Start of an Adventure

Hello! This is simply a quick introduction to start the blog chronicling my time here in Doha, Qatar. I tend to be a perfectionist and procrastinate starting on things, so I thought it best to bite the bullet and start writing! This blog is meant to document my semester teaching and living at Carnegie Mellon University in Doha, part of Qatar Foundation's Education City. The other purpose of this blog is to share my experience with family, friends, colleagues and others who wish to hear updates and are curious about this part of the world. Through this blog I hope to shed some light on misconceptions, stereotypes, fears, and beliefs I heard from others prior to my departure to Doha.

I'll recap my travel and initial impressions at a later time but I first I just want to share some of my 'firsts':

This is my first time to Doha and to the Middle East.
My flight from Chicago to Dulles was my first time flying business class (United)
I received a surprise upgrade to First class on Qatar Airways, flying in style from Dulles to Doha.
I moved into my first (solo) apartment my first night and received my first rental car the second night.
I drove to and from campus today, marking my first time driving outside of the States.
I'm an Adjunct Professor at CMU-Q, marking my first time teaching (more on my classes later).

My jet lag has been touch and go these past 2 days. I goofed up my schedule by crashing this evening from 6 to 10 pm. It's 2 am now and I'll going to attempt to force myself to sleep. (It's also time to turn off the TV- one can only hear 'Fashion TV Arabia' say so many times in its seductive voice to 'get exposed'. I'm still feeling out the dress code here . It's quite a contrast from the abayas seen around town to what is seen in stores, ads, and tv).