One foot in the Doha or Cat Bites and Missed Flights

It's been a long couple of months but I've finally made it to Doha. Despite all the time and energy I spent packing and getting ready for the move, I managed to miss my flight. While waiting for my sister to come help me wrap things up at the condo, I recieved a phone call from my mom. My sister's ornery cat had bitten her on the hand and my mom needed to go to the ER. The ER visit was quick but it was just enough of a wrench in my plans to throw off my whole day.

I made it to the airport with 45 minutes to take off but they wouldn't let me on check in. "Not enough time," they said. Even though I cried. Even though my cat, unhappily stuck in his little carrying case cried. Even though my poor mom with her bandaged and mangled hand was struggling to help me with my luggage. Jerks.

The next flight they could get me on was in two days. In hindsight it all worked out though. My mom ended up having to have surgery because the bite was much more severe than they originally thought and by the next morning it was seriously infected. My mom is fine and probably would've been even if I had made my original flight but general anesthesia makes me a little nervous so I'm glad I stayed.

The flight was long and painful. It doesn't matter what class you fly, there is nothing comfortable about a 14-hour flight with a cat. But the food was significantly better than anything I expected.

So now I've been here for about a week and a half and I still don't think it's sunk in that I'm here. In Qatar. In the Middle East. On the other side of the planet where I was born and raised. And that I'm going to be here for three years.

I have to say I'm surprised at how beige everything is. Aside from the fact that sand has a natural beige color, all the buildings here are the same two or three shades of beige. It makes navigating difficult because your landmarks become no-name turnabouts, Burger Kings, and petrol stations. And there's construction and sand and dust everywhere.

My biggest adventures so far have been with the grocery stores and driving. There is a fairly extensive amount of Western food available and of course a vast selection of foods that I've never heard or seen of before. Since it's a peninsula the fish selection is outstanding, but I don't recognize any of the names of the fish so I have yet to purchase any to cook at home. Not to mention, I also have to remind myself how to filet since they all come whole and it's been awhile since I've gutted a fish.

However, I have been experimenting with pistachios and dates. Mostly just trying different brands to see which I like the most. The other night, I made steak with a date-balsamic reduction sauce and mushroom-pistachio risotto. Yum! I'm definitely excited about all the experimental cooking I'll be doing here. The restaurants here are pretty good too but I think I've been spoiled living in Chicago. Even the 5-star hotel restaurants can't do it as well as some of the places back home.

Driving has probably been the most difficult adjustment. On one hand, the flow of traffic feels a little more natural. On the other hand, it's pretty nerve wracking what some people consider to be "the flow of traffic." There aren't many stoplights here, just turnarounds. When you reach and intersection you're expected to accelerate quickly into the circular flow of traffic and then cut across lanes to make your turn. Technically they only make right-hand turns here. If you want to go left at an intersection, you ride the turnaround until the third "exit" and cut off two to three lanes of traffic to make your right turn.

On top of this crazy and accident-prone traffic style, people are incredibly impatient on the road. Flashing lights and horns are expected if you're moving too slow (even if you're going above the limit), not jumping into the turnaround when the person behind you wants you to, or even if you've pissed someone off several miles back. The other night we had someone swerve and brake in front of our car because we hadn't switched lanes quickly enough for him.

Overall I'm still deciding how I feel about the people here. Some are wonderfully friendly and helpful and others are pushy and lazy. The government of Qatar provides housing, healthcare, and living expenses to all Qataris and I believe they also receive an allowance so no one really has to work.

I went to the police station today to get fingerprinted for my residency and the female police officers turned me down because they were watching a soap opera! When I went to the men's building, the male police officers were surprised, "Why are they closed? We're supposed to stay open for another hour?" Sheesh, you're telling me!

Quick note: Right now Muslims are celebrating Ramadan. This means no eating, drinking, or smoking from sunrise to sunset and most businesses carry Ramadan hours: 7:30am-1pm and 7:30pm-11pm. I'm still learning about Ramadan so as I figure out more I'll pass it along. Tonight I may go to a Ramadan tent. I have no idea what that means but I'll be sure to find out. I'll also try to get some photos uploaded. Cheers for now!