teaching, traveling, taking pictures
Stay calm. Do not panic when you hear the fire alarm. Also, it's important to stay quiet so you can hear any instructions. In fact, it's important to be quiet and calm the whole time the fire drill is happening, not just when it starts. Consider employing alternate nostril breathing to relax your body and mind, reduce… Continue reading Subject: Responding to a Fire Alarm
Yallah.Like a couple bandits, we hop over barricades, slip between the bumpers of stopped cars, and cut through construction sites to reach the Doha fairground. Two illuminated prongs tower in the distance. I trod towards them. Your placid eyes follow me—easygoing and open to adventure, curious about the promises that I offer. Suddenly, between the… Continue reading Springtime Amusement Park—Doha, Qatar
Image Source IMPORTANT! The Health Clinic advises faculty members to take the following safety precautions against dust storms which can pose health hazards such as sinus allergies, respiratory infections, and dystopic anxiety. Avoid going outside, especially during high winds or when visibility levels are low. If unavoidable, spend as little time outside as possible and… Continue reading Subject: Safety Tips to Guard against the Dust Storm
Over last couple days, I have been thinking about different genres of writing. After the recent mass shooting tragedy in New Zealand, I spent some time exploring the genre and history of the manifesto, which led me to an interesting article in The Atlantic entitled "Manifestos: A Manifesto". Subsequently, I toyed with the idea of… Continue reading An Expat Lenten Calendar
This week's blog post was inspired by too many flooofers and puppoems posts on Instagram. If my doggo bloggo did you a heart boop, then please check out Rescue Salukis Middle East on Instagram and on Facebook. I will owe you a treato.
Our paths crossed at work today. This the noon course meeting? Nope. Right time, wrong room. ok. thanks. bye. Your words like three cold electrons. Last year, we spent our spring break swimming together in the green pools of Wadi Shaab. I coaxed you into its submerged cave. We held hands and jumped from a waterfall— After that trip,… Continue reading Me. You. Oman.
I don’t give a damn, except that I get bored sometimes when people tell me to act my age. Sometimes I act a lot older than I am - I really do - but people never notice it. People never notice anything. ― J.D. Salinger, The Catcher in the Rye There will be times in your… Continue reading 11 Things to Do When You Feel an Assignment Is Beneath You
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
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
Dear Grandma Mickey, It’s been some time since we talked. The last time we spoke was when I stopped by Mauston and left an invitation to Zylan’s graduation party on your grave. I believe you were at the party in spirit. I’m sorry that I wasn’t able to say goodbye to you before I left… Continue reading To My Grandmother (Who Would Have Been 103 on June 18)
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