught in the morning (my first course was at noon); and was focused on completing the myriad steps… Continue reading Doha Year Two
Earlier this evening, a colleague invited me over for dinner. His wife was cooking a Korean meal. Wanting to be a good guest, I knew that I should bring with me a small gift of appreciation for their hospitality. However, I was unsure what I should give them. Then I remembered him telling me that… Continue reading Printing and Gifting Photographs Nowadays
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