Culture Shock

If I could describe my overall experience of the last month it has been one of culture shock. For the last three to five weeks I have been struggling. I have been dealing a sincere amount of confusion and depression and it has only been in the last week or so that I've started to notice why.

As someone who has traveled a bit I thought moving to a new country would be relatively easy. Obviously there would be some major cultural differences, a new language barrier, and the whole adjusting to actually living abroad. I thought I had in myself what I needed to do this successfully with little difficulty. Boy, was I wrong.

In the last three and a half months I have learned more about myself than I ever cared to know and frankly I don't like most of it. Most of you know I'm a pretty optimistic guy who likes to have fun and always enjoys a good laugh. And you'd be right to say that because I do. However, I am learning that I am an eternal optimist. Even when I feel like the building is collapsing on top of me (which somewhat accurately describes how I've felt since about February) I could tell you with ease everything I enjoyed about the process of being crushed to death (hyperbole intended). Though this is an asset most of the time when I have some legitimate problems that need to be addressed I tend to overlook them, and then do a bajillion things to try and cover up how the problems make me feel. All of which end up making it worse and usually end up hurting people around me. What I've found is that, though I try to be an honest person, I lie to myself profusely and unapologetically.

So you can imagine that I haven't been coping with culture shock very well. If you don't know much about it a basic google search can give you the basics, and really that's all I know. Culture shock is pretty common for expats, and happens more or less to everyone when they live outside of their culture. The main idea is that there is a honeymoon period where everything is great then there is a realization that things are difficult, then there is a homesickness combined with loneliness and depression and then there is no escape until you die. Just kidding, after the period of difficulty you learn to adjust and cope with life in new surroundings. Here is a great visualization of what culture shock can be like:

Though I think I'm at the confronting deeper cultural/personal issues I don't really know. I do know that some days are better than others. And that my mind is regularly occupied with depressing thoughts. The hardest part is that I genuinely find it difficult to care about fighting it. And yet, the optimist in me finds the whole process fascinating.

Needless to say life is very confusing at the moment and I would appreciate your prayers. Here are some specific prayer requests:

1.) That I would be able to work through this depression in such a way that nothing is rushed and that I could really grow and learn through it.

2.) That I could feel the love of the Father on a daily basis. I really struggle with accepting the love of others, and I'm finding that I don't accept the love of the Father despite obvious evidence to the contrary.

3.) I'm going home for Christmas. During my stay in Ohio I will be road tripping it down to Florida to help Micah and his family move to Jacksonville. Pray for safe travels as I will be doing a lot of it this December.

Thank you all for your continuous love and support.

A Quick Update!

Hey! It's been a while since I posted last so I thought I'd throw out a quick update.

Things in Doha are going well. School is moving along and I feel like I am starting to wrap my head around the new curriculum and all the new ways of doing things. This weekend was the celebration of Eid al-Adha so I have the entire week off! So far I have done some hardcore relaxing and it has been great but I'm tired of being lazy so tomorrow I'm going to a water park with a friend of mine Then on Wednesday I'm revitalizing an old tradition I used to do in college called "Adventure Day"! It's literally a day where I stock up on water and food and walk around the city seeing what kind of stuff I can get myself into (I'll be sure to post pictures when I'm done!)

After Eid break my life will get crazy busy. I am playing soccer twice a week after school, I'm going to be coaching 4,5 soccer after school once a week and I play in a wind ensemble once a week as well. On top of all that I have to teach! It's gonna be nuts.

All in all I can't complain. Life in Doha is pretty easy, busy, but easy. I just bought my plane ticket home for Christmas so if any of you are in Columbus during that time I would love to see you!

Thank you all for your continued prayers you have no idea how much they encourage me. There are many days I need them desperately. Here are a few specifics:

1.) The next nine weeks are going to be incredibly busy. I am going to need strength to get through all that I have to do.

2.) The Lord has been pressing a lot of deep questions on my heart lately and sometimes dealing with them can be a rough going. Pray that I won't back away or run, but that I will press into Him and have the courage to hear what He has to say.

3.) My friend Jeff moved back to Detroit this weekend. Please pray for a smooth transition for him as it was all rather unexpected. And that for his health to steadily recover.

This week I have been listening to a group called "Page CXVI" they do modernizations of Hymns and this hymn has brought me great comfort over the last few weeks. 

In the Lord there is Hope. 

Be still, my soul: the Lord is on your side. 

Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain; 

Leave to your God to order and provide;

In every change, He will remain.

Be still, my soul: your God will undertake 

To guide the future, as in ages past. 

Your hope, your mind, your will let nothing shake; 

All now mysterious shall be bright

Be still, my soul: the hour is hastening on 

When we shall be forever with the Lord, 

When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone, 

Sorrow forgot, love's joys restored. 

Hospitals in Doha

Last night I spent three hours in the Emergency room with my friend Jeff. Jeff had a major surgery this summer and was suffering some intense abdominal pain and went to the hospital. He was in the ER for close to seven hours waiting for a room to open up. My friend Teri and I went and spent time with him last night until he was given a room. As we were talking about life and religion I realized that last night was only the fourth time I had ever been in a hospital. I was born in one, I had a weird cough once as a kid, my friend Sean busted his head long boarding, and last night. It's one of those times I realized how blessed I am.

In fact this whole week God has been showing me how blessed I am. Since I have been here everything has gone smoothly. As of this week all of my paper work for acquiring my residency permit is complete. I am officially a resident of Qatar. This last weekend I passed my drivers test and got my drivers license. I'm sure that sounds like a small feet, but let me tell you...that test was not easy. Out of the 25 American's that went only 8 passed. Most failed on the 2nd test where we had to name the parts of a car engine. Thanks to JJ for teaching me all I know about cars! Unfortunately one guy made it past that stage and failed the driving part by accidentally running a red light on the inside of a roundabout. He now owes a 6000 qar fine (roughly 2000 usd). On top of all the paperwork my bank account got set up quickly and I got paid which is nice. I think I can say with a good amount of accuracy that my transition into Doha could not have been smoother. Mainly thanks to all the the people who are in charge of that stuff here at the school. There is only one thing left to do and that is to move into permanent housing. Thanks to everyone who has been praying for me about these things. A friend of mine posted this verse on facebook the other day and it made me think of all of you who have been persistently praying for me.

"I love the LORD, because he has heard 

my voice and my pleas for mercy.

Because he inclined his ear to me, 

therefore I will call on him as long as I live."

Psalms 116:1-2

Prayer is a powerful and awesome act. To stand before the throne of God covered by the blood of Christ and know that He is actively listening and responding to what we have to say truly inspires me. Thanks to everyone who has been encouraging me and lifting me up in prayer of over the last few weeks. It means so much to me.

Prayer Requests:

1.) Please pray for Jeff. This season of his life has been incredibly difficult and he is truly seeking the Lord for the first time in his life. Please pray that he will come to a saving faith in Jesus. And that he might experience some joy in this time of his life.

2.) Please pray for school. I am struggling to really understand that PYP curriculum. Though things are starting to make more sense it is all very new and rather overwhelming. Pray that I can continue to know and understand what I need to do here at QA in order to accel.

3.) Church & Community. Please continue to pray for the expat community here at QA. That we can grow closer together as a family of expats. Also for a church that I can really settle down in and grow into. I have been to two churches, both of which have their pro's and con's. Praise the Lord for my friend Curt who has been taking me to church with his family the last two weeks. They are great people.

4.) Lastly, please pray against the spiritual warfare here in Doha. I am finding that there are times when I truly feel under attack from the enemy.  It has never been associated with anyone or anything here but there are recurring things in my mind that I am confident aren't coming from me. Mostly while I'm sleeping. Please pray that my relationship with Christ will be strengthened while I'm here and not weakened.

Thank you all for your ongoing prayers.

Livin' La Vida Doha

It's been two weeks since I landed in Doha and things are starting to settle down a bit. First off let me say that life in Doha isn't a whole lot different than life in the states. Don't get me wrong, culturally life is very different, but as far as day to day goings on life is pretty much the same. In terms of settling in, Qatar Academy has been extremely helpful taking care of all residency requirements etc. We literally just show up for the medical exams, and the fingerprinting and they take care of all the paper work. So there has been little to no stress on that side of things which is quite nice. As far as living accommodations are concerned I, as well as many others, have been put in temporary housing for the next three months because our permanent housing is being renovated. The temporary housing is quite nice. It is a hotel apartment and it comes with everything I need to live comfortably for the next three months. I can't wait to move into the permanent housing though as it seems that everything that the Qatar Foundation does for it's employees is superlative. Our recreation center is top of the line. From work out rooms and an olympic sized pool for laps to a masseuse for when life is really stressful. I have been consistently impressed with the support that Qatar Academy is giving to all of us

Life outside of school is a bit different than life in the states. There are lots of cultural things that I am learning about. First and foremost respect the Qatari. I had a surprise one day at the coffee shop in the hotel lobby when I sat down and put my feet up on the small table in front of me. I noticed a few nasty looks from some men sitting on the other side of the room when I was approached by an employee there asking me to put my feet down. I had totally forgotten that showing the bottom of your feet to someone here is extremely disrespectful. After apologising profusely I went about my day.

When it comes to getting things here the malls have literally everything from Banana Republic to Armani and every other retailer under the sun. Theres a Coldstone Creamery and Krispy Kreme and gondola rides, roller coasters and ice rinks. Its amazing. Doha is really quite a nice place to live except for one thing...the heat. Now I know heat is one of those things that people like to claim as their states thing. "Our heat is worse because of humidity" or "It's so hot here the tar in the streets melt" All of which are valid and usually true. I have experienced many kinds of heat in my life from the dry oven like heat of Phoenix Arizona to the sweltering humidity of Nashville Tennessee and I can honestly say I have never felt heat like the heat they have here. Now some days are worse than others and apparently the humidity is supposed to lesson significantly over the next month or so. But sweet mother is it hot here.

I am excited for this weekend as I am going to church with a guy I met through Paul Perger. I am excited to get plugged into a church while I'm here. I will make sure to let you all know how that goes.

Thanks again to everyone who is praying for me. I appreciate your prayers and I can see how life here is an answer to prayer in and of itself. Here are some prayer requests as I continue to settle in.

1.) Church and a church family is something that I desperately crave. To live and partake in a community of believers is something I have yearned since I left Arizona. I miss it dearly. Please pray that I can find a church to dig into and really grow in.

2.) Settling in. Getting residency here in Doha can be quite the process. There are a lot of things that can go wrong. Luckily everything is going smoothly thanks to Qatar Academy, but I have to take a driving test in the next couple weeks and I am legitimately scared. I'm not scared that I won't pass it I actually scared of driving here. It is terrifying.  Prayer for safety in daily transportation would be greatly appreciated.

3.) School. IB and PYP curriculum is quite different than anything I have ever encountered before. From what I am learning I think I'm going to like it a lot it's just a whole different system than I am used to. Please pray that I can begin to grasp this system so that I can thrive as a teacher here in Doha.

4.) Community. The community of teachers here is great. It is clear to me that God is blessing us with each others friendship. Please keep praying that we will continue to grow closer as friends as we share this experience with each other.

Here are some pictures of The Villagio mall and Pearl Island and a short video for my sister-in-law Laura!

Communication, it's simple...ish

I leave for Qatar in nine days and I cannot begin to express how excited I am. Living and teaching overseas has been a dream of mine since I was a junior in high school. In 2005 I was on a missions trip to the Dominican Republic with a group from my church and on that trip I remember sitting next to my friend Jill and saying to her, "I kind of just want to throw my passport out the window and stay here." For the first time in my life I had caught a glimpse of something God had put in my heart. A deep love and passion for people. I learned that every person, no matter how flawed or broken they are should know and feel that they are loved especially when they feel like they aren't.

Since my last post I have been inundated with the love of my friends and family. I have been able to work through and vocalize a lot of my wounds and pain with the people who were involved. There has been a lot of honesty and forgiveness on all parties involved especially myself. Bitterness has been rooted out of my heart and the anger that I have struggled with is beginning to fade. My heart knows more peace and joy today than it has in a long time and for that I am thankful.  This is only the beginning of the healing process but thank you all for praying with me and I ask that you would continue.

Last Friday I finished my first summer session of my masters degree and it is a huge burden off my shoulders. Thank you all for praying for me as I have been in class this summer.

The next nine days will consist of me packing, finalizing shipping arrangements, repacking, and spending time with my family. Nathan, Laura, Harper, and Audrey are coming to visit this weekend. It will be the first time that the family has met Audrey and the first time we have all seen each other since last year. I am excited to be with everyone and get to hold my niece for the first time.

A quick order of business. If you wish to contact me while I am in Qatar feel free to call me anytime I am on Skype (my ID is calebdoyel exactly like that). I will work hard to only be logged on when I am available. If you wish to text me and you have an iphone or mac with imessage please send your message to caldoyel@gmail.com (in place of my phone number). That will go directly to my cell phone for free. Starting Friday August 15th my phone number will no longer work. My contract with Verizon will be temporarily suspended during my time in Qatar. If you call or text me I WILL NOT GET YOUR MESSAGE. As always email and facebook work great too. I will work to keep this blog updated as much as possible so you all can follow me from here.

As always I covet your prayers:
1.) Pray that I can get everything in order before I leave concerning my baggage and travel arrangements. I need to figure out the most effective way to get my stuff there.

2.) Prayer for the community I will be joining in Qatar. This is the most significant prayer for me right now. Anyone who has lived overseas will tell you the importance of community while living abroad and I ask that I will be able to find good friendships with people in Qatar.

3.) And prayer that I can continue to trust God. I have felt that God has spoken to me about how I need to trust Him. This adventure I am about to start is something I have been struggling to trust God with. It has made me nervous and anxious. It took me a while to realize that my anxiety was about the trip, but once I did and I started to trust God with it I have begun to know and feel his peace. Please continue to pray that I will have the courage and faith to follow Him wherever he takes me.

Thank you all again for your prayers. I feel truly blessed to be lifted up by such faithful men and women of God.

The Beginning of an Exciting Adventure

I first started this blog when I was student teaching in China. What an amazing experience that was. I was young and adventurous and luckily not much has changed. On August 15, 2014 I will be leaving for Doha, Qatar where I will be teaching 4th and 5th grade general music for the next two years.

I've decided to start this blog a little early as my summer has turned into something rather unexpected. Quite frankly the Lord has been up front with me. He has been revealing to me non-stop that I am a mess of a human being who is in desperate need of Him. In the last 4-5 months I have been rather obsessed with myself. It's nice to be the guy in the room who is moving to the other side of the world. You instantly become the most interesting person in the room, and that is satisfying, at least for a moment. However, God in His mercy and grace has been tearing down my defenses and distractions. He is showing me that I cannot be arrogant in Qatar and I will need to rely on Christ far more than I do now. As I have been studying Islam and what life as a Christian in an Islamic country looks like the only thing I can say now is that I need prayer.

This summer has taught me two things. First, that I am a broken and wounded man in desperate need of salvation. Second, that there are wounds deep in my heart and things in my life that haunt me and when I am faced with those things I run. I look for anything and everything to distract me. Yet Christ has been teaching me to deal with these things head on and though at times I am struggling I can see Christ teaching me to dig into the pain of my past and confront it. And by His grace I find peace.

There is one more thing I want to write today. I need your help. I need prayer. I need people who will lift me up in prayer as I prepare to leave for Qatar. I am convinced that prayer is the single most valuable action any person can do for another. To implore the hand of God to move for someone other than myself has been one of the greatest joys I have experienced thus far.

These are the needs of my heart (as far as I know):
1.) This summer I have realized that I have a lot of baggage from my past that I haven't dealt with properly and it is hurting the relationships I have now, both with family and friends. Please pray that I will have the courage to examine this baggage closely and invite Christ in, to mend these wounded parts of my soul.

2.) I am moving to Qatar in 3.5 weeks. And I have no idea what I am walking into. Please pray that I will be able to find a network of friends on which I can rely for the next two years of my life.

3.) I have started my Masters in Music Education. It is a summer program and it is kicking my butt. I have never had this much work to do in my life and I feel like I am about to lose my mind. If you could pray that I could get everything done for this summer session I would be most grateful!

Lastly, I wanted to say thank you. Thank you to my friends in Prescott who have been by my side challenging me and keeping me accountable. You all made me feel so loved, and at the time I didn't want to accept it because I was too proud. But I see now just how much you all cared for me and I am so grateful.

Thank you to my family. You continue to amaze me with your steadfast love. Truly I am blessed beyond measure.

And to my closest friends who have spent time listening to me rant about my crazy ideas and my ridiculous thoughts and all my silly shenanigans. Thank you for your advice. Thank you for listening to me and being there for me when I have needed you most. Clearly I am more loved than I realize.

Will you pray for me?

I can't promise I will be any less intense in my following posts, but I hope to do about once a month from here on out. Stay tuned and let me know what you think.