Sandstorm

My first day in Doha over a year ago, I brought crummy weather with me. Crummy weather in Doha can be heat and humidity or in the equivalent of a rainy day- a sandstorm. A year ago it was harsh winds and whipping sand but it was nothing compared to the storm that came in yesterday afternoon.

Yesterday Darbi and I were discussing the effects of the Carnegie Mellon's building shadow on the vegetation outside (plants in the permanent shadow didn't flower, those on outside the shadow would). I stepped out of her office for one moment and suddenly she began yelling for me to return. What had moments before been a bright blue sky had become hazy and golden as the sandstorm rolled in. We watched the sky become hazy and fog-like, only the fog wasn't moisture but sand. After experiencing sand in your eyes and teeth during windy days, I have a better innate understanding and appreciation for the tradition of the keffiyeh or the Arab headscarf. I've even wrapped my head and face, saving only my eyes, once during an extremely windy day.

Since Carnegie Mellon Qatar's building is not quite finished (especially on the third floor) and let's face it, the construction quality isn't amazing to begin with, within minutes of yesterday's storm the hallways and main atriums of the building had a hazy smoke quality to them as sand particles drifted in the air. It was very eerie.

The top image is from the QTel building on the Corniche. Below are some comparison shots from Education City, looking towards Ceremonial Court (gorgeous day vs. this morning)



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Updates 3: Spring Break

I'll be in India in 12 hours!
Woah.

Irmgard (CMU Math Post-doc) and I booked a tour online about 3 weeks ago- just a simple 8 day tour of the 'Golden Triangle'- Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. Yes, we'll get to see the Taj Mahal.
But other than that- we weren't too picky about where to go in India. "Just get us there" we said. And since neither of us had the time, energy, or knowhow to plan a trip to India, we ponied up the funds and simply booked our tour. We'll see how it goes.

So I will be MIA for the next week, as I am leaving my computer at home & setting up my automatic 'vacation response' within the hour. I'll post lots of pictures and stories when I get back. Happy Early Easter to the folks back home and I'm sorry to hear about the freak snow storm. (It was 88F here in Doha today. :) In India, it's suppose to be between 96-100 the entire time we're there- unseasonably warm.)

2nd Week Discoveries

So I feel I owe an update; last week I discovered:

-my roof leaks (a little leak but it was very surprising for the desert- but then I've been told it's not that uncommon given the level of craftsmanship here)
-my washing machine doesn't work (at first I thought I couldn't decipher the non-labeled symbols-nope, it simply won't spin)
-my class has swelled; from 10 to 17 (two other students added today- so I'm expecting 19 tomorrow)
-never go to the mall on a Friday night (Americans in general have no true concept by the phrase 'sea of humanity')
-the car has no windshield fluid and I haven't found any (only distilled water; I've since been told that I have to get refilled at the car shops next to the petrol station)
-the best bread in town is from 2 cafe/bakery places in the Villagio mall
-this is maxi-pad country, with tiny stocks of OB for the expats (Grr. Note: ladies traveling/living abroad- make sure to get correct information about the female necessities availability before you travel...)
-this air/climate/humidity/something really dries out your skin
-electric stoves make excellent makeshift heaters
-halogen space heaters are better than the other space heaters because they are less of a fire hazard but- ha- they're very, very bright- I feel like I'm in the movie 'Sunshine' or something.
-my apartment gets very dusty, very quickly
-take the left (inner) lane of the roundabout; that way you have the right of way and only have to worry about one set of cars to your right
-this town (especially if you only seem to see expats) is really quite small and you run into the same crowd at similar functions
-apparently Darbi and I are heading to Jordan in February
-it's true- you don't need Arabic to live here

It's raining!

It's almost 7 am here- and I was just greeted to a pounding on my roof (I'm on the third and top floor of the apartment) and it took me a split second to realize that it's raining! And hard! I knew it rained here but it's one of those things that you don't quite fathom until it happens. Supposedly this is the first rain of the season- they've had none for the month of December or to date this year. My Qatar Living notes from CM-Q recommend that you use Friday morning (holy day morning) to practice driving and explore the city. Considering streets here don't have drainage, I think I'm staying put in my apartment this am. (And now I don't have to get my car washed for a while either ;)

From what I've seen so far- this whole landscape could present an interesting permaculture opportunity. During my semester 'inbroad' studying sustainable design and architecture at Ecosa Institute in Arizona, we visited Brad Lancaster in Tucson to see how in an area where the annual rainfall is 12", Brad uses permaculture to harvest 30" of rain. It's remarkable. I'd be curious to see what Brad could do with Doha's annual 100 mm (~4") of rain. (check out his book 'Rainwater Harvesting for Drylands and Beyond').

After marveling at the rain, I resume my cooking. Based on what ingredients were in my apartment when I arrived and a few provisions I picked up at the local Carrefour (French Mega-Grocery chain) at the Villagio Mall, I'm making a version of 101cookbooks.com's Poached Egg over Rice recipe. Turns out my apartment has crummy knives and no salt/pepper, but I'm making do. The recipe calls for dark leafy greens and the only ones I could find were in the 'Herb' section and had no label. After cooking with them I think they are mustard greens. My rice bowl dish turned out decent but could have benefited from some salt, non-white rice, and more finely chopped greens.

Sidenote: the Villagio Mall is supposedly modeled after the casino in Las Vegas complete with canals and gondolas. However, having never been to Vegas, I was corrected by both my boyfriend and my father that the Venetian is the one with canals and not the Bellagio. Perhaps the name is a combination of the two casinos.