teaching, traveling, taking pictures
A few weeks ago, as I was driving my car into the entrance of my apartment building, I noticed a small cat huddled on the front steps. After parking my car, I approached the grey tabby. Hey, kitty! It didn’t flee and allowed me to pet it. Up close, I noticed that the cat was… Continue reading Cat-Free in Doha
As I write this blog post, 722 people have died of the Coronavirus. Many American airlines are halting flights to mainland China (possibly until March 28!). Three cruise ships have been placed under quarantine after several passengers tested positive for the virus. Outside of China the countries with the most reported cases of the virus include Singapore, Thailand and Japan with 20 to… Continue reading Illness and Injury While Traveling
The other day I participated in a photowalk hosted by the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum. The Sheikh Faisal Museum is one of my favorite places to visit in Qatar. It is outside of Doha, just past the Mall of Qatar. I have gone there several times and brought multiple people there in… Continue reading Photowalk at the Sheikh Faisal Bin Qassim Al Thani Museum
Last night, I dropped two of my friends off at Hamad International Airport. They had flown all the way from wintery Minnesota to attend a conference in Doha and spend some time with me. It was a short but satisfying visit. My apartment is large enough to easily accommodate them. Plus, there are quite a… Continue reading On Gratitude
On November 1, National Novel Writing Month will begin, and for 30 days, I must write 1666 words per day in order to accomplish the goal of writing 50,000 words (the length of a novel or novella). Since I came to Doha, I have written/created at least one blog post per week of varying lengths… Continue reading Two Truths and One Lie
The other day, as I was preparing a new post for my blog, I noticed that WordPress had congratulated me on 100 blog posts. 100 posts? Seems like only yesterday that I arrived in Doha and started writing my original blog, My Days in Doha. In recognition of my 100 posts milestone, I thought that… Continue reading Top 10 Posts from the Past Two Years
While thinking about what to publish for this week's blog post, by happenstance, I was looking through the few videos that I had saved in Google Photos. It then occurred to me to curate a few of these videos and share them. So, after upgrading my WordPress account, once again, I was able to upload… Continue reading Song and Dance in Doha
Until land was reclaimed along Doha's waterfront in the 1970s, the waters lapped at the entrance to Souq Waqif, where traders were just as likely to arrive by boat as by camel. The first semi-permanent shops here were built around 250 years ago. Before that, vendors stood and sold their wares from makeshift stalls, as… Continue reading Photos from Souq Waqif
Image source Ramadan Kareem! Today marks the fifth day of #Ramadan2019. In my last blog post, I wrote about the onset of Ramadan here in Qatar. This is only my second Ramadan in a Muslim country, so I am still learning quite a bit every day about the traditions and practices of the ninth month… Continue reading 30 Days of Ramadan: New Understandings and Challenges
The band blares,The naphtha flares,The sawdust smells,Showmen ring bells,And oh! right into the circus ringComes such a lovely, lovely thing...."Circus" by Eleanor Farjeon This past Saturday, I was able to watch the penultimate performance of Cirque du Soleil BAZZAR before the start of Ramadan. There was a circus tent set up across the canal from… Continue reading Cirque du Soleil in Doha
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