teaching, traveling, taking pictures
Thursday afternoon I was invited to join some of the guys from work for drinks and dinner at the Doha Golf Course. That morning, we all had to submit our grades for the fall semester, so there was some cause for celebration. Regardless, I always relish the opportunity to hang out with my colleague outside… Continue reading A Shaggy Dog Blog Post
Midnight on New Year's Eve This past week was finals week for the Fall 2017 semester at Qatar University, and I found my work duties lighten somewhat because there wasn’t the need for me to prep and teach every day. Additionally, it was the cusp of 2017 and 2018 with New Year’s Eve falling on… Continue reading On Nightlife and Imbibing in Doha
The marina boardwalk near my apartment building, taken during a late night walk around Lusail City. For the last several years, I have made a writing resolution at the beginning of the new year. Since I write quite a bit for work and for pleasure, I have found that I am more likely to keep… Continue reading Starting 2018 with Intention
Me when someone asks if I have been homesick Lying Cat: (nothing) Tomorrow is New Year’s Eve, and I will end 2017 in Doha. However, I have to work both New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. There are exams that I need to invigilate at Qatar University. Invigilate is a British word which means… Continue reading On Homesickness: Last Blog Post of 2017
At the end of every year, I usually write a holiday card for family and friends across the US. This year, since I am in Doha, it has been logistically a little more difficult for me to continue this tradition. Some of you may have received a personal postcard from me. Postcard are hard to… Continue reading Happy Holidays from Doha!
Image source Since coming to Qatar, I have had to re-conceptualize time—not in a grand theoretical physics manner, but in a cultural and conventional sense. Muslims gather for a Friday prayer and do not observe a day of rest, or Sabbath, on Saturday or Sunday, like Jews or Christians, so the work week here begins… Continue reading The Implications of Dates and Time
With the Last Jedi coming out on December 13th, I have been wondering about the best viewing experience for the latest installment of the Star Wars series. My theater quandary has prompted me to write this week about my pop culture diet in Doha. At first, the idea of writing about the media that I consume seemed… Continue reading Feeding My Pop Culture Diet in Doha
Image Source Apologies for the late post. I started to write a rant for this week's blog post about the tax reform that was passed late at night by the Senate Republicans, about the direction that I saw the US heading, and about how I was glad to be outside of the US during the remainder of the… Continue reading Ghazal for Doha: A Blog Poem
There was nothing special leading up to November 23, 2017—none of the holiday cues that I associate with “American” Thanksgiving. I didn’t have an abbreviated work schedule at Qatar University: teach on Monday and Tuesday, have Wednesday through Friday off. Stores in Doha weren’t pushing Halloween costumes and then Thanksgiving/Black Friday sales. (Strangely enough, the… Continue reading American Thanksgiving in Doha, Qatar
Apologies for the belated blog post. I was busy this weekend; plus, I don't have internet at my new apartment yet. The building supervisor tells me it will be about month. Inshallah. Still, I wanted to stick to my weekly regimen of blogging—better late than never! A lot has happened this past week. I hinted… Continue reading My Days in Doha: Retrowave Edition
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