Because of the very kind and persistent persuasion of my wife, children, siblings, and friends I have decided to become an active blogger. I am grateful that there are so many who care about me and my family and want to stay in touch.
Souq Waqif or the old souq. It is a restored traditional market or souq.
The blending of the traditional architecture with the new is a bit too literal for me. I do find it very interesting though.
Some observations:
The heat and humidity are incredible. Although it is unlike anything I have experienced it is not as bad as I thought. I was worried that if I were in this kind of heat for more then a few minutes I would literally melt. Surprisingly I am coping very well. Thank heaven for air conditioners. The highs now are a cool 105 degrees Fahrenheit with the overnight lows in the eighties.
The culture is fascinating. At first all Arabs in the traditional Arab garb looked scary to me. I am very much a product of western media and entertainment. Even though Arabs are typically not very socially inclusive they are compassionate and kind when dealing with them one on one. They do drive like maniacs however.
The landscape is barren. I was almost depressed when I fist drove through Doha. Their is dust on everything. All but the newest buildings look old because of the dust, lack of landscaping and architectural style. There seem to be two types of architecture in Doha. The newer, western style and the old, traditional style that feels like stepping into a third world country. I went to the hardware store where I stepped inside the door and had to remain there while the clerk rummaged through the isles to find what I needed. There was only enough room for him to squeeze sideways in the aisles. It was like a cross between a third world shop and a store in a Harry Potter movie. On the bright side their is no end to the new construction sites. Construction sites operate around the clock. Because of the wealth that is here there are some very interesting buildings in the city center where all the tall buildings are.
The Americans and other western expatriates in Doha are great. As are the expatriates from all around the world. Only about 20% of the population here is Qatari. There rest are here working in one way or another, to serve the Qataris. It is absolutely unbelievable how much oil money there is in this country. Dianna has talked about our neighbors Jesse and Felicity in here blog. They have been wonderful.
My job is fantastic. This semester I teach two classes and next semester I will teach 3. Two of the three I teach next semester are different sections of the same course. In one class I have 12 students and in the other I have 4. The class with 12 students is overloaded. Generally the class size limit is 10. I think I can handle 12. I have begun my research in environmental psychology as it relates to the built environment. This is similar to my master's thesis. My research involves applying the known science of environmental psychology across the cultural boundaries that exist in this country. We are hoping that my research will include trips to Petra, Jordan (the historic desert city carved out of the cliffs in the Indiana Jones movie), Istanbul, Turkey and Greece. We are excited.
We have spent a lot of time together as a family. When I am not teaching I work at home preparing for classes and doing my research. It is great.
We miss the beauty and conveniences of home. Even though this is one of the wealthiest per capita nations in the world shopping is not easy here. The old Bedouin culture is still very apparent in the way the city is organized and the way people do things. The one great thing is that even though the things the Qataris own are very expensive they don't own a lot of different kinds of things. What that means is there are not a lot of things to buy here. It is a unique brand of commercialism that forces us to do without all the toys and gadgets. This has been an adjustment but it is very good for us. As long as we would live here Abbey would never have a lot of toys because there just aren't that many. It has been good for her to appreciate the ones she has and to figure out better ways to entertain herself.
Well, I'm signing out from Doha. I will post again soon.
It is our 58th day in Doha, Qatar (not that we are counting) and we are starting to feel like life will return to some kind of normalcy. It has been an amazing experience. The jet lag, time change, and culture shock really took a toll on us the first week but we soon were able to recover. The glazed look on our faces disappeared and we were filled with curiosity.
This is a picture taken out of our upstairs window. The haze is sand. The tower is called Aspire. It was built for the Asian games along with the sports complex surrounding it.
Abbey looking across the bay to city center
Souq Waqif or the old souq. It is a restored traditional market or souq.
The blending of the traditional architecture with the new is a bit too literal for me. I do find it very interesting though.
Some observations:
The heat and humidity are incredible. Although it is unlike anything I have experienced it is not as bad as I thought. I was worried that if I were in this kind of heat for more then a few minutes I would literally melt. Surprisingly I am coping very well. Thank heaven for air conditioners. The highs now are a cool 105 degrees Fahrenheit with the overnight lows in the eighties.
The culture is fascinating. At first all Arabs in the traditional Arab garb looked scary to me. I am very much a product of western media and entertainment. Even though Arabs are typically not very socially inclusive they are compassionate and kind when dealing with them one on one. They do drive like maniacs however.
The landscape is barren. I was almost depressed when I fist drove through Doha. Their is dust on everything. All but the newest buildings look old because of the dust, lack of landscaping and architectural style. There seem to be two types of architecture in Doha. The newer, western style and the old, traditional style that feels like stepping into a third world country. I went to the hardware store where I stepped inside the door and had to remain there while the clerk rummaged through the isles to find what I needed. There was only enough room for him to squeeze sideways in the aisles. It was like a cross between a third world shop and a store in a Harry Potter movie. On the bright side their is no end to the new construction sites. Construction sites operate around the clock. Because of the wealth that is here there are some very interesting buildings in the city center where all the tall buildings are.
The Americans and other western expatriates in Doha are great. As are the expatriates from all around the world. Only about 20% of the population here is Qatari. There rest are here working in one way or another, to serve the Qataris. It is absolutely unbelievable how much oil money there is in this country. Dianna has talked about our neighbors Jesse and Felicity in here blog. They have been wonderful.
My job is fantastic. This semester I teach two classes and next semester I will teach 3. Two of the three I teach next semester are different sections of the same course. In one class I have 12 students and in the other I have 4. The class with 12 students is overloaded. Generally the class size limit is 10. I think I can handle 12. I have begun my research in environmental psychology as it relates to the built environment. This is similar to my master's thesis. My research involves applying the known science of environmental psychology across the cultural boundaries that exist in this country. We are hoping that my research will include trips to Petra, Jordan (the historic desert city carved out of the cliffs in the Indiana Jones movie), Istanbul, Turkey and Greece. We are excited.
We have spent a lot of time together as a family. When I am not teaching I work at home preparing for classes and doing my research. It is great.
We miss the beauty and conveniences of home. Even though this is one of the wealthiest per capita nations in the world shopping is not easy here. The old Bedouin culture is still very apparent in the way the city is organized and the way people do things. The one great thing is that even though the things the Qataris own are very expensive they don't own a lot of different kinds of things. What that means is there are not a lot of things to buy here. It is a unique brand of commercialism that forces us to do without all the toys and gadgets. This has been an adjustment but it is very good for us. As long as we would live here Abbey would never have a lot of toys because there just aren't that many. It has been good for her to appreciate the ones she has and to figure out better ways to entertain herself.
Well, I'm signing out from Doha. I will post again soon.
