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!