Greetings from The Sandbox!

Well, it's a little late for first impressions. I've been here a full three months or so now, so there's not too much here that surprises me a great deal. Things aren't that different here than they are back home: wake up, shower, ride your camel to school, study, watch a public stoning, go to bomb-making class, eat dinner, etc.

No, I'm kidding. No one rides camels to school - too slow in the roundabouts.

But seriously, it's not really that different from home. I think the best description is that it's foreign enough to be cool and different but familiar and Western enough to not be alienating. You'll have towering Western-style fancy hotels lurking over fenced compounds, cramped apartments stuffed with foreign workers, and midsize apartment complexes all crammed into some twisty, dusty streets. The older neighborhoods do have that Chuck Norris/Delta Force Middle East feel, but the newer sections have some breathtaking modern skyscrapers. Foodwise, you can get anything from local favorites like shish tawooq and chicken shawarma to American abominations like McDonalds and Bennigan's. But that's another blog.

I guess the most popular question I get, other than "What time is it there?" from my sister, is "How hot is it there?" Unfortunately for all of you who laughed as I roasted for my first month, it is absolutely gorgeous. The high is in the mid-80s, and it rarely drops below 70s; it's been perfect weather for running. Of course, it was hard to believe it would be this nice when I stepped off the plane at midnight into an oven; it rarely dropped below a very humid 100 at night, and it warmed to the 110-115 range during the day. I've lived in hotter places, and I've lived in wetter places, but never in that kind of combination. Nightfall rarely brought more than a 10 degree drop in temperature; I would sweat through my pants after about 15 minutes of walking around even after 11PM. The sunrise times are all hosed up here; they don't do Daylight Savings Time, and we should really be in the next time zone to the east; Qatar wants to stay on the same time zone as Saudi Arabia, so we get sunrise at about 4:30AM and sunset at about 4:30PM.

Anyway, I suppose I'll keep this brief. I'll post some pictures of the A&M building and Education City when I get a chance. I need to get a few pictures of everyday things; it's hardly remarkable to me anymore, but I suppose some people might find a Middle Eastern country exciting and different. But I need to rubdown my camel and beat the dust out of my carpet before bed tonight, so I'm off. Until next time...

It is hard to believe that I’ve officially been in Qatar for almost four weeks! After what seemed like an eternity of anticipating my life as an expatriate, I now feel quite at home in the strange, but modern city of Doha. Nick has been patiently waiting to co-author this blog with me for two months after his arrival in late August. Although I was disappointed that we weren’t able to leave at the same time, it has actually worked out quite well. Nick has an internal navigation system and has been my guide around the city. He has eagerly shown me the interesting sights and the delicious restaurants that he experienced before I came and has also introduced me to his friends here—mostly fellow graduate students—who are all very nice and welcoming. However, the relationship has been symbiotic, as I have received quite luxurious accommodations and fantastic privileges as a staff member of Texas A&M University. My apartment is huge, furnished, and fully paid for—I have 3 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, a maid’s quarters (but no maid!), and spacious rooms with huge windows overlooking the Arabian Gulf on one side and the lights of the city skyscrapers on the other. I am on the 23rd floor! The building has everything one would want or need—an outdoor pool (nearly full-sized, with a view of the Gulf), a gym which includes a sauna, hot tub, and steam room, a mini-mart, a restaurant, an ATM, a dry-cleaner, and even men’s and women’s hair salons! The staff members in the building are extremely nice and some of my co-workers and professors from the university live here among many other westerners (predominately Exxon Mobile employees). I am including some pictures I recently took of my apartment for a better visual.




The living room/dining room, the view from my apartment (a bad picture)-the Gulf with a small sand island, the hallway, the kitchen, the maid's quarters w/ bathroom, two of the three bedrooms, and two of the bathrooms.

I have found Doha to be an interesting city, so far. It is new and beautiful in a man-made sort of way, yet a bit dusty and much unfinished. I like to say Doha is “nouveau riche”; it is a place that has recently come into money as a result of its natural gas resources and it is attempting to create a city (similar to Dubai) with the most current technologies and unique, modern architecture. I remember looking out the window at the Corniche (the road that hugs the coast) on my ride from the airport on the night of my arrival. I was enamored by the beautiful city skyline, the lights reflecting over the water, and the fountains that seemed to be everywhere. It is definitely a place with aesthetic appeal; you just need to know where to look. However, there is less charm in the constant construction throughout the city. New, empty buildings are going up everywhere and the roads change daily. There are barriers in an area one day, the next day there is a complete road block, and a week later there is a mile-long detour. I often have to drive two or three miles out of the way to get to my apartment (even though I can see it just a block away). Yet, one thing that none of the local drivers have to worry about is actually following any rules. Driving over medians, through road barriers, and off-roading to get by traffic and construction are all standard procedures.
Speaking of driving, I proudly took the wheel the very first day I spent in Doha and won a lot of respect from fellow ex-pats for getting out there in the mix so soon. Yet, every day is a new “adventure” and my confidence on the road still meets new lows. I will briefly explain the thrills and terrors of being behind the wheel in Doha…
The Good:
-You never really need to worry about getting in trouble; everyone breaks the rules. Just don’t speed too much or run any red lights (see below).
-You can park anywhere that you can make a spot and there is no towing. You wouldn’t believe the creativity involved in parking, especially by the owners of larger vehicles.
-I have become much more aggressive and have learned to get what I want by being a little pushy and much more confident.
-You are never expected to be polite. If someone wants to get in and you don’t let them, there are no hard feelings and no reason to feel bad. It is each man for himself out there.
The Bad:
-I am bound to get some tickets when I come back to the States. I’m sure I have become an overly-aggressive driver by most U.S. standards (however, I may make it as a NYC taxi driver!).
-Should you be caught speeding or running a red light here on one of the many roadside cameras, you will pay dearly. Fines can be from $500 to several thousand dollars. Of course, many of the locals don’t pay any heed to these fines; it is really just pocket change for them. Plus, the cameras are huge and blatantly obvious from a mile away.
-The traffic is terrible! Due to the poor city planning, the ridiculous amount of construction, and the lack of sufficient roads for the number of drivers, traffic is heavy almost all of the time in certain places.
-People honk their horns constantly! I mean, in a grid-lock without an inch of available space. They honk when they want you to move in impossible situations, when they want to let you know that they are about to hit you, when you are about to hit them, when they are about to hit a pedestrian, when they are riding your bumper (while simultaneously flashing their lights), when they are letting you know that they are about to break a rule and don’t really care how you feel about it, when they stop randomly in the middle of the road, and when they want someone to bring them food from inside a restaurant (their version of takeout). It is really just crying wolf to me. I can’t really trust that there is any reason to be alarmed anymore when I hear the sound of a horn…another bad habit to bring bake to the U.S.
The Ugly:
-The Qatari drivers. The locals here have free reign over the roads and they use it to their full advantage. Not only will they most likely get by with breaking the rules, they aren’t too worried about the fines they will receive if they do. They almost all drive Land Cruisers and drive them incredibly fast and with no consideration of other drivers. My rule of thumb: As soon as you see one approaching from even 500 yards away (“objects in mirror may be closer than they appear”), GET OUT OF THE WAY! Further, (Warning: politically incorrect observation) I feel a little unsafe when seeing a woman wearing a burqa/full hijab (only exposing the eyes) while driving. Perhaps I’m wrong, but doesn’t it seem like there would be a serious lack of peripheral vision??
All of this aside, though, I have actually enjoyed driving here. It feels like a real, 3-dimensional version of Mario Kart. Each day that you park your car for the night and get out in one piece is like beating another level! It’s a sense of accomplishment, a lesson in hand-eye-foot coordination, and another reason to be happy to be alive!
I am really having a blast out here so far and get a lot of enjoyment from observing a new culture and living in a place so different from home. I doubt we will ever lack in topics or stories to write about and I’m already quite behind in my entries. I’m looking forward to sharing more about our adventures! :)