life in qatar – Teaching Abroad- American Teacher Overseas

4th Year in the Bag- Teaching in Qatar

Today marks the last official day of work, bringing to a close my 4th year teaching in Qatar. Each year I usually write a recap of how the school year went but it just seems weird this year. For the last 2 months, I haven’t even been in the physical school building. I didn’t even get to close out and pack up my room. This year was bitter sweet. I had an amazing working experience, but this year was also full of WTF events, ending with the obvious one that I won’t mention.

This was my first year, since being here, holding a position outside of the classroom. I loved it. It was stress-less, manageable and fun. I was able to focus on small groups and see growth. I was able to attend and conduct several Professional Development workshops. I obtained my Google I Instructor certificate and re-enrolled in school. I smashed my goals both personal and professional.

However, I didn’t travel once since the school year started, instead I focused on achieving some monetary goals. I waited to travel ’til April but that got shot down. My trips to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Malta, Ireland and numerous ones in the U.S.A all had to be cancelled. I am still waiting for several refunds and I have accepted that I probably will not get them anytime soon. I lost money too. I won’t be traveling home this summer which has me feeling very sad. I can go home but there is no guarantee that I’ll be able to make it back in time for the next school year to begin, as many borders are closed including Qatar’s for incoming persons. I also don’t want to risk close confines with strangers on a plane right now. I miss my kids and my family but I’m not alone as many people are suffering the same fate or worse. I still have a job and I have my health, so far, and I am safe. My family is healthy and I am grateful. Although if my husband was not here, I would be losing my mind.

I can’t believe it has been 4 years and I’m still here. I have no regrets about coming here. Time surely flies though. I have no idea what next year holds but I’ll be here for the adventure. We will probably start the year virtually and I may even be asked to return to the classroom temporarily, depending on the ability for new teachers to commute to Qatar. I hope not but the possibility is there. Either way, year 4 is in the bag.

Who knows what tomorrow holds? I could have never predicted that I’d be living through a pandemic in a foreign country. I never predicted I’d be here this long either. We have to plan for the future, but enjoy the day. So buy the shoes, eat the cake, take that flight because tomorrow is not promised.

Stay safe and healthy. I love you all!

3 Years Later, An Expat in Qatar

Monday, marked the conclusion of year 3 for me. Three years teaching in a foreign country. Three years living in a foreign country. What happens is, your foreign country doesn’t feel so foreign anymore. It begins to feel more like home than your native country. But one of the biggest differences is that you often find yourself saying goodbye more.

The double edge sword to being an expat is the wonderful relationships you build with new people but having to also say goodbye when those new family members decide it’s time to move on. This has happened every year so far and each year the group I began working with dwindles. There are only a few of us left from the original crew. One of my favorite couples, The Marshalls, have left. It’s difficult to find good couple friends; they are one of the good ones and we will miss them dearly. We made sure we spent a lot of time together before we all went our separate ways for the summer and vowed to keep in touch and meet up in another country. I believe I have truly made some lifelong friends here. It’s easier to build genuine relationships with other expats because usually you have commonalities and all you have is each other.

This is the first year I truly felt comfortable in Qatar. I pretty much know how things go and how to find things. So if people are wondering how long it takes for your host country to feel like home, I’d have to say about 3 years.

Work had its share of ups and downs. Although it doesn’t always feel like it, there were definitely more ups than downs. I was offered a new position for next year which I am very excited about. I will be the early, elementary Reading Specialist. I will provide reading intervention for 1-3^rd grades. I will not have a class, instead I will work with small groups of students. I moved out of my classroom and into a smaller room. I’m sure the first grade team will really miss me lol.

This year was filled with fun times in Qatar. ATV riding over sand dunes in the desert at sunrise, clay shooting, Virtual Reality Gaming, paint ball, visits to the beach, small parties with friends and more.

This year was also filled with fun times outside of Qatar. My friend Jennifer and I went on our first girls trip together and our first wellness retreat. It was also my first time in Thailand. That trip sparked a year of self-care, desire to detox at least once a year and a fondness for Thailand. I’m already planning my next retreat. My husband and I spent 9 days trekking all over Sri Lanka, enjoying beautiful beaches and green scenery. We ran from elephants and monkeys and saw enough temples for a whole lifetime. We hiked mountains and chased whales.

In April, I returned to the U.S. for two weeks. My mother was having surgery and I needed to be there. During that visit, old qualms were forgotten and many hugs were passed. That visit home was very timely, as several other family members were having health issues and I was able to visit them and be a source of comfort for some. I was able to handle some personal business with my home and spend some quality time with my sons. And since I hadn’t planned on returning to Philadelphia during the summer break, I am glad I got the opportunity to go in April. I also appreciate my job for allowing me to go.

After summer vacation, Darryl and I will be moving, again. I have moved each year that I’ve been in Qatar. But before that I have an amazing summer planned for us, including planes, trains, boats and top bucket fillers. First stop Amsterdam!

National Museum of Qatar

I enjoyed the museum more than any others in Qatar

When I first moved to Qatar, I used to marvel at the architecture. No two buildings looked the same, which was very different than the ones in Philadelphia. But there was one building in particular that I thought was so ugly. It was being designed in the likeness of a desert rose on the Corniche.

Rose-like formations of crystal clusters including sand grains are called desert roses. Desert roses only grow in arid temperatures and are native to East Africa and Arabia.

Well several years later the building is complete and its’ official name is the National Museum of Qatar. Now that I’ve had the opportunity to visit it, I have to eat my words. (What do I know about architecture anyway) The place is beautiful, inside and out and it was built around the restored Palace of Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani!

If you are a resident of Qatar, the admission is free. For everyone else, admission is quite reasonable at 50 Riyals= $13.00. Parking is also free of charge and you can get a ride on a golf cart from the parking lot to the main entrance and back. You can wear what you want (but please have some respect for the culture, take a scarf along with you). You can take pictures too without flash.

Before or after going into the Museum, I suggest walking around and checking out the grounds. Along the exterior, are 114 individual sculptures of black, Arabic Calligraphy that make up a fountain set within the museums lagoon. In the Museums courtyard is a sculpture of hands holding up the Qatari flag.

The Museum tells the story of Qatar, its’ people and its’ history. The museum tour begins with this…

I am curious to find out why this was the first of the exhibits to see but as it was pretty crowded when we went, I didn’t get a chance to read the signage. (If anyone can provide some insight, I would greatly appreciate it)

Once inside, you walk in a circle through three chapters: Chapter One-geology, archaeology and natural environment of Qatar, Chapter Two-history of life, Chapter 3-how Qatar became the nation it is today. There are many artifacts, videos and photos. It is also interactive and would be a great place to take WELL-BEHAVED CHILDREN! Children and students can learn about habitats, inventions and tradition here. I was amazed at the amount of history I learned there and the jewelry.

At several points through out the walk through, I got a little dizzy. There are points where the floor dips and the entire museum uses the structure of disc to showcase history. At several points I also got a little upset at the blatant disregard for museum etiquette, examples: children climbing on displays and picking up things while parents pretended not to see them, or allowing it to happen repeatedly, people touching things that clearly have pictures of hands with an x through it. However, there are workers in the museum to keep order and alarms that go off if you get to close to certain displays.

There are small eateries in and around the museum and two gift shops. One of the gift shops is just for kids, which brought a smile to the face of this teacher on spring break. I did not go near that one. But in the other gift shop I was able to purchase this…

My very own desert rose replica, made in Qatar!

Once your tour concludes, you will be in the courtyard where the restored Palace is located and where you can take great pictures like these..

To sum it up, I enjoyed the museum more than any others in Qatar. Visiting the Zubarah fort is a good complement to this museum as well. You will learn a lot here. Take some time to read some of the signs. I used to think the structure was awful, but now I think it’s absolutely beautiful. Well Done!

Attending a Desi Wedding

Love brings us all together!

I was invited to an Indian Henna party by a friend. Her brother was getting married so Jennifer and I attended the brides party. I felt much more comfortable attending this wedding-one because I had recently attended a Qatari Henna party, two I had the inside scoop being a friend of the grooms sister.

I regretted not purchasing the Saree, I’d tried on in Sri Lanka, because it would have been perfect to wear to this wedding. At the time, I didn’t think I’d ever have anywhere to wear it, but this is one of the unexpected things that happen when living abroad, you get opportunities to experience other cultures.

Here I am in Sri Lanka wearing a traditional Saree

Since I didn’t have anything Indian to wear, I got something made. This is a Lehenga Choli and Dupatta. Although blue is my favorite color, I fell in love with this hot pink and gold material. Jennifer wore blue. How do we look?

Only women were allowed at this party as this is the Muslim way. Jennifer and I was pulled up to the dance floor as soon as we entered. I couldn’t do the traditional dances but they didn’t care; they told me it was all in the feet. I noticed it was also in the hands. We thought it a little strange that several women also asked to take our pictures. I’m used to being stared at when I wear my baldness, but taking pictures not so much. Jennifer and I both decided that this is what it is probably like in China, when you are the only tall blonde, white women at a party, and the only black bald woman at a party. We weren’t offended; we just smiled and kept dancing. I actually felt quite comfortable. Being asked to be photographed amongst a room full of hair and beautiful women, made me feel special. I’m glad I decided to go as my beautiful, fun, bald self. The strangest part was phones were supposed to be collected at the door, but no-one seemed to mind the many phones and pictures being taken, so I whipped mine out too.

These women had dance routines and everything

I thought I was in a Bollywood film. That’s the bride by the way in the green and pink.

Watching these women dance was the highlight of the night. These women sure know how to cut a rug. I tried to be respectful of the ‘no phones’ policy and only film in short clips but I wish I could have captured more. The bride’s family even battled the groom’s family in a dance off. Everyone was so nice and friendly.

We ate and even got henna tattoos.

The groom and company arrived later and did some dancing too.

Thank you friend for the invitation. I had a fun and lovely time. All the best to the bride and groom!

The major differences, I’ve noticed in American weddings and Desi and Qatari weddings are these: the exchanging of gifts, separation of sexes and the separation of the ceremonies and receptions. In both the Desi and Qatari wedding, the guest received gifts, male and female celebrated separately and the actual wedding did not occur on the same day as the party. The major similarity is this: Life is about being happy and love brings us all together!

When the Newness of your Host Country Wears off…

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…

Back to Work

Well, the worst thing about winter break is that it ends. Sadly, tomorrow it’s back to the grind. Three weeks off was great and even though I didn’t get to travel (yes, I tamed my inner travel bug) I still enjoyed it immensely. I got some much needed rest but I am sure that no matter how much rest I got, my morning will look something like this…

I’m not even kidding either.

I’m sure my student’s will have forgotten everything they’ve learned and they will be tired too so I won’t be alone.

The good thing about staying local was that I was able to see my Al Jazeera news report, rest and not spend a lot of money. Returning back to work means spring break is not too far off and neither is traveling, so I’m looking forward to the second half of this school year.

Today I met up with some of the ladies from The Brothas and Sistas of Qatar facebook group and had high tea at the Shangri-La again. It was a nice way to end the winter break.

I’m just happy I wasn’t in Philly where they were enduring harsh winter weather. I don’t miss it, sorry friends.

Your Perceptions Could be Wrong

With only a few days left of winter break, I decided to call one of my new coworkers and invite her to lunch. It is amazing to me how ignorant we show ourselves to be before we get to know people. Let me first give you some background: I think that many Indian women are beautiful, have long dark hair, brown coffee skin, and of medium build. There are many natives from India here in Qatar but the ones I’ve noticed, bobble their heads when speaking, have a recognizable body odor, and are mostly low income. This was my impression until I met Omaimah. Omaimah is from the northern part of India and when I first met her, Indian did not come to mind. When she told me she was from India and I responded with, “Really, I would have never suspected”, she said, “Why, is it because I don’t bobble my head?” I was so embarrassed, as I should have been. Which leaves me to question: How often do we judge people or a group of people before we get to know them?

This is Omaimah, fair skinned, big eyes, long dark hair (got that right), smells nice, does not bobble her head, is pretty well off and a teacher from India. She’s beautiful and thoughtful and she has taught me, and she doesn’t even know it, not to judge a group of people before I get to know at least one of them. Everyone from one country do not all fit in the same box. I want to apologize to the universe and say thank you Omaimah.

Has something similar ever happened to you?

Read my next post to find out how lunch went, with a real Indian, at a real Indian restaurant…

365 Day Recap

It is New Years day here in Qatar and I am not at work. Hallelujah! -My New Year’s Eve was kind of boring (no fireworks here, and stayed home instead of partying) but after the amazing year I’ve had, I’ll take it! If you came to my blog expecting this…

Sorry to disappoint you. Sure, there are things I plan on doing more and even some I plan to do less but believe me I’ve set and broken enough resolutions in my life. I like to set goals whenever I feel like it, not just at the start of a new year. But that is me, so if you have set New Year resolutions for yourself, I sincerely wish you success.

When a new year starts, I like to reflect. I like to reflect on the things I did in the last 365 days. It is a way for me to stay humble, grateful and thankful. So here is my 365 day recap…

I started 2017 in bed because I had to work the next day for the first time, that stunk but that was no indication of how my year would be, in fact quite the opposite.

I visited 7 countries, 6 of them for the first time, 1 of them from my original bucket list (now called my Places to Visit List).

My husband moved to Qatar with me and I moved from my big villa to a nice apartment.

I had some of the most amazing food ever and even tried really hard to be a vegan when I wasn’t eating seafood.

Deliciousness

Yum

Squid

sardines

Evergreen Beet Ravioli for dinner

Vegan High Tea

Ritz Carlton Christmas brunch

Really what would this post be without some food pics!

I found fun ways to enjoy my time and took in some sights around Doha.

The Pearl

Mall of Qatar

Bowling

Souk Wakiq

Desert life

Zekreet

camel racing

happy hour

horse racing

Yes a mobile ATM

You don’t see this in the U.S. Camel crossing. lol

Women are given priority in the market

A country united against the blockade

Comedy in the Middle East

Banana Island

Zubarah Fort

Rode trip to the northern most coast of Qatar

National day at the Corniche

A show at the Mall

Darb Al Saii

Katara

Lusail in Qatar

I am QF symposium with Sheikh Moza

A look at the Corniche

The Torch all lit up

The new Stadium for 2020

Zig zag building

Game night with Friends

I flew first class for the first time, twice.

I watched my girlfriend marry her sweet heart in Vegas and we had a blast.

I ended this year with several interviews and a headline on Al Jazeera, focusing on my superpower- alopecia! Something tells me this is just the beginning…

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I’ve made new friends and lost some people along the way. Everybody I knew last year, is still alive and that is a blessing in itself. This is only a portion of my last 365 days.

The next 365 will be even better! I LOVE MY LIFE! I am on a journey and the path looks amazing!

What were some of your highlights from 2017?

My Imperfection is my Super Power: The Crown

“Step outside of the box and others will follow” by Kennesha Bell and Amani Khlifa

I told my son I believe that it is important to give and serve but I didn’t think that I was doing enough to help other people. Yes, I am teacher and I help little people every day but that is my career. Then my partner, Nàzma (the very talented Henna Artist from Sri Lanka), called me to do an interview with her. She wants to get her free services out there and serve, so that more people are aware and can use her. For some reason, she has not gotten any call backs for women with cancer or alopecia wanting henna crowns for their bald heads here in Qatar. She has contacted the cancer society here and still no responses. I have my own opinions about that. I think people here are ashamed. I told her that if she was in America, she would have too many clients to handle.

I was first interviewed by a young Northwestern University student named Noof. I met her at a local mall, where she asked me a few questions about how Nàzma and I hooked up and my perception on the culture here and its response to hair loss. She then wrote a paper as part of her assignment for school.

You can read the feature story here:

feature story alopecia and Henna

After that initial interview we just called ourselves partners. Each time Nàzma called, I answered. She was contacted by a Qatar University college student, a journalist, Amani Ben Khlifa (famous from AJ+ as well). Amani did a documentary on us and presented it to her school. I was so bummed that I couldn’t make it to the presentation because I had prior engagements but I was honored to have been a part of it.

My featured Image above was from the front of the brochure she created and the documentary is here:

One of our proudest achievements Nàzma and I did, was the interview with Al Jazeera. Laura Burdon-Manley and her videographer came to my flat and recorded a whole news story on November 14, 2017.

This morning Nàzma sent me this Whatsapp message, “Kennesha we will be on aljazeera…I don’t know when, everyone messaging me that they saw me…” No-one told us when it would be airing and apparently it had already aired. We searched and searched through the tv channels and online. Nàzma was able to find it by scrolling back through the news on Al Jazeera English Live and youtube. And then while sitting in front of the television, there it was: My big bald, beautiful head. They aired the Headline again and I was so proud of myself and my partner. Then Laura, who was in London, sent us the clip and here it is:

So now I’m thinking, I am helping people, through my story, at least I hope that I am. I would love to be the face of alopecia and inspire other women, who like me, are bald and beautiful. It has been an internal journey to accept me, but I hope that my external journey is just beginning, the journey to help others to accept themselves.

I am using my imperfection as my Superpower! What is your SuperPower?

Special thank you to Nàzmä Màzhar- a very special and talented person, Noof Al-Ahmad, Amani Ben Khlifa, Ahmed Photography, Laura Burdon-Manley for helping to get the word out.

I value the opinion of my readers and would love to hear from you, do you have any suggestions of how I can advocate more for alopecia sufferers, inspire other women and or become the face of alopecia? Please leave a comment with your suggestions!

If you or someone you know has alopecia please join my facebook group: For Women Living with Alopecia.

Arabic 101: Lesson 4

My last post about Arabic class was not so positive. Well I am happy to say, it got better. I decided to take it serious and it is paying off. Darryl and I review our notes together and go through the textbook with the companion website to complete the relevant exercises. I received a 17-20 on my first quiz which included, un-connecting and connecting the letters, translating questions and answering them in arabic and identifying the letters.

Some classes are better than others and I still find it difficult to attend class on Wednesday but my after school activity duty on Wednesday is over so it should get easier. We only have about 4 weeks left of class and we are considering taking the next one. We’ve gone through the entire alphabet now and are learning new words and phrases.

One of the most confusing parts of arabic for me is changing the words to fit the gender and possessives. In english, we just add he, she, I, we, us, our, -s, -es, -ies, -ing, etc…; but in Arabic it’s a whole process you have to learn and the root words change. Also in Arabic, there are words that are spelled the same or very close but have completely different meanings depending on the pronunciation. This is similar to homonyms in English (pole, pole) except homonyms sound the same.

Kalimat Jadida- new words

Nahnu-We; Heya-she; Howa (who-a)-he; Anti-You(f); Anta-You(m);

otbkh(authbook)- cook; anthf(ounawthif)- clean; anam- sleep; ajls- sit;

Ghor-fat Nawm- bedroom; Ghor-fat TaA’aam- dining room; Ghor-fat Joloos- living room

Ham-maam- Bathroom; Mat-bakh- kitchen; Hadeeqa- garden

Ayyam fi al oosbooa- Days in the week cooliyawn- everyday

Al-Ahad- Sunday

Al-ithnayn- Monday

Al-thulathaa- Tuesday

Al-arbiaa- Wednesday

Al-khamees- Thursday

Al-jumaa- Friday

Al- sabt- Saturday

فَقَط‏- (faqaṭ)- that’s it

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