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.