Sample road signs Morning My alarm app was set for 4am, but I was awake for a half hour before it went off. While awaiting the ring from my phone, I gauged how my cold was proceeding. My throat was a little sore, but I could swallow; my nose was still a little runny, but… Continue reading Thursday, September 28th – End of the Second Week of Teaching
Author: Conan Kmiecik
First Week Teaching
One of the classrooms in which I teach This week was my first week teaching at Qatar University (QU) and my return to teaching full time. For the past two years, I worked primarily as a student coordinator with an occasional class during the semester that I taught as overload. While I have worked with… Continue reading First Week Teaching
Most Delicious Things that I Have Eaten in Doha (So Far!)
Normally, I try to write a blog post once every week. However, my friend Linda asked me to write about the food that I have eaten while I have been here, so here is an additional post for this week, in the form of a listicle, that recounts some of the delicious things that I… Continue reading Most Delicious Things that I Have Eaten in Doha (So Far!)
Start of the Academic Year: a ‘Brilliant’ Week
Welcome to Qatar University and the Foundation Program Department of English! This week was the start of the academic year at Qatar University (QU). Foundation Program Department of English (FPDE) staff and instructors had a week of mandatory meetings and presentations to attend. As a new hire, I spent the first couple days sorting out… Continue reading Start of the Academic Year: a ‘Brilliant’ Week
Idle Time in Doha
Eid greeting e-card from Qatar University Today marks the second week of my arrival in Doha. It’s hard to believe how long I’ve been here and how little I’ve actually done. When I arrived, there were about three working days to complete human resource (HR) matters for Qatar University (QU) before Eid al-Adha; then all… Continue reading Idle Time in Doha
First Week, First Observations in Doha
I have been in Doha little over a week. During this time, I have had innumerable experiences that I could discuss at length. However, for the sake of brevity, the following is a list of observations that I have had in the short time that I have been in country. Within 5 minutes of driving… Continue reading First Week, First Observations in Doha
First Blog Entry
ORD to HIA On August 26, 2017, I sat in the Chicago O'Hare airport waiting for my connecting flight to Doha, Qatar. I had a 12-hour layover to wait and think about the enormity of my decision to go abroad: I was about to spend the next three years living and working in Doha. And,… Continue reading First Blog Entry






