It feels like this school year should be further along than what it actually is. Between all the packing and unpacking and repacking and re-unpacking and moving to a new school building and shifting classrooms and constant changes this school year feels infinite. Thank God, winter break is just two weeks away. But outside of work, it seems the flashy newness of my host country is wearing off and after two and a half years I’ve settled in. So now what… Well I’ve started checking things off of my ‘Things to Do Before I leave Qatar’ list. This doesn’t mean that I’m leaving tomorrow, because I have signed on for another year, but next year may be my last for several reasons unless there is a major change in my position, because a change is overdue.
For our anniversary this year, Darryl and I stayed at the famous Torch hotel and had dinner at Restaurant 360. It rotates so you get a full view of Doha. The hotel is very nice. The rooms are all powered through the Ipad and you can set the mood in the room by changing the color of the lights. The food at the restaurant was delicious but the service was slow. However the view was great.
For his birthday, I took him to Nobu- a well recognized Japanese restaurant. Although the lightening of the interior is a bit darker than my taste, the food is amazing. I could not resist the Black Cod Yuzu Miso dish, so my fake veganism re-appeared.
Last week we went to see Creed II in the Seven Star Novo Theatre in Souq Wakif. It is very similar to a First Class Flight on Qatar Airways with reclining leather seats and partner pods. You even get a blanket and satin covered pillow. We received a welcome non alcoholic drink upon arrival and ordered some food that was bought to our seats. Had I known, this movie theatre was so luxurious, I would have dressed better. Oh the movie wasn’t half bad either.
A few days ago, my girlfriends and I made a visit to the beach that is literally down the street from my house. We had a small picnic and some girl talk. It was the first time I actually sat on this beach and I’ve been in my flat for 6months. There was a nice amount of people there enjoying the cool weather and I decided that I’d frequent Al Wakra beach more often. Besides, I always wanted to live near the beach.
Over the weekend, Darryl and I along with another couple (Britney and Quahn) went Kayaking in the Mangroves of Al Khor. I didn’t know kayaking was so much work. But it was nice to be out on the water, and for a little while, I felt like I was on vacation.
I don’t know how much longer I will be in Qatar; I’m thinking 1-2 additional years Max depending on the situation. But before I leave there are still a few more things on my list that I plan to do before I go because once I leave here, I don’t plan on returning. In the meantime, I’m off to see another part of the world. Nine Days in Sri Lanka, coming right up. Stay Tuned…
Teaching Abroad- American Teacher Overseas 